bleak – The Drabblecast

Drabblecast Fan Picks: The Last Dog

On September 12, 2018

The leadup to our Relaunch Kickstarter campaign continues with this Fan Pick: The Last Dog.

This was a favorite of one of our newest team members, Jen Fisher, d(r)abbler of all things and master of none. We’ll be doing more of these with opportunities for fans to record their own introductions to their favorite stories in the future. Hit us up on Facebook and Twitter or give us a shout out in our forums to tell us your favorite stores.

In “The Last Dog,” the titular ultimate canine and his master, the last man on Earth, form a strong bond helping one another to survive on a war-ravaged planet. When they encounter an alien assassin, they are forced to make hard choices.

Story Excerpt:

He was panting now, his breath coming in a never-ending series of short spurts and gasps. His sides ached, his eyes watered, and every now and then he would trip over the rubble of the decayed and ruined buildings that lined the torturously fragmented street…

Enjoy:

Drabblecast Fan Pick: The Last Dog

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Drabblecast 216 – The Book of Eternity

By Drabblecast

On September 10, 2011

In Drabblecast, Horror

Cover for Drabblecast episode 216, The Book of Eternity, by Jan Dennison

His name was Marvin Kasselmeier, though he changed it to Marcus Magnus
because he thought it sounded more impressive. He’d been a bright student,
solitary and humorless, with no friends, and a single obsession: he wanted to live forever…

Is eternal life real worth it? A demonic tale from Mike Resnick explores the question in the final week of Lovecraft months Story features In Search of the Brain-Eating Nandi Bear Part V.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 102, The Last Dog, by Matt Wasiela

Drabblecast 102 – The Last Dog

By Drabblecast

On February 11, 2009

In Drabblecast, Drama, Sci-Fi

He was panting now, his breath coming in a never-ending series of short spurts and gasps. His sides ached, his eyes watered, and every now and then he would trip over the rubble of the decayed and ruined buildings that lined the torturously fragmented street…

This episode opens with the announcement of the three drabbles and five features stories nominated for the Drabblecast People’s Choice Award. In the Drabble, the narrator muses on the nature of his fatalistic precognition. In the feature, The Last Dog, the titular ultimate canine and his master, the last man on Earth, form a strong bond helping one another to survive on a war-ravaged planet. When they encounter an alien assassin, they are forced to make hard choices.

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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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Cover for Drabblecast episode 82, An Overgrown Clump of Narcissists, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 82 – An Overgrown Clump of Narcissists

By Drabblecast

On September 24, 2008

In Drabblecast, Drama

“As you can see, this clump of daffodils is far too overgrown,” said the frail, blue-haired host.” The blooms in the center are starting to suffer as the younger bulbs challenge them for sunlight and nutrients…”

The episode begins with more from the world of the Mega-Beach Death-Match. The Drabble describes warring among fairies. The feature is a grim tale of holiday angst, shame, and the potential for forgiveness (and unforgivable acts). Feedback is for episode 79’s “Low Carb Cheesecake.”

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Drabblecast 48 – The Destiny of Man

By Drabblecast

On January 23, 2008

In Drabblecast, Sci-Fi

I know what they teach you in school, Bobby, but don’t let anyone tell you that the human race isn’t the greatest, most glorious of all earth’s creatures…

Norm presents his one-minute review of the monster movie, “Cloverfield.” The Drabble speculates on the Bleak Reaper’s off-duty recreation activities. The feature story, originally published in the print magazine “Futures,” is a “facts-of-life” monologue from a father to his son on an Earth crushed under the legless boot-heel of a strangely dehumanizing alien occupation. Concluding that no matter what heights humanity reaches, in the end we’re all worm fodder. Feedback for Episode #42, “40 Quarters,” was sparse and mixed, although the listeners certainly did emendate our vocabularies. Norm concludes with reminders that the “People’s Choice” award voting and the first annual Nigerian Scam Spam contest are both still wide open.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 8, Epiphany, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 8 – Epiphany

By Drabblecast

On April 11, 2007

In Drabblecast, Strange

Ever had one of those days?

Drabblecast episode 8 brings a hard-luck tale like few before – Adam Carvin’s “Epiphany,” which explores just how bad things can really get, and how to keep them in perspective. And a momentous first, Norm launches the original Super Animal Deathmatch, later re-titled the Mega-Beast Death-Match, featuring Telephant vs Hippopotopain vs Crablooey vs DeathMole.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 3, Next Stop, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 3 – Next Stop

By Drabblecast

On March 7, 2007

In Comedy, Drabblecast, Strange

The metrotrain at 6am can be a great place to make new friends…

The Drabblecast’s third episode brings us Luke Coddington’s Next Stop, a short, atmospheric story of an encounter with a homeless man on Baltimore’s metro, with some unexpected consequences. Norm puts his versatile voice to good use, delivering both an unnerved protagonist and an authentically creepy antagonist.

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Cover for Drabblecast episode 2, Longing for Love A Unicorn's Story, by Bo Kaier

Drabblecast 2 – Longing for Love: A Unicorn’s Story

By Drabblecast

On February 28, 2007

In Drabblecast, Drama, Fantasy, Strange

Not your average fairy-tale about an obese squirrel and a unicorn with back acne….

In episode 2 Norm brings us the quirky story of Gregory, a unicorn cursed with bad health and worse luck. This is also the first episode in which Norm introduces the show as: “strange stories by strange people, for strange listeners.”

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Tag: bleak

Story Excerpt:

Drabblecast Fan Pick: The Last Dog