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

In a future, highly regulated society, the Authorities control all human behaviour, including how life companions are selected, even forbidding the use of the word love. Any societal transgressions are punished with banishment and scarring of the offenders. Before the banishment and scarring, a transgressor is compelled to write a handwritten confession. Written by J. J. Steinfeld Narrated by Josh Curran Edited by Duncan Muggleton With music by Andrew KN and Thom Robson  And sound effects provided by Freesound.org The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Canadian fiction writer, poet, and playwright J. J. Steinfeld lives on Prince Edward Island, where he is patiently waiting for Godot’s arrival and a phone call from Kafka. While waiting, he has published 20 books, including Madhouses in Heaven, Castles in Hell (Stories, Ekstasis Editions, 2015), An Unauthorized Biography of Being (Stories, Ekstasis Editions, 2016), Absurdity, Woe Is Me, Glory Be (Poetry, Guernica Editions, 2017), A Visit to the Kafka Café (Poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2018), and Gregor Samsa Was Never in The Beatles (Stories, Ekstasis Editions, 2019). His short stories and poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and periodicals internationally, and over 50 of his one-act plays and a handful of full-length plays have been performed in Canada and the United States. 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. You can follow him on twitter, @jcurranwriter You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs and posters are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a future reduced to numbers, The Algorithm is God and God's judgement is final. Written by Matthew C. Butcher Narrated by Justin Fife Edited by Karl Hughes With music by Chris Zabriskie and Thom Robson  And sound effects provided by Freesound.org The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Matthew C. Butcher is a novelist, writer for the chart-topping podcast 'The Other Stories' and soon to be breaking into the medium of graphic novels. He has a keen interest in near future sci-fi and conspiracy and enjoys speculating at what point everything goes awry. Despite the generally graphic and miserable themes in his writing, he promises he's actually quite a pleasant person. Honest. You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An arsonist, trapped in a blaze of his own creation is taunted by a mysterious figure Written by Andy Conduit-Turner Narrated by Josh Curran Edited by Duncan Muggleton With music by Duncan Muggleton and Thom Robson  And sound effects provided by Freesound.org The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Andy Conduit-Turner, is a UK based writer, editor and producer of fiction as well as an occasional podcast crasher and quiz host with a love of all things strange and spooky. Pursuing a personal quest to write across all possible mediums, settings and styles, Andy’s stories to date range from the far flung future to hellish dreamscapes and from navigating the perils of werewolves in Victorian London, to overcoming the perils of time looping doomsday devices, and he’s only just getting started! In addition to several appearances of his short stories in Hawk & Cleaver’s, The Other Stories podcast and taking part in the collaborative blockbuster “The Nest”, Andy also writes in comic format. His debut comic anthology featuring collaborations with other writers and some of the greatest talents in independent comic art can be found published by Horde Comics across both in digital and print format. 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. You can follow him on twitter, @jcurranwriter You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For Carlisle waking up from cryogenic sleep aboard an unknown spaceship with amnesia and a headache is perfectly normal. It’s only as his memories return that things start getting weird!  Written by Karl Poyzer Narrated by Justin Fife Edited by Karl Hughes With music by Chris Zabriskie and Thom Robson  And sound effects provided by Freesound.org and Zapsplat.com The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Through the virgin forest the voices come, the fire’s heat felt for miles around. An orange sky leads Toya towards her rite of passage where she finally claims her place among her people. Written by Daniel Willcocks Narrated by Alexandra Elroy Edited by Duncan Muggleton With music by Duncan Muggleton And sound effects provided by Freesound.Org The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Daniel Willcocks is the bestselling author behind such dark fiction titles as ‘They Rot’, ‘They Remain’, and ‘Lazarus’ – written alongside Luke Kondor – as well as ‘The Caitlin Chronicles’ with top 10 Amazon author Michael Anderle. He is also the producer of the Great Writers Share podcast, interviewing the best and brightest authors around today. To find out more about Dan’s work, visit www.danielwillcocks.com You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mercy’s deadly obsessions are born from a challenging youth, and will end in flames. Written by Sarah Crockford Narrated by Jasmine Arch Edited by Karl Hughes With music by Andrew KN and Thom Robson  And sound effects provided by Zapsplat.com The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Sarah Crockford is a writer and pet behaviourist, who lives in Kent, England. Normally to be found writing romantic comedies and dog training advice, she's recently been delving into the darker side of her mind with short stories featuring elements of psychological thriller and horror. She's worried she's enjoying more than she ought to. More information can be found on her website www.sarahcrockford.com You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A vigilante by trade, Joey finds herself peeking into the dark corners of her psyche to reveal desires she never knew existed. Written by Vanessa Watson Narrated by Jasmine Arch Edited by Karl Hughes With music by Calum Paterson, Myuu, and Thom Robson And sound effects provided by Freesound.org and Zapsplat.com The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tyler always hoped he would be immortalised as one of the bodybuilding greats, but not like this. Written by Ian J Middleton Narrated by Justin Fife Edited by Duncan Muggleton With music by Mellarn and Thom Robson And sound effects provided by Freesound.Org and Incompetech The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Ian J. Middleton is a horror writer who dabbles in novels, short stories and flash fiction. Check out more of his work at www.ianjmiddleton.com Check out our new books: One To Five Million by Luke Kondor Collaboration for Authors by Daniel Willcocks You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bill meets Candy while searching for his missing brother-in-law. But Candy is not what she seems, and Bill needs to listen carefully to what she says. Written by David Rae Narrated by Persephone Rose Edited by Karl Hughes With music by Umcorps and Thom Robson And sound effects provided by Freesound.Org The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House David’s first full-length dark fantasy novel CROWMAN is available on Amazon now. You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Charley’s visit to the top of the world takes a dark turn and he finds out an insignificant bauble is a trophy worth his life. Written by Chris Dean Narrated by Persephone Rose Edited by Duncan Muggleton With music by Mellarn, Umcorps, and Thom Robson Sound effects were provided by Freesound.Org The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House You can help support the show over at Patreon.com/HawkandCleaver You can join our Bookclub and chat about the podcast over at Facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver T-shirts and mugs are available at www.gumroad.com/hawkandcleaver The Other Stories is a production 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.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our featured flash fiction story today is: My Imaginary Friend Written by Kristopher Bishop Write for The Other Stories! Regular submissions - http://www.hawkandcleaver.com/submissions Flash Fiction Contest - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hawkandcleaver  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When Sadie goes off hiking in the heart of the wilderness, Gemma seizes the opportunity to unwind with a raft of movies and bubbly. When she doesn’t come back and a storm rolls in though, Gemma begins to fear the worst. Written by Kev Harrison Narrated by Alexandra Elroy Edited by Duncan Muggleton With music by Chris Zabriskie, Myuu, and Thom Robson And sound effects provided and Freesound.org The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Kev Harrison is a British writer of horror and dark fiction living in Lisbon, Portugal. His debut novella, The Balance, is available now from Lycan Valley Press, while his novelette, Cinders of a Blind Man Who Could See, is available now from Demain Publishing. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies, including Lost Films, from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, In Darkness, Delight, from Corpus Press, Aphotic Realm’s ‘Fangs’ issue and on podcasts such as Tales to Terrify and The Other Stories from Hawk and Cleaver. You can find out more about his work at www.kevharrisonfiction.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Daniel wasn’t searching for faraway places, but sometimes reality is thinner than we think, and a place can find you. Written by Ryan Harville Narrated by Josh Curran Edited by Karl Hughes With music by Spheriá, Chris Zabriskie, and Thom Robson And sound effects provided b Freesound.org and Zapsplat.com The episode illustration was provided by Luke Spooner of Carrion House Ryan Harville is a horror and sci-fi author from the United States and lives along Alabama's Gulf Coast. His latest work can be found in the horror anthology The Big Book of Blasphemy from ryanharvillewriting.com to see a list of his previous and upcoming publications.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.