The Gardener - Memorial Day, 2026

The Gardener - Memorial Day, 2026

Rudyard Kipling wrote every kind of story imaginable. He was an esteemed poet and writer, and a great booster of the British Empire. However, as he aged and understood loss, he wrote children's stories (The Jungle Books, Just-So Stories) and a plethora of ghost stories. I like how human these tales are. So often, the loss of his son John colors Kipling's thoughts on war, love, and the afterlife. I think "The Gardener" might be the finest example of Kipling's supernatural storytelling. Special thanks to my mother-in-law, Donna, for suggesting it. Vivek Abhishek's "The Door" is our theme music, our only music this week. As always, I owe him a thank you for putting out so much excellent royalty-free music online. Check out his YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA] page if you like what you hear. Spend a little time with family today. And light a candle for someone who's left this world, but has never left your mind. Keep the memory in Memorial Day. #memorialday #horror #ghosts #kipling "Do you like Kipling?" "I don't know, I've never kippled."

The Yellow Wallpaper - Mother's Day, 2026

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's classic tale of a mother in distress! I managed to use a different voice for the husband every time he spoke, which I think is half hilarious blunder, half stroke of genius. After all, we're hearing the version of John that exists in the narrator's head, and I think it's fair to say she thinks of him as a different man almost every time he speaks. Hallmark holiday or not, I wish everyone a happy Mother's Day, and encourage you to spend some quality time with your mother. I ran out of mothers roughly two years ago, so it's a tough time of year for me. As always, I owe some thanks to Vivek Abishek's generosity! Check out his royalty-free music [https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA] and thank him for his work. "The Door" is our theme song; an excerpt from "The Forest" gave us our music at the climax. #mothersday #horror #charlotteperkinsgilman

"Not A Round-Eyed Monster Blinked" - Recommendations - May Day, 2026

Our first recommendations episode! I usually restrict myself to the public domain, but I've decided to touch on some of the fine writers I can't cover properly here. The excerpts are brief, but Theodore Sturgeon, Ray Bradbury, and Walt Kelly are our stars tonight. Sturgeon's "It" is a wonderful tale for spring, all mucky life and death. Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" is a celebration of life, love, and grisly murder in an early twentieth-century small town. Finally, Walt Kelly's "Dog-Gone" and "The Town on the Edge of the End" are humor classics, but they're also more than a little scary. Vivek Abhishek's "The Door" is our theme song. You can check out his royalty-free music at: https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA #horror #beltane #mayday #spring Good night, everyone. Happy horrordays to you.

Miss Mary Pask - Easter, 2026

Edith Wharton! One of the greatest writers of her generation, and one of the finest ghost story writers ever! "Miss Mary Pask" is a kind of resurrection tale. On a more profound level, it's about a man more interested in the idea of miracles than he is in the actual people around him. Whatta creep. While I think my slightly British interpretation of Grace's New England accent is pardonable, I want to apologize for forgetting that Brittany is on the French coast, not in Britain! I mean, I know this, but I couldn't hold it in my head while I was recording. I was distracted by helicopters, my dog, and throat problems; I can blame it on all kinds of things. My French also came and went like the wind. In all seriousness, I hope it wasn't distracting. Theme music! Vivek Abhishek's "The Door" is our theme song; a version of his song "The Forest" provided the jump scare in the middle of the story. As always, his royalty-free music is available at: https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA. #edithwharton #easter #ghosts #horror

The She-Wolf - April Fool's Day, 2026

April sweet is rolling in, and the Feast of Fools is upon us again! Saki is our master of revels again this year, as his antihero Clovis Sangrail wanders onto the podcast for the first time. Clovis is an influential character. Along with the aunts that populate Saki's stories, Clovis helped inspire Wodehouse's "Jeeves and Wooster" stories. And if you've never read any Wodehouse, God bless you. Sangrail is less of a twit than Bertie Wooster, though; he's a trickster who enjoys puncturing aristocratic egos like balloons. Is he a fool? Perhaps, but he's always surrounded by greater fools, and pettiness is a trickster's prerogative. Vivek Abhishek's "The Door" is our theme song. You can check out his royalty-free music at: https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA #aprilfools #Saki #humor #horror #wolf