Poe, Lovecraft & M.R. James: "Classics of Horror" | Audio Drama Marathon

Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. It lies in wait amidst your dreams, where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway. Nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm your host through the doorway to nightmare. Have you ever wondered about the small seemingly inconsequential things that happen to you in your everyday life, while at the time they may seem unimportant until they build up to a horrifying conclusion.

Speaker 2: No, I don't expect you to believe my story. I would be insane to expect that. Yet I still have my sanity. While there is still time, I feel that I need you to understand what has happened to me. It was just a series of household events that have tortured, have destroyed me, have put me in this position. Perhaps someone less excitable, more logical than I could explain them for I've not been able to. I can only tell you the facts. And that I have to do now for tomorrow. Justice will be served and I will be put to death.

Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, The Black Cat, was adapted from the short story by Edgar Allan Poe and written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our stars include Crimson McKenzie, Winslow Swan, William Stafford, and Jonathan Rosignol. It is sponsored in part by Swanage Press. I'll be back shortly with Act One.

Speaker 3: Mystery.

Speaker 4: Horror. Thriller.

Speaker 3: Suspense. Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swan, now available from Amazon.

Speaker 1: I am sure that you have heard the old saying about cat people and dog people, or that a person does not own a cat, but that they own you. Animals can be a wonderful addition to any household. until things start to go awry.

Speaker 2: No, there was nothing in my childhood that could have foretold of the events that I am about to relate to you. I was always a sweet and gentle child. I was kind to everyone and helped out when I could. Mostly, I liked animals, all kinds of animals. I married quite young and found that my wife also shared my interest. Very soon we had quite a collection. We had some birds and fish and a scruffy little dog and a cat. A beautiful cat. I'll never forget the day that my wife brought it home. Hello, my dear.

Speaker 3: Hello.

Speaker 5: Well, you're home early.

Speaker 6: Oh, look what I just brought home, Charles.

Speaker 2: Oh, look at it.

Speaker 3: Oh, my, it seems to have taken to you. But then all animals seem to.

Speaker 2: Where did you find it?

Speaker 3: Some mean old dogs were chasing it. Poor little thing. I managed to get him before the dogs did.

Speaker 7: Oh, such a beauty.

Speaker 2: Here, here, are you hungry? Yeah, how about some milk? Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 3: It's such a small thing.

Speaker 2: Well, he certainly is hungry. Yes, yes, is that good? Hey, hey, well, what's your name?

Speaker 3: I don't suppose he has one. He's so young. I don't think that anyone owns him.

Speaker 2: Well, then we have to give him a name.

Speaker 6: You mean we can keep him?

Speaker 2: Keep him? What are you talking about? Of course we can keep him. He has no home. We can't turn him out into the streets, can we?

Speaker 3: Oh, Charles, I was hoping that you would let him stay.

Speaker 2: But he must have a name. Yes, yes, now let's see. Look how dark he is. As dark as the night sky.

Speaker 8: Oh, I know.

Speaker 2: He's as black as the devil. Let's call him Pluto.

Speaker 7: Pluto.

Speaker 2: Yes, yes, we will call you Pluto. Pluto grew up to be quite a remarkable cat. Of all the animals in our home, he was my favorite. A constant companion to me, even to the point of trying to follow me out into the street. But as the years went by There was a change in me, a radical change that I am now ashamed to admit. Yes, I began to drink heavily, and my temper was shortened. As drinking became more and more necessary, I became more moody and irritable.

Speaker 3: Charles? Charles, where are you going?

Speaker 2: I don't have to tell you where I'm going!

Speaker 3: Charles, please! Why do you have to go out every night to the bar?

Speaker 2: Do you really want to know? Because it's the only way that I can get away from your nagging. Nag, nag, nag all day long. There.

Speaker 5: You see?

Speaker 2: You could learn something from Pluto. He'd never ask me where I'm going. Do you, Pluto?

Speaker 9: Yes, yes, you never ask.

Speaker 1: Come here.

Speaker 6: Charles, don't pick him up like that.

Speaker 2: You're hurting him.

Speaker 9: I'm not hurting him. I'm not hurting you, am I?

Speaker 6: Charles, just be careful.

Speaker 2: I'm just petting him the way he... Did.

Speaker 7: You see that?

Speaker 2: Did you see? He bit me. He deliberately bit me. Oh, yes. Beast, you monster.

Speaker 9: I'll get you.

Speaker 2: I'll teach you.

Speaker 3: Charles, no. Don't.

Speaker 2: Yes, I hate to admit it, but my anger with the poor beast overwhelmed me. I caught him and held him fast. And pulling out my knife, I proceeded to cut out one of his eyes. After I had slept off the night's drinking, reason had returned to me by the next morning. I experienced half horror and half remorse for the crime of which I had committed. But that did not stop the drinking. In the meantime, Pluto recovered from his injury. The socket was indeed a ghastly sight. and he appeared to be in no pain.

Speaker 2: He would run from me, and this filled my heart with grief and remorse. That soon led to irritation, and one night, in a drunken madness, I slipped a noose around the poor creature's neck and hung it in the tree in the garden. I knew that it had loved me for no reason, This seemed to infuriate me. In my drunken stupor, I went to bed fully dressed.

Speaker 10: Charles!

Speaker 2: Charles!

Speaker 6: Wake up!

Speaker 2: What is the matter? Let me sleep!

Speaker 1: Charles!

Speaker 6: There's so much smoke! Something must be on fire!

Speaker 2: Oh, good Lord, Lucy. It's our house. Our house is on fire. Come on, quickly. Quickly, darling, or we will be burned alive. Come this way. I can't breathe. Breathe quickly this way. I can get you through the flames.

Speaker 7: I can't breathe.

Speaker 11: Here is the door.

Speaker 2: Come on. Charles!

Speaker 8: Our house!

Speaker 1: At least... we are alive.

Speaker 2: I went by the ruins the next day and noticed a small crowd of people staring at something.

Speaker 12: Will you look at that?

Speaker 2: A cat.

Speaker 13: Yeah, that's what it looks like.

Speaker 3: But look.

Speaker 6: It looks as if it's hanging by its neck.

Speaker 2: What are you talking about? What are you talking about?

Speaker 14: Don't you see it?

Speaker 5: That one wall.

Speaker 13: The only one left standing.

Speaker 6: Like a cat.

Speaker 2: It can't be.

Speaker 6: Hanging by the neck.

Speaker 1: No.

Speaker 7: You know who it is?

Speaker 2: I'll tell you who it is.

Speaker 5: It's Pluto.

Speaker 2: He's come back to haunt me. Leave me alone. Leave me!

Speaker 6: Leave me!

Speaker 13: Well, get some water, somebody.

Speaker 15: This man has fainted.

Speaker 1: It is said that our actions, no matter how small, may have consequences. Charles would say that the fire was the consequence of the murder of his cat. Why don't you hang around until I return with Act Two?

Speaker 4: The only witness to her murder cannot speak. Until now.

Speaker 13: Click.

Speaker 16: A Tale of Revenge by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon.

Speaker 4: Revenge is.

Speaker 16: A dish best served cold.

Speaker 1: In the time of the pharaohs, cats were highly regarded, almost godlike. to the point of even being mummified and entombed.

Speaker 2: You must understand that I am only relaying the facts, a simple chain of ordinary events that led up to, well, what will happen to me tomorrow.

Speaker 9: Don't you think that you've had enough?

Speaker 2: Just give me another one.

Speaker 9: Yes, sir. How are things since the fire?

Speaker 1: Yes, sir. The fire.

Speaker 9: I understand that you lost everything.

Speaker 2: Yes, everything. You should see the place I live in now.

Speaker 7: It's disgusting.

Speaker 9: What about that cat you were always talking about?

Speaker 1: Oh, yeah.

Speaker 14: Please.

Speaker 1: Pluto.

Speaker 2: No, he's gone as well. You know, I really miss him sometimes. He was such a wonderful cat. And he loved me so much.

Speaker 9: Well, if you're broken up about him, why don't you get another cat?

Speaker 2: Why don't you get me another drink?

Speaker 9: No, sir. It's almost time to close up.

Speaker 2: I said give me another drink.

Speaker 9: I'll have to go get another bottle.

Speaker 2: Why don't I get another cat, he said. Well, why don't I get another cat? There's nothing that says I can't get another one.

Speaker 14: Hey.

Speaker 2: Where did you come from? I've been staring at that table for five minutes and didn't see you. Come here.

Speaker 9: Yes, yes, pretty kitty, yes.

Speaker 2: Come here and sit on my lap. There's a good cat. You know, you look a lot like Pluto. Only you have a small... ashen patch on your chest.

Speaker 9: Here you are, sir.

Speaker 2: Say, who owns this cat?

Speaker 1: Cat?

Speaker 9: Oh, I didn't see it.

Speaker 2: Big one, too.

Speaker 9: I don't know who owns it. Matter of fact, I don't even know how it got in here. Well, yes, but does anyone own it? As far as I'm concerned, you own it. My wife hates cats. Silly woman. Well, if you want it, it's yours. Yes, I want it.

Speaker 2: Yes, I want it very much.

Speaker 3: Charles, this is such a wonderful cat. Just since last week, it's made itself so much at home. You would have thought that it lived here always.

Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I've noticed that.

Speaker 3: And it reminds me so much of Pluto.

Speaker 2: Yes, but this one has a patch of white on its chest. Don't forget that.

Speaker 3: Yes, dear, that's right. But I can't help wondering, whatever became of Pluto? He disappeared the day of the fire, and.

Speaker 2: I know, I know he disappeared. Maybe he knew that the house was going to burn down.

Speaker 3: See how it loves you? It's rubbing up against your leg just the way Pluto did.

Speaker 5: Pluto!

Speaker 2: Pluto! Stop talking about Pluto!

Speaker 4: Darling, I didn't mean it.

Speaker 2: No, no. I'm sorry. All this talk about how that cat resembles Pluto, it just makes me nervous. Actually, there's hardly any resemblance at all. Except that they are both black, and this one has a white patch on its.

Speaker 3: Oh, the poor thing.

Speaker 1: Why, what is it?

Speaker 3: It has a wound just under its eye. Where?

Speaker 2: I don't see.

Speaker 3: See? Under the fur. I never noticed it before.

Speaker 2: Neither did I.

Speaker 3: It looks almost like a knife wound that goes all around his eye. Almost the way Pluto... I mean.

Speaker 13: No, no, go on.

Speaker 2: Say it. Say it. Just the way Pluto did when I cut out his eye.

Speaker 6: Oh, no, Charles.

Speaker 3: That's not what I meant. Maybe I got into a fight with another cat. It's just curious that we never noticed it before.

Speaker 2: Yes, you have no idea how curious it is. Now, Get that cat away from me.

Speaker 3: Charles, you're frightening it.

Speaker 6: You look crazed.

Speaker 3: How can you be that way to a poor animal?

Speaker 16: Especially one that loves you so.

Speaker 2: Now, I don't want to see it.

Speaker 5: Do you hear me?

Speaker 2: Get it out of here.

Speaker 3: To hear you talk, anyone would think that you didn't even like the poor cat.

Speaker 7: Like it?

Speaker 2: Like it? I can't stand the sight of it. I loathe it. I hate it, I tell you. I hate it. I hate it. And the more that I hated it, the more affectionate that it became toward me. It followed me everywhere that I went. Whenever I sat down, it would pounce and cover me with its caresses. If this were not enough, the white patch on its chest had come to take shape. It was becoming very distinguishable as the unmistakable shape of a hangman's noose, that instrument of pain, torture, and death.

Speaker 3: Charles, are you going out again tonight?

Speaker 2: Yes, I'm going out, and I don't know when I'll be back.

Speaker 3: Before you go, do you think that you could help me bring up some wood from the cellar?

Speaker 2: Why do you need more wood?

Speaker 3: The house is very cold, and you know that I've been sick. I can't carry the wood by myself. Please, Charles.

Speaker 2: Oh, all right, come on. You could have asked me earlier.

Speaker 3: Oh, Charles, look out!

Speaker 7: You beast! You monster!

Speaker 2: You tried to kill me!

Speaker 3: Oh, no, Charles.

Speaker 6: I'm sure that it didn't mean.

Speaker 2: I'll fix you.

Speaker 6: What are you doing with that stick?

Speaker 8: I'll show you, you wretched.

Speaker 2: Please don't.

Speaker 9: Let go of my arm.

Speaker 6: No, Charles, please don't.

Speaker 2: Let go of my arm.

Speaker 6: Please, Charles, don't do it.

Speaker 2: Are you going to let go of my arm?

Speaker 6: It didn't mean to.

Speaker 2: Let go.

Speaker 6: Of my son!

Speaker 9: I told you.

Speaker 7: I told you to let go.

Speaker 1: There have been many reasons given for the act of murder, whether it be revenge for love, or in this case, purely by accident. It is what happens after the crime has been committed that makes things more interesting. I'll be back shortly with Act 3.

Speaker 12: It is in all of us.

Speaker 2: Waiting.

Speaker 4: Watching. Growing. Evil Within by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon.

Speaker 1: A series of incidents in the life of Charles has led up to the murder of his wife, Lucy. Incidents, when taken apart, seem to be ordinary, but increasingly violent in nature.

Speaker 2: Lucy lay at my feet where she had fallen. She never made a sound when the stick hit her. I saw her, her still face and opened eyes and resigned myself to the task of concealing the corpse. I found some loose bricks in the masonry near the fireplace. When I had made a large enough hole, I put her body inside. Then, with the skill of a bricklayer, I walled her up.

Speaker 9: No one, no one would ever know.

Speaker 2: Naturally, questions were asked about her. The police even came and searched the house twice, but found nothing. The most important thing was that the black cat was gone.

Speaker 7: For three days, never a mew heard.

Speaker 2: I slept peacefully, even with murder on my conscience. I slept so sound. Yes, yes, just a minute, just a minute.

Speaker 9: I'm coming, I'm coming.

Speaker 2: Oh, Sergeant, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company again?

Speaker 8: This is Officer Joe Andrews. He's helping me with the case. Sorry to bother you again, but there still has been no trace of your wife. Some of her friends have been down to the police station, and, uh, well.

Speaker 2: You want to search the house again, is that it?

Speaker 8: If you don't mind.

Speaker 2: I do mind. You've already searched it twice. She's not here. I would like to know where she is as well.

Speaker 8: This will be the last time, I assure you.

Speaker 2: Fine, fine, we're... Where do you want to start?

Speaker 8: I guess the cellar is a good place to start. Come on, Joe. Well, there's nothing down here. Guess we can start upstairs.

Speaker 2: You know, Sergeant, this is a very well-built house.

Speaker 8: Yeah, it seems to be.

Speaker 9: I don't think.

Speaker 2: That there has been a better built house than this one.

Speaker 9: You're not leaving, are you, gentlemen?

Speaker 2: Why, look at this wall. So finely crafted that it will probably last a hundred years.

Speaker 8: Hey, do you mind if we.

Speaker 2: Well, here, let me show you. I can take this stick and beat on it all day long and there will not be a.

Speaker 8: What in the name of God was that?

Speaker 7: I don't know.

Speaker 2: Maybe it was the wind.

Speaker 8: That wasn't the wind. Whatever it was, it's behind that wall. Joe, take this crowbar. I want you to knock that wall down.

Speaker 8: Good Lord. That's what we've been looking for, all right. His wife's body. But what is that thing sitting on her head?

Speaker 4: Wait.

Speaker 8: It's a cat. How did that get in there?

Speaker 7: I know how it got in there.

Speaker 2: Look, you see? It's been feeding off of her body. I must have walled it up with Lucy. I never even noticed. Look at its red eyes. Its blood-stained mouth.

Speaker 7: Oh, you beast.

Speaker 2: You horrible monster. You are the devil. You made me a murderer. For three days you've been in there waiting and waiting... To send me to the death chamber. I hope you're satisfied. I hope that you are satisfied.

Speaker 1: Charles collapses to the floor as he is handcuffed. As he looks up at the black cat, he notices... that it seems to smile at him. I'll return shortly.

Speaker 10: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more.

Speaker 4: Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

Speaker 1: One of Edgar Allan Poe's darkest tales, The Black Cat, was first published in 1843 in the Saturday Evening Post. I find it interesting that Poe actually owned a black cat and was also known to imbibe sometimes quite heavily.

Speaker 1: Our cast included Winslow Swan, Crimson McKenzie, Mick Davis, Rue Snow, William Stafford, and Jonathan Rosignol. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie, and the entire production was under the direction of Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

Speaker 9: Mr. Shepard You have 30 days to vacate the property.

Speaker 17: But I've been here for over 60 years. My father was here before me. I learned the craft of making toys from him.

Speaker 9: I'm sorry, Mr. Shepard. There's absolutely nothing I can do.

Speaker 2: Where am I to go?

Speaker 5: What about the toys?

Speaker 2: What about the children?

Speaker 9: It's not my concern. The city council decided that this property will be demolished in 30 days, whether you are in it or not.

Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare has been brought to you in part by Swanage Press. This is your host, inviting you to return with us through the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the world of your terrifying imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue. The butler did it. Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. It lies in wait amidst your dreams, where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway. Nightmare. Come in.

Speaker 1: Welcome. I'm Artemis Black.

Speaker 1: To the aficionados of the occult, the stories of monsters, ghosts, and the fantastic, We give you one of the greatest storytellers, H.P. Lovecraft, who is responsible for our tale tonight.

Speaker 18: You're not making any sense, Thurber.

Speaker 8: Pour us another drink, Elliot. Because I think you're going to need it. I know that I do.

Speaker 18: You knew why the gallery wouldn't display Pickman's, well, um, art tonight. No self-respecting art lover would dare display it.

Speaker 8: To say that his works were macabre is an understatement. But what he showed me on that last night could only be considered monstrous.

Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, Pickman's Model, was adapted from the short story by H.P. Lovecraft, by Winslow Swan, and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our stars include Nick Davis, Jonathan Rosignol, and Raven Adams. I'll return shortly with Act One.

Speaker 7: This is Winslow Swan, inviting you inside the world of my imagination. A world of mystery, madness, and murder. Ten Tales from the Maelstrom. Now available at Amazon.com.

Speaker 1: While Edgar Allan Poe focused on the nightmares of the human mind, Howard Phillips Lovecraft's stories leaned more towards the monsters that dwell within the earth and the imaginations. His philosophy of cosmicism, the belief that humanity is an insignificant part of the cosmos and can be swept away at any moment, is the main theme of his horror fiction.

Speaker 18: Thank you for the invite, Thurber, and thank you for the drink.

Speaker 8: You needn't think that I'm crazy, Elliot.

Speaker 18: I never said that you were.

Speaker 8: Just because I would rather take a taxi to get here than that damn subway, there's no reason to think.

Speaker 18: We got here, didn't we? And I don't think that you are crazy.

Speaker 8: Why don't you laugh at your Uncle Oliver? He won't even ride in a car. Or a taxi.

Speaker 18: Thurber, old man, calm down. You seem to be more nervous than when I saw you last year.

Speaker 8: Perhaps I am.

Speaker 18: So what has made you this way?

Speaker 8: I don't need a third degree from you. I'm sorry. It's a wonder that I'm sane at all.

Speaker 18: I wasn't giving you the third degree. I simply asked why you decided to drop Pickman from your agency.

Speaker 8: You didn't used to be so inquisitive. Still, I suppose you should hear the entire story.

Speaker 18: And what did become of Pickman?

Speaker 8: I haven't the foggiest idea of what happened to Richard Upton Pickman, and I don't care to know. I don't even want to think about where he might even be.

Speaker 18: After the Boston Art Club dropped him, as well as Dr.

Speaker 3: Reed.

Speaker 8: Let the police do their usual diligent work. They won't find anything. They have yet to discover that rotting apartment in the north end he rented under the name of Peters.

Speaker 18: You said something earlier about that. Do you know where it is?

Speaker 8: Sure that I could find it again. Not that I would. Even in broad daylight. It's the reason I won't use the subway anymore or even go down into the cellars. There is something there. Something horrifying.

Speaker 17: Why, it's ghastly.

Speaker 8: I would call it Genius. Pikmin always had a way with faces.

Speaker 17: But look at it, Thurber. The title alone makes one shudder.

Speaker 8: I will grant you that. Ghoul Feeding is a rather strange title, but it definitely depicts the painting.

Speaker 17: A strange creature, almost canine-like, hunched over an open grave and.

Speaker 8: And having an evening meal, eh, Dr.

Speaker 1: Reed?

Speaker 17: It's enough to make one lose his own evening meal. No wonder the museum wouldn't accept it as a gift.

Speaker 8: Is this the reason that Pikmin was kicked out of the arts club?

Speaker 17: Naturally, Thurber. Would you expect anything less?

Speaker 8: From your lot?

Speaker 1: No. Not at all.

Speaker 8: But if I've said it before, I'll say it again. Morbid art doesn't shock me. And when someone has the genius that Pickman has, it is an honor and a privilege to know him, no matter which direction his work takes.

Speaker 18: I remember that painting he titled Ghoul Feeding. It gave me nightmares for weeks.

Speaker 8: Any magazine cover hat can splash paint around and call it a nightmare. or a witch's sabbath, or even demon. But Pickman? Only a great painter like him could make such a thing really scare or ring true.

Speaker 18: I remember him saying that he only painted what he could see.

Speaker 8: Don't ask me what Pickman saw. You know, Elliot, in ordinary art, there is a vast difference in something real and something that only the imagination can draw. I'm convinced that I would not be alive if I had ever seen what that man, if he were indeed a man, saw. But why, Dr.

Speaker 2: Reed?

Speaker 8: Why would the art club and everyone else draw Pikmin?

Speaker 17: When was the last time you saw a Pikmin?

Speaker 8: Oh, I suppose a few weeks ago.

Speaker 17: No, Thurber. I mean, really looked at the man. I'm not sure if it is his diet... or perhaps an eccentricity, but it isn't just his paintings that are unnerving.

Speaker 8: Then what is it? I grant you that ghoul-feeding is frightening, but that is the precise reason that I admire Pickman.

Speaker 17: He, the man, frightens me more and more every day. His very features and expressions are slowly developing into something....

Speaker 8: Something, well, spit it out, man.

Speaker 17: Something that is less than human.

Speaker 1: Andy Warhol once said, don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art. I'll be back shortly with Act 2.

Speaker 4: The only witness to her murder cannot speak. Until now.

Speaker 13: Click.

Speaker 4: A Tale of.

Speaker 16: Revenge by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Speaker 1: Edgar Degas once said, Drawing is not what you see, but what you must make others see.

Speaker 18: So, where is ghoul feeding now?

Speaker 8: Pickman's father has it at his home in Salem. You know that Pickman's great-great great-great-grandmother was hanged as a witch in 1692.

Speaker 18: Oh, I never knew that.

Speaker 8: Yes, by Cotton Mather himself.

Speaker 18: So, tell me, what happened between you and Pickman?

Speaker 8: I started a series of articles about weird paintings and artists. Pickman showed me many of his works, including ink and pencil sketches. I suppose it was my hero worship, coupled with the fact that people were having less and less to do with him, made him get very confidential with me.

Speaker 1: So, Thurber.

Speaker 8: What do you think? Remarkable.

Speaker 14: These do not make you want to run screaming into the night?

Speaker 8: On the contrary. They are quite good. You have a way with faces, Pickman.

Speaker 14: And you have a way with listening to what some consider a madman.

Speaker 8: Well, I thank you for that.

Speaker 14: These are just some things that won't do for Newbury Street. Canvases that could never be conceived here.

Speaker 1: No!

Speaker 15: No! The place for the artist is definitely the North End.

Speaker 8: That slum-infested area?

Speaker 12: God, man.

Speaker 13: Don't you know the place wasn't made, but actually grew? Generation after generation lived and felt and died there. There was a mill on Copse Hill in 1632, and the streets were laid out by 1650.

Speaker 8: But why, Pickman? Why would you want to go there?

Speaker 1: Thurber.

Speaker 14: I will wager you that in eight of the ten houses built before the 1700s, I could show you something strange in the cellars. There isn't a month that goes by that you don't hear about workers finding old tunnels.

Speaker 8: And you have found these tunnels?

Speaker 14: I've done much more than that. I have a studio on the north end where I can let myself go as I never could.

Speaker 12: In Newbury Street.

Speaker 8: Best not to tell the art club about it.

Speaker 15: Those imbecilic fools.

Speaker 1: And Dr.

Speaker 14: Reed is the biggest one whispering that I'm some sort of monster. I decided a long time ago that one must paint terror as well as the beauty of light.

Speaker 8: I must say, you have garnered my interest.

Speaker 14: I found a place not too far from the train station. I used the cellar as a studio. There's an old brick well down there. Curious sort of thing.

Speaker 8: You did say something about a network of tunnels around the North End. Do you think this well of yours could be a connection?

Speaker 9: Possibly.

Speaker 14: Look, you're interested in this sort of thing.

Speaker 13: Come with me tonight and I'll show you what I've been painting.

Speaker 8: You weren't kidding when you said the place was dilapidated. Even the windows are boarded up.

Speaker 15: Just the way I like it. Here, let me light a candle.

Speaker 1: God!

Speaker 8: Dear God!

Speaker 14: I warned you, Thurber.

Speaker 8: You said that you'd let yourself go, but.

Speaker 2: This?

Speaker 12: What do you think?

Speaker 8: Hideous! The backgrounds are of deep woods, cliffs by the sea, and isn't that. Cops Hill Burying Grounds?

Speaker 12: You have a good eye.

Speaker 8: But that's only a few blocks from here. And the creatures that you painted, two-legged, canine features, and slumping forward, they all seem to be eating on.

Speaker 1: on.

Speaker 8: corpses!

Speaker 18: Well, I can understand why he didn't show those at Newbury Street.

Speaker 8: All of them depicted some sort of creature in various poses. They were leaping through windows or squatting on the chests of sleeping people. One showed a group of these creatures looking up at a hanged witch whose face was much like theirs.

Speaker 18: But you're not a three-year-old, Thurber. You've seen such paintings before.

Speaker 8: No, Elliot, not like these. It was the faces, the accursed faces that leered and slathered out of the canvas with the very breath of life. I believe that they were alive.

Speaker 18: Here, have another drink. I think you need it.

Speaker 8: Elliot, I swear, it was as if Pikmin had waked the fires of hell in Pikmin, and his brush had been a nightmare spawning wand. What do you call this.

Speaker 1: One, Pickman?

Speaker 13: The Lesson.

Speaker 14: What do you think of it?

Speaker 8: It's definitely intriguing.

Speaker 14: You know, of course, the stories of these creatures stealing children in the night and replacing them with their own young.

Speaker 1: Yes, I do.

Speaker 8: This painting showing these creatures huddled over another corpse, they seem to be teaching. A small child on how to... to feed? Feed as they do?

Speaker 14: This is what happens to those stolen babies.

Speaker 12: In this painting, anyway.

Speaker 8: There seems to be a hideous relationship in the faces of those creatures and the child. And this one.

Speaker 14: A pious man reading from the scriptures to his family, sitting in an ancient drawing room.

Speaker 8: All of them look normal except for the boy. Obviously more kin to the creatures than the father in the portrait.

Speaker 14: Notice anything unusual?

Speaker 8: My God, Pikmin. The boy looks like.

Speaker 1: like.

Speaker 8: you.

Speaker 14: Come on, Febber. Let me show you some of my modern studies.

Speaker 8: God dear Lord in merciful heaven!

Speaker 13: So what do you think of my second gallery?

Speaker 1: How does the old saying go? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But what of nightmares that are committed to canvas? What terror awaits when I return with that tree?

Speaker 3: It is in all of us.

Speaker 9: Waiting.

Speaker 2: Watching.

Speaker 3: Growing.

Speaker 4: Evil Within by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon.

Speaker 1: The artist Pickman has escorted his friend Thurber to yet another room, where the horrors are much worse than before.

Speaker 18: So, what did you see that made you scream?

Speaker 8: Elliot, you know me. I am not one to scream at horror, but these paintings. The first room showed paintings of these creatures attacking our forefathers. But in the next, there was one called Subway Accident, which showed these creatures coming up from some unknown catacomb, attacking a platform full of people. Others showed these vile things, hiding in cellars, awaiting victims. Another showed one reading from a Boston guidebook to a group of laughing creatures. Dear Lord and merciful heaven!

Speaker 13: So what do you think of my second gallery?

Speaker 8: Horrifying! Your paintings are not even romanticized in any way. Everything from the creatures to the victims are crystal clear.

Speaker 13: Come with me to the cellar. Let me show you what I'm working on now.

Speaker 8: Is this the brick well you told me about?

Speaker 14: Yes.

Speaker 13: I'm sure that it leads down to the tunnels. But look over here.

Speaker 8: This canvas.

Speaker 13: Let me uncover it for you.

Speaker 6: Oh!

Speaker 19: What in heaven's name? A colossal, nameless thing with glaring red eyes. It's holding on its bony claws the body of a man half-chewed.

Speaker 8: You're impressed? I'm horrified.

Speaker 1: Wait.

Speaker 8: What is this pinned to the canvas?

Speaker 2: Oh, that.

Speaker 13: I take pictures of backgrounds that I'm going to use. Saves me from hauling everything outside.

Speaker 2: What?

Speaker 8: What was that?

Speaker 12: Damn rats.

Speaker 8: Sounded much bigger than rats.

Speaker 5: Wait here.

Speaker 8: I'll be back in a moment.

Speaker 2: No!

Speaker 19: Get back!

Speaker 1: Get back, all of you!

Speaker 8: Everything all right?

Speaker 9: Yes, sir.

Speaker 5: All is well.

Speaker 14: Heaven knows what they eat for those tunnel-touched graveyards in the sea.

Speaker 15: They must have gotten hungry and Heard you scream.

Speaker 14: Better to be.

Speaker 12: cautious.

Speaker 8: And that was the last time I saw Pickman.

Speaker 18: A remarkable story indeed. But it still doesn't explain why you dropped him as a client.

Speaker 8: Don't be impatient. It was because of that photograph I found pinned to the canvas. After that last scare, I must have crumpled it into my pocket. I assumed it was of a background that Pickman was going to use for that final canvas.

Speaker 18: And what happened to it?

Speaker 8: Burned to ashes. Elliot, Dr. Reed was correct. Richard Upton Pickman, the greatest artist I have ever known, wasn't strictly human.

Speaker 18: Thurber, what was on that photograph?

Speaker 8: Don't ask me to explain it, or what lay behind what Pickman tried to pass off as rats. All of us often wondered how he got those damned lifelike faces for his paintings.

Speaker 18: And you believe that you know?

Speaker 8: That paper wasn't a photograph of any background. What it showed was the monstrous being he was painting on that awful canvas. It was the model he was using, and its background was merely the wall of the cellar studio in detail. But by God, Elliot, it was a photograph from life. A self-portrait of.

Speaker 1: And as the implication begins to sweep over Elliot, we shall take a brief pause before I return with a final word.

Speaker 10: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more.

Speaker 4: Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

Speaker 1: H.P. Lovecraft was never able to support himself as an author or editor. Most of his work was published in pulp magazines during the 1920s. A revival of his work began in the 70s, and he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th century authors of supernatural horror fiction. Our cast included Mick Davis, Jonathan Rosignol, Raven Adams, and Dave Arkapov. The script was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swann.

Speaker 9: And now, a preview of our next tale.

Speaker 2: I'm telling you, Mel. I think that I have finally found it.

Speaker 20: You do realize how insane you sound right now. I mean, you're talking about music that does not exist.

Speaker 7: Yes, but don't you see?

Speaker 2: It exists.

Speaker 7: It has just not been discovered.

Speaker 6: And for good reasons.

Speaker 3: You're talking about the destruction of all mankind.

Speaker 1: This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us through the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully.

Speaker 1: Epilogue The butler did it. Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. It lies in wait amidst your dreams where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway to nightmare.

Speaker 5: Come in.

Speaker 1: Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. Everything that happens was already determined long ago, and we all know that you cannot argue with someone who is stronger than you, according to a certain book. So, if our destiny has been preordained by a higher power, would it be possible to change it?

Speaker 3: What sort of horrible thing is that?

Speaker 2: Oh, it's a paw. A monkey's paw.

Speaker 3: Leave it lying about. I've just cleaned this room. Where did you get such a ghastly looking thing?

Speaker 2: Well, it came in the mail this morning from my old sergeant major, Frank Morris. His letter said that he got it from some Indian fakir who put a curse on it. It's supposed to grant you three wishes.

Speaker 3: So why did he send it to you?

Speaker 2: I really don't know.

Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, The Monkey's Paw, was adapted from the classic by W.W. Jacobs and written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Crimson McKenzie and Winslow Swan. I'll return shortly with Act One.

Speaker 7: There, underneath your bed, there is something and it's waiting. Waiting for another story. No one is afraid of monsters anymore. And other stories to read to the thing under the bed by Winslow Swan. Paperback editions available at Amazon.com. Audiobook edition available at Spotify. Eight terrifying tales for you to enjoy and to read to the thing under your bed. Get it before the thing gets you.

Speaker 1: Let me begin by asking you a direct question. Who did you vote for? If you are a fatalist, your answer would be that it really doesn't matter. The story, the destiny of mankind has already been written. Or perhaps you are one of those who believe that you can determine your own destiny. The question remains, is it truly possible to change the course.

Speaker 12: Of your life?

Speaker 3: Here's the mail, John.

Speaker 2: Yes, let's see.

Speaker 1: Here. Bill. Bill.

Speaker 3: I don't see how you can even think with that racket going on.

Speaker 2: Racket? That, my dear Polly, happens to be Beethoven. Beethoven's fifth racket. Well, turn it off.

Speaker 3: I've got enough to do around here. What, with Herbert coming tomorrow?

Speaker 2: Oh, hey, here is something interesting.

Speaker 6: What?

Speaker 3: A small box? What's so interesting about that?

Speaker 2: Well, let me get it open first.

Speaker 3: Who is it from anyway?

Speaker 2: The return address says it's from London.

Speaker 3: And who do you know in London?

Speaker 2: It's from my old sergeant major, Frank Morris. I haven't heard from him in... Well, let's just say it has been.

Speaker 9: A long time.

Speaker 3: What does he have to say?

Speaker 2: Oh, here, let me see.

Speaker 1: Um.

Speaker 2: My friend, I have been retired from the armed services and am attempting to put things in order. I'm sending you this talisman in the hopes that you will destroy it for me. I haven't been able to do it myself.

Speaker 3: What sort of talisman?

Speaker 1: I don't know.

Speaker 2: Let me see if I can... Oh. Well, now there's something that you don't see every day.

Speaker 3: John, what is it?

Speaker 1: It's some sort of a paw.

Speaker 2: An animal paw.

Speaker 6: Oh, that's disgusting.

Speaker 2: Wait, there's more. You will find in the box a monkey's paw. It was enchanted by an old Indian fakir who claimed that it would give three wishes, but the consequences were dire. He truly believed that you cannot change destiny. Please, my friend and comrade in arms, destroy this cursed thing.

Speaker 3: So what are you going to do with it?

Speaker 2: Well, At the moment, I'm going to put it on the mantle and go to the rest of the mail.

Speaker 3: Look, John, a letter from Herbert.

Speaker 2: It goes to show you how slow the postal service really is. I mean, he's going to be here tomorrow.

Speaker 3: Oh, shut up. He says he's taking the first morning flight, so he should be here by noon.

Speaker 4: Oh, dear me.

Speaker 3: I have to get to the market and get a few things.

Speaker 2: Well, just make sure you get plenty of meat. You know how our son packs it away. Does he say how he's doing in the firm?

Speaker 20: According to this, he should be making partners soon.

Speaker 2: Maybe he can help us with these bills. I mean, look at this.

Speaker 3: Electric bills.

Speaker 2: Water bill and, oh, naturally a tax bill.

Speaker 20: I wish we could pay off this house. At least it would be one thing that we wouldn't have to worry about.

Speaker 2: Sorry, Polly. Haven't got an extra ten grand lying around.

Speaker 3: Almost a year of payments.

Speaker 2: Now, don't worry. We can get it paid in no time.

Speaker 4: You know, John, we could wish the money to come in.

Speaker 2: Well, now what are you going on about?

Speaker 3: That Ugly paw thing up there.

Speaker 2: The monkey's paw? What about it? Oh, come on. You don't actually believe in that nonsense.

Speaker 3: Of course I don't, Mr. Jonathan White.

Speaker 4: However, I mean, it couldn't hurt to try, could it?

Speaker 1: Fine. Let's see.

Speaker 2: According to the letter Frank sent me, you hold it in your right hand like this and say your wish out loud.

Speaker 1: Right?

Speaker 2: Oh, great monkey's paw.

Speaker 3: Oh, do take it a little more serious than that.

Speaker 2: Oh, great monkey's paw. I wish that I had $ 10, 000.

Speaker 19: Hey!

Speaker 5: John?

Speaker 3: What is it? What happened?

Speaker 9: I'm not sure.

Speaker 2: I made the wish, and I could have sworn.

Speaker 3: What, John? You dropped the thing as if it had bitten you.

Speaker 1: No, Polly.

Speaker 2: I thought I felt....

Speaker 5: I mean, I know that I.

Speaker 2: Felt the paw move within my hand.

Speaker 1: No! American author Tony Robbins once said, It's not what's happening to you now or what has happened in your past that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny. I'll return shortly with Act Two.

Speaker 6: It is in all of us.

Speaker 2: Waiting.

Speaker 4: Watching. Growing. Evil Within by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon.

Speaker 1: American politician William Jennings Bryan once said, Destiny is no matter of chance.

Speaker 5: It is a matter of choice.

Speaker 1: It is not a thing to be waited for. It is a thing to be achieved.

Speaker 3: Oh, John! There you are. Help me get the dishes set. Herbert should be here shortly.

Speaker 2: Polly... I have.

Speaker 3: You know, it's been almost over a year now since Herbert went to New York for that job. I'm so glad he's able to come home for a visit.

Speaker 7: Polly, please.

Speaker 2: I have to tell you.

Speaker 3: Maybe he can help you get that old Mustang going again. I remember when you two bought that old thing. Said you would have it running in no time.

Speaker 2: Polly! I have to tell you something.

Speaker 3: John, what is it? What's going on?

Speaker 9: There was a man at.

Speaker 2: The door.

Speaker 4: Yes, I know there was, but who was he?

Speaker 2: He said he was from the airline. The one that Herbert was flying today.

Speaker 3: John, what's happened?

Speaker 5: I'm sorry, Polly.

Speaker 1: I am so sorry.

Speaker 2: I'm sorry.

Speaker 3: Tell me, John. What's happened to our Herbert?

Speaker 2: The plane.

Speaker 7: It crashed.

Speaker 2: I'll shortly have to take off.

Speaker 5: There were no survivors.

Speaker 6: No.

Speaker 1: No.

Speaker 6: No, no. Not my Herbert. No. It isn't true.

Speaker 3: But, Polly....

Speaker 2: There's more.

Speaker 6: I don't want to hear anymore.

Speaker 2: You have to.

Speaker 6: My poor Herbert. My boy.

Speaker 2: The man from the airline. He gave me something.

Speaker 4: Something?

Speaker 3: From Herbert?

Speaker 1: No.

Speaker 2: He said that the airline wasn't going to take any responsibility for the accident. But they wanted to make a financial compensation to us.

Speaker 3: What sort of compensation?

Speaker 6: John, how much?

Speaker 2: Exactly ten thousand.

Speaker 1: Dollars.

Speaker 3: It was a lovely funeral. I so wish that I could have could have, you know, seen our boy just one last time.

Speaker 2: Now, Polly, you know that it wouldn't have been possible. You wouldn't have wanted to see him. Not like that.

Speaker 3: I don't want any visitors today. Do you think they'll understand?

Speaker 2: I'm sure that they will.

Speaker 6: Oh, my dear, dear son.

Speaker 2: Now, now we It's going to be all right.

Speaker 3: Yes, John, it will be. As soon as you use that monkey's paw again. What?

Speaker 2: What are you saying?

Speaker 3: You heard me, John White. You're going to use.

Speaker 6: The paw again.

Speaker 2: Now, come on. That's absurd. Is it?

Speaker 3: You said yourself that it grants you three wishes.

Speaker 2: Now, look, Paw. It's just a coincidence that.

Speaker 6: You killed our boy.

Speaker 3: Just as surely as if you had shot him.

Speaker 6: You killed him.

Speaker 2: Polly, what are you saying?

Speaker 16: We're going to use that paw again and wish my boy to be alive again.

Speaker 5: But that's completely ludicrous.

Speaker 2: Our boy is dead.

Speaker 3: Dead and buried.

Speaker 6: And it's your fault.

Speaker 16: Now get that dang pole and bring my boy back to me.

Speaker 11: Oh, great monkey's paw. I wish, I wish that my son was.

Speaker 3: Alive.

Speaker 6: John! The paw! It jumped from your hand! It's still... moving!

Speaker 1: Henry David Thoreau once said, What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. I'll be back shortly with our final act. Meet Jerry Connors. Family man.

Speaker 5: Business man.

Speaker 1: Psychopathic killer. The Convincer by Winslow Swan Now available on Amazon. Jerry Connors. He can convince you to do anything.

Speaker 6: Even die.

Speaker 1: The author J.K. Rowling once said, destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.

Speaker 3: How long has it been?

Speaker 2: About an hour now. Come on, Polly. Let's go upstairs and go to bed. Look, it's almost one in the morning.

Speaker 3: I know Herbert will come.

Speaker 6: He has to come.

Speaker 7: Polly, please. You didn't see him. I did.

Speaker 2: He was burned beyond recognition. The only way that I knew it was him was that ring you gave him when he went to New York.

Speaker 3: He'll be here any time now. He should be coming down the road at any moment.

Speaker 7: Polly, come up to bed.

Speaker 2: It was all just a horrible coincidence.

Speaker 3: What's that?

Speaker 2: It's probably just a rat under the floor. I'll get some crap tomorrow.

Speaker 3: Now, come on.

Speaker 2: Let's go upstairs and get....

Speaker 6: You see, John? I told you.

Speaker 2: No, Polly.

Speaker 5: Don't go to the door.

Speaker 3: Take your hands off me.

Speaker 6: It's our son.

Speaker 21: Don't you hear him?

Speaker 6: He's at the door. I must let him in.

Speaker 5: Polly, don't open that door.

Speaker 6: I can't unlock it. I don't want to open.

Speaker 2: Oh, please, Folly, don't open it.

Speaker 3: But our son is out there.

Speaker 6: He wants to come in.

Speaker 1: Where is he?

Speaker 3: Where is that blast? Oh, there you are.

Speaker 6: I've got it! I've unlocked the door!

Speaker 1: Herbert!

Speaker 2: I wish that my son were dead again!

Speaker 1: Oh!

Speaker 12: Herbert?

Speaker 3: Where are you?

Speaker 7: You see?

Speaker 2: It was only the wind and the storm.

Speaker 7: Our boy is at peace.

Speaker 6: Oh, my poor, poor boy.

Speaker 2: Oh, my poor, poor boy.

Speaker 1: As John leads his distraught wife up the stairs to the bedroom, I ask of you, was Herbert White's death the consequence of a father who dared to challenge destiny? Or was it simply coincidence? And what of that thing outside the door? The storm? Imagination? All of these things can be explained away. Or can they? I'll return shortly with a final word.

Speaker 3: Mystery.

Speaker 4: Horror. Thriller.

Speaker 3: Suspense. Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swan, now available from Amazon.

Speaker 1: What if you had the choice, the chance to have three wishes? What would your first wish be? In the words of Johann Gosch, destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes. Our cast included Crimson McKenzie and Winslow Swan. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan.

Speaker 9: And now, a preview of our next tale.

Speaker 18: Okay, Mr.

Speaker 16: Wizard, would you mind telling me what insane idea you have now?

Speaker 18: Don't shout at me. It's bad enough trying to work at the lab with Martin always on my back. Having to come home and get the same treatment is... It is intolerable. Then why don't you do something about it? You're always talking about the new experiment. What's so great about it? It could possibly get rid of you.

Speaker 1: This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully.

Speaker 4: Epilogue The butler did it.

Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. It lies in wait amidst your dreams where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway to nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. Oh, whistle, and I will come to you, my lad, though father and mother and all should go mad. Oh, whistle, and I will come to you, my lad. A poem by Robert Burns, first published in 1793, but for us, it is the title of a ghost story written by M.R. James, and perhaps a cautionary tale.

Speaker 12: What did the boy say?

Speaker 18: Something about seeing a figure from one of the hotel bedroom windows waving at him.

Speaker 12: What's so odd about that?

Speaker 18: He said it was a strange white figure, the face hidden by some sort of rag.

Speaker 12: I haven't run into anyone like that in this hotel.

Speaker 18: No, neither have I. But from the boy's description, I believe that it was my room he was talking about.

Speaker 1: Our mystery drama Whistle and I'll Come to You was adapted from the classic short story by M.R. James and written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes... Mick Davis and Raven Adams. I'll return shortly with Act One.

Speaker 7: There, underneath your bed, there is something and it's waiting waiting for another story. No One is Afraid of Momsters Anymore, and Other Stories to Read to the Thing Under the Bed by Winslow Swan. Paperback editions available at Amazon.com. Audiobook edition available at Spotify. Eight terrifying tales for you to enjoy and to read to the thing under your bed. Get it before the thing gets you.

Speaker 1: The American actor Robert Stack once said, I don't mind ghost stories. It's just that I tend to give value to the storyteller rather than to the story itself. One of the best storytellers was Montague Rhodes James, better known as simply M.R. James.

Speaker 7: Of course, he was a great storyteller.

Speaker 1: He is best remembered for his collection of ghost stories, which he would read to a select group of friends and students, curiously, on Christmas Eve.

Speaker 12: Please, do come in and sit down. Pour some of this delicious brandy and warm yourself by the fire.

Speaker 10: Yes.

Speaker 12: I know why you've come. I thought after I published my account of the events that would put an end to the whole matter. Alas, it did not. And so, I gladly welcome visitors who, and upon the expression, want to hear the story from the horse's mouth.

Speaker 1: Very well.

Speaker 12: Here are the facts. in this most extraordinary case of something as simple as a brass whistle. I was taking a holiday at a well-known golf resort, working on my handicap, so to speak, when I met an Alan Parkins, a professor of ontography at Cambridge. A study of how living creatures react to the physiographic environment. Anyway, we had both booked rooms at the Globe Inn for the week.

Speaker 18: How was lunch today?

Speaker 12: Well, I wouldn't recommend the halibut, but the steak is prepared nicely.

Speaker 18: Well, after that round of golf we played, I'm surprised you have the energy to eat.

Speaker 12: I believe we both could use a little more practice. Tell me, are you enjoying your stay at the Globe?

Speaker 18: Well, I suppose so. I wasn't exactly keen on the extra bed in my room, but it was the only one available, so I took it.

Speaker 12: Hopefully the weather holds up and we can play another round tomorrow.

Speaker 18: Oh, by the way, I had a chance to go to that old ruin just down the beach.

Speaker 12: You mean the Templar Preceptory?

Speaker 18: Yes, one of the headquarters of the Monastic Knights Templar. Anyway, as I was digging through the ruins, I came across something.

Speaker 1: Well.

Speaker 18: Fantastic.

Speaker 12: Well, don't just sit there grinning like an idiot.

Speaker 2: Tell me.

Speaker 18: I found this.

Speaker 7: Hmm.

Speaker 12: Interesting. Looks like a brass whistle.

Speaker 18: Look at the inscription. Perhaps you can enlighten me.

Speaker 12: Well now, on one side there seem to be four words, but I can't make anything out of them. On the other side, hmm, a Latin inscription, it seems to me.

Speaker 8: Yes.

Speaker 18: My rough translation is, who is this, who is coming, or something like that.

Speaker 12: Your Latin is probably much better than mine. But tell me, when did you find this?

Speaker 18: Just yesterday, after I arrived. Funny thing, though, on my way back to the inn, I thought that I saw someone trying to catch up with me.

Speaker 12: What did they look like?

Speaker 18: I couldn't really tell, but I did see that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up with me.

Speaker 12: That is rather suspicious.

Speaker 18: Yes, I thought so too.

Speaker 12: So, what are you going to do with the whistle?

Speaker 18: Well, I thought I would donate it to the museum.

Speaker 12: Take my advice out. Throw it into the sea from the cliff.

Speaker 2: But why?

Speaker 12: There's something about it that quite frankly seems evil.

Speaker 18: Who is this? Who is coming? I wonder what it means. I suppose I should blow the whistle and find out.

Speaker 18: My word!

Speaker 6: Such a pleasant note!

Speaker 18: And what are these images I'm seeing? A wide, dark expanse of night? And a lonely figure....

Speaker 3: What the devil?

Speaker 18: I can't get to the window to close it.

Speaker 1: Strange.

Speaker 18: The window shut itself. Naturally, the lights go out. It must happen quite often here. At least there are candles and matches in the drawer. I hope that moaning wind doesn't go on all night. It's enough to give a person.

Speaker 2: Nightmares.

Speaker 1: Brian Aldiss once said that science fiction stories are no more written for scientists than ghost stories are written for ghosts. I'll return shortly with Act Two. Have you ever had one of Those days. You're fired. Where everything goes completely wrong.

Speaker 6: Don't you lay a finger on me! I can't stand on you!

Speaker 1: And the day keeps getting worse and worse. Hey! And if just one more thing goes wrong, it could possibly send you Toppling over the edge.

Speaker 11: Toppling over the edge.

Speaker 1: A suspense thriller from Winslow Swan. Now available in paperback from Amazon.com. Sometimes you should take a step back. And then there are those times... toppling over the edge. Hang on to your sanity. Alan listens to the wind outside of his hotel room window, deciding that he will light a candle and read for a short while, an effort to relax his brain and try to go to sleep.

Speaker 2: What's that?

Speaker 18: Something around the bed?

Speaker 12: Rats?

Speaker 18: Here in this hotel? Damn, the match went out.

Speaker 12: Well, Alan, fancy another round today?

Speaker 18: Perhaps, Wilson.

Speaker 7: Perhaps.

Speaker 18: I've had the strangest encounter this morning.

Speaker 12: What's going on now?

Speaker 18: Last night, I lit a candle to read by, since the power went out.

Speaker 12: Still is, from what I gather. Breakfast is going to have to be fruit.

Speaker 18: Well, normally I would have blown the thing out before retiring, but for some reason, I didn't.

Speaker 12: Must have been quite a waxy mess when you got up this morning.

Speaker 18: Oh, it was, but That wasn't the strange part.

Speaker 3: Oh, come in.

Speaker 4: Would you like any extra blankets on your bed, sir?

Speaker 1: Ah, yes.

Speaker 18: Thank you. Yes, I believe that I should like one. It may turn colder.

Speaker 14: Very good, sir.

Speaker 3: Which bed should I put it on?

Speaker 18: Why, the one that I slept in last night.

Speaker 3: I beg pardon, sir, but both were in disarray this morning.

Speaker 2: Really?

Speaker 14: How?

Speaker 18: Very absurd. I suppose I disordered it more than I thought when I unpacked. I'm very sorry to have given you the extra work. No trouble at all, sir.

Speaker 12: Very strange. As strange as that wind last night. Back in my hometown... They would have said that someone whistled for it.

Speaker 17: Really?

Speaker 18: I don't hold for superstition. However, well, I did whistle last night, and the wind did seem to come and answer to my call.

Speaker 12: Alan, what happened?

Speaker 18: There was a young boy running out of the hotel, screaming that he saw someone or something.

Speaker 12: What are you going on about?

Speaker 18: I talked to him. He said that he saw someone waving at him from one of the upstairs rooms.

Speaker 12: What's so unusual about that?

Speaker 18: Wilson, he described my room.

Speaker 12: Let's get up there. Good thing you locked your door. Anything missing?

Speaker 1: No.

Speaker 18: Not that I can... Wilson, look at the other bed. And she made up both beds.

Speaker 12: And this is the one that you've been sleeping in?

Speaker 9: Yes, it is.

Speaker 18: And it's still made up. But the other bed? The sheets are all tangled up.

Speaker 2: Again.

Speaker 12: Then, who has been sleeping in the other bed?

Speaker 1: There was a different story about a particular family of bears asking the same questions. But in our tale, we are dealing with something far more terrifying than anthropomorphic animals. I'll return shortly with Act 3.

Speaker 4: The only witness to her murder cannot speak. Until now.

Speaker 3: Click.

Speaker 4: A Tale of Revenge by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon.

Speaker 16: Revenge is... A dish best served cold.

Speaker 1: The German philosopher Immanuel Kant once said, Ghost stories are always listened to and well received in private. but pitilessly disavowed in public. For my own part, ignorant as I am of the way in which the human spirit enters the world and the way in which he goes out of it, I dare not deny the truth of many such narratives.

Speaker 3: I was.

Speaker 18: I was asleep for possibly an hour.

Speaker 8: Something.

Speaker 18: I'm not sure what... woke me. I thought that I heard a noise coming from the other bed.

Speaker 12: What sort of noise?

Speaker 18: A shaking noise, more than any rat could cause, but my terror was nothing until I saw... God help me. I saw a figure sitting up in what I know was an empty bed. I jumped out of bed and ran to the window where my only weapon was a wooden walking stick. I should have never have done that.

Speaker 12: What happened next?

Speaker 18: The figure, in one smooth motion, left the bed and blocked my only exit. My door, with its arms outstretched. There was no way out. My terror had increased, and I would have rather jumped out the window than have that... thing touch me.

Speaker 12: What did you see alan i saw this.

Speaker 18: Thing begin to move in a stooping posture groping around the room with its arms i realized that the thing must have been blind i saw it dart over to the bed and begin to search for for me Not finding me, it began to feel its way onto the floor, and for the first time I saw its face.

Speaker 12: What did he look like?

Speaker 18: No, Wilson. Not he.

Speaker 14: It.

Speaker 18: It had the face of crumpled linen. No features, just crumpled linen.

Speaker 4: Crumpled linen?

Speaker 18: It began to sweep around the room, and in a moment, I felt its hand brush across my face. I screamed. That was when it was on me in a flash, trying to push me out the window.

Speaker 2: Get off of me!

Speaker 3: Help!

Speaker 20: Help!

Speaker 6: Help me!

Speaker 2: Help me!

Speaker 9: Help me!

Speaker 12: And that's when I broke in.

Speaker 18: And you saw it.

Speaker 12: I must admit that I did see something. But when I got to you, hanging halfway out the window, there was no one else there.

Speaker 18: It's face. It's horrible face. It was only an inch from mine. I will never forget it.

Speaker 12: There was only a heap of bedclothes by the window. I helped my friend back to bed and spent the rest of the night in the other bed. As you can imagine, the events have cast a heavy shadow on the professor's nerves. Even a solitary scarecrow in a field has cost him more than one sleepless night. As for the whistle, I told Parkins that I would throw it into the sea as far as I could. However... Here it is. Would you like to blow the whistle?

Speaker 1: American author Gillian Flynn once said, I'm a huge fan of ghost stories. That sort of slow build, the suspense and the questioning about whether you're imagining something or if it's real. I'll return shortly with a final word.

Speaker 3: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store.

Speaker 10: T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more.

Speaker 4: Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

Speaker 1: James perfected a method of storytelling which has since become known as Jamesian. The tale usually includes the following elements. A setting in an English village, seaside town, or country estate, or an ancient town. A nondescript and rather naive gentleman scholar as protagonist, often of a reserved nature. And finally, the discovery of an old book or other object that somehow unlocks, calls down the wrath, or at least attracts the unwelcome attention of a supernatural menace, usually from beyond the grave.

Speaker 1: Our cast included Mick Davis, Raven Adams, and Patience Adams. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

Speaker 21: But I thought you said that there were only five rooms.

Speaker 13: But there were.

Speaker 12: At least, last night there were.

Speaker 21: Maybe you simply miscounted.

Speaker 12: I can assure you, Opal, that there were only five rooms in this dollhouse.

Speaker 21: Oh, but as you can see, there are now seven rooms. Maybe the dolls decided they needed more room.

Speaker 1: This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway tonight, Mayor. for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue.

Speaker 4: That butler did it.

Speaker 3: The butler didn't do it!

Speaker 2: Welcome.

Speaker 1: I'm Artemis Black. We are all bound thither. We are hastening to the same common goal. Black Death calls all things under the sway of its laws. This short phrase from the Roman poet Ovid sets the tone for tonight's bit of horror.

Speaker 15: It's the Red Death, all right. Look at the blood coming out of every pore of her body.

Speaker 5: How long do you think that she has?

Speaker 12: Most victims die within half an hour at the most.

Speaker 5: Then we must hurry to the house before we become victims.

Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, The Mask of the Red Death, was adapted from the Edgar Allan Poe classic by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our stars include Darren Mahler, Mick Davis, and Crimson McKenzie. I'll return shortly with Act One. Have you ever had one of those days? You're fired. Where everything goes completely wrong. Don't you lay a finger on me!

Speaker 6: I can't stand on you!

Speaker 1: And the day keeps getting worse and worse. Hey! And if just one more thing goes wrong, it could possibly send you toppling over the edge.

Speaker 14: Hey!

Speaker 1: Toppling over the edge. A suspense thriller from Winslow Swan. Now available in paperback from Amazon.com. Sometimes you should take a step back. And then there are those times when even you could go toppling over the edge. Hang on to your sanity.

Speaker 2: From the years 1346 to 1353, the plague known as the Black Death reigned over Europe.

Speaker 11: It was estimated that over 50 million people died from the effects.

Speaker 1: With that in mind, If you will look to where I am pointing, you will see a very large mansion sitting on top of a cliff. Inside, you will find a party, one that has been going on for several days now.

Speaker 6: What a wonderful idea!

Speaker 3: A masquerade!

Speaker 22: I thought that you'd approve, my dear Shelly.

Speaker 12: Prosper.

Speaker 13: Do you honestly think that we are protected from the Red Death?

Speaker 22: I told you I forbade those words from this house. Yes, Edward, I do think that. We have plenty of food and drink and.

Speaker 6: Entertainment!

Speaker 3: Oh, Edward, don't be such a killjoy. Have some fun for a change.

Speaker 14: Maybe we should at least go to the nearby town to see if there are any survivors and.

Speaker 22: And bring the Red Death right to our own doorstep. Have you lost your mind?

Speaker 3: How many people are here on the estate, Prosper?

Speaker 22: At last count, I would say close to 300.

Speaker 12: Yes, the wealthiest who had the good fortune of coming here.

Speaker 15: But what about everyone else?

Speaker 22: At least I did something. I fortified the house and grounds. I made sure that everyone who came here was well cared for.

Speaker 15: As long as they had the money.

Speaker 12: You disgust me, Prosper.

Speaker 3: Well, if you don't like it, Edward, you can always leave.

Speaker 15: I would, but Prosper has the place completely sealed.

Speaker 5: You bet I do. No one will leave.

Speaker 4: Why have you brought me here, Prosper?

Speaker 22: I wanted you to see my hall of colors. You see, each room is a different color. This one is the blue room.

Speaker 6: Beautiful! So bizarre.

Speaker 22: You know how I love the weird and unnatural.

Speaker 3: And this room?

Speaker 2: Purple!

Speaker 22: Each room's grand window is covered in stained glass, reflecting the color of the room. Here, the third room, a vibrant green.

Speaker 3: How many rooms are there down this hallway?

Speaker 5: Seven in all. Here's the fourth, the orange room.

Speaker 3: But what are they used for?

Speaker 22: For the party, of course. I had them built especially for the party.

Speaker 3: And the fifth room.

Speaker 4: A brilliant white.

Speaker 22: I'm going to open them to our guests after we return to the main hall.

Speaker 5: Here, the sixth room. A deep violet.

Speaker 3: I'm sure that everyone will have a wonderful time.

Speaker 1: Ah, but here.

Speaker 5: the seventh room.

Speaker 3: Oh my!

Speaker 2: It's... It's all black!

Speaker 5: Heavy curtains hanging from the ceiling and the carpet.

Speaker 9: All in black.

Speaker 3: But the windows, they're tinted in red? A blood red color?

Speaker 6: It It's horrifying.

Speaker 5: Ah, isn't it?

Speaker 3: Oh, Prosper, let's go back to the party.

Speaker 6: I'm frightened.

Speaker 22: Look at how the light from the window gives your face a blood-red color.

Speaker 5: Almost as if.

Speaker 3: Please, don't say it.

Speaker 5: As if you had contracted the Red Death.

Speaker 2: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Speaker 1: Giovanni Bocascio wrote about the Black Plague, Neither physicians nor medicines were effective. Whether because these illnesses were previously unknown, or because physicians had not previously studied them, there seemed to be no cure. There was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. I know what you should do, and that's return with me shortly with Act 2. Meet Jerry Connors. Family man. Business man. Psychopathic killer. The Convincer by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon. Jerry Connors.

Speaker 1: He can convince you to do anything. Even die.

Speaker 1: The poet Percy Shelley wrote, I have made my bed in charnels and on coffins, where black death keeps record of the trophies won.

Speaker 3: I thought I would find you in here, Edward.

Speaker 15: Why aren't you with your husband, the mighty Prosper?

Speaker 3: He's currently playing the guitar for a group in the green room.

Speaker 4: I've heard everything that he can play. Besides, I wanted to talk with you.

Speaker 12: Talk to me?

Speaker 2: About what?

Speaker 3: Edward, you know that Prosper.

Speaker 4: only wants what is best.

Speaker 15: Sure, but only saving the ones who can afford it and letting everyone else suffer and die.

Speaker 3: But the Red Death can't last forever. These people are going to be needed when it's finally safe.

Speaker 8: Those people?

Speaker 15: The ones who can't even take care of themselves? I mean, come on, Shelly. Prosper hired ten servants to take care of almost 400 people.

Speaker 3: They are being well paid.

Speaker 15: Sure, until they get sick.

Speaker 3: Now that's not fair.

Speaker 15: Was it fair to send that cook outside to face the Red Death?

Speaker 7: She.

Speaker 3: she was sick. She could have infected everyone.

Speaker 15: So, Prosper locks her outside and makes her walk down the road.

Speaker 3: Prosper did the right thing.

Speaker 15: The woman never made it to the end of the driveway.

Speaker 12: She's still laying out there.

Speaker 6: You can always join her.

Speaker 3: I would.

Speaker 2: Gladly.

Speaker 15: Anything is better than being in this gilded prison.

Speaker 5: Shelly tells me that you really want to leave.

Speaker 12: You bet I do, Prosper.

Speaker 22: You know, the only reason that you're even here is because you were friends with Shelly.

Speaker 5: She begged me, begged me to let you come.

Speaker 15: So here I am. Mighty Prosper. What can this lowly servant of the people do for you?

Speaker 22: Do not be impertinent. I brought you here for a reason. After all, you were a pretty good journalist.

Speaker 5: And you think.

Speaker 13: You mean you honestly think that.

Speaker 2: Now wait just a damn minute.

Speaker 22: When all of this is over, someone is going to have to tell the world how I, Jonas Prosper, saved this city.

Speaker 13: You are delusional.

Speaker 15: There is no way that I.

Speaker 2: I.

Speaker 15: What are you looking at?

Speaker 1: No.

Speaker 5: It can't be.

Speaker 4: Prosper?

Speaker 3: What are you doing in here? Your guests want to know.

Speaker 6: No!

Speaker 3: No!

Speaker 6: What is it?

Speaker 5: Your forehead. The perspiration on your forehead. It's blood.

Speaker 1: No.

Speaker 5: It can't be.

Speaker 4: Prosper.

Speaker 6: Please don't do it.

Speaker 5: Get out. Get out of this house.

Speaker 13: Now!

Speaker 4: Where do you think he is?

Speaker 5: Will you forget about him? He's dead.

Speaker 22: He's lucky we caught it before he infected anyone else.

Speaker 3: I wonder if he made it to the end of the driveway. I wonder.

Speaker 5: Well, stop wondering. Now, come on, Jelly. Let's go back to the party.

Speaker 3: I don't want to, Prosper. I just want to... I don't know.

Speaker 22: The party's getting boring, that's what it is. I think I have an idea to.

Speaker 5: Spice things up.

Speaker 10: I know that look in your eye, Prosper.

Speaker 4: What are you thinking?

Speaker 5: I've got it!

Speaker 22: Remember all of those old clothes I bought some time ago?

Speaker 3: What about them?

Speaker 5: As I recall, they were from an old theater group. I'm sure there are some masks and costumes.

Speaker 20: So?

Speaker 2: What of it?

Speaker 22: My dear, we shall turn this party into... A masquerade ball.

Speaker 1: Norman Cousins wrote, Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. I'll return shortly with our final act.

Speaker 7: There, underneath your bed, there is some thing, and it's waiting, waiting for another story. No one is afraid of monsters anymore, and other stories to read to the thing under the bed by Winslow Swan. Paperback editions available at Amazon.com. Audiobook edition available at Spotify. Eight terrifying tales for you to enjoy and to read to the thing under your bed. Get it before the thing gets you. The End.

Speaker 1: The philosopher and inventor Blaise Pascal wrote, Let us imagine a number of men in chains and all condemned to death, where some are killed each day in the sight of the others, and those who remain see their own fate in that of their fellows and wait their turn, looking at each other sorrowfully and without hope. It is an image. Of the condition of man.

Speaker 5: Oh, look at them. They are having the time of their lives.

Speaker 3: I have to hand it to you, Prosper.

Speaker 6: This really was a great idea.

Speaker 22: And you, my dear, dressed as a leopard cat. Where did you find that leotard?

Speaker 3: It was at the very bottom of that old trunk.

Speaker 6: I couldn't believe it.

Speaker 3: And it actually fits this body of mine.

Speaker 5: Yes, it does.

Speaker 3: But you, Prosper, what are you supposed to be?

Speaker 5: Haven't you guessed?

Speaker 2: I'm a bum. A beggar.

Speaker 3: Prosper, look. In the entryway of the ballroom.

Speaker 5: I don't see. Who are you talking about?

Speaker 3: Don't you see it? Oh, God.

Speaker 6: Look at the costume.

Speaker 5: I see it now.

Speaker 9: Come on.

Speaker 5: Let's find out who this is.

Speaker 3: Look at the mask. The skull covered in blood.

Speaker 5: I told everyone.

Speaker 1: Everyone.

Speaker 5: That costume was strictly forbidden.

Speaker 1: Who are you?

Speaker 5: I demand to know who you are.

Speaker 14: Don't you know, Prosper?

Speaker 5: How did you.

Speaker 22: How did you get in here? I know all of my guests, but I don't recognize your voice.

Speaker 5: Who are you?

Speaker 15: Walk with me, Prosper. Walk with me through your.

Speaker 14: colored rooms.

Speaker 3: Prosper? Who is it?

Speaker 5: I don't know, but I will find out.

Speaker 3: Prosper!

Speaker 7: Nick!

Speaker 6: Everyone is dying!

Speaker 14: I have been here always.

Speaker 2: There was no escape.

Speaker 13: No.

Speaker 5: I demand to know who you are. Tell me!

Speaker 14: The final room.

Speaker 2: Black room.

Speaker 15: With the red windows.

Speaker 3: Rosper! Help!

Speaker 1: Shelly!

Speaker 3: Rosper!

Speaker 5: Your face!

Speaker 3: Please!

Speaker 5: It's covered in blood! Who are you?

Speaker 1: You know who I am.

Speaker 14: See?

Speaker 1: Edward? Edward?

Speaker 4: You?

Speaker 12: Once I was Edward.

Speaker 1: Now I am the Red.

Speaker 12: Death, death, death, death, death.

Speaker 5: No. I was protected. I thought of everything.

Speaker 1: No. As the blood pours from the body of Prosper, Edward begins to walk out of the mansion, carefully stepping over the bodies of the dead. I'll have a final word in just a moment.

Speaker 10: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more.

Speaker 4: Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

Speaker 1: You The very last part that Edgar Allan Poe wrote for The Mask of the Red Death goes like this. He had come like a thief in the night, and one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And darkness and decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. Our cast included Darren Mahler, Mick Davis, and Crimson McKenzie. The play was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

Speaker 6: Confess.

Speaker 5: You are a killer.

Speaker 2: Confess.

Speaker 18: Herman, you know me. I'm your... your... at least I thought I was your friend.

Speaker 2: Confess, Peter. Confess to what you have done and what you are.

Speaker 3: All right.

Speaker 18: I am what you say. I have done everything.

Speaker 14: I am.

Speaker 1: a.

Speaker 5: Werewolf.

Speaker 3: Epilogue The butler did it.

Game plan