Episode 9
Forty Stories - "Toxic"
I'm doing a little survey to find out more about ALE listeners. There are just four tiny questions. It will only take a minute or two, and will help me a LOT! Please check it out. Thanks, Cooper
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Season 3 Episode 9Thank you for downloading this episode.
👉The story begins at 01:43 and the tiny lessons begin at 13:51
👉You can find the transcript after the Credits!
👉Visit our website to download the Podcast User's Manual and find out more! https://alittleenglish.com/
A Little English is written, produced, recorded, edited, mixed, mastered and scored by Edward Cooper Howland.
All stories are either in the public domain, or written by me.
Copyright 2024 Edward Cooper Howland
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TRANSCRIPT:
Hi. My name is Cooper, and this is…A Little English. Every episode, I read a short story. After the story, there are three tiny lessons.
Hey so, welcome back everyone. Sorry about the delay, but as you know, I’m in the middle of moving across the country and starting my dream job. So at least for the rest of April, you can expect a story every two weeks, not every week. I’d like to write more, but there’s just no time.
Also, this is the last story I will record in my studio in Hiroshima. Next weekend, everything will go in a moving van to Chiba, and I will start building my new studio. Very exciting. But also quite sad. I’ve been in this room for four or five years now, and I love it here.
Oh well, on to the story
The name of this story is, “Toxic”
“Okay, so, everyone, this is Paul. He’s going to be working part-time for us, mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself?”
Paul shifted his weight from foot to foot and coughed a little. He was not prepared for this.
“Uh, yeah. I’m Paul. I’m from Wellesley originally, and actually I grew up going to this shop. I just finished college in California, and now I’m back East. So, uh, I don’t know. I have a boyfriend who lives in the city? My favorite author is…Octavia Butler? I dunno. I’m really excited to be here.”
The staff gave a polite clap and welcomed him. He learned six or seven names and forgot them almost immediately. Finally the manager pointed to a young woman and said, “This is Amber. She’s gonna show you around.”
Amber nodded at Paul. “Come on then. Let’s get going.”
She led him around the store. “This is the kids’ section. Dr. Seuss, whatever. Just keep everything organized, maybe you’ll have to clean up some puke sometimes. Here’s fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction. You said you’ve been here before?”
“Yeah,” replied Paul. “I used to come here when I was a kid.”
“So did I,” said Amber. “I used to come with my mom. It hasn’t really changed that much. It even smells the same.” It smelled like paper and coffee. Like every bookstore smells.
Amber showed him around the different sections, and introduced him to the computer system. Then she said, “Let’s go down to the basement.”
She led him through a door marked “Staff” and down some stairs. There, surrounded by stacks of cardboard boxes full of books, she stopped him.
“Listen…Paul?”
“Yeah, Paul.”
“You have to be a little more careful in this place.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You can’t just tell everyone everything about yourself. They’ll use it against you. You have to be a little more secret at first. This whole place is a gossip nightmare. They’re gonna figure out who your boyfriend is. They’re gonna find out everything about you.”
“I mean, who’s ‘they?’”
“Just don’t give them any more personal information. Trust me. Now, here is where we keep stuff that we haven’t put on the shelves yet. So if I ask you to go get some book, it’ll be down here somewhere.”
————————
Two days later, Paul arrived at the bookstore early. The doors were still locked so he stood outside and leaned on the glass. The sun was hidden behind layers of gray spring clouds. A man approached, walking fast and smoking.
“Hey, dude. You’re Paul, right?”
“Yeah. Ben? I think we met on Tuesday.”
“Yeah, nice to see you.” They shook hands. Ben unlocked the door and they entered. They spent some time checking inventory and restocking the shelves.
“So where are you from, Paul?”
“Uh, from Wellesley.”
“Oh, so you’re a rich kid?”
“I mean, not like so much. Not compared to the other kids in school, maybe.”
“It’s ok, I don’t really care. I’m from Dover. We’re all rich kids here.”
“Oh, uh, ok.” Paul felt the sweat on his forehead.
“Oh, no. She got to you, didn’t she?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Amber. She told you that we’re all a bunch of gossips and you shouldn’t tell us anything. She said that, right?”
Paul said nothing.
“Listen, Paul. That girl is totally, completely crazy. She hates men. Hates them. She thinks all men are trying to destroy her. Don’t worry about anything she says. We have a good bunch of people working here. Except her. Now help me with these boxes.”
Paul said nothing, but he nodded and got to work.
—————————
“What did he say about me?”
They were in the staff room. Paul was just finishing his coffee when Amber approached him. He just stared at her.
“What did Ben say? Did he say that I hate men?”
Paul just stared at her.
“Did he say I’m a lesbian?”
“Uh. No.”
“You cannot trust Ben. He’s like one of those fake feminists. You know those guys who like to talk about how much they care about women’s rights? And how they love female politicians and whatever? But he’s lying. He just uses that stuff to get girls. It’s all a lie. He hates women.”
Paul just stared at her.
—————————
The next day, Paul walked out of the cafe across the street from the bookstore. It was still cold and windy, but the rain had stopped. Ben was standing in the middle of the street, holding his phone away from his face and screaming at it. Paul couldn’t understand anything Ben was saying, but he could see little bits of spit flying out of his mouth.
It was 2:54.
He had to be back at work in six minutes.
Ben was standing between him and the door.
Inside the shop, Paul could see Amber, staring out through the window.
She was with another girl, whose name Paul couldn’t remember. They were whispering, and pointing at Ben. Amber locked eyes with Paul through the glass. She pointed at Ben with one hand, and made a face that said, “I told you. Crazy.”
Paul stood there, hands in his coat pocket, shivering against the cold, for a full minute looking back and forth from Ben to Amber.
He thought back to his childhood, when he would beg his father every weekend to make the thirty-minute drive into Cambridge, to this bookstore. He remembered whole afternoons spent in the science fiction section, reading quietly. Safe, silent, and warm.
He looked at Ben, he looked at Amber.
He sighed, turned his coat collar up against the wind, and started walking. He kept going until he reached the T station, where a train stood, doors open, waiting for him. Paul swiped his card, got on the train and reached for his headphones.
OK, so I think you can guess why this story is called Toxic. It’s about a toxic workplace environment. Now I want to be very clear. The new job that I just started is definitely NOT a toxic workplace. It’s absolutely amazing. But I have worked in some toxic workplaces before. Have you? It really kind of kills your soul to work in those places, right? So I guess in a way, this story is kind of a fantasy for me. To just walk away from a workplace like that. It’s a dream. But most of us, we have to go back to work. We have to keep doing it. Oh well.
Let’s do some tiny lessons.
Everyone is talking about the big picture. Everyone.
So the question is, what makes this workplace toxic? There are a lot of potential answers, so go back and read or listen and think about it. I think the answer is just, the employees. The books and the shelves didn’t do anything wrong. But the people who work there….ooof.
How about a dance at the dictionary disco?
I’ve got two good vocab words for you today. The first one is..inventory. When your company sells stuff, they keep a bunch of it in the shop or somewhere, so they don’t run out. That’s your inventory.
The second word is actually a phrase. It’s “locked eyes” as in Amber locked eyes with Paul. You’ve definitely done this. It’s when you make eye contact with someone, but then don’t let it go. Like you are locked together.
And the Melody Moment? Is it lovely?
Let’s talk more about intonation. I like the way Paul introduces himself in this story. Even though he is making clear statements, like his own name or his favorite author, they all sound like questions. “My name is…Paul?” That’s rising intonation.
So what is he doing? He’s showing that he is nervous and uncomfortable. Probably he doesn’t even realize what he’s doing. But he is telling everyone that he does not want to do this, at all.
Let’s do the credits.
Thank you for listening to Season 3 Episode 9 of A Little English.
Until now, every episode was produced entirely by me, Edward Cooper Howland, here in Hiroshima, Japan. But not any more.
If you like the show, tell someone about it! A recommendation from a friend is the best way to get someone to listen, and I would really appreciate it.
This season, all the stories are written by…me! I use chatGPT by Openai.com as an editor because I can’t afford to hire a human. It’s an amazing, free piece of software, and you should check it out.
Again, thank you so much for listening.
For now, be kind to yourselves, and to each other.
Transcript
Hi. My name is Cooper, and this is…A Little English. Every episode, I read a short story. After the story, there are three tiny lessons.
Hey so, welcome back everyone. Sorry about the delay, but as you know, I’m in the middle of moving across the country and starting my dream job. So at least for the rest of April, you can expect a story every two weeks, not every week. I’d like to write more, but there’s just no time.
Also, this is the last story I will record in my studio in Hiroshima. Next weekend, everything will go in a moving van to Chiba, and I will start building my new studio. Very exciting. But also quite sad. I’ve been in this room for four or five years now, and I love it here.
Oh well, on to the story
The name of this story is, “Toxic”
“Okay, so, everyone, this is Paul. He’s going to be working part-time for us, mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself?”
Paul shifted his weight from foot to foot and coughed a little. He was not prepared for this.
“Uh, yeah. I’m Paul. I’m from Wellesley originally, and actually I grew up going to this shop. I just finished college in California, and now I’m back East. So, uh, I don’t know. I have a boyfriend who lives in the city? My favorite author is…Octavia Butler? I dunno. I’m really excited to be here.”
The staff gave a polite clap and welcomed him. He learned six or seven names and forgot them almost immediately. Finally the manager pointed to a young woman and said, “This is Amber. She’s gonna show you around.”
Amber nodded at Paul. “Come on then. Let’s get going.”
She led him around the store. “This is the kids’ section. Dr. Seuss, whatever. Just keep everything organized, maybe you’ll have to clean up some puke sometimes. Here’s fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction. You said you’ve been here before?”
“Yeah,” replied Paul. “I used to come here when I was a kid.”
“So did I,” said Amber. “I used to come with my mom. It hasn’t really changed that much. It even smells the same.” It smelled like paper and coffee. Like every bookstore smells.
Amber showed him around the different sections, and introduced him to the computer system. Then she said, “Let’s go down to the basement.”
She led him through a door marked “Staff” and down some stairs. There, surrounded by stacks of cardboard boxes full of books, she stopped him.
“Listen…Paul?”
“Yeah, Paul.”
“You have to be a little more careful in this place.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You can’t just tell everyone everything about yourself. They’ll use it against you. You have to be a little more secret at first. This whole place is a gossip nightmare. They’re gonna figure out who your boyfriend is. They’re gonna find out everything about you.”
“I mean, who’s ‘they?’”
“Just don’t give them any more personal information. Trust me. Now, here is where we keep stuff that we haven’t put on the shelves yet. So if I ask you to go get some book, it’ll be down here somewhere.”
————————
Two days later, Paul arrived at the bookstore early. The doors were still locked so he stood outside and leaned on the glass. The sun was hidden behind layers of gray spring clouds. A man approached, walking fast and smoking.
“Hey, dude. You’re Paul, right?”
“Yeah. Ben? I think we met on Tuesday.”
“Yeah, nice to see you.” They shook hands. Ben unlocked the door and they entered. They spent some time checking inventory and restocking the shelves.
“So where are you from, Paul?”
“Uh, from Wellesley.”
“Oh, so you’re a rich kid?”
“I mean, not like so much. Not compared to the other kids in school, maybe.”
“It’s ok, I don’t really care. I’m from Dover. We’re all rich kids here.”
“Oh, uh, ok.” Paul felt the sweat on his forehead.
“Oh, no. She got to you, didn’t she?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Amber. She told you that we’re all a bunch of gossips and you shouldn’t tell us anything. She said that, right?”
Paul said nothing.
“Listen, Paul. That girl is totally, completely crazy. She hates men. Hates them. She thinks all men are trying to destroy her. Don’t worry about anything she says. We have a good bunch of people working here. Except her. Now help me with these boxes.”
Paul said nothing, but he nodded and got to work.
—————————
“What did he say about me?”
They were in the staff room. Paul was just finishing his coffee when Amber approached him. He just stared at her.
“What did Ben say? Did he say that I hate men?”
Paul just stared at her.
“Did he say I’m a lesbian?”
“Uh. No.”
“You cannot trust Ben. He’s like one of those fake feminists. You know those guys who like to talk about how much they care about women’s rights? And how they love female politicians and whatever? But he’s lying. He just uses that stuff to get girls. It’s all a lie. He hates women.”
Paul just stared at her.
—————————
The next day, Paul walked out of the cafe across the street from the bookstore. It was still cold and windy, but the rain had stopped. Ben was standing in the middle of the street, holding his phone away from his face and screaming at it. Paul couldn’t understand anything Ben was saying, but he could see little bits of spit flying out of his mouth.
It was 2:54.
He had to be back at work in six minutes.
Ben was standing between him and the door.
Inside the shop, Paul could see Amber, staring out through the window.
She was with another girl, whose name Paul couldn’t remember. They were whispering, and pointing at Ben. Amber locked eyes with Paul through the glass. She pointed at Ben with one hand, and made a face that said, “I told you. Crazy.”
Paul stood there, hands in his coat pocket, shivering against the cold, for a full minute looking back and forth from Ben to Amber.
He thought back to his childhood, when he would beg his father every weekend to make the thirty-minute drive into Cambridge, to this bookstore. He remembered whole afternoons spent in the science fiction section, reading quietly. Safe, silent, and warm.
He looked at Ben, he looked at Amber.
He sighed, turned his coat collar up against the wind, and started walking. He kept going until he reached the T station, where a train stood, doors open, waiting for him. Paul swiped his card, got on the train and reached for his headphones.
OK, so I think you can guess why this story is called Toxic. It’s about a toxic workplace environment. Now I want to be very clear. The new job that I just started is definitely NOT a toxic workplace. It’s absolutely amazing. But I have worked in some toxic workplaces before. Have you? It really kind of kills your soul to work in those places, right? So I guess in a way, this story is kind of a fantasy for me. To just walk away from a workplace like that. It’s a dream. But most of us, we have to go back to work. We have to keep doing it. Oh well.
Let’s do some tiny lessons.
Everyone is talking about the big picture. Everyone.
So the question is, what makes this workplace toxic? There are a lot of potential answers, so go back and read or listen and think about it. I think the answer is just, the employees. The books and the shelves didn’t do anything wrong. But the people who work there….ooof.
How about a dance at the dictionary disco?
I’ve got two good vocab words for you today. The first one is..inventory. When your company sells stuff, they keep a bunch of it in the shop or somewhere, so they don’t run out. That’s your inventory.
The second word is actually a phrase. It’s “locked eyes” as in Amber locked eyes with Paul. You’ve definitely done this. It’s when you make eye contact with someone, but then don’t let it go. Like you are locked together.
And the Melody Moment? Is it lovely?
Let’s talk more about intonation. I like the way Paul introduces himself in this story. Even though he is making clear statements, like his own name or his favorite author, they all sound like questions. “My name is…Paul?” That’s rising intonation.
So what is he doing? He’s showing that he is nervous and uncomfortable. Probably he doesn’t even realize what he’s doing. But he is telling everyone that he does not want to do this, at all.
Let’s do the credits.
Thank you for listening to Season 3 Episode 9 of A Little English.
Until now, every episode was produced entirely by me, Edward Cooper Howland, here in Hiroshima, Japan. But not any more.
If you like the show, tell someone about it! A recommendation from a friend is the best way to get someone to listen, and I would really appreciate it.
This season, all the stories are written by…me! I use chatGPT by Openai.com as an editor because I can’t afford to hire a human. It’s an amazing, free piece of software, and you should check it out.
Again, thank you so much for listening.
For now, be kind to yourselves, and to each other.
