Intro (Click to reveal)

Rusty Quill Presents:

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End Intro

(Cassette tape is inserted into a tape recorder)

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Cole

Hello dear listener.

Yes, you! You listening to me now! However you've come to be here, I thank you for joining me and my friends as we aim to terrify you... and delight you.

But before we dig in, first answer me this: Have you ever heard of the Tiny Terrors Scary Story Exchange? Have you delved into the obscure, obtuse, and obscene world in which it lives? Have you traveled to the shores of the twisted continent and tasted what dark delights it has to offer?

(D stifles a cough)

D

What?

Cole

D!

Mark

(Simultaneously) D!

D

Jeez.

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Cole

Welcome to the Tiny Terrors podcast, where we showcase some of the most spine-chilling stories from the Tiny Terrors Story Exchange. Support the Tiny Terrors Showcase Podcast today by subscribing and rating the show. By doing so, you'll become a part of a long and often sadly forgotton part of storytelling history - so become a Terrorizer by subscribing and rating the podcast and join the Exchange today to get -

Mark

(Interrupting) Wait, when did we start calling members 'Terrorizers'?

Cole

Really?!

Mark

What, I -

Cole

I-I have a whole page left!

Oh g- You know what? Cut! Cut cut cut cut cut! Everyone out!

D

Wait, why do I need to leave? I didn't do anything this time!

Mark

Who's gonna be script supervisor if I leave?

Cole

Script supervisor?! You're joking, right?

Mark

Come on, ma -

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Cole

Hi. My name's Cole, and I've been a member of the Tiny Terrors Story Exchange for... uh, I don't know, about ten years now?

Tiny Terrors is an odd relic of the early days of the computer age - back, you know, when it still felt intimate. Before the internet there were these digital communities called bulletin board systems - or BBS's for short. You would call a phone number with your computer and modem and once you connected you could access the system.

I-In most bulletin board systems you could create an account with a username just like you would now, um, and there would be all these directories and files and chatrooms and in some of the more elaborate BBS's were games. Uh, there was Plover-NET, MindVox, Demon Roach Underground, Monochrome BBS, OSUNY, Legend of the Red Dragon - at one point there were more than a hundred and fifty thousand bulletin board systems in the United States alone, with seventeen million users.

And then the internet came. And overnight, bulletin board systems mostly died out. Now there's only a couple hundred left... Good luck finding them, and, if you're lucky enough to find them, good luck connecting and accessing the bulletin board system itself.

Now, no one knows for certain that Tiny Terrors started on a BBS... But, that's the theory. That some users on a bulletin board system got together and started sharing horror stories, kinda like the world's first creepypastas. But then, Tiny Terrors outgrew the online community, and, more and more people got involved across state lines and different countries - but since you were calling in on a phone line, long distance charges applied.

And they figured out moving the Exchange offline meant that they could trade stories through the mail. And postage was cheaper than long distance charges and routers and computers and all the other costs that came with it. And that's when Tiny Terrors became a bit of an underground phenomenon. It was like, making the process even more convoluted made it more exclusive.

The longer you were in the Exchange, the more mailing addresses you collected. The longer your list of mailing addresses, the more veteran you were - and if you were new to the Exchange, then you only had the mailing address of the person who brought you into the Tiny Terrors Story Exchange. It was like a club. You had to know someone on the inside to get in. And once you got in, you could enter the Exchange and start sending stories. And once you had sent a story to another member they had your mailing address. And if your story was popular, it would be sent from that member to another member and so on and so on and so on.

Just like when it started, the only way you can enter a story into the Exchange is written, or on a cassette tape - small and light enough to meet the requirements for cheap stamps and postage. It's a bit convoluted, but besides that rule, there are a few others and, there's only really one that matters - and that's: never steal another member's story.

I-It's hard to understand without being in the Exchange. But, if you're a member of Tiny Terrors, you're a storyteller, you're a librarian, you're a conservationist and researcher all in one. A lot of people involved in the Exchange - especially those who were around in the early BBS days - kept notes, and records... tracking over time what stories came from where, how far they had traveled, who wrote them, who recorded them, who re-recorded them - and if you stole another member's story, you'd run the risk of sending it to the wrong person who would blank the tape or write a note and stuff it in the envelope and then that would make the rounds and then eventually before you knew it you were out of the club.

Like I said, it's hard to imagine, but all these people in different countries and states and provinces all coming together made the Exchange. And their coveted list of mailing addresses is what pulled it all together. That's... that's the sort of weird you don't get on the internet anymore.

The Tiny Terrors Story Exchange isn't what it used to be. There are a couple hundred dedicated members, and every once in a while someone stumbles across it, but old members are leaving quicker than new ones come in. Which is why I want to make this podcast. As a way to showcase the stories on the Exchange. And hopefully keep it from dying out like the bulletin board systems it was born out of.

Not only do I personally hope to preserve the Exchange in the event that it finally dies out, but by showcasing these tales, it is my hope that we can actually revive it.

(Someone knocks on a door)

Ugh...

(Door creaks open)

Mark

You done yet?

...What?

Cole

Agh! I didn't say anything, Mark!

Mark

Huh?

Cole

Nothing!

Mark

What did you say?

Cole

I - I said nothing! Nothing!

Mark

Hey. Okay. Sorry! Jeez.

So, how did it go?

(Footsteps grow closer, to the left)

Cole

Well, it was going well!

Mark

Did you... mention that this podcast is kinda like BBS?

Cole

Huh??

Mark

Y'know, it's kinda like BBS, 'cause, without the listener's support, we wouldn't be able to keep the podcast going. Heh. I mean, the Exchange would die...

Cole

Oh god, I'm not saying that.

Mark

Well - what - why not?

Cole

Because it's shameless, Mark, that's why.

Mark

Step aside, then. I'll say it, Mr. Hotshot.

Cole

Oka- hey - back away from the mic.

D

Hey, don't tell him to back away, it's not shameless. He's gonna let them know that supporting the podcast not only helps us, but it means they get more stories, and content, and I mean - seriously, what's the point in doing all of the extra work and recording all of those extra stories if you aren't gonna say anything about it.

(Footsteps move to the right)

Mark

Yeah, at least tell them they need to share it with their friends, and, y'know, say really nice things about it on Twitter and Tumblr and all those other online community hubs where people are always looking for new podcasts.

D

Oh! And, did you add the part about leaving a five star review on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or other places you can leave reviews? 'Cause it actually helps us get the podcast out to more listeners? Which means more members for the Exchange? I mean, come on, it takes like, all of a minute to do that, and it's completely free.

Mark

Alright, yeah, no, that is an important one.

D

Yeah! Come on, Cole, you gotta tell them to leave a five star review, otherwise no one's gonna listen, and we're never gonna get new members. I mean, I read online that ratings and reviews are like a huge part of getting your show out there, y'know?

Cole

Guys, I haven't finished yet!

Mark

Well, what are you waiting for? Tell them to review the podcast, already. Jeez!

Cole

I will, I will!

D

Don't be polite about it. You're always too polite. You gotta be firm. Like, 'go now, review the podcast, Terrorizers, or else!' And then say, like, uh, I don't know, 'become a Terrorizer by subscribing to the podcast now. Or else.' Oh, and then, you know, say 'thank you very much' because manners never hurt, right.

Mark

Seriously, when did we settle on calling the new members 'Terrorizers?'

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Outro (Click to reveal)

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Tiny Terrors is an anthology horror podcast produced by Pulp Audio, and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This episode was directed by Cole Weavers, with sound production and editing by Mike LeBeau.

To find additional information, or to join our Patreon for additional content and ad-free episodes, visit our website www.tinyterrorspod.com.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @TinyTerrorsPod.

Or join the Pulp Audio Discord by clicking the link in the description below.

Rate and review us on Spotify and Apple.

And finally, thanks for listening.

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End Outro