The Drabblecast Audio Fiction Podcast · Norm Sherman

Trunk to Trunk

·20 min·2 clips

Norm Sherman welcomes listeners to a strange story about how animals got their features, blending science and fantasy.

This episode features the audio fiction story "Trunk to Trunk" by Portia B. Urie, presented by host Norm Sherman. The Drabblecast specializes in strange speculative fiction for a dedicated audience. Host Norm Sherman introduces the story by comparing it to Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories," a series of fanciful animal origin tales. The narrative explores evolutionary developmental biology through a fictional lens, blending scientific concepts with imaginative storytelling. It specifically examines the deals and negotiations between different animal species that lead to profound body modifications. The story aims to account for how animals acquire features like spots, stripes, humps, and specialized trunks. Sherman references Kipling's original tales, such as how the tiger got its stripes and the camel got its hump. He humorously adds a fictional example of how the "telephant got its chainsaw trunk" by killing a giant crab. The framing suggests the story involves unexpected interactions and agreements within the animal kingdom. The comparison to bedtime stories highlights the narrative's potential for vivid description and playful authenticity. The concept treats evolutionary changes as outcomes of dramatic altercations or verbal agreements. Sherman notes Kipling's stories began as tales for his daughter Effie, who demanded they be told "just so." This establishes a tone where fantastical explanations carry their own internal logic and vigor. The host's aside that such strict storytelling might have just helped Effie fall asleep faster adds a layer of wry humor. The episode's tone is conversational, humorous, and warmly enthusiastic about speculative fiction. Its style blends literary analysis with casual, irreverent commentary on storytelling traditions. Listeners who enjoy whimsical, origin-story fiction akin to Kipling's work would love this episode. Those preferring strictly realistic or non-narrative podcast content might choose to skip it.

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