Author Topic: PC028: The Tanuki-Kettle  (Read 23859 times)

Heradel

  • Bill Peters, EP Assistant
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 2938
  • Part-Time Psychopomp.
on: October 08, 2008, 01:05:34 PM
PC028: The Tanuki-Kettle

By Eugie Foster
Read by Tina Connolly
Introduction by M. K. Hobson
First appeared in Cricket Magazine.

As she opened the door, Hisa was surprised to see an iron kettle sitting on her step. It had a large, round belly and four stumpy legs. The spout was wide and curved like a fox’s mouth with two round, black eyes above it. And most curious, a pair of pointed triangles jutted from the top, exactly like a pair of ears.

“What an unusual teakettle.” Hisa looked, but there was no one about.

She set aside her broken pot and brought the new, iron one inside. She poured sweet, cool water into it. Where her old kettle took eight dippers of water, this new one required a full twelve to fill.

Hisa stoked the fire high and lifted the kettle to the hook.

“Mistress, I thank you for the drink, but please don’t put me on the fire.”

Hisa spun around, sloshing water on the floor. “Who said that?”

“It was I, mistress. The teakettle.”

Hisa stared at the iron pot in her hands. “Teakettles do not talk.”

“I’m only pretending to be a teakettle.”


Rated G. Contains objects and animals that refuse to remain in their platonic categories.



I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


eytanz

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 6109
Reply #1 on: October 08, 2008, 01:10:44 PM
Aw, this was great. Not the deepest or most philosophical of stories, but it had me smiling throughout and I still am. :)



DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
Reply #2 on: October 08, 2008, 03:32:27 PM
Very cool to hear a Eugie Foster story!

Also, that was one of the funniest intros I've heard.  Good stuff all around.


Rod

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Reply #3 on: October 08, 2008, 03:41:05 PM
Loved the story. It amazes me sometimes to know that at 48 years old, I can still be surprised to learn of the existance of a large animal species. Decoder Ring Theater introduced me to red pandas a year or so ago, and now tanukis. Maybe a note to the National Geographic and Discovery Channels....enough sharks already...what else is out there?



wintermute

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1291
  • What Would Batman Do?
Reply #4 on: October 08, 2008, 04:35:04 PM
You know what species needs to be in more fantasy literature?

Tardigrades.

They might not be very big, but those things are cool.

Science means that not all dreams can come true


tazo

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • Musings with a Flashlight under the covers
Reply #5 on: October 08, 2008, 07:07:36 PM
Needed more giant racoon-dog testicles. 

Maybe that WAS the source of the... nah, that's way too disgusting a thought, even for me.


At any rate, I got quite a chuckle out of this story.  Not every story needs to be deep, thought provoking, and maudlin.  There's something wonderful to be said for a nice, light fable.  It's part of why I'm really enjoying the Peter S. Beagle flash-fiction.  Fantasy, due to its roots in the fantastic, lends itself really well to this kind of light fable story. 



Talia

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2682
  • Muahahahaha
Reply #6 on: October 09, 2008, 03:46:09 AM
Havent finished the episode yet, but I'm LOVING it so far.. it's totallly charming!  Just wanted to pop in to say that out of curiousity I searched EP to see what episodes were hers, and turns out they were episodes I really, really liked. Must say, she is turning out to be one of my favorite writers to be featured here. :) Looking forward to more from her. :)


edit: finally finished. Loved it! A nice, fun, light & warmhearted little tale. Quite a stark contrast to last week's! Good stuff.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2008, 01:45:05 PM by Talia »



deflective

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1171
Reply #7 on: October 09, 2008, 09:17:54 AM
how did we talk about a tanuki-kettle this long without working in the word teabag? i'll do it, i'm not proud.

fun story. found myself thinking of Barrymore throwing apples.



wintermute

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1291
  • What Would Batman Do?
Reply #8 on: October 09, 2008, 11:53:45 AM
fun story. found myself thinking of Barrymore throwing apples.
Michael or Drew?

Science means that not all dreams can come true


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #9 on: October 09, 2008, 02:44:58 PM
fun story. found myself thinking of Barrymore throwing apples.
Michael or Drew?

Jethro Tull drummer Barlow.  Barrymore Barlow.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


wintermute

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1291
  • What Would Batman Do?
Reply #10 on: October 09, 2008, 02:55:41 PM
OK, this is of the slenderest possible relevance, but a Japanese restaurant is using monkey waiters!

The money quote has to be "'The monkeys are actually better waiters than some really bad human ones,' customer Takayoshi Soeno said.", which doesn't sound too far off from "Compared to Stephen Hawking, he's a half-way decent high-jumper"...

Science means that not all dreams can come true


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #11 on: October 09, 2008, 05:25:18 PM
OK, this is of the slenderest possible relevance, but a Japanese restaurant is using monkey waiters!

The money quote has to be "'The monkeys are actually better waiters than some really bad human ones,' customer Takayoshi Soeno said.", which doesn't sound too far off from "Compared to Stephen Hawking, he's a half-way decent high-jumper"...

"I'm trying to be the most well-groomed folk singer.  That's kind of like being the smartest drummer ... not that big a deal." --George Hrab, April 2007

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Listener

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3187
  • I place things in locations which later elude me.
    • Various and Sundry Items of Interest
Reply #12 on: October 09, 2008, 07:22:55 PM
The reading was fine. Professionals tend to use the "crochety old person voice" way too often... sort of a twist to the lip and a squint of the eye, if you know what I mean, and she did a little of that.

The intro was hilarious. Totally unexpected.

The story was fine too. Neither awesome nor un-awesome. An enjoyable 20 minutes or so.

"Farts are a hug you can smell." -Wil Wheaton

Blog || Quote Blog ||  Written and Audio Work || Twitter: @listener42


deflective

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1171
Reply #13 on: October 09, 2008, 08:20:12 PM
fun story. found myself thinking of Barrymore throwing apples.
Michael or Drew?

Drew Barrymore in ever after. the son of the local rich dude kept riding through her place in that annoying way they do so she threw an apple and introduced her charming strong-minded willfulness.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2008, 02:34:26 AM by deflective »



Hatton

  • Peltast
  • ***
  • Posts: 88
    • Front Porch Political Talk
Reply #14 on: October 10, 2008, 02:15:45 PM
Really enjoyable!  My only question was why the author had the story start with the fortune teller and not just place the girl in the tea house?

Normal is just a setting on the washing machine.


Listener

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3187
  • I place things in locations which later elude me.
    • Various and Sundry Items of Interest
Reply #15 on: October 10, 2008, 05:28:15 PM
Really enjoyable!  My only question was why the author had the story start with the fortune teller and not just place the girl in the tea house?

I'm guessing for two reasons:

1. That genre usually starts with something that happened in the past.
2. It shows why Hisa was happy to just be a tea-girl... her mother groomed her for it.

IMO.

"Farts are a hug you can smell." -Wil Wheaton

Blog || Quote Blog ||  Written and Audio Work || Twitter: @listener42


wintermute

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1291
  • What Would Batman Do?
Reply #16 on: October 10, 2008, 05:34:27 PM
Also, the fortune teller says that she'll be too bold for her own good, and must take a humble profession. And in the end, her boldness is what wins her Akuma's (?) heart.

Science means that not all dreams can come true


RKG

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 60
Reply #17 on: October 10, 2008, 09:24:53 PM
A completely charming story and an excellent reading.  Had me smiling during my run today!

rkg  101010


thomasowenm

  • Lochage
  • *****
  • Posts: 364
  • Servant of The Orator Maleficent
Reply #18 on: October 11, 2008, 12:24:44 AM
why the author had the story start with the fortune teller and not just place the girl in the tea house?

I also wondered the same thing.  The story would have been stronger, I think, without mom and the fortune teller.  I have to imagine that during that era of Japanese history there were tea houses with maidens who worked in them without being told to by their mom's psychic.  I know she also talked about her boldness but that was demonstrated in the story, it didn't need to be forshadowed at the beginning. 

That is my only complaint, on the whole I really liked the story.  Ms. Foster really wrote for Cricket's target audience without writing down to them.  Kudos.

As for the incredible growing testicle drums of the racoon dog, it was hard to not vusualize that when the tanuki was mentioned.  I wish that would have been in the outro so I didn't see a tea kettle with legs and large protrusions coming underneath it making it unstable.  Was that why he was winking and smiling a lot?



ajames

  • Lochage
  • *****
  • Posts: 358
Reply #19 on: October 11, 2008, 01:37:21 AM
 I'll happily join the chorus on this one. Very enjoyable story.

After listening to the story, the Tanuki-Kettle reminded me a bit of the fire demon in Howl's Moving Castle. Why do I find these Japanese-style stories so compelling?



Hilary Moon Murphy

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 76
  • Proving the inherent superiority of purple hair
Reply #20 on: October 14, 2008, 04:10:53 PM
I adored this one.  It's so nice to have a gentle sweet story that we can share with our children.  Thanks for the lovely selection from Eugie Foster!

Hmm


Ocicat

  • Castle Watchcat
  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3722
  • Anything for a Weird Life
Reply #21 on: October 14, 2008, 11:37:15 PM
I don't think I've commented on this one yet, possibly because I just don't have any bones to pick about it.  Great light fun story.  Good reading.  No complaints.   :)



Kaa

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 620
  • Trusst in me, jusst in me.
    • WriteWright
Reply #22 on: October 15, 2008, 09:10:47 PM
<lemming> I really enjoyed this one, but I, too, had a hard time not picturing the enormous testicles described in the intro during the story. :)

And I did wonder about the opening. I listened while doing something mindless at work, and kept thinking I'd missed something, and "rewound" the file twice before realizing that I hadn't.

Still, very enjoyable. I like Eugie's stories. </lemming>

;)

I invent imaginary people and make them have conversations in my head. I also write.

About writing || About Atheism and Skepticism (mostly) || About Everything Else


ryos

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 60
Reply #23 on: October 16, 2008, 12:18:58 AM
Fun, delightful, heartwarming, and utterly predictable. In this case the predictability scarcely detracted from the enjoyability. I could easily imagine this as an animated short film, possibly for children.

Teste drums? Err, OUCH!  :o

P.S. While the reading was generally good, I found the reader's "Tanuki Voice" extremely grating.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2008, 12:28:18 AM by ryos »



stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #24 on: October 16, 2008, 02:45:46 AM
I really enjoyed this one, but I, too, had a hard time not picturing the enormous testicles described in the intro during the story. :)

Yeah, thanks to the intro I went into this expecting Big Nuts.  But no Big Nuts were to be had. 

Next time, I want Big Nuts.  (And Pom Poko is now on my Netflix queue.  I think she said there were Big Nuts in that.)

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising