0:03

Welcome to the Pseudopod Podcast,

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where every story is a nightmare come

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to life and every scream is

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music to our ears. Pseudopod,

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episode 886 for October 6th, 2023. A Wonder of Nature in

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Need of Killing by VG

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Kampen,

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narrated by Sefatividim.

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Audio production is by Chelsea Davis.

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This story is a Pseudopod original.

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Hello everyone. I hope you're having

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a wonderful week. I'm Lady Marie

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Lestrange, author, illustrator, and

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creative entrepreneur. My parody

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ABC books, T is for Torture and

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S is for Serial Killers, released this

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year with my debut novel Crimson

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Cobblestones due out in fall

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of 2024. As a fan

0:55

of podcasts, you might be interested in checking

0:58

out my weekly interviews with horror authors

1:00

and those of curious backgrounds on

1:02

the Moss to the Flame podcast. Lucky

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for you,

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or perhaps unlucky, I am

1:08

your host for this week.

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Your author this week is VG Kampen.

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VG lives in a kudzu infested

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corner of North Carolina with one

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spouse and various animals.

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After decades of reading,

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she began writing speculative fiction and horror.

1:27

It's never too late to start. Her

1:30

work has published in venues

1:32

including Pseudopod,

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Analog, Tales to Terrify,

1:36

and Metaphorsis.

1:37

She is, of course, working

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on a novel. Your

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narrator this week is Sevativitum.

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Sev is a wife, mom,

1:48

businesswoman, singer, and songwriter

1:51

in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. She

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is a huge nerd for speculative

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fiction and loves to read, write,

1:58

narrate, and listen to stories.

1:59

She enjoyed very

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much drawing on various someone

2:04

rednecks she's known to find

2:07

the voices for

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this story. Now,

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we have a story for you,

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and we promise it's

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true. A

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wonder of nature

2:23

in need of killing

2:25

by Virginia Campen

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narrated by Savitivitim Aunt

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Pearl

2:31

saw the creature first through the kitchen window.

2:34

Snapping turtle, she said, a

2:36

biggin' headin' toward the cow pond.

2:39

She stripped off her rubber dishwashing gloves

2:42

and shut down the hot water, twisting

2:44

the busted faucet stem with an old pair of

2:46

pliers. I'll make turtle

2:48

soup if anyone has a mind to catch it.

2:51

My Uncle Darnell didn't respond, busy

2:54

with his plate of eggs, busy soppin'

2:56

up yellow yolk with crumble and biscuit.

2:59

On the shelf behind him, the

3:01

radio nattered on about swine flu,

3:04

unemployment, Michael Jackson's

3:07

death. Bella's goin'

3:09

after it, Auntie added as a

3:12

frenzy barkin' reached us.

3:14

This roused Uncle. Many

3:17

a hound in the valley had lost blood or bone

3:19

to a snapper, and Bella was heavily

3:21

pregnant with pups that would

3:23

sell for fifty bucks each. Uncle

3:26

had promised me one for my fourteenth birthday,

3:28

not pick of the litter,

3:31

which was fine with me. I didn't

3:33

care if it was a run.

3:35

Campbell,

3:35

Uncle said, run catch that dog

3:38

before she gets bit. I'll be out directly.

3:41

He poured himself a fresh cup of

3:43

coffee and lit a cigarette. He'd

3:45

been drinkin' more and more coffee lately, lingering

3:49

over breakfast until the need to piss or

3:51

the fumes of Auntie's disapproval forced

3:53

him up.

3:54

Mornin' chores had become my responsibility,

3:57

but it took two people to kill a

3:59

snapper.

4:00

One to provoke the creature with

4:02

a branch or a broom handle until

4:04

it bit down and refused to let go, until

4:07

its soft wrinkled neck stretched

4:09

out all naked and exposed,

4:12

a second person

4:14

to swing the axe.

4:16

I dutifully pushed away

4:18

from the table and went to retrieve Bella.

4:20

Outside, a cloudless

4:22

cuter sky promised another day

4:24

of heat. The

4:27

farm lay fallow, the fields

4:29

invaded by seedling tines and knotweed.

4:32

Uncle still worked the hay fields, raised

4:35

a small herd of beef cattle, and

4:37

grew pumpkins for the Halloween trade.

4:40

Made enough to pay taxes and keep

4:42

us fed and clothed, though the clothed part

4:44

was thanks to the thrift shop

4:45

and the fed part was mostly due

4:47

to Aunt Pearl's garden and chicken coop.

4:51

Out in the pasture, the yearland steers

4:53

huddled together watching a humped gray shape

4:55

lurch across the ground.

4:58

A swath of flattened grass

4:59

marked its journey up from the river.

5:03

Wandering snap-in turtles weren't an unusual

5:05

sight in the summer. Every year,

5:08

a few pulled free from the bottom mud and struck

5:10

out in search of new water,

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although if Auntie Pearl

5:13

saw them, that new water would be

5:15

bubbling at the bottom of a soup pot. Except

5:19

this creature wasn't any kind of turtle.

5:22

Belle prowled stiff-legged and growling

5:24

around what looked like an upside-down laundry

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basket, one of them round plastic

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tubs from the dollar store with holes in

5:31

the side so

5:32

your dirty clothes get some air and

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don't go all to mold.

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A puff of dark leathery

5:38

skin bulged

5:39

through each hole.

5:40

The legs was

5:42

the most turtle-like part of it, scaly

5:45

and clawed, propping

5:47

the body a few inches above the grass.

5:49

There was no head to speak of, but

5:52

as Belle circled, it swiveled to follow

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her movements, tracking her with a half

5:56

dozen glittering eyes arranged

5:58

like those

5:59

of a wolf's tongue.

6:00

I wasn't yet afraid,

6:03

not quite believing what was playing in front of my

6:05

face. I grabbed at Bella's

6:07

collar, which set her to running. She

6:10

brushed at the creature, only to yelp

6:12

and leap sideways when a mess of appendages

6:15

exploded through the holes in the shell, jointed

6:18

legs and slender

6:19

tentacles, red and

6:21

crab claws and wiry

6:23

feelers all waving and lashing

6:26

and colliding in an uncoordinated

6:28

frenzy.

6:29

The sight was both frightful

6:31

and comical, an ill-made patchwork

6:34

monster at war with itself. Two

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crawled outside claws, grappled

6:39

until one tore the other free and dashed it

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to

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the ground. Campbell! Grab

6:44

the dog!

6:46

Uncle approached and axed in one hand

6:48

and a stout hickory branch in the other. He

6:51

stopped dead when he caught the full sight

6:53

of that creature. After

6:55

a moment of stunned silence, he tossed

6:58

the branch at it, landing a blow in

7:00

the middle of its spidery eyes.

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The appendages jerked back into the shell,

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snick, snick, snick.

7:07

In the grass, the amputated claw clicked

7:10

open

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and shut twice,

7:11

then went quiet.

7:13

Lock Bella in the barn, Uncle

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said, his voice low and level.

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Be quick.

7:19

Bring back a couple of hoes or shovels.

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He planned to kill it. I

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matched his tongue. He was

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a man of few words and did not take kindly

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to questions. A

7:31

slow grin spread across his face, yellow

7:34

teeth making a rare appearance against the dark

7:36

of his beard and

7:37

mustache. He looked as

7:39

happy as a kid who'd found a two-headed

7:41

garter snake. Kill

7:44

it! Hell no! I aim to keep

7:46

it. I can make money off a fruit like

7:48

that. We hazed the creature

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toward the old boar pen, Uncle

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armed with a pitchfork and the axe, me

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with a hoe. On the threshold

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of the sky, it stopped. Two

8:00

whip-thin tentacles emerged from under

8:02

the lip of the shell and twined firmly

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about the gate post. Uncle

8:07

chewed his mustache for

8:09

a moment before poking at the creature with the

8:11

pitchfork, lightly at first,

8:13

then pushing with his full weight.

8:15

The beast dropped to the earth, clawed

8:17

feet disappearing.

8:19

From a hole at the peak of the shell,

8:22

a thick tentacle arose, purple-black

8:25

and ropey as a burn scar tipped

8:28

with a spiky knob the size

8:30

of a cocklebur.

8:32

It made quick,

8:33

quested motions like a hound nosing

8:35

about for a scent.

8:37

Uncle lashed out with the axe,

8:39

cleaving one of the tentacles tethered to the gate

8:41

post. The cocklebur tentacle

8:43

snapped back into the shell and the beast

8:46

scuttled into the tent, careening off timbers

8:48

and wire mesh in a frantic search for escape.

8:52

I joined Uncle in pushing the heavy gate

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shut. A piercing shriek

8:57

startled us both.

8:59

Auntie, come to assess our

9:01

turtle-catching progress, stood

9:03

at the far side of the pin, her eyes

9:06

wide. What in

9:08

the name of Jehovah is

9:10

that? she demanded.

9:13

The creature paused and swiveled toward

9:15

her voice, returning her glare with his multiplicity

9:18

of eyes.

9:19

It's a goddamn wonder of nature,

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Uncle said.

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It's an abomination in need

9:26

of killing.

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Uncle shook his head. It'll make us

9:30

money. I put it on display at the county

9:32

fair in the freak show right next to the

9:34

world's largest sewer rat

9:36

in the living head in a jar. Hell,

9:38

folks paid a dollar last year to see Daniel

9:40

Whitaker's six-legged calf.

9:43

I suspected Aunt Pearl had never

9:46

visited a freak show, never

9:48

seen Electro Boy or the Snake

9:50

Woman, but mention of the Whitaker's

9:53

six-legged calf gave her pause.

9:55

She'd witnessed Daniel and Doris

9:58

Whitaker rolling up to church last night.

9:59

November in a new used Chevy

10:02

Blazer, with Doris bragging

10:04

about how they'd paid cash thanks to

10:06

the six-legged calf who, alas,

10:08

died the day after the fair. Victim

10:11

of too much noise, too many hours

10:14

under the hot electric lights, and too

10:16

much poking and prodding by kids

10:19

eager to see its Leyland walk.

10:21

I guess,

10:23

Auntie said, giving the beast another look

10:26

over. I guess I could talk to

10:28

Doris next Sunday, ask how

10:30

they got a place at the fair, find out what permits

10:32

and permission they needed.

10:34

My heart sank. It

10:37

went without saying that I'd be

10:39

caring for the creature,

10:39

and come October, I'd

10:42

be at the fair helping exhibit it. My

10:45

classmates would come to gawk, and

10:47

there'd be tourists from Allegheny, the far

10:49

city that I'd never seen, tourists

10:52

visiting the fair

10:53

in between Apple-picking and

10:55

Teakin.

10:57

In the boar pen our creature resumed

10:59

its examination of the fence, tentacles

11:02

and claws tugging and tapping

11:05

on wire

11:05

and wood.

11:06

Auntie moved away as it neared her, walking

11:09

backwards.

11:10

Don't mention what we found, Uncle Cautian.

11:13

Not a word to the Whitakers nor anyone

11:16

else, neighbor or stranger. That

11:20

evening

11:21

Bella welted her pups.

11:23

I found her nestled in her box

11:25

on the front porch with six warm,

11:27

wriggling bodies

11:29

blindly nudging

11:30

her teeth. She lay

11:32

on her side, panting and proud.

11:35

I checked each pup, counting

11:37

legs and eyes and tails.

11:40

They were perfect.

11:43

Here is what I remember of life

11:45

with my mother.

11:47

A trailer park next to

11:49

a muddy lake, the smell of cigarettes,

11:52

a mobile home filled with stacks

11:54

and stacks of books. On

11:57

her good days, she'd take me fishing

11:59

in a leaky lake.

11:59

row boat baiting my hook so I didn't

12:02

have to touch the worms.

12:03

On her bad days, she'd hide

12:06

in bed and read for hours, forgetting I

12:08

was by her side.

12:09

When the social service lady came to take

12:12

me, Mama roused herself enough to pack

12:14

my bag, tucking a small

12:16

lacy pillow that

12:18

smelled of lavender and cigarettes

12:20

in with my t-shirts and tube socks.

12:23

I spent a month in a foster home

12:25

before being delivered to the farm.

12:28

She went to Allegheny,

12:30

Auntie said when I asked about my mother. I

12:33

doubt she's ever coming back, but

12:36

you'll always have a place with us. Blood

12:38

is blood.

12:40

Uncle named the creature Cooter, which

12:42

is what the old folks called red-bellied river

12:45

turtles.

12:45

Aunt Pearl didn't approve of the name. She

12:48

thought it sounded dirty and vowed

12:50

never to speak it. She

12:52

began collecting table scraps and garden refuse

12:55

in a slop bucket, just like when they had proper

12:57

pigs. Every evening, I

12:59

lugged the bucket out to Cooter, who had

13:02

scuttled where I leaned over the fence and dumped

13:04

out the slop. He'd settle on a pile

13:06

of rotten vegetables and moldy leftovers

13:08

like a broody hen on her nest and commence

13:11

the slurping and gurgling, consuming every

13:14

bit. All

13:16

in all, Cooter proved easy

13:18

to take care of. His scat was

13:20

dry and dense like pellets of

13:22

a great horned owl. He scratched

13:25

out a depression in the dirt, a nest

13:27

where he sat motionless for hours.

13:30

His appendages emerged only when feeding,

13:33

a few at a time, a pale display

13:35

compared

13:35

to that first chaotic day.

13:38

This

13:38

worried Uncle. People

13:41

pay a dollar to look at a freak they expected to move

13:43

around. We need to liven him up for that

13:45

fair. Auntie

13:48

and Uncle began sitting together at the kitchen

13:51

table after breakfast. They poured

13:53

each other coffee and planned

13:55

how to exhibit Cooter, a portable

13:57

pen, the kind that can hold a bull.

14:00

or perhaps keeping locked in a slack-sided

14:02

livestock trailer. They

14:04

discussed whether after the fair they could lease

14:07

cooter to a traveling show for the Winter Carnival

14:09

in Florida and Texas. They

14:12

considered how to spend their profits, not

14:14

on a

14:15

vehicle, not like little Whittaker's, but

14:17

on the farm.

14:18

When fencing the old orchard, Uncle said,

14:21

turning into a pig yard by a dozen shows

14:24

next spring. Aunt Pearl

14:26

smiled, jotting down notes in a spiral-bound

14:28

notebook, and I realized these

14:30

do-er, exhausted people might

14:33

once have felt joy. Uncle

14:36

tipped his chair back and looked at me. I

14:39

told you you gotta be before you can quit school, Campbell.

14:41

We need more help around the farm soon. Uncle

14:46

stood outside the cooter's pen,

14:47

pondering how to make him move, make him

14:49

show

14:50

a few crab claws or tentacles.

14:52

He tried loud noises, a

14:55

bell, a horn, and tossing cans

14:57

at the creature, which only made it hunker down.

15:00

Open the gate, he said, and

15:03

entered armed with the pitchfork.

15:05

Cooter turned to watch him.

15:08

From the top of the shell, the thick, ropey

15:10

tentacle tipped with a cockle-burp again

15:12

to rise.

15:14

Move, dammit! Uncle

15:16

yelled and stabbed Cooter with the pitchfork,

15:19

sinking a tine into a scaly leg.

15:22

The creature erupted into a

15:24

lashin', snappin', twirlin',

15:26

fury. Uncle jumped

15:29

back, but the tentacle was faster, lashin'

15:31

out, catching him in the belly and pullin' taut,

15:34

biding man and beast

15:35

together for a heartbeat before the

15:37

tentacle snapped, and Uncle fell

15:39

to the ground, his face a mask

15:42

of pain. Cooter scrambled

15:44

away as Uncle staggered upright, staring

15:46

at a bloody hole in his shirt. A

15:49

fleshy strand hung from the wound,

15:51

coiling and thrashing like an earthworm

15:53

tugged from the loam. Damn,

15:56

thanks, stung me, he said,

15:58

pinching the riding tentacle. mechanical between thumb

16:00

and forefinger and stretching until the spiky

16:03

knob came free with a soft,

16:05

wet plop.

16:08

Uncle held it up for a closer look, sneered,

16:11

and flung it away.

16:14

By late afternoon, Uncle

16:17

lay flat in bed, slick with

16:19

fever from whatever poison cooter had pumped

16:21

into him. He refused

16:23

to tell Auntie what caused the hole in

16:25

the purple and meat of his belly, and

16:27

refused to consider the hospital out of pride

16:30

and embarrassment and for certain

16:32

a fear of the bills. Auntie

16:35

doctored him as best she could, cleaning

16:37

the wound, laying cool cloths on his forehead,

16:40

ignoring his fever-fueled rants. She

16:42

pulled bills from the cookie jar where she kept

16:44

her egg money and told me to watch over him

16:47

while she drove out to the crossroads to buy

16:49

OxyContin from them low men who

16:52

gathered behind the pick and pay at all hours.

16:56

Uncle visited the creature as soon as his fever

16:58

broke, though he was still jaundiced and weak.

17:01

He began spending hours leaning against

17:03

the barn, smoking and gazing at cooter.

17:07

"'Are you mad at it?' I

17:10

asked one afternoon,

17:11

and Uncle gave me a puzzled

17:13

look as though he'd forgotten about the pain

17:15

and the bloody wound.

17:18

"'We need another name for him,'

17:20

he said, ignoring my question. A

17:23

name to put on a big banner at the

17:24

first to show how special he is.

17:28

How about Alien

17:30

River Monster?'

17:33

Uncle frowned. "'Cooter ain't no alien,'

17:35

he crawled out of our river.

17:38

"'Mutant,' I said. "'Mutant

17:41

River Monster.'

17:43

Uncle smiled.

17:45

He knew about mutants from the movies.

17:47

"'X-Men,' Godzilla,'

17:49

Spider-Man. "'Good

17:51

one, Campbell,' he said, and

17:53

chucked me lightly on the shoulder. His

17:56

unexpected praise made me reckless.

18:00

We should have my science teacher come

18:02

over. I bet she could figure out what Kooter

18:04

is." Quick as lightning,

18:06

Uncle turned angry. What did I

18:08

say about keeping Kooter a secret?

18:11

He raised his chin and stared me

18:13

down. We don't need strangers looking

18:15

at him, bothering him.

18:18

Everyone in the county will be looking at him

18:20

come fair time, I snapped,

18:23

tired of guessing Uncle's moods

18:24

and doing his bidding.

18:27

I turned and walked away.

18:30

The next evening, I arrived at the

18:32

pen with the slot bucket to find Kooter already

18:34

feeding. The iridescent tail

18:36

feathers of Auntie's prized rooster

18:39

disappearing under his shell.

18:42

Uncle leaned on the fence and watched as random

18:44

claws and tentacles popped in and out

18:46

like a nightmare game of whack-a-mole.

18:49

After a skate minute, no trace

18:52

of that bird remained, not bone nor

18:54

beak nor feather. Only

18:56

a damp stain on the ground. I

18:58

kept quiet the next morning when Auntie blamed

19:00

coyotes for the rooster's disappearance.

19:04

Uncle started scouting for roadkill,

19:07

using a square-bladed shovel to scrape up

19:09

the remains of varmints too dumb or

19:11

slow to stay out of the two-lane highway

19:14

that ran past our farm.

19:16

Kooter eagerly consumed

19:18

every mangled piece of fur

19:20

and flesh no matter how rank, showing

19:22

his pleasure with an exuberant display

19:24

of claws, feelers, and

19:26

tentacles. By

19:29

September, all but one of Bella's

19:32

pups had sold.

19:33

The runt remained small but lively

19:36

with four white paws and a dark patch

19:38

over one eye. I decided

19:40

not to name her, not until my birthday

19:43

in November when she would officially be mine.

19:45

Kooter was thriving.

19:49

This shell reached up to my hip and

19:51

gleamed with a pearly luster. The

19:54

rest of the farm was struggling.

19:56

The pumpkin vines held more gourds

19:59

than I thought. ever possible,

20:01

but they were small,

20:03

mean-looking fruits,

20:04

knotted like clenched fists and

20:07

pitted with rot. The

20:09

steers battled a lung infection that

20:11

left them gasping, ropes

20:13

a yellow-green snot dangled

20:15

from their muzzles.

20:17

I was walking among them with Bella and her pup

20:19

ranging

20:20

nearby when I heard the blare of the pickup truck's

20:22

horn and Uncle calling for

20:24

me. Drive us up River

20:26

to Nate Simms' place, he said,

20:28

tossing the keys to me.

20:30

Nate has an old livestock trailer he wants

20:32

to get rid of. We can use it at the fair

20:34

for cooter.

20:35

I was eager to drive on the highway and knew

20:38

it galled Uncle to ask me. The

20:41

wound in his belly had closed, but

20:43

the area was still tender and inflamed.

20:46

Working the truck's clutch pained him.

20:48

At Nate's,

20:48

a rutted driveway

20:51

led through a scrim of Judas

20:52

trees into a bare dirt yard.

20:55

The ramshackle house and barn was near

20:57

to collapse, held together by creeper

20:59

vines and fervent prayer.

21:02

Instead of cattle or horses, two

21:05

RVs stood in the river pasture, connected

21:08

to the house by a tangle of thick, orange

21:10

extension cords. Nate's son

21:12

and daughter-in-law lived there. Plastic

21:14

jugs and blue fifty-gallon

21:16

drums littered the ground nearby.

21:18

Stay away from that mess, Uncle told

21:20

me, though he needn't. Everyone

21:23

knew they was cooking mess.

21:25

A raw chemical smell walked

21:27

it from the pasture, a combination

21:29

of ammonia and cat piss, and a

21:31

trickle of brown sludge snaked from one

21:33

trailer down to the river. Sewage

21:36

or worse,

21:36

I didn't intend to find out. Even

21:39

lard-headed old Nate shouldn't have to deal with that,

21:42

allowed my uncle.

21:44

Nate, beaming at the prospect of company,

21:46

shouted from his porch swing as we clomped

21:48

down from the truck, ''Hey,

21:50

Darnell, Campbell! Before we do

21:52

business, I got something to show you! My

21:55

son found it last week on the riverbank.

21:58

It looks like a turtle crossed with a

21:59

with his army knife!"

22:02

Another cooter.

22:03

Uncle's face went stony quiet.

22:06

Nate didn't notice, busy maneuvering

22:09

down the porch ramp with the aid of two canes.

22:11

He'd been on disability

22:12

for years after a tractor

22:14

flipped on a muddy slope and crushed his pelvis.

22:18

He had a legit script for Oxi,

22:20

but lived in pain,

22:22

selling his pills for extra

22:24

money. We followed

22:26

Nate into the barn to a cobwebbed

22:29

horse stall containing a dinner plate-sized

22:31

version of cooter.

22:33

It was motionless, the spider eyes

22:35

dulled, claws and tentacles splayed

22:37

out limply on the dirt. "'Damn!'

22:41

Nate said, prodding the small corpse with

22:43

his cane. "'The

22:44

kids promised to take care of

22:47

it!' he sighed. "'I

22:49

sure wish you could have seen him. He was special.'

22:53

"'Yes,'

22:54

Uncle agreed.

22:57

Rare and special.

22:59

Not everyone appreciates such a

23:01

wonder."

23:02

His somber tone surprised me. He

23:05

should

23:05

have been happy that thing was dead. He

23:08

wouldn't have much of a freak show if Nate

23:10

Sims had a little cooter if little

23:12

cooter

23:12

started crawling into every barnyard

23:14

in the valley.

23:16

To my shock, Uncle appeared close

23:18

to tears.

23:20

He draped his arm around Nate's shoulder.

23:23

"'Want us to bury the

23:25

remains?

23:26

Maybe

23:27

down by the river?'

23:30

When we returned from the riverbank, Uncle

23:33

told me to get in the

23:33

truck. He sat on the porch swing

23:35

with Nate for a few minutes, and then we

23:37

left without the livestock trailer we came for.

23:41

Uncle offered no explanation.

23:43

"'You

23:43

think there's other cooters

23:45

out there?' I

23:47

asked as we drove home, trying

23:49

to provoke conversation. Uncle

23:51

remained silent, sucking on the

23:53

draggled ends of his mustache.

23:56

At supper time, Uncle cleared his throat

23:58

and said he had two enamored men.

24:00

First, he was giving Bella's life

24:03

up to Nate Simms to keep him company.

24:06

I gaped at him.

24:08

She's mine, you promised!

24:11

Nate needs her more. End of discussion.

24:14

He picked up a drumstick and ripped off a hunk

24:16

of meat, chewed, and swallowed.

24:19

Second thing,

24:20

we will not exhibit Cooter at

24:22

the county fair or anywhere else.

24:25

Not now, not ever.

24:27

Aunt Pearl slapped her hand on

24:29

the table, making silverware jawn.

24:32

She spoke in clipped, tight

24:34

voice. We have planned

24:36

for months to exhibit that

24:39

monster. We have already paid

24:41

for a place at the fair.

24:44

I made a decision. Cooter is from

24:46

our land. It ain't right to give

24:48

him over to strangers and treat him like a freak.

24:51

It is a freak! And

24:53

for the right price, I'm still at any stranger who'd

24:55

asked. I've sealed this entire

24:58

godforsaken farm!

25:00

Uncle shot to his feet and stomped outside.

25:04

Auntie stared after him and then turned

25:06

to me.

25:07

We can manage at the fair without him, can't we, Campbell?

25:10

Just the two of us.

25:12

I didn't know how to respond. I

25:14

wanted to tell her how Uncle cried

25:16

as I buried Nate's little Cooter alongside

25:19

the stinking river.

25:21

That when we got home, he went straight to Cooter's

25:23

pen, picking daisies along

25:25

the way and then stood there, throwing

25:27

flowers to the creature who caught the stems

25:30

in his crawdad claws and waved them around

25:32

like a june bride.

25:35

Cooter's

25:37

dangerous,

25:38

is all I managed to say.

25:40

Truth be told, I was afraid. The

25:43

creature was not some

25:44

frail, malformed calf. Its

25:46

cocklebird tentacle did more than punch

25:49

a hole in Uncle's belly. It

25:51

changed him.

25:53

For better or worse, I didn't yet know.

25:56

Auntie sat in silence

25:58

for a full minute before she

25:59

Two exited the kitchen.

26:02

Her bedroom door slammed. I

26:04

cleared the table and headed out with

26:06

the slot bucket. The gate

26:09

to the pen hung open.

26:11

Uncle sat inside on the

26:12

dirt next to the cooter, a thin green

26:15

tentacle twined around his

26:17

wrist.

26:19

Come on over, Uncle said,

26:21

smiling.

26:23

I put down the bucket and left.

26:27

The sun was well up

26:29

by the time I stumbled into the kitchen.

26:32

Auntie had not woken me and there was no

26:34

breakfast, no coffee, or frying

26:36

eggs.

26:38

On the table, a ceramic rooster

26:41

held down a note. Gone

26:43

to Allegheny, it read in

26:45

Auntie's tiny, rounded handwriting.

26:48

Won't be back. Take care of

26:50

my chickens.

26:52

A violent ache seized my

26:54

throat. I crumpled the note

26:57

and let it drop to the floor.

26:59

Through the window, I saw Uncle striding toward

27:01

the highway in search of roadkill, whistling

27:04

the square-bladed

27:04

shovel resting on his shoulder.

27:07

I had been abandoned

27:09

to monsters.

27:11

In a rage, I slammed out

27:13

the door and went to the woodshed for the axe

27:15

to the chicken coop for eggs.

27:17

At the pen, I threw the eggs

27:20

down on the hard-packed earth close to the fence.

27:23

Cooter roused from his nest and

27:24

scuttled over to investigate. I

27:27

figured the hole at the top of the shell

27:28

was the weakest spot.

27:30

My first hit had to count. It

27:32

didn't have to be a killing blow, just

27:35

enough to incapacitate it to give me a chance.

27:38

I'll do this, then head to Allegheny

27:41

and search for my mother.

27:43

I raised the axe. Cooter

27:46

stopped slurping and lifting himself up on

27:48

his legs.

27:50

We stared at each other. A

27:51

thin, green tendril spiraled

27:54

out from under his shell, stretching toward me.

27:58

I'd never find her. realized.

28:01

I'd end up back in foster care

28:03

and killing Cooter.

28:05

What would that do to Uncle?

28:07

What would he do to me? I

28:09

lowered the axe.

28:11

With Auntie gone, the farmhouse

28:14

became smaller and dirtier. Sunlight

28:17

fought to pierce grimy window

28:19

panes. Grit and dead insects

28:21

crunched underfoot.

28:23

Outside, Cooter roamed free, trailing

28:25

Uncle around the farm like a dog while

28:28

Bella stood close by me.

28:31

In a burst of energy one day, Uncle

28:33

tore

28:34

down the front steps and used the boards to

28:36

build a ramp.

28:37

It was sturdy and well-made, easily

28:39

supporting Cooter's weight as he clambered up to settle

28:41

next to the porch swing. That

28:44

night, I brought Bella inside.

28:46

We curled together in my narrow bed.

28:49

I held my mother's heart-shaped pillow to

28:51

my face, trying and failing

28:54

to find any remaining trace of lavender.

28:58

The next morning, I set out with Bella

29:00

to go walking.

29:01

We roamed along the river and through the empty

29:03

cow pasture. In the pumpkin

29:05

field, beside a mound of decaying

29:08

vines, a gray mass

29:10

lurched and swayed.

29:12

It took a moment to puzzle out the image.

29:15

Cooter perched on the edge

29:18

of a freshly dug hole. A

29:20

leathery tube extended from underneath

29:23

the shell convulsing as it deposited

29:25

pale yellow eggs into

29:27

the nest. I watched

29:29

a dozen,

29:30

two dozen, tumble into the

29:33

pit. Uncle appeared at

29:35

my side. He laughed and

29:37

draped his arm around my shoulder, pulling

29:39

me close. Just think,

29:41

he said, so many little ones next

29:43

spring. We'll give a couple of Nate Sims.

29:46

I pulled free

29:48

and stumbled back to the house, with

29:51

no thought but to get away. The

29:53

farm looked unfamiliar, unreal,

29:56

the colors too bright, the angles

29:58

a skew.

29:59

Uncle followed me, whistling,

30:02

and in the front room he grabbed me in a bear

30:04

hug.

30:05

Stay with us, he said, as Cooter's

30:08

claws went tippy-tapping across the

30:10

porch.

30:11

The creature loomed in the open doorway,

30:14

bumping against the frame shell too

30:16

wide to enter. Bella

30:18

howled from somewhere outside.

30:22

This is your home, Uncle says.

30:24

You belong.

30:26

The words washed over me like a narcotic.

30:29

Bella howling faded away. Uncle

30:32

tightened his grasp and together we shuffled

30:35

toward the door where Cooter scrabbled

30:37

at the threshold.

30:39

Together we watched

30:40

the cockle-bird tentacle rise

30:42

into the air.

30:44

A bolt of fire lanced through my

30:46

belly.

30:47

Uncle tightened his grip and whispered

30:49

in my ear,

30:51

It'll all stop hurting soon.

30:58

Well done. You've

31:00

survived another story. V.G.

31:04

Campin had this to say about their story,

31:07

A wonder of nature in need of killing. This

31:11

story was inspired by the snapping

31:13

turtle who lives in a neighbor's pond.

31:16

Each spring she crawls from the water

31:18

to the shrubbery in front of our house where

31:21

she digs a

31:22

nest beneath the azaleas and

31:24

lays a dozen or more eggs.

31:26

Sounds great, right?

31:29

Why she digs so close to human

31:31

habitation is a mystery

31:34

and none of her eggs have

31:36

ever hatched. And after

31:38

writing this story, V.G. doesn't

31:41

know whether to be sad or relieved.

31:46

Overall, I found this to

31:48

be an engaging and well-written sci-fi

31:51

slash horror tale. The

31:53

descriptions of the

31:54

strange creature, Cooter, were

31:56

vivid and imaginative. I

31:59

enjoyed how it

31:59

disabilities and behaviors were slowly revealed

32:02

over the course of the story, building

32:04

an aura of menace

32:05

and mystery. Growing

32:07

up in the South myself made this

32:10

story feel like a warm, albeit

32:12

creepy hug, or

32:14

perhaps a nauseating wave of nostalgia

32:17

since I'm deathly afraid of anything

32:19

with beaks or snapping jaws. The

32:22

themes of greed and exploitation

32:24

that B.G. Campin' explored were quite

32:27

thought-provoking. Uncle initially

32:29

sees Kooter as a way to make money by putting

32:31

him on display, but

32:32

then has a change of heart.

32:35

However, his growing obsession with

32:37

Kooter becomes disturbing in

32:39

its own way. The ending

32:42

leaves an impact, with the implication

32:44

that Kooter is possibly taking over

32:46

Uncle's mind

32:48

and will spread across the farm. It's

32:51

an unsettling conclusion, one

32:53

that absolutely terrifies

32:55

me. Well

32:56

done, B.G.

33:00

It's late.

33:01

Dark. The person next

33:03

to you, maybe a friend, maybe

33:06

a stranger, whispers in your

33:08

ear, there's this story

33:10

they've been dying to

33:12

tell someone, and the details.

33:15

Well, there's something about them

33:18

that's just not quite

33:21

right. If

33:23

you like the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror,

33:26

and of course, Sudapod, then

33:28

maybe you should try listening to The Wrong

33:32

Station. The Wrong

33:34

Station is a horror anthology. Each

33:37

episode is an original story that stands

33:39

alone, but all are unified by

33:41

a pervading sense. Wrong.

33:45

Stories span a wide selection of genres and

33:47

settings, from psychological thrillers and

33:49

body horror to sci-fi and

33:52

dark fantasy. This

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October, The Wrong Station will be

33:57

bringing you 31 episodes in a row. in

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That's right, every single

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than time itself. And

36:07

so she crawls, slowly but

36:10

surely, towards her fate, whatever

36:13

it may be.

36:19

An arm appeared from nowhere

36:22

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It's a pseudopod, it's a bigfoot. It's

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