Knifepoint Horror

Another tale of lands touched by both enigmatic beauty and dormant, uncategorizable cruelty.  The narrator: Justy Gee, the Starless podcast The poem reader: Jes Echo Gail Greenlove: Amy Paonessa, The Bloodlust podcast The truck driver: Cal Butera Michael Spinell: Soren Narnia Nadia Oliver: Susan Wallace Ronald Garr: Brian Lillie Poetry by Mia LeBemay Music: “Concentration” and “Smoother Move” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia/ From artist David Montano -

For the haunted, any calm explanation of a supernatural phenomenon is a comforting one, no matter where it comes from. But it is never more important than in that very moment to remain watchful and mistrusting. Music by Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com. "Magic Forest" licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. For a spooky little radio drama I wrote recently, listen to episode 20, "Paranormal Appraisal 151," at www.alexandriaarchives.com.

A man thrust onto the streets must navigate their disturbing sights and sounds, all the while living under the threat of a monster moving relentlessly through their shadows. Music by David Temyik ("Afterlife" and "Mystic Dark Background"), Getty Music. _____________________________________ P.S. What are we hearing at the very end of this episode? If you ask me, it's nothing more than the voice of the strange, lonely soul from a different part of the story, comforting himself as he walks ever onward. On this night, he seems to have found what he's been looking for, one small victory that means something only to him ... and that, for now, is enough to keep him moving tirelessly forward, mile after mile, friendless and lost in the dark, another one of night's unloved orphans.  -S.N. image copyright David Montano, www.davidmontano.com

Two tales of Knifepoint Horror, and two radio plays. 1. thrifting (00:38) 2. radio play: “Report on an Unidentified Space Station,” adapted from the short story by J.G. Ballard (8:39) 3. west (25:54) 4. radio play: “The Cleaver” (44:45) The Captain -and- John Graham: Jason Hill Suzanne: Ariel Alexa Sullivan Gillian: Amy Paonessa (of The Bloodlust podcast) Father Walls: Teddy Ray Bullard Therapist: Kalem Murray Diane Fora: Susan Wallace Mr. Loring: Brian Lillie Master of Ceremonies: Justy Gee (of The Starless podcast)  Music by Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com. "Tempting Secrets" and "Gymnopedie No. 2" licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License  Additional music: “The King of Love My Shepherd Is,” Choir of the King’s School From listener and graphic designer Travis Roberts, this new design:

A boy growing up in post-Depression Kansas learns there are no truly innocuous objects as long as the human imagination can infuse them with fearsome properties. Music by Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com. "Shadowlands 1: Horizon" and "Shadowlands 4: Breath" licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ For a horror tale slightly off the beaten path, listen to episode 15, "Outcall," at www.alexandriaarchives.com. Listeners might also enjoy the dark suspense tale An Oral History Of Hell. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia From artist David Montano (www.davidmontano.com):

Built as a place of solace for those who could no longer fully fend for themselves, the house should never have been disturbed or even noticed. But then one summer night, unfamiliar footsteps approached. Music by Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License   http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Additional music by Anonymous Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia For the Sessions podcast, I recently helped narrate "I Hope Your Sleep," a tale combining two of my favorite things: outer space and abject loneliness... https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sessions/id1285982034  

A conflict in memory between two brothers leads to a return to a place where childhood may have been hiding something too ghastly to retain in the mind. Music by Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com. "Past the Edge" and "Mourning Song" licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Thanks to those who would not let me slip away into the light so easily, and have demanded more excursions into horror. For a horror tale slightly off the beaten path, listen to episode 15, "Outcall," at www.alexandriaarchives.com. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia

These 10 stories were produced as videos for YouTube over the past year as a slight change of pace--here they are, if you haven't heard them yet, in audio-only format as a convenience to those (like me, actually) who prefer to do without the creaky visuals. Some have been partially re-recorded. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia

Here's a horror tale told through a different format. In a mysterious, undefined era, a desperate foot journey traverses a winter wilderness that promises a lonely death--perhaps a natural one, but likely not. LET NO ONE WALK BESIDE HER with Kalem Murray, Teddy Ray Bullard, Melinda Kordich, and Jason Hill Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia

The next time you take a long country drive, look to your left and right as the scenery rolls by, the forgotten places where no footsteps tread for weeks, months, maybe years at a time. How long would it be before anyone noticed that such a place had become shelter for something unspeakable? Listeners might also enjoy the dark suspense tale An Oral History Of Hell. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia   From Josh Mckelvey (@joshmckelvey on Instagram), this image:  

He was a teenager who suddenly had no place to sleep, no money, and no options. The world had quickly become a very scary place ... and then shelter appeared much too conveniently. Images by artist Mandey Brown (@mandeyfromzogs on Instagram)

In the space of minutes, a travel writer venturing alone in remote waters goes from a state of enviable tranquility to blinding terror. Producer and photographer Jeffrey Laub has done a series of photographic portraits of characters from the podcast; check them out at http://jeffreylaub.com/index.php/projects/. P.S. Fans of zombie stories--non-traditional ones, that is--might be interested in an audio novella of mine called Song of the Living Dead over at http://thosesnowynights.libsyn.com/. 

Somewhere near your house it stands, one of those decaying places that people always whisper about as they pass by. For every day you age, it seems to age three. But it may well live beyond you, silently daring you each night at dusk to enter, coldly confident you'll always be too afraid.

There exists in this life a very real, horrifying phenomenon that science cannot yet extinguish. It strikes a surprising number of people, and none of us are safe. And if it comes for you, it will come at the most vulnerable moment you will ever know.

It seemed like such a simple deal, but it felt wrong from the very beginning--and led to a glimpse of a horror which, for those with even a little experience peering into the shadows, need not be named. Artist David Montano created this image for the tale:

A comfortable suburban existence begins to fracture with a single sound. You may have heard it sometime yourself, but those who have surely possess no need for stories like these to haunt them. Artist Jessica Mellen created this eerie bit of business with this episode in mind. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sorennarnia The text of these stories is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, meaning that anyone is free to adapt the stories as they see fit, even for profit, without the obligation to compensate the author. CC BY 4.0

A tale made specifically for the campfire--a simple tale of the woods, long-buried secrets, and letting chances to escape terror slip agonizingly away. images copyright David Montano, www.davidmontano.com Jason Hill has also done a reading of this story, here.

Some places are so remote that just to explore them is an invitation to the phantoms that know we're alone.  

A man attempting to solve a strange gap in his memory meets a man claiming to offer an answer--one too frightening for mere mortals to grasp.

Very few people had ever even heard of the Poldrict House, let alone investigated it. Surely the lack of fascination within the paranormal community was justified...