Wily Stories for Wily Readers – Fiction Podcast

Is he an angel or a demon? . . . or just another face in the crowd? The life of a washed-up minor league baseball player is about to change, after an encounter with a strange little boy. [15min] Excerpt: Two down, sacks loaded, three and one—I knew I had to throw a strike. I [...]

School’s out, eighth grade’s over, a time for celebration. But not for Ben, a simple boy who’s been left behind the last two years. [11min] Excerpt: Ben swung back and forth across the sand, his shoes gliding across the surface as he scrunched his eyes and stared at the top of the sun disappearing behind [...]

His home colony faltering under an inhuman attack, Gregor’s world is rocked by a greater threat when he visits “The Tunnel.” [6min] Excerpt: Gregor slipped through the gap in the fence and into the open space of the park. He dashed forward and dive-rolled behind a steel climbing frame, then sprang up into a crouch. [...]

A dark intersection, a brutal attack, and a moment of panic. They said he was lucky, but there are penalties worse than life in prison. [5min] Excerpt: They time-shared me to Chuckie Lee Wilson after he died. If you take a life, you give your life. That’s the law now. No excuses, no shades of [...]

Grand parents can seem very strange. They come from another time, after all. The scariest part about staying in my grandmother’s house was her dentures… or so I believed. [6min] Excerpt: Gram kept her teeth in a glass at the sink. The water inside the glass distorted them. I never could look at them directly. [...]

Lester’s state-of-the-art software gave him complete artistic control. He was just about to finish his first novel and become a best-selling author. Then, he got a call from the Publishers Bureau of Investigation. [7min] Excerpt: My implants were sizzling. I was on a roll. Words flashed through my mind. I watched as they transposed to [...]

A couple, grieving the loss of their son in Iraq, returns home to find their living room ransacked, and the police have no answers. (6min) Excerpt: It has been four years since their son vanished in a massive truck bomb explosion in Baghdad. Witnesses said he was standing right next to it when it went [...]

Aliens have invaded Earth, and my girlfriend might be breaking up with me. [27min] Excerpt: An hour after she leaves, I am climbing the walls. What do I do? Am I really supposed to look for jobs? Would anyone seriously consider a resume from someone who’s applying for jobs in the middle of an alien [...]

Alienation: looking around and wondering when the footsteps of humanity had cooled from the earth. [6 min] Excerpt: The sign in the window says: “Offering Jobs to Non-Humans Only.” Oh my God, I think as I trudge along the street, walking and walking to find an employer that will hire a human. It’s been three [...]

Possessed by a force he cannot resist, James takes a detour to save his soul. Unable to forgive himself for a past betrayal, he calls upon the one person that can explain why he deserves to be forgiven. [19min]