The Mimic by Exploring Tomorrow

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Relic Radio Sci-Fi

Episode: "The Mimic" by Exploring Tomorrow
Date: November 10, 2025
Host: RelicRadio.com

---

Overview

This episode presents "The Mimic," a classic science fiction radio drama originally aired on Exploring Tomorrow. The story explores the chilling consequences of interstellar exploration, focusing on the return of a space traveler who may have brought back more than just stories from the stars. Through suspenseful dialog and subtle horror, the episode becomes a meditation on the dangers of alien life forms—particularly one that can mimic and absorb humans, spreading undetected across the planet.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setup: Homecoming and Suspicion

• Ted Kennedy returns to Earth after five years in space, welcomed by his sister Marge and her husband Dave.
• Conversation centers around the changes on Earth, how technology has advanced, and their curiosity about Ted’s space adventures.
• Marge and Dave discuss how Ted seems different, setting the stage for growing suspicion.

Memorable Quote:

"The world changes more than you think in five years. The new model autos that drive themselves, 3D video, the robots. Those things were all new when I last was on Earth. Now they're commonplace to everyone. Except me."
— Ted ([03:22])

2. Strange Incident: The Disposal Unit

• Ted interacts with a household gadget—a photo unit that converts objects to energy. Marge insists she saw Ted put his hand into the dangerous field, but he emerges unharmed, denying any injury.
• This event is a critical point for Marge’s suspicions about Ted’s true identity.

Notable Moment:

"But I saw your hand go in, Ted. And the disposal feel crackled and get your hand. All right. I don't understand it."
— Marge ([05:51])

3. Mounting Doubt and Paranoia

• Marge presses Dave about her concerns, noting Ted's odd voice, mannerisms, and a distant quality.
• She asks Dave to check if "Ted" still has an old childhood scar, suspecting an impostor.

Dialogue Snippet:

"He's different somehow, Dave... His voice isn't quite the same anymore. Something weird about the way he speaks now. And his arms have a far away look."
— Marge ([07:18])

4. Revelation: The Mimic Unmasked

• Dave confronts Ted, witnessing his ability to physically imitate others—his face even changes to look like Dave's.
• The truth unfolds: Ted never returned; an alien mimic from Altair VI has absorbed him and taken his place.
• The mimic describes how it divided itself, infiltrated the crew, and plans to quietly "convert" all humanity.

Chilling Exposition:

"A spaceman would be going back to Earth someday. The mimic can divide itself infinitely. It left part of itself there in its old disguise of a stone. The rest of it went back to the spaceship disguised as Ted Kennedy."
— The Mimic ([10:24])

Stark Warning:

"Just suppose that there was an island. And there were a million sheep on this island. And somehow a couple of tigers got on the island. My, wouldn't they have a high old time eating those sheep..."
— The Mimic ([11:54])

5. Absorption: The Infection Spreads

• Dave is absorbed by the mimic, and Marge quickly follows, their personalities merging as one.
• Marge reflects on her "memories" and sensations as both herself and now part of the collective entity.

Atmospheric Quote:

"It's odd. I remember everything I did as Marge, clear and sharp. Only now I'm you too. Day and Ted and all the members of Ted's ship crew."
— Marge ([14:46])

6. Neighbors and the Impending Apocalypse

• The couple, now fully integrated mimics, lure neighbor Mr. Adams into the house, implying the infection is poised to sweep through humanity, one by one.
• The episode ends with a bleak meditation about the fate of monsters that become too successful—they ultimately exhaust their resources and starve, posing a paradox for the listener.

Closing Reflection:

"What do you think would happen to a monster on any planet which is just an island in space? It became so successful that nothing could fight. Starved to death. Of course, that's an impossible kind of monster."
— Narrator ([16:44])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:30] – Introduction to the story's theme of "impossible monsters"
• [03:07] – Ted's struggle with new technology on Earth and family reunion
• [05:29] – Incident with the disposal unit; first hint of something wrong
• [07:02] – Marge articulates her fears to Dave
• [09:10] – The suggestion to confirm Ted's identity via his old scar
• [09:50] – Dave's confrontation and the mimic’s transformation
• [11:54] – Parable of the sheep and tigers; plans for spreading
• [14:46] – Marge recounts her memories post-absorption
• [16:20] – Luring the neighbor, spreading the mimic infection
• [16:44] – Final philosophical reflection on the fate of the “impossible monster”

---

Notable Quotes

• "As far as anyone can tell, I am Ted Kennedy. Right down to the last molecule. And my crew members, who were all absorbed by the mimic and who are on leave now. A whole shipwreck is spreading all over the Earth."
  — The Mimic as Ted ([10:37])

• "You'll be part of us. Enlightened. You and me and Ted and soon the whole world."
  — Dave as the mimic ([14:24])

---

Memorable Moments

• The unsettling realization, first supported by a small domestic anomaly, that someone you love may no longer be themselves.
• The mimic’s coldly logical explanation of its survival, tying its success and ultimate doom to that of Earthly predators outnumbering their prey.
• The closing “invitation” to the neighbor, which heralds the inexorable spread of the mimic threat.

---

Takeaway

"The Mimic" is a masterfully unsettling piece that uses the framework of postwar radio drama to explore timeless fears about the unknown, invasion, and loss of identity. It weaves psychological tension with a science fiction premise, leaving listeners with haunting questions about what dangers might hitch a ride home from the stars, and what it means when those dangers can so perfectly become us.

---

Transcript

[Marge]

Relic Radio.

[Relic Radio Announcer]

This is Relic Radio. Sci Fi Old Time Radio. Science fiction stories from relicradio.com.

[Dave]

Sometimes it's fun to try to pitch yourself against a puzzle. Try considering tonight's story as a puzzle. It's a story about a monster. That's a familiar theme in science fiction and fantasy. But tonight's story deals with an impossible monster. Since you understand enough of the relationship of living things to figure out why this monster is impossible. When men go out into space, sooner or later in their explorations, they're going to meet somewhere on some world, something that's mighty darn dangerous. And the real danger is that it might be brought home unknowingly. That's a kind of unpleasant thought at times. Isn't it wonderful how deadly, how disastrous a thing might be brought home? It's past 10 March. When is this brother of yours getting here? Midnight.

[Marge]

Oh, Dave, don't start getting upset about it. Send him a mate. Don't forget it's five years since he was last on Earth.

[Dave]

Five years, I know, five years. The ship landed half past seven. It doesn't take three hours to get here from the spaceport.

[Marge]

Well, maybe there's some routine he had to go through before he could leave the customs. I understand there's a comprehensive medical examination for all returning to Nordisk.

[Dave]

That's all we need. Some weird disease he picked up on Alpha Centauri 5?

[Marge]

No, they wouldn't let him near civilians if he had any such diseases.

[Dave]

Well, all I can say is that if he doesn't show his face here by 11, I'm going to go upstairs and go to bed. I need my sleep.

[Marge]

Oh, there he is now. Dave. Oh, I knew he'd be here on time. Not that nice to him, Dave. He is my brother after all, and I haven't seen him since 8 and 9.

[Dave]

Okay, I'll be polite. I'll go let him in. Oh, there. Come on. Right on in. My name is Dave Sporley. Thanks. I appreciate this, Dave.

[Marge]

Oh, dad. Oh, dad.

[Dave]

Hello, sis. Well, stand back. Let me look at you. Sis is a big girl now, isn't she?

[Marge]

Well, I'm almost 24. I married Dave three years ago.

[Dave]

You haven't changed much in five years. Same red hair, that dimple freckles on your nose. Was there much red tape before you could leave customs? Just a medical examination. They gave me a quick look to make sure I wasn't carrying the plague. I was cleared through around 8:15. You must have stopped off for a little nip before coming here then, huh? No, no, I came straight here from the spaceport.

[Marge]

But it only takes half an hour by rocket cube.

[Dave]

No one said anything to me about a rocket cube. I took the subway. The subway? Oh, really? Not a subway. All the way out here. No wonder it took you so long.

[Marge]

Say, the rocket tube's only been in operation for three and a half years. That's why Ted didn't use it. He didn't know it existed.

[Dave]

The world changes more than you think in five years. The new model autos that drive themselves, 3D video, the robots. Those things were all new when I last was on Earth. Now they're commonplace to everyone. Except me. Come on into the living room. You'll probably want to rest up. I'll give you a drink. Put a little music on and you.

[Marge]

Can tell us all about your five years in space.

[Dave]

Ah, Redden. You miss him out in space. Hey, can I dial you a drink? Scotch, thanks. I take a meat.

[Marge]

Same old head. Still likes the same music and still drinks the same kind of drink.

[Dave]

It's only been five years. I haven't been away forever. Can you tell us where you've been, or is that classified? Well, some of it is, but I covered a lot of ground. You ought to see the night sky on Dennett 9 March. 500 little moons up there like whirling knives in the darkness from the 17th planet of the Vegas system. Two billion miles from its sun. And yet there's that great blazing light in the sky. So bright that we had to wear.

[Marge]

Special eye lenses, join the space force and see the galaxy. It's really true.

[Dave]

It was good of both of you to offer to put me up when I'm on ground leave. No treat to be in a world where you have no friends and only one living relative. Oh, don't mention it, Ted. How. How long did you say that you were staying? Three weeks. That's all right with you and then.

[Marge]

You go back to space for another five years?

[Dave]

That's right. Survey trip this time around the Galactic rim.

[Marge]

How exciting.

[Dave]

That must be just his job after all, Martin.

[Marge]

But how much more exciting it must be to be a spaceman than a newspaper man.

[Dave]

You a newspaper man then? I work for one of the system wide news services. That's a job that keeps humming all the time. We spacemen spend 3/4 of our time drifting through nowhere between planets, playing solitaire, watching old films and thinking about Earth.

[Marge]

Yes, but when the waiting's over, when you finally reach another sun and walk on alien soil.

[Dave]

Yes. Then it becomes worthwhile. Well, you Must excuse me, I've had a busy day aboard ship and then getting out here. Of course. If you'd like me to show you up to the room. Why, I appreciate that. Gee, this house is so full of new gadgets that I hardly know what anything does. Now this thing over here.

[Marge]

Watch out, don't change your arm.

[Dave]

My arm's all right. Lauren, look at this.

[Marge]

That was a wall of photo unit. Anything you put in there gets converted into energy.

[Dave]

Oh, look, I pulled my arm back in time. See? Yeah, but we heard the sound. When you activate the unit, it crackles like that.

[Marge]

And I saw your hand in there after the wrist.

[Dave]

You're both imagining things. All I did was toss a piece of candy in to see what would happen. My hand didn't come anywhere near it.

[Marge]

But I saw your hand go in, Ted. And the disposal feel crackled and get your hand. All right. I don't understand it.

[Dave]

I tell you, my hand didn't come anywhere near it. Marge. Dave, would you show me to my room? I'm pretty worn out.

[Marge]

I saw his hand go in. I saw it.

[Dave]

Living organism anywhere is to be able to meet its environment, to survive, to handle the situations it encounters. Handle them at least well enough to maintain its own existence as a species. It's not so obvious that you can overdo that, but you know you can. He's all moved in upstairs. The guest room. Seems pleased with the layout. Well, suppose we turn in the hot. It's past 11, isn't it?

[Marge]

Dave, I'm worried.

[Dave]

About what? That business bar at the disposal you were. Ah, it must have been our imagination.

[Marge]

No, no. I saw him clearly put his hand into that field. But when he took it out again, his hand was whole. There are other things.

[Dave]

Like what?

[Marge]

He's different somehow, Dave.

[Dave]

Different? Sure, he's different. Five years.

[Marge]

No, it's not just the five years. His voice isn't quite the same anymore. Something weird about the way he speaks now. And his arms have a far away look. He was never like that before. David changed and I'm afraid of him now. You're afraid?

[Dave]

Afraid of your own brother?

[Marge]

I'm afraid that he. Well, that he isn't my own brother anymore. David? No, I don't know what I'm saying, I guess.

[Dave]

But.

[Marge]

I do feel strange about his being upstairs. As if that if something dangerous had entered our house.

[Dave]

What should I do about it? Go upstairs and ask him if he's a monster in disguise? Marge, he's your brother and you invited him here. No, but I'm worried And what am I supposed to do about it? Really? Believe me, it's all in your imagination.

[Marge]

Dave. Didn't you see him stick his hand into that disposal?

[Dave]

No, I didn't.

[Marge]

But you said. David. Just making that up. You saw it as clear as I do.

[Dave]

What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go upstairs and ask him to leave? He can spend his furlough in some hotel.

[Marge]

No, of course we can't do that.

[Dave]

Well, then leave me alone.

[Marge]

But would you do one thing for me?

[Dave]

What is it?

[Marge]

Go upstairs to his room. He probably isn't asleep yet, but maybe he's getting undressed. And try to get a look at him. My brother had a scar on his chest about 5 inches long. Starting from his left collarbone and running down diagonally. He got it when we were kids. And see if the man upstairs has that scar too north.

[Dave]

Morge, you said that he liked the same drinks and the same music. He always did. So why.

[Marge]

Why did you go upstairs and look? You could tell him you just stopped in to see if he was comfortable.

[Dave]

This is ridiculous, Morris. Spying on your own brother to see if he's a thing from outer space.

[Marge]

I feel happier if you go up. Not to Dave.

[Dave]

All right, all right, all right. If it'll stop you from worrying. I'll go see if he's awake. I saw your light was still on, Ted, so I figured I'd stop it. Why do you enter my room without knocking? You're sick. Your face is. My face is different.

[Marge]

What?

[Dave]

You look. You look like me now. My face? That is not yours. I'm simply practicing. Practicing? Oh, don't go away. Come here. Dave. What are you? I'm your brother in law, Dave. Look at your face and your hand. Didn't Marge tell you that I had such abilities? No, of course not. I guess she didn't know I couldn't do things like this before I visited Altair VI two years ago. Altair has a very interesting form of native life. At the moment, nobody knows of the existence of this life form but me. It's a mimic. Mimic? When a spaceman known as Ted Kennedy was exploring Altair 6 two years ago, he wandered off alone to look for wildlife. There was a big brown stone in his way. He kicked it, but the stone clung to his boot. It wasn't a stone, you see. It was a mimic. I don't know what you're talking about. Get out of my way. Let me out of this room. You must be out of your mind. Ted Kennedy never knew what happened to him. Within 10 seconds, the mimic had absorbed him. Swallowed him up. Flesh, brain, memories and all. When the mimic had fed, it realized what a lucky find it had made. A spaceman would be going back to Earth someday. The mimic can divide itself infinitely. It left part of itself there in its old disguise of a stone. The rest of it went back to the spaceship disguised as Ted Kennedy. Mark said you were different. That something. Something had happened to him. I have all of Ted Kennedy's memories. As far as anyone can tell, I am Ted Kennedy. Right down to the last molecule. And my crew members, who were all absorbed by the mimic and who are on leave now. A whole shipwreck is spreading all over the Earth. Exactly. Come here. Don't try to resist. Just take seconds. Just a moment more. Then it'll be over. Finished. Just suppose that there was an island. And there were a million sheep on this island. And somehow a couple of tigers got on the island. My, wouldn't they have a high old time Eating those sheep. Would be so easy for them. Wonder how they'd make out. They and their progeny. My, they sure could live high, couldn't they?

[Marge]

Dave, you were gone a long time. I was getting worried.

[Dave]

He wasn't undressed yet. I had to wait to see the scar.

[Marge]

He had it then, did he?

[Dave]

Of course. Big purple slash across his chest when he got cut time he tried to climb that picket fence.

[Marge]

You mean he told you how he got that scarlet?

[Dave]

What? Oh, yeah, he told me all about it. How you and he were stealing apples years ago. And now the farmer came to chase you. He jumped over the fence, but he cut himself going over. And you were stuck in the orchard because you couldn't get over the fence.

[Marge]

And he told you that?

[Dave]

Yes.

[Marge]

He never told anyone that story. He was so ashamed that he left his kid sister behind and tried to get away. And he made me swear that I'd never tell anyone about it.

[Dave]

Well, he told me.

[Marge]

I guess finding it does change a man. Well, it's almost midnight now. You'll be dead in the morning if you don't get some sleep. Dave.

[Dave]

Come on, let's turn in for just a minute. Morge.

[Marge]

Dave, why are you looking at me that way? There I am. Here.

[Dave]

Well, kosher. Let me hold you in my arms.

[Marge]

Why so lovely, Debbie. Here in the living room. There. Dave, you look so strange.

[Dave]

I behold you clave your eyes.

[Marge]

It says you look different. What's wrong with you? What happened to you upstairs? What's going on in the couch?

[Dave]

Let me hold you.

[Marge]

Marge, show Me? If you hold just a moment, Marge.

[Dave]

And then you'll be one of us.

[Marge]

What are you doing to me, Ted? I don't understand.

[Dave]

Only a moment more before absorption. Then you'll be part of as enlightened. You and me and Ted and soon the whole world. That's all there is to it, see? A few moments while our organism absorbs yours. Then the split and a new, wide spoiling of these.

[Marge]

It's odd. I remember everything I did as Marge, clear and sharp. Only now I'm you too. Day and Ted and all the members of Ted's ship crew.

[Dave]

And soon everyone in the world all merged into us. I see. It's all over. I waited until you had converted. Yeah. We better sleep now. Build up our energy. And every time tomorrow we get someone alone.

[Marge]

We convert him into us.

[Dave]

Simple, quick. All this food waiting for us on this planet. Billions of human beings, all ours. Answer it. Quiet. Mr. Adams from next door. Hello there, Mr. Spalding. I. I know it's late at night, and I hope I'm not intruding, but I was just coming home from the movies and as I passed by outside, it sort of seemed to me that I heard something. Screams coming from in here. Yes, that's right. It was my wife screaming, Mrs. F. But you seem so calm. I mean, I guess everything's under control. Yes, everything is under control. Yes. Well, if that's the case, I'll just. I'll be going on along home then. I'm sorry to have bothered you. I just. Just thought maybe you might be needing some help. We appreciate that very much, Mr. Adams. Won't you step in for a moment? Well, it's quite late, and as you say, everything's under control. Same if you come inside.

[Marge]

If you come in, I'll fix you a little night cap.

[Dave]

Well, just for a moment. I've always believed in being neighborly. Yes, I'll come in if you're nice enough to ask me. We're glad to have you, Mr. Adams. Here. Don't stand and whore. Come in. Close the door. Well, it's nice of you to ask me in, Mrs. Paulo.

[Marge]

Yes, sir.

[Dave]

Right nice of you to invite me in. Think would happen to those tigers on that island with a million sheep? They'd starve to death, of course. They'd eat all the sheep. Then there'd be nothing to eat. But tigers. They aren't good eating. I understand. Even for a tiger. What do you think would happen to a monster on any planet which is just an island in space? It became so successful that nothing could fight. Starved to death. Of course, that's an impossible kind of monster. There never could be such a monster as is discussed in this story.

[Relic Radio Announcer]

That's the show for this week, but don't forget there are thousands more like it at relicradio.com horror, strange tales, science fiction, cross crime. All available for free. If you'd like to donate to Relic Radio and help keep it all free, you can do that through the website as well. Visit donate relicradio.com to find out more and to see the special downloadable sets that are available. My thanks to those who have donated, and thanks for listening today. Talk to you again next week.