“The Sort” by Thomas Ha

It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton

Fiction

4.9 • 664 Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“The Sort” by Thomas Ha, narrated by Wil We don't have to imagine a world where people who aren't doing anything wrong have to hide themselves -- or, at least, their true selves -- for their own safety. I wish that world only existed in imagination, but, well, you know. Today, we will experience that world through a father and his son, who share a very special, telepathic bond. And, about that, a technical note: this communication is clear in the text, but it's less so in this format. So when they are communicating directly, our editors will make it sound like this. Now, let me bring you with me to a world that is all-too familiar, as we meet a family who are about to encounter The Sort.The Sort by Thomas Ha was originally published in Clarkesworld Issue 215, in August 2024. Thomas Ha is a Nebula, Ignyte, Locus, and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated writer of speculative short fiction. You can find his work in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Weird Horror Magazine, among other publications. His work has also appeared in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy and The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror. His debut short story collection, Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, is now available. In fact, I have a copy sitting on my desk. Thomas grew up in Honolulu and, after a decade plus of living in the northeast, now resides in Los Angeles with his family. To learn more about the author, please visit: https://www.thomashawrites.com/ It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:47.6	Shop in the app, online, and in stores. I'm a break I'm Will, and it's story time. I'm Will, and it's story time. I'm glad you're here. It's very common to start
1:30.2	out the intro to a podcast by saying, imagine a world where, dot, dot, dot. Well, we don't have to
1:38.9	imagine a world where people who aren't doing anything wrong have to hide themselves, or at least
1:44.1	their true selves,
1:45.2	for their own safety. I wish that world only exists in an imagination, but all you have to do is
1:50.8	open up your door or look at the computer in your hand to know. It isn't true. It's here and it's now.
1:58.2	Well, today, we are going to experience that world through a father and his son
2:04.7	who share a very special telepathic bond they have to hide for their safety. And about that bond,
	...

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