1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,810 Welcome to Meet as pod episode three. I'm your host D Mitas. 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,420 We're back with another fantastic tale for you this 3 00:00:06,420 --> 00:00:09,360 week. This is gonna be another one story episode and it's a 4 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,510 good one. Sybil was one of the first stories I received from 5 00:00:12,510 --> 00:00:15,630 the meatus pod Submissions page. It comes to us from Deborah 6 00:00:15,630 --> 00:00:18,990 Walker. Deborah Walker grew up in the most English town in the 7 00:00:18,990 --> 00:00:22,320 country. But she soon hightailed it down to London, where she now 8 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:26,160 lives with her partner Chris and her two young children. Find 9 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,860 Deborah in the British Museum trawling the past for future 10 00:00:28,860 --> 00:00:32,940 inspirations on her blog, which is linked in the show notes. Or 11 00:00:32,970 --> 00:00:39,330 you can follow her on Twitter at Debow re DVORE E. diverse 12 00:00:39,330 --> 00:00:42,840 stories have appeared and nature's futures Cosmos Bailey 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:47,730 science fiction, and the years best SF a teen narrating Sybil 14 00:00:47,730 --> 00:00:52,350 for us is Sam MC Lich. Sam is an aspiring voiceover actor and is 15 00:00:52,350 --> 00:00:55,140 incredibly excited to be featured on metus pod podcast. 16 00:00:55,740 --> 00:00:58,350 If you like her work, why not check out her SoundCloud page, 17 00:00:58,380 --> 00:01:01,950 which is linked in the show notes or not? She'd like you to 18 00:01:01,950 --> 00:01:06,510 know that choice is entirely up to you. No pressure. I think the 19 00:01:06,510 --> 00:01:09,510 story for the podcast is it brought up all sorts of great 20 00:01:09,510 --> 00:01:13,110 questions in my mind. But what I would do in this situation, how 21 00:01:13,110 --> 00:01:15,870 I would handle it. Would I even be doing what the characters 22 00:01:15,870 --> 00:01:19,440 doing? The story really stuck with me. I think that's what the 23 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,380 best sci fi and fantasy story should do. Should twist your 24 00:01:22,380 --> 00:01:26,010 mind. We'd love to hear what you think about all of our stories. 25 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,130 Stop by me despod.com sometime and check out the discussion 26 00:01:29,130 --> 00:01:32,820 forums. Without any further ado, here's our story. 27 00:01:36,180 --> 00:01:41,760 Sybil by Deborah Walker, the ghost of my future smells of 28 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,660 ash. I thought that you were going to stop smoking. I say 29 00:01:46,170 --> 00:01:49,800 it's been a tough year. She rummages inside her bag and 30 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,730 produces a packet of Marlboro lights. Life doesn't always go 31 00:01:53,730 --> 00:01:57,120 according to plan does it simple. She lights a cigarette 32 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:01,200 and blows the smoke towards me. Go smoke. A multiplication of 33 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:05,700 the insubstantial. I think I'll join you. I take a cigarette 34 00:02:05,700 --> 00:02:08,250 from my own pocket while taking a critical look at my future 35 00:02:08,250 --> 00:02:12,690 self. She looks much older than she looked a year ago. She's not 36 00:02:12,690 --> 00:02:15,720 doing herself any favors by not wearing makeup. Her hair looks 37 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,290 dry and brittle and the roots need doing. I see that you 38 00:02:19,290 --> 00:02:23,100 haven't lost any weight. she shrugs diet. It's a waste of 39 00:02:23,100 --> 00:02:28,560 time. I'm nearly 40 I am what I am. She's in one of those moods. 40 00:02:29,340 --> 00:02:35,610 So what's new? I ask? Not much. I say that's not very helpful. 41 00:02:35,790 --> 00:02:39,240 This right is not without sacrifice, you know? I point to 42 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,780 the iron knife balancing on top of the dish of blood water. 43 00:02:43,650 --> 00:02:47,190 Don't I know and she rolls up her sleeve and shows me her 44 00:02:47,190 --> 00:02:52,530 right arm. She is seven years older than me. Seven more scars. 45 00:02:53,220 --> 00:02:56,790 This is how it works. Once a year I can see seven years into 46 00:02:56,790 --> 00:03:02,520 the future. Shall we do the diary? I ask? Yes, that diary. 47 00:03:02,850 --> 00:03:06,330 She takes the leather diary out of her bag. I'd bought it in 48 00:03:06,330 --> 00:03:09,840 Venice on my honeymoon. I'm supposed to ride in it every 49 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,640 day. The Diary of my life. The ghost flicks through the pages. 50 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,490 The trouble with this diary is that it gets a little sketchy in 51 00:03:17,490 --> 00:03:21,960 places. You're drinking a lot at the moment, aren't you? I shrug. 52 00:03:22,530 --> 00:03:25,170 I like a glass of wine or two in the evening. It takes the edge 53 00:03:25,170 --> 00:03:29,370 off. But who is she to judge me? Shall we get on with the 54 00:03:29,370 --> 00:03:34,680 markets? Sure. My future self recites share prices while I 55 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:39,210 take notes. I play the market, although playing implies that I 56 00:03:39,210 --> 00:03:43,500 have possibility of losing. That's not the case. Not with 57 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:48,240 the information I'm receiving. I'm the ultimate insider dealer. 58 00:03:49,020 --> 00:03:52,170 When she's finished, she says All right, then I'll be off. 59 00:03:52,650 --> 00:03:57,600 Don't go yet. What is it? She asks impatiently. You don't look 60 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:02,190 great. Thanks a lot. I mean, what's happened to you in the 61 00:04:02,190 --> 00:04:06,330 last year? I feel sorry for her. But more importantly, I feel 62 00:04:06,330 --> 00:04:11,460 anxious. I need to know. It's best not to talk about personal 63 00:04:11,460 --> 00:04:17,580 stuff. Sippel. You know that? How's Alex? Are you sure you 64 00:04:17,580 --> 00:04:22,410 want to know? It is Alex, isn't it? What's happened? He's not 65 00:04:23,460 --> 00:04:30,270 dead, is he? She likes another cigarette. I do the same. Alex 66 00:04:30,270 --> 00:04:35,940 left me. But last year, you seem so happy ignorance is bliss. 67 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,590 He's been having an affair for the last three years. Alex gave 68 00:04:40,590 --> 00:04:48,360 him an ultimatum. And I lost out. Ellis my best friend Ellis. 69 00:04:49,110 --> 00:04:52,440 That's right. He's talking me through the courts now trying to 70 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:57,180 get his fair share, as he puts it. I don't believe it. Would I 71 00:04:57,180 --> 00:05:03,630 lie to you? Would I lie to myself? She looks at me. What 72 00:05:03,630 --> 00:05:06,780 are you going to do? Now that you know? I walk to the fridge 73 00:05:06,780 --> 00:05:10,590 and pour myself a glass of cold crisp Chardonnay? I drained the 74 00:05:10,590 --> 00:05:16,020 glass. She watches me with half smile. I refilled the glass. You 75 00:05:16,020 --> 00:05:20,850 shouldn't have told me. At least I gave you a warning. That's 76 00:05:20,850 --> 00:05:26,190 more than I got. She didn't tell you. Timelines are divergent. 77 00:05:26,220 --> 00:05:31,530 Each future me is slightly different. No, she didn't. But I 78 00:05:31,530 --> 00:05:36,240 thought you'd want to know. That's our trouble. We always 79 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:42,330 want to know. She blows a plume of go smoke towards me. You 80 00:05:42,330 --> 00:05:48,840 could divorce him. You had nine good years of marriage? No, I 81 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:54,600 didn't. For three of those years Alex was having an affair. She 82 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:59,190 lets her cigarette fall to the ground. What are you going to do 83 00:05:59,190 --> 00:06:04,410 Sybil? She has a hungry look on her face. She wants me to say 84 00:06:04,410 --> 00:06:08,190 that I'm going to divorce Alex before he had a chance to betray 85 00:06:08,190 --> 00:06:13,260 me. When did I get so bitter? I don't know what I'm going to do. 86 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:18,750 It's your decision. She says they won't change anything for 87 00:06:18,750 --> 00:06:22,770 me. I'll just carry on in this timeline where he betrayed me. 88 00:06:23,550 --> 00:06:29,010 You can't change the past only the future. And you I say are 89 00:06:29,010 --> 00:06:34,110 you going to look ahead this year? I always do, don't I? she 90 00:06:34,110 --> 00:06:40,410 rubs her arm. Find out how I can improve my perfect life. You 91 00:06:40,410 --> 00:06:43,620 don't need to you must have plenty of money stashed away. 92 00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:49,560 No. I don't need to look into the future. But then again, 93 00:06:49,740 --> 00:06:56,280 neither do you. It's a hard habit to break. She nods. I see 94 00:06:56,280 --> 00:07:00,570 the shadows in her eyes. I know the fear. The same fear that 95 00:07:00,570 --> 00:07:04,740 shrouds me every time I start the ritual. There will come a 96 00:07:04,740 --> 00:07:07,680 day when I reach into the future and my future self will be dead. 97 00:07:09,150 --> 00:07:14,160 What will I see on that night? Well, I see nothingness. Or 98 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:19,920 something worse. Something unbearably worse. I'm young. She 99 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:26,400 says I'm only 38 It will be okay to look. Yes. It'll be okay. 100 00:07:27,570 --> 00:07:32,790 Thanks for your help. It's nothing. Be well, Sybil. Be 101 00:07:32,790 --> 00:07:38,130 happy with a word I end the ritual. In my future self 102 00:07:38,220 --> 00:07:42,270 dissipates. I tidy up throwing the blood water down the sink 103 00:07:42,270 --> 00:07:46,680 and washing the bowl. Alex would be home soon. Could I change 104 00:07:46,710 --> 00:07:51,540 make our marriage stronger? Did I want to a key rattles in the 105 00:07:51,540 --> 00:07:58,380 lock Alex's home. What could I say to him? definition is a drug 106 00:07:59,340 --> 00:08:03,030 I reached for the packet of cigarettes. Tomorrow I'll quit 107 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,090 thanks for listening. If you'd like to help support me this pod 108 00:08:12,090 --> 00:08:14,580 and the production of these wonderful stories, you can visit 109 00:08:14,580 --> 00:08:18,990 me despod.com/donation For a myriad of donation options. Be 110 00:08:18,990 --> 00:08:22,170 sure and spread the word if you enjoy the show. Me this pod is 111 00:08:22,170 --> 00:08:24,660 produced under a Creative Commons Attribution non 112 00:08:24,660 --> 00:08:27,840 commercial no derivatives license. Share it all you want, 113 00:08:27,870 --> 00:08:31,200 but don't change it or sell it. We'll see you next time folks.