October 28, 2025 • 9 mins
Hello fellow mortals!
In this episode I read aloud a flash fiction piece I wrote for Band of Bards The Dark Side of Purity Vol. 3 E-zine, called "Body at the Beach". It was published in 2021 and was part of an exclusive publication for Kickstarter backers for their phyiscal volumes of The Dark Side of Purity Vols 1 & 2.
I hope this story sparks discussion around the dangers of purity culture, for both women and men. I hope you enjoy!
If you would like to support this podcast, you can buy me a coffee through my ko-fi page:
https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey
Learn more about me and my other published works at:
https://mjpankey.com
MJ Pankey retains all rights to her work. Any works created by other authors that feature on MJ Pankey Reads have been granted express permission by the author and publisher to be read on the podcast.
For ad-free episodes, join a membership tier on her Ko-Fi page at: https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey/tiers
Subscribe to MJ Pankey's website at https://mjpankey.com
You can purchase MJ Pankey's novels at https://books.by/muse-and-quill-press
Purchase all MJ's recommended titles at https://bookshop.org/shop/MJPankeyReads
In this episode I read aloud a flash fiction piece I wrote for Band of Bards The Dark Side of Purity Vol. 3 E-zine, called "Body at the Beach". It was published in 2021 and was part of an exclusive publication for Kickstarter backers for their phyiscal volumes of The Dark Side of Purity Vols 1 & 2.
I hope this story sparks discussion around the dangers of purity culture, for both women and men. I hope you enjoy!
If you would like to support this podcast, you can buy me a coffee through my ko-fi page:
https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey
Learn more about me and my other published works at:
https://mjpankey.com
MJ Pankey retains all rights to her work. Any works created by other authors that feature on MJ Pankey Reads have been granted express permission by the author and publisher to be read on the podcast.
For ad-free episodes, join a membership tier on her Ko-Fi page at: https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey/tiers
Subscribe to MJ Pankey's website at https://mjpankey.com
You can purchase MJ Pankey's novels at https://books.by/muse-and-quill-press
Purchase all MJ's recommended titles at https://bookshop.org/shop/MJPankeyReads
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome fellow mortals to MJ. Panky Read's podcast. This podcast
exists for me to read aloud my books and if
you enjoy listening to audiobooks, you can listen along for free.
So thank you so much again for your time and attention,
and I hope you enjoy the show. Partially eaten human
(00:42):
remains found on beach. The headlines had rocked the small
town of Brinville this morning. Sarah craned her neck to
see around the rising outcrop of rocks beside her, where
the yellow crime scene tape waved in the breeze, the slick,
glossy finish flashing in the moonlight. The article had issued
calls for anyone to report suspicious activity they had seen
(01:03):
at the beach yesterday to proper authorities, but hadn't released
any official details. She'd heard shocked citizens muttering and whispering
under their breath, speculating what horror might have befallen the
poor soul. Sharks had been the primary suspect, but as
Sarah gazed up at the rocks, she wondered how anyone
could think a shark could have left a body so
(01:24):
high above the water. In any event, the discovery of
the body, though initially drawing a buzz of curious onlookers,
had cleared the beaches toward midday and kept the surfers
out of the water, creating a rare mood that she
couldn't pass up. She soaked in the calm, relishing the
sound of crashing waves and noisy gulls without all the
ruckus of civilization screaming, shouting, laughing. She just wanted to
(01:48):
hear the call of the sea, meditate, breathe. Sea foam
inched closer to where Sarah stood, and she stuck out
her toe to splash off the cold sand. Are you
all right right, han, Sarah whipped around. A woman possibly
mid forties, ponytail and diamond earrings glinting in the moonlight,
was just an arm's length away. She wore a denim
(02:10):
jacket over her skin tight halter top, khaki capris, and
flip flops. Even in the dark, Sarah could see the
unnatural shade of leathery skin that betrayed an addiction to
tanning beds. She pursed her lips at Sarah, sweeping her
eyes over her saw you standin out here As I
was driving by, She nodded to a set of headlights
just up the boardwalk. What's a young girl like you
(02:32):
doin out here by yourself? There's a killer on the loose.
Sarah bristled at the woman's tone, condescending, authoritative. She knew
she should be used to it by now. People were
always asking her that, as though a girl taking a
night time stroll was a crime. She smiled back, tight lipped,
pretending like she wasn't bothered. Just sharks, right. The woman
(02:57):
glanced down the empty beach and back at her car,
then walked toward her, muttering, young people will believe anything.
Sarah wiggled her toes into the gritty sand, a mischievous curl,
upturning the corners of her mouth. You don't think it
was a shark. The woman folded her arms shivered. I
think that poor thing wandered out here alone like you.
(03:19):
She gave Sarah a side glance. Then I don't know.
I think someone saw an opportunity, got her, dragged the
body up there, or maybe he surprised her. Then he
left her up there for the animals to gnaw on
like some piece of trash. No shark did that. The
woman turned, do you really think it was a shark.
(03:40):
Sarah shook her head, deciding not to mention that the
body had actually been mail. She doubted she'd believe her anyway.
Not a shark, but something hungry. The woman scoffed and
glared up at the yellow tape. Hungry for a young
girl's innocence. The woman considered Sarah again, Then what are
(04:02):
you doing out here anyway? Drugs?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Meeting someone?
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Sarah's insides burned with the accusations, but she managed to
keep the scow from her face. No, ma'am, just enjoying
the peace and quiet. The woman huffed, as though she
were tragically inconvenienced. If you were a boy out of
drove on. But a pretty girl shouldn't be left alone
out here. You're liable to be next. How about I
take you home? Sarah forced a tight lipped smile. Sure,
(04:31):
come on. The woman turned, and Sarah's stomach grumbled. She
licked her sharp things she hadn't eaten since yesterday. Body
(04:52):
at the Beach was published in Band of Bards Comics,
The Dark Side of Purity, volume three, back in twenty
twenty one, I Think, as part of a awareness campaign
to draw attention to the inequality surrounding women's bodily autonomy
(05:17):
and women's rights in general, and the stigmas surrounding women
who just want to be left alone and want to
be treated equally and be allowed to do things that
males are allowed to do, such as take a walk
on the beach without being harassed or without being accused
(05:39):
of doing something promiscuous or something along those lines. The
social discourse at the time was very heated, and it
still is and it has been for millennia, and it
(05:59):
probably will can tinue to be very heated about you
know what responsibility women have too, harassment and unwelcome attention,
lots of well she should she shouldn't have worn that,
or she shouldn't have been there, or she should have
(06:21):
brought somebody with her, or you know, stuff like this
that is all victim shaming and no perpetrator blaming at all.
And this discourse, like I said, it has continued. Nothing
has really changed or gotten better. In fact, it has
(06:43):
probably gotten worse depending on how you ask, of course.
But this story was selected to go into Band of
Bard's Dark Side Purity Easing as part of their Kickstarter
project for volumes one and two, which were physical bound copies.
(07:05):
I believe Volume three, which the story was part of,
was an easine as kind of like an add on
for backers of volumes one and two, or it is
like a stretch goal if you know anything about Kickstarter,
and so I was really thrilled to have this accepted.
As soon as I saw the call.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
For it, I was like, you know, I have some
experience with this, and I just wrote it. I mean,
the the criteria was, you know, flash fiction pieces with
these types of themes, and it was a little on
the nose, I think, but it was exactly what they
(07:49):
were looking for, and I was super thrilled that they
published it. And I still really love this piece.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
It has been probably a year and a half, two
years maybe since I read this again and the first
time reading this since then, and I'm still I still
love this piece, and I hope that you have enjoyed
it as well. I hope the ending snuck up on you,
(08:17):
and I hope that it helps, you know, start the
conversation and help people think about just you know, what
women go through and the kind of attentions that they
get that they don't ask for just because they are women,
(08:38):
and just the right to exist and be left alone
and have the peace to just take a walk on
the beach without worrying about someone stopping to ask them
if they're okay, or accuse them of doing something they
shouldn't be doing, or insinuating that they are, you know,
(09:02):
up to no good or they're meeting someone, or you know,
they are sacrificing their innocence and their purity because they're
there on the beach, enjoying themselves, minding their own business alone.
So I hope that this story has touched you. I
(09:24):
hope that it has enlightened you. I hope it's surprised you,
and I hope that you enjoyed it. And yeah, stay
tuned for next episode. Thank you, Thank you so much
for listening to this episode of MJ Panky Reads. May
the Muses inspire you always
Welcome fellow mortals to MJ. Panky Read's podcast. This podcast
exists for me to read aloud my books and if
you enjoy listening to audiobooks, you can listen along for free.
So thank you so much again for your time and attention,
and I hope you enjoy the show. Partially eaten human
(00:42):
remains found on beach. The headlines had rocked the small
town of Brinville this morning. Sarah craned her neck to
see around the rising outcrop of rocks beside her, where
the yellow crime scene tape waved in the breeze, the slick,
glossy finish flashing in the moonlight. The article had issued
calls for anyone to report suspicious activity they had seen
(01:03):
at the beach yesterday to proper authorities, but hadn't released
any official details. She'd heard shocked citizens muttering and whispering
under their breath, speculating what horror might have befallen the
poor soul. Sharks had been the primary suspect, but as
Sarah gazed up at the rocks, she wondered how anyone
could think a shark could have left a body so
(01:24):
high above the water. In any event, the discovery of
the body, though initially drawing a buzz of curious onlookers,
had cleared the beaches toward midday and kept the surfers
out of the water, creating a rare mood that she
couldn't pass up. She soaked in the calm, relishing the
sound of crashing waves and noisy gulls without all the
ruckus of civilization screaming, shouting, laughing. She just wanted to
(01:48):
hear the call of the sea, meditate, breathe. Sea foam
inched closer to where Sarah stood, and she stuck out
her toe to splash off the cold sand. Are you
all right right, han, Sarah whipped around. A woman possibly
mid forties, ponytail and diamond earrings glinting in the moonlight,
was just an arm's length away. She wore a denim
(02:10):
jacket over her skin tight halter top, khaki capris, and
flip flops. Even in the dark, Sarah could see the
unnatural shade of leathery skin that betrayed an addiction to
tanning beds. She pursed her lips at Sarah, sweeping her
eyes over her saw you standin out here As I
was driving by, She nodded to a set of headlights
just up the boardwalk. What's a young girl like you
(02:32):
doin out here by yourself? There's a killer on the loose.
Sarah bristled at the woman's tone, condescending, authoritative. She knew
she should be used to it by now. People were
always asking her that, as though a girl taking a
night time stroll was a crime. She smiled back, tight lipped,
pretending like she wasn't bothered. Just sharks, right. The woman
(02:57):
glanced down the empty beach and back at her car,
then walked toward her, muttering, young people will believe anything.
Sarah wiggled her toes into the gritty sand, a mischievous curl,
upturning the corners of her mouth. You don't think it
was a shark. The woman folded her arms shivered. I
think that poor thing wandered out here alone like you.
(03:19):
She gave Sarah a side glance. Then I don't know.
I think someone saw an opportunity, got her, dragged the
body up there, or maybe he surprised her. Then he
left her up there for the animals to gnaw on
like some piece of trash. No shark did that. The
woman turned, do you really think it was a shark.
(03:40):
Sarah shook her head, deciding not to mention that the
body had actually been mail. She doubted she'd believe her anyway.
Not a shark, but something hungry. The woman scoffed and
glared up at the yellow tape. Hungry for a young
girl's innocence. The woman considered Sarah again, Then what are
(04:02):
you doing out here anyway? Drugs?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Meeting someone?
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Sarah's insides burned with the accusations, but she managed to
keep the scow from her face. No, ma'am, just enjoying
the peace and quiet. The woman huffed, as though she
were tragically inconvenienced. If you were a boy out of
drove on. But a pretty girl shouldn't be left alone
out here. You're liable to be next. How about I
take you home? Sarah forced a tight lipped smile. Sure,
(04:31):
come on. The woman turned, and Sarah's stomach grumbled. She
licked her sharp things she hadn't eaten since yesterday. Body
(04:52):
at the Beach was published in Band of Bards Comics,
The Dark Side of Purity, volume three, back in twenty
twenty one, I Think, as part of a awareness campaign
to draw attention to the inequality surrounding women's bodily autonomy
(05:17):
and women's rights in general, and the stigmas surrounding women
who just want to be left alone and want to
be treated equally and be allowed to do things that
males are allowed to do, such as take a walk
on the beach without being harassed or without being accused
(05:39):
of doing something promiscuous or something along those lines. The
social discourse at the time was very heated, and it
still is and it has been for millennia, and it
(05:59):
probably will can tinue to be very heated about you
know what responsibility women have too, harassment and unwelcome attention,
lots of well she should she shouldn't have worn that,
or she shouldn't have been there, or she should have
(06:21):
brought somebody with her, or you know, stuff like this
that is all victim shaming and no perpetrator blaming at all.
And this discourse, like I said, it has continued. Nothing
has really changed or gotten better. In fact, it has
(06:43):
probably gotten worse depending on how you ask, of course.
But this story was selected to go into Band of
Bard's Dark Side Purity Easing as part of their Kickstarter
project for volumes one and two, which were physical bound copies.
(07:05):
I believe Volume three, which the story was part of,
was an easine as kind of like an add on
for backers of volumes one and two, or it is
like a stretch goal if you know anything about Kickstarter,
and so I was really thrilled to have this accepted.
As soon as I saw the call.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
For it, I was like, you know, I have some
experience with this, and I just wrote it. I mean,
the the criteria was, you know, flash fiction pieces with
these types of themes, and it was a little on
the nose, I think, but it was exactly what they
(07:49):
were looking for, and I was super thrilled that they
published it. And I still really love this piece.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
It has been probably a year and a half, two
years maybe since I read this again and the first
time reading this since then, and I'm still I still
love this piece, and I hope that you have enjoyed
it as well. I hope the ending snuck up on you,
(08:17):
and I hope that it helps, you know, start the
conversation and help people think about just you know, what
women go through and the kind of attentions that they
get that they don't ask for just because they are women,
(08:38):
and just the right to exist and be left alone
and have the peace to just take a walk on
the beach without worrying about someone stopping to ask them
if they're okay, or accuse them of doing something they
shouldn't be doing, or insinuating that they are, you know,
(09:02):
up to no good or they're meeting someone, or you know,
they are sacrificing their innocence and their purity because they're
there on the beach, enjoying themselves, minding their own business alone.
So I hope that this story has touched you. I
(09:24):
hope that it has enlightened you. I hope it's surprised you,
and I hope that you enjoyed it. And yeah, stay
tuned for next episode. Thank you, Thank you so much
for listening to this episode of MJ Panky Reads. May
the Muses inspire you always
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