Author Topic: PseudoPod 675: The New Mother  (Read 1374 times)

Bdoomed

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on: November 16, 2019, 03:12:17 AM
PseudoPod 675: The New Mother

Author: Lucy Clifford
Narrator: Eliza Chan
Host: Alasdair Stuart
Audio Producer: Chelsea Davis

The New Mother was first published in Anyhow Stories, Moral and Otherwise, Macmillan and Co., 1882.



Show Notes
Audio used in this episode:



1

The children were always called Blue-Eyes and the Turkey. The elder one was like her dear father who was far away at sea; for the father had the bluest of blue eyes, and so gradually his little girl came to be called after them. The younger one had once, while she was still almost a baby, cried bitterly because a turkey that lived near the cottage suddenly vanished in the middle of the winter; and to console her she had been called by its name.

Now the mother and Blue-Eyes and the Turkey and the baby all lived in a lonely cottage on the edge of the forest. It was a long way to the village, nearly a mile and a half, and the mother had to work hard and had not time to go often herself to see if there was a letter at the post-office from the dear father, and so very often in the afternoon she used to send the two children. They were very proud of being able to go alone. When they came back tired with the long walk, there would be the mother waiting and watching for them, and the tea would be ready, and the baby crowing with delight; and if by any chance there was a letter from the sea, then they were happy indeed. The cottage room was so cosy: the walls were as white as snow inside as well as out. The baby’s high chair stood in one corner, and in another there was a cupboard, in which the mother kept all manner of surprises.




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Languorous Lass

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Reply #1 on: November 25, 2019, 01:37:16 AM
This story was excellent.  It had the flavor of a fairy tale, but was beautifully creepy.  I genuinely mourned for the children’s loss in the end.  Plus I loved Eliza Chan’s narration, which added to the piquancy. 



Marlboro

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Reply #2 on: December 01, 2019, 01:10:38 AM


The sound effect of the dragging wooden tail creeped me out more than stories  that consist of page after page of body horror.   I don't have kids but this story makes me want to just so I can read them this story and then play the wooden tail sound effect whenever they misbehave. "Oh, so you don't want to clean up your room today? Well, I don't mind but you-know-who might think otherwise..."    /cue wooden tail sound effect.

The narrator was excellent too by the way.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2019, 05:45:49 PM by Marlboro »



bobmetal

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Reply #3 on: December 05, 2019, 07:10:55 PM
This was an effectively creepy story. I really liked the fact that even though I was able to work out where the story was going it went even further than I expected, the fairy tale style had lead me to expect a happy ending rather than the dark ending we got

I also loved the narration