The Drabblecast ~ #218 "Orange" by Susan Forest

Art by Rodolfo Arrendondo

Pucker up boys and girls because this week Drabblecast features – “Orange” by, Susan Forest. This great tale, read by Norm Sherman and R.E. Chambliss, shares a similar them following last week’s story, “Followed” by, Will McIntosh. Both pointing out the negativity that our humanity can inhibit, “Orange”, goes a further by comparing our sapient race to parasites or fungus that eats our savory, juicy, and plump planet to destruction.

The story revolves around a series of events that take place during an apocalyptic time. Although it is never described what is happening to Earth, we get the sense of panic and urge to survive from the characters as they all find ways to leave by esape-pods. In between these little scenes of characters trying to escape the crumbling planet, the story breaks into a separate narrative of someone who takes stop motion images of oranges. Sounds weird at first, but as each little scene of the actual apocalypse happens, I got the sense that the stop image narrative was the real story. In the final image; the orange, starting of perfect in color and shape, is grey and blue, covered with a silvery sheen of fungus that has engulfed the entire fruit. As the photographer looks close they see tiny towers of black and blue, and notes how they send little puffs of silver dust out into the open space around it to spread the fungus.

It was in the description of that final image that I realized that as the fungus leaves for a new host, so do the humans in the story. Shot into open space to land where ever landing is possible and healthy habitat is available. I wouldn’t call it a twist, you can feel it heading this way through the story, but it’s a great way to reflect on the story on a whole and get a great point across. With every beginning there is an end my friends. What do you think? If you haven’t heard this episode yet, hit up Drabblecast on iTunes or where ever podcasts are available for download and give her a listen.

A few words about the episode and the Author of “Oranges”; Susan Forest is a member of the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers Association), and was awarded The Children’s Circle Choice Book award for her young adult novel, “The Dragon Prince”. Drabble this week of course by Chris Monroe, who one last year’s Best Drabble of the Year, on Drabblecast. Winner of this week’s twabble was J.R. Good stuff.