Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Anthologies

From The King in Yellow, this tale narrated by Mark Alexander begins: "The street is not fashionable, neither is it shabby. It is a pariah among streets - a street without a Quarter. It is generally understood to lie outside the pale of the aristocratic Avenue de l'Observatoire. The students of the Montparnasse Quarter consider it swell and will have none of it. The Latin Quarter, from the Luxembourg, its northern frontier, sneers at its respectability and regards with disfavour the correctly costumed students who haunt it. Few strangers go into it."

A memorable short story from Hans Christian Andersen. Is it possible that the time we spend on earth is viewed differently among from one creature to another? For instance a fly has a much shorter life than an oak, but perhaps it only seems that way. A challenge to our perspective on what constitutes life. Is it a measure of time – or quality moments?

This short story first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in 1920, and later became part of Flappers and Philosophers. Fitzgerald was the master of exposing the underbelly of the aristocracy and the pompous, and here, Horace the prodigy falls in love with Monica the dancer. Horace puts his lofty goals on hold to pursue a more lucrative career as an acrobat, while Monica writes a book.

A blind man shuffles along a busy neighborhood street attempting to sell pencils to residents and people passing by. The blazing sun and too many layers of clothing don't appear to hamper his persistence. What occurs in this story illustrates American writer Kate Chopin's use of irony and the element of luck in all our lives.

War is on and an enemy has infiltrated the country looking for ways to fracture American resolve. While the enemy had little success they latched onto an idea that could bring the country to its knees. Would they get away with it, or was failure the common theme of their work on American soil? Part detective story, part science-fiction, this classic tale is narrated by Glenn Hascall.

There is an old saying, "You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone." The main character in this short story had never had children, so she had no idea what it was like to live with or without them. That is, until she is pressed into service to care for a neighbor's children while the real mother made an emergency trip to help her extended family. She was so unprepared for it, but it is the aftermath of their leaving that clearly demonstrates the true essence of regret.

From Tales of Soldiers and Civilians - In the Midst of Life, this, the second tale of the "Civilians" section, takes us into the paranormal as the protagonist becomes a witness to a possible murder. But is it murder when an individual has such power over another individual as to cause their own death?

"Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English writer and one of the foremost modernists of the 20th century. During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a central figure in the influential Bloomsbury group of intellectuals." (Wikipedia)

"The Profit’s Paradise" is a story from The King in Yellow narrated by Mark Turetsky, a collection of eight dreamlike poems by Robert W Chambers.

This short story takes you back to the start of radio in America. Filled with just the right amount of humor this story takes a millionaire's final wish and makes it possible for him to broadcast an approved message through a loud speaker in his headstone. This captured the attention of the nation, but no one expected the worst case scenario, but it is just this scenario that empties a cemetery. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

Two older men are set to oppose each other for sharing a similar interest in business. Once a pie is mashed into the head of one, and a bit of a 'raslin' match is concluded, the elderly men set about making up while planning the largest business in the nation. If their plan works it would change America, but would their wives approve? Will the men even be bold enough to share their idea with their brides?

In a world where we have much to fear from living predators, perhaps it is the nonliving ones we should fear more.

What if there were a product that taken daily and barring an untimely accident or murder allowed one to live indefinitely? In Kurt Vonnegut Jr's fanciful tale, that is just what happens. At first the miracle product Anti-gerasone seems like a blessing. But what if the population keeps breeding? How to make room for the new ones. And then there is the problem of the curmudgeon who doesn't get the stuff until he's in his late 70s becomes head of the family and is still going strong 104 years later.

Follow the tale of a traveling writer as he sought the particulars of the origin of "Lover’s Leap" when the town was situated on flat prairie. Kildare resident 'Uncle Billy' was quite pleased to explain the where and why of lover’s leap. Humor is abundant in this delightful short story by Ellis Parker Butler.

A fictional story that is positioned in time with the crucifixion of Jesus. While events that would shape culture and thinking were taking place, Ben-Tovit was consumed with a toothache. Would his own health issue prevent him from recognizing history? Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

Randall and Dorothea are young and passionately in love and plan to marry. When Randall has to leave Dorothea for a short period, the two spend their time exchanging a flurry of letters and can hardly bear being separated. Randall's scheduled returned is delayed when he becomes severely ill. What happens when the now sickly Randall is finally able to see Dorothea again says much about the differences between love, lust and passion, and the vagaries of youth.

Papa was a great storyteller, and his daughter wouldn’t settle for recycled tales. While Papa was not interested in telling stories he was badgered enough to come up with a whopper. Prepare to smile, and to wonder what it would really be like if it were Christmas every day - at least the way we often celebrate it.

A superbly crafted Dickens classic, masterfully narrated - a ghostly apparition supervises the trial of his murderer.

Mark Twain takes his humor to the graveyard in this memorable short story. Twain carries on a conversation with a skeleton that has been neglected in the cemetery. While we aren't told what a smiling skeleton looks like, Twain is clear it's not a pleasant view. None of us want to be forgotten and this story helps the hearer understand that even in death we do not want to be neglected.

"A Simple Soul" is the perfect Gustave Flaubert short story: a tale told in spare, straightforward language full of richly observed details. The "soul" is Felicite, the exemplary servant of the austere Madame Aubin. Orphaned and illiterate, Felicite devotes her life to her mistress and Madame's two children. Her kindheartedness extends to her nephew and a local beggar, but it is seldom reciprocated.