Shownotes
After tonight's festival performance there’ll be feasting, wine...and Akkis will finally get his chance with the handsome polecat Leptos.
Today’s story is “The Mouse from Mykonos” by Huskyteer, a two times Cóyotl and Ursa Major Award winner and writer of short stories in and out of the furry fandom. “The Mouse from Mykonos” can be found in the Anthology “In the Light of the Dawn” from the Furry Historical Fiction Society. Follow @Huskyteer on Twitter or @huskyteer@dogbox.social on Mastodon for writing news and terrible puns.
Read by Dralen, the Dapper Dragonfox,
Ardy Hart, a wolf of all trades,
Leuna, your internet half-creature,
and by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/the-mouse-from-mykonos-by-huskyteer-read-khaki-and-friends
Transcripts
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.
Speaker:This is Rob MacWolf, your fellow traveler, and Today’s story is
Speaker:“The Mouse from Mykonos”
Speaker:by Huskyteer, a two times Cóyotl and Ursa Major Award winner
Speaker:and writer of short stories in and out of the furry fandom.
Speaker:“The Mouse from Mykonos” can be found
Speaker:in the Anthology “In the Light of the Dawn”
Speaker:from the Furry Historical Fiction Society.
Speaker:Follow @Huskyteer on Twitter
Speaker:or @huskyteer@dogbox.social on Mastodon
Speaker:for writing news and terrible puns.
Speaker:Read by Dralen, the Dapper Dragonfox,
Speaker:Ardy Hart, a wolf of all trades,
Speaker:Leuna, your internet half-creature,
Speaker:and by Khaki, your faithful fireside
Speaker:companion. Please enjoy
Speaker:“The Mouse from Mykonos”
Speaker:by Huskyteer “Friends!
Speaker:We present to you tonight a comedy,
Speaker:a story of young love,
Speaker:trickery and deception,
Speaker:heartbreak and suspense,
Speaker:to honour the goddess Aphrodite at her festival!
Speaker:Meet the strict father,
Speaker:his handsome son,
Speaker:the stranger from a faraway land who upsets
Speaker:their ordered household,
Speaker:and me, Philikon,
Speaker:the wily slave! Cry and laugh with us, at our tale of…The
Speaker:Mouse from Mykonos!”
Speaker:I bow, wave, and run from the stage into the wings.
Speaker:There I pull my mask off and
Speaker:pant. I’m not in the opening scene, so I get a chance to catch my breath
Speaker:and get my thoughts together.
Speaker:Tonight is the night.
Speaker:The festival, the play, and then drinking and dancing and celebration.
Speaker:My chance, my final chance,
Speaker:to make a move on Leptos,
Speaker:the marbled polecat who plays the son of the family.
Speaker:Who’s in love with a poor mouse,
Speaker:but his father disapproves.
Speaker:There’s disguise and misunderstanding
Speaker:and mistaken identity galore, so it’s lucky they have me to sort everything out
Speaker:and make sure everyone ends up
Speaker:with the right person.
Speaker:Comedy is complicated.
Speaker:Leptos is onstage now.
Speaker:He’s telling his father,
Speaker:played by Ptolemas the lion, that he’s going to marry his girlfriend
Speaker:whether or not she’s low-born and unworthy of their family.
Speaker:It’s not a huge role
Speaker:—Ptolemas and I carry the weight of the play
Speaker:—but Leptos fills it with
Speaker:passion. He’s deadly serious,
Speaker:and that makes it funnier for the audience, who laugh more the more he protests the depth of his love.
Speaker:I’ve heard his speech time and time again in rehearsal, but tonight
Speaker:it feels real. I imagine it’s about me.
Speaker:Right now, his beautiful dappled coat is rubbed with yellow powder
Speaker:and his fluffy tail,
Speaker:as long again as the lithe body,
Speaker:is bound except for a tuft at the tip,
Speaker:turning him from polecat
Speaker:to a young lion. At the party he will be himself again.
Speaker:“Akkis! Akkis? Hey, fox!”
Speaker:I forget, sometimes, that my name isn’t actually
Speaker:Philikon. “Ptolemas.” Lion mask over lion face,
Speaker:the features exaggerated,
Speaker:the mane a straggle of straw mixed with his own auburn locks.
Speaker:He’s hoarse and panting from roaring at his stage son.
Speaker:“Lot of energy out there,”
Speaker:he says. When he sits next to me,
Speaker:his body is hot from working hard, and his scent is strong.
Speaker:I cock an ear. There are chuckles from the audience,
Speaker:shouted advice and yells of disapproval.
Speaker:The serious worship is over and they’re out to have
Speaker:fun. That’s Big Ears, the Mouse from Mykonos himself, striding up the parodos.
Speaker:He’s actually a rat, but he plays the part well,
Speaker:exaggerating his small stature,
Speaker:his confident walk
Speaker:and his enormous lies.
Speaker:His ego is almost that big off-stage, too.
Speaker:I’ve been living and working with these people for weeks
Speaker:—years, in the case of Ptolemas;
Speaker:we’ve played opposite each other countless times
Speaker:—but I still get tangled in the threads of real names and character names,
Speaker:species and stage species.
Speaker:Leptos, though. Leptos is…Leptos.
Speaker:The Slender One.
Speaker:Slinky, spotted, moves like liquid.
Speaker:Ptolemas’s heavy paw lands on my shoulder.
Speaker:It’s my turn again.
Speaker:On my way to the stage I nod to the statue of Aphrodite,
Speaker:the deer goddess, and to smiling Thalia, the comic muse, whose hedgehog prickles remind us
Speaker:that comedy can be barbed.
Speaker:This is it: my one big scene with Leptos. *** SCENE: THE STREET PHILIKON: Young
Speaker:master, why do you growl like an angry dog, when you are a lion? THE SON: My
Speaker:mane is not yet grown and I cannot defeat my father. PHILIKON: The
Speaker:‘mane’ thing is, you’re still on your
Speaker:‘feat’! You are young.
Speaker:There will be other girls for you to love. THE SON: Not
Speaker:for me. I love this one, heart and soul. PHILIKON: And
Speaker:other parts as well, I’ll be bound. THE SON: I
Speaker:must look after her.
Speaker:After all, it is not her fault that I speared her with my dart. PHILIKON: You.
PHILIKON:You...did? THE SON: My aim was true.
PHILIKON:And now, she grows fairer each day. PHILIKON: She.
PHILIKON:She...does? [ASIDE] By the gods!
PHILIKON:I didn’t think he had it in him.
PHILIKON:And now she has it in her. THE SON: My
PHILIKON:love is great, Philikon,
PHILIKON:and growing greater.
PHILIKON:It waxes in secret, in the dark.
PHILIKON:It is become so large, I fear it will consume us both! PHILIKON: All
PHILIKON:right, my lord, that’s enough.
PHILIKON:If I wanted to see a picture like that, I’d go to the public toilets.
PHILIKON:But...YOU are a LION!
PHILIKON:And SHE...is a MOUSE! THE SON: Love
PHILIKON:knows no boundaries, Philikon.
PHILIKON:Perhaps it is the work of the gods. PHILIKON: Indeed.
PHILIKON:They do enjoy watching us for their sport,
PHILIKON:or so I’ve heard.
PHILIKON:PHILIKON looks out at the audience, suspiciously. THE SON: But
PHILIKON:the gods hold no sway over my father.
PHILIKON:And so I turn to you, Philikon, for help. PHILIKON: Young
PHILIKON:master, if I were a household god,
PHILIKON:would I spend so much time
PHILIKON:washing dishes and sweeping floors?
THE SON:O Philikon, please, I beseech you!
THE SON:In our home you are more powerful than Zeus the bull,
THE SON:wiser than Athene the owl,
THE SON:and know more about love than Eros the rabbit! Pause
THE SON:Philikon? Pause Philikon?
THE SON:You will speak with my father? PHILIKON: Er,
THE SON:yes, young master, of course!
THE SON:Go to your girl and bring her here.
THE SON:I will help you face your father.
THE SON:The old man never has been able to resist
THE SON:my tongue. THE SON: I...didn’t know that.
THE SON:I did not wish to know that.
THE SON:Thank you, Philikon!
THE SON:Always have you helped me,
THE SON:ever since I was a cub stealing honey cakes.
THE SON:You will be richly rewarded! PHILIKON: And
THE SON:now your goal
THE SON:is something even sweeter than a honey cake,
THE SON:and more forbidden.
THE SON:And probably just as bad for you. THE SON: I
THE SON:love her, Philikon.
THE SON:And nothing shall get in the way of our love! Exit. PHILIKON: Cubs!
THE SON:They fall in love as easily as they fall out of bed!
THE SON:But I can turn the old man around.
THE SON:I will receive my reward,
THE SON:and then I shall buy my freedom!
THE SON:Also wine. Lots of wine.
THE SON:Exit. *** “You were great,”
THE SON:I tell Leptos the second I get off the stage.
THE SON:His fur is bristling.
THE SON:“What made you dry up?”
THE SON:he snaps back at me,
THE SON:and I feel my tail lose its confident perk.
THE SON:He’s tense, I tell myself. We all are.
THE SON:Keyed up for the performance.
THE SON:“I was thinking of something else.”
THE SON:I grab the water jug
THE SON:and drink deeply to hide my hurt and embarrassment. “Well,
THE SON:don’t think! Keep your mind on the play. Stupid though it is.”
THE SON:Big Ears joins us.
THE SON:He’s the most recognised of the cast,
THE SON:with the longest history.
THE SON:It’s his name that’s pulled in tonight’s crowd.
THE SON:“You’d rather be doing the old stuff, is that it?
THE SON:All fart jokes and strap-on willies, and it ends with one of the gods swooping in from above to fix everything?
THE SON:Cheap laughs, Leptos.”
THE SON:“Says the man dressed as a girl.”
THE SON:In a long white dress,
THE SON:Big Ears is beautiful and
THE SON:perfect. You believe in him as a woman and as a mouse.
THE SON:He never hams it up with swaying feminine hips or
THE SON:little rodent twitches,
THE SON:because he knows the secret of comedy
THE SON:is to play it as seriously as tragedy,
THE SON:if not more so. “Don’t speak to your betrothed like that!” says Big Ears.
THE SON:He gives the polecat a peck on the cheek
THE SON:and I burn with envy.
THE SON:Leptos looks stunned,
THE SON:as if a chorus of frogs had started talking to him.
THE SON:That’s the thing about Big Ears:
THE SON:he can, and does, stay in character when he’s not performing, and it works for him.
THE SON:The rest of us don’t have the balls. Out there, Ptolemas is delivering his soliloquy.
THE SON:There’s a rumble of laughter from the audience;
THE SON:our play isn’t the kind of funny that has you holding your sides and howling, more a
THE SON:steady flow of chuckles and groans.
THE SON:Light stuff, after the blood-soaked tragedy the other company put on earlier.
THE SON:Get everyone in the mood for a celebration afterwards.
THE SON:Speaking of which…
THE SON:“Looking forward to the party?”
THE SON:I ask Leptos. “Oh yeah!”
THE SON:He gives a sinuous little wriggle of excitement.
THE SON:It’s adorable. “All those people wanting to touch an actor.
THE SON:And more, if you know what I mean.”
THE SON:Which isn’t quite the reaction I wanted.
THE SON:Big Ears flaps his paw to shush us.
THE SON:He’s waiting for his cue.
THE SON:Leptos shuffles closer to me and lowers his voice so the rat’s famous ears won’t pick it up.
THE SON:“Hey. At the party. Do you think you can grab a jug and a couple of wine cups,
THE SON:put them aside?” He’s mumbling into my ear,
THE SON:and I thrill at the intimacy of it.
THE SON:My tail starts to twitch,
THE SON:then swing from side to side, as he delivers his request.
THE SON:He wants me! He wants
THE SON:me! “Some bread and oil,
THE SON:and some of those little snacky things, olives and dates?”
THE SON:the polecat continues.
THE SON:“Of course, Leptos!”
THE SON:I say, too loudly,
THE SON:and clasp the marbled paw between my two.
THE SON:He springs away with a significant glance at Big Ears, who’s throwing on his costume for the next scene:
THE SON:when he goes to the father disguised as an old woman,
THE SON:pretending to be the Mouse’s mother
THE SON:to convince him she is of noble birth after all.
THE SON:There’s a burble of laughter from the audience
THE SON:—not the good kind, when a line comes off just right, but the
THE SON:other sort. Something’s gone wrong on the stage.
THE SON:*** SCENE: THE HOUSE PHILIKON: Did you call me, o master? THE FATHER: Er, no, I...er...About time!
THE SON:As you can see, the hem of my robe has become caught in the door. PHILIKON: [ASIDE] Silly old fool! He shouldn’t be allowed out by himself! [To
THE SON:THE FATHER, as he frees him]
THE SON:There we go! Naughty,
THE SON:naughty door! It shall be punished!
THE SON:PHILIKON kicks the door.
THE SON:The set wobbles. The actors watch it anxiously.
THE SON:THE MOUSE enters. THE MOUSE: Ah,
THE SON:most noble father of the house of Leon!
THE SON:I have come to...what is your slave doing here? THE FATHER: He
THE SON:was assisting me with an, er,
THE SON:intimate matter. THE MOUSE: I shall not enquire further. THE FATHER: He
THE SON:was just leaving,
THE SON:weren’t you, Philikon? PHILIKON: Of
THE SON:course, master.
THE SON:You’re welcome, by the way! Exit. THE MOUSE: Anyway.
THE SON:I have come to assure you that my daughter is a fine match for your son.
THE SON:As you can see, I am of noble birth,
THE SON:and most richly attired. THE FATHER: I
THE SON:do see. If I may say so, madam,
THE SON:your beauty exceeds that of your lovely offspring. THE MOUSE: You
THE SON:are too kind! THE FATHER: Could
THE SON:I tempt you to dine with me this evening?
THE SON:To discuss the future of our children,
THE SON:of course. THE MOUSE: Of course! THE FATHER: Then
THE SON:you will?
THE MOUSE:Oh! I meant...well, all right, you sweet thing! Tee-hee! Exit. THE FATHER: Goodbye!
THE MOUSE:Hurry back!
THE MOUSE:Philikon, Philikon! Philikon,
THE MOUSE:I have seen
THE MOUSE:a vision! Philikon enters. PHILIKON: Really,
THE MOUSE:master? [ASIDE] Is the old man losing it at last? THE FATHER: A
THE MOUSE:vision of loveliness.
THE MOUSE:Such a sweet creature,
THE MOUSE:a beauty. Her looks have only increased with her age. PHILIKON: [ASIDE]
THE MOUSE:Help! He thinks the lady is her own mother - well,
THE MOUSE:that was the plan.
THE MOUSE:But this was not part of the plan at all!
THE MOUSE:The old master and the young master are in love with the same woman. THE FATHER: We
THE MOUSE:shall meet tonight
THE MOUSE:to discuss our children! PHILIKON: Your...?
THE MOUSE:By the gods, he’s a fast worker!
THE MOUSE:First the son and now the father!
THE MOUSE:That’s not only forward,
THE MOUSE:it should be impossible!
THE MOUSE:The dirty beast! Whatever am I to do now?
THE MOUSE:THE SON enters. THE SON: Ah,
THE MOUSE:Father! So you have met my beloved’s noble mother!
THE MOUSE:Do you see now that we can be together? THE FATHER: Oh
THE MOUSE:yes! I can see the lady mouse is of the noblest stock! THE SON: So
THE MOUSE:do I have your blessing to marry her? THE FATHER: On
THE MOUSE:one condition. THE SON: Oh,
THE MOUSE:anything, darling Father whom I adore!
THE MOUSE:Just ask! THE FATHER: You won’t mind if I
THE MOUSE:marry her mother.
THE SON:...Not that. PHILIKON: If I might interrupt? THE SON: Please
THE SON:do. Please,
THE SON:please, please do! ***
THE SON:If you’re educated, you’ll know how the play ends.
THE SON:If you’re not, go see it!
THE SON:Suffice to say that good old cunning Philikon sorts
THE SON:it all out. Everything neatly wrapped up, with happy endings for all.
THE SON:Now to make that happen in real life.
THE SON:No comic misunderstandings.
THE SON:No cunning deceptions.
THE SON:No reversals.
THE SON:Just lovely, luscious Leptos for me. I change out of Philikon’s slave garb and brush my fur where it’s matted and clumped from the sweat of hard acting
THE SON:and all the running in and out of the last scene.
THE SON:When I pop my own clothes over my head it takes me a few minutes to adjust the folds
THE SON:—just because I’m hoping to have my tunic ripped carelessly off doesn’t mean I don’t want it to look nice
THE SON:—and by the time I’m ready,
THE SON:I can hear the party already in full swing.
THE SON:Some of the crowd don’t give me a second glance now I’ve changed my clothes. Some nudge
THE SON:each other and whisper and giggle.
THE SON:And some… “I thought you were really good.”
THE SON:The lynx leans in.
THE SON:“Really, really good.”
THE SON:“Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the play.”
THE SON:We manoeuvre. I want to get past, grab some food
THE SON:—I’m always too nervous to eat before a performance
THE SON:—and find Leptos,
THE SON:but the lynx sidles around so my back’s to the wall and I can’t escape.
THE SON:“Can you..." There’s wine on his breath and his paw finds my tunic,
THE SON:holding it where it opens over my chest.
THE SON:Like a supplicant making a request,
THE SON:but slipped a little.
THE SON:“Can you introduce me to Leptos?”
THE SON:he asks. No chance, mate. He’s mine, I think, even as I bristle over the fact
THE SON:that he’s using me
THE SON:to get to the bigger star.
THE SON:I didn’t want a fan.
THE SON:But I did. I glance over the crowd at hedgehog Thalia,
THE SON:up on her column.
THE SON:She’s smiling. Ha ha, comic muse.
THE SON:Very funny. “Sure.
THE SON:Find me later, okay? I have to go and do…actor
THE SON:things. Um. Exercises.
THE SON:For my muscles. After all the acting. You know.”
THE SON:And, just to make the lie more awkward,
THE SON:I flex my nonexistent
THE SON:biceps. The lynx nods understandingly and lets me go.
THE SON:He seems happy to have been trusted with this secret of the mysterious, magical thing
THE SON:that is theatre.
THE SON:Ptolemas, his leonine head towering above most of the revellers,
THE SON:is getting his share of attention.
THE SON:I can hear his rumbling laugh
THE SON:and I know he’s telling stories about the theatre life, although I can’t make out the words.
THE SON:He has fans who remember when he used to play romantic leads years ago,
THE SON:as well as admirers of his comedy chops.
THE SON:Me, I’ve gone from playing a young, skinny slave to playing a middle-aged, chunky slave.
THE SON:Big Ears is standing on a table,
THE SON:swaying like a dancer.
THE SON:Unmixed wine goes a long way with a little guy like a rat.
THE SON:He’s got hold of a loaf of bread and is holding it in front of his groin,
THE SON:waggling it about.
THE SON:As I watch, he lifts the back of his tunic and holds his nose.
THE SON:Looks like people do still appreciate willies and fart jokes after all.
THE SON:I’m scanning for Leptos
THE SON:and spot him watching Big Ears clown around.
THE SON:Fine, let him stay there while I prepare.
THE SON:I take figs, ripe and juicy and suggestive,
THE SON:and grapes, because you can pop grapes into another’s mouth.
THE SON:Olives because I know the polecat likes things
THE SON:salty. Honey because I want him to think I’m sweet.
THE SON:Ptolemas glances across at me and his ears raise in surprise.
THE SON:“Performance took a lot out of you, did it?”
THE SON:he rumbles. “Or are you bulking up for your next role?”
THE SON:“Just peckish,” I reply,
THE SON:tucking a loaf of bread under my arm.
THE SON:We’re not well-paid,
THE SON:and the feast is always a good way to catch up on a few meals.
THE SON:But this time I’m out for seduction,
THE SON:not a full belly.
THE SON:So I mix water with the wine before making off with the terracotta jug, because I don’t want us to get too hammered
THE SON:before the final performance of the evening.
THE SON:“Thanks for rescuing me in the mother scene,”
THE SON:he adds. “No problem.”
THE SON:It’s not like the lion to be fazed by a little thing like snagging his tunic,
THE SON:but improvising through these mishaps is part of acting.
THE SON:Keep going when it goes wrong,
THE SON:fool the audience into thinking it’s all part of the play.
THE SON:I choose a spot on the grass, below Thalia on her column,
THE SON:and lay everything out so it looks pretty.
THE SON:The wine jug, I notice, is decorated with satyrs engaging in some surprising and gymnastic,
THE SON:but definitely possible, acts of love.
THE SON:Maybe we’ll start at the spout side and work our way round to the
THE SON:handle… Later, later.
THE SON:For now, how should I arrange myself?
THE SON:Reclined full length on the grass? No, that’s too forward.
THE SON:Sitting pensively with my chin in my paw and my tail curled round my toes?
THE SON:Surprised mid-bite,
THE SON:a fig held before my lips?
THE SON:Leptos arrives while I’m still deciding on a pose, so I’m standing awkwardly among the good things.
THE SON:But I don’t mind. He’s here,
THE SON:slim body taut like a bowstring,
THE SON:tail free of its binding and
THE SON:gorgeously fluffy. “Ah, Akkis, thank you! You’re a star.”
THE SON:I grin. He’s my star.
THE SON:And soon we’ll be starring in our own private show.
THE SON:Like a true hero, I’ve overcome all obstacles to win my goal.
THE SON:The lynx sways up to us.
THE SON:No, no, no! “I thought you were really good,”
THE SON:he says to Leptos.
THE SON:Even though I’m thoroughly enraged he’s shown up to spoil the moment, I manage to find a little extra annoyance
THE SON:that he’s tried the same line on both of us.
THE SON:“This is a private party,” Leptos tells him.
THE SON:“Oh, I won’t bother you for long.
THE SON:I just wanted…” He sways towards the polecat. Leptos gives him a little push away. His splayed paw leans on the pillar to get his balance.
THE SON:It wobbles. We all look up
THE SON:as the head of Thalia,
THE SON:with its marble spines,
THE SON:teeters, rocks on its base with a scraping sound, and finally falls.
THE SON:It’s the god, my god, my Muse, swooping down from above to fix everything!
THE SON:I push Leptos out of the way, to the ground. Thalia shatters beside us.
THE SON:I’m straddling the polecat, who’s rubbing the back of his head where it hit the earth.
THE SON:“Are you all right?”
THE SON:I ask. Leptos lifts a paw…
THE SON:…and Big Ears takes it in both pink hands, shouldering me aside as if I don’t exist.
THE SON:Leptos smiles bravely up into rodent eyes that are round and soft with concern.
THE SON:Scattered around the rat are parcels of cheese and spiced meat
THE SON:he’s dropped in his worry. His contributions to the picnic Leptos had me prepare...
THE SON:prepare...for him and for Big Ears.
THE SON:I back away, brushing dirt from my tunic.
THE SON:From the deeps of my misery, I feel a heavy paw on my shoulder.
THE SON:It takes effort, but I drag my head up
THE SON:and look into Ptolemas’s golden eyes.
THE SON:“Let’s get you a drink,”
THE SON:he says, and he leads me through the excited crowd. *** PTOLEMAS: There
THE SON:it is. Love is for golden youth, not for grumpy old men and their cunning slaves.
THE SON:Not for the ugly ones. AKKIS: You’re
THE SON:not ug- PTOLEMAS: At least,
THE SON:that’s the way it is on stage.
THE SON:Boy falls in love with girl,
THE SON:never with boy. To think of sex when you’re old is
THE SON:dirty and contemptible. AKKIS: Don’t
THE SON:rub it in. Pause Oh, come on. That was a good line! PTOLEMAS: For
THE SON:a comedy. AKKIS: And what is this? PTOLEMAS: I
THE SON:don’t know. Not a tragedy, I hope.
THE SON:Or a satyr play. Perhaps it’s real life? AKKIS: It’ll
THE SON:never catch on. PTOLEMAS: On
THE SON:stage, love comes as swiftly as a lightning bolt, and stays forever.
THE SON:But off the stage,
THE SON:is it so smooth? AKKIS: Your speech is certainly smooth, friend. PTOLEMAS: I
THE SON:swear to Thalia,
THE SON:it is unrehearsed.
THE SON:And I know not if the audience I hope to please will laugh or cry. AKKIS: Or
THE SON:perhaps throw rotten fruit?
PTOLEMAS:Akkis, Akkis. What I’m trying to say -
PTOLEMAS:I know you’ve had your foxy eyes on Leptos ever since the cast for Mouse was picked. AKKIS: I... PTOLEMAS: Don’t
PTOLEMAS:try to deny it!
PTOLEMAS:I’ve acted with you for years
PTOLEMAS:and you never dry up on stage like that.
PTOLEMAS:Only love could be the cause. AKKIS: You
PTOLEMAS:dried too! Pause. Oh. PTOLEMAS: Yes. AKKIS: Me? PTOLEMAS: Yes. AKKIS: Love? PTOLEMAS: It doesn’t come so quickly in real life, does it?
PTOLEMAS:But maybe it can start with... AKKIS: ...a drink? PTOLEMAS: Play
PTOLEMAS:a slave and be treated as one.
PTOLEMAS:Play a lover and people think that you are loveable,
PTOLEMAS:and that they love you.
PTOLEMAS:I know because that was me,
PTOLEMAS:before I played grumpy old men.
PTOLEMAS:Then they realise it’s all masks and string wigs. AKKIS: And
PTOLEMAS:when the masks come off? PTOLEMAS: Let’s
PTOLEMAS:find out, shall we?
PTOLEMAS:This was “The Mouse from Mykonos”
PTOLEMAS:by Huskyteer, read for you by Dralen,
PTOLEMAS:the Dapper Dragonfox as Ptolemas,
PTOLEMAS:Ardy Hart, a wolf of all trades
PTOLEMAS:as Leptos, Leuna, your internet half-creature
PTOLEMAS:as Big Ears, Ta’kom Ironhoof as the starstruck lynx, and by Khaki,
PTOLEMAS:your faithful fireside companion
PTOLEMAS:as Akkis the narrator.
PTOLEMAS:You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
PTOLEMAS:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
PTOLEMAS:Thank you for listening
PTOLEMAS:to The Voice of Dog.