PodCastle 719: Smilers (https://podcastle.org/2022/01/25/podcastle-719-smilers/)
Author: Chip Houser (https://podcastle.org/people/chip-houser/)
Narrator: Wilson Fowlie (https://podcastle.org/people/wilson-fowlie/)
Host: Matt Dovey (https://podcastle.org/people/matt-dovey/)
Audio Producer: Peter Adrian Behravesh (https://podcastle.org/people/peter-adrian-behravesh/)
Previously published by Bourbon Penn 20
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Content Warning:
Content warnings for bullying, injury, and child peril.
Show Notes
Rated R
Aiden rests his chin on the back of the living room couch, watching his older brother mow down zombies in ZomPlex. The zombies grab at Zach’s avatar, mouths moving like they’re chewing. Aiden’s not sure if they’re supposed to be hungry or angry or both. Their facial expressions don’t match any of the cards from the game he plays on Tuesdays with Ms. Hampton. Zombies don’t make a lot of sense to Aiden, but that’s okay, lots of things don’t make sense to him, he’s barely seven.
Aiden taps Zach on the shoulder. “You said you’d take me to the pool.”
“Busy here.” Zach jerks the controller.
They’ve gone to the pool almost every day this summer. Aiden even jumped off the high dive with Zach a few times. Aiden loves that feeling in his stomach more than anything. But the past couple of days, Zach hasn’t wanted to do anything except kill zombies.
Listen to this week's PodCastle. (https://traffic.libsyn.com/podcastle/PC719_Smilers.mp3)
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