WEBVTT 00:00:04.370 --> 00:00:18.329 One more short story. Hello and thank you for 00:00:18.329 --> 00:00:21.829 joining us on episode 9 of One More Short Story, 00:00:22.030 --> 00:00:26.530 the Writing Battle mini audiobook podcast. I'm 00:00:26.530 --> 00:00:29.350 looking forward to sharing four stories with 00:00:29.350 --> 00:00:33.359 you today. in keeping with recent episodes we 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:37.939 are using the writing battle class system this 00:00:37.939 --> 00:00:42.200 episode is centered around the barbarian class 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:44.740 now that doesn't mean there's going to be lots 00:00:44.740 --> 00:00:48.799 of descriptions of massive muscly mostly naked 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.679 hairy men although you know if you're into that 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:54.159 that's fine there's no judgment here whatsoever 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:58.780 it does mean the episode is focused on dystopian 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:02.039 post -apocalyptic stories that sort of thing 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:06.120 and we've got four four little treats here say 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:08.659 little three of them are a thousand words one 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:11.420 of them's 500 words anyone that's written those 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:14.420 to a deadline knows that that's not little at 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:17.219 all and it's a real skill to be able to trim 00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:20.420 a story down into sort of flash fiction length 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:23.500 as you might expect from stories of this type 00:01:23.500 --> 00:01:27.620 there are some depictions of violence In all 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:31.939 the stories, except for First Aid, there's violence 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:35.099 towards people. There's violence towards animals. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.920 And yeah, I don't want to get into a big debate 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:42.140 or dialogue about content warnings. I can absolutely 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:44.659 see that some people need a sort of a heads up, 00:01:44.659 --> 00:01:47.340 watch out for this. But I will just say, you 00:01:47.340 --> 00:01:51.180 know, tread warily if the depictions of violence 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:53.260 are not for you and are not going to be something 00:01:53.260 --> 00:01:57.840 that are going to make your day any better. First 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:02.739 up, we have got Dead or Alivened by Jessie Locatelli. 00:02:03.260 --> 00:02:07.700 This was in the recent Fear Battle and contains 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:09.900 a really, really good use of the prompts, actually. 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:14.319 Prompts are often the subject of debate on the 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:17.199 forum, but hey, they're there for a reason. And 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:20.800 Jessie's done a top job here. She had Dystopia, 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:26.539 Compass and Mourner. and has done some lovely 00:02:26.539 --> 00:02:30.120 stuff here. So, without further ado, narrated 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:34.699 by S .B. Anthony, here is Dead or Alive and by 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:40.400 Jesse Locatelli. I didn't know the woman standing 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:44.539 in front of me. Sure, she had the same features 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:49.159 as Mom. Sharp, like a raven with a secret. She 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:53.360 had the same laugh as Mom. like a pot of pasta 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:57.580 water bubbling on the stove. She even moved the 00:02:57.580 --> 00:03:01.659 same, and her eyes crinkled at the edges, just 00:03:01.659 --> 00:03:08.919 like Mom. Except she wasn't Mom. Mom died yesterday. 00:03:09.379 --> 00:03:14.460 My Stacia! She leaned forward to look into my 00:03:14.460 --> 00:03:18.740 eyes, close and concerned, like the time I fell 00:03:18.740 --> 00:03:22.680 off the garden wall when I was six. Why aren't 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:28.719 you smiling? I can't even tell I died. Fear and 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:31.560 relief battled until they compromised in a half 00:03:31.560 --> 00:03:35.479 smile. My face doesn't know what to do with itself. 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:40.819 Here's the thing. Not being a believer made you 00:03:40.819 --> 00:03:44.759 a mourner. And mourners are traitors. And traitors 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:49.210 are re -educated. Before mom died, and they slipped 00:03:49.210 --> 00:03:52.909 a note and a silver compass into my pocket. The 00:03:52.909 --> 00:03:57.169 mourners, as an organized group, were only half 00:03:57.169 --> 00:04:01.069 real to me. Guess they thought I was scared and 00:04:01.069 --> 00:04:04.949 angry enough to safely recruit, as I fled a failed 00:04:04.949 --> 00:04:09.810 protest with Mom's blood staining my mask. I 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:15.770 opened my arms to accept not Mom's hug. She pulled 00:04:15.770 --> 00:04:18.410 me into a bosom that smelled like strawberry 00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:23.250 cupcakes. Just like mom made whenever I cried 00:04:23.250 --> 00:04:27.509 about my friend Joyce being aliven after her 00:04:27.509 --> 00:04:30.709 family tried to leave the city. For the first 00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:35.250 time in my life, I wanted to believe. I wanted 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:39.490 to return to butterfly kisses and laughter on 00:04:39.490 --> 00:04:43.670 the hammock. But aliven? were not the people 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:48.910 they replaced. Mom knew. Someone she had loved 00:04:48.910 --> 00:04:53.370 once had been alive in. Why are you crying then, 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:58.449 my sweet? Not Mom said. There's no need to grieve 00:04:58.449 --> 00:05:03.509 me. Right. Because no death meant no mourning, 00:05:03.670 --> 00:05:07.449 and no mourning meant no grief, and no grief 00:05:07.449 --> 00:05:10.529 meant... No scream crying into a pillow because 00:05:10.529 --> 00:05:13.610 you'd never hear pasta water laughter again. 00:05:14.129 --> 00:05:17.730 How could I grieve someone while she pets my 00:05:17.730 --> 00:05:23.389 hair and hums lullabies I grew up with? I'm crying 00:05:23.389 --> 00:05:27.970 because I'm so happy you're alive, I lied. One 00:05:27.970 --> 00:05:30.769 of mom's honey -colored eyes had burst from her 00:05:30.769 --> 00:05:34.850 skull in a splurt of bloody jelly right onto 00:05:34.850 --> 00:05:40.750 my face. She wasn't alive. Why don't we bake 00:05:40.750 --> 00:05:44.089 something and put all this behind us? Not mom 00:05:44.089 --> 00:05:49.110 said. Strawberry cupcakes? Just like my birthday. 00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:54.649 I hoped I looked excited enough. If I was sent 00:05:54.649 --> 00:05:56.490 for re -education while the mourner's letter 00:05:56.490 --> 00:05:59.810 sat in my pocket, I wouldn't come home the next 00:05:59.810 --> 00:06:04.949 day. Some soulless alive into wood. It's funny. 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:08.000 You hated strawberries before your seventh birthday. 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:12.620 Not Mom laughed. We spent the evening pretending 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:16.199 life was normal, mashing strawberries until they 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:18.779 turned to jelly like the sludge Mom's eye left 00:06:18.779 --> 00:06:23.000 behind. We mixed batter and scooped it into a 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:27.319 tin until it filled the cup like a pink little 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:29.939 brain we created to replace the one splattered 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:34.069 on the sidewalk. It was an eternity. where not 00:06:34.069 --> 00:06:37.970 -mom went to bed. She wanted to sit on the hammock 00:06:37.970 --> 00:06:41.750 and reminisce like everything was fine. Before 00:06:41.750 --> 00:06:45.509 she died, mom taught me to sneak around the city. 00:06:46.170 --> 00:06:50.089 If not -mom was really her, she would have caught 00:06:50.089 --> 00:06:54.269 me before I unclasped the latch. She didn't. 00:06:55.589 --> 00:06:59.490 As soon as the door closed behind me, I re -read 00:06:59.490 --> 00:07:03.180 the note. The compass will disable the cameras 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:06.560 and barriers as it points you to us. We'll meet 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.759 you where the arrow shines blue and take you 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:14.500 to our camp. The mourners. Lines of surveillance 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:18.079 cameras installed by the ministry to ensure everyone 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:21.600 commuted in an orderly manner scanned the empty 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:27.420 streets in front of me. Here goes nothing. I 00:07:27.420 --> 00:07:30.459 place the compass on my palm. and let it guide 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:34.259 me with a glowing golden arrow. It pointed to 00:07:34.259 --> 00:07:37.199 the right. The first camera twitched in my direction, 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:40.259 then twisted to film the empty corner opposite 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:44.040 of me. Not a single camera turned my way as I 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.139 escaped through a barrier at the city's edge. 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:50.319 I wove through the trees and stopped in a clearing 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:53.300 when sparks danced over the surface of the compass 00:07:53.300 --> 00:07:57.120 like a spiderweb. The arrow glowed pale blue. 00:07:57.899 --> 00:08:00.839 A man with a graying beard and hair sprang up 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:03.379 from the trees like a ragged and starved squirrel. 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:07.060 I stumbled backwards, covering my mouth. His 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:10.240 clothes were rough -spun and natural, rather 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:13.600 than the stiff uniforms I'd grown up with. Apparently, 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:16.000 outside the city, things were allowed to be disorderly. 00:08:16.579 --> 00:08:19.980 What would that freedom feel like? Here for the 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:24.379 mourners. He gestured to the compass. I'm Mick. 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:29.430 Stacia. I tried to reconcile him with the rebel 00:08:29.430 --> 00:08:32.730 mourners Mom whispered about. Good to meet you. 00:08:32.830 --> 00:08:36.690 Shame about your mom, he said. She was one of 00:08:36.690 --> 00:08:40.289 our first undercover agents in the city. She 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:44.029 was a mourner? I shouldn't have been surprised. 00:08:44.490 --> 00:08:47.309 We'd spent so much time sneaking around cameras, 00:08:47.409 --> 00:08:50.009 defacing the ministry. I didn't realize that 00:08:50.009 --> 00:08:54.190 was mourner business. Yup, Mick said. Showed 00:08:54.190 --> 00:08:57.429 up about ten years ago. furious, alive and weren't 00:08:57.429 --> 00:09:01.870 real. He bowed his head in quiet respect. She 00:09:01.870 --> 00:09:05.289 had a good run. No one else had given me the 00:09:05.289 --> 00:09:10.190 space to mourn. Thank you. I started forward, 00:09:10.429 --> 00:09:16.090 ready to go. One last check. He stopped me. Can't 00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:18.730 accidentally bring an alive in back, hmm? Can't 00:09:18.730 --> 00:09:21.830 have those things living with us. I'm sure you 00:09:21.830 --> 00:09:26.750 understand after. I nodded mutely. He pulled 00:09:26.750 --> 00:09:29.730 a handheld device from his satchel that flashed 00:09:29.730 --> 00:09:34.769 a light in both my eyes. I barely breathed. It 00:09:34.769 --> 00:09:39.830 beeped. That's good, right? His lips twitched 00:09:39.830 --> 00:09:45.190 into a half smile. Stacia. He lowered the device. 00:09:46.149 --> 00:09:53.580 What? I'm so sorry. Mick raised a gun. The barrel 00:09:53.580 --> 00:09:58.240 was dark and empty as not mom's eyes. Scanner 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:03.320 says you died 10 years ago. I didn't. I started 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:06.740 to argue. I'd know if I was soulless like the 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:10.639 Alive End. I'd learned to spot them at the Alive 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:14.220 Ending protest mom took me to after I fell from 00:10:14.220 --> 00:10:20.370 the garden wall 10 years ago. Mom was home. Maybe 00:10:20.370 --> 00:10:22.450 I could have had butterfly kisses and laughter 00:10:22.450 --> 00:10:26.090 in the hammock if only the gun's safety clicked 00:10:26.090 --> 00:10:29.990 off. We'll mourn you like you should have been 00:10:29.990 --> 00:10:36.929 mourned back then. I did warn you. I did warn 00:10:36.929 --> 00:10:41.710 you this was about dystopian or post -apocalyptic 00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:47.570 stuff. But wow. That was... That was quite something, 00:10:47.649 --> 00:10:49.190 Jesse. Thank you for that. And very, very well 00:10:49.190 --> 00:10:53.110 narrated by S .B. Anthony there. Thank you. It's 00:10:53.110 --> 00:10:55.210 one of those stories where if you go back and 00:10:55.210 --> 00:10:58.029 listen to it or read it again, you realise what 00:10:58.029 --> 00:11:00.429 a great job the author's done in weaving stuff 00:11:00.429 --> 00:11:03.450 in. Little breadcrumbs, little treats, little 00:11:03.450 --> 00:11:06.429 hints, that when you read it again, you not only 00:11:06.429 --> 00:11:08.350 enjoy the story in different levels, but it helps 00:11:08.350 --> 00:11:11.049 the reader feel a bit clever. That's always fun. 00:11:11.250 --> 00:11:13.610 That's always good. It's a very strong piece 00:11:13.610 --> 00:11:16.470 and it took the runner -up position in the entire 00:11:16.470 --> 00:11:20.049 dystopia genre. It did extremely well and I hope 00:11:20.049 --> 00:11:22.809 Jesse is pleased with herself about this story 00:11:22.809 --> 00:11:25.669 because you absolutely should be. Next up we 00:11:25.669 --> 00:11:30.470 have got Circus Terribler by Nova Sommers. This 00:11:30.470 --> 00:11:34.169 was also in the fear battle with the dystopia 00:11:34.169 --> 00:11:39.070 genre and Nova had dystopia, clown and shield 00:11:39.070 --> 00:11:42.470 as her prompts. this story as well as mentions 00:11:42.470 --> 00:11:45.490 of violence does contain uh mentions of violence 00:11:45.490 --> 00:11:48.190 against an animal which you know that's not something 00:11:48.190 --> 00:11:51.370 i i relish or run out and want to to go and look 00:11:51.370 --> 00:11:54.029 at explicitly but i tell you what it it is absolutely 00:11:54.029 --> 00:11:57.409 necessary to this story and and this is a heck 00:11:57.409 --> 00:12:00.990 of a piece of writing so so buckle up uh this 00:12:00.990 --> 00:12:05.450 is circus terrible by nova somers and that's 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:10.919 narrated by maverick jones When I was little, 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:14.379 I would leave behind something small in every 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:18.799 town we passed through. A toy soldier, a penny, 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:22.519 a string of plastic beads from the carnival midway, 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:26.440 tiny monuments buried in the holes from our tent 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:30.960 poles. I imagined future anthropologists brushing 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:35.279 back the earth, puzzling over a forgotten civilization's 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:42.519 trinkets. Someone was here. i was here now in 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:45.139 the drained marshlands that were once the florida 00:12:45.139 --> 00:12:48.259 everglades i kneel beside an elephant taking 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:51.700 her last breaths and think again about our legacy 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:58.980 shell casings bones the animal's flank heaves 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:04.440 and her bullet -ridden flesh shivers she stopped 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:08.259 answering to her circus name long ago Opting 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:11.940 to do as she pleased. But I whisper it to her 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:19.600 now. Mara, don't die. They say elephants never 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:23.759 forget. Our camp occupies a former sanctuary 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:28.320 for retired circus animals. A big top tense rotted 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:33.100 wooden ribs jut from the mud like fossils. People 00:13:33.100 --> 00:13:36.330 here live off scavenged food. and whatever the 00:13:36.330 --> 00:13:39.710 swamp gives back. We stopped wondering if we 00:13:39.710 --> 00:13:42.389 will ever cross borders again to bestow a few 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:45.250 hours of forgetting upon the occupied villages 00:13:45.250 --> 00:13:49.049 between here and Canada. Mara pulled our carts 00:13:49.049 --> 00:13:52.470 and cleared trees in the camp. She guarded the 00:13:52.470 --> 00:13:55.710 children when drones passed overhead, tucking 00:13:55.710 --> 00:13:58.129 them beneath her body like a hen shielding her 00:13:58.129 --> 00:14:02.269 chicks from a raptor. We fed and protected her 00:14:02.269 --> 00:14:05.960 in return. when she staggered to camp to -night 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:10.580 and collapsed the earth shook the sound of motor 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:14.419 -bike engines reaches us from the road titus 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:18.299 all in black leather has come to claim his prey 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:22.120 mara's carcass can feed his small posse for a 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:25.100 month and they'll trade the surplus meat in ivory 00:14:25.100 --> 00:14:28.820 in the ring titus always wore red suspenders 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:33.169 and a grin so wide it made people look away When 00:14:33.169 --> 00:14:35.909 the circus collapsed, he kept the makeup, but 00:14:35.909 --> 00:14:39.909 lost the gags. He ruled over his group of scavengers, 00:14:39.909 --> 00:14:42.690 hoarding spoils taken from various settlements, 00:14:43.009 --> 00:14:47.649 including ours. As the moon rises, he stands 00:14:47.649 --> 00:14:51.070 over Mara's body, haloed by the motorbike's headlamps. 00:14:52.350 --> 00:14:55.830 Stupid animal, he scoffs, pointing his rifle 00:14:55.830 --> 00:14:57.909 towards the ground and resting his arm on it. 00:14:58.509 --> 00:15:01.649 He had ambushed her from the road as she bathed 00:15:01.649 --> 00:15:05.730 in the pond. A quarter mile from camp, the pop, 00:15:05.730 --> 00:15:09.210 pop, pop of the shots resounded, and I knew. 00:15:10.850 --> 00:15:13.710 Next, we heard and saw our bloody giant crashing 00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:16.970 toward camp, her head swinging low as she weakened. 00:15:17.929 --> 00:15:22.289 We were powerless. I keep my eyes on Mara and 00:15:22.289 --> 00:15:25.769 say nothing to Titus. We've all seen the endless 00:15:25.769 --> 00:15:30.149 cruelty he's capable of. He notices a tin shield 00:15:30.149 --> 00:15:33.940 leaned against a tent post. an old prop painted 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:37.559 with an elephant beneath three stars in a circus 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:40.600 act titus cracked a whip at me while i hid behind 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:45.580 that shield and the crowd gasped now we use it 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:50.960 to collect water he tilts his head amused won't 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:55.679 save you now he says grinning when night comes 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:58.659 titus and his men pitch tents near the generator 00:15:59.500 --> 00:16:01.799 In the morning, they plan to dismember their 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:06.139 trophy and haul her away in pieces. People shelter 00:16:06.139 --> 00:16:10.759 in their caravans, outgunned and afraid. I keep 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:14.659 vigil beside Mata's body. The shield lies near 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:17.080 the tip of her trunk, where the children attempted 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:22.120 to get her to drink. Fog rolls in, blanketing 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:25.620 the camp. I fetch two jerry cans from the supply 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:28.850 hut and carry them back through the mud. My knees 00:16:28.850 --> 00:16:33.750 shake, and I feel the old pain in my wrist from 00:16:33.750 --> 00:16:36.929 when I missed a cue during a performance, and 00:16:36.929 --> 00:16:40.450 Titus grabbed me harder than he needed to. He'll 00:16:40.450 --> 00:16:45.049 get rich selling Mara off by the pound. I won't 00:16:45.049 --> 00:16:49.490 let that happen. The gasoline spills and shining 00:16:49.490 --> 00:16:53.250 arcs across her body. Fumes sting my nostrils. 00:16:53.870 --> 00:16:56.870 I work frantically, cutting deep gashes with 00:16:56.870 --> 00:17:00.370 my machete so the fuel can reach inside. The 00:17:00.370 --> 00:17:03.870 blade makes a sound like wet, rasping breath. 00:17:06.150 --> 00:17:10.430 I think of pointed tent stakes again, of burying 00:17:10.430 --> 00:17:14.250 pennies in soft earth. Every stroke feels like 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:17.170 a violent protest against what we've been reduced 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:21.970 to. Behind me, Titus shouts. He strides over, 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:26.450 gun pointed. Two of his men are behind him. I 00:17:26.450 --> 00:17:29.289 raise the shield without thinking. Muscle memory. 00:17:30.170 --> 00:17:32.630 A bullet glances off with the sound of a church 00:17:32.630 --> 00:17:35.829 bell. Then the night goes silent, except for 00:17:35.829 --> 00:17:40.769 the hum of the generator. I strike my Zippo, 00:17:40.910 --> 00:17:43.470 and the men back away, watching the standoff. 00:17:44.329 --> 00:17:47.910 Me with the flame, Titus with his gun. If he 00:17:47.910 --> 00:17:50.730 shoots, I'll drop the lighter on Mara's gas -soaked 00:17:50.730 --> 00:17:55.109 body. No, he says, desperate to save his goldmine, 00:17:55.190 --> 00:17:58.690 his cash cow. The fire catches faster than I 00:17:58.690 --> 00:18:03.309 imagined. For a moment, Mara is pure light, terrible 00:18:03.309 --> 00:18:09.950 and holy. A mountain becoming a star. The heat 00:18:09.950 --> 00:18:14.190 drives us backward. Titus's makeup accentuates 00:18:14.190 --> 00:18:17.269 his angry grimace. He regains footing and fumbles 00:18:17.269 --> 00:18:20.519 with his gun. that's when i fling the last liters 00:18:20.519 --> 00:18:24.140 of gasoline onto him moving with deft ballerina 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:26.819 steps that are second nature to me daughter of 00:18:26.819 --> 00:18:30.700 two trapeze artists flames leap from mara onto 00:18:30.700 --> 00:18:35.519 her murderer instead of watching him flail and 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:39.119 burn i follow the smoke as it curls upward like 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:43.279 a signal an ephemeral story told to the stars 00:18:46.599 --> 00:18:49.960 by morning the swamp is quiet except for the 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:53.299 patter of light rain the men departed in the 00:18:53.299 --> 00:18:56.339 night happy to be free from their cruel leader 00:18:56.339 --> 00:19:01.460 i find the shield in the ashes warped but still 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:05.259 whole i place it beside mara's charred skull 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:10.420 i dig a small hole in the dirt from my pocket 00:19:10.420 --> 00:19:14.299 i pull a useless coin a toy soldier missing an 00:19:14.299 --> 00:19:20.680 arm and a bead the color of dried blood i want 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:25.019 to believe memory is a kind of shield that by 00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:28.880 remembering we protect what matters from being 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:33.059 eaten up by the world we find small ways to leave 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:37.500 our mark i press mud over the objects and imagine 00:19:37.500 --> 00:19:41.359 the future when students or scholars or machines 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:45.440 will find this hoard and wonder what kind of 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:55.200 people we were. Well, if you're anything like 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:58.099 me, that story took you on something of an emotional 00:19:58.099 --> 00:20:00.720 rollercoaster where you were right there with 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:05.559 Mara the elephant and brewing the awful stuff 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:09.940 that humanity is capable of and then skip forward 00:20:09.940 --> 00:20:12.990 a few paragraphs and we've got... Titus getting 00:20:12.990 --> 00:20:16.390 his just desserts he's a really hateable character 00:20:16.390 --> 00:20:18.730 and that's a good thing it's very well written 00:20:18.730 --> 00:20:22.009 indeed again some wonderful wonderful prose in 00:20:22.009 --> 00:20:25.369 that story and one of the many things I enjoyed 00:20:25.369 --> 00:20:28.630 in that story was the bookends at the beginning 00:20:28.630 --> 00:20:33.690 and the end about hiding little artifacts in 00:20:33.690 --> 00:20:37.549 the dirt in the mud so that people who come after 00:20:37.549 --> 00:20:42.210 us can find those things and wonder what we might 00:20:42.210 --> 00:20:45.109 have been like as people. That got all the way 00:20:45.109 --> 00:20:48.269 to The Ferocious Four, a semi -finalist in that 00:20:48.269 --> 00:20:52.089 contest. Now, I should add that I'm not just 00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:53.990 looking for stories that get to the final or 00:20:53.990 --> 00:20:56.029 the semi -final. I've got a huge variety of stories 00:20:56.029 --> 00:20:59.029 on the cards, both for future episodes and also 00:20:59.029 --> 00:21:01.369 in the back catalogue if you've only just started 00:21:01.369 --> 00:21:05.250 listening. One thing you'll pick up very quickly, 00:21:05.329 --> 00:21:08.009 if you haven't picked it up already, is that 00:21:08.009 --> 00:21:11.279 within the world of writing battle, the quality 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:15.420 of the stories all around is is very high yeah 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:17.500 you'll see you'll see stories like the ones we've 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:19.900 got today that have got quite far in the competition 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:22.000 and deservedly so and then you'll come across 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:23.859 other stories in your own reading or through 00:21:23.859 --> 00:21:26.180 friends or friends of friends that you look at 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:28.839 and just think that is exceptional how has it 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:31.380 not got further this is the nature of something 00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:34.099 that's judged by by many many people it's it's 00:21:34.099 --> 00:21:36.859 going to happen that way and the quality of the 00:21:36.859 --> 00:21:40.119 stories is what we should be focusing on Obviously, 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:43.440 it's easy for me to sit here and say that. And 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:46.839 I may not be quite so stoic about it when it's 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:50.299 my own stories up against the judges and their 00:21:50.299 --> 00:21:53.759 particular opinions one way or the other. Unless 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:56.480 you voted for mine, in which case, of course, 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:59.519 you are the best judges on the face of the earth. 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:05.160 Moving on, we have Step Lightly by Elmira Olsen. 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:08.460 So step lightly we're rewinding a bit to the 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:11.980 spring battle from last year and the genre was 00:22:11.980 --> 00:22:15.519 apocalyptic game show which as you can imagine 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:19.200 brought out a huge variety of fantastic stories. 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:23.519 This one really it does something special with 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:26.440 with the idea of an apocalyptic game show and 00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:29.200 I don't I don't want to give away the goods now 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:30.799 because it's not fair on Elmira it's a great 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:35.779 story. So we had 500 word story with apocalyptic 00:22:35.779 --> 00:22:39.140 game show and the other prompts were limousine 00:22:39.140 --> 00:22:44.380 and prisoner. And this is read by Rebecca Lynn. 00:22:44.539 --> 00:22:49.019 So we have Step Lightly by Elmira Olsen, narrated 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:54.420 by Rebecca Lynn. I teetered precariously on a 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:58.259 large log that rolled in churning water as fragments 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:01.799 of a song floated through my head. That's how 00:23:01.799 --> 00:23:06.339 the log rider learns to step lightly. My brother, 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:09.980 David, always loved that song. When we were little, 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:13.799 he begged me to sing it over and over. He was 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:17.839 my motivation. I played this game for him. A 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:20.240 guard fired a warning shot and I leapt to the 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:24.099 next log. Agonized cries filled the air, but 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:27.000 I ignored everyone else and concentrated. An 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:29.460 alligator snapped at my leg and I jumped again. 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:32.859 landing on a huge snapping turtle, then pushed 00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:36.220 off before it sank. I dive -rolled onto the bank. 00:23:36.500 --> 00:23:40.079 I was through. I rushed to the finish line and 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:43.700 collapsed. The announcer's voice reverberated. 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:46.579 The first of the contestants has made her way 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:50.819 through. Will she survive tomorrow? The crowd 00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:54.279 cheered. He announced the success of two more 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:57.579 players. I covered my ears while gunshots cut 00:23:57.579 --> 00:24:00.529 short the screams of the rest. The top three 00:24:00.529 --> 00:24:04.750 had made it. I had made it. Tomorrow was the 00:24:04.750 --> 00:24:08.690 final game. I limped to the waiting limousine 00:24:08.690 --> 00:24:11.569 and threw myself inside, where the other survivors 00:24:11.569 --> 00:24:14.869 and I were separated and handcuffed. Soon we 00:24:14.869 --> 00:24:17.089 were back in our cells, the prison echoing in 00:24:17.089 --> 00:24:21.529 silence. The games had started with 500 participants. 00:24:22.069 --> 00:24:25.470 First came Space Invaders. The falling grenades 00:24:25.470 --> 00:24:28.750 decimated our numbers. Then the ghosts and Pac 00:24:28.750 --> 00:24:31.609 -Man, armed guards draped in sheets, had taken 00:24:31.609 --> 00:24:34.650 out many of the remaining eighty. And today, 00:24:34.950 --> 00:24:37.930 after Frogger, we were down to the final three. 00:24:39.410 --> 00:24:42.069 Settled on my thin mattress, every muscle in 00:24:42.069 --> 00:24:45.369 my body trembled with exhaustion. I retrieved 00:24:45.369 --> 00:24:47.349 the weapon I'd kept in reserve for the final, 00:24:47.509 --> 00:24:50.309 then traced my fingers along the name carved 00:24:50.309 --> 00:24:55.589 into the cement wall. David. For him, I could 00:24:55.589 --> 00:24:59.349 survive one more day. This was the last prison 00:24:59.349 --> 00:25:02.509 in existence. When it reached capacity, the games 00:25:02.509 --> 00:25:04.950 began, making room for the next batch of prisoners. 00:25:05.690 --> 00:25:07.950 Winners were pardoned and given a million dollars. 00:25:09.029 --> 00:25:11.069 Desperate people committed crimes just for a 00:25:11.069 --> 00:25:13.650 chance to play the games. So many of us were 00:25:13.650 --> 00:25:16.190 starving in the wake of the collapse, and a 1 00:25:16.190 --> 00:25:18.769 in 500 chance at a fortune didn't seem that bad. 00:25:19.289 --> 00:25:21.990 But the reality was horrifying. The games were 00:25:21.990 --> 00:25:25.509 barbaric and needed to end. The next day was 00:25:25.509 --> 00:25:28.750 a blur. Breakfast in the empty cafeteria, the 00:25:28.750 --> 00:25:31.650 limo back to the arena. Then rolling barrels, 00:25:31.809 --> 00:25:34.950 screeching primates, and endless ladders. But 00:25:34.950 --> 00:25:38.430 I made it to the top and won. Sweaty and bruised, 00:25:38.470 --> 00:25:41.009 I dragged myself to the grandstand on a broken 00:25:41.009 --> 00:25:44.369 ankle. Jeers swept across the elite crowd, a 00:25:44.369 --> 00:25:46.910 vicious mob who didn't care that thousands had 00:25:46.910 --> 00:25:49.329 died for their entertainment. The leader stepped 00:25:49.329 --> 00:25:52.250 from his balcony, bringing a gold medal. But 00:25:52.250 --> 00:25:56.299 I wasn't here for useless trophies. As I approached, 00:25:56.599 --> 00:26:00.160 recognition sparked in his eyes, then fear as 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:02.440 I shivved my brother with the sharpened toothbrush 00:26:02.440 --> 00:26:06.660 I'd saved just for him. David, creator of the 00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:21.759 games, was finally dead. Wow, there we are. David. 00:26:23.170 --> 00:26:26.990 David got what was coming to him. I've always 00:26:26.990 --> 00:26:29.190 enjoyed stories that are sort of post -apocalyptic 00:26:29.190 --> 00:26:31.769 or dystopian and just a bit bleak and pushing 00:26:31.769 --> 00:26:37.329 that idea of what humanity can do. So one of 00:26:37.329 --> 00:26:39.170 the many things I enjoyed about that was the 00:26:39.170 --> 00:26:44.589 old school video game stuff. So yeah, Space Invaders, 00:26:44.750 --> 00:26:47.519 The Frogger. And the lovely stuff at the end 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:50.559 with Donkey Kong. Barrels and screeching primates 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:53.059 and stuff. I really enjoyed that. Darkly comedic. 00:26:54.099 --> 00:26:58.539 And, you know, things like Squid Game. You've 00:26:58.539 --> 00:27:01.859 got the dystopian stuff there. But then also, 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:04.839 it didn't take too long for people to start making 00:27:04.839 --> 00:27:09.039 real life, non -lethal versions of these games 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:12.900 or sorts of games. And stories like this have 00:27:12.900 --> 00:27:15.079 been around for a while, right? We have the Running 00:27:15.079 --> 00:27:19.000 Man. battle royale various things of that nature 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:24.599 how much would it take to get human beings to 00:27:24.599 --> 00:27:27.339 knock something like this up I don't think I 00:27:27.339 --> 00:27:29.119 want to know the answer to that question if I'm 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:32.819 being totally honest but yeah really really lovely 00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:35.059 stuff from Elmira and very well read by Rebecca 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:37.259 that song at the beginning that Rebecca gave 00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:40.960 us a little excerpt from that's how the log rider 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:44.079 learns to tread lightly that is a real song That 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:46.880 is a real song. Elmira did not just make it up. 00:27:47.099 --> 00:27:50.160 Although I would have no issue if she did, that's 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:53.019 okay. But it's a real song. I learned something 00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:56.859 new when I found that out. This story got to 00:27:56.859 --> 00:28:00.059 the Thrilling 32, so top 32 writers out of hundreds 00:28:00.059 --> 00:28:02.720 and hundreds of people having a crack at the 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:05.440 apocalyptic game show genre. Well done, Elmira. 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:10.920 Finally today, we have First Aid by Megan Griffo. 00:28:11.420 --> 00:28:14.819 and this was also from the dystopia genre in 00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:18.000 the fear battle you can critique me heavily for 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:20.000 my lack of imagination in which genres i'm going 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:22.740 for but you know it's a dystopian and apocalyptic 00:28:22.740 --> 00:28:26.220 themed episode these stories are brilliant and 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:29.259 lots of them were in the same genre in one battle 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:34.160 i'm okay with that i will sleep soundly having 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:37.980 made that decision first aid the prompts that 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:41.779 megan had to work with were dystopia paramedic, 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:47.299 and metronome. It's narrated by Regan Westergaard, 00:28:47.380 --> 00:28:50.039 and just like all our narrators, I'm very pleased 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:53.259 with what she's done here. I won't spoil First 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:55.579 Aid for you. I hope you enjoy it. I absolutely 00:28:55.579 --> 00:29:00.440 did. Here is First Aid by Megan Griffo, narrated 00:29:00.440 --> 00:29:05.559 by Regan Westergaard. When I was nine, I slid 00:29:05.559 --> 00:29:08.700 a thick book off my father's desk. Anatomy of 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:12.279 a heart. Enamored by its covers, blues and reds, 00:29:12.299 --> 00:29:14.960 I sat on the floor for hours, sounding out foreign 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:18.119 words. When my father came home, he found me 00:29:18.119 --> 00:29:22.799 crying. Is it true our hearts can stop? I asked, 00:29:22.940 --> 00:29:25.460 curled in his lap, my ear against his chest. 00:29:26.420 --> 00:29:31.680 Yes. He never lied to me. But sometimes we can 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:36.440 bring them back to life. How? He looked around, 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:39.849 then pulled a metronome from his shelf. Lie down, 00:29:40.029 --> 00:29:44.309 he said. I'll show you. When it was my turn to 00:29:44.309 --> 00:29:47.950 practice soft compressions on him, I froze. I 00:29:47.950 --> 00:29:50.450 didn't like seeing him even feign helplessness. 00:29:51.569 --> 00:29:54.950 If you get scared, focus on the tempo, he said, 00:29:55.049 --> 00:29:58.549 tapping my knee to the metronome. Block everything 00:29:58.549 --> 00:30:02.650 else out. What if I don't have one when I need 00:30:02.650 --> 00:30:07.289 it? I asked. What if I can't save you? You can 00:30:07.289 --> 00:30:10.819 make one in your head, V. he said. You can even 00:30:10.819 --> 00:30:15.539 save me with your own music. Of course, when 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:17.880 they came for him, no melody could ward them 00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:21.519 off. By then I was nineteen, and we'd prepared 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:24.400 as much as we could. The new orders had been 00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:27.759 in place for five years. Guards ravaged our apartment, 00:30:27.859 --> 00:30:30.160 collecting piles of medicine my father had been 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:33.140 stealing from his ambulance. I pressed my tongue 00:30:33.140 --> 00:30:36.720 against my teeth. You can't scream when it happens, 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:40.289 he'd told me. Act clueless. Act like I repulse 00:30:40.289 --> 00:30:45.609 you. What will happen to you? I'll be okay, he 00:30:45.609 --> 00:30:49.670 said. I knew this couldn't be true, but I believed 00:30:49.670 --> 00:30:53.509 him anyway. While two guards punched holes in 00:30:53.509 --> 00:30:55.730 our walls looking for secret stashes, another 00:30:55.730 --> 00:30:59.289 recited the charges. You're under arrest for 00:30:59.289 --> 00:31:01.650 providing unauthorized medical care to individuals 00:31:01.650 --> 00:31:05.470 whose bodies have been deemed irreparable. It 00:31:05.470 --> 00:31:08.960 was odd. They'd burst in with such force, violent 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:12.079 energy dripping off their uniforms. But I could 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:14.779 see, even from feet away, how this guard handled 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:17.799 my father with care, almost massaging his wrists 00:31:17.799 --> 00:31:20.920 as he cuffed him. While his colleagues shattered 00:31:20.920 --> 00:31:23.319 our belongings, his eyes drifted to my feet, 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:26.140 which I'd planted over a jagged tile that opened 00:31:26.140 --> 00:31:28.180 up to the underground passageway where we did 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:30.619 our drop -offs, and enough medication to get 00:31:30.619 --> 00:31:34.539 our patients through the next two months. He 00:31:34.539 --> 00:31:37.769 said nothing. Is it true our hearts can stop? 00:31:38.289 --> 00:31:41.089 I swore mine did as they ushered my father out 00:31:41.089 --> 00:31:44.230 the door. I swore mine slipped right out of my 00:31:44.230 --> 00:31:46.589 body, left a stain on our egg -white floors, 00:31:46.869 --> 00:31:51.890 left me without a tempo to follow. Most rebel 00:31:51.890 --> 00:31:55.170 paramedics had their homes raided too, so I rationed 00:31:55.170 --> 00:31:57.670 our supply, unsure what I'd do when I ran out. 00:31:58.329 --> 00:32:01.289 The desperation in my patients' voices grew stronger. 00:32:01.829 --> 00:32:05.240 I became a Rolodex of medical jargon. Ehlers 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:09.279 -Danlos, schizoaffective, diabetes, epilepsy, 00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:14.859 bipolar, rent. In bed, I'd list off medications 00:32:14.859 --> 00:32:19.400 trying to drown out nightmares. Gabapentin, insulin, 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:26.680 olanzapine. Father, where are you? Four months 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:29.420 in, when the gentle guard reappeared, I knew 00:32:29.420 --> 00:32:33.049 it was over. Routine follow -up, he said. to 00:32:33.049 --> 00:32:37.789 make sure we didn't miss anything. Right, I conceded. 00:32:39.309 --> 00:32:42.630 His eyes scanned the room. Well, looks orderly. 00:32:43.269 --> 00:32:45.829 He reached under his jacket, unclipped a fanny 00:32:45.829 --> 00:32:49.269 pack, and handed it to me. So long, he said, 00:32:49.390 --> 00:32:52.630 and left before I could reply. I let my body 00:32:52.630 --> 00:32:55.029 settle, then unzipped the bag and turned it over. 00:32:55.809 --> 00:33:03.779 Pill bottles fell to the floor. Every few months, 00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:07.640 he'd return, perform his script, and leave. I 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:09.680 felt like a stray cat waiting to be trapped, 00:33:09.779 --> 00:33:12.059 but unable to resist food I didn't have to hunt. 00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:15.839 One day, though, as he handed off contraband, 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:20.559 my grip weakened. The bag fell to my feet. How 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:23.400 long have you had that tremor? he asked. Don't 00:33:23.400 --> 00:33:27.900 have a tremor, I said. After all this time, you 00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:31.680 still don't trust me? I don't know you, I said. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:36.720 So, no. My name's Niall. Doesn't matter, I said. 00:33:36.839 --> 00:33:41.319 You're one of them. I'm not, he said. I flicked 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:44.619 the badge on his chest. It's how I'm surviving, 00:33:44.819 --> 00:33:48.519 he said. Is this supposed to clear your conscience 00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:51.700 or something? Kinda hostile for someone who willingly 00:33:51.700 --> 00:33:55.160 takes my help. Fuck you, I said. You abducted 00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:58.559 my father. What'd you want me to do, he said. 00:33:58.720 --> 00:34:03.380 Rebel? Then what? There goes your supply. I stood 00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:09.920 in silence. Give me your hand, he said. When 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:12.760 he touched me, my heart thumped. He unfurled 00:34:12.760 --> 00:34:15.260 each finger and kneaded my palm with his thumbs. 00:34:16.480 --> 00:34:21.619 How long's it been doing this? A while. He stretched 00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:26.139 my knuckles. My eyes watered. They told me if 00:34:26.139 --> 00:34:28.900 I joined, my sister could continue treatment, 00:34:29.159 --> 00:34:32.230 he said. I'm fighting the best way I can, same 00:34:32.230 --> 00:34:35.989 as you. I almost couldn't bring myself to ask. 00:34:37.090 --> 00:34:41.829 Is he alive? I don't know. They sometimes spare 00:34:41.829 --> 00:34:46.250 EMTs if they consider their minds valuable. Can 00:34:46.250 --> 00:34:51.329 you find him? I'll try. He squeezed my hand. 00:34:51.949 --> 00:34:53.989 I'll see if I can get something for that, too. 00:34:55.070 --> 00:34:57.849 When he left, I held my wrist and waited for 00:34:57.849 --> 00:35:05.829 my pulse to slow. A year passed. Niall began 00:35:05.829 --> 00:35:08.190 using our underground network to increase his 00:35:08.190 --> 00:35:11.130 visits. He'd massage my hand and I'd let him. 00:35:11.610 --> 00:35:14.429 My hope swept in and out like a tide each day, 00:35:14.489 --> 00:35:17.789 and grief pressed against my ribs. But I started 00:35:17.789 --> 00:35:19.989 to get used to it all, as much as anyone could. 00:35:21.010 --> 00:35:25.369 And then... Here, Niall said one day, handing 00:35:25.369 --> 00:35:28.880 me a strip of paper. The walls went out of focus. 00:35:29.739 --> 00:35:32.320 I realized I'd grown comfortable in not knowing. 00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:37.880 What if I couldn't save him? What if... V, it 00:35:37.880 --> 00:35:42.460 said in familiar handwriting, I'm okay. I could 00:35:42.460 --> 00:35:46.219 hear his voice. Remember, focus on the tempo. 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:50.500 I read it again and again through my tears and 00:35:50.500 --> 00:35:54.219 over Niall's joyful howl. I press the paper to 00:35:54.219 --> 00:35:57.500 my chest, let its ink streak into my skin, let 00:35:57.500 --> 00:36:00.159 it seep into my blood, course through my veins, 00:36:00.380 --> 00:36:05.579 force its way to my aorta. Is it true our hearts 00:36:05.579 --> 00:36:09.820 can stop? For the first time, I consider the 00:36:09.820 --> 00:36:26.800 answer may be no. I absolutely had to include 00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:30.699 this story last in the podcast. All four stories 00:36:30.699 --> 00:36:33.300 in this show, very, very well written, very well 00:36:33.300 --> 00:36:36.940 narrated. This is the one with the most potentially 00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:40.099 upbeat ending. We're not going to go with they 00:36:40.099 --> 00:36:42.760 all lived happily ever after. We're not going 00:36:42.760 --> 00:36:45.800 to have it was all a dream or anything of that 00:36:45.800 --> 00:36:49.019 nature. Thank you very much. But that really, 00:36:49.059 --> 00:36:54.510 really beautiful, gentle line at the end. is 00:36:54.510 --> 00:36:57.429 it true our hearts is it true our hearts stop 00:36:57.429 --> 00:37:00.650 and for the first time i considered the answer 00:37:00.650 --> 00:37:03.670 might be no i mean that's an awful lot summed 00:37:03.670 --> 00:37:07.869 up there an attitude to life and death and the 00:37:07.869 --> 00:37:10.429 awful situation they're in where people are judged 00:37:10.429 --> 00:37:13.769 as to whether or not they are fit for health 00:37:13.769 --> 00:37:17.110 care and of course her father hearing the news 00:37:17.110 --> 00:37:20.579 that her father may well be alive and at the 00:37:20.579 --> 00:37:22.360 end of the day whilst there are things that we 00:37:22.360 --> 00:37:25.480 can control and things we can't control and things 00:37:25.480 --> 00:37:28.320 we wish we could control etc etc the one thing 00:37:28.320 --> 00:37:34.059 we we can all do is hope so stories like this 00:37:34.059 --> 00:37:37.800 really appeal an excellent job from Megan Griffo 00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:43.099 this in the fear battle got to the sweet 16 the 00:37:43.099 --> 00:37:46.199 final 16 out of the hundreds of writers in the 00:37:46.199 --> 00:37:49.969 dystopia category and I can tell you that that 00:37:49.969 --> 00:37:52.190 genre had an awful lot of very very strong stories 00:37:52.190 --> 00:37:56.469 as did the apocalyptic game show as in fact every 00:37:56.469 --> 00:38:00.769 genre in every battle has a huge amount of strong 00:38:00.769 --> 00:38:04.570 stories so I do like to reference how stories 00:38:04.570 --> 00:38:08.110 are done and give them credit absolutely but 00:38:08.110 --> 00:38:10.670 as we've seen just because a story doesn't win 00:38:10.670 --> 00:38:13.230 overall or come very very close to winning does 00:38:13.230 --> 00:38:16.579 not mean it's not good And some writers just 00:38:16.579 --> 00:38:18.139 choose to leave their stories there and say, 00:38:18.179 --> 00:38:19.679 fair enough, I've done that and I'm happy with 00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:22.679 it. Others choose to submit their stories to 00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:25.820 other online magazines or expand them, turn them 00:38:25.820 --> 00:38:29.260 into longer pieces of flash fiction, maybe even 00:38:29.260 --> 00:38:33.019 full -blown short stories or more. Maybe even 00:38:33.019 --> 00:38:37.139 a novella or a novelette, which I recently found 00:38:37.139 --> 00:38:40.199 out is actually a real word, a novelette. It's 00:38:40.199 --> 00:38:42.619 not as long. Oh, hang on. I'm going to get confused. 00:38:43.900 --> 00:38:48.289 Novelette. Novella, novel, nov. Would that be 00:38:48.289 --> 00:38:52.630 next? I don't know. Just mmm. Anyway, while I 00:38:52.630 --> 00:38:57.030 go and ponder all that, I'm going to say thank 00:38:57.030 --> 00:39:00.210 you very much for listening to our four superb 00:39:00.210 --> 00:39:03.429 dystopian stories today. Thank you for joining 00:39:03.429 --> 00:39:06.869 me on episode nine of One More Short Story with 00:39:06.869 --> 00:39:09.269 me, Chris Falwell. We'll see you next time.