PC358: Gabriel-Ernest

[Talia]

PodCastle 358: Gabriel-Ernest

by Saki (the pen name of H. H. Munro)

Read by Graeme Dunlop

First published in The Westminster Gazette, May 1909

What Van Cheele saw on this particular afternoon was, however, something far removed from his ordinary range of experience. On a shelf of smooth stone overhanging a deep pool in the hollow of an oak coppice a boy of about sixteen lay asprawl, drying his wet brown limbs luxuriously in the sun. His wet hair, parted by a recent dive, lay close to his head, and his light-brown eyes, so light that there was an almost tigerish gleam in them, were turned towards Van Cheele with a certain lazy watchfulness. It was an unexpected apparition, and Van Cheele found himself engaged in the novel process of thinking before he spoke. Where on earth could this wild-looking boy hail from? The miller’s wife had lost a child some two months ago, supposed to have been swept away by the mill-race, but that had been a mere baby, not a half-grown lad.

Rated PG.

Listen to this week’s PodCastle!

[Sgarre1]

A personal favorite.  Can't wait to hear it!

[SpareInch]

Ah... *Shuffle feet and look at carpet*

Since I had a bit of a podcast backlog and was already familiar with the story from Mike Bennett's reading on the Sometimes podcast a few years back, I almost didn't bother to listen to this one. *Scuff shoe on floor*

Fortunately, I was adverted^ to the Jones/Dunlop faction coup, so I took another look... And it said it was a Graeme Dunlop narration, so...

Well, you just can't pass up a Graeme Dunlop narration, can you?

As for the story... It's always nice to have a monster whose monstrosity is only hinted at in the narrative itself. You don't need to see the fangs, you just need to know they're there.

^Thought I'd throw in an unusual word, just for the hell of it.

[albionmoonlight]

I agree that it was a scarier story because we did not see (through the narrator's eyes) the transformation into a beast.  I thought that it was also a good length.  There can be a tendency in classic horror stories to . . . . dedicate a lot of time building suspense [read: go on for too long].  This story did not do that.  There's a werewolf.  We meet the werewolf.  We learn the truth.  Horror happens.  We end.  The right level of suspense for the story.  The obvious point being, Saki was pretty good at this short story thing.

[Unblinking]

I liked it.  I generally like Saki stories I've heard.  I like how nothing provably supernatural happened but it was strongly hinted at.  It could just be the boy says crazy things and then tried to rescue the other kid.  It could be.

I found it less scary, more funny, particular the memorial for the werewolf.

[kibitzer]

Thanks for your kind comments, SpareInch It was certainly fun to narrate.

Interesting word, btw.

[Fenrix]

I was totally expecting the monster to be a were-tiger. I was not expecting another visit from the Easter Werewolf.

[Unblinking]

I was totally expecting the monster to be a were-tiger. I was not expecting another visit from the Easter Werewolf.

Nobody ever expects a visit from the Easter werewolf!!!!!

[Fenrix]

I was totally expecting the monster to be a were-tiger. I was not expecting another visit from the Easter Werewolf.

Nobody ever expects a visit from the Easter werewolf!!!!!

[Devoted135]

I've heard a decent amount of Saki, courtesy of Norm. This was true to form and I appreciate how the monster is always lurking just off screen. Great narration, as well as intro and outro.

[Windup]

I liked this one a lot. Those accumulated hints that something weird is happening just around the corner wind up being very powerful. Good stuff...