The Other Stories | Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller, WTF Stories

Today’s episode of The Other Stories has been sponsored by Voice123, the world’s first voice-over marketplace with over 30,000 projects of all genres flowing through annually. Voice123 is the top choice for producers needing a voice to complete their creative projects, and they’ve recently a handy report of 37 AI-Powered Tools that will help you boost efficiency in your pre and post-production workflow. Grab your free copy at Voice123.co/37AIToolsTOS.

You’ll see why signing up for a free Voice123 account at voice123.com is your most hassle-free way to post your projects and hire a voice actor today!

The Balloon

'In a desolate world ravaged by an unyielding pandemic, two unlikely survivors - a guilt-ridden police officer and a lonely young woman - endure the crumbling society around them.'

Written by Benjamin Percy (https://benjaminpercy.com/)

Narrated by Justin Fife (https://www.twitter.com/justinbfife)

Edited by Karl Hughes (https://twitter.com/karlhughes)

With music by Tim Kulig (https://timkulig.com/)

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

And sound effects provided by Freesound.org

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Joshua Boucher and Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington the ongoing explosion of content being fired out of his Social Media canon.

**Benjamin Percy is a novelist, comics writer, and screenwriter. He writes Wolverine, X-Force, and Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics. And his latest novel -- The Sky Vault -- releases in September of 2023. For more, head over to https://benjaminpercy.com/**

Voice actor and podcaster follow Justin Fife on Twitter at www.twitter.com/justinbfife

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode of The Other Stories has been sponsored by Voice123, the world’s first voice-over marketplace with over 30,000 projects of all genres flowing through annually. Voice123 is the top choice for producers needing a voice to complete their creative projects, and they’ve recently a handy report of 37 AI-Powered Tools that will help you boost efficiency in your pre and post-production workflow. Grab your free copy at Voice123.co/37AIToolsTOS.

You’ll see why signing up for a free Voice123 account at voice123.com is your most hassle-free way to post your projects and hire a voice actor today!

Heart of a Bear

'A bear yearns for something more…'

Written by Benjamin Percy (https://benjaminpercy.com/)

Narrated by Justin Fife (https://www.twitter.com/justinbfife)

Edited by Karl Hughes (https://twitter.com/karlhughes)

With music by Tim Kulig (https://timkulig.com/)

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

And sound effects provided by Freesound.org

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington the ongoing explosion of content being fired out of his Social Media canon.

**Benjamin Percy is a novelist, comics writer, and screenwriter. He writes Wolverine, X-Force, and Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics. And his latest novel -- The Sky Vault -- releases in September of 2023. For more, head over to https://benjaminpercy.com/**

Voice actor and podcaster follow Justin Fife on Twitter at www.twitter.com/justinbfife

Join TOS+ to access over 75 exclusive episodes, get regular stories in higher quality audio, a week early, and ad-free, at https://theotherstories.net/plus/

Support the show, get audiobooks, and more at https://www.patreon.com/hawkandcleaver

Join our communities for book clubs, movie clubs, writing exercises, and more at https://theotherstories.net/community/

Leave a voicemail or get in touch at https://theotherstories.net/submissions

Check out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/

Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cold Boy

'A divorced taxidermist is forced to open up his home and heart when his sister asks him to watch his nephew for a week, but the punishing winter soon catches up with them both when the child falls into a frozen pond and emerges again in an uncanny state.'

Written by Benjamin Percy (https://benjaminpercy.com/)

Narrated by Justin Fife (https://www.twitter.com/justinbfife)

Edited by Karl Hughes (https://twitter.com/karlhughes)

With music by Steven O’Brien (https://www.steven-obrien.net/)

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

And sound effects provided by Freesound.org

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Joshua Boucher and Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington the ongoing explosion of content being fired out of his Social Media canon.

Benjamin Percy is a novelist, comics writer, and screenwriter. He writes Wolverine, X-Force, and Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics. And his latest novel -- The Sky Vault -- releases in September of 2023. For more, head over to https://benjaminpercy.com/

Voice actor and podcaster follow Justin Fife on Twitter at www.twitter.com/justinbfife



Join TOS+ to access over 75 exclusive episodes, get regular stories in higher quality audio, a week early, and ad-free, at https://theotherstories.net/plus/

Support the show, get audiobooks, and more at https://www.patreon.com/hawkandcleaver

Join our communities for book clubs, movie clubs, writing exercises, and more at https://theotherstories.net/community/

Leave a voicemail or get in touch at https://theotherstories.net/submissions

Check out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/

Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blue Bear

'After guarding the scene of a particularly gruesome murder, a police officer finds himself stalked by a disturbing piece of evidence.'

Written by Georgia Cook (https://twitter.com/georgiacooked)

Narrated and edited by James Barnett AKA Jimmy Horrors (https://www.JamesBarnettCreative.com)

With music by Alex Mason (https://soundcloud.com/alexmason-1-1)

And Myuu (https://thedarkpiano.com/)

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

And sound effects provided by Glitchedtones.com and Freesound.org

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Joshua Boucher and Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington, our virtual teddy bear, offering comfort and companionship in the digital world, hugging us with his heartwarming content through the ups and downs of social media.

**Georgia Cook is an illustrator and writer from London. She is the winner of the LISP 2020 Flash Fiction Prize, and has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, Staunch Book Prize and Reflex Fiction Award, among others. She can be found on twitter at @georgiacooked and on her website at https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/**

James Barnett is the producer of the Night’s End podcast and After The Gloaming. Search for them wherever you get your podcasts. You can also catch other works of his at www.JamesBarnettCreative.com

Join TOS+ to access over 75 exclusive episodes, get regular stories in higher quality audio, a week early, and ad-free, at https://theotherstories.net/plus/

Support the show, get audiobooks, and more at https://www.patreon.com/hawkandcleaver

Join our communities for book clubs, movie clubs, writing exercises, and more at https://theotherstories.net/community/

Leave a voicemail or get in touch at https://theotherstories.net/submissions

Check out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/

Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Loved and Lost or Never At All

'What if you are the imaginary friend? What if they decide they don’t need you anymore?'

Written by Thomas Joyce (https://twitter.com/ThomasWJoyce1)

Narrated by Josh Curran (https://twitter.com/jcurranwriter)

Edited by Karl Hughes (https://twitter.com/karlhughes)

With music by Dark Fantasy Studio (http://darkfantasystudio.com/)

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

And sound effects provided by Zapsplat.com

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Joshua Boucher Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington, the guardian of joy…

Thomas is a podcast junkie who lives in his hometown near Glasgow, Scotland, with his wife and daughter. His fiction has been published in the anthologies Lost Films (from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing) and Daughter of Sarpedon (from Brigids Gate Press), and his short story, “Something in the Water”, will soon be appearing online at roosterrepublicpress.com.

Josh Curran is a narrator and writer. He has narrated many episodes of The Other Stories over the show’s lifetime. He is also the creator of the horror Audio-Drama podcast, Miscreation.

Join TOS+ to access over 75 exclusive episodes, get regular stories in higher quality audio, a week early, and ad-free, at https://theotherstories.net/plus/

Support the show, get audiobooks, and more at https://www.patreon.com/hawkandcleaver

Join our communities for book clubs, movie clubs, writing exercises, and more at https://theotherstories.net/community/

Leave a voicemail or get in touch at https://theotherstories.net/submissions

Check out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/

Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Collector

'Kevin can’t sleep. Neither can the new friend he’s found under his bed.'

Written by Chris Lillienthal (www.ChrisLWrites.com)

Narrated by Justin Fife (https://www.twitter.com/justinbfife)

Edited by Karl Hughes (https://twitter.com/karlhughes)

With music and sound effects by Zapsplat.com

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Joshua Boucher Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington, the maestro of imagination, sculpting endearing content friends for us to embrace and cherish as we explore the enchanting social media playground together.

Chris Lilienthal is a fiction writer whose work has been published in anthologies from Eerie River Publishing and Unsettling Reads. He lives with his wife, two sons, and a geriatric dog in Central Pennsylvania. Learn more at www.ChrisLWrites.com.

Voice actor and podcaster follow Justin Fife on Twitter at www.twitter.com/justinbfife

Join TOS+ to access over 75 exclusive episodes, get regular stories in higher quality audio, a week early, and ad-free, at https://theotherstories.net/plus/

Support the show, get audiobooks, and more at https://www.patreon.com/hawkandcleaver

Join our communities for book clubs, movie clubs, writing exercises, and more at https://theotherstories.net/community/

Leave a voicemail or get in touch at https://theotherstories.net/submissions

Check out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/

Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Incomparable Freddy Red

'When seven-year-old Kim Barnes wills her imaginary friend, Freddy Red, into existence, who spills over with games and laughter and titters and blood.'

Written by Luke Kondor (https://www.lukekondor.com)

Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies (https://twitter.com/mldAudio)

Edited by Karl Hughes (https://twitter.com/karlhughes)

With music by MusicLFiles (https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles)

And Duncan Muggleton (https://temporalrecordings.wordpress.com)

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

And sound effects provided by Freesound.org

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington, our own imaginer, dreaming up content friends to play with at the social media playground.

Luke Kondor started writing on his computer in his early teens and never looked back… and now he has very sore eyes. He runs and produces a short story podcast called The Other Stories, which has amassed over 10-million downloads. In 2015, he won the best Low-Budget Film Award at the London Short Film Festival for a film he made in 7 days with no camera and no money. Currently he works from a dining room table in the middle of Sherwood Forest and lives with his fiancée, Cat, their pet cat, Oscar, and their larger, angrier cat, Alaska, who is actually a dog. www.lukekondor.com

For more of Matthew Lloyd Davies’ work, head over to https://www.matthewlloyddavies.com

You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver

You can join our Bookclub, Movieclub, and writing exercises over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver

T-shirts, mugs, posters, and comic books are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

Get help with your short stories and your podcasts by heading to TheOtherStories.Net/services

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A special preview episode of our new podcast — After The Gloaming.

If you enjoy it, be sure to listen to more today by searching for it in your favourite podcast app or by visiting here.

***

After the Gloaming is a production of Dissonance Media and The Other Stories.

Scarecrow for Mason Bradley was written by Charlie Maliha whose pronouns are he/him or they/them.

Charlie Maliha is a queer trans author who specializes in horror and speculative fiction. Pulling from his background in art history and occult studies, Charlie’s work explores themes of chaos, belonging, and superstition. As a trans author, Charlie highlights the experiences of queer and trans characters and writes the representation he wishes to see in horror. When he’s not writing, Charlie can be found sketching or napping with his two cats. Follow him on Twitter for more screams @deusexmaliha

Evelyn was performed by Bridgett Howard from the Thirteen podcast. For other atmospheric, slow burn spooky stories, go and check it out at www.thirteenpodcast.com or search Thirteen podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Grandpa was performed by Jerry Harris

Grandma was performed by Rebecca Struzyna from the West London Witch podcast - https://pod.link/1525983141

Mason Bradley was performed by Phoenix Fire from Back to Ashes and Phoenix Fire Narrations on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@backtoashes_yt

Scarecrow was performed by James Barnett

Henry Black wood was performed by Xander Zweig

Shelly Stevenson was performed by Alexandra Elroy

After the Gloaming script was written by James Barnett.

Sound production and editing was completed by James Barnett.

Theme music was scored by Duncan Muggleton and produced by James Barnett.

Music and sound effects were provided by: Epidemic Sound, Sound Stripe, and Freesound.org.

If you have enjoyed the episode, please spread the word to anyone you feel may enjoy it and please support the show by leaving a review and giving it a 5-star rating.

To support the show and gain access to all episodes now, ad-free, head over to www.patreon.com/nightsendpodcast

This episode is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Stay Horrific, everyone!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Editorial by Luke Kondor (https://www.lukekondor.com)

Produced by Karl Hughes (https://twitter.com/karlhughes)

***

Join TOS+ to access over 75 exclusive episodes, get regular stories in higher quality audio, a week early, and ad-free, at https://theotherstories.net/plus/

Support the show, get audiobooks, and more at https://www.patreon.com/hawkandcleaver

Join our communities for book clubs, movie clubs, writing exercises, and more at https://theotherstories.net/community/

Leave a voicemail or get in touch at https://theotherstories.net/submissions

Check out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/

Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Squall Line

'A line of storms stretch across the world, leaving catastrophes of biblical proportions in their wake.'

Written by Ryan Harville (https://www.ryanharvillewriting.com)

Narrated by Justin Fife (https://www.twitter.com/justinbfife)

Edited by Duncan Muggleton (http://soundcloud.com/duncanmuggleton)

With music by Duncan Muggleton (https://temporalrecordings.wordpress.com)

And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)

And sound effects provided by Freesound.org

The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)

A quick thanks to our community managers, Joshua Boucher and Jasmine Arch

And Joshua Boucher and Carolyn O'Brien for helping with our submission reading.

And to Ben Errington, the enigmatic ceiling fan, casting a chilling breeze across the heated social media landscape.

Ryan Harville is a horror author from the United States and lives along Alabama’ Gulf Coast. His new book, Red Rains Down, is available now on Amazon. It’s thirteen tales of madness and horror that will lead you to crumbling churches, ghost towns, and the lost parts of the forest. For more information about Ryan, please visit his website at ryanharvillewriting.com.

Voice actor and podcaster follow Justin Fife on Twitter at www.twitter.com/justinbfife

Join TOS+ to access over 75 exclusive episodes, get regular stories in higher quality audio, a week early, and ad-free, at https://theotherstories.net/plus/

Support the show, get audiobooks, and more at https://www.patreon.com/hawkandcleaver

Join our communities for book clubs, movie clubs, writing exercises, and more at https://theotherstories.net/community/

Leave a voicemail or get in touch at https://theotherstories.net/submissions

Check out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/

Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver

The Other Stories is a production of the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, and is brought to you with a Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Don’t change it. Don’t sell it. But by all means… share the hell out of it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.