Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories
By Mike Perceval-Maxwell
Mr Spike's Bedtime StoriesApr 14, 2024
The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell
Big game hunter Sanger Rainsford is stranded on an island in the Caribbean. There he meets the enigmatic General Zaroff who puts to him a most unusual proposition.
Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.
Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
For the Blood is the Life, by F. Marion Crawford
In "For the Blood is the Life," the narrator is visited in Italy by a friend, a Scandinavian artist, and relates to him the strange tale behind a figure which can apparently be seen lying on top of a small mound on the hillside near his villa.
Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.
Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Yellow Sign, by Robert W. Chambers
An artist and his model are disturbed by unsettling dreams and the sight of a strange watchman at the church across from his studio. Soon after they find a mysterious book on the shelves in his library their lives take a tragic turn.
Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.
Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Wood of the Dead, by Algernon Blackwood
In "The Wood of the Dead" an unnamed narrator describes how, after stopping at a country inn a during a country ramble, he encounters an enigmatic old man. After he learns from he inn-keeper’s daughter of the character's strange history and the connection between him and a nearby grove, he is party to a mysterious event.
Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.
Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
Man-Size in Marble, by E. Nesbit
In 'Man-Size in Marble' two newly-weds rent a country cottage to escape the bustle of the city. At first they are very happy, but before long an ancient superstition regarding their house has strange and terrible repercussions.
Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.
Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Signal-Man, by Charles Dickens
In "The Signal Man" our narrator relates the details of a chance encounter with a signal-man on a lonely stretch of railway and the tale he is told of a mysterious spectral figure that has repeatedly appeared there.
Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allen Poe
An unnamed narrator tells of his imprisonment by the Inquisition and the subsequent torture which he undergoes at their hands.
Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
Monkeys, by E.F. Benson
"Monkeys" concerns a respected and experimental surgeon who, after accompanying a friend to Egypt, becomes fascinated with a mummified corpse. For him this fascination leads a terrible conclusion.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Hounds of Tindalos, by Frank Belknap Long, Jr
In an very special episode of the podcast I am joined by Scott Dorward of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias for a reading of Frank Belknap Long's classic mythos tale "The Hounds of Tindalos"
The story tells of one Halpin Chalmers who, with the assistance of the narrator, conducts an experiment with a mysterious drug in order to view the depths of time and space. Unfortunately for him, his travels draw him to the attention of the dangerous entities which inhabit its strange and unearthly angles.
You can find more of Scott and the Good Friends of Jackson Elias at https://www.blasphemoustomes.com
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Tapestried Chamber, by Sir Walter Scott
In The Tapestried Chamber, or The Lady in the Saque we learn of a General Browne, recently returned from America, whose stay at an old friend's stately home results in a most unexpected and unpleasant encounter.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The People of the Pit, by Abraham Merritt
In the wilds of Alaska, a gold prospector and his companion marvel at a strange light in the sky over a five-peaked mountain. That evening as they make camp, a visitor brings with him a curious and horrifying tale of his experiences in the chasm beneath.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Corpse Light, by Dick Donovan
"The Corpse Light" by Dick Donovan (whose real name was J. E. Preston Muddock) tells of a respected and level headed medical man whose journey past a supposedly haunted mill brings him an experience that challenges his sceptical nature.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
Listener Request - Two Tales by H.P. Lovecraft
Many thanks to listener C.L. Larsson who requested these two short tales by H.P. Lovecraft.
In "What The Moon Brings" an unnamed narrator tells of a moonlight stroll which by turns becomes strange and horrifying in nature.
The second tale, "The Thing in the Moonlight," is an extract from a letter written by Lovecraft to Donald Wandrei of a dream wherein a traveller has a ghastly encounter under the light of the moon.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Ring of Thoth, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Ring of Thoth" concerns an academic who, whilst on a research trip to Paris, encounters a singular individual with a very unusual tale to tell..
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad, by M.R. James
To mark the second anniversary of my little podcast of classic macabre tales, I've chosen a rather special story by arguably one of the most greatest and most influential authors of the genre.
First published in 1904, Montague Rhodes James's "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" tells of a Cambridge professor who visits a seaside town on the east coast of England to improve his golf game. What he inadvertently finds there however takes him to the very brink of sanity itself....
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Cairn on the Headland, by Robert E. Howard
"The Cairn on the Headland" tells of an academic, who along with his companion discovers that an ancient Irish landmark holds a secret that would be best left undisturbed.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The White Powder, by Arthur Machen
"The Novel of the White Powder" concerns a young student of the law who after having become exhausted from overwork is prescribed a pick-me-up by the family doctor. However, the medicine he takes seems to provoke a dramatic and concerning change in his behaviour.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.
The Empty House, by Algernon Blackwood
"The Empty House" tells of Jim Shorthouse, who accompanies his aunt to an old house where, a century ago, a servant girl was thrown to her death from a balcony by a jealous stableman. The house has lain unoccupied other than for brief periods ever since. Unoccupied, but perhaps not ... empty.
My thanks to Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast.
Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
Devo Nodenti, by Keris McDonald
I am delighted to open the second season of my podcast with this cautionary tale from the compendium "The Private Life of Elder Things"
"Devo Nodenti" tells of Peggy Connings, who made a decision over half a lifetime ago which had unforeseen and terrible consequences.
My heartfelt thanks go out to the author herself, who has very kindly given me permission to read her wonderful story for you. As well as being an accomplished novelist under both her own name and others, Keris is an associate editor with Chaosium and over the last year has been developing the new edition of 'Cthulhu by Gaslight.' You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kerismcd
I'd also like to thank Graham Walmsley for the marvellous opening and closing themes he has composed for the podcast. Graham is the creator of the role playing game 'Cthulhu Dark' and you can find him on Twitter @grahamwalmsley
A Special Announcement
Caterpillars, by E.F. Benson
A visitor to the Italian Riviera has a dark foreboding about the villa in which they are staying. Then, that night they experience a most unusual dream - or is it a dream?
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
Dracula's Guest, by Bram Stoker
Our narrator, an Englishman travelling through Germany from Munich on the last day of April is warned not to return late to his hotel. Despite this, the young man leaves his carriage at a crossroads to head in the direction of a mysterious abandoned village.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
The Demoiselle d'Ys, by Robert W. Chambers: Part 2
Our narrator arises the following morning to learn more of the Château d’Ys and its inhabitants
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
The Demoiselle d'Ys, by Robert W. Chambers: Part 1
Our narrator finds himself lost on the moors of Brittany in north-western France, where he encounters a mysterious stranger.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allen Poe: Part 3
Following the death of his sister, Roderick Usher's mental condition deteriorates still further. Our narrator attempts to cheer his spirits by reading him a classic tale of adventure and romance.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allen Poe: Part 2
After learning of the rapid decline in his sister's condition, our narrator spends time with the master of the House of Usher and grows ever more concerned by his increasingly eccentric behaviour.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allen Poe: Part 1
An unnamed narrator arrives at the ancient mansion owned by a boyhood companion, Roderick Usher, from whom he has recently received a letter. Usher is suffering from an illness and hopes that seeing his old friend will lift his spirits once more.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
The Ash Tree, by M.R. James: Part 2
In the concluding part of The Ash Tree, Sir Matthew Fell's grandson discovers that his inheritance is not entirely fortuitous.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
If you are enjoying these tales, please consider leaving a review on the listening platform of your choice.
The Ash Tree, by M.R. James: Part 1
Castringham Hall in Suffolk is a house with an unfortunate history. Many years ago its owner's testimony was instrumental in the guilty verdict and hanging of a supposed witch. Could it be that her last words laid a curse upon the family?
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
A Ghost Story, by Mark Twain
Our unnamed narrator has taken rooms in an old property in New York City. As he settles down for the night he is disturbed by a very unnerving set of events.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
John Charrington's Wedding, by E. Nesbit
When, just two days before his wedding to May Forster, the prettiest girl in the village, John Charrington is called to visit his seriously ill godfather, May worries that something will happen to delay his return. John, however reassures her that nothing will prevent him from arriving at his wedding on time.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Colour Out of Space, by H.P. Lovecraft: Part 3
Slightly delayed due to an unexpected encounter with a malevolent staircase, the final part of of The Colour Out of Space concerns the return to the Gardner farm by Ammi and the Arkham authorities. What they experience during the night leaves them shaken to the very core.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Colour Out of Space, by H.P. Lovecraft: Part 2
In the second part of The Colour Out of Space, the fortunes of the Gardner family go from bad to worse through Spring, Summer and Autumn. When Ammi Pierce pays a visit in late October what he finds threatens very reason itself.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Colour Out of Space, by H.P. Lovecraft: Part 1
In order to mark the first anniversary of my little podcast I have a special treat in store. Over the next three episodes, I'll be reading a classic tale of cosmic horror by H.P. Lovecraft.
The Colour Out of Space tells the story told to a surveyor by an old man of the secrets behind a shunned place referred to by the locals as the "blasted heath." The man claims that the troubles began when a meteorite crashed into his neighbour's land in June 1882.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Man of Science, by Jerome K. Jerome
A tale is told among friends of a certain man of science who has a narrow escape from an old enemy. Some time later, however, events suggest that his enemy may not have yet given up the pursuit even from beyond the veil.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Flayed Hand, by Guy de Maupassant
A young Paris student eagerly shows his comrades a curious item he has recently picked up whilst visiting his home town. However the company's amusement at the finding is somewhat short lived.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
Two Tales by Saki
In "The Open Window" a Mr. Framton Nuttel, on the advice of his doctor, travels to a village to affect a cure for his nervous condition. There he meets young Vera who tells him the terrible tale of a family tragedy.
One might think that living in the country sounds a lot more peaceful than a the hustle and bustle of town. However, in "The Music on the Hill" the newly wed Mrs Sylvia Seltoun finds that old customs and beliefs are best not mocked...
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Mezzotint, by M.R. James
The Mezzotint is the story of Mr. Williams, the curator of a university art museum who receives a mezzotint from an art dealer. The very disturbing engraving changes each time Mr. Williams and the colleagues he enlists look at it.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Kit-Bag, by Algernon Blackwood
A seasonally-adjacent tale to see out 2021.
The tale of The Kit-Bag concerns the young private secretary of a noted barrister who has just won the acquittal (by reason of insanity) of an especially vicious murderer. Worn out by the case, and haunted by the evil-looking face of the murderer, he plans to recover by spending his Christmas holiday in the Alps. Assuming he manages to finish packing the kit-bag which he has borrowed from his employer for his trip.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Monkey's Paw, by W. W. Jacobs
In this classic short story, three wishes are granted to the owner of a curious mummified paw, but the wishes come with an terrible price for interfering with fate.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Flowering of the Strange Orchid, by H.G. Wells
A tale from The House of Apprehension.
A cautionary tale in which an orchid collector finds that Mother Nature, despite her beauty, can often be treacherous, dangerous, and even deadly.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
Grateful thanks to Tom Bagatelle for the use of "The House of Apprehension"
In the Forest of Villefère, by Robert E. Howard
A tale from The House of Apprehension.
First published in Weird Tales, August 1925, In the Forest of Villefère tells of de Montour's passage through a supposedly haunted forest. There he comes upon a most unusual travelling companion.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
Grateful thanks to Tom Bagatelle for the use of "The House of Apprehension"
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving
A tale from The House of Apprehension.
This short story tells the tale of a small town schoolmaster named Ichabod Crane whose unsuccessful attempts to woo a beautiful young heiress named Katrina Van Tassel end in a most hair-raising journey home.
I have abridged the tale somewhat to focus on Ichabod's flight through a local wood, supposedly haunted by the spectre of a headless horseman.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
Grateful thanks to Tom Bagatelle for the use of "The House of Apprehension"
How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art Upon the Gnoles, by Lord Dunsany
I'm little tardy with this story I'm afraid as I've been unusually busy of late.
In this short tale by Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany, a consummately professional businessman takes on a young apprentice. Between them they embark upon a most tricky proposition...
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allen Poe
A mysterious and deadly disease is sweeping the land. Wealthy noble Prince Prospero retreats with a retinue of friends and hangers-on to the seclusion of one of his abbeys, where they set about enjoying themselves with parties, revels, and other entertainments. But are they as safe as they think?
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
The Cats of Ulthar, by H.P. Lovecraft
A tale from The House of Apprehension.
In this short tale, our narrator relates the story of how a law forbidding the killing of cats came to be in the ancient town of Ulthar.
Introduction & closing music and effects
https://mixkit.co/license/#sfxFree
https://help.videvo.net/article/29-royalty-free-license
Classic Horror 1 by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3511-classic-horror-1
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Grateful thanks to Tom Bagatelle for the use of "The House of Apprehension"
Introduction read by Chris Betancourt
The Doom That Came to Sarnath, by H.P. Lovecraft
A tale from The House of Apprehension.
First published in 1920, this is the third story in Lovecraft's Dream Cycle. It tells the history of the ancient city of Sarnath and its rise ... and fall.
Introduction & closing music and effects
https://mixkit.co/license/#sfxFree
https://help.videvo.net/article/29-royalty-free-license
Classic Horror 1 by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3511-classic-horror-1
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Grateful thanks to Tom Bagatelle for the use of "The House of Apprehension"
Introduction read by Chris Betancourt
Tobermory, by Saki
A slight departure this week in that the short story I read was not previously heard in The House of Apprehension.
I hope you enjoy "Tobermory" by Saki.
Opening music for Mr. Spike's Bedtime Stories "The Bag" by Private Hell Productions
https://soundcloud.com/privatehellproductions
Two Tales of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany
A reading for The House of Apprehension
Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work in fantasy published under the name Lord Dunsany.
In this episode I read two of his Tales of Wonder
"Why the Milkman Shudders When He Perceives the Dawn" followed by "The Wonderful Window"
Introduction & closing music and effects
https://mixkit.co/license/#sfxFree
https://help.videvo.net/article/29-royalty-free-license
Classic Horror 1 by Kevin MacLeod
https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3511-classic-horror-1
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Grateful thanks to Tom Bagatelle for the use of "The House of Apprehension"
Introduction read by Chris Betancourt