The Night Soil Salvagers: A Tor.com Original by Gregory Norman Bossert
My rating: 3/5 cats
When dealing with them face-to-face, you may address them as “My friend.” When speaking of them within their hearing, you may also refer to them as “the Night Soil Folk” or “the Salvagers.”
You may also refer to them as: Scavengers, Gong-farmers, Night Men, Toshers, Hole Men, Pot Boys, or the Unclean. Though if you do so within their hearing, they will shun you thereafter to your death and beyond.
You are always within the hearing of the Night Soil Salvagers.
i was both apprehensive and gleeful going into this one, since ‘night soil’ is poop, but for those of you who don’t think poop is funny (you monsters), this story is more than just the sum of its scatological content so you only need to read a little bit about poop.
and it’s fine. it’s the kind of story that was probably more fun to write and conceive than it is to read. some of it is narrative and some of it is a number of different instructions for games/rituals/performances and that got old for me fast. it wraps up nicely at the end, but the getting there wasn’t my cuppa.
but it’s a free story and you can decide if you like it for yourself! it’s the only good thing left in this mean little world! all blessings on tor and their free weekly shorts!
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2020/06/24/the-ni…
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