WEBVTT 00:00:13.409 --> 00:00:17.410 Hello and thank you for listening to One More 00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:20.910 Short Story with me, Chris Falwell. I'm excited 00:00:20.910 --> 00:00:23.649 to launch this podcast. It's going to showcase 00:00:23.649 --> 00:00:26.570 a whole bunch of stories from the world of writing 00:00:26.570 --> 00:00:30.089 battle. Now, I imagine if you're listening to 00:00:30.089 --> 00:00:32.710 this. You probably already know what Writing 00:00:32.710 --> 00:00:35.030 Battle is, but just in case you don't, if you've 00:00:35.030 --> 00:00:37.990 shared it with your significant other or your 00:00:37.990 --> 00:00:40.049 unwilling friends and relatives or your very, 00:00:40.109 --> 00:00:42.570 very willing friends and relatives, anyone who's 00:00:42.570 --> 00:00:45.369 listening to this, Writing Battle, which is my 00:00:45.369 --> 00:00:47.490 favourite of all the writing competitions that 00:00:47.490 --> 00:00:50.710 I do, we get assigned some random prompts and 00:00:50.710 --> 00:00:53.929 have to knock up a story anywhere, well, 2026 00:00:53.929 --> 00:00:56.950 now, so anywhere between 100 words and 2 ,500 00:00:56.950 --> 00:01:01.560 words under some time pressure. And then we compete. 00:01:02.259 --> 00:01:06.659 Not in a literal battle. No one's been stabbed 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:10.260 yet, I don't think. Max will tell me if I'm wrong 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:13.959 on that one. But there have been some awesome, 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:15.799 awesome stories to come out of Writing Battle. 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:19.519 Way too many to read every single one. Although 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.819 I know some people out there have tried. The 00:01:22.819 --> 00:01:27.340 aim of this podcast is to showcase a variety 00:01:27.340 --> 00:01:31.069 of stories. So not just the winners, the winners 00:01:31.069 --> 00:01:33.269 are awesome. I always enjoy reading the winning 00:01:33.269 --> 00:01:35.969 stories at the end of the battles. But there 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:38.049 are some great stories that get knocked out at 00:01:38.049 --> 00:01:40.489 some point during the knockout stages in the 00:01:40.489 --> 00:01:43.829 final showdown. I'm not just saying this because 00:01:43.829 --> 00:01:45.829 some of my stories haven't made it out of the 00:01:45.829 --> 00:01:49.650 house stage. There are some excellent stories 00:01:49.650 --> 00:01:53.370 that don't make it past the threshold for getting 00:01:53.370 --> 00:01:56.640 out of the house stage. And that's okay. It's 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.299 a competition. At the end of the day, each genre 00:01:59.299 --> 00:02:02.459 can only have one winner, right? But I think 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:06.000 we should be celebrating and enjoying as many 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.919 stories as we can. And part of that, I hope, 00:02:08.939 --> 00:02:11.199 can be achieved through sharing this podcast 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:15.319 with you good people. My name's Chris Fullwell. 00:02:15.460 --> 00:02:17.560 If you're on Writing Battle, you'll recognise 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:22.120 me as C .A. Fullwell, the one with a face for 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:26.419 the radio. Yeah, I live in the south of England 00:02:26.419 --> 00:02:28.580 with my wife and my two wonderful kids but this 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:31.759 is not a job interview or a bio for one of my 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:36.419 submissions so we will crack straight on. Some 00:02:36.419 --> 00:02:39.120 of the stories are going to be narrated by me 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:41.300 but absolutely not all of them. We've got some 00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:43.280 fantastic narrators out there in the community. 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.879 We've got two pieces of flash fiction that are 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:50.259 a thousand words long and the reason I've put 00:02:50.259 --> 00:02:52.669 these two together in this episode... is they 00:02:52.669 --> 00:02:56.550 both deal with the future. Now, I'm not going 00:02:56.550 --> 00:02:58.129 to say too much more now. They're very, very 00:02:58.129 --> 00:03:00.650 different. They're both excellent stories, and 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:02.870 I'm looking forward to getting into them with 00:03:02.870 --> 00:03:04.770 you. Now, the first story we're going to go with 00:03:04.770 --> 00:03:09.550 is Victor Kubinta's Between Two Moons. Now, this 00:03:09.550 --> 00:03:14.930 was in the 2025. This was back in the spring, 00:03:15.270 --> 00:03:19.830 the winter 2025 battle, and it was in the time 00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:23.669 travel romance genre. which produced an amazing 00:03:23.669 --> 00:03:25.530 array of stories, as you can probably guess. 00:03:25.729 --> 00:03:27.610 If you were around for that battle, it was a 00:03:27.610 --> 00:03:31.449 good one, that genre. And Victor had Time Travel 00:03:31.449 --> 00:03:36.810 Romance, Dancer, and Dice as his prompts. Now, 00:03:36.810 --> 00:03:38.930 if you know Victor, he is something of a dancer 00:03:38.930 --> 00:03:41.169 himself. Check out his Instagram, you'll see 00:03:41.169 --> 00:03:44.800 what I mean. Great writer, great dancer. amusing 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:47.840 human being and also a feedback panda because 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:50.199 the man produces thousands and thousands of words 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:53.139 of feedback on people's stories. Now Victor's 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:54.979 prose in this one is really really lovely and 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:59.219 if you haven't read it before well I hope you 00:03:59.219 --> 00:04:03.439 enjoy it. I certainly have. This is Between Two 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:10.439 Moons by Victor Kubinta. I didn't believe in 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:15.460 fate. To me. destiny was just a word people used 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:18.660 to explain what they couldn't control surrendering 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:22.720 instead of forging their own path but then the 00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:26.759 dice turned my world inside out they never gave 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:33.079 me a choice i found them atop a crate of antique 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:37.000 relics from the underground market small smooth 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:40.860 from centuries of touch their symbols indecipherable 00:04:42.410 --> 00:04:47.029 a fine relic ancient and rare few know its worth 00:04:47.029 --> 00:04:54.069 the merchant said i was sold the first time i 00:04:54.069 --> 00:04:57.110 rolled them i was alone in my studio in new athens 00:04:57.110 --> 00:05:00.209 twenty one thirty five drenched in sweat after 00:05:00.209 --> 00:05:04.470 a three -hour vr dance arena session my body 00:05:04.470 --> 00:05:09.009 ached movement was a luxury in a world of holographic 00:05:09.009 --> 00:05:14.389 stages and physics defying choreography I rolled 00:05:14.389 --> 00:05:19.350 them once, and they glowed. The floor disappeared 00:05:19.350 --> 00:05:28.370 beneath me. I awoke to burning oil and sandalwood. 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:34.029 The neon skyline of New Athens was gone. Instead, 00:05:34.310 --> 00:05:38.230 I laid on sun -baked stone, staring up at an 00:05:38.230 --> 00:05:41.269 ancient temple, its white columns stretched toward 00:05:41.269 --> 00:05:46.699 an unfamiliar sky. a voice spoke in a language 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:51.899 i shouldn't have understood are you an offering 00:05:51.899 --> 00:06:00.560 to apollo i turned my head and saw him eryx he 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:05.139 stood like a statue carved from war itself bronze 00:06:05.139 --> 00:06:08.920 skin streaked with dust a gladius strapped to 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:14.139 his hip eyes sharp as the blade at his side His 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:17.120 tunic clung to his body, muscles shifting with 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:22.660 every movement. He stared at me, weary but intrigued, 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:26.519 as if he had seen omens take human form before. 00:06:28.100 --> 00:06:35.399 You have a name, strange man. Raphael. The oracle 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:39.379 called me an ill -omened wonder. Eryx was different. 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:44.089 He didn't ask who I was. where I came from, or 00:06:44.089 --> 00:06:49.449 why I appeared in Delphi 300 BCE. He didn't look 00:06:49.449 --> 00:06:53.009 at me like an anomaly. He looked like he'd been 00:06:53.009 --> 00:06:57.129 waiting. My death was foretold, he told me one 00:06:57.129 --> 00:07:00.149 night, firelight casting shadows over his jaw. 00:07:01.629 --> 00:07:04.689 But the oracle spoke of a dance beneath the full 00:07:04.689 --> 00:07:11.779 moon, one between two, that might save me. I 00:07:11.779 --> 00:07:17.680 scoffed. And you think that's with me? Eryx smirked. 00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:22.680 You fell from the sky, did you not? I did what 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:29.600 I knew best. I danced. No VR, no floating arenas, 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:33.540 just raw movement, bound by the human body's 00:07:33.540 --> 00:07:39.639 limitations. Eryx watched the first night. The 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:45.019 second night. He joined me. He was not graceful. 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:49.259 He didn't understand rhythm or balance, but he 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:54.100 followed. His hands on my waist, his breath against 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:59.699 my ear. He did not fear prophecy, but I felt 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:03.079 his fear in the way he held me, like letting 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:10.699 go would end the world. Maybe it would. the second 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:14.779 time the dice rolled it was a mistake they shifted 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:18.060 in my pocket as i turned in my sleep when i woke 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:21.240 i was back in twenty one thirty five lying on 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:24.699 the cold floor as if no time had passed the dice 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:30.720 beside me new athens hummed its metallic skyline 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:35.600 drowning delphi's whispers i was convinced it 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:41.879 was a vivid dream But weeks passed, and I couldn't 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:48.919 shake him. I missed him. Deep down, I always 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:54.340 knew my way back. I felt foolish, terrified and 00:08:54.340 --> 00:08:57.220 exhilarated as I flung the dice across the room. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:00.740 They glowed the moment they rolled, and the world 00:09:00.740 --> 00:09:08.179 collapsed beneath me. The dice had their own 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:13.419 rules. I spent months tracking patterns, symbols, 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:18.159 and how they glowed. But they remained unpredictable, 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:22.940 always pulling me where they wanted, never where 00:09:22.940 --> 00:09:26.840 I intended. I rolled the dice at every full moon. 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:32.200 They took me back, but never to the same moment. 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:36.740 sometimes i found eryx after battle his blade 00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:38.960 dripping with the blood of men who did not heed 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:43.740 prophecies other times i found him in the temple 00:09:43.740 --> 00:09:47.740 kneeling before the oracle speaking of fate like 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:52.200 it was something he could outmaneuver one night 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:57.460 he found me first i thought you were a dream 00:09:57.460 --> 00:10:03.080 he admitted forehead pressed to mine I feared 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:09.980 I had gone mad. I laughed, humourless. Maybe 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:14.759 we both had. Then, for the first time, the dice 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:17.659 took me away without a roll, stealing my chance 00:10:17.659 --> 00:10:22.460 at a confession. My time with him was always 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:28.500 limited. That was the cost. I felt it in my core. 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:34.200 The dice had set their own terms. The next full 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:38.179 moon would be the last. The prophecy would be 00:10:38.179 --> 00:10:44.620 fulfilled. Now, in the temple courtyard, I face 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:48.139 Eryx beneath the full moon, our silent witness. 00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:54.840 Will you honour me another dance? he asks, hand 00:10:54.840 --> 00:11:01.360 outstretched. I nod. we move our bodies following 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:04.559 an ancient rhythm neither of us should know yet 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:09.980 somehow we do the air thrums with something unnatural 00:11:09.980 --> 00:11:14.960 the fabric of time unravelling between us the 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:23.440 dice burn hot in my palm one last roll one final 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:30.559 chance Time won't steal him from me. This time, 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:36.139 I'll bring him home. The dice tumble across the 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:38.779 temple stones, their edges clicking against the 00:11:38.779 --> 00:11:42.840 worn marble. A gust of wind whips through the 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:45.440 courtyard, stirring torches and sending flickering 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:49.379 shadows dancing along the columns. The shift 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:57.039 comes too fast. The magic grips the wrong soul. 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:10.259 Eryx reaches for me. Raphael! And vanishes. So 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:22.580 do the dice. Eryx, 2135 Only the gods know how 00:12:22.580 --> 00:12:26.279 long I have wandered this strange land, Raphael's 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:32.659 home. Observing, enduring. The agora roars like 00:12:32.659 --> 00:12:35.480 a battle cry, louder than Delphi's streets ever 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:40.000 were. Light burns overhead, not from the sun 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:45.379 or torches, but from flameless lanterns. People 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:48.600 move through this world unbothered, their faces 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:52.480 aglow with shifting symbols. like living prophecies 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:58.779 i walk unseen hermes among mortals hand instinctively 00:12:58.779 --> 00:13:03.240 resting where my blade once lay but i remain 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:08.139 weary these strange chariots without steeds these 00:13:08.139 --> 00:13:12.960 voices that speak yet possess no lips no warrior 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:18.740 should trust such things and then among the relics 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:22.240 of this strange world i see something i understand 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:31.600 a pair of dice worn smooth by time at last i 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:38.100 have found them these were raphael's a merchant 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:44.360 grins a fine relic ancient and rare few know 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:51.250 its worth i stare For the first time since waking 00:13:51.250 --> 00:13:54.970 in this impossible world, I feel something other 00:13:54.970 --> 00:14:03.169 than loss. Hope. I reach for the dice. And roll. 00:14:17.830 --> 00:14:22.820 So. There we go. What a story. What a story. 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:26.940 Victor got himself to the final four in that 00:14:26.940 --> 00:14:29.179 battle. Came very, very close to taking the whole 00:14:29.179 --> 00:14:32.240 thing in a hugely competitive genre. So well 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.519 done, Victor. And thank you for letting me read 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:38.100 that one. I hope I did it justice. In keeping 00:14:38.100 --> 00:14:43.000 with our futuristic theme, we've got... I want 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:44.659 to get this title right because I love it so 00:14:44.659 --> 00:14:48.460 much. How to find love after your boyfriend is 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:52.899 taken by the rapture. And this is by R .L. Lin. 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:56.399 Now, Rebecca has done a great job here. It's 00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:59.840 very funny. It is exactly what you think it's 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:02.500 going to be. And then times a thousand. It's 00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:05.480 just great. It's read by Melanie York. Thank 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:07.019 you, Melanie, for reading this for us. I think 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:10.259 you've done a superb job here. And the prompts 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:14.720 for this one were dystopia, weather forecaster. 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:19.299 and magnifying glass. Now somehow Rebecca's mind 00:15:19.299 --> 00:15:22.940 has leapt from those three seemingly not connected 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:26.320 prompts to this story about post -rapture dating, 00:15:26.519 --> 00:15:29.559 and it's a lot of fun. It's very, very well written, 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:33.000 and I'm sure you're going to enjoy it. This is 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:36.440 How to Find Love After Your Boyfriend is taken 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:40.740 by The Rapture by R. L. Lin, and that's read 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:50.539 by Melanie York. March 1st, 2165. Hello, faithful 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:54.279 reader. It is I, Annie, your friendly weather 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:58.340 gal, waving at you from sizzling Portland. Temperatures 00:15:58.340 --> 00:16:01.360 today will reach a balmy 112 with intermittent 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:05.279 lightning storms. Slather on that SPF 200 and 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:09.080 enjoy your weekend. Apologies for neglecting 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:11.970 you guys these past two weeks. As some of you 00:16:11.970 --> 00:16:15.269 may know, my boyfriend, Nick, was raptured on 00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:18.970 Valentine's Day. He was just sitting there, shoveling 00:16:18.970 --> 00:16:21.309 eggs into his mouth, raving about the collective 00:16:21.309 --> 00:16:25.769 sin of mankind, when, bam, sucked right through 00:16:25.769 --> 00:16:28.250 the floor, still gripping his fork and screaming 00:16:28.250 --> 00:16:31.909 bloody murder. Good people of Portland, I give 00:16:31.909 --> 00:16:35.649 you the rapture, neither peaceful nor ascending, 00:16:35.769 --> 00:16:39.570 as it turns out. As I'm sure you can imagine, 00:16:39.929 --> 00:16:43.070 the incident left me quite rattled. However, 00:16:43.269 --> 00:16:45.769 I've had time to grieve and make my peace with 00:16:45.769 --> 00:16:49.509 it. Real talk, it's been nice having the house 00:16:49.509 --> 00:16:53.769 to myself. Nick could be a real damper Dan, and 00:16:53.769 --> 00:16:57.370 now I can watch my trashy TV in all its grotesque 00:16:57.370 --> 00:17:01.289 glory. Speaking of, how about that new Love Will 00:17:01.289 --> 00:17:05.789 Blind show? Apparently, anybody who doesn't say 00:17:05.789 --> 00:17:10.819 I do will actually be blinded. Gritty. Truth 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:13.799 is, the nights can feel long when having to take 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:17.319 potshots at looters all by one's lonesome. So, 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:19.920 I have therefore decided to venture forth into 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:22.920 the dating pool again. Gotta make hay while the 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:26.779 sun shines. Or, you know, blisters with a fiery 00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:36.640 intensity. Updates forthcoming. March 8th, 2165. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:42.019 Dear devoted reader, today is cloudy with a chance 00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:46.059 of cicadas. Seriously, we're getting a cicada 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:49.319 storm this afternoon. No, they aren't native 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:52.500 to Portland. And yes, cicada is just a fancy 00:17:52.500 --> 00:17:56.920 term for roach. Fuck you, climate change. Better 00:17:56.920 --> 00:18:00.700 take a canopy outside today, folks. I have news. 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:03.940 I just got home from my first post -rapture date. 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:10.440 I give you bachelor number one. Name. Sean DeLorna. 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:15.380 Occupation. State representative. No, wait. Impress 00:18:15.380 --> 00:18:21.319 that. Wannabe vigilante. Sign. Aries. Go figure. 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:24.380 I was practically giddy about Sean at first. 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:29.480 On paper, he seemed ideal. Cute, ambitious, and 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:32.819 a big Dancing Through the Scars fan. However, 00:18:33.099 --> 00:18:36.019 I knew something was off as soon as he stomped 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:38.779 into the restaurant. Knives strapped to both 00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:42.140 hips and machetes slung over his shoulder. Just 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:45.339 another stereotypical politician eager to cut 00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:48.619 through some red tape. I suppose I could appreciate 00:18:48.619 --> 00:18:51.599 this more if he hadn't brooded all through dinner 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.200 before flipping our table in a panic when the 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:57.420 waiters burst into happy birthday. During our 00:18:57.420 --> 00:19:00.119 romantic post -dinner walk, he kept trying to 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:04.619 throw me over his shoulder. Hey, Tarzan, I'm 00:19:04.619 --> 00:19:07.339 a big girl. I know my way around a flooded road, 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:18.500 thank you very much. March 15th, 2165 Dear loyal 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:22.059 reader, As if Roach Geddon wasn't bad enough, 00:19:22.180 --> 00:19:25.880 now there's rumblings from Mount Shasta. Ashfall 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:29.059 with the occasional volcanic blast. If you need 00:19:29.059 --> 00:19:33.339 to go out, bob and weave. I have a doozy for 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:37.569 you all today. Meet bachelor number two. Name. 00:19:38.130 --> 00:19:42.289 Jordan Morty. Occupation. Research participant. 00:19:43.289 --> 00:19:46.529 Cross that out. Who am I kidding? He's a zombie. 00:19:46.730 --> 00:19:53.250 Don't judge me. Sign. Used to be a Virgo. Okay, 00:19:53.410 --> 00:19:58.190 okay, I know. It's a little unorthodox. Just 00:19:58.190 --> 00:20:01.950 hear me out. First of all, the whole zombie thing? 00:20:02.210 --> 00:20:06.079 Not Jordan's fault. How could he possibly know 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:08.200 the government was attempting to create super 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:11.119 soldiers? Poor guy was just trying to find a 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:13.980 cure for his bunions. Should one unfortunate 00:20:13.980 --> 00:20:16.779 lapse in judgment forever preclude him from true 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:22.539 love? Plus, his purple picture was hot. I mean, 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:26.880 his skin was a little mottled, but still, dude 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:31.829 was ripped. Sadly, he lied about his age. He'd 00:20:31.829 --> 00:20:35.230 been undead way longer than three weeks. Those 00:20:35.230 --> 00:20:39.130 bulging muscles from his photo? Yeah, less sexy 00:20:39.130 --> 00:20:40.970 when they're actually protruding through the 00:20:40.970 --> 00:20:45.549 skin. Conversation was a bit lopsided. And I 00:20:45.549 --> 00:20:48.049 did not appreciate it when he got fresh with 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:52.190 me at the end of the night. Well, typically I 00:20:52.190 --> 00:20:56.210 was the fresh one, but you get my drift. That 00:20:56.210 --> 00:20:59.509 was the nail in his coffin. I don't mind the 00:20:59.509 --> 00:21:02.539 occasional neck nibble. But I can't stand bad 00:21:02.539 --> 00:21:12.680 breath. March 25th, 2165 Dear attentive reader, 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:17.380 Just a light drizzle today. Acid level, mild 00:21:17.380 --> 00:21:20.380 stain. Time to bear those shoulders, ladies. 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:23.960 Boy, I tell ya, I thought pickings were slim 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:27.660 before the collapse of civilized society. Here's 00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:32.460 bachelor number three. Name. Mickey Wiseman. 00:21:33.319 --> 00:21:37.940 Occupation. Scientist. Wait, scratch that. Paranoid 00:21:37.940 --> 00:21:43.400 putz. Sign. Wouldn't tell me his birthday. I 00:21:43.400 --> 00:21:45.180 should have known better than to go searching 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:48.579 on a website called Find a Guy, The End is Nigh. 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:51.660 But my self -esteem was shaken after the Jordan 00:21:51.660 --> 00:21:57.180 fiasco. Welcome to my rebound hell. Mickey spent 00:21:57.180 --> 00:21:59.720 the entirety of the date scouring our table for 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:02.619 pathogens, a giant magnifying glass glued to 00:22:02.619 --> 00:22:06.500 his sweaty face. Apparently, I'd agreed to go 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:10.319 out with the eye of Sauron. A stray cicada crawled 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:12.980 out of my jacket pocket, and he lit out of there 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:16.079 faster than a mutating virus. Good riddance. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:27.000 May 17th, 2165 Dear Obsessed Reader, Seriously, 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:29.680 if you're still reading this, what the fuck? 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:34.940 Log off already and find a bunker. Weather forecast 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:37.559 rendered obsolete due to missiles raining down 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:41.019 from Idaho. This will probably be my last entry 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:44.440 for a while. But I couldn't sign off without 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:49.259 dishing on Bachelor number four. Name, Jack. 00:22:50.980 --> 00:22:54.519 Occupation, Philosopher. Wait, scratch that. 00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:59.019 Writer? Wait, scratch that. Jack of all trades. 00:23:00.180 --> 00:23:06.400 Sign. Taurus. Established April 26th. Finally 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:11.079 caved and went to build a boyfriend. All I'll 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:14.240 say is this. Don't knock it till you build it. 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:19.019 Jack is perfect. Worldly? A superb listener? 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:22.440 and possesses a love of em dashes bordering on 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:26.480 the pathological. His personality does run in 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:30.299 touch bland, but he's attentive to my every need. 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:35.920 Every need. New Squeeze and I are currently on 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:38.660 the run from rabid Idahoans rebelling against 00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:42.160 the keto diet. Oh, and you guys remember Jordan? 00:23:42.779 --> 00:23:46.480 Well, turns out the bastard infected me with 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:49.950 his contagion. So that's been an adjustment these 00:23:49.950 --> 00:23:54.470 past few weeks. Nothing major yet, but I'm pretty 00:23:54.470 --> 00:23:58.529 sure I swallowed a tooth yesterday. Not to worry. 00:23:58.970 --> 00:24:02.369 Jack insists he'll still love me even when I'm 00:24:02.369 --> 00:24:06.869 drooling and my skin fluffs off. You guys, he's 00:24:06.869 --> 00:24:10.789 a keeper. And the best part? He's rapture -proof. 00:24:13.150 --> 00:24:27.700 XOXO, Annie. I really enjoyed that story. Very, 00:24:27.819 --> 00:24:31.660 very funny. So many great lines. I love the throwaway 00:24:31.660 --> 00:24:34.799 references to things like Dancing with the Scars 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:40.119 or the, oh yeah, Love Will Blind, an excellent 00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:43.920 skewering satire of that god awful reality TV 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:46.900 stuff we get these days. I know, I know, I sound 00:24:46.900 --> 00:24:51.950 like I'm 95. But I'm only 91. But yes, excellent 00:24:51.950 --> 00:24:55.089 story from R .L. Lin and really, really well 00:24:55.089 --> 00:24:59.529 read by Melanie. I think she nails that relentlessly 00:24:59.529 --> 00:25:03.170 upbeat, desperate -to -sound -like -she's -on 00:25:03.170 --> 00:25:05.769 -top -of -things style. Yeah, very, very well 00:25:05.769 --> 00:25:08.849 done. I really enjoyed it. That story was from 00:25:08.849 --> 00:25:11.730 the Fear Battle earlier this year and it picked 00:25:11.730 --> 00:25:13.529 up an honourable mention in the House stage. 00:25:13.849 --> 00:25:15.869 Loads and loads of judges really, really enjoying 00:25:15.869 --> 00:25:18.599 it. One of the many things I like about Writing 00:25:18.599 --> 00:25:21.920 Battle is that we get a variety of stories. We 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:24.859 don't just get stories that are funny. We don't 00:25:24.859 --> 00:25:27.859 just get stories that are serious or have a twist 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:29.920 in them or whatever. You do get a really, really 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:33.000 good variety. And the more time you spend on 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.279 the site, the greater variety of stories you're 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:40.099 going to come across. So thank you very much 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:42.619 for joining us in this first ever episode of 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:46.210 One More Short Story. With me, Chris Fullwell, 00:25:46.349 --> 00:25:49.549 we'll look forward to seeing you again next time.