
In a quiet Appalachian hollow, Maw Coy trudges through the creek with a heavy bundle, checking on the hidden still that keeps her family afloat. She finds Lem, the strong‑backed but simple son, day‑dreaming about hunting the elusive “Martin” while the rest of the men are out scouting. Their banter reveals a world where moonshine, rugged labor, and the threat of government agents mingle with a lingering, almost mythic hunt for something wild and dangerous.
The story captures the grit of rural life, the close‑knit dynamics of the Coy family, and the restless yearning of Lem to prove himself by tracking the mysterious creature that haunts their woods. As tensions rise over the still and the promise of a “Martin” kill, listeners are drawn into a slice of Americana tinged with an undercurrent of danger, hinting at larger forces that may soon intrude on this secluded world.
Language
en
Duration
~24 minutes (23K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-05-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1917–1983
Known for big-idea science fiction with a practical, satirical edge, this prolific American writer explored politics, class, and economics long before those themes became common in the genre. His stories were especially popular in magazine science fiction from the 1950s through the 1970s.
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