December 31, 2014

PodCastle 344: Flash Fiction Extravaganza! Other Worlds Than These

* Authors : Tina Connolly, Matt Mikalatos and Nick Scorza

* Narrators : Dave Thompson, M.K. Hobson and Peter Wood

* Host : Dave Thompson

* Audio Producer : Peter Wood

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PodCastle 344: Flash Fiction Extravaganza! Other Worlds Than These is a PodCastle original.

Rated PG!

For further explorations into different worlds and escapism, we highly recommend reading or listening to our own LaShawn M. Wanak’s 21 Steps to Enlightenment (Minus One). We think it’s pretty incredible.

Happy New Year!

“The Problem With Other Worlds,” by Nick Scorza

Read by Dave Thompson

A PodCastle Original!

At the bottom of an old boarded-up well is the world you really come from. You were plucked from it as a child, and all the miseries of your life, all the ways the world you know does not fit you, are a consequence of this.

“Paperheart,” by Tina Connolly

Read by M.K. Hobson

Originally published in Bibliotheca Fantastica, ed Claude Lalumiere & Don Pizarro

After his wife died, the magician stayed in his library for three days with the door barred. Purple smoke poured from the chimney and something that might have been salt tears came in a trickle out of the windowsill, as the magician forbade water, even his own, anywhere near his books. When the three days passed, the magician came forth dry-eyed and forbade anyone to mention her name again.

“Portal Worlds and Your Child (A Parent’s Guide),” by Matt Mikalatos

Read by Peter Wood

Originally published in Daily Science Fiction. Read it here!

Warning Signs. One in every 250 children experiences inter-dimensional travel before the age of 18. Siblings and cousins are 40% more likely to enter another dimension than single children. If you discover your child hiding medieval items (crowns, trumpets, tapestries, chastity belts, swords, etc.), take action immediately. Likewise, if potential magical artifacts are found (uncommon rings, buttons, feathers, etc.), confiscate the item and talk to your child. Watch for imaginary friends, talking animals or strange behaviors (avoiding sidewalk cracks, fear of open closets, obsessively locking bedroom windows, etc.).

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