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Pseudopod - "Helpers​,​" by David Steffen | NARRATION & PRODUCTION by Rikki LaCoste

from Narration, Voice Acting, and Audio Production by Rikki and Isis LaCoste for Various Audio Short Fiction Magazines, Storytellers, and Podcasts

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Helpers
by David Steffen

“Helpers” was first published in One Buck Horror Volume 3 – you can order it here:
www.onebuckhorror.com/issues/volume-three


About the Author:
DAVID STEFFEN lives in Minnesota with his wife, kid, and dogs, where he writes computer vision software. Dozens of his stories have been published at venues like Escape Pod, Drabblecast, and Daily Science Fiction. He is the founder of Diabolical Plots, and he is the co-founder of the Submissions Grinder an always-free fiction market listing site.
www.diabolicalplots.com
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com

This narration appears on the Pseudopod Christmas 2013 Bonus Flash episode. The audio was narrated and produced by Rikki LaCoste.

We highly recommend that you listen to the entire episode. It is the 23rd Bonus Flash episode.


If you enjoyed the episode, check out other episodes for tons more horror stories, and please donate.

Pseudopod Website
pseudopod.org

Pseudopod Christmas 2013 Bonus Flash Page
pseudopod.org/2013/12/24/bonus-christmas-flash-2013-helpers/

Pseudopod Christmas 2013 Bonus Flash Audio
media.libsyn.com/media/pseudopod/PseudoFlash023_Helpers.mp3

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Summary:

Children shouldn't walk alone at night, not when Pete's around. But not all is what it seems. Pete has a job to do, and in "Helpers" by David Steffen, some jobs require a little assistance.

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from Narration, Voice Acting, and Audio Production, track released December 24, 2013
Audio Narrated and Produced by Rikki LaCoste

Comments:
forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=7748.0

The image selected as a summary representation of this story is "Krampus," by Brom. This particular fantastic artist is also an author, and wrote and illustrated his book "Krampus, the Yule Lord." Please see Brom's gallery and visit his website at www.bromart.com, where the above illustration of Krampus can be seen in full and in high quality, as well as a number of other masterpieces of his artwork.


Important note on the illustration chosen:

Throughout the years and various nations, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, Pere Noel, or Father Christmas, etc, has had in his employ a few different descriptions of his personal "helper" - or more accurately, his goon. The character in this story is named Pete. This is a direct allusion to Black Peter or Swarte Piet, a Scandinavian traditional sidekick to Sinterklaas (who instead of riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer, rides on a white horse). However, there are many different descriptions of Santa's helper.

Pete is traditionally depicted as African or Moorish in origin. But Belsnickel was a fur clad man who wore a mask with a long tongue; Le Pere Foutard is a dirty, bearded man with a stick in one hand and a moth eaten sack in the other, suspiciously large enough to stuff some children into; Knecht Rupecht, whose name means Servant Rupert, and whose name Rupert in Germany was the common name for the devil, was traditionally depicted with horns and a long tongue; and the most terrifying minion tradition was Krampus, originally from the Alps. This guy was a full blown evil demon who embodied every minion aspect just mentioned, and more. Horns, cloven hooved, switch in one hand, chains in the other, and a large sack or wicker basket over his shoulders to take children who were naughty during the year. He was literally the Christmas Boogey-man that parents would warn their children about: Be good this year and Santa will bring you gifts. Be bad this year, and - never mind coal and garbage in your stocking - Krampus might come and take you away in the middle of the night to be eaten, and your bones thrown into the river.

All these characters from old European Christmas and Yuletide are obviously related. During one interview, during my Kakophonos podcast era that I had with a pioneering local Norseman named Austin Lawrence, I was educated that the Yuletide is just as morbidly fearful as it is overwhelmingly joyful: that it is somewhat related to the terror embodied in what North Americans celebrate as Halloween today.

You can see how Santa's various minions evolved into elves, perhaps, in the North American tradition of the toning down of the more nightmare inducing proper behavioural moral tales.

Disney is a prime example of this: taking a violently ending moral folk tale by the Brothers Grimm, for children to ponder - and turning it into a delightful alternately moral tale of some other invention.

David Steffen, in his story "Helpers," explores this utterly anti-Santa minion. As they all are. Utterly the evil counterpart to Santa, yet performing a vital function to his benevolent work.

I present here an exploration of mine into the origins of Christmas, Yuletide, Santa's Helpers, and other ditties, from my 2010 Christmas episode of Kakophonos. Enjoy:
panthea.bandcamp.com/track/yule-santa-and-his-goons-by-rikki-lacoste

And for a Kakophonos laugh, here is a Vril Stein Brue commercial, featuring Sinterklaas and Krampus:
panthea.bandcamp.com/track/vril-stein-br-e-sinterklaas-und-krampus-by-rikki-lacoste

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