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.

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.

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