Episode 439 - The Kill

In 2005, I took a school trip to England. I made a side jaunt to Nettlebed, where I had a pint at the White Hart in my grandfather's honor, and saw the marker for his unit near the Joyce Grove house. Sadly, the barn had been torn down at some point, so I wasn't able to retrieve the bowstave. I did, however, forget to pay my tab at the White Hart, and had to run back after seeing the marker and square up before my bus came. The barkeep laughed, and said they were two minutes away from calling the FBI to report a suspicious beer-stealing American.

Ethan Cordray

My grandfather stored it in the rafters in the barn behind the White Hart Hotel to dry and cure. Unfortunately, his unit was moved from Nettlebed shortly thereafter, and he forgot to retrieve it. He served through the entire African and European theaters, and never got to go back to England.

Ethan Cordray

On the estate, the groundskeeper showed my grandfather some yew hedges that they were preparing to remove, and he asked them if he could have a yew branch so that he could make an English-style longbow as a keepsake (being an avid hunter and outdoorsman, my grandfather was keen on archery). Peter and the groundskeeper found him a nice stout yew stave.

Ethan Cordray

My grandfather was a dentist, and quite socially outgoing. He struck up a friendship with the owner of the White Hart Hotel, who was a friend of the Flemings, and one night was called upon to perform a late-night emergency tooth extraction on a cousin of the Flemings. In gratitude, the cousin introduced him to the family, and Peter Fleming invited him to see their estate, Joyce Grove.

Ethan Cordray

I have a story about Peter Fleming and Nettlebed. It's a little long, so I'll break it up over several comments so Patreon hopefully doesn't eat it. But my grandfather met Peter Fleming in Nettlebed during World War 2. Peter was briefly at home in Nettlebed in 1942 before he went off to India, and at the same time my grandfather's unit, the 343 Army Corps of Engineers, was camped at Nettlebed.

Ethan Cordray

Whoa whoa whoa. “(Bleep) Joe”?!? I’ll take that as my Patreon shout-out.

Joe Webb

There wolves.

Ben Gilbert

Is a fun werewolf what I think it is?

Oops, Werewolves!

Just reading The King of Cats now and I’m hearing Tibault in Chad’s “I suppose it’s Poe-vember again” voice

Neil de Carteret

A couple of days ago I was on the way into work for the early shift, heading westbound on the A27 in Sussex, England. This episode started and as it got going, I looked up and hanging there just above the road right in front of me, bloated in the beginning of dawn, was the full moon. It was so brilliant, it lit the ground and sky up. Couldn't resist a howl to it. Very well timed to have listened that morning!

I like the structure and subtle ending. It reminds me of a Robert Bloch story I just read, "The Bogey Man will get you" - I don't know if that would ever meet your criteria for a good werewolf tale? It seemed more like a little comedic piece of his.

Hey guys. Just popping in to show support for Sheep Impact.

If you’re looking for more werewolf stories, try The Werewolf by Eugene Field: <a href="http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0605671.txt" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0605671.txt</a> If you think of it the right way, it could even (sort of) be said to involve the ghost of a werewolf!

So cool to talk about a Fleming on this show, even if it wasn't Ian. I can't help but think of Ian Fleming as being part of the same movement of thinkers as HPL, despite their differences in age and upbringing--that is to say, dainty white boys of privilege who were scared of girls and the end of colonialism.

Clint Page

I was expecting it to be Rolfe DeWolfe at the end.

Mallory O'Meara did a great job reading. Glad you guys had her on! This story had an extremely satisfying ending. It just goes to show that the introduction of a predator can restore balance to any ecosystem, even the British class system of the early 20th century.

I just always assume strangers are werewolves. Saves time.

I have to disagree that the No Smoking sign being printed on both sides is an inconsequential detail. I think is speaks volumes about the place, the people who run it, the absent people who frequent it, and the narrator. The moment the sign was commented on I was struck with the idea that some smoker, trapped in this boring environment, wanted to light up without going outside. So they turn the sign around to a blank side and partakes of his vice. Then somebody who works there walks in and says, “You can’t smoke in here. Didn’t you see the sign?” But of course the sign is turned around and the smoker would say, “Oh! How weird! It was like that when I came in here!” And perhaps that sort of thing happens several more times before the management gets a double-sided sign. Then the narrator arrives on the scene and tries the trick and is foiled. ...And that amused me.

Michelle Elbert

Have a question is Mark Twain’s story “The Mysterious Stranger” considered a weird tale?

Rick Hound

Totally agree with the quality and economy of writing on display here - a shame Fleming didn’t write more in the genre! I’d have liked to have read a sequel to this story, about what happens when the uncle figures out that this doesn’t need to be all bad news - “The Adventures of Lord Fleer and his Werewolf Hitman”. Refuse to sell me your field so that I can build a road straight down to the pub from my front door? You’re my heir! Cut up my Austin Twenty with your horse and cart? Now you’re my heir! Beat me at bridge?!? Who do you think you are?!? That’s right, you’re my new heir!

Recently I ditched my smart phone in favor of a flip phone. As I was clearing my iphone of all data I had real anxiety. Happily, after about a month in, I have returned to carrying a book with me at most times, and if I am bored in line a store, so be it. I had hoped I would be a stunning conversationalist, chatting freely with other customers, sadly that is not the case. Which is probably for the best, considering I can never be sure if a stranger is a werewolf.

Fleming's travel writing shows the same deft turn of phrase exhibited in this story. "Travels in Tartary" is a classic collection.

Especially when played by Jan-Michael Vincent.

An Heirwolf is the most dangerous kind of werewolf.

My thoughts exactly shoggoth. I was hoping ole long third finger told the prat as he was chowing down on him that nothing satisfies the hunger quite so well as a pretentious twit in a cold desolate train station. Cue Aerosmith Eat the Rich. Or maybe Tracy Chapman Talkin bout a Revolution would better fit the ambiance, great fine dining music.

Have you guys ever discussed Junji ito

Wait, you read a story by Ian Fleming’s brother called “The Kill” and neither of you cracks a joke about Duran Duran’s Classic James Bond theme song “View to a Kill”?! For shame! ;) <a href="https://youtu.be/rV4UqmbzIq4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/rV4UqmbzIq4</a>

Bret Kramer

The true horror is the slightly off center print in the train station. Anyone sitting there long enough goes mad and starts killing.

Wait, wait. This story is about LITERALLY eating the rich? You guys know my tastes so well! It...*sniff*...it just brings a tear to my eye...

Mandy Reznor (She_It)

Speaking of The Black Lagoon,the female star Julie Adams just pasted away and I enjoyed that Fyre Festival Documentary as well.That one on Hulu was better than that one on Netflix imo.