You are listening to a Clarksrolled magazine podcast with your host and narrator, Kate Baker.

Greetings, Clarksville citizen. I hope this podcast finds you extremely well.

I want to thank you for staying with us this month as we've listened to all these stories.

If you have any feedback, you can always send me an email and Kate at Clarksrolledmagazine.com

and that is Clark with an e.

I want to thank you again for your support and if you aren't supporting us,

please consider doing so at patreon.com for slash Clarksworld.

Our story is titled Empathetic Ear and is by MJ Pettit.

MJ Pettit is an undisciplined academic, a long time reader of short fiction and occasional writer of stories.

This fiction has appeared in Clarksrolled daily SF and toasted cake among other venues.

It devises time between Toronto, Canada and Manchester UK as well as other places.

If you like which here you can go back to tender tether shell.

So my dear listener, I hope you can sit back, relax, and let me tell you a story.

One, even as a member of the teaching staff, Anias never welcomed an invitation to come to the dean's office.

Nor did it really count as a true invitation, more like a summons.

Anias was in trouble.

Time for another of the routine dressing downs, the university senior leadership team, so seem to relish.

The meetings will continue until morale improves.

Keep calm and carry on.

How unbearably British.

Anias had truly come to load the place with all the passive aggressive,

civility that came with everyone knowing their proper place on the great chain of being.

...