Author Topic: PC Miniature 84: The Fox Bride  (Read 5297 times)

Talia

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2682
  • Muahahahaha
on: September 24, 2015, 01:12:22 PM
PodCastle Miniature 84: The Fox Bride

by Mari Ness

Read by Rish Outfield


First appeared in Daily Science Fiction in March of 2015.

He carried the squirming animal to his – no, their, he had to remember that now, their – bedroom, struggling to avoid her sharp teeth. The oversized ring he had given her glimmered on her left front leg; she had spent most of the evening biting and licking at it, when she had not been growling. He had ordered the musicians to play louder, to cover up the noise, but the growls still lingered in his ears.

When he reached the room, he secured her chain to one end of the bed, and sat gingerly at the other end. The waxing moonlight flooded the bed, giving a silver sheen to her red and snowy fur.

“When you are a woman, I can remove the chain,” he told the fox.

The fox barked.

“I swear it,” he said.

A snarl.


Rated PG-13.

Mari Ness has published close to 100 short and flash fiction stories in various publications including Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Daily Science Fiction, and Apex. Her experimental novella, Through Immortal Shadows Singing, is forthcoming from Papaveria Press. She blogs at Tor.com, where she has, amongst other things, compared Disney animated films to their text sources. She lives in central Florida.

Rish Outfield. Not much can be said about Mr. Outfield that hasn’t been said by the average parent to scare their children into behaving, into going to sleep, or keeping their mouths shut about what they saw take place in the woodshed. You will find him regularly at The Dunesteef podcast, which he produces with Big Anklevich, and you can hear him pretty much everywhere in the genre story pod-o-sphere. And for good reason!

Listen to this week’s PodCastle!



Unblinking

  • Sir Postsalot
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 8729
    • Diabolical Plots
Reply #1 on: September 30, 2015, 02:45:47 PM
Interesting.  I thought the triptych of the magician/seer/king responses gave the story an interesting flow.

Glad that the princeling found a way to work through the situation.  Seems implied that he didn't actually die, he became a fox, yes?  Even if he did die, he was apparently going to die anyway, at least he could allow her free in the doing.  And if he didn't die then his sacrifice was rewarded with transformation (hopefully they can both manage to avoid being captured in similar fashion again).



bounceswoosh

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 305
Reply #2 on: October 02, 2015, 01:30:20 PM
Interesting.  I thought the triptych of the magician/seer/king responses gave the story an interesting flow.

Glad that the princeling found a way to work through the situation.  Seems implied that he didn't actually die, he became a fox, yes?  Even if he did die, he was apparently going to die anyway, at least he could allow her free in the doing.  And if he didn't die then his sacrifice was rewarded with transformation (hopefully they can both manage to avoid being captured in similar fashion again).

I thought there was a good possibility that she has captured and enslaved him the way he (his father) captured her.



Jethro's belt

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 54
Reply #3 on: October 08, 2015, 04:04:15 PM
Yes the triptych (merely the second time in my life I have used that word) of advisory voices was my favorite part, it gave a Goldilocks fairy tale vibe to the story. A wonderful single person narration too, or was that really Sean Connery as the seer?    



FireTurtle

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 898
Reply #4 on: October 11, 2015, 12:46:57 PM
Just popping in quickly to add my enjoyment to the pile. This was just a wonderful, old-fashioned (in tone, not premise, methinks) little thing. Like a one-scoop chocolate sundae in a glass bowl.

Add me to those who believe she did exactly what the prince was meant to do. She enslaved him with "blood" and he is now her Human Husband in lieu of being a Fox Bride. Really a lovely turn.

“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.”
Ursula K. LeGuin


Unblinking

  • Sir Postsalot
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 8729
    • Diabolical Plots
Reply #5 on: October 29, 2015, 02:27:42 PM
Yes the triptych (merely the second time in my life I have used that word) of advisory voices was my favorite part, it gave a Goldilocks fairy tale vibe to the story. A wonderful single person narration too, or was that really Sean Connery as the seer?    


Haha, I don't know if you listen to the narrator Rish Outfield's podcast The Dunesteef, but he does bring out the Fake Sean Connery character frequently--he does a reasonable job of it.  And yes it did cross my mind in that character in this story too, though not enough that it was a major distraction to me.  :)



Devoted135

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1252
Reply #6 on: November 02, 2015, 08:54:20 PM
This was wonderful, and felt like it could be included among a compilation of fairy tales without seeming out of place. The structure made it flow nicely, and I always love Rish's narrations.

Is it sad that the "prince is actually a nice person even though the king is horrible" element is getting tired? I mean really, what do I want? The prince to be a terrible person? ::)



Unblinking

  • Sir Postsalot
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 8729
    • Diabolical Plots
Reply #7 on: November 03, 2015, 02:37:38 PM
This was wonderful, and felt like it could be included among a compilation of fairy tales without seeming out of place. The structure made it flow nicely, and I always love Rish's narrations.

Is it sad that the "prince is actually a nice person even though the king is horrible" element is getting tired? I mean really, what do I want? The prince to be a terrible person? ::)

Maybe that the king was a nice guy when he was the prince's age too, but a lifetime of power has begotten corruption.




Devoted135

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1252
Reply #8 on: November 03, 2015, 11:47:59 PM
This was wonderful, and felt like it could be included among a compilation of fairy tales without seeming out of place. The structure made it flow nicely, and I always love Rish's narrations.

Is it sad that the "prince is actually a nice person even though the king is horrible" element is getting tired? I mean really, what do I want? The prince to be a terrible person? ::)

Maybe that the king was a nice guy when he was the prince's age too, but a lifetime of power has begotten corruption.



I like it! :D



DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
Reply #9 on: November 05, 2015, 03:39:18 PM
Yes the triptych (merely the second time in my life I have used that word) of advisory voices was my favorite part, it gave a Goldilocks fairy tale vibe to the story. A wonderful single person narration too, or was that really Sean Connery as the seer?    


Haha, I don't know if you listen to the narrator Rish Outfield's podcast The Dunesteef, but he does bring out the Fake Sean Connery character frequently--he does a reasonable job of it.  And yes it did cross my mind in that character in this story too, though not enough that it was a major distraction to me.  :)

Proof!
« Last Edit: November 05, 2015, 09:47:51 PM by kibitzer »