full

“Long Road Home” by Alex T. Dragonson

A kind gesture at the right moment can make the difference between being in a ghost story and becoming a ghost yourself. Dusty had never believed in ghost stories, until he picked up a mysterious hitchhiker stranded in the fog.

Tonight’s story is “Long Road Home” by Alex T. Dragonson, who spins a horde of cozy yarns from atop a hoard of cozy yarn, and you can find more of their stories on their worldbuilding blog and in the Furry Historical Fiction Society’s new anthology, The Heavens Within our Grasp.

Read for you by Rob MacWolf — werewolf hitchhiker.

thevoice.dog | Apple podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

If you have a story you think would be a good fit, you can check out the requirements, fill out the submission template and get in touch with us.

https://thevoice.dog/episode/long-road-home-by-alex-t-dragonson

Transcript
Speaker:

You’re

Speaker:

listening

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to

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The

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Ghost

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of

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Dog

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on

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The

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Voice

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of

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Dog.

Speaker:

This

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is

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Rob

Speaker:

MacWolf,

Speaker:

your

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fellow

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traveler,

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and

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Tonight’s story

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is “Long

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Road

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Home”

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by

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Alex

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T.

Speaker:

Dragonson,

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who

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spins

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a

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horde

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of

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cozy

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yarns

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from

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atop

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a hoard

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of

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cozy

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yarn,

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and

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you

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can

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find

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more

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of

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their

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stories

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on

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their

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worldbuilding

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blog

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and

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in

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the

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Furry

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Historical

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Fiction

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Society’s

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new

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anthology,

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The

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Heavens

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Within

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our

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Grasp.

The

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following

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is a

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travel

advisory:

travelers

advisory:

in

advisory:

the outer wastelands, the

advisory:

lost

advisory:

highways, and the

advisory:

ever-midnight

advisory:

ghost

advisory:

towns

advisory:

should

advisory:

be

advisory:

on

advisory:

the

advisory:

look out for

advisory:

person

advisory:

or

advisory:

persons

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unknowable,

advisory:

things

advisory:

best

advisory:

left

advisory:

in

advisory:

the

advisory:

past,

advisory:

unexplained

advisory:

chills at

advisory:

the

advisory:

back

advisory:

of

advisory:

the

advisory:

neck,

advisory:

and

advisory:

inclement

advisory:

weather.

advisory:

Proceed

advisory:

with

advisory:

caution,

advisory:

if

advisory:

at

advisory:

all,

advisory:

on

advisory:

the



“Long

advisory:

Road

advisory:

Home”

advisory:

by Alex

advisory:

T.

advisory:

Dragonson

He

advisory:

should've

advisory:

stayed

advisory:

overnight.

advisory:

He

advisory:

really

advisory:

should

advisory:

have.

Leaving

advisory:

Locust

advisory:

Creek

advisory:

right

advisory:

before

advisory:

dusk

advisory:

hadn't

advisory:

seemed

advisory:

like

advisory:

a

advisory:

bad

advisory:

idea

advisory:

at

advisory:

the

advisory:

time;

advisory:

home

advisory:

wasn't

advisory:

far

advisory:

away,

advisory:

and

advisory:

Dusty

advisory:

didn't

advisory:

mean

advisory:

to

advisory:

presume

advisory:

on

advisory:

his

advisory:

sister's

advisory:

hospitality

advisory:

any

advisory:

longer

advisory:

than

advisory:

he

advisory:

was

advisory:

wanted. But

advisory:

the

advisory:

weather

advisory:

had

advisory:

closed

advisory:

in

advisory:

as

advisory:

soon

advisory:

as

advisory:

he

advisory:

hit

advisory:

the

advisory:

highway, a

advisory:

dense

advisory:

fog

advisory:

that,

advisory:

somehow,

advisory:

no

advisory:

one

advisory:

at

advisory:

the

advisory:

telemancy

advisory:

office

advisory:

had

advisory:

seen

advisory:

coming, that

advisory:

slowed

advisory:

the

advisory:

car

advisory:

to

advisory:

a

advisory:

crawl

advisory:

and

advisory:

softened

advisory:

the

advisory:

street

advisory:

lights

advisory:

into

advisory:

soft

advisory:

yellow

advisory:

smears

advisory:

before

advisory:

and

advisory:

behind.

There

advisory:

was

advisory:

something

advisory:

almost

advisory:

soothing

advisory:

about

advisory:

inching

advisory:

along

advisory:

in

advisory:

this

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cocoon

advisory:

of

advisory:

fog.

advisory:

He

advisory:

forced

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himself

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to

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focus

advisory:

on

advisory:

his

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mirrors,

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lest

advisory:

some

advisory:

other

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vehicle

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barrel out of a

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blind

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spot

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and

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into

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his

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back

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bumper.

And

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was

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startled

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out

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of

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his

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tunnel

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vision

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by

advisory:

a

advisory:

much

advisory:

smaller

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impact.

advisory:

Someone

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was

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knocking

advisory:

on

advisory:

his

advisory:

window.

He

advisory:

stopped,

advisory:

flipped

advisory:

the

advisory:

switch

advisory:

for

advisory:

his

advisory:

blinkers,

advisory:

and

advisory:

waited. A

advisory:

few

advisory:

shallow

advisory:

breaths

advisory:

later,

advisory:

another

advisory:

knock.

advisory:

He

advisory:

hadn't

advisory:

imagined

advisory:

it.

advisory:

He

advisory:

reached

advisory:

out

advisory:

and

advisory:

cautiously

advisory:

rolled

advisory:

down

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the

advisory:

window.

A

advisory:

shaggy

advisory:

lionfolk

advisory:

face

advisory:

appeared

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in

advisory:

the

advisory:

gap. "Evening,

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stranger,"

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it

advisory:

said,

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voice

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muffled

advisory:

by

advisory:

the

advisory:

weight of

advisory:

the

advisory:

fog. "Y’happen

advisory:

to

advisory:

be

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going

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west?"

"More

advisory:

or

advisory:

less,"

advisory:

Dusty

advisory:

replied. "I

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can

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take

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you

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as

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far

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as

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Last

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Wolf

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Hill."

advisory:

He

advisory:

didn't

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even

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stop

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to

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think

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about

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it.

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No

advisory:

one

advisory:

deserved

advisory:

to

advisory:

be

advisory:

out

advisory:

in

advisory:

this

advisory:

weather.

"That'll

advisory:

do

advisory:

for

advisory:

me."

Dusty

advisory:

pushed

advisory:

the

advisory:

shotgun

advisory:

door

advisory:

open,

advisory:

and

advisory:

the

advisory:

hitchhiker

advisory:

slid

advisory:

into

advisory:

the

advisory:

seat.

advisory:

They

advisory:

were

advisory:

older,

advisory:

unkempt,

advisory:

wearing

advisory:

many-times-patched work

advisory:

clothes

advisory:

and

advisory:

carrying

advisory:

a

advisory:

rucksack

advisory:

that

advisory:

had

advisory:

seen

advisory:

better

advisory:

days. "Thank

advisory:

y'much,

advisory:

stranger,"

advisory:

they

advisory:

said

advisory:

as

advisory:

they

advisory:

settled

advisory:

in.

"Call me

advisory:

Dusty."

advisory:

The

advisory:

hitchhiker

advisory:

didn't

advisory:

reply,

advisory:

and

advisory:

Dusty

advisory:

clicked

advisory:

the

advisory:

blinkers

advisory:

off

advisory:

and

advisory:

set

advisory:

off

advisory:

again,

advisory:

barely

advisory:

faster

advisory:

than

advisory:

his

advisory:

passenger

advisory:

could

advisory:

have

advisory:

walked.

"So,

advisory:

where

advisory:

y’headed?"

advisory:

Dusty

advisory:

asked

advisory:

after

advisory:

an

advisory:

uncomfortably

advisory:

long

advisory:

silence.

"Salt

advisory:

Grove."

advisory:

The

advisory:

name

advisory:

sounded

advisory:

familiar. "Got

advisory:

some

advisory:

family

advisory:

there.

advisory:

Kid

advisory:

sister

advisory:

sent

advisory:

me

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a couple odd telemancies,

advisory:

and I'm

advisory:

a little

advisory:

worried

advisory:

about

advisory:

her."

"I

advisory:

hope

advisory:

everything's

advisory:

all right.

advisory:

I'm

advisory:

just

advisory:

on

advisory:

my

advisory:

way

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home

advisory:

from

advisory:

visiting

advisory:

my

advisory:

own

advisory:

sister."

"Family." The

advisory:

hitchhiker

advisory:

chuckled. "Can't

advisory:

live

advisory:

with 'em,

advisory:

can't

advisory:

live

advisory:

without 'em."

The

advisory:

car

advisory:

crept

advisory:

on.

advisory:

Dusty

advisory:

tried

advisory:

making

advisory:

small

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talk a

advisory:

couple

advisory:

more

advisory:

times,

advisory:

but

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his

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passenger

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didn't

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seem

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keen

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on

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conversation.

An

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eternity

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later,

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they

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finally

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spoke. “Thanks

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again

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for

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stoppin’

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for

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me.

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I

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was

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startin’

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to

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think

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nobody

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would.

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Last

advisory:

couple

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wagons

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didn’t

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even

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slow

advisory:

down.”

Dusty

advisory:

didn’t

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really

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know

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what

advisory:

to

advisory:

say

advisory:

to

advisory:

that. “Well,

advisory:

I’m

advisory:

glad

advisory:

to

advisory:

help,”

advisory:

was

advisory:

the

advisory:

best

advisory:

he

advisory:

could

advisory:

come

advisory:

up

advisory:

with.

“Kindness

advisory:

is

advisory:

in

advisory:

short

advisory:

supply

advisory:

these

advisory:

days,

advisory:

ain’t

advisory:

it.”

At

advisory:

last

advisory:

the

advisory:

fog

advisory:

began

advisory:

to

advisory:

lift.

advisory:

The

advisory:

exit

advisory:

sign

advisory:

for

advisory:

Last

advisory:

Wolf

advisory:

Hill

advisory:

hove into

advisory:

view,

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lit

advisory:

up

advisory:

white

advisory:

like

advisory:

the

advisory:

steady

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hand

advisory:

of

advisory:

Saint

advisory:

Nanette

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beckoning

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him

advisory:

home.

advisory:

As

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he

advisory:

pulled

advisory:

up

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to

advisory:

the

advisory:

red

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light

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at

advisory:

the

advisory:

top

advisory:

of

advisory:

the

advisory:

off-ramp,

advisory:

a

advisory:

memory

advisory:

prickled at

advisory:

the

advisory:

back

advisory:

of

advisory:

Dusty's

advisory:

mind.

advisory:

Something

advisory:

from

advisory:

a

advisory:

long-ago

advisory:

history

advisory:

class. "Hang

advisory:

on,

advisory:

didn't

advisory:

Salt

advisory:

Grove

advisory:

get

advisory:

blown

advisory:

up

advisory:

or

advisory:

something?"

Silence

advisory:

from

advisory:

the

advisory:

shotgun

advisory:

seat.

He

advisory:

glanced

advisory:

over.

advisory:

The

advisory:

seat

advisory:

was

advisory:

empty.

Other

advisory:

doubts

advisory:

sprang

advisory:

to

advisory:

mind

advisory:

in

advisory:

his

advisory:

passenger’s

advisory:

absence.

advisory:

Half-heard

advisory:

general

advisory:

store

advisory:

gossip.

advisory:

Old

advisory:

folks'

advisory:

tales,

advisory:

or

advisory:

so

advisory:

he'd

advisory:

always

advisory:

thought,

advisory:

about

advisory:

things

advisory:

in

advisory:

the

advisory:

fog.

He

advisory:

glanced

advisory:

up

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at

advisory:

the

advisory:

receding

advisory:

wall

advisory:

of

advisory:

mist

advisory:

in

advisory:

his

advisory:

rear-view

advisory:

mirror.

advisory:

A

advisory:

glint

advisory:

of

advisory:

chrome

advisory:

caught

advisory:

his

advisory:

eye,

advisory:

a

advisory:

streetlight or two

advisory:

back,

advisory:

from

advisory:

the

advisory:

wreck

advisory:

of

advisory:

a

advisory:

car–no,

advisory:

two

advisory:

cars,

advisory:

by

advisory:

the

advisory:

look

advisory:

of

advisory:

it–that

advisory:

had

advisory:

run

advisory:

off

advisory:

the

advisory:

road.

Kindness is

advisory:

in

advisory:

short

advisory:

supply

advisory:

these

advisory:

days,

advisory:

ain’t

advisory:

it.

advisory:

The

advisory:

thought

advisory:

chilled him

advisory:

to

advisory:

the

advisory:

core.

The

advisory:

red

advisory:

light

advisory:

turned

advisory:

white,

advisory:

and

advisory:

he

advisory:

raced

advisory:

for

advisory:

home.



This

advisory:

was “Long

advisory:

Road

advisory:

Home”

advisory:

by

advisory:

Alex

advisory:

T.

advisory:

Dragonson,

advisory:

read

advisory:

for you

advisory:

by

advisory:

Rob

advisory:

MacWolf,

advisory:

Werewolf

advisory:

Hitchhiker.

advisory:

You

advisory:

can

advisory:

find

advisory:

more

advisory:

stories

advisory:

on

advisory:

the

advisory:

web

advisory:

at

advisory:

thevoice.dog, or

advisory:

find the

advisory:

show

advisory:

wherever

advisory:

you

advisory:

get

advisory:

your

advisory:

podcasts.

advisory:

Thank

advisory:

you

advisory:

for

advisory:

listening

advisory:

to

advisory:

The

advisory:

Ghost

advisory:

of

advisory:

Dog.

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The Voice of Dog
Furry stories to warm the ol' cockles, read by Rob MacWolf and guests. If you have a story that would suit the show, you can get in touch with @VoiceOfDog@meow.social on Mastodon, @voiceofdog.bsky.social on Blue Sky, or @Theodwulf on Telegram.

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