Part 1 of 2
Read the full text, as well as the show notes, at http://flashpulp.com
Tonight, Thomas Blackhall, master frontiersman and student of the occult, finds himself playing a troubling game, while recounting a troubling tale.
The Skinner Co. Network
FP228 - The Draw: a Blackhall Tale, Part 1 of 2
[Music] Welcome to FlashPulp, episode 228. This evening, we present The Draw, a black cocktail, part one of two. This week's episodes are brought to you by the NettyBites Podcast. Wake up. Go to work. Work. Come home. Eat dinner. Rot your brain out. Go to bed. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Are you tired of an old home drum life? Tired of things that just weigh you down and depress you? Wouldn't you rather just focus on things that are awesome? Tune in to NuttyBites. Find out what's awesome. NuttyBites. FlashPulp is an experiment in broadcasting fresh pulp stories in the modern age. Three to ten minutes of fiction brought to you Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. Tonight, Thomas Blackhall, Master Frontiersman, and Student of the Occult, finds himself playing a troubling game. Rower counting, a troubling tale. The Draw, a blackhall tale, part one of two. Written by J.R.D. Skinner, art and narration by Opoponax, an audio produced by Jessica. It's a miserable thing, moving through the snowy woods on foot. With the spruce looming out of the darkness, as if the ghosts of giants, said Blackhall. He was seated in the front room of an inn, with an untouched ale at his elbow. As Thomas talked, he rearranged the cards in his hand. Despite his efforts, they held no better value, whatever the configuration. The partially nude man across the table stroked his pale goatee and nodded. He smiled. Anders Flax had made no secret of his confidence at the opening of the game, having declared himself the seventh son of a seventh son and the offspring of a coupling of his mother and a horseshoe besides. Blackhall had not questioned how the horseshoe had fathered six others, but the claims were testified to by a string of drunks, leaning ponderously over their cups, who receded in a distant corner. They had all suffered substantial losses in pursuit of the gambler's bulging purse, and, as his fortunes had mounted, they had been responsible for demanding the removal of his jacket and shirt. Although no deceit was thus uncovered, Flax's winnings had continued to grow. Thomas finally relented, and exchanged two cards. "The cab and I came upon was a ragged affair," he said. "I knew to be the residents of Susanna and Stanley Fulton, as I had received ample warning along the road that the Fulton's, although shabby due to Stanley's long absences at the northern lumber camps, were the last friendly fire before a long stretch of swampland." Even at a distance, the lopsided roost's lack of care was obvious. From within the meager barn, a cow vocalized extensive complaints, and, as I approached, I discovered a winter sledge, which was heavy with wares that had apparently been torn open by the tree of canines which had met me at the tree-line. It's well enough, I suppose, that the brutes were well fed, and not looking for a meal. The horse-team was nowhere to be seen, though it seemed obvious the process of unloading the goods was cut short. I considered then that a bandit might be lurking, but the snow about the sled revealed only dog tracks. His opponent had forgotten his turn at the tail, and Blackhall took the opportunity to wet his tongue before continuing. The windows were dark, but when I tested the door, it gave way easily, he said. Within was a woman, beautiful, until a musket ball had marred her eye and tooth. She was naked, and sitting about a chair by the cold hearth. As the sun had long abandoned me, I worked up a flame in a scavenged lantern, and pushed further into the charnel house. Within the chamber, which made up the only other room in the house, I found Stanley Fulton, hung with a twisted sheet. He'd left a short note, which read, "My dearest Susanna has betrayed me, but I've gone too far and recompense, and now regret my action." On arriving home this eve, I discovered her with a stranger upon our bed. As I loaded my weapon, the man made effort to flee, and his distance was such that my first shot went wild. In truth, my transgressor may have been the devil incarnate, as the blast was enough to rrow the horses, whose chilled and brittle tack gave way at their sudden start. The naked runner was caught between their leathers, and as I took my last sight of him, he had somehow pulled himself onto the back of the leftmost mare. If I am to be consigned to hell, allow me at least to greet him at the gates as he arrives, so that I might provide him the same welcome I extended my wife. Sitting up, Flax exchanged a single card. "A terrible scene indeed," he said, "but perhaps she only found what she deserved. It sounds, though, as if the Horascal had quite an earscape." I replied Thomas. He was lucky to have found such as Miss Fulton, and lucky in his departure. "You must have been quick to make your own exit," asked Anders. "Hmm, I had few choices. It was too late to make camp elsewhere, and I have no fear of the dead." "You didn't put them outside then." "It was their house, after all," replied Blackhall, "and I had no interest in waking to find them half-eaten." "Whatever the case, it was cozy enough once I'd lit a fire and move Susanna. At dawn I rose and closed the door tightly behind me, as the ground's too frozen for burials, and a pyre might go against their wishes." The pair fell silent then, as another round of bidding was turned away by Flax, the dealer, and the tricks were played in short order. Thomas took only one. When all was counted, the frontiersmen had lost a sum larger than the late Stanley might have hoped to earn in a week. Flashpulp is presented by Flashpulp.com and is released under the Canadian Creative Commons attribution non-commercial 2.5 license. Text and audio commentaries can be sent to skitter@skinner.fm or the voicemail line at 206-338-2792, but be aware that they may appear in a future flashcast. We'd also like to thank the Free Sound Project, found at freesound.org. For a full listing of effects used during the show, as well as credits for the users who provided them, please check this episode's notes at flashpulp.com. And thanks to you for listening. If you enjoyed the show, please tell your friends. [Music]