The Magnus Archives - Rusty Fears 7 - Well Fed by Luka Suk

Episode Date: April 30, 2026

This week’s short horror story, Well Fed, inspired by the prompt "Waste", is written by Luka Suk and read by Imogen HarrisContent Notes:- Description of food/eatingDirected and Produced by April SumnerWritten by Luka Suk Executive Producers Alexander J Newall & April SumnerFeaturingImogen Harris as NarratorEdited by Lowri Ann Davies and Nico VetteseMusic by Nico Vettese and Sam JonesMastering by Catherine RinellaArt by April SumnerSupport Rusty Quill directly by joining our new membership platform at members.rustyquill.com or on Patreon at patreon.com/rustyquill Check out our merchandise available at https://www.redbubble.com/people/RustyQuill/shop and https://www.teepublic.com/stores/rusty-quillSupport Rusty Quill by purchasing from our Affiliates; DriveThruRPG – DriveThruRPG.comJoin our community:WEBSITE: rustyquill.comFACEBOOK: facebook.com/therustyquillX: @therustyquillEMAIL: [e-mail] Magnus Protocol is a derivative product of the Magnus Archives, created by Rusty Quill Ltd. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share alike 4.0 International Licence. For ad-free episodes, bonus content and more, join members.rustyquill.com or our Patreon.Pre-order FROM THE LIBRARY OF JURGEN LEITNER, a Magnus novel: rustyquill.com/novelBuy tickets to a Magnus Archives Live Show in Sheffield in July: crossedwires.live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi there, Billy Hindle here, the voice of Alice Dyer in the Magnus Protocol. As part of the Magnus Archives 10th anniversary, Rusty Quill is hosting a special Magnus Live show at the upcoming Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield. Join co-creators Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell on the 5th of July for a new iteration of our live show Statement Begins, where you can hear fan favourite statements, such as anglerfish, Red Live, and gain exclusive insights into the creation. and history of the show straight from the creators themselves.

You can buy your tickets now, including limited numbers of meat and greet tickets, from crossedwires. Live, or the link in the description of this episode. Hi there, Jonathan Sims here, and before today's episode, I wanted to tell you about from the Library of Yergen Lightner, an upcoming The Magnus Archives prequel novel available for pre-order right now at www. rusticwill.com forward slash novel. Return to the World of the Magnus Archives in From the Library of Yurgen Leitner,

an official prequel novel written by Nebula, World Fantasy and Aurora Award-winning author Pramie Mohamed, with the help of yours truly. From the Library of Yurgen Lightner explores an infamous organisation from the Magnus Verse for the first time, the perilous private library of the enigmatic collector, Yorgen Lightner. From the Library of Yorgen Lightner

will be published on October the 27th, 2006, and is available for pre-order now as a hardback audio book and e-book. Visit www.W.W. Rustyquill.com for more information. That's Rustyquill.com forward slash novel, or click the link in the show notes of this episode. Well fed by Luca Suk. I like visiting the old woman who lives in the house by my river. Under the cover of night, while I'm prowling around, looking at the time. for something to eat. She always makes sure I'm well-fed. She leaves these bins out on the pavement

that are filled with all kinds of mouth-watering treasures. Crunchy hollow containers made of glass or metal or plastic. Stacks of paper with bitter ink in shapes I can't decipher. Vile piles of old rotten meat and moulding bread. It's all divine. A variety of textures draw me in as long claws and sharp teeth tear through the weak black sack to devour the rancid contents within. She knows I'm there. I know this because I can see her watching me from the window of her home. It's a good distance away, but close enough that I can see her unwavering gaze trained on me as I feed. The light that comes from within is harsh on my eyes. so I never look back for long, if at all,

but I'm content with letting her watch, as long as she keeps her distance. The old woman seems to understand this agreement. Every night she stays within the confines of her home, while her bins sit on the pavement, bulging and overflowing. There was one night where she even left something uncovered on top of the pile. There was a strange little thing,

with a soft, spongy texture covered in some kind of bright, coloured paste. It wasn't a sponge, I know that. Sponges taste bitter and leave a dry feeling in my mouth. And this thing was so moist and horribly sweet. I didn't like it that much. But I ate it anyway. After all, she was watching me as she always does.

And I didn't want her to think I wasn't fond of her gifts. She might have stopped leaving her bins out. Growing curious, I found my. trying to watch her during the day as well. It was a challenge. The sunlight made it hard for me to see clearly, but I was still able to make out some vague shapes and forms. I'd peek up from the currents and watch her routine.

She rarely left her home. Apart from the odd man who stopped by to leave some objects by her door, she didn't have a lot of visitors. Neighbours in passing would greet her as she worked on her garden, but would never stay. Perhaps she was lonely. I could say I was the same. One morning as I waited for the sun to set so that I may begin my feast,

I watched as a metal beast approached the house. It smelled awful, like some kind of acrid smoke. It matched the man in the black seat who stepped out of it. What a strange relationship these two creatures must have. He walked up to the door, adjusting. some strange shiny metal band on his wrist. When the old woman answered, a look crossed her face. I was never good at picking out human emotions,

but if I had to call it anything, I suppose I would call it disgust. Regardless, she opened her door and let him inside. I'm not sure what they talked about. I couldn't hear them from where I was, and between the lights and a distance, it was hard to see what was happening. Even so I could tell it was intense.

They were moving around a lot going back and forth around the house. Before long, she made her way to her windows and hesitated. There was the slightest movement near her head before the glass was covered. With nothing left to watch, I dove back beneath the murky depths and waited for darkness to fall. By the time the sun had set, the metal beast had disappeared. The sour smell was still lingering in the air

as the old woman put her bins on the pavement. I knew it would be a good feast because she seemed to struggle with them a bit. That meant they were nice and heavy. I was on the other side of the black stone waiting patiently for her to return to her home when she saw me. She didn't run.

She never did. She did, however, beckoned to me before going back inside. Was there something in there she wanted me to have? Something she thought I might like, perhaps. I approached with some level of hesitation. I wasn't sure if I could stomach another one of those sickeningly sweet sponges. When I ripped open the thin black plastic, however, a strong smell hit me.

It smelled familiar somehow, but I couldn't quite place it. Skeptical I looked up and saw the old woman looking at me. This was nothing new, of course, but it was different. Her lights were dimmed, well enough that I could see the look on her face clearly. This one I knew I couldn't place, but it must have been something good, because her lips were turned up and her teeth were out on display. She was smiling, I think. Humans did that when they were happy, right?

So maybe she was happy. I tilted my head and tried to imitate that look, thick drool falling from my mouth. I could be happy too. Something strange flashed across her eyes as she nodded to me, urging me to go on. I wasted no time getting to my meal. This was nothing like the rotten fruit peels

or the chewy paper bits that were usually left in there. This was much better. I hadn't eaten anything like that in a long, long time. Some sour metallic scent hit my nose, but all it did was add to my hunger. It was so easy to rip and tear into this meat. That's what it was, some kind of meat I'd had once, long before my retreat to the river,

something I'd since forgotten the taste of, but now that I had it again, I couldn't get enough. I was so lost in the gratification I almost neglected to take note of a shiny metal band that lay on the ground next to the bins. It didn't stay there for long though. As soon as I spotted it,

I made sure to devour that as well. It wasn't long before the contents of the bin were gone. I looked back at the old woman. She was pleased, I think. I smiled at her again before slinking back into the river, my hunger fully satisfied for the first time in a long while. Nights passed before I returned to the old woman's house. The meat she had left me had fulfilled a need in me I forgot was there.

Not to mention I was fortunate enough to watch the man's metal beast drown in my river. It was able to keep me full for a few days more. The gentle routine I'd become accustomed to began to change. I started visiting her less and less. I didn't need to feed quite so often after all. Still, those bins would always be waiting for me. The meat she was now tossing away was always fresh and warm. I noticed that I rarely saw her neighbours anymore, if I ever saw them at all.

It didn't matter much to me, though. At the end of the day, they're not the ones who left their bins out just for me. I know there will come a day when the old woman will no longer be able to feed me. One day she will not leave her home, and I will find no bins on the pavement. But I will find a way to have my feast, even if I have to rip apart her windows and endure her harsh lights. She always keeps me full. The Magnus Protocol is a podcast distributed by Rusty Quill, and licensed under a Creative Commons attribution non-commercial, non-commercial share-er-like,

4.0 international license. To subscribe, view associated materials, or join our Patreon, visit rusty quill.com. Rate and reviews online, tweet us at the RustyQuil. Visit us on Facebook or email us via mail at RustyQuil.com. Thanks for listening. Billy Hindle here, the voice of Alice in the Magnus Protocol, and I'm here to tell you about from the library of Jirgen Lightner, an upcoming novel available for pre-order right now at RustyQuil.com forward slash novel.

the world of the Magnus Archives in From the Library of Yergen Lightner, an official prequel novel written by Nebula, World Fantasy and Aurora Award-winning author, Primi Muhammad, with the help of the Magnus Archives' own writer and lead voice, Jonathan Sims. From the Library of Yergin Lightner explores an infamous organization from the Magnusverse for the first time, the perilous private library of the enigmatic collector Yergen Lightner, where occult books are guarded and researched at a fatal cost. Lightner's library keeps the dangers of these books in check and there would-be reader safe, or so Lightner claims.

For two of Lightner's employees, the risks are worth it. For Hugh Franklin, the library is a place to belong. For Sebastian Everett, the library is an opportunity to indulge arcane ambitions. Though their ten years that the library were years apart, Hugh and Sebastian's stories unfold in parallel, and their footsteps echo down the same eerie aisle. caught in a web spun long before either ever heard the name, Juergen Leitner.

Will they find a way out, or will the library consume them before it's too late? From the library of Juergen Leitner, will be published on October the 27th, 2026, and is available for pre-order now. Visit RustyQuil.com forward slash novel for more information. That's rustyquill.com forward slash N-O-V-E-L.