Escape Pod Flash: Chump Change
Published by worldsoftomorrow on 20 Apr 2009 at 10:46 am.
Discuss on the forums.
Filed under Flash, Podcasts, Uncategorized.
By Pete Butler Read by Jake Squid
It’s going to be the Three of Clubs.
I know this, as certainly as I know my own name. I’m less sure about some things than my fans would think. But sometimes, the swirling laws governing what may happen coalesce into what will happen with astonishing clarity. The sun will rise tomorrow, the Pirates will beat the Mets tonight, and as soon as I announce my “guess,” the Three of Clubs will appear on the monitor in front of me.
“Jack of Spades,” I proclaim, full of conviction.
The monitor flickers, and is suddenly filled by a pixilated version of the Three of Clubs.
Rated PG for…welll, you already know why, don’t you?
8 Comments to ‘Escape Pod Flash: Chump Change’:
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Jennifer on 21 Apr 2009 at 5:17 pm: 1
I actually liked this, and I generally don’t like the flash stories too much. Predictable, though. (I had to say that, didn’t I?)
Howie Feltersnatch on 21 Apr 2009 at 6:37 pm: 2
The story could actually have been cast as a Twitter update:
I used my psychic powers to amass a fortune in a showbiz career; now I’m torpedoing my career so I can go enjoy the cash.
Shorter, and much less boring. Dragging out a one-trick-pony story to seven minutes doesn’t really help things any.
Shig the Unmentionable on 22 Apr 2009 at 11:19 pm: 3
I loved it, personally. But then, I’ve been following the Randi/Gellar (or Brown, or Edward… pick your favorite) jousting for decades.
The question that ultimately made me give up believing in the possibility of psychic abilities is, if they’re real, why has nobody claimed Randi’s prize? The answer is only obvious if you also believe in globe-dominating conspiracies… which psychic powers would make possible, of course, but which still only works if those powers are vanishingly rare.
An excellent morsel, all told. I want to find out how the rest of the battle goes.
Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » Jake Squid Narrates an Escape Pod Episode on 23 Apr 2009 at 5:07 pm: 4
[...] very own commenter, the snarky and perspicacious Jake Squid, has narrated ‘Chump Change‘, a just-aired episode of Escape Pod. His reading is stellar, and if you listen to it, [...]
Podcasts on the iPhone, #1 of an Occasional Series. « The Unfocused Life on 23 Apr 2009 at 11:03 pm: 5
[...] Escape Pod Flash: “Chump Change,” by Pete Butler. [...]
scatterbrain on 26 Apr 2009 at 3:56 pm: 6
Meh.
MasterThief on 26 Apr 2009 at 8:49 pm: 7
OK story, but could have been much better if kept shorter and with a twistier ending.
Blaine Boy on 24 May 2009 at 3:40 am: 8
Does this mean that David Blaine is actually a special agent for the CIA and his usual missions involve him infiltrating a secret organization by fitting in a water filled bubble for however many hours?
the BLAINE Boy