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Sudapod, episode 956. January 3rd, 2025. That's a science fiction year.

This week's story, The Old Lady Lady by Eleanor Scott, narrated by

Kat Day, hosted by Alistair Stewart, audio production by Chelsea Davis. Welcome back, everyone.

This is Sudapod, the weekly horror podcast. I'm Alistair, your host, and this week's story

comes to us from Eleanor Scott, and first

appeared in her 1929 collection, Randall's Round.

Eleanor Scott was born Helen Lees in Middlesex in 1892.

Her father was a barrister, a novelist, and her early education was provided by her mother,

Ellen, who prepared both of her daughters for going on to Oxford.

It's important to note at this point that the first female students attended Oxford in 1879,

but they couldn't officially graduate until 1920.

Before that, women had to travel to Trinity College in Dublin to receive their qualifications.

After the Great War, Helen became a teacher and eventually principal of an Oxford

Teacher Training College. Her first short story to appear in print was The Room, in October

1923, credited to H.M. Lees. In 1928, the first work bearing the pen name Eleanor Scott appeared, the controversial novel War Among Ladies, which was published by Ernest Ben.

Her final novel, Puss in the Corner, was published in November, 1934.

Scott's 1929 collection, Randall's Round, from which this story comes, has been an overlooked gem

of horror for years, and it is our pleasure and honour to bring a facet of that gem out into

the light.

Every story was inspired by a dream, and in the foreword, Scott talks about her hope that

...