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Tag: aquatic

Drabbleclassics 1 – Clown Eggs (115)

On June 8, 2014

In Drabbleclassics, Strange

Author Jay Lake knew about the devil and he knew about the clowns. When his story, Clown Eggs, first appeared on the Drabblecast, listeners said things like “This might be, hands-down, the weirdest story I’ve ever heard on [The Drabblecast]. I think I’m going to have nightmares forever. Can I send my therapy bills to you guys?” (Thanks, Talia)

In other words, people loved it.

Since then, the Drabblecast has produced three other outpourings from Jay’s singular vision of the world (or a world – or some worlds, but hopefully not our own). In fact, Jay’s last professional sale was “The Goat Cutter,” Drabblecast 321, the story from last April about the Devil in Texas. You remember that story- you can’t forget it, even though you’ve tried.

Jay lost his battle with cancer on Sunday, June 1, 2014. In tribute to Jay, we’re kicking off Drabbleclassics with several weeks of Jay Lake’s stories.

And now: Episode 115, Clown Eggs, first published May 25th, 2009.

The spring tide rolled across Momus Beach, tossing the flaccid corpses of clowns like so many torn balloons. Weathered to a dispirited pallor, they twisted in the foamy surf with the eternally surprised expressions of the dead..

The Drabble describes either an apocalyptic event, or a simple machine. The feature introduces us to old “bull” clown Uncle Swarmy. It’s not just another day at the beach. Learn more about the clown life cycle than you’re comfortable with!

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Drabblecast B-Sides 21 – On the Return of Pabstus Tack

On May 21, 2013

In Drabblecast B-Sides, Strange

Pabstus Tack came back! He’d been away to sea. The sea was vast and wet. That is what he told them, at the symposium held to mark his return. He was not believed, at first. How could anything be so vast?, so wet?, they asked. He had an implausible air, and a ratty moustache. The moustache was new…

Drabblecast B-Sides: <a href="http://www.drabblecast.org/donate/">Donate</a>

Cover for Drabblecast episode 268, I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee, by Steve Santiago

Drabblecast 268 – I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee

On January 8, 2013

In Drabblecast, Drama, Horror

Whatever you do, don’t call me Ishmael.

Don’t call me anything at all. Give me my pint of piss-poor ale and leave me be in this yellowed corner where men relieve themselves when they are too lazy to make three extra stumbling steps to the streets of Nantucket. I am done. Finished. Come to this hole to die—and if you insist on speaking to me, I’ll find a deeper hole than this dying excuse of a whaling town can offer…

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Drabblecast 253 – Maybe the Stars

On August 23, 2012

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Horror

Presently it rose, and with a shuffling walk it supported itself along the bars until it reached the bucket. With a sigh it plunged its hands inside.

Little Useless inched closer and watched while the creature cupped the salt water and brought it to its face: not to drink, but to moisten its skin…

This episode of the Drabblecast continues H.P. Lovecraft Tribute Month with an eye towards Lovecraft’s fascination with and misgivings about the sea. It starts with a quote from Dagon, which kicked off the very first H.P. Lovecraft Tribute Month. In the drabble, there is more to a fisherman’s remarkable sea wife than meets the eye. In the feature, a nod to Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth, a young girl living among humans who act savagely encounters a sympathetic, otherworldly Deep One. She faces hard questions: where does she truly belong, and where should her loyalties lie?

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Drabblecast 244 – Doubleheader XI

On May 25, 2012

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Horror

It had rolled and tumbled, whatever it was, gelatinous and tentacled, from lake to canal to stream.

People watched from the shore, following it with opera glasses and sea telescopes. Some thought it was a squid, others an octopus, others still just a glob of fatty flesh from some aquatic animal long torn apart and rotten. It was milky and translucent with tiny red hooks lining the each of its sixteen flacid arms. Deep blue bruises speckled the skin, wrinkling in like spots on a tomato. It had no visible eyes…

This double header features two “postcard stories” by Will Ludwigsen. In Nora’s Thing, sickly Nora’s sister and friends bring her to a mysterious creature they hope has healing powers. In Endless Encore, a sinister puppet show occurs nightly for its audience of one.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 219, The Big Splash, by Jonathan Wilson

Drabblecast 219 – The Big Splash

On October 13, 2011

In Drabblecast, Sci-Fi, Strange

I passed the sign that read Warning: Shark Zone. The sun was setting,
lighting up the tops of the condos sticking out of the water. They had been
swallowed by the swollen ocean, when it spilled over, like everything else:
the skyscrapers, the cars, the fast food joints, the schools and
supermarkets and liquor stores…

Episode Sponsor: You Shall Never Know Security by J.R. Hamantaschen

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 189, DoubleHeader 8, by Tania Henderson

Drabblecast 189 – Doubleheader VIII

On November 24, 2010

In Drabblecast, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Strange

They needed a virgin to make a bargain with the sea monster who hunted the waters off their coast, and they were not willing to sacrifice their daughters…

With the theme this week being about freedom, this episode of Drabblecast sees Norm musing about the irony of song about freedom written by a man name Key… it could be a trap. Mermaids of the Old West centers on the mistreatment of captured Mermaids. In Darkness we learn what makes a sacrifice worthy.

Special thanks to Salim Fahdley and Jan Dennison for lending voices and artistic help.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 166, Jubilee, by Sean Azzapardi

Drabblecast 166 – Jubilee

On June 3, 2010

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

Thousands of fish — dead, dying, or flopping in the shallows — littered the shore. A dozen people in their nightgowns, pajamas, or hastily-thrown-on street clothes moved along the shore, bending, exclaiming, whistling, laughing. Some had flashlights, but most worked by moonlight, scooping up flounder, blue crab, and shrimp. This was a jubilee, as I remembered them, a pre-dawn beach-party to celebrate the mysterious bounty of the bay…

Tim Pratt Week

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 154, Family Values, by Chelsea Ragan

Drabblecast 154 – Family Values

On March 11, 2010

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi

Although she was tired, Wu was careful not to show it. Her pregnancies were progressing nicely. The eldest foetus, Hoo, was about to be born, and she was getting too big for parties, but the Senate elections were only months away and her visible pregnancy gave her an advantage she could not afford to waste…

All the Single Rotifers

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Drabblecast 126 – Dagon

On August 19, 2009

In Drabblecast, Horror, Mystery

As I crawled into the stranded boat I realized that only one theory could explain my position. Through some unprecedented volcanic upheaval, a portion of the ocean floor must have been thrown to the surface, exposing regions which for innumerable millions of years had lain hidden under unfathomable watery depths…

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Drabblecast B-Sides 6 – The Horror at Martin’s Beach

On August 19, 2009

In Drabblecast B-Sides, Horror, Mystery

Its extraordinary mouth, its thick and scaly hide, and its single, deep-set eye were wonders scarcely less remarkable than its colossal dimensions; and when the naturalists pronounced it an infant organism, which could not have been hatched more than a few days, public interest mounted to extraordinary heights…

Drabblecast B-Sides: <a href="http://www.drabblecast.org/donate/">Donate</a>

Cover for Drabblecast episode 120, DoubleHeader 3, by Alyssa Suzumura

Drabblecast 120 – Doubleheader III

On June 26, 2009

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Strange

We reach the rocky banks, out of breath. We do not speak. We can barely hear our voices over water raging against the rocks. Our breath makes white clouds. I buckle my helmet and cinch my gloves tighter…

Leading off this episode of the Drabblecast is a Drabble about a child drowning, or a child throwing a tantrum it’s hard to tell? The feature is a double dip in to talented ind of author Jeremiah Tolbert. The first story, entitled The Fisherman, is about a father and son sharing a touching, early morning fishing moment (but for what?). The second feature, A Sandwich Shop in Chicago, 1AM is also a touching tale of a wounded talking four-legged animal with one last request.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 118, The Relativity Prison, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 118 – The Relativity Prison

On June 13, 2009

In Drabblecast, Sci-Fi

It took weeks for me convince myself that my condition is universal, and I’m still not entirely sure. It’s almost always something in the eyes, and sometimes also in the corners of the mouth. Resignation. I had to learn to look for it. Otherwise, the illusion of volition is perfect. Everyone looks as if they’re just going about their business, even as their business is going about them…

This episode of the Drabblecast begins with a hilarious Drabble News’cast – host Norm Sherman alerts us to the threat of monster jellyfish taking over the oceans. Is it time for government intervention? And what is this about mutant sea turtles? A Drabble follows featuring a time traveling alien and its special message for a hairy young man. The feature story is a thought-provoking exploration of reality, as we know it. If humanity was to be punished, would there be any punishment more fitting than to watch their lives unfold from a distance.

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Drabblecast 115 – Clown Eggs

On May 25, 2009

In Drabblecast, Strange

This week the Drabblecast presents “Clown Eggs” by Jay Lake.

It is a story that introduces us to old “bull” clown Uncle Swarmy. It’s not just another day at the beach. You’ll learn more about the clown life cycle than you’re probably comfortable with!

Story Excerpt:

The spring tide rolled across Momus Beach, tossing the flaccid corpses of clowns like so many torn balloons. Weathered to a dispirited pallor, they twisted in the foamy surf with the eternally surprised expressions of the dead..

Podcast: Download

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 71, Perfect Down Further, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 71 – Perfect Down Further

On July 2, 2008

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Strange

“All the Kings have been doubtful at first. To be honest, there have been humans who have declined, but it’s just a matter of trying….and believing…

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Cover for Drabblecast Episode 47, The Silver Ring, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 47 – The Silver Ring

On January 16, 2008

In Drabblecast, Fantasy

“What have you got there, Dell?”
Lars twisted his hand painfully to get a look at the ring.
“Where did you find that?…”

Norm introduces all and sundry to his latest favorite, real-life monster animal: the four-inch “Giant Water Bug,” which sucks out its prey’s innards. It can fly and also play dead in order to sucker unwitting prey. The author of the feature story has been published in “Art and Prose,” among other places. A desperate sex slave’s world changes with an unexpected gift and a magical means of escape. Feedback for Episode #41, “Set Another Place at the Table, I’m Bringing My Pimple,” was mixed, and often rather disgusting, like the story itself. Norm reminds the listeners that voting for “People’s Choice” and the contest for “Nigerian Scam Spam” remain open.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 40, Marbles, by David Steffen

Drabblecast 40 – Marbles

On November 28, 2007

In Drabblecast, Drama, Horror, Strange

“Michael…” his mother said, smiling and bending toward him. “Don’t you think we should invite your new neighbor over to play?”

In Drabble News: the field of Taxidermy triumphs with the successful recovery of a famous cryptozoological (mystery) animal. This week’s Drabble, “Shark attack,” provides a surprising role reversal. The feature story, also by author Ayn Sauer, continues the theme of vicious youth. “Marbles” tells the tale of young Michael and a precocious young collector named Alice. It details a kiddie cross, the sort of thing that scars for life, or elicits a frightful smile. Head-scratcher feedback for Episode #35, “The Guilt Trader,” follows.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 21, Phosphorescent Avenger, by David Flett

Drabblecast 21 – The Metamorphosis of the Phosphorescent Avenger

On July 18, 2007

In Action, Drabblecast, Fantasy, Strange

Jell, Porp and Oct decide to stick it to the man…

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 18, The One That Hot Away, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 18 – The One That Got Away

On June 20, 2007

In Comedy, Drabblecast, Fantasy, Strange

“Christ, what the hell is that thing?”
“Hell if I know, but it ain’t no speckled perch- I can say that much…”

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 12, Free Willy 2.4, by Jonathan Wilson

Drabblecast 12 – Free Willy 2.4

In Action, Drabblecast, Horror, Sci-Fi

A textbook example of whale robotics gone terribly wrong…

Episode 12 sees the climax of the first ever Super Animal Deathmatch (also know as the Mega-Beast Death-Match), with Norm revealing the winner – Telephant. It also includes Anna Luther’s story “Free Willy 2.4” – the reintroduction of (robotic) killer whales, and how mad science and tinkering with the natural world (as per usual) goes spectacularly, savagely wrong.

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