And Then There Was Janie

And Then There Was Janie

From After the Apocalypse by Christopher Russell

December 27, 2025 · 29 min · Season 6 · Episode 9

About this episode

The episode features a story read by Austin Baker, exploring themes of health, wealth, and rural life in southern Iowa.

Patrick's Contest Story - Read by Austin Baker And Then There Was Janie The sun was quickly disappearing behind me as I stood in front of my cabin in southern Iowa, watching as a brand new, silver ‘65 Cadillac rocketed down the long dirt driveway, spreading a fine layer of dust on the prematurely rotting pumpkin patches on both sides. The car eventually slid to a stop a stone's throw from my front porch, and out of it stepped a smartly dressed man in his late 40's. Lean and tan, with close cropped salt-and-pepper hair, he was the picture of health and vibrance that often goes hand in hand with wealth. It was in stark contrast to myself, despite being five years his junior. I was too thin. Malnourished, maybe. Anemic, for sure, and the limp I had moved with for most of my life had only gotten worse as hard work on the farm had begun to take its toll on my body. How old was I now? Forty-five? Six, maybe? It may as well have been a hundred. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Christopher Russell

Guest: Austin Baker

Topics covered

  • fiction
  • narrative
  • character study
  • rural life
  • wealth disparity

Keywords

  • fiction
  • storytelling
  • narrative
  • character
  • Iowa
  • Cadillac
  • wealth
  • health

Mentioned in this episode

Products: ‘65 Cadillac

Places: southern Iowa

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