Furies

Have you ever noticed something strange from the corner of your eye that vanishes when you try to look at it directly? Most of us dismiss these fleeting glimpses as tricks of light or optical illusions. But what if they're something more?

John Shuttleworth's captivating short story "Furies" invites us into a world where those peripheral flickers might actually be living creatures with remarkable adaptations for avoiding human detection. Narrated by Shuttleworth himself, this tale begins with a seemingly ordinary observation—mysterious movements appearing more visible against a new cream-coloured carpet. From this simple premise unfolds a delightful adventure that balances whimsy with just enough plausibility to make listeners wonder about the unseen aspects of their own homes.

When our protagonist accidentally captures one of these elusive beings—a feat supposedly impossible due to their unique camouflage abilities—the story takes an unexpected turn. The discovery of Taronga Zoo's secret "Invisibles Department" and the matter-of-fact response to this extraordinary situation creates a wonderful tension between the mundane and the magical. As Shuttleworth weaves through the bureaucratic handling of something that should be earth-shattering, we're left questioning what's real and what's imagined.

Whether you interpret "Furies" as a charming flight of fancy or a clever commentary on how we process the unexplainable, this story will leave you glancing sideways at the shadows in your home, wondering what might be scurrying just beyond your perception. Join us for this brief but memorable journey into the space between reality and imagination, and perhaps you'll never look at those dust motes the same way again. And remember—sometimes the most extraordinary discoveries happen when we're looking elsewhere.

 This piece is available in Edition I of Voice Within: A Storybook by Storytellers.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Voice Within
• 1:45 Furries by John Shuttleworth
• 4:10 Capturing the Impossible
• 6:14 The Zoo's Invisible Department
• 8:50 Reality Check and Submission Call

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Ah, if you're here, this is wonderful news because it means you're here to support the authors, the storytellers and the writers that have entrusted us to share their tales through this platform. Thank you, thank you for your support, thank you for supporting this art form, and I look forward to sharing many more tales with you. So, cup of tea in hand and a couple of biggies too, enjoy the love of a good story. Welcome back to Voice Within, to another story by John Shuttleworth. This is a great story of imagination, of something that takes you to something that I actually drew the character that John speaks of, the foes, john speaks off the furries and I couldn't help but draw one of the scenes that I won't expose or spoil anything, but I could see with the description of this tale and of the characters in visual form, and it did come out. So this is quite an amusing story, short story and narrated by John Shuttleworth himself. So please enjoy. And we have furries. Bye.

Speaker 2: 1:45

Furries by John Shuttleworth. I first noticed furries when we had new carpets fitted in a plain, neutral cream colour. They obviously show up more against the background of this new floor covering, as opposed to the multicoloured patterned previous one. Furries live in most homes and are very hard to see. They are shy, fast-moving creatures that have learned to survive by using speed and camouflage. The coat of the furries is of a colour that only registers in the corner of the human eye. If you look directly at them, they disappear. In addition, they move at a speed that requires us to move our head to follow their movement and in doing so we look directly at them and consequently, they disappear. Most people have seen furries and dismiss them as specks of dust on the eye or a trick of their spectacles. I too did not believe in furries until last week, when I caught one. Yes, dear reader, I said I caught one. What was I to do? Was he injured? We'll call him male, but I do not know if this creature even has a gender. I spotted him running in front of the television and, as usual, he disappeared when I looked directly at him. But then he made a mistake. He ran into the door just as the wind blew it open. Thud I walked towards him, ensuring I carefully focused my stare on the opposite wall to keep his little body in view. Imagine my excitement when Al knelt down and felt his warm, smooth coat he was still alive, but breathing very fast and shivering slightly. No teeth, so that was a relief. I picked him up and carried him into the kitchen. I put some tissues in a cardboard box and gently laid him down to recuperate. My head spun as I tried to take in the enormity of the situation. I had caught an invisible creature that nobody had ever seen before, not just rare, but mythical or magical. I must tell the authorities what authorities. The police or fire brigade? No, they will think I'm insane. The newspaper, same thing. The local school? No, they will surely think this is a childish prank. Finally, it occurred to me that the zoo might at least believe that I have some sort of injured rat or squirrel and will come to my aid. I searched the telephone yellow pages on my laptop and found the number for the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. There was a complete listing of all the different departments reptiles, primates, aviary big cats and one strange department rare exotic invisibles. My unconscious furry seemed to fit right into this category. So I jotted down the number and phone in hand switched to keypad. My fingers were shaking as I tapped in the number. A pleasant female voice answered you have reached the Taronga Zoo main office. If you know the extension of the party you wish to reach, please press it now. Otherwise, press one for main menu Press 1 for main menu I push 1. Zoo department locating system For reptiles press 1. For primates press 2. For elephants press 3. For birds press 4. For invisibles press 5. To return to main menu press 6. I press 5. Invisibles For furries press 1. For slimies press 6. I pressed 5. Invisibles for furries press 1, for slimies press 2, for unknowns press 3. I could not believe there was a section on the menu for invisibles, never mind furries. I pressed 1.

Speaker 2: 6:03

There was a long silent pause and then I was connected, a male voice this time. Hello Invisibles, how can I help you? He sounded friendly enough, so I blurted out my exciting new discovery. He was very matter-of-fact. Oh yes, sir, it would seem you have inadvertently captured an Impegmentus Veritus, a common furry. We get this every now and again, especially this time of year. It is their breeding season and they tend to get clumsy, especially the males. What do I do with it? I asked, hardly believing I was talking to someone about an invisible animal, as if it were a homeless kitten. "'nothing, sir, you have done the right thing by letting us know you have caught one. Someone will be along shortly to pick him up. Thank you, goodbye'.

Speaker 2: 7:00

I put down the phone just as the doorbell rang. I knew it could not be the zoo, as the man had not asked for my address or even had— the time to be at my house so quickly. Not so, my day was getting increasingly weird by the minute. The man at the door was in full tropical animal keeper's uniform and carried a small steel cage and what looked like a butterfly net. As I opened the door, he pushed past with a blur of movement and little explanation.

Speaker 2: 7:35

Taronga Zoo Invisibles Department Collection Engineer. Please stand back, sir, and let me do my job. He charged into the kitchen and deftly netted the still unconscious furry and slipped him into the steel cage. Hmm, nice, big, healthy male, we can use him in our rare invisibles breeding program. A curt, thank you. And he was on his way towards the door. Hold on, I objected. You can't just leave without some explanation. What is that thing? What thing he asked, holding up the now empty cage? The realization hit me as he left and hurried towards the Tarongo Zoo van. If furries do not exist and you cannot see them, then I must be going crazy, or there are some sort of conspiracy here. I searched the zoo yellow pages again, same web page as before, and it scrolled down to the list of departments Avery, reptiles, elephants, big cats and no such thing as invisibles. Of course not, are you crazy?

Speaker 1: 8:50

Want to be a published author and have your voice here at Voice Within, narrating your own story? Then hop online at wwwvoice-withinco and check out our page, our submission page, and we have Edition 3 open at the moment for submissions and that will be closing on the 30th of June. So please jump on board and join the community and have your voice heard for the love of the good story. Thank you.