Bonus Christmas Flash 2013 – Helpers
Helpers
by David Steffen
The boy crept out of the front door, distant streetlamps bouncing dim reflections off his smooth cheeks, breath misting in the chill air. Pete couldn’t help but smile. The boy was just the right size, old enough to have grown some real muscle but still well short of being a man. He was downright plump compared to the half-starved urchins Pete was used to. Strange for a boy with a family to be out at this time. Hadn’t his parents told him the night was populated by thieves and killers? Their loss.
“Ripe for the plucking, yes,” Pete whispered. “How tough, strong, how healthy.”
About the Author
David Steffen
David Steffen writes video processing algorithms for traffic control systems by day, and writes fiction at other times. He lives with his wife and three dogs in Minnesota.
He is the co-founder of the Submission Grinder, and co-edits the non-fiction zine Diabolical Plots. His fiction has been published in many great venues including Escape Pod, Daily Science Fiction, Bull Spec, AE, and Pseudopod, as well as Tina Connolly’s Toasted Cake podcast.
David has been running periodic “Best Of” podcast fiction lists for many years.
- Diabolical Plots Best of
- The Best Podcast Fiction of 2014 for SF Signal
- a mega-list of The Best Podcast Fiction of All Time, also for SF Signal
He has also created the Long List Anthology, which is a self-publishing anthology project collecting stories from the longer Hugo Award nomination list. (Info and vendors here.) Among other points of interest, it includes several stories that have been previously published in Escape Artists casts: “Makeisha in Time“, “The Truth About Owls“, “When It Ends, He Catches Her”
David has been a dedicated listener to all the Escape Artists podcasts for years, and you can find him on the forum as “Unblinking”.
About the Narrator
Rikki LaCoste
Rikki LaCoste wears a variety of hats, caps, berets, and on occasion, a bonnet or sombrero. He’s narrated for Pseudopod and Starship Sofa as well as Cast of Wonders. (more…)
