Hello, gentle listener, and welcome to nocturnal transmissions, short stories and mutterings from the wrong side of midnight.

The fortnightly podcast that brings you dark tales both old and new,

performed by voice artist, Kristen Holland.

As this, our first year of transmitting, draws to a close,

we find ourselves at our penultimate episode. I think it's time for

something fun. Well, at least in terms of what we consider fun, here at nocturnal transmissions.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

That being the case, the young lady in this next story is about to experience approbation beyond her wildest dreams.

Nocturnal transmissions is proud to present Ticu's Herb.

I had made the stupid decision to visit a friend's birthday party on the night before a final,

and of course it started fucking snowing.

I live in rural Appalachia, so an hour and a half drive from campus to a party wasn't unheard of.

On these whining roads, though, a drive that would normally take nine or so minutes in good weather, took four hours or more in the snow.

What's frustrating is that I knew it would snow. I knew I shouldn't go. And I did anyway. I thought I was going to be able to get some, so the drive would be worth it.

I didn't, so I was even more pissed off.

I was in a familiar part of nowhere, just a few minutes drive in good weather for my

grandparents' old place. Trees surrounded both sides of the now white road. I knew that there was a

cliff face just a bit past the tree line on my left and a sharp drop past the

tree line on my right. In normal circumstances, I'd be going 45, 55 miles per hour, but at the

moment I was going to healthy 25 because death by smashing into rock or by falling off some

was not my idea of a good ending until my already shitty night. My car's tires were slipping a bit at that crawling speed anyway, any faster, and I would

really be risking my life.

...