This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is an occasional bonus episode, for the first of August, 2025. I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Living on the Face --- I stumbled blearily down to the water's edge. Which wasn't there. My eyes snapped open. There should be... shoreline. Waves. A line of uneven wooden posts. We tied our boat up there. So did every other family. The lake couldn't be... gone. I ran. "Don't be ...
Aug 01, 2025•2 min
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is an occasional bonus episode, for the first of July, 2025. I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Rapprochement --- Everyone remembers Gracie Carousel's wartime radio broadcasts. They cheered us, gave us heart. Even when her husband disappeared, she kept us hoping. Every day. When Occupation ended, Gracie emerged from hiding, to universal acclaim. Then a newspaper finally found...
Jul 01, 2025•2 min
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is an occasional bonus episode, for the first of June, 2025. I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: How I Live My Life According To My Friend Simon's Advice Simon once told me that you forget things when you walk through doors. I laughed, but he was right. I started writing grocery lists in the kitchen. When travelling, I packed toiletries in the bathroom. At work, I preferred to...
Jun 01, 2025•2 min
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is an occasional bonus episode, for the first of May, 2025. I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Tea for the Dawn. Dorothy opens the front door, and sighs. The other cottages - new thatch, smart paint, tightly-locked gates - are all dark at the windows. The village green is empty, and quiet. Seventy years ago, there'd been crowds; everyone singing and cheering. Sixty years ago,...
May 01, 2025•2 min
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is an occasional bonus episode, released because I felt like it. I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Bruisetown. The town probably had a name on the map, but everyone called it Bruisetown. Its residents were pallid; blue stains across their cheeks, bruises ringing their necks and wrists and sullen eyes. Linger too long on the road, and mottled grey crept across the backs of yo...
Mar 28, 2025•2 min
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 31, for Thursday the 31st of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: The Ghost of the Future Peter shucks off the hated school trousers and shirt, and takes more comfortable clothes from the very back of the wardrobe. A double bedsheet, with neat eyeholes, completes the outfit. Arms raised, the ghost checks carefully in the bathroom mirror. "Going to t...
Oct 31, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 31
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 30, for Wednesday the 30th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: The Gauntlet "Don't put that on, love. Nana says it's cursed. Or bad luck, anyway." "Don't be such a fusspot! It's just an old glove." She pulled the tatty old leather over her fingers. Her hand shot to her throat, pinning her to the wall. I screamed, leaping to my feet and reaching ...
Oct 30, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 30
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 29, for Tuesday the 29th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Security, in a Tuxedo They roared into the city. Literally - the cheapest transport in from the airport was on lion-back. The bars were raucous. Sinuous snake dancers, monkeys pouring drinks with hands and feet, bunnies lounging lasciviously across laps. Bears kept the tourists under c...
Oct 29, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 29
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 28, for Monday the 28th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Breaking the Rainbow I remember him in kindergarten, throwing stones at the sky. Toddlers are all, at heart, destructive. But he asked strange questions when I taught weather systems in first-year science, and again when we covered refraction in GCSE physics. He was seventeen when I cau...
Oct 28, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 28
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 27, for Sunday the 27th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Flamingo Bread Whenever she talked about her childhood, Gran always mentioned flamingo bread, the best cake in the world. When she died, we found the recipe tucked away in her bookshelf. It had been a treat, when eggs were rationed; a wartime cake made with mayonnaise and baking soda an...
Oct 27, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 27
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 26, for Saturday the 26th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: The Handler I could hear the fighting from outside. It was one of the hard cases, a small one. It always is, all entitlement and "I shouldn't be in here" attitude. There were snarls and filthy language as I pulled him off a terrified sporty type. "Zip it," I snapped, flinging him out ...
Oct 26, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 26
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 25, for Friday the 25th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: 5 Phoenix Court As Mara leaves the station, she can smell smoke. She hears the sirens before she's halfway up the hill. She checks the little group huddled on the pavement. The Barries, the Patels. The old man from 2 is sitting on the wall, the new couple are holding their screaming bab...
Oct 25, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 25
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 24, for Thursday the 24th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Recognition My neighbour was always odd. Harmless, but odd; staring with a strange intensity whenever we crossed paths. Until he started screaming. Every night, for hours, his howls drilled into my skull. Then, suddenly, he was gone. Dead, I think. His flat was larger, so I gave notic...
Oct 24, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 24
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 23, for Wednesday the 23rd of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Unicorns When the barriers crumbled between our worlds, everyone went exploring. Especially the motorcyclists. On whining two-strokes and beefy Harleys, they tore through the winding roads of Fairyland. The King of the Fairies met the King of the Bikers at the Border, and begged him ...
Oct 23, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 23
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 22, for Tuesday the 22nd of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Yo Ho Ho The last visitor trudged reluctantly into the lashing rain, and Nigel rolled down the shutters. He rested his forehead against the window, enjoying the brief moments of peace. There was a crash from the main exhibition hall, then muffled swearing. He drew a deep breath. "It's ...
Oct 22, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 22
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 21, for Monday the 21st of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Great New Ones There'd been trouble at Mill 3 for weeks. Rumours, mutterings, machine operators thinking they could bargain with me for an extra penny or another break. I sent men to break up their meeting. They found the operators chanting, fleshy horror already half-materialised in th...
Oct 21, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 21
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 20, for Sunday the 20th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Afternoon Out "Oh my god, oh my god, Bob's gone!" "What?" "He's gone! Just like that! Gone! Oh my god!" Harry snapped his pincers frantically. "Calm down, calm down. He'll be back." "He's gone! He saw a bit of food, and then just... Gone! Whisked away!" "Stop panicking! This is always h...
Oct 20, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 20
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 19, for Saturday the 19th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Skirmish The war ended, and neither side truly won. The farmers brought in the harvest, and worshipped the Autumn God, just as they always had done. The colonists stayed. They settled in the rocky places, and thanked Arhayun for the good food they could buy. The farmers threw water on...
Oct 19, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 19
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 18, for Friday the 18th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Jump! "Jump!" She clambered onto the windowsill, her small fingers clutching the frame. When she looked down, she whimpered. "I don't want to, Billy." "Hold my hand. We'll jump together." Billy's strings trailed from his wooden arm. "It's so far down. I'll die." "You're going to jump, J...
Oct 18, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 18
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 17, for Thursday the 17th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Sudden Autumn Lily loved the oak tree in their new house's garden. After a day of customer complaints swamping her optical feeds, connecting with nature was so important. Stepping outside, she almost dropped her tea. The oak's branches were bare against the June sky, drifts of leaves ...
Oct 17, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 17
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 16, for Wednesday the 16th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Firedogs The feast-frenzied guests waited restlessly for the firedogs to dance against the midsummer sky. My lord, fury covering his fear, sent us to the cave. "Prick them out!" No red glow flickered, and I blundered in assuming it deserted. A hissing bulk loomed above me, then slump...
Oct 16, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 16
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 15, for Tuesday the 15th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story, which today contains a minor swear, is: Gunpowder and Wine My grandfather refused to go near the bar. "Too many damn idiots," he said, of the tourists who poured in. They bought overpriced jugs of gritty cocktails to toast the revolution 'in gunpowder and wine'. "Better off with beer," he grumbled. "...
Oct 15, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 15
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 14, for Monday the 14th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Like a Bear Good morning, welcome to Sicut Urso. You're right on time. You've been eating well, I take it? What's that? Pasta for every meal? Ideal, sir, glad to hear it. Ha ha, yes, I'm sure you enjoyed it. But you took plenty of lemon juice too? Great. Leave your things here, we'll ke...
Oct 14, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 14
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 13, for Sunday the 13th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Duty of Care Adam always wanted to be a doctor. He wanted to help anyone who was in trouble. His teachers laughed, given his grades and his slow reading. Then the apocalypse came, and suddenly careers didn't matter any more. Very few things mattered. "Get inside, love." Adam gave his da...
Oct 13, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 13
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 12, for Saturday the 12th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: We're Adults Now We were around ten, I guess. The summer was hot, bakingly hot, and no-one noticed us building a spaceship behind the greenhouse. We used old plywood, the gears from Emily's bike, and a car battery, and blasted off for the Moon. We were back in time for tea, of course....
Oct 12, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 11, for Friday the 11th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: These Bills Don't Pay Themselves Cursing people is easy. Anyone can do it. Removing curses, now. That's a skill. Learned it from my grandmother and I'm good at it. No-one who comes through that door and pays up leaves with any kind of curse on them. Those who won't pay, mind, that's ano...
Oct 11, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 10, for Thursday the 10th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Would You Like A Flake With That? The kids tumbled giddily from the car. "Let's get ice creams!" Dad bought 99s for the family, and they raced onto the beach. Elderly ladies strolled along the promenade, nibbling at melting vanilla. Teenagers dared each other into waves that washed of...
Oct 10, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 9, for Wednesday the 9th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Set Fair Ella turned her back. "I'm not a child any more. I'm not stupid!" Steve laid gentle hands on her six-year-old shoulders. "I know, love." He stared at the horizon. In the milky light from the silica skymesh, the podhouses soon shimmered into misty distance. "It's true, though."...
Oct 09, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 8, for Tuesday the 8th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Wrath "And Henry rode up with the head on his lance..." "Don't be stupid." "He did! Though he must have stopped at the ford to stick it there, just to show off. It'd be too heavy to ride far..." "He wouldn't even be able to pick the lance up." "Are you saying my brother didn't slay the d...
Oct 08, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction. Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 7, for Monday the 7th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt. Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Don't Let Go When Lily slipped, I caught her and we fell screaming together. Snow tore our faces until I slammed into rock, and she disappeared over the edge. Pain stretched the seconds, and spun the sky dark. I clung to my grip on her wrist, hers on mine. Eventually, help arrived. "Save ...
Oct 07, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 7
