EP Flash Fiction Contest Winner: Mission to Dover

[Russell Nash]

EP Flash Fiction Contest Winner: Mission to Dover

By Gideon Fostick.
Read by Lyle Merithew.

Escape Pod sends its congratulations to Gideon Fostick for winning first place in the Escape Pod flash fiction contest for stories under 300 words.

Professor Seiferd materialized in full command of his faculties. He oriented immediately on the white cliffs of Dover, towering over the English Channel. He felt the weight of his mission: he must answer the question that was vital to the Fatherland.

Rated G. Contains Nazis.


Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!

—————

Original Contest thread on Mission to Dover

[oddpod]

nice

any one else read "nostrodarmus ate my hampster" ?

its anuther fine take on time travling natzis

[Raving_Lunatic]

^
No, but I might.

I liked the story as well. Certainly explained how the Germans seemed so darn sure, and I liked the "twist" as it could be called. On the whole, a nice light snack!

[deflective]

man, it was cool to hear the flash intro music again.

[CGFxColONeill]

good story very interesting concept

[Zathras]

Nice

[Windup]

First off, thanks to Rachel & Co. for doing this!!  (I'd thank the sound person by name, but I can't find it.)

Cool story!! "Time travel with a twist of irony, please..."

[wintermute]

The reading was too flat, but it was a good story.

And Raving_Lunatic: The Germans were so sure it was going to be Calais because of a massive misinformation campaign that involved things like building a fake fleet at Dover. Plus, of course, it would have been far easier to cross the Channel at Calais...

[Raving_Lunatic]

I know all about the disinformation campaign, but even after having read the details I was surprised that although Rommel (in charge of the Western Front) reported his concerns and yet was ignored. This would explain why Hitler didn't listen to his subordinates.

[Bdoomed]

like the story, not so much a fan of the reading, coulda been better

[H. Bergeron]

This story... I'm afraid you can add me, too, as not being a big fan of the reading.  It wasn't BAD, it just didn't really grab my attention enough.

I didn't get the story at first - the reason for "Calais", but now that I understand the D-Day misdirection from the wartime era, the whole story becomes significantly more amusing.  I didn't read the contest entries - that all happened a bit before I started coming to the forums - so I'm really glad that this made it to the podcast, either way.

I think I'll share this story with my father once I'm home, though; I'm betting he'll get a kick out of it.

[eytanz]

*Puts my nitpicking hat on*

This story makes no sense at all. Were the Nazis expecting to lose the war? Why not send their time traveller ten years to the future of Berlin? Assuming they win (which they would assume), the time traveller would probably be greeted by his future self with a dossier including all the information needed to win the war. If they lose, well, it would probably be at least as easy to find someone who can explain why, as it would by travelling to what to him is an enemy country. The only way his plan makes sense is if he is already assuming that future England is still free, and presumes that older German gentlemen would not be out of place in Dover, while at the same time underestimating the lingering hostility.

*nitpicking hat off*

Ok, ok, so it's a fun little historical twist, even if the basic premise is ludicrous. And it brings to mind one of the quotes cited in this week's Podcastle outro - the person from the board who brings up that in times of war, racism is a defense strategy. I guess the moral is - we should never give up our old resentments, as yesterday's enemy may be today's time-traveller.

[Bdoomed]

we should never give up our old resentments, as yesterday's enemy may be today's time-traveller.

oh that's a great moral.

[underwoodfive]

Oh very good indeed.  Nothing like Pulp 1940's time travel with a hilarious twist to make the day better. 

I suppose the time travel stuff is built on a slightly shaky premise, but honestly time travel is one of those devices that I tend to label "try not to think about it too much", if only because it, conceptually, is so full of paradox and so screws with a perception of causality that I imagine it'd be really tricky to tell a story without breaking some of the rules.

[DKT]

Maybe he went to Dover because he thought it would be conquered by the Germans in the future?  Maybe? 

Okay, maybe not.

[wintermute]

I know all about the disinformation campaign, but even after having read the details I was surprised that although Rommel (in charge of the Western Front) reported his concerns and yet was ignored. This would explain why Hitler didn't listen to his subordinates.

You mean the way he listened to them when they said that invading Moscow in winter was a bad idea; or that Stalingrad would turn into a meat grinder, costing far more lives than it was worth; or that there might just be something to the "Jew science" of radioactivity?

Yeah, it's a conundrum, all right.

[ajames]

Thanks for putting your nitpicking hat on, eytanz, so I didn't have to. I think I'm the only one who followed the contest that didn't love this one. Not a bad little story with a neat twist at the end - just not one of my favorites.

[Russell Nash]

I just never got into this one.  Not in the contest and not here.

[RKG]

I didn't read the contest entries - that all happened a bit before I started coming to the forums - so I'm really glad that this made it to the podcast, either way.

BTW, you still can if you want to: http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?board=28.0

[Russell Nash]

I didn't read the contest entries - that all happened a bit before I started coming to the forums - so I'm really glad that this made it to the podcast, either way.

BTW, you still can if you want to: http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?board=28.0

Which was in the original post. I'm so glad to see that everyone reads my posts.

[Zathras]

Which was in the original post. I'm so glad to see that everyone reads my posts.

If it makes you feel any better, I saw your link, N-sh.  When there is an Episode Comment thread, I always look to see what the links are before I post.

[RKG]

Which was in the original post. I'm so glad to see that everyone reads my posts.

If it makes you feel any better, I saw your link, N-sh.  When there is an Episode Comment thread, I always look to see what the links are before I post.

OK. OK. Mea Culpa.  Mea Culpa. 

Geez.

[Hatton]

If being a great hook for a longer story was the qualification for winning the contest, I understand why this one won!

Okay reading, great premise.

[vanya]

How on earth did this silly story win?  I’m sorry to be insulting, but it was just dumb. Cliched, ahistorical and actually insulting in a way to the Allied men and women who did the real hard work of deceiving the Germans about the invasion of France in WWII. Professor Seiferd is over the top with the sneering and the British despising and even the anti-Semitism - yeah, Nazi's are bad, we get it.  And of course in reality from the German point of view D-Day was a side show, the Eastern Front was what decided the war. If the Germans had found a way to time travel they would have used it against the Russians so the whole premise is just typical anglo-centric backslapping. (Or even - why not just materialize near a book store if you have 14 minutes?) This is the kind of story I expect from a 15 year old.  I'm shocked to be honest that this story even made it to honorable mention stage.

[Rachel Swirsky]

The three winning stories were decided by popular vote on the forums. If you're interested in what some of the voters thought, you can check out the thread on this piece, which I believe Russell Nash was kind enough to link to in his initial post.

[Listener]

I did not like this one as much as some of the others. It felt overdone.

[Unblinking]

I didn't like this one as much as some of the others that have been published.  This is probably due to me not knowing a great deal of detail about the time period.  I should go check out the voting forums for them though to hear the discussions during the voting. 

But in any case, a pretty good time travel story is better than sparkly vampires or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, so I'm not really complaining!