PodCastle 169: The Duke of Vertumn’s Fingerling
Show Notes
Rated R: Contains some violence.
The Duke of Vertumn’s Fingerling
by Elizabeth Carroll
After I opened my eyes they dressed me in silk. A bone-white gown slipped over my head and I raised my arms for it like a child. With my hair undone, I must have looked like a bride. I was nothing of the kind.
My gown hung on me like a sugar bag. I stood in scraps and patches of fabric. I bound ribbon around my waist, and crossed it over and over between breast and hip. I would be presentable if nothing else.
I was barely minutes old.
About the Author
Elizabeth Carroll
Elizabeth Carroll is a graduate of Clarion South 2009. She lives in Tasmania, Australia with her husband and the Gerontocracy: two tabby cats of advancing years. She wrote the first draft of “The Duke of Vertumn’s Fingerling” during week 5 of Clarion, after a dream where she was six inches tall and two giant Clarion classmates were discussing her fate. This is her first international publication. For more about the author, see her website.
About the Narrator
Tina Connolly
Tina Connolly’s books include the Ironskin and Seriously Wicked series, and the collection On the Eyeball Floor. She has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Norton, and World Fantasy awards. She co-hosts Escape Pod, runs Toasted Cake, and is at tinaconnolly.com.
