Escape Pod 109: Squonk the Apprentice
Show Notes
Referenced Sites:
EP070: Squonk the Dragon
“How to Talk to Girls at Parties” by Neil Gaiman
2007 Hugo Nominees
Squonk the Apprentice
by P. M. Butler
“What’s a ‘prentice?”
Without thinking, Wendel answered. “An apprentice is young person who wants to be a wizard, so they find an older wizard to teach them.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Wendel’s heart stopped and his eyes went wide. If he’d known a spell that could grab those words and stuff them back down his throat, he would have cast it.
Instead, those words scampered all the way across his bedroom, as words are inclined to do, and rushed into the ears of the dragon in the window. Wendel watched in horror as the words sunk into Squonk’s brain. Squonk’s eyes grew wide, his mouth dropped open, and before Wendel could think of anything to say–
“You can learn to be a wizard?! That’s awesome! I wanna be a wizard! Lemme be your ‘prentice!”
About the Author
Pete M. Butler
Pete M. Butler is a writer from Pittsburgh. He penned the popular Squonk stories that began on Escape Pod and found their way to PodCastle.
About the Narrators
Anna Eley
Anna Eley was the wife of Escape Pod founder, Serah Eley, and a popular recurring narrator.
Serah Eley
Serah Eley is the original producer, editor and host of Escape Pod. She mispronounced her name as Steve Eley at the time, but has since realized that life is much more fun as a woman, and came out as transgender in 2015. Serah lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her two spouses (she prefers “spice”), Sadi and Cat.
So if there were ever any betting pools on what happened to Steve: the dark-horse winner is “changed sex and joined a committed lesbian love triangle.” She is, obviously, still Having Fun.
