Season 3, Episode 27: Early Learning

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 31, season 3, for Saturday the thirty-first of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: You Didn't Get That From Amazonby Elizabeth GuiltFrank buttons his jacket, and looks in the mirror. Not bad, he thinks. Not bad. He doesn't go out much. He hates the way people stare. But on Hallowe'en? Well, that's different. He gives the bolt through his neck a final polish.Annabel totters in, and Frank smiles."Darling, you look fabulous."She giggles. "It's a big occasion. You know I like to get all undressed up."She's pulled off the huge hoodie she always wears. Her bones gleam in the candlelight.He puts his arm around her and they step into the night, to be adored everywhere they go.---Happy Hallowe'en, everyone! The 31st marks the end of this season of Drabbletober, though I'll be popping back for bonus episodes. Thanks for joining in again this year!---Take care, everyone, and I'll see you again sometime.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode31

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 30, season 3, for Fridaythe thirtieth of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Commutingby Elizabeth GuiltThe woman on the platform is arguing with someone who isn't there. "You forgot. Again."She's not wearing earbuds. She's young, smartly-dressed. Pretty. She jabs a manicured finger in the air."I am never - never - a priority."The steady stream of commuters pours past. No-one looks at her, shouting by herself.I get off the train, and sit on the bench beside her."No," she says. "No. It's not good enough. You're always late."Her eyes bore into mine. And I remember. I remember every single time I've let her down.A tear rolls down my face."I'm so sorry."------Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 31.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode30

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 29, season 3, for Thursdaythe twenty-ninth of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Defence of the Realmby Elizabeth GuiltWhen the demons arrived, Marshall was immensely surprised when the most senior civil servant simply rolled his eyes, and said "not again".Marshall was dispatched to an obscure corridor to consult an incredibly elderly librarian."Er, ma'am, do you know anything about, um, binding demons?""Oh yes, dear. Small splash of milk. Stops them feeling funny on your teeth.""Milk? Teeth?""Or maybe that was binding tannins. In tea, you know. It's been such a long time.""Mrs Barrington. We're in danger! Demons! Please try to concentrate."The notebook Marshall held began to smoulder."Don't you patronise me, young man."------Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 30.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode29

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 28, season 3, for Wednesdaythe twenty-eighth of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: The Trainingby Elizabeth GuiltYou roll over. "God, I feel awful."Surprise."I didn't even drink that much."You always say that.You rub your eyes. "I was chatting to your friend. Kerry?""Kira.""Kira. I had some wine. Then... Nothing."I'm so tired of having this conversation.Your face crumples. "I'm sorry," you whisper, as you shuffle away. You pause in the doorway. "When we went to bed... were you telling me the names of cities?""What?""Sorry."The moment you're out of sight, I reach behind the bed to tweak the device's settings.You should not remember anything. Especially not The Training. ------Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 29.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode28

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 27, season 3, for Tuesdaythe twenty-seventh of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Early Learningby Elizabeth GuiltI hated getting paired with Bella in gym. She flew up ropes and leapt, spinning, off boxes. She mocked my broken-down plimsolls and scruffy shorts. She sneered at my caution."You're too scared of everything. You don't even try."I couldn't. She cartwheeled along the beam; all I could see was how easy it would be to slip, to overbalance, to plummet face-first.The day she did slip, breaking her arm, the look on her face was surprise.And I finally understood the difference between us.All her life, whenever she'd fallen, there had always been someone to catch her.------Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 28.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode27

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 26, season 3, for Mondaythe twenty-sixth of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Hundreds Witness Touching Scene From 2031 Bestsellerby Elizabeth GuiltI didn't make a special journey. I mean, I kind of did, but I was near the area. I got there before dawn, not expecting the crowd. I guess other people loved the book, too. We nodded to each other sheepishly. Eventually, little conversations broke out. "This scene...""It's my favourite.""Ezra coming here every year, just for a glimpse..."The sky paled. We stared, eyes fixed on the window.We gasped.We all saw it - the flash of his face behind the glass.The Guardian reported that the author had paid an actor.No-one believed a word of it.------Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 27.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode26

Wikipedia link to Toynbee tiles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toynbee_tilesThis is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 25, season 3, for Sundaythe twenty-fifth of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: The Messageby Elizabeth GuiltI saw it and stopped dead.The square bricks, with their one-sentence message, were a common sight around town. People mostly ignored them. This one made me stare.It looked just like all the others. But I hadn't put it there.I abandoned my commute. I visited every one of my bricks. I declined calls from my boss. Every brick was in place. The new brick was just that.New.I examined its dimensions, checked every detail. Same message. Same script, same colour.And on the base, in tiny letters:You picked this up. Now I know who you are.---On a recent Wikipedia-rabbit-hole evening, I read about the Toynbee tiles: bright-coloured, cryptic tiles that have appeared in various US cities since the 80s. It's a cool mystery: I'll pop a link in the show notes.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toynbee_tiles---Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 26.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode25

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 24, season 3, for Saturdaythe twenty-fourth of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Former Wine Critics Are The Worstby Elizabeth Guilt"The carotid? Overrated. The radial is much more delicate on the palate...""Radial? Oh no. Too thin, packs no punch. The femoral's coppery overtones...""There are still people drinking venous, can you believe it? So hollow over the tongue..."Henrik rolled his eyes. When the teenager blundered over, Henrik deliberately sank his fangs into their jugular."Oh, how gauche.""This club used to be selective."Henrik wiped his face, and gave the kid a gentle push back towards the door. He glared at the lounging shadows."Gentlemen. Fate made us monsters. We can choose whether or not to be wankers."---Looking back at my notes, I don't think we've had a vampire drabble since 2023. This surprises me immensely. ---Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 25.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode24

This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 23, season 3, for Fridaythe twenty-third of October 2026, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.Your one-hundred word story for the day is: Wolfkinby Elizabeth GuiltBefore she sets out, Emma looks again at the photo. He's frozen at sixteen: long straggly hair, uneven beard. She's grown up, overtaken him. Now she's not fighting for attention from her beloved older brother, she can see how unhappy he looks."A loner", everyone said. Before he vanished, they'd called him worse.He'd told Emma what he had planned. But she was six and no-one listened. She hikes for hours, long past sunset. The howling makes her uneasy, but they lope straight past her.One wolf, shoulder to shoulder with his packmates, meets her eyes for a long moment.---When I talk about "my family", many of the people I include in that group are not actually related to me at all. Your family is the people you choose to be your family.---Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 24.http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode23

The ball sailed across the street, straight through Mrs. Winterbourne's window. The sound of falling glass lasted forever."Sam!""Shhh."Sam screwed his face up, hands clapped over his ears."Sam! We're so dead."He grinned. "We're fine.""We're not!" I pointed at the... unbroken window. "What?"Sam shrugged."Parallel words, innit? I just moved us one world over." He hooked the ball from under a car."But..." I looked around. "What about the other us? Where've they gone?""Don't care."I cared. How many parallel Sams also knew how to switch worlds? What trouble would they land us in?http://www.elizabethguilt.com/drabbletober/s3episode22