Showing results by narrator "B. J. Harrison" in All Categories

Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman who wakes up one morning to realize that he been transformed from a human being to a "monstrous vermin". He reflects back on his life, his work, his relationship with his family and his employer, and he realizes that each relationship he has been a part of has been fake. He feels responsible for his family but he does not receive any gratitude from them. The alienation is unbearable and irreversible. His life will either have to change drastically or he will stay victim of his own existential anxiety.

"What would you have done? Rubbed your eyes and thought you were dreaming? Well, if you had, nothing more would have happened. Nothing ever does when you behave like that." In 'The Aunt and Amabel' a young girl damages a special flower-bed without meaning to, and as a punishment her aunt sends her to the bedroom with the large wardrobe. When Amabel finds a railway timetable naming a station called 'Bigwardrobeinspareroom' in there she is intrigued. And in opening the wardrobe, she finds something very unexpected on the inside. C.S.

In "Lost in a Pyramid; or The Mummy's Curse" by Louisa May Alcott, Paul Forsyth and his fiancée Evelyn discover that taking souvenirs back from ancient places may not be the best idea. Paul returns from an expedition to Egypt with his risk-taking colleague Professor Niles with a box of seeds, which Evelyn takes a liking to. The problem is, the seeds were collected from the grave of a sorceress, who has vowed to take revenge on anyone disturbing her resting place.

In this dark story by Robert W. Chambers we are introduced to a detective, who is tasked to uncover a hoax in the Pacific Northwest. There he investigates the possible existence of a terrible porpoise-skinned humanoid with an insatiable hunger for human females. If you like reading dark and weird stories, then "The Harbor Master" from 1904 is the right one for you. Do not hesitate to embark on this journey and solve the mystery of the porpoise-skinned humanoid. B. J.

Quiquendone is a small town in West Flanders, whose citizens are the wisest, most sociable and hospitable people. The town’s mayor, Van Tricasse, claims that the one if a person dies without having decided anything in his life then he has attained perfection. One day, Dr. Ox comes to the mayor with an offer. He wants to build a gas lightning system, at no cost for the city. However, Ox's intentions are completely different and this seemingly noble deed is just a facade. Will Van Tricasse accept the proposal? And what is Dr.

A small group of friends decide to attend a seance at a local art studio. While some of them are very sceptical about the whole thing, others believe in the medium’s abilities. The group starts a discussion about a new painting of a mythical creature, when a Frenchman joins and claims that he sees a unicorn in it. Shortly after the seance begins, a strange light fills the room and the medium starts speaking in a different voice. The voice is that of a person no longer within the living.

Hildred Castaigne is a young man who lives in New York City whose life changes drastically after he falls from his horse and injures his head. Castaigne gets unjustly confined to a mental institution, where Dr. Archer treats him. However, the doctor soon realizes, that this is a mistake and the young man’s condition is not as bad as he was told. During Hildred’s treatment, the United States have prospered and improved their infrastructure, a new aristocratic elite has been formed and suicide has been legalized.

Mr. Cave is an antique shop owner with some curious items in his collection. One of these if an extraordinary crystal egg, which he comes across one evening. Indeed, the egg seems to be a gateway to the planet Mars. This science fiction short story by H. G. Wells dating back to the late 19th century has inspired numerous other literary pieces, as well as radio and television adaptations. "The Crystal Egg" is considered to be a precursor to H. G. Wells' famous science fiction novel "The War of the Worlds" from 1898. B. J.

Have you been caught in a long and meaningless conversation of which you want to sneak out but somehow find it difficult to do so? Simon Wheeler was sitting quietly in a tavern in a small mining town when an unknown man approached him. The man was actually sent there with a mission: he had to ask Wheeler if he knew another man called Leonidas Smiley. And there the big misunderstanding occurred, because the stranger began rambling about another Smiley he knew. He kept telling funny stories about tricky situations Smiley had gotten himself into.

Hilton Cubitt visits Sherlock Holmes to show him a sheet of paper with a weird sequence of drawn figures. When these odd messages began to arrive at Cubitt’s house, fear and panic overwhelmed his wife Elsie. She is afraid her past is catching up with her, but she refuses to reveal anything about it. Holmes is tasked with decipher the messages and find out who is sending them.

Helen Stoner goes to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. She is afraid that her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, may be trying to kill her. Helen’s sister died mysteriously two years earlier, right before her own wedding. Her last words, which Helen never managed to decipher were "The speckled band". Dr. Roylott’s best friends are a band of gypsies. He also owns two dangerous animals, a cheetah and a baboon, as pets. He simply scares people, and everyone avoids him.

After a passionate affair with Agnes Keith-Wessington, Jack Pansay wearies of her and becomes engaged to Miss Kitty Mannering. However, Wessington refuses to accept the rejection and reappears in Jack’s life, trying to make him reconsider. But to her greatest regret, Pansay continues to respond curtly and brutally. Not so long after, Agnes dies of a broken heart. From this moment on, Jack's life will never be the same again.

B. J. Harrison breathes new life into the fantastical world of "The Door in the Wall". Wallace is a good student living in London's West Kensington neighborhood with his family. At age five, he finds a mysterious door in the wall. When he enters, he discovers a magical garden where he meets unfamiliar creatures and new experiences. After this discovery, normal life seems far too ordinary, and as he finds the door again throughout his life Wallace finds himself torn between the two different worlds. H. G.

Three young men are caught by a storm and are offered shelter by a strange man. Something about him is very disturbing and they are about to find out what it is. Their host claims that he has made a pact with the Devil and can't get himself out of the deal. Is he going crazy or he is telling the truth? If it is the truth, can the three visitors help the poor man? Find out in Leroux’s "In Letters of Fire". B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Can you imagine traveling back to the past? What would you find there? Would you like it? Would you find that everything you do has some consequences in the future? Do you want to join the man in our story? Because he is about to "trap" himself in a backwards time warp. If you are not brave enough to come along, but you still want to find out what happened next, just grab "The Man Who Lived Backwards" by Charles F. Hall. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

An impoverished Oxford scholar decides to quit his studies and joins a group of gipsies. He absorbs their customs, trades and traditional way of learning. He learns that wisdom is not only to be found in schools and universities. It is among us and it is up to us to open our eyes to it. Matthew Arnold’s "The Scholar Gipsy" reminds us of this. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

An Adjutant-crane, a jackal and a giant crocodile are talking by the river, under a newly built railway bridge. The crocodile remembers the good old days, when he used to catch and devour the villagers as they tried to pass through a ford. He also remembers a boat sailing down the river, on which was a white child whom the crocodile tried to catch, but got shot with a revolver instead. Soon the reptile falls asleep, when two men with riffles cross the bridge.

One day Krantz comes home to witness his wife being unfaithful to him. In a fit of anger he kills both his wife and her lover, who is also Krantz’s lord. Krantz fears the punishment he will surely receive, so he flees with his three children. His safe haven is the Hartz Mountains. There he meets a beautiful young lady who he marries shortly after. Their marriage however does not go as expected. The bride’s night-outs raise Krantz’s suspicions.

From the books that inspired the new Netflix series "Lupin" with Omar Sy. At Chateau de Maupertuis, death shadows Lady Jeanne Darcieux, as she escapes more than one attempted murder. But hero and gentleman burglar, Arsene Lupin is lying in wait and he can't help saving a stranger, especially if she's young and rich. The sixth story in Maurice Leblanc’s collection "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin" about gentleman thief and criminal mastermind, Arsene Lupin.

"The Devoted Friend" from the 19th century is an unconventional classic for children and adults alike. The Water-rat tells the story of Big Hugh and his friend Hans, whose friendship is not what it seems, and certainly not easy. This story within the story tells of friendship, its importance and how it can go wrong. This ageless fairy tale is a dark and funny short story created by Oscar Wilde is now read by B.J. Harrison. It was also adapted into an animated TV movie in 2003 called "Wilde Stories: The Devoted Friend." B. J.