Something Authentic | Part 4

Something Authentic is Season 1 of Kid8 Podcast. You can listen to Something Authentic on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Something Authentic Episode 4 is also available for purchase as an NFT on OpenSea. You can also support Kid8 Podcast by making a donation here.

Read Part 3 of Something Authentic.

The old man with the gramophone. He’s still hopping from foot to foot. Can practically see his bladder distending his pants. At least, that’s what I hope it is. I’m just praying he doesn’t fuckin’ drop it on live TV. The ornate tin bell, tarnished, is a spiderweb of filigree. Barker sizes up the codger. Just as easy as the newspaper.

It works?, barker asks.

The producers scurry for a table and the codger sets it down. The brittle wood creaks like a coffin lid and the codger goes to work on the crank like an old well pump. And out comes something from the past, maybe Bessie Smith or Ma Rainey. It’s got dust and land and blood in its voice and it’s beautiful. I’m looking around and everyone just looks annoyed. Does anyone hear it? To think a slab of wax could hold all that pain in those grooves. It stones me but the little barker is unmoved.

A few thousand, he says. Great condition, I’ll give you that.

The codger looks mad enough to spit but he runs off set looking for a bathroom.

No more to go.

Thank you for reading Something Authentic, Part 4. If you enjoyed the story, you can support Kid8 Podcast by purchasing the NFT of Something Authentic Episode 4 on OpenSea, or by making a donation at venmo.com/kid8creative.

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Be sure to check out Episode 5 of Something Authentic, debuting June 29. You can learn more about Something Authentic here. You can also follow me on Instagram: @jhannan86 and @the_k1d_8

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