morality – The Drabblecast

Drabblecast 421 – The Life You Save May Be Your Own

On February 20, 2020

Norm begins this episode with a metacast update on what’s been going on behind the scenes at the Drabblecast lately. He initiates a call to action for all Weird Nation to consider registering as organ donors and to find out more at www.organdonor.gov

Our story this week by short story legend Flannery O’Connor explores the question, “Am I the asshole?” Special thanks to our guest host and narrator, Random Hospital Cafeteria Worker.

The old woman and her daughter were sitting on their porch when Mr. Shiftlet came up their road for the first time. The old woman slid to the edge of her chair and leaned forward, shading her eyes from the piercing sunset with her hand…

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Drabblecast Fan Pick: Followed

By Drabblecast

On October 8, 2018

In Comedy, Drabblecast, Horror

The Drabblecast Reborn Kickstarter campaign continues! Today, Fan Picks: Followed, by Will McIntosh as chosen and introduced by Drabblecast fan Boo Yeah. Hear her thoughts on an unsettling story about living with the consequences of our actions…

This story originally aired in 2011.

Story Excerpt:

She came wandering down the sidewalk like any other corpse, her herky-jerky walk unmistakable among the fluid strides of the living. She was six or seven, Southeast Asian, maybe Indian, her ragged clothes caked in dried mud. Pedestrians cut a wide berth around her without noticing her at all…

So enjoy this Fan Pick:

Drabblecast Fan Picks: Followed

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Drabblecast Director’s Cut: Morris and the Machine

By Drabblecast

On July 7, 2018

In Director's Cut, Drabblecast, Interview

The Relaunch Prelaunch marches forward as we present the listener-requested “Director’s Cut: Morris and the Machine.”

This fan-favorite story originally aired in 2010. It is a haunting tale about relationships, time travel, and the poisonous nature of nostalgia.

Author Tim Pratt lives in Berkely, CA and has been featured on the Drabblecast many times. He is a Hugo Award winner alongside many other accolades and is currently working on a space opera series for Angry Robot.

Drabbleclassics 17 – Apologies All Around (76)

By Charity Helton

On February 26, 2015

In Drabbleclassics, Drama, Sci-Fi

“Pardon, Winston Sinclair, I am not here to sell you something. I am not here to buy something. Winston Sinclair, sir, I am here to apologize…”

Jeff Soesbe, graduate of The Viable Paradise Workshop, gives us a tender feature about a family of the future, and a unique robot with a special purpose. In Drabble News, Norm Sherman makes all the men jealous with the tale of a sexual powerhouse: a prolific, philandering Guinea Pig! Norm tells us more about the Mega-Beast Death-Match. Feedback is for Episode #70 “Reality Bites!” and Episode #71 “Perfect Down Further.”

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 228, A Fairy Tale of Oakland, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 228 – A Fairy Tale of Oakland

By Drabblecast

On December 27, 2011

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Horror, Strange

In some parts of the world — Austria, Croatia, Hungary — they still remember. They understand. You can’t have something bright without having something dark to balance it. If you’ve got St. Nicholas, you also need the Krampus…

This episode of the Drabblecast opens with Norm’s reflections on the holidays, Santa Claus, and the origins of flying reindeer. In the drabble, the mayhem of a large family’s holiday dinner leads to a darkly humorous tragedy. In the feature, an unsavory petty criminal has a chance encounter with a dying old man who confides that years ago Santa bestowed upon him a miracle, a wish, to teach the true meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, as they both learn, it comes with a catch..

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 223, Bearing Fruit, by Alyssa Suzumura

Drabblecast 223 – Bearing Fruit

By Drabblecast

On November 20, 2011

In Drabblecast, Fantasy, Romance

This, of course, is what comes of being overly friendly with strange mangoes. One day you’re a wide-eyed virgin, with nary a care in the world; the next, you find yourself most unexpectedly and all but inexplicably burdened in a manner that afflicts virgins only once every two thousand years or so, to the best of your understanding. It isn’t fair, but folk tales rarely are to young maidens — this is the first thing that you really ought to have known.

This week’s episode of the Drabblecast podcast begins with Norm imploring listeners to chip in for the production of his highly anticipated second CD. The Drabble is Déjà vu, by Ben Parker, concerns old magics and old memories. The feature is a change of pace story, Bearing Fruit by Nikki Alfar, in which a naive lass learns of life and her burgeoning womanhood upon unexpected contact with the supernatural. The show closes with classic bbardle Radioactive Runaways.

Help support Norm’s New CD: The Esoteric Order of Sherman. Agree to contribute, guarantee yourself a copy – Pre-order the Order. Classic Norm Sherman penned and performed “bbardles,” done up proper with the full studio treatment, in a package featuring art work from man of mundane mystery Bo Kaier.

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Drabblecast 217 – Followed

By Drabblecast

On September 26, 2011

In Comedy, Drabblecast, Horror

This episode of the Drabblecast presents “Followed” by Will McIntosh.

Norm also starts to ponder the nature of the undead. We conclude In Search of the Brain-Eating Nandi Bear serial featuring cryptozoologist Connor Choadsworth.

Following that is our feature story by Will McIntosh, author of Soft Apocalypse and the upcoming Hitchers.

Story Excerpt:

She came wandering down the sidewalk like any other corpse, her herky-jerky walk unmistakable among the fluid strides of the living. She was six or seven, Southeast Asian, maybe Indian, her ragged clothes caked in dried mud. Pedestrians cut a wide berth around her without noticing her at all…

Drabblecast 150 – Morris and the Machine

By Drabblecast

On February 12, 2010

In Drabblecast, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

The Drabblecast presents Morris and the Machine, by author Tim Pratt.

Tim Pratt lives in Berkely, CA and has also been featured on the Drabblecast many times. He is a science fiction and fantasy author, Nebula award nominee, and a Hugo award winner.

Drabblecast 118 – The Relativity Prison

By Drabblecast

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 99 – Sarah’s Window

By Drabblecast

On January 21, 2009

In Drabblecast, Drama, Fantasy, Horror

The shadow lingered at Sarah’s window, balanced on air, certain to fly away the next step I took. Another moment and it would be gone. Another moments and I would call the police, report my daughter missing, and spend the rest of my life convincing myself I’d imagined it…

This episode of the Drabblecast opens an announcement introducing the Drabblecast Archive CDs, featuring episodes 1-79 in a 3 disc set. In the drabble, a sleep-addled God himself cannot (or will not) provide a reason for why the world ended. The feature story, Sarah’s Window, explores the familiar theme of children leaving our world for one of fantasy, with the twist of a distraught parent serving as protagonist. A single father tries to convince a trespassing, morally ambiguous shadow creature to return his apparently kidnapped daughter, Sarah, amid its assertions that it is innocent of wrongdoing since “not all lost things are stolen.” An otherworldly realm seduces with magical delights.

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Drabblecast 76 – Apologies All Around

By Drabblecast

On August 13, 2008

In Drabblecast, Drama, Sci-Fi

“Pardon, Winston Sinclair, I am not here to sell you something. I am not here to buy something. Winston Sinclair, sir, I am here to apologize…”

Jeff Soesbe, graduate of The Viable Paradise Workshop, gives us a tender feature about a family of the future, and a unique robot with a special purpose. In Drabble News, Norm Sherman makes all the men jealous with the tale of a sexual powerhouse: a prolific, philandering Guinea Pig! Norm tells us more about the Mega-Beast Death-Match. Feedback is for Episode #70 “Reality Bites!” and Episode #71 “Perfect Down Further.”

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 64, Thus Spake Bleerbo, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 64 – Thus Spake Bleerbo

By Drabblecast

On May 14, 2008

In Drabblecast, Sci-Fi

Planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy, he moved, helping people, saving lives, redeeming himself…and never finding the necessity to a speak a word…

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 42, 40 Quarters, by Jonathan Wilson

Drabblecast 42 – 40 Quarters

By Drabblecast

On December 14, 2007

In Drabblecast, Drama, Strange

“Your work does sound most commendable, but I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do. Volunteer work, no matter how worthy, doesn’t pay taxes. There’s no such thing as a free lunch…”

Building on last episode’s interest in a Nigerian scam spame e-mail, Norm announces the first annual “Nigerian Scam Spam E-mail Contest,” arising from listener Strawman’s suggestion. We move on to the feature story, whose author Tom Williams appeared before on episode #30, “2084.” This week, Mr. Williams writes about a cynical Social Security officer who tires of the hard-luck cases he hears on a daily basis, deciding “there ain’t nobody but workers and slackers.” A special individual arrives to remind our protagonist of the truth of the social contract.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 37, Luna Springs, by Rick Green

Drabblecast 37 – Luna Springs

By Drabblecast

On November 8, 2007

In Drabblecast, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

They say the gravity’s lessened here, air’s purified, filtered with vitamins and proteins. Even the light’s better – Luna Springs is on a mobile foundation timed to keep optimum reflected sunlight at all hours…

In Drabble News: a young girl born with four arms and four legs in India, believed to be the incarnation of a Hindu goddess, underwent surgery to remove her irregularities. Norm speculates on her attitude towards baby pictures later in life. Continuing on the theme of physical infirmities, the feature story features a sickly and wheelchair-bound grandfather. A man who found a place in a retirement community on the Moon, where “memories come alive with the moonlight and dance with the stars” leaving his grandson with a painful memory of his own. The story author, Patrick Hurley, has been published in “The Horror Library” and other venues. Feedback for Episode #32, “The Warden’s Last Day,” closes out the episode.

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Tag: morality

Story Excerpt:

Drabblecast Fan Picks: Followed

Story Excerpt: