"The Thing From the Barrens" by Jim Kjelgaard / Supernatural Beings

"The Thing From the Barrens" is a short story by the American author, Jim Kjelgaard. The tale, which first appeared in Weird Tales in September 1945, tells of a strange entity that made its way into a small town in Northern Canada.
00:00 - Introduction
00:42 - The Thing From the Barrens
37:21 - Further Listening
Bandcamp link: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com
Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble
Music and production by Ian Gordon & Jennifer Gill
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[@michalkuz5462]

Well, what do you know the first “Predator” story appeared in 1945. I wonder whether Jim and John Thomas (the authors of the screenplay for the 1987 film starring A. Schwarzenegger ) actually read that story, the similarities are just uncanny.

[@lionelhutz5137]

If it bleeds we can kill it

[@tombofgiants3678]

I would give the title of first "Predator" story to Ambrose Bierce's "The Damned Thing" (1893). It seems to heavily influence Kjelgaard's tale; check it out if you liked this one

[@michalkuz5462]

@@tombofgiants3678 Yes but here we get more details. The hunting habits, the skinning of the game, even the duck-foot shape of the extremities resembles what later became a cinematic “predator”.

[@oliversmith9200]

I think one of the most interesting things about delving into the sci-fi crypts is that even if Warren is dead, among the fruit or, fungus born up is the revelation that many of the ideas we might think were original to our times are actually preceded in the earlier works of often unknown sci-fi giants ~ who's shoulders we stand, sit, lounge and ignorantly might congratulate ourselves on. Thank you Warren. Thank you, for your sacrifice.

[@oliversmith9200]

@@lionelhutz5137 'And if it doesn't bleed, we can paint it and conjure it back into another dimension by golly and a few other powers tapped into.

[@machine3589]

I won't lie, sometimes I tune in just to check in on Warren's status.

[@mrdropkicker1]

Still dead...

[@kittenburger_prime]

You fool!

[@micaelatrimbach9290]

Bwahahaha

[@j.stonehouse5004]

😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[@jons5478]

This made my day.

[@shroomyk]

Never thought I'd hear a story about a giant invisible duck, but I'm not complaining either.

[@user-nm8mt8vb3c]

Other creatures leave 3 clawed prints

[@oliversmith9200]

The story kept me going very nicely, but, every time it came to the duck foot prints I had to double down on suspension of disbelief. Happily, practice makes that not too hard to do. Now, if the beast had uttered ear splitting "Quacks"? Fortunately, we were spared that grim testing.

[@walterfechter8080]

Ever since I first viewed "The Thing From Another World" (1951) I've held an appreciation for stories which featured monsters in cold-weather environs. I truly appreciate the character development in this story -- almost like a tale by Jack London or Ernest Hemingway. This is the sixth time I've listened to this tale during Winter 2022/2023. Many thanks, Ian.

[@arthurchadwell9267]

Or John Carpenter's The Thing (1984)

[@walterfechter8080]

I saved listening to this well-written and narrated story for about the seventh time until I felt it appropriate. Here it is -- the last full weekend of Winter 2024. A heavy snow is falling, and the wind is picking up. My Malamute is resting on the floor next to me - a cup of hot coffee on my desk. It couldn't be better for a winter tale of terror. Thanks, Ian Gordon.

[@justincase9282]

The advantage of being on the opposite side of the world is being able to get this during a lunch break

[@orion8921]

That would be pretty sweet

[@rhoddryice5412]

The advantage of getting the uploads before bedtime is that you sometimes have to listen to the stories several times before you get to the end. Well today I listen during lunch time. :) Damn I still drifted off to sleep.

[@jmh8697]

“The barrens...just came alive and took him...”

[@lionelhutz5137]

These barrens make Cambodia look like Kansas

[@nobodyyouknow1065]

That might have been the weirdest thing ever presented as a credible threat I’ve heard of since The Creeping Terror.

[@donaldmccleary9015]

Awesome story and great narration, as always! The drunk guy's dialogue and descriptions were awesome! This channel is phenomenal!!

[@colinsmith458]

I was so caught up in the emotions of grief and victory that the revelation that Pugz was colorblind blindsided me, I just assumed he was guessing where the huge invisible platypus was. Wonderful told and narrated short tale of chilling horror!

[@brandoftheraisin]

Great for me since the cold has made for rolling blackouts all day and this one of the only things I can get without wifi. Plus the near pitch-black interior of my apartment plus the winter chill and occasional howling wind or sleet makes for a nice setting.

[@oliversmith9200]

Just about each time one starts to become dramatically terrorized, "duck tracks" inject a comic booster.

[@viko747]

Same lmao i felt shivers coming up with chilling story only to ha e them settle just as wuick as I imagined i giant duck eith hands everyrime i heard duck prints 🤣

[@Jason-ng2vf]

Wow! Excellent!! Love the Arctic wind ambience in these. You are a great narrator too Ian.

[@lizbmusic11]

Worked late tonight. 3am on a frosty winter night. This is just the right length to doze off to. I often listen to the rest with my morning cuppa in bed. G’nite from New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@bustedhonda]

That was the most captivating sorry you have narrated by leaps and bounds Mr. Gordon! May I please have another good sir?

[@scottfree2248]

I've got a fever and the only prescription is more duckfoot.

[@Samphetamine]

This comment is highly underrated

[@geraldburke5147]

Wearing gold plated diapers...

[@thefisherking78]

I listened to this quite a few times while falling asleep at Fort Dix in the winter of '21-22 after a 13hr shift helping new Americans through a traumatic resettlement experience. It was a lonely and all too often drunken time for me 😂 but HorrorBabble helped me through it most nights.

[@Oraphel]

Simply wonderful.

[@michaelmoore7975]

I read nearly all of Kjelgaards "dog books" when I was young, really good stories. Big Red and Snow Dog were my favorites.

[@awarningtothecuriouswerewolves]

Hey, a story from my neck of the woods! Cheers Warren, who is hiding in a snowdrift! It's a nice warm day -- minus 18 Celsius!

[@gresach]

Beautifully written, excellently read - thanks so much!

[@winterland3253]

Holds echoes of Bierce's "The Damned Thing".

[@geraldburke5147]

Storytelling seems to be a fading art. As such, with the passing of time a true tale is truly a wonder.

[@oliversmith9200]

One wonders what monstrosity was revealed to old Davenport's color blind eyes? What a stalwart, not to have been driven outright insane as often happens in such instances.

[@roddyfowler2234]

I'd never heard of this story before, nor of the author. I found your channel for the first time today and intend to go though every one of the stories.

[@SwedeProof]

Me too!

[@jimjohhnston9992]

Always happy to encounter a story set in my country Thank you for posting I was familiar with some of Mr Kejelgaard 's work from reading his dog stories in elementary school I am happy to learn he wrote for Weird tales as well

[@gerry5134]

Warren pipes up " You're the fool, rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated ! Oh by the way there's a black stick at your feet !" 😝

[@eisenhorngaunt]

I definitely get a 'Predator' vibe from this. I wonder if it was inspired by this story?

[@gerry5134]

@@eisenhorngaunt the Predator with duck feet! 😁

[@eisenhorngaunt]

@@gerry5134 Now I'd pay to see that!

[@gerry5134]

@@eisenhorngaunt Me too ! 😂🤣

[@justicepie314]

@@eisenhorngaunt You got me interested so I checked it out. Apparently "the Predator" design was inspired by a painting of a Rastafarian warrior in Joel Silver's office and the story was initially a joke because the next opponent "Rocky" should face was one from another planet. Also, the Predator we got was not the original design, which was going to be played by Van Damme. Kevin Peter Hall and Stan Winston, were much better (and now iconic) choices. www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/predator-30th-anniversary-behind-the-scenes monsterlegacy.net/2017/06/12/predator/

[@happygardener28]

I read the comments about the movie Predator and the story by Bierce. As I reached the end of the story the movie did seem to be a contemporary twist on this short story. But there is also a short story by Andre Norton called 'All Cats are Grey', not one of her best as it was early in her career (1953) and she often used short stories to build on. This is an enjoyable story.

[@DemienC.]

Love me some good snow story. Thank you.

[@MrDozerdee]

Superbly done. I felt I was there in the salon waiting for the end. Well done Sir well done. 👏

[@Bassist-Beneath]

How fitting...currently snowed in and the power is out. Wish me luck. and keep up the great work Ian!

[@1701EarlGrey]

Good story! You think that I'm crazy but I feel that it inspired "Predator" with Schwarzenegger

[@tamlandipper29]

Needed more duck foot

[@tamlandipper29]

I totally agree.

[@matthewspeed361]

Love u all at horror babble, thanks for all the stories I've listened to hours of your stories💯👍🐸

[@GGiblet]

Lovely and so well executed! Thank you🌞

[@0therun1t21]

Oh man, what the hell? I'll think of this story every time I see little black sticks or god forbid, duck tracks! Ducks are evil enough all by themselves and now this, just great.

[@Firecracker66]

Warren Peace. This story has everything!

[@eisenhorngaunt]

Definitely a 'Predator ' vibe from this!

[@Nanosuit37]

Excellent story and telling. Thank you again Mr. Gordon.

[@theilliad4298]

Seemed more like an obsession story with a sprinkling of an invisible monster and it’s stick. What is the stick about? This would make a good chapter in “Litttle Nightmares”

[@jannetteberends8730]

I save this one for a hot day in the summer. Now I stick to stories in hot places.

[@thefisherking78]

I've never been so afraid of a damn stick

[@chrisu7022]

To give your life to save your daughters is the ultimate sacrifice/gift a parent could give.

[@rickyhurtt5568]

Dude is downright serious about Marsha. I'm glad I was never that deep. Offering arms for a smile

[@tehbonehead]

I believe the youths are calling it "simping" these days....

[@CrazyLikeUhFox]

@@tehbonehead “Simp” is old now. New term would be “down bad.”

[@Samphetamine]

@@CrazyLikeUhFox can you use that in an example sentence?

[@CrazyLikeUhFox]

@@Samphetamine Something like “That guy would chase anything with a vagina. My man’s down bad.”

[@colemarie9262]

I really like the whole mood of this one.

[@rickyhurtt5568]

Loving this story

[@weeturtle8058]

I had to look it up, but yes, this is the same JK that wrote “Big Red” that I read in grade 7 I believe. It always intrigues me to find authors I recognize in a genre I don’t expect.

[@aljackson7612]

This is now my favorite story. Loved it.

[@RolandWieffering1]

Great story, a rare find. Never heard before. Thumbs-up

[@CJ-uf6xl]

Brilliant, thank you.

[@LindaB651]

Reminds me a bit of Andre Norton's sci-fi/horror "All Cats are Grey" from the early 50's.

[@JC-ft9ez]

I've always liked stuff like this it is theater for the mind.

[@bradgilbert9546]

I silk screened Warren Is Dead on a shirt and people would walk up and said "I Know" Pretty cool to find someone who knows what it means

[@HorrorBabble]

Fantastic!

[@EricDaMAJ]

Still holding out hope Warren makes it back from that polar expedition.

[@possumaintdead]

Remarkably similar to All Cats are Gray by Andre Norton, which you presented two years ago. Except that one is on a space ship. Still, interesting coincidence.

[@tinycrimester]

she's just not that into you, george. the romance that starts at the end of the movie always ends before the start of the sequel.

[@user-nm8mt8vb3c]

I love that story. I'd love to know more

[@kirpalani-griffin3706]

Brilliant stuff. Thank you!

[@AcornElectron]

Typical Warren. I'm surprised he can even tell the truth about his own name by now. Keep up the good work fella and stay safe.

[@awarningtothecuriouswerewolves]

I cannot tell a lie! Warren

[@jenford7078]

That's a great story in that 40's way.

[@jasonfreeman2863]

Excellent!!!

[@beverlyamarantes9775]

That was quite the love/ horror story.

[@rachelstratman1405]

Hypothetically speaking, If Pug could actually see the threat, why didn't he say so? He had no reason to assume he was the only one who could see it...For all Pug knew, it was perfectly visible to everyone, and therefore he should have known the extent of the threat & not to let it follow him back home. Why weren't the dogs/other animals alerted to its presence? Animals can sense earthquakes, tornadoes, seizure activity, cancer, a days old blood trail....they should have gone collectively crazy as soon as it was near....unless they were like Jones the cat from Alien! LOL!

[@GunterThePenguinHatesHugs]

Isn't there a legend of Giant carnivorous Beavers in the Canada/Alaska/Nunavut areas in North America? Maybe the story is implicating that as opposed to ' Big Quack'r ' ?

[@bob_frazier]

We did actually have giant beavers prior to the Younger-Dryas. They were the size of black bears.

[@suedavenport7793]

Superb!!

[@user-jo2iq6so7d]

Awesome!!!

[@CullObsidianPlays626]

Wow the twist at the end got me!!! To know Pug could actually see what no one else could drives so many questions! What did he actually see from his perspective? Great story!!!

[@RedcoatsReturn]

A superb story! 😲😄😊😊😊😊😊😊👍👍

[@adamscrivner30]

Brilliant.

[@MinscFromBaldursGate92]

Invisible alien hunter with duckfeet.

[@Ivanhoe52]

The guy pulled the chair along with the man sitting on it? Funny... 🙂

[@WhiteLongSword7]

That was a pretty good story!

[@unclesam1756]

Unless I see a body I won't give up hope on Warren.

[@jeffreyvarela138]

Me: hello, is Warren there? Them :u fool, Warren is dead!

[@sandhita_agarwal]

I had a feeling the protagonist was subtly gaslighting Marsha😂

[@maegliinvalantor6441]

And to think he wrote ‘Big Red’… definitely should do a crossover😂

[@ZannerBatman]

I'm sorry, I know I haven't been listening long, but I have to ask ... at the start of some videos we hear "You fool! Warren's dead" ~ can someone please explain this to me? I'm sure it has some meaning that I haven't figured it out yet and it's driving me crazy.

[@darielwoods7859]

It's a line from 'The Statement of Randolph Carter' by HP Lovecraft.

[@ZannerBatman]

@@darielwoods7859 Thank you so much for solving that for me. It literally was driving me insane, ha ha! (You know, I will have to listen to that one now).

[@justicepie314]

It's been answered, but here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6q0i2WLq9mcj80 @15:04

[@ZannerBatman]

@@justicepie314 thank you for that 👍

[@justicepie314]

@@ZannerBatman Oh, of course! You’d be surprised how often that question is actually asked. I ONLY found out before because I stumbled upon the tale. It’s worth a listen.

[@craigc5121]

Nice twist

[@ADITADDICTS]

The thing that makes trophies out of men.

[@carstentilsgren2079]

On a stick!

[@blixten2928]

Serves them right, do unto them as they do unto foxes. Only, useless and ugly pelts...

[@RSEFX]

An early PREDATOR prototype. Like WITHOUT WARNING (late 70's film).

[@stevepalpatine2828]

@@RSEFX Is that the one with Martin Landau about the Alien hunter that throws weird living squid shuriken at people?

[@LegendofLaw]

I have no idea what a duckfoots and a stick is, this is the only thing I found: duckfoots plural : a gastropod mollusk (Aporrhais occidentalis) of offshore waters of the western North Atlantic that has a long vertical aperture and a much-expanded somewhat triangular outer lip - called also duck's-foot shell

[@chinaesounsealiao4700]

I don't even know who was Warren, and at this point I'm too afraid to ask.

[@tamlandipper29]

*sigh* Reinstalls The Long Dark.

[@daygoncornhole2395]

What is that ?🙂

[@tamlandipper29]

@@daygoncornhole2395 - The Long Dark is a Canadian survival game set in the frozen wlderness a bit like the Barrens mentioned in this story. They even have an official game mode where you can be pursued by an Eldritch entity. I don't think it has duck feet and a stick, but I could be wrong because I'm still playing a standard sandbox-mode survival game trying for 500 days.

[@faust13301]

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!

[@jehovasabettor9080]

Okay, the big question is whether or not Andre Norton "borrowed" this idea in a Blood Raven sort of way, or was it a parallel evolution. Also, the phrase about "going out for weeks and months with no intercourse whatever with other human beings" sounds like it didn't age particularly well. But what do I know, I'm a foreigner.

[@vintageyamahasquid]

As a native English speaker I can confirm what you suspected. Intercourse is only really used to refer to sex by the vast majority of modern English speakers.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

I'm sure that everyone else knows what an aroused ermine smells like, so I feel left out

[@heldlightning7118]

Poor Pug

[@GordonBeckles]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@frederickbrock2740]

1 yr ago someone wrote 27:14. I swear, I'm intrigued by the smallest ...

[@Rachel-cb9wr]

Oh Praise be 😁

[@bloodgrss]

Indeed-Predator with the touch of the Wendigo. Implausible as most such stories are, but well written and engrossing...

[@inacook2285]

Why wouldn't you warn people to stay away from the stick? Excellent story though..gruesome and karmic

[@mafirearmsafety]

What’s a duck foot and stick?

[@rachelstratman1405]

The two things are the only manifestation of the invisible threat that is stalking Pug...except for the musky smell. He could only describe the footprints as duck foots and that the black stick was somehow stuck to it... that's why he told George "stay away from the stick or you'll never get away."

[@kevinmorgan2968]

I’ll drink to Pug!

[@beverlyamarantes9775]

I think u will listen again.

[@matbroomfield]

"A strange musky scent like that of an aroused pony" is not a comparison that will not mean much to a lot of people!

[@rogaltriggs4704]

Early yauta? Just unwrapped chickamunga-whoa!

[@MatthewCharmanadventures]

Anytiiiiime...

[@oliversmith9200]

Another of the odd cases closed by good town folk, with no bother needed from Agent's Scully or Molder.

[@daygoncornhole2395]

Can you please do caterpillars from ef Benson

[@HorrorBabble]

It's already on the channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJrahYeni8arg5I Thanks for listening!

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

excellent! (other than the infantalisation of Marsha)

[@wayneralph1351]

So OG Predator then?