Escape Artists

PseudoPod => Episode Comments => Topic started by: Bdoomed on October 16, 2009, 06:16:22 AM

Title: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Bdoomed on October 16, 2009, 06:16:22 AM
Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment (http://pseudopod.org/2009/10/16/pseudopod-164-lindas-appointment/)


By Mike Norris
Read by Cayenne Chris Conroy of Teknikal Diffikulties (http://tekdiff.com/)

Passing the hall, he heard a sigh emanate through their locked bedroom door. That was a good sign. It was an indication Linda was still breathing, at least, and probably still able to speak. The morning after an appointment, she was always so sore, so exhausted. Often, she’d sleep well into the afternoon. Sighs, coughs, little Linda-noises, they were the beacons that guided Lewis through a haze of uncertainty that filled those hours before she’d allow him to view the balance of her attributes.

Linda’s appointments were just part of the deal. She’d made that clear before they ever tied the knot. “They’ll come for me,” she’d told him, “from time to time.”


(http://escapepod.org/wp-images/podcast-mini4.gif)
Listen to this week's Pseudopod. (http://media.rawvoice.com/pseudopod/media.libsyn.com/media/pseudopod/Pseudo164_LindasAppointment.mp3)
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Bdoomed on October 16, 2009, 06:17:32 AM
just as a side note, this episode was particularly challenging to post (as is typing) because my arms are shaking.
but MY SACRIFICE WILL FEED YOUR OPINIONS!
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Old Man Parker on October 16, 2009, 06:33:14 AM
Hrumph.
Better then the last story, but that's not saying that much.
It was ok.
But.... this IS still October.
You are blowing your chance to embrace the big horror holiday of Halloween.
I hope you got a great gothic horror story saved up for later this month.
I mean, "The Horror" and "Relic Radio" is fairly kicking Pseudopod's ass this month.
C'mon, trick or treat, baby...give us the good candy!!
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: MacArthurBug on October 16, 2009, 03:58:16 PM
Eeewww, ick and *shudder* this one creeped me out so seriously. Horrible, terrible, dark, and so awful. Thank you for putting goosebumps on my arms mid-day on a nasty cold October day.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: heyes on October 16, 2009, 06:01:14 PM
NOW this is what I'm walking about.  This is horror!
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Sgarre1 on October 16, 2009, 11:39:29 PM
Old Man Parker, your comments have inspired a thread - please check out "Pseudopod's Competition" on these boards...
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: DKT on October 17, 2009, 12:46:49 AM
Man, that was some creepy shit. Well done! And a fantastic reading!
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: gelee on October 19, 2009, 02:55:49 AM
OK, I realy enjoyed this story, but...it seemed to be missing something. Maybe if we had a little more info about how the appointments began?  Like I said, I liked it, but seemed abbreviated, like an excerpt.

BTW, wonderful reading.  Perfect.   
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: gelee on October 19, 2009, 02:56:46 AM
just as a side note, this episode was particularly challenging to post (as is typing) because my arms are shaking.
but MY SACRIFICE WILL FEED YOUR OPINIONS!

Um. Did you have an appointment?
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: 600south on October 19, 2009, 08:31:37 AM
Very disturbing, this one. I'm usually not a believer in suicide but it seems in this case, it should be an option.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Scattercat on October 19, 2009, 03:42:16 PM
I approve of a story that knows where it's going, gets there, and ends when it should.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: kibitzer on October 20, 2009, 05:24:21 AM
Meh. Sorry, kinda dull.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: ElectricPaladin on October 20, 2009, 06:19:56 AM
This story scared the crap out of me. It was perfect: a perfect mix of gross body horror, the uncaring grimness of cosmic horror, and the sheer hopeless helplessness of any kind of horror. I loved it, and I will never, ever listen to it again.

Good show.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Unblinking on October 20, 2009, 04:40:52 PM
Didn't really enjoy this one, though the twist at the end was quite strong.  I just found it hard to believe that she was supposedly so unrestrainable.  A "Linda-shaped hole in the wall"--what are the walls made of?  Why not some steel manacles?  I would gladly shackle myself if the alternative was having bits of me cut off.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Bdoomed on October 21, 2009, 01:49:44 AM
creeeepy.  I laughed when he ended up in Australia. :D
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: kibitzer on October 21, 2009, 10:03:39 AM
What's so funny about Australia??
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Bdoomed on October 21, 2009, 05:24:46 PM
It's like the canada of ... Canada
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: kibitzer on October 21, 2009, 09:24:29 PM
Ah! I see your point. ???
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: eytanz on October 22, 2009, 08:14:22 PM
I thought this story was extremely creepy, in the good sense of creepiness. It certainly unsettled me.

As Gelee mentioned, it would have been nice to have a bit more background - not explaining who the attackers were, but rather more about how this started.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: kaybee on October 23, 2009, 02:50:30 PM
This was my first Pseudopod story, and I didn't think it would get under my skin enough to inspire me to join the forum, but here I am.

And, just.. uwah, dark and disturbing, that was.  I didn't find the choice of "bad guys" particularly frightening, but the total helplessness Linda endured throughout the years?  Like 600south, suicide isn't something I believe in, but if a lifetime of that was my alternative..

Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: nihilistx on November 01, 2009, 08:47:14 AM
Great little story.  I have to say I saw the ending coming, but it was still horrifically effective.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Loz on November 01, 2009, 05:20:49 PM
The last ninety seconds or so were an effective capstone to what had seemed before that like a story not firing on all cylinders. It's hard to tell what is worse, what the strange beings have done to his wife, or what they are preparing to do to him.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: yicheng on November 06, 2009, 05:35:46 PM
Didn't really enjoy this one, though the twist at the end was quite strong.  I just found it hard to believe that she was supposedly so unrestrainable.  A "Linda-shaped hole in the wall"--what are the walls made of?  Why not some steel manacles?  I would gladly shackle myself if the alternative was having bits of me cut off.

I thought about that too.  Steel chains grounded into the house's foundations.  Reinforced doors.  Heck, drug her out with any number of substances so she's unable to move for 24 hours.  I would have thought of doing something to my body to make myself value-less to the abductors, like infecting myself with any number of diseases (HIV, syphillis, herpes, hepatitis).  It would definitely suck less than being taken apart piece by piece.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: wakela on November 10, 2009, 05:10:24 AM
Great, creepy, utterly hopeless story.  Also worked as a love story.  For some reason for me there is nothing more sweet and innocent than a packed lunch; they set off the horror, nicely.  They also highlighted the impotence of the husband.  That simple act was all he could do for her.  We don't even know if she enjoyed the lunches, but he did it anyway.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending.  On one hand, the twist worked for me, but on the other hand it made the story more like a twilight zone episode, and I think the story was better than that.  I don't know how else I would have ended it, though.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: goatkeeper on November 12, 2009, 02:32:12 AM
Aw man, I listened to this on the way back from seeing a 10:30 showing of the Fourth Kind.  Literally not 15 minutes after seeing the movie. 
Now you can check me in the same loony bin as Alasdair.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: DrunkenGamer on November 17, 2009, 06:29:03 PM
I listened to this story last Saturday and I've still got the heebie jeebies.  I'll never ever be able to hear that song again without shuddering.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: ancawonka on April 15, 2010, 09:05:09 PM
I listened to this story after Gretel, to get the image of skin being peeled off out of my mind. Big mistake. A few days later and I still have the heebie-jeebies.

Fabulous reading, fabulous story.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: robertmarkbram on April 27, 2010, 02:49:30 AM
This story scared the crap out of me. It was perfect: a perfect mix of gross body horror, the uncaring grimness of cosmic horror, and the sheer hopeless helplessness of any kind of horror. I loved it, and I will never, ever listen to it again.

Good show.

The Paladin à la Electric nailed just how I felt about this one too. Brilliant. I kept wondering how many other people have appointments and is it a well known phenomenon: the neighbours reaction included horror and disapproval rather than understanding or pity. Also, at the start she told him that any relationship with her would include the appointments. Did he know what that meant? Plus, the way it was phrased made me think that she was proud of them or something.

Creepy creepy story.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Millenium_King on June 02, 2010, 10:09:10 PM
Loved it.  Brilliant.  A bit of a slow start - I faded in and out a little - but by the end, as things became clear, I gave rapt attention.  Wonderful ending line, BTW - absolutely classic.

This was actual horror.  Made your skin crawl.  Evoked both dread and fear - permeated with utter hopelessness.  Stories like these are the meat and potatoes of the genre: the ones that make the rare few which shine a little light seem all the brighter.  Brilliant.  Much praise to both the author and to the narrator.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Fenrix on June 07, 2010, 07:22:08 PM
This story scared the crap out of me. It was perfect: a perfect mix of gross body horror, the uncaring grimness of cosmic horror, and the sheer hopeless helplessness of any kind of horror. I loved it, and I will never, ever listen to it again.

Good show.

The Paladin à la Electric nailed just how I felt about this one too. Brilliant. I kept wondering how many other people have appointments and is it a well known phenomenon: the neighbours reaction included horror and disapproval rather than understanding or pity. Also, at the start she told him that any relationship with her would include the appointments. Did he know what that meant? Plus, the way it was phrased made me think that she was proud of them or something.


Electric Paladin covered most of my feeling on this. Ending got a physical reaction.

Maybe it's better to not thwart the appointments via shackles or otherwise. Maybe it's worse for either the visited or the rest of us if you don't make them mad. Maybe the alternative is worse.

EDIT after a year since I feel silly posting right after myself, even if it's been a year. If you dug this one, make sure to check out "Pieces" (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=5070.0) in the June '11 Flash collection. Lovely stuff.
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Sgarre1 on October 05, 2011, 11:28:28 PM
http://southtopia.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/horror-fiction/
Title: Re: Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment
Post by: Marlboro on December 09, 2019, 05:28:38 PM
Cool ending but I can't help but nitpick a few things.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)


I liked this one, but I think a few extra lines of explanation would have really helped.