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

It’s Halloween.Which means, for one night only, we’re legally required to make The Other Stories approximately thirty-seven percent more sinister.So lock your doors. Turn down the lights. Ignore whatever just moved behind you.And whatever you do…Don’t go...OFF-BOOKDesperate for a gig, a struggling actor goes method, pushing the boundaries of his sanity in pursuit of perfection.Written by Dan Howarth (https://www.danhowarthwriter.com)Narrated by Josh CurranAnd Georgia Cook (https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/)Produced by Karl Hughes (https://bsky.app/profile/karlhughes.bsky.social)With music by Cyberleaf Studio (https://andreabaroni.com/)And Chris L Sound (https://chrislsound.com/)And Phat Phrog studio (https://www.phatphrogstudio.com/)And Dark Fantasy Studio (http://darkfantasystudio.com/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by Freesound.orgThe episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House (https://carrionhouse.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.Dan Howarth is a British Fantasy Award nominated author of gritty Northern Weird horror fiction with a strong focus on societal issues and tinged with folklore and the supernatural.He is the author of Last Night of Freedom (a folk horror thriller), Lionhearts (a horrific state of the nation dissection), Territory (a novella of remote, snowbound horror) and the short story collection, Dark Missives.His short fiction has been published in numerous places including Weird Horror Magazine, Chthonic Matter Quarterly, The Other Stories podcast and most recently, Motives Unknown: New Northern Crime from Dead Ink Books.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.Georgia Cook is an illustrator and writer from London. She has written for publications such as Baffling, Vastarien Lit, and Flame Tree press, as well as the Doctor Who range with Big Finish. She can be found on twitter at @georgiacooked and on her website at https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/***Join TOS+ to access over 90 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/hawkandcleaverJoin 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/submissionsCheck out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaverThe 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.

S3.8 The RetreatCorporate success requires sacrifice. Have you given 110 per cent?Written by Penny DurhamNarrated by Georgia Cook (https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/)And Erika Ventura (https://instagram.com/efventu)Produced by James Barnett (https://www.JamesBarnettCreative.com)With music by Velleitie (https://velleitie.us/)And Umcorps (https://soundcloud.com/umcorps)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by Freesound.orgThe episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.Penny Durham is a journalist living in Sydney with a tall man and a round cat. She is an editor and writer at doctor magazine The Medical Republic and began writing horror fiction in 2022. She has been published in Midnight Echo, Fraidy Cat Quarterly, Nightmare Fuel, Banksia Journal, the Tiny Terrors podcast and more. She does not tweet @pennydee.**Georgia Cook is an illustrator and writer from London. She has written for publications such as Baffling, Vastarien Lit, and Flame Tree press, as well as the Doctor Who range with Big Finish. She can be found on twitter at @georgiacooked and on her website at https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/**

S3.7 47 SecondsA young man ignores a phone call from the love of his life, only to find that if he had answered he might have changed her fate. Now he's forced to find a way to live with himself, alone, and to see if he can find a way back home again.Written by Jerry EnniNarrated by Justin Fife (https://www.threads.net/@justin.fife)Produced by James Barnett (https://www.JamesBarnettCreative.com)With music by North Without End (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/north-without-end/)And Myuu (https://www.thedarkpiano.com/)And Andrew kn (https://freesound.org/people/Andrewkn/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by Freesound.orgThe episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.Jerri Enni has provided an email address for any questions or comments: stocktonwritersgroup@yahoo.comJustin Fife is an audiobook narrator and voice actor, and he can be found on Threads @Justin.fife

S3.6 ClawsThe crew of an isolated lighthouse discover something alarming washed up in the latest storm.Written by Georgia Cook (https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/)Narrated by Josh CurranProduced by James Barnett (https://www.JamesBarnettCreative.com)With music by Duncan Muggleton (https://temporalrecordings.wordpress.com)And Brylie Christopher Oxley (https://brylie.bandcamp.com/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by Freesound.org and pixabay.The episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.**Georgia Cook is an illustrator and writer from London. She has written for publications such as Baffling, Vastarien Lit, and Flame Tree press, as well as the Doctor Who range with Big Finish. She can be found on twitter at @georgiacooked and on her website at https://www.georgiacookwriter.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.

S3.5 MechanicalThe original Mechanical Turk appears to be a fraud, but just how dangerous is it to its young female chess-playing operator?Written by Liam Hogan (http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk)Narrated by Erika Ventura (https://instagram.com/efventu)Produced by Karl Hughes (https://bsky.app/profile/karlhughes.bsky.social)With music by Tim Kulig (https://timkulig.com/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)The episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.Liam Hogan is an award winning short story writer, with stories in Best of British Science Fiction and in Best of British Fantasy (NewCon Press). He’s been published by Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and Flame Tree Press, among others. He helps host Liars’ League London, volunteers at the creative writing charity Ministry of Stories, and lives and avoids work in London. More details at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.ukErika Ventura is an artist, mother, bilingual narrator, and a painting instructor. How does she manage it all? No idea, but her artwork can be seen on Instagram (@efventu) or you can visit her artist page www.facebook.com/BioArtsy

S3.4 Eagles and ShamblersCheerleaders in love at the end of the world.Written by Donna J. W. Munro (https://www.donnajwmunro.com)Narrated by Erika Ventura (https://instagram.com/efventu)Produced by Georgia Triantafyllopoulou (https://www.instagram.com/audiogeekgr )With music by Epic Stock Media (https://epicstockmedia.com/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by https://getsoundly.com/The episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.Donna J. W. Munro’s pieces are published in Nothing’s Sacred Magazine IV and V, Corvid Queen, Hazard Yet Forward (2012), Enter the Apocalypse (2017), Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths II (2018), Terror Politico (2019), It Calls from the Forest (2020), Gray Sisters Vol 1 (2020), Pseudopod 752 (2021), Shakespeare Unleashed (2023) and others. Check out her novel, Revelation: Poppet Cycle Book 1. Contact her at https://www.donnajwmunro.com or @DonnaJWMunro on Twitter.Erika Ventura is an artist, mother, bilingual narrator, and a painting instructor. How does she manage it all? No idea, but her artwork can be seen on Instagram (@efventu) or you can visit her artist page www.facebook.com/BioArtsy

S3.3 My Writing PartnerReading someone’s mind can have horrific consequences, even when you don’t do it.Written by Sol Roberts-Lieb (http://sol.roberts-lieb.com/)Narrated and Produced by James Barnett (https://www.JamesBarnettCreative.com)With music by Myuu (https://www.thedarkpiano.com/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by Freesound.orgThe episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.Sol Roberts-Lieb is a science fiction and speculative fiction author who enjoys exploring big ideas through grounded, deeply human stories. Outside of writing, he works in faculty development in higher education, helping educators improve teaching and learning. He lives in the United States with his wife, their two daughters, and an ever-curious corgi named Spock. Sol is currently writing his first science fiction novel while developing several other speculative fiction projects. Learn more at sol.roberts-lieb.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

S3.2 Like SilverGrappling with the loss of his significant other, a haunted man struggles to allow her spirit -- and his own -- to rest.Written by Derek Alan JonesNarrated by Justin Fife (https://www.threads.net/@justin.fife)Produced by Georgia Triantafyllopoulou (https://www.instagram.com/audiogeekgr )With music by Epic Stock Media (https://epicstockmedia.com/)And Grzegorz Rusin (https://freemusicarchive.org/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by https://getsoundly.com/The episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/)Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community.Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos.And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.Justin Fife is an audiobook narrator and voice actor, and he can be found on Threads @Justin.fifeJoin TOS+ to access over 90 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/hawkandcleaverJoin 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/submissionsCheck out our writing courses at https://theotherstories.net/courses/Grab some merch at https://gumroad.com/hawkandcleaverThe 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.

S3.1 The Collecting*The young ones would appear strange on most days, but tonight they draw no notice. Tonight is the night of the collecting, and it is the one night of the year when the young ones move about in peace.*Written by Cassandra Daucus (https://linktr.ee/residualdreaming)Narrated by Georgia Cook (https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/)Produced by Georgia Triantafyllopoulou (https://www.instagram.com/audiogeekgr )With music by Guided meditation (https://freemusicarchive.org/)And Kirk Osamayo (http://www.kirkosamayo.com/)And Thom Robson (https://www.thomrobsonmusic.com/)And sound effects provided by Soundly And sound effects provided by Freesound.orgThe episode illustration was provided by Matt Seff Barnes (https://www.mattseffbarnes.com/) Joshua Boucher is our story programmer.Jasmine Arch manages our community. Mary Pastrano helps orchestrate the chaos. And the show would collapse into static and screams without the ongoing work of Karl Hughes, Georgia Triantafyllopoulou, and James Barnett — AKA Jimmy Horrors.**Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, M. R. James, Shirley Jackson, Robert Aickman, and a ton of fan fiction, Cassandra Daucus (she/her) writes soft horror and dark romance. She is intrigued by how the human mind responds to the unknown, and also enjoys a good gross-out. Her story "Teething" is published in Ooze: Little Bursts of Body Horror, edited by Ruth Anna Evans, and she has also published drabbles in Trembling With Fear and Hungry Shadow Press's Deadly Drabble Tuesday. Cassandra lives outside of Philadelphia with her family and three cats. She tweets at @residualdreamin and her website is https://residualdreaming.com/****Georgia Cook is an illustrator and writer from London. She has written for publications such as Baffling, Vastarien Lit, and Flame Tree press, as well as the Doctor Who range with Big Finish. She can be found on twitter at @georgiacooked and on her website at https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/**Join TOS+ to access over 90 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/hawkandcleaverJoin 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/submissionsCheck 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.**