The Short Snorter by Charles Einstein Episode #196
Charles Einstein | March 17, 2024-
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The Short Snorter by Charles Einstein Episode #196
Charles Einstein
THE SHORT SNORTER
Episode #196 · Written by Charles Einstein · Narrated by Scott Miller
Three wooded paths leave a quiet resort hotel, and one of them leads to a clearing that shouldn’t exist. In the sunlight sits a bright red craft that looks exactly like the thing people claim to see in the sky—except this one isn’t distant or blurry. It’s parked, silent, and apparently waiting.
The real surprise, however, isn’t the machine. It’s the man who pilots it. He isn’t glowing. He doesn’t speak in riddles. He’s in the lounge working a crossword puzzle and answering questions with calm politeness. When he produces currency from his home planet, the moment shifts from wonder to something more personal. Curiosity becomes negotiation. Doubt becomes a test. And suddenly the question isn’t whether he’s from Venus—it’s whether you’re willing to put your own money on the table.
The Short Snorter unfolds with dry humor and increasing discomfort. No alarms sound. No officials storm the grounds. Instead, a simple exchange of signed bills exposes something far more revealing than alien technology. What begins as a novelty becomes a transaction that cannot quite be undone. The tension lingers long after the handshake, resting on one quiet uncertainty: who, exactly, made the better deal?
Einstein’s storytelling keeps the tone light while tightening the pressure beneath it. The dialogue feels natural, almost casual, which makes the implications sharper. The visitor may claim he is enjoying a vacation, but every conversation leaves someone else paying the price. It is a story that trusts the audience to notice the small details and to feel the weight of a decision that seemed harmless at the time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles Einstein (1926–2007) was an American novelist, journalist, and screenwriter whose work ranged from crime fiction to social satire. He authored more than twenty novels, including The Bloody Spur, The Only Witness, and The Day of the Gun, several of which were adapted for film and television. Einstein wrote for major publications and brought a reporter’s ear for dialogue into his fiction. Though primarily associated with crime and suspense, his shorter speculative pieces reveal the same precision and dry wit. In The Short Snorter, Einstein applies his talent for understated tension to a science fiction premise, turning a close encounter into a quietly cutting examination of belief and exchange.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to The Short Snorter by Charles Einstein — a vintage science fiction short story where a Venusian visitor trades currency—and doubt—for twenty dollars.
LOST VOICES OF VINTAGE SCI-FI
Not every science fiction writer built a long career in the field or became a widely recognized name. Some published only a handful of stories before disappearing from the magazines, leaving behind little biographical record and few surviving details. Others may be remembered for work in different genres, while their contribution to science fiction was brief.
Yet these writers helped shape the texture of the pulp era and beyond. Their stories experimented with bold ideas, filled the pages between the famous names, and added depth to the ever-expanding landscape of vintage science fiction.
The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast exists in part to rediscover these voices. The stories below were written by authors who published briefly, sparingly, or whose science fiction output was small - but whose work still deserves to be heard.
- The Ultimate Paradox by Thorp McClusky
- The Ultimate Wish by E. M. Hull
- Welcome to Paradise by Allyn Donnelson
- Zeritskys Law by Ann Griffith
- Up For Renewal by Lucius Daniel
- Electronic Landslide by Clyde Hostetter
- They Reached for the Moon by William Oberfield
- Death Walks on Mars by Alan J. Ramm
- When the Moon Fell by Morrison Colladay
- Know They Neighbor by Elisabeth R. Lewis
- The Other One by A. H. Gibson
- No Evidence by Victoria Lincoln
- The Man Who Liked Lions by John Bernard Daley
- Willies Planet by Mike Ellis
- The Short Snorter by Charles Einstein
- Your Servant Sir by Sol Boren
- The Fugitives by Malcolm B. Morehart Jr
- Leave Earthmen or Die by John Massie Davis
- And All the Girls Were Nude by Richard Magruder
- Rabbits Have Long Ears by Lawrence F. Willard
- Dust Unto Dust by Lyman D. Hinckley
- Day of Wrath by Bjarne Kirchhoff
- You Are Forbidden by Jerry Shelton
ABOUT THE LOST SCI-FI PODCAST
The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in 34 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 3.7 million listens.
Each episode features carefully selected stories from the Golden Age of science fiction, professionally narrated. Timeless storytelling the way it was meant to be heard.
What listeners are saying:
★★★★★
“Amazing podcast. I enjoy all your amazing stories so much. It’s great to hear so many classic tales. Thanks for all the great content.”
— Proenker
★★★★★
“My new favorite podcast. I’m so impressed with this unassuming, yet extremely entertaining podcast. I love the narration, the little facts about each story the host informs the listeners of, and the interesting mix of authors and different sub genres within the overarching sci-fi subject. It’s been fun rediscovering classics and hearing some of the more obscure authors for my first time. Thanks, Scott - I appreciate your hard work and dedication!”
— Paul Belcher
Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.
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