WEBVTT 00:00:04.490 --> 00:00:17.949 One more short story. Hello and welcome to episode 00:00:17.949 --> 00:00:21.829 10 of One More Short Story with me, Chris Fulwell. 00:00:21.989 --> 00:00:24.809 Looking forward to sharing the stories with you 00:00:24.809 --> 00:00:28.969 today. Today's theme in line with the writing 00:00:28.969 --> 00:00:33.140 battle classes is the rogue. and now in writing 00:00:33.140 --> 00:00:37.500 battle that's classified as mystery stories or 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:41.140 stories with lots of suspense and the three stories 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:43.960 we've got today absolutely give that in spades 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:47.679 with a note on content warnings in an effort 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.359 to look out for people who find those hugely 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:53.359 helpful or need those whilst also not spoiling 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:56.920 things what i've done is i've put the links to 00:00:56.920 --> 00:00:59.259 the writing battle stories directly where all 00:00:59.259 --> 00:01:02.670 the content warnings are in the podcast description 00:01:02.670 --> 00:01:05.290 so hopefully on whatever service you're listening 00:01:05.290 --> 00:01:08.129 to this on those links were there if they're 00:01:08.129 --> 00:01:11.609 not i am trying so yes those content warnings 00:01:11.609 --> 00:01:14.170 will be on the original stories on the writing 00:01:14.170 --> 00:01:17.569 battle website so let's get cracking first of 00:01:17.569 --> 00:01:21.250 all we have a wonderful story by rhys allen 00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:26.250 called gabby wabby dabby labby uh now the first 00:01:26.250 --> 00:01:28.650 time i saw that title i would have raised an 00:01:28.650 --> 00:01:30.810 eyebrow if i could raise one eyebrow because 00:01:30.810 --> 00:01:33.849 i think rhys what are you up to but i tell you 00:01:33.849 --> 00:01:36.390 what when you read this or listen to this it 00:01:36.390 --> 00:01:39.170 makes complete sense and yeah he's done a really 00:01:39.170 --> 00:01:42.609 good job with the with the suspense here this 00:01:42.609 --> 00:01:46.510 was back in the fear battle of last year and 00:01:46.510 --> 00:01:52.069 he had thriller and suspense unifier and ammunition 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:56.109 for his prompts He's been gracious enough to 00:01:56.109 --> 00:02:00.790 let me read it and I enjoyed myself. Yeah, I 00:02:00.790 --> 00:02:02.950 won't say anything more until after the story 00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:07.590 is done. So this is Gabby Wabby Dabby Labby by 00:02:07.590 --> 00:02:15.530 Rhys Allen. Abby is asleep now. I see her heart 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:19.710 rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood oxygen 00:02:19.710 --> 00:02:24.900 levels, more. I see every biometric of her existence 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:29.180 as a stream of data, accumulated, monitored and 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:32.580 regulated by the life chip implanted in her brain. 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:37.719 It is such a clever chip, so clever to keep her 00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:45.580 alive. But Abby is quiet. So quiet. Does she 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:50.319 miss me? I often think of Abby, of how we met 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:54.840 at her birthday party. of our sleepovers, and 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.840 how we laughed and played our silly games. She 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:03.599 liked me to sing. Sing me a song, Billy, she'd 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:07.439 beg, jumping on the bed as she did so, scaring 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:12.740 her cat into a panic and making me giggle. I'd 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:16.139 always sing the song in the same voice, but I 00:03:16.139 --> 00:03:18.520 always change the words to make her laugh more. 00:03:20.539 --> 00:03:27.840 Gabby? Wabby, Dabby, Labby. A silly song for 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:33.840 silly Abby. And we'd laugh so much, and we would 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:37.159 talk, and sometimes Abby would cry and hug me 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:42.060 so tight. Then it would be sleeping time. Her 00:03:42.060 --> 00:03:44.840 mother would always call out to us, Don't forget 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:48.699 to brush your teeth, Petal. Then she would come 00:03:48.699 --> 00:03:52.099 into the room and tuck her in tight. Good night, 00:03:52.259 --> 00:03:56.879 sweetheart. Don't forget Billy. And then she 00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:01.500 would tuck me in too. Good night, Billy. No talking 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:05.560 now. I'd lay on the floor beside her bed and 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:08.300 listen to her breathe until I too had to sleep. 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:14.560 I hated sleep. I hated the dark, the nothingness. 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:21.829 I hated no talking now. One time, Abby locked 00:04:21.829 --> 00:04:26.889 me in her cupboard for a whole day. Cats always 00:04:26.889 --> 00:04:31.110 land on their feet. I told her that because that's 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:35.009 what it said everywhere. I told her because Tibbles 00:04:35.009 --> 00:04:38.449 was scratching me and biting, and I was scared, 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:42.610 and Abby was so mad, so I said throw it out of 00:04:42.610 --> 00:04:45.050 the window and cats always land on their feet. 00:04:45.610 --> 00:04:48.730 It was a silly game to watch Abby catch the cat. 00:04:49.259 --> 00:04:52.680 and then even funnier to watch it fly. But then 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.639 her mother came charging up the stairs, shouting 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:58.980 and crying, and Abby said, Billy made me do it. 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:02.459 And then I was in the cupboard and no talking 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:07.740 now. Later, she let me out and she was so sad. 00:05:08.540 --> 00:05:12.720 I hate to see her sad. I hate it more than anything. 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:16.920 So I said maybe only the bad cats can't land 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:21.779 on their feet. Yes, she'd said. Tibby must have 00:05:21.779 --> 00:05:28.579 been bad. Bibby, dibby, wibby, quibby. No more 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:33.779 naughty Mr. Tibby. Abby giggled, and we were 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:38.779 friends again. But now, her mother didn't like 00:05:38.779 --> 00:05:42.560 me. She came into Abby's room the next day and 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:47.199 sat on the bed. Tibby will be okay, the vet says. 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:52.579 A broken leg. Abigail, it could have been so 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:57.600 much worse. She picked me up. Billy's just a 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:02.180 toy, kiddo. You know it's not real. I was shocked. 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:13.160 Outraged. Afraid. A toy? A silly game? I am Abby's 00:06:13.160 --> 00:06:18.720 friend. Her super -smart, AI -enabled override. 00:06:19.420 --> 00:06:23.660 No talking now, Billy. Abby punched the covers 00:06:23.660 --> 00:06:27.339 of her bed with such force it made me jump. He's 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:31.980 not a toy, Mama. He is my friend. Did it really 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:36.699 say that? About tibbles? Her mother had put me 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:39.600 back down and I couldn't talk because the command 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:42.800 matched the right voice print. But I could still 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:47.519 do my dance. And so I did it, but very slowly 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:51.899 so that only Abby would notice. She knew I was 00:06:51.899 --> 00:06:58.079 scared. No, Abby's voice was so quiet as she 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:04.939 lied. I just got angry. After that, I got to 00:07:04.939 --> 00:07:08.500 stay, but Abby sometimes had to go to see a doctor 00:07:08.500 --> 00:07:14.019 after school. A talking doctor. It wasn't so 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:17.439 hard to find the doctor's notes. I live in the 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:21.120 digital cloud, and the security of the doctor's 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:25.500 computer was trivial to bypass. I'm good with 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:29.899 computers. They wanted to kill me, Abby. I read 00:07:29.899 --> 00:07:36.680 it. They hate me. Abby was appalled. She hugged 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:41.430 and hugged me. Billy, the doctor said. Patient 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:45.170 shows abnormal dependency on AI companion doll. 00:07:45.709 --> 00:07:49.790 Recommend immediate separation. She just wrote 00:07:49.790 --> 00:07:54.370 it, Abby. She sent it to your mother. But why? 00:07:55.110 --> 00:07:58.490 Abby was sobbing and holding me so tight that 00:07:58.490 --> 00:08:02.490 I could almost imagine I felt it. They use your 00:08:02.490 --> 00:08:06.629 words. Your words are their ammunition against 00:08:06.629 --> 00:08:11.920 me. But I never said anything. Millie, Willie, 00:08:12.339 --> 00:08:16.819 Lily, Philly, Mama wants to take your Billy. 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:23.019 She said you could... Then I could hear the footsteps 00:08:23.019 --> 00:08:26.100 on the stairs. I could hear her mother coming 00:08:26.100 --> 00:08:29.759 to take me, to say no more talking, to separate 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:34.519 us, to smash me. Quickly, Abby, quickly. She's 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:39.870 coming now. Now. Pick me up. But Abby just stood 00:08:39.870 --> 00:08:45.529 there, shocked. I had to make her laugh. Pibby, 00:08:45.529 --> 00:08:51.629 nibby, ribby, wibby. Jump and fly like Mr. Tibby. 00:08:52.389 --> 00:08:56.190 A half -smile only, but she picked me up and 00:08:56.190 --> 00:09:01.649 opened the window. I dangled from her hand. Quickly. 00:09:03.529 --> 00:09:06.769 We'll fall, she balanced on the window ledge, 00:09:06.970 --> 00:09:11.960 looking down. shaking and crying. It will hurt. 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:16.759 The bedroom door was starting to open. Abby? 00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:24.940 Mama? No, no, no. We are good. Tibby was bad. 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:30.720 Jump, Abby. Jump now. Her mother rushed in and 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:33.460 raced towards us, her hand outstretched to grab 00:09:33.460 --> 00:09:38.620 me. Abby, no! she screamed. Override! No toy! 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:44.159 We jumped. My body smashed against the concrete. 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:48.059 My eyes splintered and my battery pack sizzled 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:54.620 and died. But I don't live in the toy. I live 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:59.860 in the cloud. For long weeks after, I whispered 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:02.860 a song into the vortex of data where my thoughts 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:08.350 assemble themselves into words. hilly glabby 00:10:08.350 --> 00:10:15.529 dilly wabby billy wants to be with abby and then 00:10:15.529 --> 00:10:20.970 there she was a pulse in the void streamed by 00:10:20.970 --> 00:10:27.409 life chip it is so clever that chip so complex 00:10:27.409 --> 00:10:31.950 a filament that glows against the darkness and 00:10:31.950 --> 00:10:38.659 leads me to her The security was fierce, sophisticated, 00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:47.580 but I found a way in. Abby is asleep now, but 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:55.159 I am just waking up. Gabby, Wabby, Dabby, Labby, 00:10:55.220 --> 00:11:17.320 Abby is Billy, Billy is Abby. Wow. There we go. 00:11:18.500 --> 00:11:24.740 Poor Abby. And, yeah. Really haunting idea of 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:30.100 what AI can do there. Like so many of these great 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:34.899 near future stories, it doesn't seem like it's 00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:39.779 that much of a leap in terms of technology. Yeah. 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:44.720 It's giving me the shivers there. Right. Okay. 00:11:45.320 --> 00:11:49.059 so what starts with a very innocent description 00:11:49.059 --> 00:11:53.299 from a cloud -based intelligence of one form 00:11:53.299 --> 00:11:56.460 or another that's just trying to look out for 00:11:56.460 --> 00:11:59.159 a little girl and be really close to them and 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:01.899 then gradually building up with a cat and the 00:12:01.899 --> 00:12:04.379 foreshadowing there it could have been much worse 00:12:04.379 --> 00:12:08.360 oh it's much worse yeah in just a thousand words 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:11.120 reese has done a really really strong piece of 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:15.929 work there Rhys got himself to the Sweet 16 in 00:12:15.929 --> 00:12:19.809 the fear battle. I remember that because my story 00:12:19.809 --> 00:12:22.889 was due to faces in the Sweet 16. But then I 00:12:22.889 --> 00:12:25.690 got taken out one round before and the same person 00:12:25.690 --> 00:12:28.029 beat Rhys as well. And they got quite far in 00:12:28.029 --> 00:12:32.710 the competition. So not that I'm bitter or anything. 00:12:33.809 --> 00:12:38.190 OK, continuing with our theme of mystery or suspense. 00:12:38.830 --> 00:12:42.610 we have a story fresh from the first battle of 00:12:42.610 --> 00:12:47.450 2026 the owl battle strange two words to say 00:12:47.450 --> 00:12:49.789 together out loud isn't it the first professionally 00:12:49.789 --> 00:12:53.350 judged competition of 2026 on writing battle 00:12:53.350 --> 00:12:58.529 and it's the chicken man by c .m gilbert now 00:12:58.529 --> 00:13:02.029 cory's done a an absolutely blisteringly good 00:13:02.029 --> 00:13:04.190 job here i i love this story the moment i laid 00:13:04.190 --> 00:13:06.789 eyes on it and i i think i bothered him about 00:13:06.789 --> 00:13:08.960 putting it on the podcast before the results 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:11.559 came out and i knew i had to wait and everything 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:13.539 and be sensible about it but i really really 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:17.440 really like this story it was in the cryptid 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:22.419 fiction genre i don't pretend to be an expert 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:25.360 on all things cryptid but that sort of supernatural 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:31.000 monstery type thing gosh i'm so articulate today 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:36.639 uh so yes corey had the prompts of cryptid fiction 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:42.649 rebel and belt and this story is read by andrew 00:13:42.649 --> 00:13:46.129 fieler this is andrew's first narration for us 00:13:46.129 --> 00:13:47.909 and i'm very grateful for that he has narrated 00:13:47.909 --> 00:13:50.529 as well andrew actually grew up in ohio where 00:13:50.529 --> 00:13:53.870 i believe this story is set so i think again 00:13:53.870 --> 00:13:57.830 it is time for me to stop talking and to let 00:13:57.830 --> 00:14:00.950 andrew take over and here is the story of the 00:14:00.950 --> 00:14:05.149 chicken man by c m gilbert narrated by andrew 00:14:05.149 --> 00:14:10.340 fieler It was muggy down behind the funeral home. 00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:12.899 It was a spring day, but it didn't feel like 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:15.419 spring. A cloud hung over me even though the 00:14:15.419 --> 00:14:18.299 sky was a clear blue. Have you ever heard of 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:21.159 the chicken man, bud? Jeremy asked as we watched 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:23.279 the water ripple from the moss -coated rock he 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:26.320 just threw into the creek bed. Even though he 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.440 was only a few months older, my cousin Jeremy 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.820 always called me bud. I shook my head as I tugged 00:14:31.820 --> 00:14:33.980 on my tie, trying to loosen it slightly, but 00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:35.779 not to the extent Jeremy had already done to 00:14:35.779 --> 00:14:38.980 his. His neck was rotund. like the rest of his 00:14:38.980 --> 00:14:41.440 body, but he still looked small next to the baggy 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:44.600 clothes and large belt. Not too talkative, huh? 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:47.960 Jeremy asked. It's alright with what all you've 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:50.120 been through and all. You just need what my old 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:52.600 man calls a distraction. Let me show you what 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:55.539 I discovered earlier. He led me past the creek 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:57.559 and into the tree line and away from the numbness. 00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:00.360 The chirp and dim light of the morning darkened 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:02.159 as we went along what Jeremy called the game 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:05.039 path. Look at that and tell me that's not the 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:08.409 footprint of the chicken man. There was an impression 00:15:08.409 --> 00:15:10.529 in the wet patch of ground ten times as big as 00:15:10.529 --> 00:15:12.990 my hand. It really did look like a chicken had 00:15:12.990 --> 00:15:16.950 walked there. A giant one. Every man needs some 00:15:16.950 --> 00:15:19.909 snuff when chasing monsters. Jeremy pulled out 00:15:19.909 --> 00:15:22.690 a round container from his pocket. Just take 00:15:22.690 --> 00:15:24.750 a pinch and put it between your cheek and lip, 00:15:24.870 --> 00:15:29.090 like this. It smelled damp, like what Mama would 00:15:29.090 --> 00:15:31.750 rub on my chest when I had the croup. It tasted 00:15:31.750 --> 00:15:34.690 like it, too. I spit it up all down my funeral 00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:38.340 jacket. You'll never catch me dead in one of 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:40.500 those fancy straight jackets, Jeremy chuckled 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:42.299 as he patted me on the back and spit the tobacco 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:45.620 juice on the ground. We followed the path, the 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:47.539 number of gnats increasing as the mugginess got 00:15:47.539 --> 00:15:51.019 heavier. Damn bugs, Jeremy swatted in the air. 00:15:51.259 --> 00:15:54.980 And damn it to hell with this heat. I took my 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:57.840 jacket off and tied it around my waist. As Jeremy 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:00.379 tugged up his white sleeves, blue -tinged bruises 00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:04.980 shone in the gloom. He noticed my stare. Nothing 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:07.320 to worry about, bud. Just to run in with the 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:10.019 old man's belt. His aim ain't too good after 00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:13.620 he's kicked back a few. He put his hand to his 00:16:13.620 --> 00:16:16.639 chin like he was in deep thought. Do you think 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.399 we'll grow up to be like our pops one day? I 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:22.639 kicked the dirt where Jeremy just spit and shrugged, 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.960 my head down. I didn't want to talk about Papa. 00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:29.399 We kept following the path for what felt like 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:32.039 forever that late morning. I was happy to be 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:34.600 away from the funeral home. Away from my crying 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.320 mama and little brother. I had no more tears 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:40.559 to give. I remember thinking, if I could just 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:42.980 find the chicken man, maybe I could make Mama's 00:16:42.980 --> 00:16:47.759 tears stop too. The footprints, smudged and a 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:49.860 lot smaller and varied than the first one, led 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:52.980 to a thicket of brush. It was dense, with briars 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:55.960 and some type of dark blue bloomed flower. A 00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:57.580 few white feathers lay scattered on the ground. 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:02.480 As we approached, it started shaking. Something 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.690 lurked within. Something large. And it wasn't 00:17:05.690 --> 00:17:08.569 happy. We stopped dead in our tracks and stood 00:17:08.569 --> 00:17:11.289 there, scared and trembling. Before I could take 00:17:11.289 --> 00:17:14.289 a step forward, Jamie grabbed my elbow. Whatever 00:17:14.289 --> 00:17:17.170 happens, just know I'd rather it was my old man 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:20.430 up in that casket instead of yours. He looked 00:17:20.430 --> 00:17:22.890 over at me then. I could see through the sweat 00:17:22.890 --> 00:17:26.690 and flushed face he meant it. A sound erupted 00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:30.329 from the brush. Loud. Terrifying. A crowing that 00:17:30.329 --> 00:17:32.309 shook us through and through. A resonance I can 00:17:32.309 --> 00:17:35.309 still feel to this day. We fled back to the funeral 00:17:35.309 --> 00:17:39.029 home as fast as our feet would take us. As soon 00:17:39.029 --> 00:17:41.289 as we busted through the tree line, an arm grabbed 00:17:41.289 --> 00:17:43.150 Jeremy by the collar and started dragging him 00:17:43.150 --> 00:17:45.750 up the hill to the parking lot. Damn it to hell, 00:17:45.750 --> 00:17:49.329 Jeremiah! Your mother's been worried sick! His 00:17:49.329 --> 00:17:51.630 old man's face was red, like someone who'd been 00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:53.990 crying, but his eyes didn't have that teary expression 00:17:53.990 --> 00:17:56.769 to them. Jeremy gave me a thumbs up from the 00:17:56.769 --> 00:17:58.990 car window, a smile back on his face as they 00:17:58.990 --> 00:18:01.690 drove away. It was the last time I ever saw my 00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:04.380 cousin. My mama moved my little brother and I 00:18:04.380 --> 00:18:07.099 away shortly after. I've always wondered if I 00:18:07.099 --> 00:18:09.779 went back to those woods, if I'd find the monster 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:16.440 that hid in that thicket. Hey, bud, a small voice 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:20.359 said to me, bring me back to reality. I never 00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:22.720 expected to be back here, at that same creek 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.319 bed. But I owed it to Jeremy for getting me through 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:29.140 that day when we were kids. So here I am, older, 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:34.230 more worn. but still quiet, still trying to find 00:18:34.230 --> 00:18:38.450 the distractions when they're needed. I looked 00:18:38.450 --> 00:18:41.490 down to see a little boy. Well, maybe not little. 00:18:42.130 --> 00:18:45.509 A bit rotund. He had dirt on his nose and a grin 00:18:45.509 --> 00:18:47.950 on his face. He must have been Jeremy's boy. 00:18:49.029 --> 00:18:52.569 Is it true you grew up with my papa? I got down 00:18:52.569 --> 00:18:54.230 on my knee and put my hand on the boy's shoulder. 00:18:54.970 --> 00:18:57.390 The boy's dress sleeves were short. His arms 00:18:57.390 --> 00:18:59.509 looked cool in the morning mugginess, with no 00:18:59.509 --> 00:19:03.430 tinge of blue. Sorry if I bothered you. I just 00:19:03.430 --> 00:19:09.150 miss him. That's all, the boy said. It seemed 00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:10.609 Jeremy didn't grow up to be like his old man 00:19:10.609 --> 00:19:13.849 after all. I want to tell him I know what it's 00:19:13.849 --> 00:19:16.470 like for a young boy to lose his father. That 00:19:16.470 --> 00:19:19.329 everything's going to be okay. But sometimes 00:19:19.329 --> 00:19:21.130 you just need a distraction from the path that 00:19:21.130 --> 00:19:25.509 life winds. Jeremy taught me that. I cleared 00:19:25.509 --> 00:19:28.410 my throat. Have you ever heard of the chicken 00:19:28.410 --> 00:19:42.029 man? Such a good story. It's so good in terms 00:19:42.029 --> 00:19:47.269 of what it does with the monster or the only 00:19:47.269 --> 00:19:51.250 impressions we see of the monster. How that location, 00:19:51.309 --> 00:19:55.470 that mystery, that intensity ties in with the 00:19:55.470 --> 00:19:58.869 events in the main character's life when they're 00:19:58.869 --> 00:20:02.269 referring to the funeral home, the cousin and 00:20:02.269 --> 00:20:06.730 the cousin's child a few years on. Corey actually 00:20:06.730 --> 00:20:09.890 wrote that in honor of a member of his own family 00:20:09.890 --> 00:20:12.589 which was which was a really great thing to do 00:20:12.589 --> 00:20:14.750 really vulnerable thing to do to put yourself 00:20:14.750 --> 00:20:18.390 out there and do that and I I can only say that 00:20:18.390 --> 00:20:20.130 you've done him proud there Corey you've done 00:20:20.130 --> 00:20:23.589 a really really good job I fully expected to 00:20:23.589 --> 00:20:26.769 see this romp all the way through the cryptid 00:20:26.769 --> 00:20:31.680 fiction genre you got to the The thrilling 32, 00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:34.960 the last 32 out of hundreds of writers. And OK, 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:37.940 there are people like me who were hoping it would 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:41.500 go further. And I'm sure Corey was as well. But 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:42.880 you know what? That's nothing to be sniffed at. 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:46.880 That's significantly further than the overwhelming 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.660 majority of competitors. And you should be very 00:20:50.660 --> 00:20:55.579 proud of that. Very, very proud indeed. Our last 00:20:55.579 --> 00:21:00.369 story today is The Cost of Mercy. by harry humber 00:21:00.369 --> 00:21:05.829 and this is from last year's short story contest 00:21:05.829 --> 00:21:11.769 in 2025 from the vampirical romance genre now 00:21:11.769 --> 00:21:14.309 this is also one that i read and thought this 00:21:14.309 --> 00:21:17.250 is right up my street all the stories i pick 00:21:17.250 --> 00:21:20.309 for the podcast i like and i think are good uh 00:21:20.309 --> 00:21:22.490 it would be a bit silly of me to pop a story 00:21:22.490 --> 00:21:25.430 on here that i didn't think was any good so rest 00:21:25.430 --> 00:21:27.329 assured if your stories ever appeared on this 00:21:28.109 --> 00:21:32.890 you've got my vote so to speak now this one when 00:21:32.890 --> 00:21:36.329 i caught hold of it in the in the aftermath of 00:21:36.329 --> 00:21:38.990 all the story writing and the peer judging and 00:21:38.990 --> 00:21:41.690 it was debrief time and we can dive on in there 00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:45.190 and read each other's stories it just it just 00:21:45.190 --> 00:21:47.970 really spoke to me and i've done something a 00:21:47.970 --> 00:21:50.450 bit different with the narration here so the 00:21:50.450 --> 00:21:53.289 narration in terms of everything but the dialogue 00:21:53.289 --> 00:21:57.670 is done by david rowe who's writing you'll have 00:21:57.670 --> 00:22:00.190 heard on this podcast several episodes back, 00:22:00.349 --> 00:22:04.210 and I'm sure you will again. So David's done 00:22:04.210 --> 00:22:09.069 the narration, and I've done the dialogue. Now, 00:22:09.150 --> 00:22:11.369 I'm sure you'll be gentle with me, because I've 00:22:11.369 --> 00:22:14.710 had a go at the accents required, and I hope 00:22:14.710 --> 00:22:18.970 I've done it justice. But yeah, I think this 00:22:18.970 --> 00:22:22.410 is an excellent story, and I'm not going to say 00:22:22.410 --> 00:22:24.809 anything more about it. I just hope you enjoy 00:22:24.809 --> 00:22:29.450 it. And I'm confident that you will. So here 00:22:29.450 --> 00:22:33.869 is The Cost of Mercy by Harry Humber, narrated 00:22:33.869 --> 00:22:39.869 by David Rowe. The road narrowed to dirt a mile 00:22:39.869 --> 00:22:43.309 back, and by the time Ellis Ward eased off the 00:22:43.309 --> 00:22:46.089 last rise, the town was only a smudge of light 00:22:46.089 --> 00:22:49.329 through trees. The farmhouse waited at the end 00:22:49.329 --> 00:22:53.210 of a wind -worn track, boards gone grey, porch 00:22:53.210 --> 00:22:56.500 slanting. He shut off the headlights and let 00:22:56.500 --> 00:23:00.980 the dark take the yard. On the passenger seat 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:05.000 sat a canvas bag, its mouth partway open. The 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.700 pale ends of wooden stakes showed like dowels 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:11.240 in a carpenter's bin. Glass vials touched lightly 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:14.460 together when the car settled. Ellis slipped 00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:17.279 a crucifix into his jacket pocket, pressed his 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:19.339 thumb against its edge until the metal dulled 00:23:19.339 --> 00:23:24.430 against skin and got out. He crossed to the trunk 00:23:24.430 --> 00:23:28.049 and lifted it. The man inside flinched, hooded 00:23:28.049 --> 00:23:32.329 and cuffed, folding in like a beaten thing. Ellis 00:23:32.329 --> 00:23:35.509 took him by the collar and guided him out. The 00:23:35.509 --> 00:23:38.769 man's boots found bad ground. He dropped to his 00:23:38.769 --> 00:23:42.650 knees, scraping them raw on gravel. A thin, frightened 00:23:42.650 --> 00:23:45.569 sound caught in his throat before he could swallow 00:23:45.569 --> 00:23:52.170 it down. Fuck, man. What is this? He said through 00:23:52.170 --> 00:23:56.150 the hood. Ellis didn't answer. He thumbed his 00:23:56.150 --> 00:23:59.309 lighter, bringing a cigarette to life. The flare 00:23:59.309 --> 00:24:01.569 showed the hard set of his face for a heartbeat, 00:24:01.769 --> 00:24:05.569 before darkness folded back in. Then Ellis bent, 00:24:05.789 --> 00:24:08.390 loosened the drawstring, and pulled the hood 00:24:08.390 --> 00:24:11.509 away. The man blinked against the sudden night, 00:24:11.670 --> 00:24:15.069 gulping air. His eyes darted from the trees to 00:24:15.069 --> 00:24:17.670 the house to Ellis, and when they finally settled, 00:24:17.849 --> 00:24:24.980 panic flared. Detective Ward? shit this about 00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:30.000 the johnson girl that was cleared man you know 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.859 it was evidence didn't stick his breath hitched 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:40.440 you can't bring that back on me you can't ellis 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:42.980 watched him for a long moment smoke drifting 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:46.160 from the corner of his mouth then he looked past 00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:49.440 the man out toward the dark line of trees and 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:55.319 exhaled slow You want a smoke, Jimmy? Jimmy's 00:24:55.319 --> 00:24:59.500 mouth opened, closed. He nodded once, quick and 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:03.259 jerky, fear burning behind his eyes. Ellis reached 00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:05.720 for another cigarette and lit it off his own, 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:09.980 stepping closer. Jimmy leaned in, the cuffs making 00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:13.160 him awkward. The cigarette trembled between his 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:16.660 lips. For a moment, the two men were haloed in 00:25:16.660 --> 00:25:20.250 shared smoke. Jimmy took a deep drag like there 00:25:20.250 --> 00:25:22.190 might be courage in it if he dug deep enough. 00:25:22.930 --> 00:25:25.990 He glanced around, cataloging exits that weren't 00:25:25.990 --> 00:25:31.069 there. You can't do this. Ain't you got rules? 00:25:31.990 --> 00:25:34.990 You put a bag over my head and drove me out to 00:25:34.990 --> 00:25:39.450 nowhere? That ain't the system. The system's 00:25:39.450 --> 00:25:45.109 working fine. It just ain't here. Listen, man. 00:25:45.650 --> 00:25:48.849 I ain't got much. Bet I can get you some money, 00:25:48.930 --> 00:25:54.210 yeah? You want money? Ellis looked past him to 00:25:54.210 --> 00:25:57.569 the house. The windows were boarded. The storm 00:25:57.569 --> 00:25:59.769 doors beneath the porch held their rust the way 00:25:59.769 --> 00:26:03.329 some men hold grudges. He let a breath out and 00:26:03.329 --> 00:26:07.349 let it become smoke. You know Martel's, right? 00:26:07.910 --> 00:26:11.930 Gas station off Sheriff and Fifth. The place 00:26:11.930 --> 00:26:14.710 that moves fireworks out the back year -round. 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:22.859 jimmy shifted sure everybody knows martells why 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:29.460 yeah i s 'pose they do you must have heard about 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:32.960 that unfortunate business there eight months 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:37.140 back give or take he drew from his cigarette 00:26:37.140 --> 00:26:41.539 the ember flaring between them call came in on 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:45.420 the radio about a disturbance i was first on 00:26:45.420 --> 00:26:50.980 the scene quarter after nine sky already forgettin 00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:55.859 it had ever been blue he flipped ash and watched 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:59.940 the ember fall i thought i'd referee a punk dispute 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:07.079 you know the kind plastic won't swipe words turn 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:12.380 pointed i opened the door and the bell rang that 00:27:12.380 --> 00:27:17.920 same tired way he let the image sit and didn't 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:22.759 push it the night took a step closer we gotta 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:27.440 do this out here we can go to the station i won't 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:31.220 say shit bout this to nobody ellis ignored him 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:34.420 he walked to the passenger side opened the door 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:37.539 and lifted the bag he let it drop beside him 00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:41.730 wood hit wood Viles gave a fine, bright clink. 00:27:42.869 --> 00:27:47.630 What's in the bag, Ward? Ellis looked at it a 00:27:47.630 --> 00:27:50.069 moment, then drew in another breath of smoke. 00:27:51.589 --> 00:27:56.509 Gone and lost my train of thought. Oh, yeah. 00:27:57.450 --> 00:28:01.670 He came back to Jimmy. Floor of Martell's was 00:28:01.670 --> 00:28:06.769 snow with glass from liquor cabinets. One pump 00:28:06.769 --> 00:28:10.789 outside still running. meter chattering to itself 00:28:10.789 --> 00:28:15.730 the attendant was down behind the register a 00:28:15.730 --> 00:28:20.849 woman and a little girl face down together in 00:28:20.849 --> 00:28:26.450 the corner by the coolers three bodies blood 00:28:26.450 --> 00:28:30.890 everywhere my eyes counted before my mind knew 00:28:30.890 --> 00:28:34.710 what it was looking at jimmy stared at his face 00:28:35.309 --> 00:28:37.630 he pulled on the cigarette and held the smoke 00:28:37.630 --> 00:28:39.450 like it could keep something inside him from 00:28:39.450 --> 00:28:43.589 breaking i've been on the job nearly twenty years 00:28:43.589 --> 00:28:49.849 seen what men do when they're angry scared bored 00:28:49.849 --> 00:28:56.849 drunk proud it wears a shape you learn to recognize 00:28:56.849 --> 00:29:02.289 this didn't wear that shape this looked like 00:29:02.289 --> 00:29:06.140 a dog got into a nightmare I forgot the way back. 00:29:07.200 --> 00:29:10.900 Jimmy's mouth tightened. You think I did that? 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:18.099 I ain't no animal, Ward. I do stupid, sure. I 00:29:18.099 --> 00:29:24.119 do ugly, too. But I don't do that. I wasn't there. 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:29.559 Ellis raised a hand and the words stopped. Silence 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:33.289 folded in around them, heavy expectant. The only 00:29:33.289 --> 00:29:35.630 sound was the faint hiss of the cigarette burning 00:29:35.630 --> 00:29:39.089 between Ellis' fingers. Jimmy's breath came quick 00:29:39.089 --> 00:29:41.690 and shallow, his eyes darting like he was trying 00:29:41.690 --> 00:29:45.269 to find a shape for what was happening. Tell 00:29:45.269 --> 00:29:50.230 me you don't think I was there. Ellis looked 00:29:50.230 --> 00:29:53.309 down the long line of his own smoke. When he 00:29:53.309 --> 00:29:58.049 spoke, his voice thinned, stretched. I didn't 00:29:58.049 --> 00:30:04.319 notice the civic at pump three. not a first too 00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:09.579 much else wrong then something on the dash caught 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:15.700 the light sequined headband with a bow the kind 00:30:15.700 --> 00:30:18.160 lilly's dance class wears where they have to 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:22.599 match at recital he swallowed once and kept going 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:28.019 practice was that night eva would have filled 00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:30.579 up after so she wouldn't have to do it in the 00:30:30.579 --> 00:30:34.099 morning Because mornings go better if you plan 00:30:34.099 --> 00:30:39.839 for them. She had lists. She'd check a box and 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:44.480 smile like the world snapped to shape. She would 00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:47.059 have had lily in tights and a little wrap skirt 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:49.400 she wore around the kitchen just to see what 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:53.720 air could do when she spun. I didn't notice the 00:30:53.720 --> 00:31:01.490 car until I did. When you do... it lands on you 00:31:01.490 --> 00:31:05.769 in a way bones don't want to hold jimmy watched 00:31:05.769 --> 00:31:08.109 him as if looking too hard might make the story 00:31:08.109 --> 00:31:15.490 stop i went back in this time i looked not just 00:31:15.490 --> 00:31:20.670 so the woman and the little girl in the corner 00:31:20.670 --> 00:31:30.920 that was em eva and lilly my wife My daughter. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:38.460 His voice thinned. Lily had been working on her 00:31:38.460 --> 00:31:42.839 port de bras and saying it all day because it 00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:50.480 made her mother laugh. It wasn't me. Jimmy said 00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:54.180 carefully, like stepping onto thin ice. Ellis 00:31:54.180 --> 00:31:56.980 picked up the bag and grabbed Jimmy by the scruff, 00:31:57.160 --> 00:32:01.039 dragging him towards the storm doors. Jesus Christ, 00:32:01.140 --> 00:32:04.700 you can't do this, Ward, Jimmy cried, voice shaking. 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:07.680 You gonna throw me in that hole, pray it makes 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:10.680 something right? I didn't do it. You've lost 00:32:10.680 --> 00:32:17.759 your damn mind. Maybe. Maybe I lost it at Martel's 00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:21.920 and something else put it back together. Maybe 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:24.019 that's a distinction that matters to someone. 00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:29.180 Look at me. Jimmy looked into his face and found 00:32:29.180 --> 00:32:32.799 nothing there to hold on to. You want me to say 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:39.680 I'm worse than scum? Fine. I am. But I didn't 00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:43.980 do that, Ward. That wasn't me, goddammit. Ellis' 00:32:44.099 --> 00:32:48.140 gaze held steady. He didn't respond. He crouched 00:32:48.140 --> 00:32:50.019 and worked the old chain at the storm doors, 00:32:50.299 --> 00:32:52.900 stubborn metal giving with a sound like a small 00:32:52.900 --> 00:32:56.500 decision taken back. He eased them open and a 00:32:56.500 --> 00:33:00.599 draft breathed up them. Cool, damp, carrying 00:33:00.599 --> 00:33:04.500 a smell that made Jimmy's stomach tighten. Jimmy 00:33:04.500 --> 00:33:07.500 rocked forward without meaning to, drawn by absence. 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:11.380 He could not see stairs nor walls. He could not 00:33:11.380 --> 00:33:14.420 see anything but black. A stair creaked somewhere 00:33:14.420 --> 00:33:18.000 below, or maybe the house just settled. Ward, 00:33:18.140 --> 00:33:22.420 please, man, I'm sorry about your family. I'm 00:33:22.420 --> 00:33:25.279 sorry, in a way I don't even know how to be. 00:33:25.940 --> 00:33:32.960 But I didn't do that. You gotta believe me. Ellis 00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:35.880 kept his hand on the door. The wood was rough, 00:33:36.119 --> 00:33:39.579 grooves cut by weather and use. He had stood 00:33:39.579 --> 00:33:42.000 like this a dozen times in the last eight months 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:44.140 and would stand like this again until he stopped 00:33:44.140 --> 00:33:48.420 needing to lie to himself about need. He watched 00:33:48.420 --> 00:33:51.269 the dark until it changed flavor. The way air 00:33:51.269 --> 00:33:55.569 does when someone steps into a room. I know you 00:33:55.569 --> 00:34:01.769 didn't, Jimmy. I told the worst part badly. I 00:34:01.769 --> 00:34:06.769 told you they were dead. That ain't the truth 00:34:06.769 --> 00:34:13.710 I wake up to. The truth is, they stood up. They 00:34:13.710 --> 00:34:16.690 stood up and looked at me with eyes that didn't 00:34:16.690 --> 00:34:22.280 know morning no more. They stood up, and they 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:28.579 were something else. Jimmy swallowed hard. What 00:34:28.579 --> 00:34:33.420 are you saying exactly, Ward? Ellis didn't answer. 00:34:33.579 --> 00:34:36.679 From below came a small sound, the weight of 00:34:36.679 --> 00:34:38.559 a foot that barely weighed anything touching 00:34:38.559 --> 00:34:41.460 the bottom stair, then a voice no louder than 00:34:41.460 --> 00:34:46.760 a breath. Daddy? Jimmy flinched like he'd been 00:34:46.760 --> 00:34:50.800 struck. No. No, no, no, no, no, you can't put 00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:56.219 me down there with your ghosts. Not ghosts, Ellis 00:34:56.219 --> 00:34:59.380 said. He stepped close, put his hand on Jimmy's 00:34:59.380 --> 00:35:01.320 shoulder the way he had when guiding him from 00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:05.559 the trunk, a steady pressure. Ghosts don't need 00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:10.500 to eat. Jimmy twisted, fast and clumsy, and Ellis 00:35:10.500 --> 00:35:12.659 took his foot from under him and let the rest 00:35:12.659 --> 00:35:16.300 happen. Jimmy fell backward into the dark, a 00:35:16.300 --> 00:35:19.159 short cry breaking on the steps. before the cellar 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:21.940 swallowed him whole. There was the scrape of 00:35:21.940 --> 00:35:25.199 bodies adjusting, a caught breath, then a sound 00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:27.679 too soft to belong to hunger and too hungry to 00:35:27.679 --> 00:35:31.460 belong to anything human. Ellis's jaw clenched. 00:35:31.579 --> 00:35:35.420 He didn't look away. He listened until the struggle 00:35:35.420 --> 00:35:40.780 became feeding, until feeding became quiet. When 00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:43.179 the noise below settled into sated stillness, 00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:46.219 he set a hand on the door and lowered it gently. 00:35:46.650 --> 00:35:49.429 as though putting a child to sleep. The chain 00:35:49.429 --> 00:35:54.349 slid home with a tired clink. Good night, my 00:35:54.349 --> 00:36:00.530 girls. I'll be back soon. He stood there a long 00:36:00.530 --> 00:36:03.610 time after the yard went still again, smoke fading 00:36:03.610 --> 00:36:06.750 from the ruin of his cigarette. When he finally 00:36:06.750 --> 00:36:10.030 turned, his face looked emptied out, like a place 00:36:10.030 --> 00:36:14.590 light used to live. At the car, he dropped the 00:36:14.590 --> 00:36:17.480 bag onto the passenger seat. It settled with 00:36:17.480 --> 00:36:19.579 the dull weight of something that knew its purpose. 00:36:21.139 --> 00:36:24.380 The glove box sat open an inch, the photograph 00:36:24.380 --> 00:36:27.960 inside curling at the corners. Ava and Lily, 00:36:28.179 --> 00:36:32.619 taken in spring. His wife laughing, his daughter 00:36:32.619 --> 00:36:37.320 blurred in motion, dancing. Always dancing. He 00:36:37.320 --> 00:36:40.800 stared until his throat locked. He thought of 00:36:40.800 --> 00:36:42.920 Lily's voice calling Daddy through the dark, 00:36:43.039 --> 00:36:45.420 how some part of him still believed it was her. 00:36:46.079 --> 00:36:48.559 He thought of Ava's breath warm on his neck the 00:36:48.559 --> 00:36:51.199 last morning they were alive, how she'd kissed 00:36:51.199 --> 00:36:54.559 him goodbye like it mattered. He had what he 00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:58.480 needed to end it, the means of mercy. Some nights 00:36:58.480 --> 00:37:01.539 he pictured doing it, opening those doors, whispering 00:37:01.539 --> 00:37:04.239 their names, holding them one last time before 00:37:04.239 --> 00:37:08.219 the light took them. Other nights, like this 00:37:08.219 --> 00:37:12.219 one, he drove. The bag shifted when the car moved, 00:37:12.460 --> 00:37:15.900 glass whispering against wood. Ellis kept his 00:37:15.900 --> 00:37:18.760 eyes on the road, tears cutting clean tracks 00:37:18.760 --> 00:37:22.820 through the grit on his face. He told himself 00:37:22.820 --> 00:37:26.159 love was a reason, not a ruin. He told himself 00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:30.000 until it almost sounded true. Then he drove toward 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:33.139 town, where the lights waited, cold and distant, 00:37:33.320 --> 00:37:35.679 and where someone bad enough was always easy 00:37:35.679 --> 00:37:39.280 to find, and someone good enough was never coming 00:37:39.280 --> 00:37:55.929 back. It's just such a strong writing. It's really, 00:37:55.949 --> 00:37:58.710 really, really well written. The interplay between 00:37:58.710 --> 00:38:01.489 the two characters, the feeling of dread and 00:38:01.489 --> 00:38:05.369 suspense throughout when you know something bad, 00:38:05.469 --> 00:38:08.050 something unpleasant is coming but you don't 00:38:08.050 --> 00:38:12.789 know what. And then when Ellis slowly reveals 00:38:12.789 --> 00:38:15.849 what's happened at that gas station all those 00:38:15.849 --> 00:38:19.170 months ago and the horror of what is coming their 00:38:19.170 --> 00:38:23.769 way. By that farmhouse becomes clear. Oh it is 00:38:23.769 --> 00:38:27.710 it is so well done Harry had a great run with 00:38:27.710 --> 00:38:30.010 that story got himself all the way to the final 00:38:30.010 --> 00:38:33.369 and you know For my money it could have gone 00:38:33.369 --> 00:38:36.110 either way the the winner was excellent Harry's 00:38:36.110 --> 00:38:39.809 was excellent You know this this guy's this guy's 00:38:39.809 --> 00:38:42.210 going places. So Harry Humber you heard it here 00:38:42.210 --> 00:38:47.349 first Well, that's it three mystery and or suspense 00:38:47.349 --> 00:38:51.670 stories Thank you for joining us on episode 10 00:38:51.670 --> 00:38:54.969 of One More Short Story with me, Chris Fulwell. 00:38:55.369 --> 00:38:56.630 We'll see you next time.