Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:44 — 40.9MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | RSS | More
What if your missing person case walked you straight through a portal in time?
Season 9, Episode 3, October 2, 2026
In “The Westlow Anomaly,” a brand new sci-fi noir audio drama from Welcome to Earth Stories, missing persons detective Cavallo takes the case that breaks every rule he knows.
Westlow is the oasis of broken dreams, a city so far gone that its official motto is “no one in Westlow actually wants to be in Westlow.” The liquor stores are the only businesses left standing, crime is the only growth industry, and Cavallo’s office wall is decorated with six photographs of people who were never found. Then she walks in.
Mrs. Fairweather. Red gown. Ruby lips. A mink coat, a pearl necklace, and a purse full of crisp hundred dollar bills. Her husband Philip Fairweather, the elderly banking magnate whose boot has been on this city’s neck for decades, has been missing for three days. She will triple the detective’s fee to find him. And she hands him a clue that does not belong in 1939: a smooth black rectangle engraved with a bitten apple, a device that lights up, tells the time, and connects him to a terrified young man named Colin, who talks like he is from another century. Because he is.
One 10 p.m. meeting at a Victorian mansion. One oval, multicolored portal humming in the library. One femme fatale who might be the victim, the villain, or something stranger. Detective Cavallo came looking for a missing husband. He found a door between worlds.
Put your headphones on. This one is pure noir science fiction, and the twist is one you will not see coming.
CAST AND CREDITS
Written, produced, recorded, and narrated by York Campbell (Detective Cavallo) in the Poetic Earthling studio, Ottawa Valley. Featuring Amber Boetger as Mrs. Fairweather and Leo J. Allen as Colin, with special thanks to Timothy Keemo-Bryan of the Create Art Podcast.
LOVE THE SHOW? LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW
How to rate and review on Apple Podcasts
1. Open the Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
2. Tap Search and type “Welcome to Earth Stories.” Tap the show to open its page.
3. Scroll down until you see “Ratings & Reviews.”
4. Tap the stars to leave your rating.
5. Tap “Write a Review” to add a few words about the show. You may be asked to sign in with your Apple ID.
6. Tap Send. That’s it. Thank you!
How to rate on Spotify
(Please note: Spotify allows star ratings but not written reviews.)
1. Open the Spotify app and search for “Welcome to Earth Stories.” Open the show page (not a single episode).
2. Tap the three dots (…) under the show’s name and choose “Rate show.”
3. Tap the number of stars you want to give, then tap Submit.
Tip: Spotify asks you to listen to a few minutes of an episode before you can rate, so play a little first if the option doesn’t show up right away.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: What is “The Westlow Anomaly” about?
A: It is a sci-fi noir audio drama from Welcome to Earth Stories. In the broken city of Westlow, missing persons detective Cavallo is hired by the glamorous Mrs. Fairweather to find her missing husband, a wealthy elderly banker. The case pulls him toward a mysterious device from another time, a terrified caller named Colin, and a multicolored portal humming in a mansion library.
Q: Who is Detective Cavallo?
A: A hardboiled missing persons detective in Westlow, voiced and narrated by York Campbell. His office wall carries six photographs of people who were never found. Finding lost souls is more than his job. It is his calling.
Q: Who stars in this episode?
A: York Campbell as Detective Cavallo (also the writer, producer, and narrator), Amber Boetger as Mrs. Fairweather, and Leo J. Allen as Colin, with special thanks to Timothy Keemo-Bryan of the Create Art Podcast.
Q: What is the strange rectangular device?
A: A smooth black rectangle engraved with a bitten apple, found by Mrs. Fairweather. It lights up, displays the time, and connects the detective to Colin. It is a piece of technology that should not exist in 1939.
Q: What is the Westlow anomaly?
A: An oval, multicolored phenomenon suspended in mid-air in the Fairweather mansion library. Mrs. Fairweather believes it is a portal or vortex connecting Westlow to another place, or another time. Whatever is fed into it, a more sophisticated version comes out.
Q: Where can I listen to Welcome to Earth Stories?
A: Find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or at welcometoearthstories.com.
Q: How can I support the show?
A: Two easy ways: leave a 5-star rating and review using the guides above, or make a donation at buymeacoffee.com/earthstories. Every bit keeps this independent show going.
Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/earthstories