Dark Softly Tales

The Ebony Horse, Part Fourteen ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Thirteen ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Twelve ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Eleven ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Ten ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Nine ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Eight ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Seven ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Six ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Five ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Four ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Three ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part Two ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

The Ebony Horse, Part One ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.

Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.

"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."

I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with the regular program.

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

Introduction to Arabian Nights Summer Bites 2022

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 01:11:00 -0700

We kick off the 2022 Summer Bites with an introduction to Arabian Nights and the story I'll be narrating over the summer called The Ebony Horse.

Summer Bites are shorter episodes than our normal program without an intro or commentary from the host. I hope you enjoy and I'll be back with the regular program in the fall!

Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado

Arabic Dawn by Zen Man

Neverwas of Koppleburg Hill by Mav Skye

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Following in the footsteps of the Pied Piper series, I wrote my own story based off a dream I had:

Neverwas is trapped in an abusive relationship with her mother. When she meets the Pied Piper, a beautiful hero who calls to her with his silver whistle, she transforms into the very essence of beauty and freedom. She follows the Pied Piper into the forest where he shows her the deep, dark secrets of his cave. You can read this story in Three Tales to Chill Your Bones, Volume 3: Shapeshifters.

Music: Dark Streets by Ambient Soundscapes

Website: www.darksoftlypodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Though written several hundred years after the event, Robert Browning's poem catches the eerie mystery of when 130 children were led away by a magician over Koppleburgh hill, never to be seen again. The Pied Piper of Hemalin by Robert Browning.

Music: Mystique from pixabay.com

Website: www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

The Children of Hamelin by the Grimm Brothers

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 01:11:00 -0700

In the year 1284, a hundred and thirty children went missing from a small German town. This has been a historically documented event that actually happened. Tonight we will be straying from our regular structure. I’m going to narrate the Grimm brother’s version of The Pied Piper called The Children of Hamelin and then we we will lightly discuss the story and it's history. The following two weeks I will be narrating a Robert Brown's Poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" followed by own take on the pied piper called "Neverwas of Koppleburg Hill."

Find the Astonishing Legends podcast by clicking HERE.

Also links to the texts I referred to in the program are:

The Legend of the Pied Piper in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: Grimm, Browning, and Skurzynski by Mary Troxclair Adamson (this article will automatically download!)

Music: Dark Piano

Websites: www.darksoftlytalepodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

Reminder!

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 01:11:00 -0700

A quick reminder we are on break the next two weeks as I continue to put material together on the Pied Piper and for the Summer Bites series. I hope everyone has a great week! <3

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part six)

Mon, 30 May 2022 01:11:00 -0700

This week brings us to the conclusion of Algernon Blackwood's The Wendigo where reality and the hauntingly fantastic meet at the tipping point of sanity...

I will be taking two weeks off before we launch into the brief history and stories of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and then the summer bite series.

Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part five)

Mon, 23 May 2022 01:11:00 -0700

We continue on this week with part five of Algernon Blackwood's The Wendigo, where Simpson meets up with Hank and Dr. Cathcart. The two hunters struggle with Simpson’s story…trying to argue it away with logic and emotion. The mirror of reality has been shattered. And when it shatters, the mind, body and emotions struggle to put it back together again… but we all know what happened in the story of Humpty Dumpty.

Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part Four)

Mon, 16 May 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Simpson performs an investigation to find clues to where the guide disappeared. He makes a startling revelation when he finds not one but two sets of footprints in the snow. One set is 18 feet long, the other set obviously human...eventually the human prints disappear leaving only the monstrous prints behind. Join Dark Softly Tales in Part Four of The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.

Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part Three)

Mon, 09 May 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Huddled in the tiny tent amongst the smothering trees, there are not two shadows, but three...two of human form and one very distinctly not human. Join Dark Softly Tales in Part Three of The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.

Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part Two)

Mon, 02 May 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Hunter and guide set out by themselves deep into the heart of the vast unknown. The beauty is unfathomable, yet impersonal. Still, late into the evening, the guide catches the scent of something that has definitely taken notice...and it shakes him to his very core. This week is part two of The Wendigo by Alergnon Blackwood.

Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part One)

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 01:11:00 -0700

In the the wilds of Canada, an ancient evil taunts a group of hunters, creating such madness that is sure to send goose bumps down your spine and cause you to double think going out into the woods alone...

For the next few weeks, we will be reading The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.

Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

We Do Not Play on Graves by Emily Dickinson and Other Dark Poems

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Last week of our improv, short episodes with dark poetry by Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe. Next week we return to our regular program with The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.

Poems in Order:

Silence is All We Dread - Emily Dickinson

We Grow Accustomed to the Dark - Emily Dickinson

We Do Not Play on Graves - Emily Dickinson

Silence by Edgar Allan Poe

Music: Dark Street by Dream Protocol

Rise Up by Rumi

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 01:11:00 -0700

This week is a lovely poem called Rise Up by Rumi. His wise words bear to witness that there is always a light within the dark. A reminder that Dark Softly Tales is creating shorter, unscripted, episodes for a few weeks. We'll be back to regular schedule at the end of April. ;-)

Music by Chillmore

Do Not Love Half Lovers by Kahlil Gibran

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 01:11:00 -0700

This week we ponder the wonderful words of Kahlil Gibran in his poem "Do Not Love Half Lovers." The next few weeks will be slightly shorter episodes as I'm helping my son with his move to Montana. Towards the end of April we will back with our regular program!

Music: Soft Ambient by Alex MakeMusic

Violet Visions by Mav Skye

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Tonight’s poem called Violet Visions, is inspired by a passage I wrote in one of my books called Wanted Single Rose, and also by world events. It’s kind of a mashup of things.

Find the illustrated storybook creation of the poem on

YouTube here: https://youtu.be/vrhCabz9SJ8

Part Two-Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Death makes quite the entrance at Lady Neville's ball. To everyone's surprise, Death is young, beautiful and charming. So charming in fact, that Lady Neville and her guests request Death remain with them, which Death accepts... on one condition. This week's story is part two of Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle.

Music: Waiting for the Sun by Luca Fraula

Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Lady Neville has thrown the most wonderful parities that even the king himself has attended. Now in her old age, she wants to throw the grandest party of all…but she can’t think of who could be grander than all the nobles she has already invited in the past, and finally it comes to her…she will invite Death himself…er…herself. This week's story is part one of Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle.

Music: Waiting for the Sun by Luca Fraula

The April Witch by Ray Bradbury

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 01:11:00 -0700

A woodland fairy decides to enter the body of a young woman to discover what it feels like to be in love. Through the ups & downs of this experience, she considers giving up her magic to become human. This story is none other than Ray Bradbury's The April Witch.

First published in 1952 by The Saturday Evening Post

Music: Facile by Kevin MacLeod

Courage

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 01:11:00 -0700

In light of current events, I decided to pause the regular programing this week and make an impromptu episode discussing courage and freedom. I recorded this on Friday, Feb 25th.

The two clips of speech is Winston Churchhill's address to Harrow School in 1941

Music: 528 Hz Morning Meditation

Lacerta by Mav Skye

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 01:11:00 -0700

A blind woman meets a mysterious man in the forest who is very coy about who he is. She bargains a potion from an old gypsy so she can finally see her lover. She does see her lover, but pays the ultimate price...

This story has appeared in a few publications including Howl: Tales of the Feral and Infernal, Best of Lame Goat Press Anthology, Cast Macabre where it was originally narrated by the wonderful Barry Northern and, finally, in my short but sweet Tales to Chill Your Bones anthology, Shapeshifters, Volume 3.

Music: Dark Romance Piano by Crypt of Insomnia

Part Four—The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 01:11:00 -0700

The soul and the Fisherman lead us to a surprising conclusion and give us yet another piece of the human spirit to ponder on. This isn't the Valentine's episode I was planning on, but perhaps it's the one we need... Part Four of The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde.

Music: Music: Deep Woods by Lilo Sound

Part Three—The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 01:11:00 -0700

The Fisherman's soul continues its journey to a wealthy city's wondrous bazaar and meets the rich young emperor. The soul makes demands that is too great and the young emperor meets an uncertain fate. Join Dark Softly Tales as we continue this week with part three of The Fisherman and HIs Soul by Oscar Wilde.

Music: Deep Woods by Lilo Sound

Part Two—The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 01:11:00 -0700

This week our story takes a turn as the fisherman's heartless soul takes a journey through many marvelous lands. It enters the temple of a priest and demands to see God or else... Join Dark Softly Tales in Part Two of The Fisherman and His Soul.

Music: Deep Woods by Lilo Sound

The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 01:11:00 -0700

A fisherman hoping to score a few fish in his nets, catches a beautiful mermaid instead. In order to marry her, he must get rid of his soul. By asking how to get rid of his soul, many other questions arise: why does a soul matter if you can't see it or touch or if you do not know it? The fisherman goes on a quest and meets a priest, a witch and even the devil himself... Oscar Wilde takes on quite the adventure in The Fisherman and His Soul.

This is the first in four part series.

Music: Lost in the woods by Lilo Sound

Growing Pains

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 01:11:00 -0700

Hey Everyone!

So I.... accidentally deleted this week's episode and couldn't retrieve the file. That means no story this week! Dark Softly Tales is growing which is a good thing, but also means growing pains...this week is definitely a growing pain. Thank you for your patience and we will be back next week!

The Frost Giant's Daughter by Robert E Howard

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 01:11:00 -0700

A frosty maid taunts a warrior after a long fought battle. He chases her to where her ice giant brothers are waiting... yes, this is a Conan the Barbarian story called The Frost Giant's Daughter by Robert E Howard.

Music: Lost Place Atmospheres #1 by Sascha Ende

The Glamour of the Snow by Algernon Blackwood

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 01:11:00 -0700

There is no doubt that Nature is a seductress, luring souls through our senses and instincts. Blackwood takes this a step further, giving Nature a haunting and irresistible human form through The Glamour of the Snow. This will easily be one of the most beautiful and terrifying stories you’ve ever heard.

This episode will be the longest to date as this story was too beautiful to break up into parts, and I wanted to have a two week break for the holidays. I will be back on January 10th, 2022!

Enjoy! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Music: Ice and Snow by Rafael Krux

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com

www.darksoftlytales.com

Part Four—The Color out of Space by HP Lovecraft

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 01:11:00 -0700

We’ve reached the end, though Lovecraft implies this is only the beginning…Beware of the strange days, my friends, for what might seem to be bright and colorful can be a gray death in disguise. Join Dark Softly Tales in the conclusion of The Color out of Space.

Music:

Part three—The color out of Space by HP Lovecraft

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 01:11:00 -0700

The town finally investigates the deaths and disappearances at the Gardner farm. After Ammi tells his suspicion of the well, the men insist in drawing up the water, but what they find is…unmentionable and otherworldly. Yes, this is a Lovecraft story. Explore your chromatic colors with Dark Softly Tales in part three of The Color out of Space.

Music: Outer Space Journey by AG Music

Part Two—The Color out of Space by HP Lovecraft

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Madness, silence, multi-chrome butterflies…all is not well on Nahum’s farm and the whole town knows it. Unwholesome colors have sprung upon the property where the meteorite hit. Come take a walk with Dark Softly Tales in part two of HP Lovecraft’s The Color out of Space.

Music: Outer Space Journey by AG Music

The Color out of Space by HP Lovecraft (Part One)

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 01:11:00 -0700

There is a place where the forest is dense, where water creeps from yawning darkness, where shadows are longer and leaner than they should be, to where the colors of the world are just a little…off. This week we begin The Color from Space by HP Lovecraft.

Music: Outer Space Journey by AG Music

Crypt Curiosity

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 01:11:00 -0700

In a small Texas town, a young woman takes her dog out for a walk after dinner. She discovers an elderly fellow riding in an electric chair toward the graveyard. Curious, she follows him. Later, she’ll wish she hadn’t... Today's story is called Crypt Curiosity.

You can find this story in Graveyards—3 Tales to Chill Your Bones, Volume 6

Music: Dark Field by Michael Musco

The October Game by Ray Bradbury

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 01:11:00 -0700

It’s Halloween Night, Mich is throwing a ghastly party. All the neighbors will be there, and he has the perfect game planned down in the darkness of cellar… trick or treat.

Tonight’s story is The October Game by Ray Bradbury.

Happy Halloween!

For other halloween tales check out

Eps 51: Smashing Roxy

Eps 53: Halloween Games

Or a scary urban legend tale called The Bridge by Alec Cizak

Music: A scary piano by Plaincask

The Screaming Skull—Part Three by F. Marion Crawford

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Ready to solve the mystery? We come to the harrowing conclusion of The Screaming Skull. Halloween episode will be released a few days earlier. Enjoy! And I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween.

The Screaming Skull—Part Two by F. Marion Crawford

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 01:11:00 -0700

“Think of having boiling lead poured into your brain. Think of it. She was dead before she could scream.” Does that make you shiver? Me, too. Listen on to Part Two of F. Marion Crawford's The Screaming Skull.

I talk a little about the life of Crawford. The quote I mention in the podcast is below.

“The great law of division became clear to him—the separation for a time of the universal agent into two parts, by the separation and reuniting of which comes light and heat and the hidden force of life, and the prime rules of attractive action; all things that are accounted material.

He saw the division of darkness and light, and how all things that are in the darkness are reflected in the light; and how the light which we call light is in reality darkness made visible, whereas the true light is not visible to the eyes that are darkened by the gross veil of transitory being. And as from the night of earth, his eyes were gradually opened to the astral day, he knew that the forms that move and have being in the night are perishable and utterly unreal; whereas the purer being which is reflected in the real light is true and endures forever.” ~ Zoroaster, F. Marion Crawford

Music: Air of Mystery by Manuel Ochoa

Watch Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven on Youtube: https://youtu.be/sisvA_gcijY

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here:

The Screaming Skull by F. Marion Crawford

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 01:11:00 -0700

An old sea captain shares a tale of murder and revenge with a supernatural twist in The Screaming Skull by the fantastic F. Marion Crawford. This is the first part of three.

Music: Air of Mystery by Manuel Ochoa

Watch Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven on Youtube: https://youtu.be/sisvA_gcijY

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 01:11:00 -0700

We celebrate our 100th episode with a gothic classic from the “saintly days of yorn.” The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is a chilling piece of literature that has captured imaginations for over 175 years. Listen and dream darkly.

I made storybook style YouTube video for The Raven.

Feel free to watch at: https://youtu.be/sisvA_gcijY

Music: Private reflection by Kevin Macleod

Waste Land by Madison Julius Cawein

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to the Waste land, a place where nothing survives except the grief of dreams. Fun little fact: Madison Julius Cawein's poem Waste Land was published in a journal that TS Eliot was reading at the time and most likely inspired his own version of The Waste Land, published a few years later.

Music: That Impossible Last Breath by Da Sein

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Nothing Gold Can Stay and other poems by Robert Frost

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Silence is like a canvas for sound to glide across, and no one shows this better than Robert Frost’s dark, moody prose where wind calls to window flowers, dead leaves creep along the forest floor amongst graves. Eventually we end up where death has pressed his cold fingers, and a couple have a difficult conversation about grief and the death of their firstborn. Finally, we land back in the darkest hour in a quiet forest, where Frost infamously reminds us about promises to keep.

Frost’s poems are placed in order for a specific, theatrical affect.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Wind and the Window Flower

Ghost House

Reluctance

Home Burial

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Music: Frozen Tears by Calm Shores

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

The Truth of Intercourse by Robert Louis Stevenson

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 01:11:00 -0700

"The cruellest lies are often told in silence." Robert Louis Stevenson delivers an interesting viewpoint on silence, expression and speech. After our several weeks of reading through The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I thought the Dark Softly Tales audience would enjoy Stevenson's viewpoint in The Truth of Intercourse.

Music: Sublimation - Red Dictionary

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Silence—A Fable by Edgar Allan Poe

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 01:11:00 -0700

They say the devil spins the best yarns. Edgar Allan Poe puts that theory to the test in his chilling short story, Silence—A Fable.

Music: Something Darker by Spectacles Wallet and Watch

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Stars in the Rifts, poems by Rudyard Kipling

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Rudyard Kipling leads us into another form of silence within the bounds of the jungle where elephants run for their freedom and metamorphosis turns worms into butterflies in Episode 95: Stars in the Rifts.

Music: Is by Sandra Marteleur

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Or tweet a hello at: https://twitter.com/DarkSoftlyTales

Silence by Edgar Lee Masters

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Listen in this week as Edgar Lee Masters explores the silence spaces between young and old, country and city, war and peace, man and woman and all the vastness between life and death.

Music: Closer to Home - Spectacles Wallet and Watch

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Or tweet a hello at: https://twitter.com/DarkSoftlyTales

The City of the Dead by Kahlil Gibran

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Silence, sorrow, struggle, shadows, what does it all mean? Where do we fit in? Let Dark Softly Tales take you on a journey through the quiet thoughts of the beautiful mind of Kahlil Gibran.

Music: Lonely Space Rhodes by Eneide

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Or tweet a hello at: https://twitter.com/DarkSoftlyTales

Apocalypse and other poems by Madison Julius Cawein

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 01:11:00 -0700

The greek root of the word Apocalypse means to reveal or uncover knowledge. Lets uncover the sound of silence through Madison Julius Cawein's stunning words of shadow and light.

The five poems of his I narrate today in very specific order are:

Quiet

Abandoned

At sunset

Apocalypse

After Long Grief

Music: Hovercraft by _91nova

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Or tweet a hello at: https://twitter.com/DarkSoftlyTales

Dream within a Dream and other poems by Edgar Allan Poe

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Let Dark Softly Tales guide you into Edgar Allan Poe's Dream-Land, where you'll discover silence inside a Dream within a Dream.

Music by Inside Light Ray Vorton

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

The Hollow Men by TS Eliot

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 01:11:00 -0700

This week we take a walk in TS Eliot's dream kingdom under a twinkling of a fading star in The Hollow Men followed by Wait without Hope.

Music: Take a Break by AG Music

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Or tweet a hello at: https://twitter.com/DarkSoftlyTales

What Does the Silence Sound Like to You? by Mav Skye

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 01:11:00 -0700

I turned a poem I wrote into a song called, "What Does the Silence Sound Like to You?" I hope you all enjoy it. ;-) Write and let me know at darksoftlytales@gmail.com.

We'll be back next week with our Summer Bites program.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Or tweet a hello at: https://twitter.com/DarkSoftlyTales

The Sleeper Awakens ~ Intro to the Summer Bite Series

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Our program diverges from the norm this week. I introduce the theme for the Summer Bite series and my experience with the silence within.

Next week, we'll kick off the series with Mav Skye's creation-song-poem-THING called "What Does the Silence Sound Like to You?"

Regular program will start again in the fall.

Music: Ethereal Evening by Luca Francini

Welcome to the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bite series, our theme this year is silence. The summer kicks off in Episode 88. Tune in every week where we bring you bite size pieces of fiction under the silence of a summer sun.

In the mood for reading?

Check out Mav’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mav-Skye/e/B00I52M3J6

Check out Mav’s other creative work on her empire website here: www.darksoftlytales.com

Or tweet a hello at: https://twitter.com/DarkSoftlyTales

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapter Ten, Part Three

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 01:11:00 -0700

“There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last; and this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson sums up the story’s finale so perfectly.

If you are new to the program, be sure to head back to Eps 78 where we begin our tale of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapter Ten, Part Two

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 01:11:00 -0700

The end draws nigh as Jekyll struggles with the duality of his soul. He confesses with the most delightful phrases ~ “the animal within me licking the chops of memory.”

Come take a listen as we continue The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapter Ten, Part One

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 01:11:00 -0700

We’ve come to the part of the story where finally we get to hear Dr. Henry Jekyll’s full explanation of, well…what the hell is really going on: “a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death.”

Today we start Chapter 10, Part One: Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case in The Strange Case of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapter Nine

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Utterson reads a letter from Jekyll addressed to Dr. Lanyon. It describes desperation from one friend to another, and lists very peculiar, specific instructions of what Dr. Lanyon is to do to save Jekyll’s life.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapter Eight, Part Two

Mon, 31 May 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Utterson and Poole literally face the monster in the closet while also considering the themes of loyalty and honor. This week’s story is Part Two of The Last Night of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapter Eight, Part One

Mon, 24 May 2021 01:11:00 -0700

The story takes a Sherlock Holmes type spin as Utterson and Poole investigate Jekyll’s laboratory. Using handwriting and voice analysis, they make a shocking discovery that it has been hiding inside of Dr. Jekyll’s study.

New listeners to the podcast will want to go back to Eps 78, where we begin our tale!

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapters Five, Six and Seven

Mon, 17 May 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Wherein Utterson is given a shady letter, Dr. Lanyon falls mysteriously ill and they happen upon a Jekyll at his lowest. Today’s tale is Chapters 5,6 & 7 of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapters Three and Four

Mon, 10 May 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Despite Jekyll’s convenient explanation, a murder witnessed by a housemaid makes an all too compelling case against Mr. Hyde. Today is Chapters 3 and 4 of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvester of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her empire site by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—Chapter Two: Search for Mr. Hyde

Mon, 03 May 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Stumped by the mystery of Mr. Hyde, Utterson calls upon Dr. Lanyon to query more into their good friend’s mysterious and mischievous new friend. Unsatisfied, Utterson declares “If he be Mr. Hyde. I shall be Mr. Seek.” Today’s story is Chapter Two: Search for Mr. Hyde.

Dark Softly Tales presents The Mysterious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde—Chapter One The Story of the Door

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Mr. Utterson’s curiosity is peaked by a friend’s revealing tale of a black laboratory door and the cruel man who stepped out of it.

We begin a longer journey today traveling through the trials of authenticity, friendship, horror, power and science: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Music: Dark Times by Kevin Macleod

If you are craving more audio stories, check out Harvesters of Days for free by signing up for Mav's Newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of the website. You can also pick up one of her audio books on her website by clicking here.

The Sower

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Stuck in an infinity loop of time, a woman sows seeds in the graveyard while the Reaper munches bones at her side. Can she ever break free of the dark? This week's story is called The Sower.

Written by yours truly and originally published at the fantastic 10Flash.

Music: My Kind of Illusion - Jay Varton

Iris

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 01:11:00 -0700

A blind man taps his cane down a forest path path on a cold, wintry morning. One might have the tendency to feel sorry for him....but don't let looks fool you—what he's looking for and what he wants it for is sure to give you chills and make you want to walk around with goggles that can only be removed with lock and key... This week's story is "Iris."

Music: Baby by Damma Beatz

Bunnyman

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Did you hear? There's a party at the Bunnyman Bridge on All Hallow’s Eve! An evil spirit inhabits a troubled teen. Together in a bunny suit, they recreate the past.

Bunnyman was originally published in Twisted Legends: Urbanized and Unauthorized by Pill House Press. (Twisted Legends earned an Honorable Mention by Ellen Datlow for Best Horror Anthology of the Year.)

If you'd like to hear the other Bunnyman stories I've written and narrated, you can find them in Episode 23 and Episode 37. (The episode is called Rabid Decisions, but it's one of the three stories in the episode.)

I've written about the origins of the Bunnyman legend in Bunnyman, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones, which you can find on amazon.

Voice of "Chante": my daughter, Helena

Scream credit: MaderaDelEste Films

Music: Swoon by Sage Oursler

Witch

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Amy discovers her infant sister is a witch and her mother must be protected. Amy’s new best friend, Jules, knows just what to do with a witch. She even brought a butcher knife from home. Hmm…wonder what that is for?

This story is on the disturbing/violent side. Use your discretion!

You can find Witch and other witchy tales in my book Witches ~ 3 Tales to chill Your Bones.

Music: Dark Times by Etienne Roussel

Tap

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Left alone in the house for the evening, a teen hears an uncomfortable tap on her bedroom window and footsteps in the kitchen. She uses her wit, urban legends and what she's learned from true crime documentaries to piece together a horrifying situation.

This story was originally published in Nine Days of Madness.

Music:

The Discourager of Hesitancy

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Riddle me this....

A young man requests to be married to one of the beautiful women of a semi-barbaric kingdom. The king grants his wish, only there is a clause: the young man must be blindfolded during the ceremony so he does not see his bride and hears her voice only once. After the ceremony, the young man’s blindfold is removed. Forty women stand in front of him, only one is his bride. He must choose correctly or he will instantly loose his life. Our story is a follow up to last week’s story by Frank R Stockton—The Discourager of Hesitancy.

Music: Oxygenic by Lucention

The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank Stockton

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 01:11:00 -0700

In today’s episode we head back to semi-barbaric times, where a king has come up with an unusual system for determining guilt or innocence. All is well, until the princess’s lover is discovered and doomed to choosing a fate between two doors. Behind one door is a beautiful woman and behind the other a tiger. Which will he choose?

Today’s story is Lady or the Tiger? by Frank R Stockton.

Music: Oxygenic by Lucention

Options

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Mercury poisoning in the drinking water—it has affected everybody—humans and animals alike. Those with natural immunity are given “options” by the government in the form of a federally funded suicide booth run by AI named Adria. Discover your Options this week with a morbid little sci-fi tale called (surprisingly): Options.

Longer intro this week: Story starts at 5:37

Music: Hand Off by Damma Beatz

Beyond the Door by Philip K Dick

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Larry Thomas gives his wife a gift hoping for a little respect— respect he doesn’t dare give but demands to receive. He learns the hard way from a little cuckoo clock that has been wound one too many times. Today’s story is Beyond the Door by Philip K Dick.

Music: Broken Glass by Eneide (Epidemic Music)

Skin

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 01:11:00 -0700

The year is 2050. Humans wear metal sleeves and depend on mechanical organ replacements...science and logic drives society, but we discover there is still a touch of humanity of left in our tale today called Skin.

Skin was first published in Horror through the Ages anthology.

Music: Plan B by Lalo Brickman (Epidemic Music)

Asleep in Armageddon by Ray Bradbury (Part Two)

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Leonard Sale determines to stay awake for six days—when the rescue ship arrives. But, six days is a long time, especially when there are hungry beings waiting to take his body over. Join us in Part Two of Asleep in Armageddon by Ray Bradbury.

Asleep in Armageddon was originally published in Planet Stories in 1948.

Music:

Echoes of Time V2 by Music by Kevin MacLeod

Asleep in Armageddon by Ray Bradbury (Part One)

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 01:11:00 -0700

"Avoid Planetoid 787. Lush and sunny, with fine

air and no dangerous beasts, it'll tempt you to

curve in for some nice solid-ground sleep. DON'T!"

—Planet Stories, 1948

This week we bring you part one of Asleep on Armageddon by Ray Bradbury. If you keep hearing voices in your head during the story...don't worry! It's just the story. However, if you keep hearing them after the story, you may want to get that checked out. Gods battling for your mind is nothing to sneeze at.

Asleep in Armageddon was originally published in Planet Stories in 1948.

Music:

Echoes of Time V2 by Music by Kevin MacLeod

In an Unmarked Place by Stephen J Golds

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 01:11:00 -0700

Guest author, Stephen J Golds, steeps our senses in the minds of psychopaths where anything can and will happen in "A Short Story."

There's a time and place for all kinds of love in this world. We soon discover that dark love is best buried deeply "In an Unmarked Place."

A Short Story and In an Unmarked Place were both originally published in the wonderful Bristol Noir Magazine. Bristol Noir publishes high quality stories and I suggest you go check them out.

Links:

Check out Steve's latest release, Always the Dead on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NYYBJ5N

Twitter: @SteveGone58 #alwaysthedead

https://twitter.com/SteveGone58

Music: Catalyst by Alexander Nakarada

(I edited the music for this episode)

www.darksoftlytalespodcast.

www.darksoftlytales.com

Lucy Comes to Stay by Robert Bloch

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 01:11:00 -0700

A strange sequence of events lands Vi at the sanatorium. Her best friend, Lucy, visits her often and as a best friend will do, dishes out some rather juicy secrets about Vi's husband and his plan to ditch Lucy. Though, after a few stolen drinks of hard liquor, the world is a bit woozy and we learn anything is possible in Vi and Lucy's world.

This week's story is Lucy Comes to Stay by the master of psychological suspense, Robert Bloch.

Time Stamp: For those who prefer to skip the intro, the story starts at 3:46. <3

Music: At the Kitchen Table By Savfk

Caterpillars by EF Benson

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 01:11:00 -0700

This week we discover that haunted houses and haunting dreams go together like a coffin in a grave. Our protagonist does well to trust his intuition, but his friend who takes a more logical approach, does not fair well. Join me in this week's story, Caterpillars by EF Benson. This story may have been written in 1912, but trust me, it holds the creep factor!

Timestamp: Story starts at 2:48

Music: Blue Feather by Kevin MacLeod

Dead Sunset Red

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 01:11:00 -0700

It’s 2021, the time of the axe, the time when the blade hacks and hews at sinew and bone, at the moon and stars and the universe that lies between.

At Faraday Psychiatric Hospital, Cecilia makes eye contact with herself in the bathroom mirror. She knows today is the anniversary of something very dreadful she has done, but she can't remember what or why. When she applies her favorite lip gloss, Dead Sunset Red, it triggers a floodgate of horrific memories beyond comprehension.

This story was originally published in Voluted Tales, and you can also find it in Mav Skye's 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones, Deadly Women. It's free on amazon, feel free to download HERE.

Music: Freedom in Fire by Snow Music Studio

(I edited the music and added my own vocals.)

Buffalo Gal Won't You Come Out Tonight and Give Hell's Bells a Shake: A Noir Christmas Story

Peace on Earth Is at War

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 01:11:00 -0700

A double zombie feature for the New Year! You’re welcome. ;-D

Weeping Stones is about the “ideal” all American family who demonstrate how to keep up with the Jones when it comes to outsiders and zombies.

Peace on Earth is at War features small town drama during the zombie apocalypse. Strange things happen. Like turtles. Don’t ask—just listen.

Happy New Year’s everyone!

Music: Nostalgic Cold by MusicLFiles

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 01:11:00 -0700

The North Pole isn't what it's made up to be, neither is Santa. Kidnapped and forced to be Santa's elf, Henrietta hatches up a plan that's much more naughty than nice. This story is extremely dark and for adults only. Violence and foul language. Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas.

Today's story is part of a collection of stories based on the beloved femme fatale, Henrietta. You can find another one her stories in Dark Softly Tales most listened to episode which is Eps: 43 Pillow Talk. Henrietta's origins start in my novellas: Behind the Black Door and Night without Stars (and one day if I ever get a chance to edit the third book in the series: Ghost of a Chance.)

We are close to Dark Softly Tales one year anniversary. Phew! What a year! Sincere appreciation for your being on this journey with me.

Music: Long Note Three by Kevin MacLeod

Hollow Secrets

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 01:11:00 -0700

One lonely rest stop. Two sisters. Their secrets so grim, even the reaper would kill to know. Join me in dark story for the darkest nights of the year: Hollow Secrets

Looking back through my notes, I realized this was one of my very first published stories! So much love to Yellow Mama magazine for publishing it. <3

Music: Through the Shadows by Camilo Castillo

Strings

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 01:11:00 -0700

It started with a tap on the ceiling, then it grew a heartbeat and a pulse. The beast calls to Cassie nightly in a world beyond her own—the great abyss. Her husband, Brian, insists medication will make it go away, but when Cassie discovers he has found another love...she questions where she truly belongs. This week's story is called Strings.

You can find Strings in Abyss, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones, Volume Five.

Music: Ritual by Kevin Macleod

Tenebrous Brothers Carnival-Act Three by Kevin Mac Leod

Burning Yesterday

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Losing everything can be despairing, but sometimes there is a seed of hope. It’s hidden by shadows and we need to look harder to find it. This week’s story is Burning Yesterday. It placed second placed in a contest years ago. On the shorter side, but powerful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Music: Thunder Dreams by Kevin McLeod

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Part Three)

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Today is our conclusion of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper.

I am once more experiencing technical difficulties, this time with the new mac update. Please hang in there with me while I figure it out. Thanks!

Music: Misty Lights by Rafael Krux

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Part Two)

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Creeping crawling women in a caged attic... The 1800's produced horror that is just as chilling today as it was back then. Join me in part two of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper.

To read Charlotte's reasoning behind the story, click on the link. https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/18-industrial-america/charlotte-perkins-gilman-why-i-wrote-the-yellow-wallpaper-1913/

Music: Misty Lights by Rafael Krux

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Part One)

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Jane is enthralled with the Victorian house and garden that she is to spend a few months resting at. Her husband John, the good doctor, has decided that Jane has a temporary nervous depression, or in other words, a slight hysterical tendency. There are many beautiful rooms in the house, but he decides that Jane’s imagination is too easily exercised and insists that she rests in the attic room—a miserable playroom for children in past times. There are bars on the windows and the doctor won’t even let her be with her child. Her mind wanders to the yellow wallpaper—its horribleness, secrets and wonder. She has sneaked her journal into the room and writes her thoughts. As time passes by, the room becomes more and more alive…. This story may be old but, as all old stories are, still so pertinent to our times. For the next few weeks, we will be reading The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Music: Misty Lights by Rafael Krux

And the Scarecrow's Name is....

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 13:00:00 -0700

Congratulations, Nancy! Message me for your prize. Thank you to all the participants. I was surprised at how many names I received in my email. We will do another giveaway soon! Thanks for playing along everyone!

To catch the next giveaway, you can sign up for the newsletter, go to www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com, scroll down until you see the sign up form.

Music: Spacial Wind by Kevin Macleod

Visit Mav's empire site where you can learn more about her her books, haunt her soon to be updated blog, and one day in the near future a jewelry shop will magically appear. www.darksoftlytales.com

Halloween Games

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 01:11:00 -0700

What's Halloween without Halloween games? Jackie invites her boyfriend over for a little game of guess that feel... He shows up as a clown, and we soon discover there is no clowning around for what he has in store! *This story is not for the faint of heart or for children. Adults only!*

This is our Monday episode—released a little early in the spirit of Samhain... enjoy!

(For those who are looking for it. The Name My Scarecrow Contest announcement will be released in a day or two!)

This story was originally published years ago in a 13 Days of Halloween ...read-along...thing.

Music: Alice in Dark Wonderland by Lexin Music

Clown Noise Honk attribution: Mutatorscotch at freesound.org

Hack: Axe_Barrel by EverHeat at Freesound.org

2^nd hack: wood chopping by wavecal22 at freesound.org

Scream: “MaderaDelEste Films” by Sironboy at freesound.org

Smashing Roxy — Halloween Story!

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 01:11:00 -0700

A goth punk witch goes on a killing spree on her favorite night of the year. When she comes across ghostly children whom she can’t catch, she follows them to a deserted house where she meets The Reaper. Dark Softly Tales brings, Smashing Roxy. Happy Halloween!

Smashing Roxy was originally published in Pulp Modern back in 2013, and later republished in Witches, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones, Volume 2.

Episode music: Spooky Halloween Night by AG Music

There's still time to enter names for the Name my Scarecrow Contest and Giveaway! Join the podcast newsletter Here and head on over to my Facebook page, Tweet at me or simply email me (darksoftlytales@gmail.com) your three name suggestions! Name will be chosen on Halloween night under the light of the full moon!

Story subs are still open! Check out the guidelines HERE.

The Bridge by Alec Cizak

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 01:11:00 -0700

A history teacher, trying to find a way to connect with his teen daughter, discovers a local urban legend on Reddit about a haunted bridge. He offers to take his daughter to this bridge to see if the legend is true, but decides to check it out himself first. He makes a harrowing discovery that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Dark Softly Tales presents The Bridge by guest author Alec Cizak.

Author Bio: Alec Cizak is a writer and filmmaker from Indianapolis. His fiction has appeared in several journals and anthologies. He is also the editor of the fiction journal Pulp Modern.

Swing on over to amazon to find The Bridge and other stories in Alec Cizak's horror anthology, Lake County Incidents. Follow Alec on Twitter and Youtube. Head on over to his website http://nomoralcenter.blogspot.com to discover more.

Music: Very Low Note by Kevin MacLeod

Long Note One by Kevin Macleod

Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 01:11:00 -0700

This week’s tale is one of horror and madness. Edgar Allan Poe takes us deep inside the mind of a madman, who, even in the midst of a crime, cannot escape the prison bars of his own conscience. This week’s story is, of course, The Tale Tell Heart.

Music: Uneasy Imagination by Erick McNerny

Heartbeat attribution: Moulaythami and freesound.org

Sign up for the newsletter: https://www.darksoftlytales.com/podcast-subscribe

Send me your dark, suspenseful story:

https://www.darksoftlytales.com/submission-guidelines

Pick up 98 Ways to Skin a Clown on

Amazon: https://geni.us/gchssbk1

or Audiobook (coupon code: october) https://www.darksoftlytales.com/product-page/98-ways-to-skin-a-clown-audio

98 Ways to Skin a Clown

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 01:11:00 -0700

This week's tale is the first chapter of my first audiobook! In this riveting tale, we find a young Thomas Slade choosing a dark path after being kidnapped and inducted into the Night Devils biker gang. He quickly gains the leader’s trust and is given a task: go undercover as a kiddie clown entertainer at Carnival Circus and extract information from a man named Elvis.

The job is simple, until Thomas meets the lovely Gerda, who is pregnant with Elvis’ child. Furthermore, Thomas realizes he actually enjoys entertaining as a clown for children and sees a future where he could settle down with a woman he cares about, but as always in life…things aren’t that simple. He has a job to do and will soon discover…there really are 98 Ways to Skin a Clown.

This a dark story, but not one without innocence, first love, and of course, clowns.

Purchase the audiobook here: https://www.darksoftlytales.com/product-page/98-ways-to-skin-a-clown-audio

Enter the Promo Coupon code for a discount!: October

Pick up the book on amazon: https://geni.us/gchssbk1

Girl Clown Hatchet Series Boxset: https://geni.us/GCHB1234

We are open to story submissions! Check out the guidelines here www.darksoftlytales.com/submission-guidelines

Music: Nervous by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio-story by signing up HERE.

Amazon: amazon.com/author/mavskye

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Mary Maloney adores her husband and is utterly devoted to him. She is presented with a challenge after they have an uncomfortable conversation. However, Mary is creative and resourceful, and knows just what to do with the leg of lamb in the freezer.... this week story is Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl.

Dark Softly Tales is back to its regular program! We are excited to announce that we are open to story submissions. For the guidelines click on the link. https://www.darksoftlytales.com/submission-guidelines

Music: Uneasy Imagination by Erik McNerny

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Dross

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 01:11:00 -0700

This is a short gothic experimental piece that is metaphorical and intended for the reader/listener to feel. Regular Dark Softly Tales program resumes in two weeks! Fall is almost here. YAY.

Dross was first published at Altered States.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in late September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Created by my Mav Skye

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Find Mav Skye’s books on amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/mavskye

The Next Step

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 01:11:00 -0700

They call to her every night, the monsters deep in the abyss over the edge of the wall. She must walk the fine balance between madness and reality. She is destined to fall to one side or the other, but which side?

The Next Step was first published at Flashes in the Dark, then later published in Mav's Abyss, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones, Volume Five.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in late September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: As You Were by AG

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Find Mav Skye’s books on amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/mavskye

Art

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 01:11:00 -0700

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when it comes to a woman scorned, sometimes pictures, paintings or words just aren’t enough. The ultimate must be given, delivered and sealed with blood. Join me in today’s dark little story, Art.

Art was first published and featured in a dark magazine called Full of Crow, then later featured in the lovely Femme Fatale series on Lily Childs’ website. I hope you enjoyed today’s story!

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in late September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Classic Horror 3 by Kevin McLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Find Mav Skye’s books on amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/mavskye

Pillow Talk

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 01:11:00 -0700

If sexy Henrietta asks you if you are afraid of the dark, it's already too late. Join me in Pillow Talk.

This story won Spinetingler's Best Short Story on the Web award and originally published at Beat to a Pulp Magazine. You can also find it Mav Skye's book, Deadly Women, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Twin Peaks Box by Eitan Epstein Music

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Simply Wicked

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 01:11:00 -0700

It was not an evil doll, definitely, absolutely not evil; it was simply wicked. Wicked is what wicked does. Jane finds this out the hard way.

Join me in this week's episode, Simply Wicked.

This story was originally published in Mav Skye's book Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in late September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Creepy Music Box by Benridge Music

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Tainted Lady

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:11:00 -0700

This week we meet the Painted Lady at a sideshow carnival who decides enough is enough… or is it? Join me in Episode 41: Tainted Lady.

This story was originally published in Sideshow 2: Tales of the Big Top and Bizarre.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Cryptic Sorrow by Kevin McLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Painted Black

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Long past midnight, a mysterious man drags a black bag through the forest...nothing creepy about that, right?

Join me in our next story in the Dark Softly Tales Summer Bites series, Painted Black.

This story was originally published in a magazine called Unenthralled.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Nervous by Kevin McLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Scars

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Every night, Lucy’s lover blindfolds her and leads her away to the cornfields, where she plays along with his games. One evening, the blindfold is removed and an unspeakable horror is revealed.

Join me in this week's episode entitled SCARS.

This story was originally published in Pulp Metal Magazine. You can also find this story in Scarecrows, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones on amazon.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Dark Walk by Kevin McLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Abel's Blood

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 01:11:00 -0700

A crooked moon hangs over the young woman frantically digging in the garden. A mysterious voice whispers, "Death is in the dirt." Far off in the distance, an infant cries...

This week's story is a Southern Gothic flavored creepy one called, Abel's Blood.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Deep Abyss by Erick McNerney

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Rabid Decisions

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 01:11:00 -0700

On her way to grandmother’s house, a young girl decides to stop and write in her diary. She has a big decision to make, but only seconds to make it. Of course, this story is entitled Decisions.

In Rabid, we find the welcoming sign off the highway says it all. “Welcome to the city of lost parents – we will take care!”

A girl runs away to the circus, but finds herself trapped at a carnival in the story, Midnight Feathers.

I’ll be the first to admit this week's bite size stories feel extremely odd and disturbing the way they are layered and put with this specific music. I kept getting chills on my arms when recording. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy.

Decisions won first place in a horror story contest and published in a magazine called Tainted Tea. Rabid was published in Flashes in the Dark. You can find both of these stories in my book Bunnyman, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones which you can find on amazon.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Piano Ballad by Rafael Krux

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Free Mercury

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Some think a Mantra can keep it from happening to them, others induce it into sick Halloween Games. It often bumps in the night casting shadows against the walls, hiding under your bed with a knife. Sometimes, though, horror is a simple melt of our vulnerabilities over blistering hot lava.

Our only hope is to FREE MERCURY.

Originally published in Beat to a Pulp magazine back in 2009 as the magazine's halloween story.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Twin Peaks by Eitan Epstein Music

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Tea Time with Warthog

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Everyday Raymond must have tea with Warthog to keep out of the insane asylum—but he's not the one who belongs in the crazy house.

Join me in the more lighthearted flash, Tea Time with Warthog. Originally published in Flash! Anthology edited by Chris Bartholomew.

Welcome to the Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: Marty Gots a Plan by Kevin Macleod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Sacrifice

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Every night, Matilda’s ghostly body is hunted down and burnt by the townsfolk. One day, Matilda fights back, balancing the scale of justice. Will her soul finally be free?

Join me in kicking off our first story in our Dark Softly Summer Bites series. These stories are bite sizes, shorter than usual—about 5-10 minutes long. I hope you dig the Summer Bites opening/closing! The regular program will resume in September.

You can find Sacrifice in Mav Skye's book, Witches, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones.

Opening & Closing music: Mav Skye

Episode Music: As You Were by AG Music

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

Heart for a Heart

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 01:12:00 -0700

She would give anything to win the king’s heart, even sell her soul to Olgana, the sea witch. When she comes across Merlin, will the old magician help her or send her on her way?

Due to steering off course with an additional episode of True Tales to Tell in the Dark, this week's story is short!

Heart for a Heart was originally published in Three Crows Press. You can also find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Shapeshifters, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones.

Music: Blue Coast

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

True Tales to Tell in the Dark #3: What Does It Mean to Have a Soul?

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 01:11:00 -0700

What is a soul? How can one obtain one? And why does it matter? And how the heck does this apply to us in 2020?

We steer off course this week on a subject that I've been studying for period of time. Between Hans Christian Andersen's biography, mystical texts, mermaid stories, I decided that a program dedicated to the soul was going to happen.

Join me as we journey through these topics and explore the human experience.

This is a special edition of Dark Softly Softly Tales podcast.

*If you are triggered by religious themes than this episode is probably not for you!

Show note link:

The True Story of My Life by Hans Christian Anderson

Music: Ethereal Evening by Luca Francini

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

The Little Mermaid—Part Three by Hans Christian Andersen

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 01:11:00 -0700

The little mermaid finds herself between a rock and hard place when she realizes that she and the prince are not on the same page. Her sisters give her a knife from the sea witch and present her a choice: kill the prince and return to her home in the sea or perish into sea foam. What’s a girl to do? I know would Mav Skye would write, but this is, of course, Hans Christian Andersen…Join me in the conclusion of his dark story, The Little Mermaid.

Ghostly Mermaid Song by Tim Donovan

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

The Little Mermaid—Part Two by Hans Christian Andersen

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 01:11:00 -0700

The Little Mermaid makes sacrifices when she forms a deal with the sea witch. One could say she literally risks it all. This week's episode asks many questions. What does it mean to truly live? What does it mean to have a soul? And what is that soul worth?

Join me in Part Two of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.

Ghostly Mermaid Song by Tim Donovan

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen—Part One

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Deep under the sea, there is a palace made of coral, amber and pearls. The Sea King has five daughters. When each turn fifteen, each princess is allowed to emerge from the water and observe life outside of the sea. The youngest sister is most curious of all and knows her destiny is not to live within the sea, but on land.

Join me in Hans Christian Andersen's dark tale, The Little Mermaid.

Ghostly Mermaid Song by Tim Donovan

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Buried Deep Down by EM Fitch—Part Two

Mon, 25 May 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Tommy is angry when he realizes the ringmaster is a charlatan only dealing in fakes and illusions, when his own treasure is as true and real as the moon. A problem presents when he realizes the mermaid might still be alive, and her sisters are calling for Tommy, luring him to the dock's edge. What they want isn't quite as lovely as their voices suggest....join me in the conclusion of EM Fitch's tale, Buried Deep Down.

Head on over to emfitch.com, check out Erin's books, sign up for Erin's newsletter or pick up her books on amazon by clicking HERE.

Author Bio:

E. M. Fitch is an author who loves zombies, chocolate, and tall trees. When not dreaming up new ways to torture characters, she is usually corralling her four children or thinking of ways to tire them out so they she can get an hour of peace at night. She lives in Connecticut, surrounded by chaos, which she manages (somewhat successfully) with a lot of coffee. She has written two Young Adult Dark Fantasy series—The Break Free Series and The Stolen Girls Series. emfitch.com

Music: Dark Fairy Tale by Alister Bunclark

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Buried Deep Down by E.M Fitch—Part One

Mon, 18 May 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Word around town is a shark had bitten a kid's leg off. Tommy knows different. It wasn’t a shark. The creature was something fierce with long flowing hair, wide eyes and a little tail wrapped around bulrush plant. The creature had sharp teeth alright, but it wasn’t a shark.

The circus is in town and the ringmaster is offering gold for treasure. Tommy knows that the creature is a treasure, a treasure of the sea, right in his own little town. A treasure that is dangerous and worth diving for. Join me this week in the first part of EM Fitch's tale, Buried Deep Down.

Head on over to emfitch.com, check out Erin's books or sign up for Erin's newsletter. She is also offering a free book on amazon this week! Pick it up HERE on Amazon.

Author Bio:

E. M. Fitch is an author who loves zombies, chocolate, and tall trees. When not dreaming up new ways to torture characters, she is usually corralling her four children or thinking of ways to tire them out so they she can get an hour of peace at night. She lives in Connecticut, surrounded by chaos, which she manages (somewhat successfully) with a lot of coffee. She has written two Young Adult Dark Fantasy series—The Break Free Series and The Stolen Girls Series. emfitch.com

Music: Dark Fairy Tale by Alister Bunclark

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

True Tales to Tell in the Dark #2: The Lore of Mermaids

Mon, 11 May 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Truth or lore, one thing is for sure: mermaids have fascinated humans for centuries. Why do they capture our imaginations? What do they represent to us? Why does she call to us through stories and is she something to be feared or embraced?

Join me in true accounts by seafaring captains from the age of discovery, to ancient tales, to fairy tales as we return to spring with the lore of mermaids.

This is a special edition of Dark Softly Softly Tales podcast.

Show note links:

Christopher Columbus Diary Link

Pliny the Elder, Natural History Link

Music: Ethereal Evening by Luca Francini

Ghostly Mermaid Song by Tim Donovan

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Killing Angels—Part Two

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Jeffrey does his best to cover his mother’s sins, and believes the world is safe once more. But he doesn’t understand that Marley is wolf. A wolf will do what a wolf does, they deceive, they hunt, they kill… nothing short of an angel can stop Marley.

Join me in this week's conclusion of Killing Angels.

*Trigger warning: This week’s episode covers violent subject matters

Music: Come Play with Me by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Killing Angels—Part One

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Marley wore her shawl like the wolf wore the night. Cranberries red as blood stain her fingers. A demon bird whispers at her side as she watches the children from the window... Marley's made a deal with the devil. Who can stop her?

A little old woman bearing cranberry cookies awaits you in this week's episode, Killing Angels (Part one).

Music: Come Play with Me by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Bloody Blue Scarf

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 01:11:00 -0700

It starts with a lovers’ quarrel on a dark deserted road. When the man in the bunny suit shows up with an axe, the night is young…and just getting started.

What's Easter without the Bunnyman? Let's not find out. Join me in this week's urban legend tale, Bloody Blue Scarf.

—Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Bunnyman, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones

—Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

The Juniper Tree

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Magic & horror blend into one of the scariest fairytales the Grimm brothers recorded. If murder, cannibalism, bones and ghosts don’t scare you, then I don’t know what will! Join me in The Juniper Tree this week with an intro about the creative genius behind the story, Phillip Otto Runge.

Music: Evening Fall Harp by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Hansel and Gretel

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 01:11:00 -0700

In dire times of famine, two children are led deep into the forest and are abandoned by their parents. The children are clever, but when they happen upon a house made of sweets and a little old lady inviting them in, well... just like a little mouse sniffing cheese on a mousetrap, there are some things in life that can't be resisted.

This is the Grimm Brother's seventh version of the tale, which I am rather fond of. We spend the beginning of the program talking a little about the symbology of the story before diving into the creepy little tale.

Music: Strange Dream by Eitan Epstein Music

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

True Tales to Tell in the Dark #1: The Great Famine of 1315

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Welcome to our first episode of True Tales to Tell in the Dark! Since we are still waiting on the stories to roll in from our listeners, I’m using this time to dive into true scary tales from history! This month we explore the great famine of 1315, the inspiration for a few fairy tales we will be covering over the next few weeks.

I couldn’t find the links to all the articles I read, but here are good handful:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/01/11/the-next-great-famine

http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/black_death.html

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Great-Flood-Great-Famine-of-1314/

https://economics.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Workshops-Seminars/Economic-History/slavin-091026.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_of_1315%E2%80%931317

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_of_1315–1317

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Warm_Period

Music: Ethereal Evenings

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

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Finding Peace in the Times of Coronavirus

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I felt called to go a tad freestyle and create this quick episode. I talk about what’s going on in world right now and how we center ourselves.

Sending good vibes out to all my listeners! Take care. <3

Music: Ethereal Evening by EvokeSound

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Pigeons from Hell—Part Four

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Griswell suggests that only the damned can see zuvembies. He just might be onto something. And if he is, what does this mean for himself and Buckner? They return to the scene of the crime, determined to uncover the ghostly mystery once and for all. Will they make out it alive? Listen and find out in the spinetingling conclusion of Robert E Howard’s Pigeons from Hell.

(This is completely unabridged. You're welcome.)

Music: The Dread by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Pigeons from Hell—Part Three

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Buckner relates to Griswell the tragic story of the family and slaves who lived on the Blassenvilles Plantation. In efforts to get to the root of the story, they decide to go visit an elderly voodoo priest on the outskirts of society. They sink deeper into a mystery that has a sting of a bee and the venom of a snake. Join me in Part Three of Robert E Howard’s Pigeons From Hell.

(This is completely unabridged. You're welcome.)

Music: The Dread by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Pigeons from Hell—Part Two

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 01:11:00 -0700

When Brackner, the local county sheriff, happens upon the plantation in the dead of night, he discovers a horrified Griswell screaming like a mad man in those dark, dark pines. Brackner has a macabre mystery on his hands. Did Griswell murder his friend or is there something more sinister at play? Join me in Part Two of Robert E Howard’s Pigeons from Hell.

(This is completely unabridged. You're welcome.)

Music: The Dread by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Pigeons from Hell—Part One

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Griswell and his friend Branner take refuge in an old plantation farmhouse off the main road. During the night, Griswell awakens to a shrill whistling from the staircase. Branner gets up to investigate and a few seconds later returns, headless and holding a bloody axe… This week’s ghostly story is part one of Robert E Howard’s Pigeons from Hell.

(This is completely unabridged. You're welcome.)

Music: The Dread by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Gods, Guns and Serpent Tongues—Part Two

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 01:11:00 -0700

At the fountain of Hebe, four beasts sit around the sapphire obelisk of fresh streaming water—a baboon, a falcon, a jackal and an old man with the body of a cow. They await the young woman who is about to give birth to a child, but what do they want? And why?

Find out in the second part of our story, Gods, Guns and Serpent Tongues.

This story was originally published in Guns and Romances anthology, you can find on amazon here.

Music: The Children of MH17 by Sascha Ende

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Spindled Souls - Valentine's Special

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Wallace and Anne are both scarecrows and lovers. They are forced to hang on poles and stare longing at each other season after season, until one day all scarecrows are brought to the castle for a macabre-ish fate. A fate written in the stars.

Today's Valentine's story is called Spindled Souls.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Scarecrows, 3 Tales to Chill your Bones.

Music: Heartbreaking by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Gods, Guns and Serpent Tongues—Part One

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 01:11:00 -0700

She was an orphan in a world of two warring gods. He was protected by Horus. After the polar flip, they find themselves lost in a desert where colossal mole rats serve Ra during the day, and Horus’s flying serpents patrol the night sky. Where does one turn when the world is forcing you to choose sides? The answer lies in the oldest story of time itself, but with a twist…as always. This week’s story is called, Gods, Guns & Serpent Tongues.

Today's Sponsor is brought to you by the gods Horus and Ra... ;-D

Music: The Children of MH17 by Sascha Ende

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Layla and the Skull

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 01:11:00 -0700

A girl plunges into the deepest hell to rescue her brother. When she meets the Skull, they delve into a game Layla isn’t quite prepared for.

Today's episode is called Layla and the Skull.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Abyss, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones.

Music: Dark Lullaby by Mundo-Sinfonico

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Dapper Cadaver

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Joey is a Pre-Med student and desperate for money. When she finds an ad from the mysterious Doc Hollywood who offers a lot of money for a simple task, she finds herself digging up ancient bones in a graveyard late one night. What happens next, she'd never believe. (But you will! I guarantee it.) This week's story is called Dapper Cadaver.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Graveyards, 3 Tales to Chill Your Bones.

Music: Little Moments of Peace by Luca Francini

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Mantra—Part Two

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out... are you feeling a little wiggle in your soul?

In part two of Mantra... two ancient and vicious beasts collide in a strange and unreal state of primal instinct. Rhiannon truly discovers whether she is indeed dead, alive or dreaming...

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's *FREE* book, Deadly Women, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones.

Music: Classic Horror Music by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Mantra—Part One

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Mantra:

One, two, three… 

Nails and teeth go beneath. 

Hair and gums, unbecomes.

Legs and fingers, let them linger. 

Heads and tails flip for sells. 

What does this mean? Ask Rhiannon, she'll be happy to show you.

Today's episode is part one of Mantra.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's *FREE* book, Deadly Women, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones.

Music: Classic Horror Music by Kevin MacLeod

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Poison Lip Gloss—Part Four

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

The doll and scarecrow travel to the house upon the hill...where the little girl who had left the doll behind lives. All is not as it appears.

Tonight is a night of magic...I'm sure you'll agree.

If you are just tuning in to the show, please go back to episode 4 to begin our tale. Thanks so much to return listeners, you are truly appreciated.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones.

Music: Suspense Cinematic by Alex Vombat

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Poison Lip Gloss—Part Three

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

In Part three of Poison Lip Gloss, the doll sets out to complete the witch's new task and finds a kindred spirit in the fields.

If you are just tuning in to the show, please go back to episode 4 to begin our tale. Thanks so much to return listeners, you are truly appreciated.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones or hit up Mav's website at www.darksoftlytales.com.

Music: Suspense Cinematic by Alex Vombat

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Poison Lip Gloss—Part Two

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

In Part Two of Poison Lip Gloss, the doll meets the troll under the bridge and finds herself breaking a dreadful curse, but in doing so has she condemned herself?

If you are new to the show, please go back to Episode Four where we begin our tale.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones .

Music: Suspense Cinematic by Alex Vombat

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

Poison Lip Gloss—Part One

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

A life-sized doll must complete the witch's three tasks before midnight if she wishes to become real, but when she accidentally kills the troll prince, the night takes on an unusual kind of macabre magic... "First, you must carve a face. I don't care what or whom you carve it on. Second, you must find an eye to replace the one you lost. And third, you must prove that you want life by taking a life."

This is the first part of the story Poison Lip Gloss.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones or hit up Mav's website at www.darksoftlytales.com and click on the podcast tab.

Music: Suspense Cinematic by Alex Vombat

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

The China Doll—Part Three

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

In Part Three of The China Doll, Sabel awakes to her mother’s screams. When she rushes out of her bedroom, the first thing Sabel sees is blood...

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones.

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

The China Doll—Part Two

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

In Part Two of the China Doll, Sabel reads a letter from her father with specific instructions for the China Doll:

1. Put the China Doll away every night

2.Do not make wishes around the China Doll

Sabel's mother waves them off to superstition. Why put a doll away in a box night? Ridiculous, there's not anything to be afraid of...is there?

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones.

Music: Suspense Cinematic by Alex Vombat

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

The China Doll—Part One

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 01:11:00 -0700

Sabel Gray has received a very special package from her daddy who is serving over seas in the Navy. She taps on the package wondering what it could be and is concerned when something inside taps back...

Today's story is part one of The China Doll.

Swing on over to amazon to find today's story in Mav Skye's book, Dolls, 3 Tales to Chill Your bones.

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

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We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.

A Dark Softly Introduction

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 09:00:00 -0700

Welcome to episode ZERO where I introduce myself and tell you a little about the podcast.

Feel free to visit www.darksoftlytales.com where I hope to have submission guidelines up soon!

The first three episodes will be up next week. Can't wait to see you there.

-Mav

Join the podcast newsletter and get a free audio book by signing up HERE.

***

We want your true stories for our True Tales to Tell in the Dark portion of the podcast that will begin in March. What kind of true stories? Anything creepy, dark, haunting… write about the haunted house you used to live in, your UFO sighting, your creepy doll, or experience with a clown. Tell me how you were almost abducted on the side of a lonely highway when your car broke down, or tell me about the strange sound a beast made out in the woods that you couldn’t tell if was human or something else… just make sure it is true! Please send your true story within the body of the email to darksoftlytales@gmail.com with TRUE TALE in the subject line. Please give me your first name and the state you live in (if in US) or country you live in if outside the US—or remain completely anonymous. It's up to you. If you’d like more details go to HERE.