That's an episode of the Twilight Zone, at the very least. Well done!

now that makes me smile!

thank you Walt...

V.

As a former Tanker (who has also encountered a few strange things in the forest at night) I heartily approve of this story.

*makes the 'O' mouth... really??? Thank you so very much!!

V.

I know I'm the king of likening one work to another, but this really reminds me of the book Mortal Engines. Both stories are not afraid of how the less pleasant of bodily functions affect larger circumstances, whether a nasty fart or the need to piss, or any number of other examples.

As a supernatural encounter, this is really solid. The wartime era and inclusion of nursery-rhyme-type segments made the whole thing feel like the story meant to scare children, much like what I would expect Loader to have heard growing up, which fostered his fear and respect of Grandmother Wolverine. Have to wonder what would have happened if he stayed behind...

*smiles so very big... yes we do have to wonder, don't we?

V.

I remember this from the first time I read it.

Giggles, I occasionally have a similar gas problem.

Bunners
"Poot! I made a smelly..."
"Smelly my ass woman, you done shit yo pants!"
Richard Prior

I used to have that album.

*laughs... There was a Pink Panther movie where Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) was in an elevator with these really big Mafia guys and someone farted - none of them could stop laughing.

My favorite story of yours, it is nice to see it on here again so others could read. I don't even remember what I committed the first time around, except that old tales passed down indeed.

Now that made me smile very big... thank you...

V.

Oh yes, I remember it also. I chuckled, was chilled and had a good feeling...in that order. I think Loader should have stayed........

I truly think perhaps he should have... then again... what if it meant freezing?

V.

Grandmother Wolverine would not have let him freeze. She offered him a way out, the "kiss of the devil" was a promise of that. At first, I thought she insinuated that the others were going to die from cold, and Loader too if he stayed with them, but that outcome was not within the confines of the story.

I'm quite sure she would have taken care of him...

V.

I thought that too... tough choice...

V.

it's a choice I'd have made

interesting fact... gas masks do not keep out the smell of farts.

just sayin

no way... really??? Certainly they must. I've worn a few (called an OBA - oxygen breathing apparatus) way long ago, and they had to be perfectly airtight.

V.

OBA's yes... not gas masks. one of the funniest videos I have ever seen was a gas chamber full of marines with full M.O.P. gear trying to get out the door because some asshole thought it'd be funny to eat 5 pounds of baked beans and let loose...

I own a nato 40mm gasmask and I can attest to the fact that Farts are NOT filtered by a gas mask.

now that is interesting...

V.

Not to be 'That Guy,' but "...the breech blows," then you have a breach.

Yeah, I got the chills reading this one. And not just from the setting.

Good old English... thanks Perfesser - and yes... I got cold in the writing too...

V.

Now that was interesting and an interesting twist too

*hugs da Fem... thanks so much...

V.

You are welcome

If I've run across this story before, I do not remember it. It does, however, have all the earmarks of a Vixyyfox story. I've had help from certain movies in the past to understand how miserable it can be inside such a monster of a machine. But this story explains even more how reliant its crew is on its well being. All the power of the engine and gun are useless if it's not handled correctly. Getting the treads frozen to the ground could be just as deadly as a direct hit in bad weather. Then there's the temperament of the beast itself... if it doesn't want to start, you're just SOL.

Wonderful immersion in only ten pages.

*hugs*

*hugs back... I love that; 'a Vixyy Fox Story'... it has such a ring to it...

V.

Intriguing story, it seems vaguely familiar.
I enjoyed the underlying suspense throughout the tale. The antics of the crew were humorous.

thank you so very much...

V.

Well, I was tidying up my desktop, and what did I find? Clearly I saved the pdf back in 2018, intending to read and comment... and then, well...

I'll put that right now. It's a spectacularly accomplished short story, Vixyy. You capture the cramped, hazardous nature of a tank interior to perfection, levening it with oodles of very realistic toilet humour which are actually used to drive the story forward. As others have said, the poetic excerpts to introduce each character work really well.

I really like that you keep the wolverine mysterious and unseen until quite late on in the story. The ultimate reveal of Grandmother Wolverine was delicious, and the pathos of that bittersweet ending - "This machine will be dead soon in any case" - really got to me.

Superb detail; fantastic, realistic dialogue; humour; depth. All of the Vixyy traits stirred into one heady brew.

Superb.

you make me blush... not to mention smile really really big... thanks so very much A...

I will be getting the anthology into the mail to you soon...

*hugs...

V.

You're more than welcome. And the anthology... oh, thank you!

Sadly, I was once the guy farting in a small space with all of his brethren yelling at him. I feel their pain.

*smiles... I only ever entered a tank once and yes it was quite a small space... conversely, our five inch gun contained eight men in just the turret.

V.