Author Topic: EP650: Some Things I Probably Should Have Mentioned Earlier (LIVE)  (Read 3674 times)

divs

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Escape Pod 650: Some Things I Probably Should Have Mentioned Earlier (LIVE)

AUTHOR : Laura Pearlman
NARRATOR : Laura Pearlman
HOST: Setsu Uzume

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Dear Kevin,

I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you this, but I really hate your vacation cabin. Everything about it creeps me out. The sound of crickets at night makes my skin crawl. They sound like impending doom: like a critical piece of equipment being worn down by friction, or a thousand tiny voices, hoarse from screaming, reduced to a raspy warning chant in some ancient language.

The crickets aren’t the only problem. The smell of so much wood in one place makes my eyes burn. And is it really necessary to throw pine cones into the fireplace? Are the burnt-wood fumes not overpowering enough? I used to lie awake at night fantasizing about finding whoever came up with that idea, grinding them up, feeding them to the crickets, and then gathering up the crickets, stuffing them into the fireplace, burning the cabin down, and watching from a safe distance. Upwind, of course.

Do crickets even eat meat? You probably know. You grew up with all this. That’s why you’re comfortable with it. I’m not; to me, it’s alien and disturbing. I wish I’d told you this the first time you took me there, right after we started dating. But your friends were having such a good time. I wanted to be the fun girlfriend who liked what everyone else liked.

It must seem strange that I’m bringing this up now, when neither of us will ever go back there. I mention it because saying I loved your cabin set off the chain of events that led us to where we are today. It wasn’t the first lie I’d told you, of course, but the others were just my cover story.


Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!
« Last Edit: October 28, 2018, 05:54:16 PM by divs »



skeletondragon

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I absolutely loved this story! It was funny and inventive while also providing some commentary on the way people often mask themselves in relationships to try and make their loved one or their respective families placated.

I couldn't help but draw comparisons to Sonya Dorman's classic story "When I Was Miss Dow", which is also about a shapeshifting alien who takes the form of a human woman. That story is still one of my favorites, but I like the contrast that this one provides - the protagonist and her species have a lot more agency and power, and the tone is humorous where Dorman's is tragic.



Moritz

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Too close home...   ;D

(my wife and I are expecting a baby. we are both of mixed ethnicity but can "pass" as locals. we are wondering what the baby will look like, because we carry some wild mixes with us though. also, the food traditions in our majority cultures are gross, too  ;) )



Ichneumon

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Nice twist. It started out like a romcom, and ended up in a very different place.



skeletondragon

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Nice twist. It started out like a romcom, and ended up in a very different place.

I don't know, I'm not sure it ever stopped being a romcom. ;D



Thunderscreech

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Nice twist. It started out like a romcom, and ended up in a very different place.

I don't know, I'm not sure it ever stopped being a romcom. ;D

I think it became a nomcom.



CryptoMe

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Loved this one. Really funny and well done! I actually listened to it twice. I came back to my podcast list after the holidays and didn't skip this one when I realized I had already listened to it. That much fun!