AMBIENT ARCANA

"The Coffin House" by Robert Aickman

 In this episode two young British women, serving in the 'Woman's Land Army' during WWII,  decide to skip a dour farmer's Christmas party only to discover there are worse ways to spend the Holiday in Robert Aickman's
"The Coffin House."
 All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
 Narration by Jim Billbrough
 
 
 

"Laura" by Robert Aickman

Mod dress? Thigh-boots? Impossibly long worm-infested hallways?
It's Robert Aickman's  strange tale of a mysterious, ageless woman orbiting the life of a hapless man:
"Laura."
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Alex Fitzsimmons

"The Cookie Lady" By Philip K. Dick

In this episode we explore the heavy price of turning back the hands of time with Philip K. Dick's "The Cookie Lady."
 
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar.
Narration by Jim Billbrough
 
 

TIBETAN FOLK TALES BY A.L. SHELTON, VOL. 3

Once again we spend our Holiday Season at the Top Of The World with yet more stories from
Albert Leroy Shelton's 1925 book "Tibetan Folk Tales"
All music and audio production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Bob Familiar and Jim Billbrough
 
 
 

“The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar” By Edgar Allan Poe

In this episode we take the ultimate trip as we follow Ernie Valdemar on his final journey.
Edgar Allan Poe’s story of Mesmeric Malpractice - 
“The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar”
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Jim Billbrough
 
 We’ve based our narration on Basil Rathbone’s abridged version of this story from his 1960 recording of Poe’s stories for Caedmon Records.
That narration can be found on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/QlgUNHJDWtk?feature=shared
 
That record was a childhood favorite and using the abridged narration we heard as kids let’s us scratch that nostalgia itch, but for anyone who prefers the unabridged version, here’s a link to an excellent full text narration read by Bill Wallis:
https://youtu.be/0E_9GwyoSzs?feature=shared

“The October Game” by Ray Bradbury

 Just when we thought we were done with Bradbury he pulls us back in! “The October Game” a disturbing Halloween horror story where the terrors are real…or are they?
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar.
Narration by Jim Billbrough.
Additional Voices by Izzy Q. and The Artist Known As Φ.

“The Lake” by Ray Bradbury

 We say goodbye to Summer with a late season tale of first love, tragic loss, and grim reunion. It’s Ray Bradbury’s classic macabre tearjerker - “The Lake.”
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Clark Goodpaster
Lake wave audio recording provided by Pro Sound Effects

“The One Who Waits” and “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury

In this episode we explore two stories of Retrofuturism by science fiction/fantasy icon Ray Bradbury:
“The One Who Waits” - A lonely old soul gets closer to the new neighbors in the worst possible way.
“The Pedestrian” -  A solitary man walks the empty streets of a TV dominated dystopia.
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Bob Familiar and Jim Billbrough

“The Legend of U Raitong, The Khasi Orpheus”

 In this episode we tell a tragic story of forbidden love and dire consequences- “The Legend of U Raitong” as described by Mrs. K.U. Rafy in her 1920 collection “Folk-Tales Of The Khasis.”
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Jim Billbrough
While researching this story we found two more recent translations of “U Manik Raitong” by contemporary Khasi authors, both of which are worth checking out:
“Khasi Myths, Legends & Folk Tales” by Bijoya Sawian
(No direct link to the story on Google Books, but open the Table of Contents and follow the link to “U Manik Raitong”)
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Khasi_Myths_Legends_Folk_Tales/Unr2BEAEezoC?hl=en
…and
“U Manik Raitong” by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih from his book “Around the Hearth: Khasi Legends”
U Manik Raitong - Monash Indigenous Studies Centre
  Apologies to the Khasi people for any mispronunciation of Khasi names or places in this episode. To balance things out we mispronounced some English words as well.

“The Story Of An Hour” and “A Pair Of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin

Two stories about the elusive dream of freedom- A secret dream suddenly dashed and a dream unlooked for fulfilled.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story Of An Hour” and “A Pair Of Silk Stockings.”
Narrated by Arline Billbrough
Music by Paul Billbrough
Produced by Bob Familiar