Pseudopod 447: Coo Coo

[Bdoomed]

Pseudopod 447: Coo Coo

by Elan Hold

“Coo Coo” is original to Pseudopod.

ELAN HOLD is a 44-year-old visual artist who turned to writing because she couldn’t afford paint. She writes poetry, plays, screenplays, short stories, songs and is presently working on her first novel. She has 21 short stories, with plans to release these in a horror/fantasy/SF collection titled Underbelly Love. This piece is the first short story she ever wrote, and it’s the only one that makes her cry.

Your narrator – Caith Donovan – is an aspiring science-fiction and horror author and a voice actor who has appeared in a number of audio projects in recent years. Caith is currently appearing as Zacharias Cobb in CP Studio’s production of Dr. Who, several episodes which can be found at HERE. Some of his (much) older work can be heard in Feedback: A Hero’s Calling.


“She’s still here. Now that it’s over, it’s not as bad as I thought because she’s still physically present; they can’t bury her and they can’t ignore her, they have to deal with it.

They watch me with new eyes, tho. They’re waiting to see what will happen.

While she was dying I panicked and got really dizzy; now, I feel strangely calm, but I’m winded. She didn’t have much of a brain but she did do most of the breathing. Without her, I can’t take a good, deep breath. She made these funny little hiccuppy gulps that comforted me, and I’m having trouble sleeping without them.

She died three days ago.

Her head hangs far forward without her holding it up. It was stiff for a bit, but today it’s gone floppy and keeps bumping against my chin. I don’t want to think about the stench; it’s so thick I can almost feel it, but it doesn’t matter because I can barely smell. I got a sinus infection years ago and they didn’t treat it; I burned the poison out using a piece of wire I broke off the cage, and a lighter I stole from Godfrey. They watched that, too. They think I can’t see them thru the one-way glass, but I can always tell, even when they’re quiet. I can sense it, the vibrations. The hairs on my spine stand on end, tickling, tickling. When they’re watching, I like to sleep, or pick thru her hair for lice. But all the lice left her head when she went cold and now I’ve got twice the load on mine.

She would have laughed at that.”



Listen to this week's Pseudopod.

[velocity]

"church folks make the best tippers". yikes.

[Unblinking]

Well, that was bleak.

I didn't feel like there was enough change in the course of the story for it to really feel like a story.  Obviously the ending brings release, and that's a change, but up until that, and in both that and other things the protagonist had no effect on anything.  But that's a personal preference.

Why did the author choose to make the conjoined twins different sexes, I wonder?  I don't think that usually happens, since they have the same genes, right?  It even says that in the story.  Was this meant to be thematically important somehow?  Unless maybe they were genetically hermaphroditic and the way the conjoinment worked the sexes split between the two bodies?  I don't know.  Once I realized they were conjoined twins, I was trying to figure that out but I never came to any conclusion.

[Millenium_King]

Loved it.  Bleak, quick to the point and poignant.  Great job - and great reading!

If I have a criticism, it is the overuse of pronouns in the opening third.  "They say this" "They say that" "He watches me" - it's confusing.  Why not simply call it what it is?  "The crowd watches me" - "Godfrey says this" etc.?  I admit some people may find adverb usage an effective way to increase mystery and tension - but I don't.

Nitpicking aside, this one has been one of my favorites for this year.

[zoanon]

this one wont come up on my podcatcher (podcast addict) I'll have to listen online

[woodchuck]

I know this comment is waaaaaaaay after the publishing of this story.  I had a hard time figuring out what was going on with this story. I figure that's part of the fun, trying to put everything together and realizing the horror of it once a more complete picture is painted.  This story did a great job of that.  It also reminded me of an X-Files episode called "Home", which was truly terrifying in the same way this story is.

Great work!

[Fenrix]

It also reminded me of an X-Files episode called "Home", which was truly terrifying in the same way this story is.

Great work!

I love that episode so much. Second only to the homeowners association that enforces its covenant with a demon. The episode with Bruce is probably the one after that.