Part 1 of 1
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Tonight we present an airy consideration of companionship and danger.
The Skinner Co. Network
152 - Canine, Part 1 of 1
(upbeat music) Welcome to Flashpulp episode 152. Tonight, we present K9, part one of one. This week's episodes are brought to you by Mr. Blog's "Tepid Ride." Love Conrad Bane? Of course you do. Find all your Bane-related needs and more at BMJ2K.com. (upbeat music) (dramatic music) Flashpulp is an experiment in broadcasting fresh pulp stories in the modern age. Three to 10 minutes of fiction brought to you Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. Tonight, we present an airy consideration of companionship and danger. K9, part one of one. Written by JRD Skinner. Art and narration by Opoponax. An audio produced by Jessica Mack. (upbeat music) The wind through the branches cast a whistling that had both man and dog on edge. Beside the small fire, the human gnawed at freshly cinched deer meat, occasionally throwing a scrap to the K9 that lay at the fireside. It had been a risk to delve into the wild wood alone, but the gambit had paid off, and now the challenge was in dragging back the heavy bounty. Pulling his skin's tight, the man lightened his load by another bite. The hound, its tail giving a slow wag, whimpered a request for more. "Baa!" said the man, but with consideration for his companions' efforts in the chase, he tossed the mooch, the now naked bone. In response, the beast lifted high its tail and let fly a wafting pungency, which skirted the flames to fill the hunter's nose. Betting down, the man left the dog to worry the marrow and the long night's watch. The back stairs of the house, whose construction had only been completed a year previous, had already begun to show the dips and scratches of wear, and the indications of the servant's passage had been further compounded by the nightly roaming of the bulldog, generally known about the grounds as the constable. Although it was often remarked by the Lord of the Manor that the constable, like most men of the law, spent his days napping, it was little understood how seriously the animal took its nightly duties. Not but two months into the occupation of the estate, a man of scarred visage and ill intent had come upon the south wing's library window, scheming to wrestle it open and gain approach to the silverware displayed within. It had been allowed and extended, response by the constable, who'd been at his regular patrol when he'd heard the burglar's ham-fisted ministrations, which had denied the thief access. This night, however, was calm. As the guardian left the recess steps and trotted along the hall's shadowed carpet, accompanied by the measured ticking of the grandfather clock, it determined it was a good opportunity for a brief rest. Setting onto the plush rug, the dog's relaxation was punctuated by the release of a brassy, gassy note. The woman under the crisp white duvet thrashed about in an attempt to silence Neil Young's assessment regarding burning out or fading away, and after a moment, her fingers finally quieted the blaring alarm clock. The room smelled of dog fart. "I don't know why I put up with you," she said to the hound, as it followed her to the washroom. An hour's preparation found the pair ready to leave the apartment, the animal with a bright pink ribbon in its hair, and the woman encased in a tidy suit and dark sunglasses. They were half a block from their destination when the rumbling began. The beast, forgetting its generations of domestication, began to bay and howl, snapping at the threat the men and women on the street had yet to perceive. There was little it could do, however, to fend against the return of Karwick, the arachnid god. Still, it was some small consolation that a spline master would not see the glistening spinner red, which would be their doom. (dramatic music) FlashPulp is presented by http colon slash slash Skinner dot FM. The audio and text formats of FlashPulp are released under the Canadian Creative Commons attribution non-commercial 2.5 license. (upbeat music) (audience applauding) (upbeat music) (audience applauding) (upbeat music)