Pseudopod 98: Among the Moabites

By Michael Hartford

Read by KJ Johnson

The first time Wilson saw them was when he opened the medicine cabinet one groggy morning in search of aspirin and his toothbrush. Between the familiar can of shaving cream and the plastic tumbler that held his toothbrush, lying on his crushed and twisted tube of toothpaste as if it were a luxurious pillow, were two tiny people. They were no bigger than his thumb, and a little pinker, lounging in a tangle of spindly limbs. One of them lifted its head from the toothpaste and he slammed the door shut.



This week’s episode sponsored by Audible.com, who has extended their generous offer of a free audiobook download of your choice from their selection of over 40,000 titles.


 
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01
July 11th, 2008 7:00 am

[...] Among the Moabites is up now on Pseudopod; I haven’t heard it yet (we’re heading to Grand Marais this morning, so I probably won’t get a chance to listen until this evening), but I’m sure it’s done with the same panache they bring to all their stories. You can read the story at Cherry Bleeds, and find other things I’ve written if you’re so inclined. [...]

02

[...] of Pseudopod, The Sound of Horror, emerged from its glistening cocoon. Go, now, and listen to Among the Moabites by Michael Hartford, a tale of unexpected visitors and a little voyeurism. (Caution: Pseudopod is [...]

03
July 11th, 2008 8:52 pm

I murmured “Wow” when I finished reading this. This was an incredible story, and I hope you guys employ this writer more often. Fantastic!

10/10

I was hoping the little buggers would put up more of a fight!

04
BadMonkey
July 15th, 2008 4:05 pm

Not creepy until you get home, and its late and its dark, than you aren’t sure what you just saw out of the corner of your eye…

I’m going to get cat. ;)

05
July 20th, 2008 2:48 pm

Perfect. From the story to the length of the production to the reading of said material - Possibly my favorite Pseudopod so far. COMEUPPANCE RECEIVED!!

06
Spork
July 21st, 2008 8:20 am

Not horror in the least. It was an excellent podcastle story in the wrong feed once again.

Audio quality and reader quality were fantastic.

07
Alice
July 27th, 2008 7:38 pm

I loved this story, I was totally enthralled, but then… I thought the ending was a huge letdown.

I have no problem with ambiguous endings, but this one told us nothing at all… or at least, that’s how I saw it. Though maybe I missed something… they’re outside the house — is the implication that they can’t get back in? Though maybe that isn’t the point. Maybe the war isn’t a war of physical boundaries but a war of sexual hierarchy… I think I just answered my own question. It doesn’t matter whether they can get back into the house or not. Hm. What does everyone else think?

And I do think this is a horror story. Horror doesn’t have to be gory or immediately scary… For me it has more to do with making the familiar seem bizarre. And this story definitely did that. I definitely think it’s in the right feed.

08
August 2nd, 2008 6:58 pm

[...] audio fiction consumption, but I do manage to work a few in at work. Two of my recent favorites are “Among the Moabites” by Michael Hartford over at Pseudopod and “Witchcract in the Haren by Aliya Whiteley over at The Drabblecast, [...]

09
August 16th, 2008 9:34 pm

[...] Michael Hartford’s “Among the Moabites” an infestation of miniature homunculi causes a change in a lonely man’s life. His [...]

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