Pseudopod 242: The 7 Garages of Kevin Simpson

[Bdoomed]

Pseudopod 242: The 7 Garages of Kevin Simpson

By Alan Baxter

Read by Graeme Dunlop, the one and only, the slayer of gods and demons, Kibitzer

“‘Seven garages?’

‘Yes, Mrs Baker. Your father’s will identifies each one and dictates that they have all been left to you, along with the family home.’

Claire sat stunned for several seconds, staring across the solicitor’s desk. ‘Seven garages?’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ The solicitor was smiling. ‘Mostly on industrial estates, commercial lock-up garages, in suburbs around northern and western Sydney, though there is one on a farm property just outside Burrawang on the Southern Highlands and one in North Bondi.’

Claire looked at Ben. Her husband shrugged. ‘You don’t think this is weird?’ Claire asked him.

‘Sure, it’s weird. But not really any weirder than anything else your old man ever did.’”



Listen to this week's Pseudopod.

[Tori]

That was good, creepy fun!

[Bdoomed]

Just started listening, had a laugh over the "neverending screams of people who you told the Tim Burton Planet of the Apes movie was good, and believed you" in Alasdair's intro.

[kibitzer]

... the "neverending screams of people who you told the Tim Burton Planet of the Apes movie was good, and believed you" ...

I'd just like to get this on the record: I NEVER!

[Bdoomed]

Pretty creepy story.  The sudden changes in perspective sort of threw me off a few times, but all in all I don't think that detracted from the story.  Oh those Aussies and their Occultism.

[Kaa]

I really liked this one, although I saw fairly quickly where it was headed. Still, I enjoyed the journey.

[Unblinking]

I enjoyed this one, a good classic feel.  Nothing particularly surprising in the story, but sometimes the sense of dread is enough.  And the story involving finding out hidden details of a deceased relative is a good way to build and keep my interest.

Also, since the word "garage" was used so often in the story, I found it interesting how much the pronunciation of a word can change from one dialect to another, different syllable emphasis makes the word sound exceedingly strange. 

[kibitzer]

Also, since the word "garage" was used so often in the story, I found it interesting how much the pronunciation of a word can change from one dialect to another, different syllable emphasis makes the word sound exceedingly strange. 

What, no mention of "al-yoo-min-ee-um"? 

[AlanBaxter]

Thanks for the kind words, all.

And kibitzer, great read, thanks. I was very pleased to hear "al-yoo-min-ee-um".

[Hedge Monk]

I loved the way this story brought an otherworldly sense of the unknown to the anonymous streets of Australia suburbia. The mystery unfurled coyly with each new garage. As each door creaked open I anticipated caged demons, Hellblazer style storage lock-ups and/or the discovery of a gruesome body count within. Needless to say my expectations were pleasantly thwarted by the Hammer House of Horror pay-off (I mean that in a good way). I enjoy this kind of crisp, clear storytelling immensely.

[Unblinking]

Also, since the word "garage" was used so often in the story, I found it interesting how much the pronunciation of a word can change from one dialect to another, different syllable emphasis makes the word sound exceedingly strange. 

What, no mention of "al-yoo-min-ee-um"? 

Actually I didn't notice that one! 

[Marguerite]

What, no mention of "al-yoo-min-ee-um"? 

*puts her hand up*  I love that about narrators from places other than my own, hearing their take on pronunciation.  Their better job of speaking slowly and leaving pauses between paragraphs. *coughs self consciously*

Excellent work, Kibitzer.  And a fun story.  I admit when there was a refrigerator, sink and "hob" - i.e. a kitchen - set up in the first garage I had a feeling I knew where this was heading, but the description was lovely and I wasn't expecting there to be FOUR of them at the climax. 

[ElectricPaladin]

I quite liked this one. The buildup was very well paced, up to a final, creepy reveal. This is exactly the sort of thing that will ferment in my head and eventually appear as part of some story or game I create in the future. The cyclical nature of the story, the idea of magic as this thing that traps the protagonist in the story of her ancestors, was very compelling.

[Sgarre1]

A link to the text of the story is now up on the story page.

[galacticus]

I really liked the story. Reminds me of the "old school" horror that you'd get from an episode of "tales from the darkside" (that's a compliment).

[AlanBaxter]

Thanks everyone.

[yaksox]

Looks like I get to be the bad guy this week.
This story didn't do it for me. Up til the end I'd nutshelled it as 'PMSing wife discovers dead dad's a demon-worshiper'.
Coming across hidden inheritances is a common and usually happy fantasy so I didn't understand why the woman was so niggly for the first three or four garages. It would've worked better if her attitude had started at neutral and grown more worried as they went along. I don't know if there needed to be seven (7) garages since several had nothing special to offer and (amirite?) weren't even described.
The ending was kind of okay, but only just kind of.
Re swearing: less is more.  Some of those lines could be swapped for something a bit more descriptive that helps to flesh out the characters.

Since pronunciation has already been broached, the c in scythe isn't pronounced.
Kibitzer, you mentioned you'd spent some time in England, it must've been Devon(?) because that's the only way I can account for your Rs sounding 'rrr' instead of the standard australian 'ahh'. (I'm australian.) 

[kibitzer]

Kibitzer, you mentioned you'd spent some time in England, it must've been Devon(?) because that's the only way I can account for your Rs sounding 'rrr' instead of the standard australian 'ahh'. (I'm australian.) 

Yarrr, seven years in England (one for each garage?) Loved it. Didn't want to come back. But Devon? No. Not really sure what has influenced my accent; folks these days guess me as Canadian or American. Or Birmingham. Or something. The UK stay is a definite influence, otherwise it's down to memorising Monty Python and other English comedy, and a steady diet of American TV whilst growing up.

[AlanBaxter]

Incidentally, on the subject of why 7 garages, it's because this story came about due to a passing comment at a con. The small and intimate Freecon that happens every year in Sydney, to be exact. A mention was made of an old SF fan who had seven garages full of stuff, that his family new nothing about until after his death. I thought that was a great premise for a story, so I changed the names and wrote it. You know that all stories on Pseudopod are true, right?

[iamafish]

Al promises us it's true, so yes, of course. Al's word is law. In Al we trust. He is the eternal king under the mountain, the lord of all that is dark and beautiful. Al is god, Al is king, Al is legion. And he promises us it's true. So it is. Everything else is a lie.

In any case, I enjoyed this story.

In terms of accents and the reading, the reading was, as always, excellent from Kibitzer, but I've always found your accent somewhat strange. It's Australian, but not like any Australian I've ever heard