CZM Book Club: "The Devil Lives Here," by Margaret Killjoy
Summary
Horror writer Margaret Kiljoy reads her short story "The Devil Lives Here," set in a small Oregon town where a girl and her new friend search for a missing boy in a cave beneath a haunted shack. The narrative blends supernatural folklore with coming-of-age themes, revealing a mystical underworld of "devil’s maidens" and a hidden queer identity. Kiljoy discusses the story’s origins in a dream and its metaphorical layers, concluding with a message on finding meaning in life’s transitions.
Topics discussed
Podcast intros and sponsor advertisements
Welcome to Cool Zone Media Book Club
Introduction to the Devil's Shack and Penny
The dare to climb down the rope ladder
Descending into the gorge and the cave
Sponsor break: Roland Martin Unfiltered
Discovering the altar and the disturbing painting
Chris's disappearance and the search begins
Rescue efforts and the hermit's arrest
The narrator's trauma and family history
Penny's visit and the colt theory
Returning to the shack and the morning after
Sponsor break: Roland Martin Unfiltered
The second descent into the Devil's Hole
The crystal chamber and finding Chris's note
Rescuing Chris and the Devil's Maidens
Thanking the maidens and the story's end
Author commentary on the story's origins
Reflections on transition and survival
Outro and final sponsor advertisements
Listen ad-free on Castria