Hope you like my latest audio presentation of a forgotten horror story! It takes just shy of 90 minutes to listen to but took me several hours to put together!! Why not give a LIKE and a COMMENT if you enjoyed it? Makes the place look busy and helps the channel grow. If you haven't so far, SUBSCRIBE and never miss a story. I'm posting content regularly. If you really liked it, read the description for info about how to support the show. Have a great day!
I wonder if you know, what a very important service you provide for all of us none sleepers. Whatever our reasons for being awake at stupid o'clock in the morning. We we can always rely on you story tellers, to help us through the long hours of the night. All of your hard work is appreciated.
I can relate to that! Chronic pain has me always awake at "stupid o'clock " in the morning. ( I may have to borrow that phrase). Audiobooks keep me going. Especially stories I've already listened to; this way you can doze in and out, and whatever part of the story you wake up at, you know where you are. :)
@@wmnoffaith1 Yes, I also listen to old favourites when trying to sleep. Being able to drift off to sleep and then drift back into the story as and when. Also, knowing there are so many of us dithering sleepers out there, it is such a comfort during those stupid o clock hours😊 lol.
I've read hundreds of Victorian and Edwardian horror stories but I've only come across this one once before. The feeling of 'Let's get safely inside before it's too late' is very creepy and extremely well done. Your reading really made the tale come to life. Many thanks!
Thanks Carol. It was that concept - the 5 o' clock curfew - that drew me to the story. I liked how it turned from family eccentricity to outright horror. Thanks for listening and commenting.
Victorian age ghost stories are superior to any other time.The clothing worn in the day is creepy in it's own, add in foggy, rainy,cold darkness of London and if you can't find material for a spook story well there's no hope.Thanku for the channel,bitesized audio classics, and Tony Walker Ghost stories are the big 3 in my opinion
Whew!...The growing dread created by this brilliant story was both unexpected and terrifying. I must look for more by the author. Thank you for posting this gem 💎
Thanks Violet. I believe Bessie published just one collection (available to buy electronically, quite cheaply). I dare say I will record another by her in the future too.
Jasper, I was turned onto your channel by Tony Walker - Classic Ghost Stories Channel. I've really enjoyed listening to many of your stories. And especially this one. There's a specific reason that I liked this one...dealing with the Military Combat Veteran and Coal Miners and Disasters. My family's heritage and history cover both. I was born and raised in southern West Virginia (which is true King Coal Country!! My father was born (1917) in the Weyanoke Coal and Coke Camp in Mercer County, West Virginia. My great grandfather and grandfather were Above Ground Mine Forman's at Weyanoke. My grandmother lost both her husband and father-in-law when dad was around 6yrs old. Luckily, they owned a small family farm just across the WV/VA border in Giles County, Virginia. Since Mama Audrey (grandmother) had no one still working the mine, no company house was provided. After dad graduated White Gate High School (10th grade was it in 1935) he worked for our 1st cousin at his Sawmill hauling Mine Timber to the Pocahontas Coal Fields in southern West Virginia. Dad briefly worked in the Mine in 1940-41, but when America was drawn into WWII, dad immediately joined the US Army Air Force. During his 4-year service, he was eventually shipped to the South Pacific Campaign on Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima. Dad was a Combat Veteran with the 20th US Army Air Force, 7th Army Air Corp, 414th Fighter/ Bomber Group, 413th F/ B Squadron. He was a Flightline Engineer and Mechanic on the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. After returning home in late 1945, he had two job opportunities... Become a Virginia State Trooper or a Class A Transmission Lineman for Appalachian Power Company. He chose the latter working 38 years. He and mom had married 02/14/1942 and he shipped out to boot camp almost immediately. I remember listening to my grandmother and my dad's stories about the conditions in the mines and how bad it was during the 1910-1920's and especially before the WV Mine Wars occurred to bring in the union. As a side note, my maternal great grandfather (my mother's maternal grandfather) had originally been Sheriff of Grayson County, Virginia and later became a Baldwin Felts agent. The B-F agents were union Mine busts and th#gs. If you research the Matewan Massacre in May of 1920, Charles Troy (CT) Higgins was one of the 7 agents killed in that fight. How mom and dad ever got together mystified myself and my 6 elder siblings. Dad came the mines, mom came from busting the mines. But, they married for 62yrs. There are many tragic events that occurred in the West Virginia mines over the years. Even up to this day.
It’s so like the pandemic and being shut up inside during lockdown... another one I might never have read, being so rare. I am delighted more than I should have been reading it, with this silvery enchanted work of your words, character, humor and musical voices!
That was a fascinating story. I went to look Bessie up, but found more about her husband than herself. The reviewer of the piece was frustrated by the fact that the main character was never told anything by the others, but that's exactly what l did like... It adds to the tension and general creepiness. Your barking dog was inspired, Jasper, by the way. Thinking of you.
It's one of the most frustrating (and slightly saddening) things about doing these stories is that even with the internet at our disposal there's very little out there about some of these authors or their work, sometimes nothing at all.
Just returning to reiterate what a strange and compelling piece this is! The Edwardian impulse to explain at the very end is definitely a bit of a diminishment from how strange and inexplicable the haunting first strikes us as, but even so it's remarkable this isn't a more famous story, lord knows it beats the hell out of nominal classics like "The Red Lodge"
@@EnCryptedHorror Yeah, to my mind it almost presages Aickman (Or Mervyn Peake maybe) in bringing an unabashedly surreal (sort of a matured influence of Lewis Carrol I always thought) element to things, or it might be more accurate to compare to De La Mare or Sheridan Le Fanu insofar as all have that strange metaphysical vibe. Unfortunately, at the end you realize there was logic, and it was one of the "ghost-story-as-mystery" types which seem to be the only format most people associate with the ghost story (see Crimson Peak) which is unfortunate, as even James seemed to already be tiring by it at the end of his writing career (A School Story especially) and breaking free of it is what brings us say, The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw, or The Hospice.
What an amazingly well written - and tragic - story. Your narration and the sound effects perectly suited it in every sense. My goodness, I shan't forget this one in a hurry! What a find! Sincere thanks and appreciation.
These short stories are fantastic to listen to while going to sleep. Trouble is, I have to keep re-listening, as I miss the end! Great work, new subscriber here
Excellent excellent excellent! My favourite raconteur! I suspect you are an Actor in your other job! Nobody else reads with such expression and character you really are very good and I hope you find lots more intriguing tales to keep us thoroughly encrypted.
Thank you, Lorna! Very kind comment. I'm afraid this channel is the extent of my acting, but I'm enjoying it immensely. Just editing the next two stories now...
I know it’s of the time, but the central protagonist enraged me. What a rude, pigheaded arse. And calling his fiancée 'my little girl' constantly, was nauseating. Great story, though. And beautifully read!
This just may be my favorite of all your postings so far. So good that I have listened to it multiple times, and never get tired of it. And I'm pretty sure that I'd never be satisfied with anyone else reading it to me!
I find (good) ghost stories extremely entertaining but rarely would I describe one as scary. This one? Quite frankly it gave me the creeps. Spent much of the time thinking ‘no, you fool! Don’t do that!’ and really meaning it. Of course at the same time I could completely empathize - I wanted to know, too. Without giving anything away I would not recommend this one if you are looking for something to lull you to sleep. First class reading. As usual.
I have not come across this author before, thank you for the introduction. I will have to investigate them further. Oh my, this story is really is quite scary 😲 and so beautifully read.
Thanks Kate. The author's one volume of stories (that, as they say, is all she wrote) is available as an Amazon e-book for mere pennies. There are some other interesting tales in there so I'll probably come back to her. This story has proved very popular! 👌
What a wonderful creepy Edwardian ghost tale...I can't believe I have never heard of this one...the mood and the setting is evocative of The House on the Borderland with the morality of an old English ghost tale. Her use of humor in a few places made me chuckle as well. Good job in selecting this one, Jasper!
Yes, it was new to me. I haven't read all the others in her one volume of stories but will see if there are any good ones. Thank you for supporting the show, Aaron 🙏
@@EnCryptedHorror please do that Jasper! This author is amazing! I always use present tense when I speak about people who have died because as you know I don’t believe in death! Yes I’m weird, but we are all energy.....🤷♀️
wow! what a story!!! kept me on edge! prettyyyy scaryy n so much tension till you find out what was the matter. So sad end..wish it was other one ..happy one. They could make a movie out of this story!!!
I’m impressed On so many levels Wow The quality of life to Missing 411 theory to perfect narration. Just Wow Truly an excellent time and place, most likely a true story. Really
How wonderful to have found you!!Please, keep up the good work. I'm a "patreon" of several other horror speakers, as soon as I can afford it, will add you absolutely. Again, thank you!!
@@EnCryptedHorror I think she really set him up; I think had she handled it differently at outset, and been honest, it might have ended well. But maybe this was the family way of handling things. Kind of like being thrown into the deep end of the pool.
For myself an Audiobook firstly has to have an interesting voice, once you have that you can read the telephone book and hold people's attention. This Jasper , is what you have, an interesting voice. 😊 So I have subbed to enjoy more of your readings. Thank you 🤗
In spite of it’s age the story comes across as extremely modern in it’s themes. Human kindness vs selfish self protection. The wisdom of elders vs the foolish stubbornness of the young. In a way it’s hilarious, as we,in the audience, get to see a young soldier’s blind pursuit of his personal freedoms, while knowing he trods into forbidden territory. Often forbidden fruits remain off limits for a good reason. Great selection, awesome narration. Kind of reminds me a bit of our current politics, but no judgement from me, and no offense intended. Just a casual observation from my POV. Bravo
Yay!🙏For some reason I always wake up at this time of night, I usually meditate or read and then I will get back to sleep so this came at the perfect time! Been looking forward to this one!!
For a change I'm posting before listening to say thanks ! , I'm still convalescent and stuck home on Saturday night and , as if a gift for us , an extra long Encrypted appears in my feed !! And one that I do not recognize the title of !! I appreciate your effort , Jasper. 💀🎱💀 I will of course comment again after listening ! Lol
That was excellent! I always wake up at 3:30 am, look for something on UA-cam like a meditation to get back to sleep! And found this amazing story! You can tell how much work is put into it! Thank you for recommending this channel!
@ Maria Meere. Yeah , that was a great one . Good for some late night/early morning listening . Glad you are enjoying the channel as much as I am ! 💀🎱😉
@EnCrypted Classic Horror. Yes , it resonated . Even through the dulled senses of the "noxious morphia" . I especially liked it before the (somewhat) prosaic explanation (ghosts get revenge), when we didn't have a clue to what was causing the creepiness ! I wonder if they drew lots to see who would take the hound out and spend the night outside saving the Major's ass ! Lol. Like how the hound saved him a second time , also . Hounds' Rule , ok ? Lol Great production , as always ! 💀🎱💀
Yes! Thank you for yet another incredibly well done and professionally executed production. You deserve so many more subscribers. I will recommend you as often as possible to my friends.
Just found you today through Classic Ghost Stories' recommendation. Amazing voice and story-telling. Excellent production. I immediately shared your channel with family and friends. Thank you!
Thank you, Carol. Yes, this story shows that the horror tropes (1) why would you do that? and (2) if someone just said something! existed at least as far back as 1920. I think it's in keeping with the weirdness of the story though (so gets away with it). I can't comment on the age difference between Major Longworth and his kiddie 😄
Same goes for her giving him the boot imo. Back then he'd have been a good prospect from a parent's eyes, honorable war hero and all, but he was quite an ass the way he went about his investigations.. especially after requiring rescue once already 🙄
@@jackdare I have so little patience with people who do stupid things. My first inclination would be a direct attack - What the hell's going on here, while everyone is sitting in that garden room.
Thanks Jared. I always get excited when I find a story that has some unusual qualities to it - and then see it hasn't been widely covered anywhere else. It keeps my reading going in all different directions. (Originally I was going to just read M.R.James et al 😄)
This is excellent narration, thank you for your work, it is appreciated. Interesting juxtaposition of political & industrial war on personhood, leaving men & women “shell-shocked” by ill VAINS and deeply, hellishly used for ill gains... The weak and the powerful...
I come back to this story regularly to go to sleep at night. I've just read the comments and had a laugh at the animosity towards the author referring to his sweetheart as 'little girl'. Personally, I think it's lovely 😉 When you read, listen to stories or watch films from other eras, you should just enjoy them for what they are, not go metaphorically marching through the comment section like militant feminists 😂 You can't judge a story from the early 20th century by todays standards for christ sake... Take a day off from getting bloody offended and 'triggered' 🙄 and just enjoy an innocent story for what it is, a piece of harmless entertainment 😁
Hi Hannah, I couldn't agree more. I sort of understand why people might find some of the language and attitudes objectionable or even offensive in a modern context, but I would have hoped that mostly, at a remove of sometimes a hundred years or more, they could be seen as merely quaint or even a sign of how much progress has been made. The anger, though, seems misplaced. As a smarter fellow than I famously said, "The past is a foreign country..."
Thanks Alison. I think a more modern author would have left things ambiguous. It works just as well as a story about PTSD. As you say though: great atmosphere.
Thank you, Carol. It's too boring to go on about, but I'm just left with a persistent cough. I won't be doing any episodes in the near future because I'm supposed to be studying in the evenings and, on top of work, it just doesn't leave a great amount of spare time. If things get easier in the future and I get the urge to record again I'll upload in the usual way. Thanks for listening.
There doesn’t seem to have been any reason they couldn’t tell the explanation for their rules. Granted, the soldier may not have believed, but look where no explanation got them.
I think we're supposed to take their secrecy as a mix of family shame and fear of disbelief (if I recall; it's a while since I read it) but, yes, I think it's really the author needing to conceal the reason so that the plot can happen 😄.
Jasper i am writing this a second time it’s a thank you for your downloads for which this is to let you know that Huw Carr recommended your channel all I can say I just love your delivery of both the stories I have heard so far until I found Huw’s channel all I had was old dialogue from cbsmt otr etc i am middle aged and tv is not for me Jasper enough I will just say adieu Micky 😎F
may be a spoiler, although i’ve tried not to. i don’t like stories like this. I DO love the reader, however. The most horrible part of this story is what that man did. why didn’t the author have him grabbed? it’s the worst part and my stomach hurts.
Narrators voice is Top Notch,some people were born to speak,although not my girlfriend people would pay her to do the opposite,only joking "scouts honour"
Apt narration, but the constant reference to the fiancée as "little girl" drove me crazy. I was betting on the fog being an allusion/symbol for gas attacks in WW I, but nah. The story would have been more interesting if they had been.
Indeed. I share your sentiment about the ending. Sometimes we have to remember when these stories were written, and perhaps it was too early for a PTSD metaphor.
@@EnCryptedHorror For writers of horror and a woman to boot, I am sure that it was too early. I also understand that the era was even more patriarchal and condescending to women than today; hence, calling women "little girls" was acceptable. It amuses me, though, when the narrator asserts that he is a "man" at one point while refusing to see his fiancée as a woman. I wonder if this how the author saw herself!
@@EnCryptedHorror I will add that the story was published circa 1920. Wilfrid Owen wrote "Dulce et Decorum Est" at the same time. His poem starkly portrays the horrors of WW II and is a true "horror" story: however, he experienced them and died in battle. No doubt, Bessie would have had no true perspective of the horror.
@@gwendolyn2001 It may have been. There's an alternative possibility, of course, that the narrator's use of "little girl" was a conscious choice. Could this be a critique of a certain type of masculinity that leads our narrator to ignore all advice (from the matriarch, no less) and seals his fate? I compare this to E. Nesbit's "Man-Sized in Marble" which again has the man using infantalising language about his wife, but is more explicit in showing how ignoring the heeding of the female maid and the intuition of the wife leads to the final tragedy...at the hands of two resurrected rapists, no doubt. I like to think there is often more going on in these stories than meets the eye. They certainly make for entertaining discussion and I thank you for sharing your thoughts. What do you think?
I'm mixed on this. With the scene in the hospital she seems to be perfectly describing what we would call PTSD. But I know my dad used to tell me that most returning soldiers refused to ever talk about what they'd seen and endured (so a lot of people were in the dark about the realities of the war).
Hope you like my latest audio presentation of a forgotten horror story! It takes just shy of 90 minutes to listen to but took me several hours to put together!! Why not give a LIKE and a COMMENT if you enjoyed it? Makes the place look busy and helps the channel grow. If you haven't so far, SUBSCRIBE and never miss a story. I'm posting content regularly. If you really liked it, read the description for info about how to support the show. Have a great day!
Excellent narration and story! I subscribed a while ago. I really enjoy your voice; it's restful at night when I'm in pain and can't sleep
@@wmnoffaith1 Thank you. I'm so pleased that you've been enjoying the channel. Sorry that you have pain.
Very well done. You managed to transport me from Ohio to England with your words. I thank you.☺️
@@waningmooncancer9628 Thanks Nancy! 👋
@@EnCryptedHorror I am truly grateful for your excellent work. Helps me through some dark days.
I wonder if you know, what a very important service you provide for all of us none sleepers. Whatever our reasons for being awake at stupid o'clock in the morning. We we can always rely on you story tellers, to help us through the long hours of the night. All of your hard work is appreciated.
Thanks Blue bird. Not sleeping is how I got into audiobooks myself. I'm really happy that people find them useful.
I can relate to that! Chronic pain has me always awake at "stupid o'clock " in the morning. ( I may have to borrow that phrase). Audiobooks keep me going. Especially stories I've already listened to; this way you can doze in and out, and whatever part of the story you wake up at, you know where you are. :)
@@wmnoffaith1 Yes, I also listen to old favourites when trying to sleep. Being able to drift off to sleep and then drift back into the story as and when. Also, knowing there are so many of us dithering sleepers out there, it is such a comfort during those stupid o clock hours😊 lol.
😊3 a.m. here in Ecuador....👍
😂.So relatable. I'm one of you.😊
I've read hundreds of Victorian and Edwardian horror stories but I've only come across this one once before. The feeling of 'Let's get safely inside before it's too late' is very creepy and extremely well done. Your reading really made the tale come to life. Many thanks!
Thanks Carol. It was that concept - the 5 o' clock curfew - that drew me to the story. I liked how it turned from family eccentricity to outright horror. Thanks for listening and commenting.
did the BBC make a really good tv version of this in the eighties ?
Victorian age ghost stories are superior to any other time.The clothing worn in the day is creepy in it's own, add in foggy, rainy,cold darkness of London and if you can't find material for a spook story well there's no hope.Thanku for the channel,bitesized audio classics, and Tony Walker Ghost stories are the big 3 in my opinion
@@billybatchelor2863Victorian clothes creepy?
Why on Earth why you say this?
@@billybatchelor2863My favourites also
Miss you, Jasper!
Whew!...The growing dread created by this brilliant story was both unexpected and terrifying. I must look for more by the author. Thank you for posting this gem 💎
Thanks Violet. I believe Bessie published just one collection (available to buy electronically, quite cheaply). I dare say I will record another by her in the future too.
Jasper, I was turned onto your channel by Tony Walker - Classic Ghost Stories Channel.
I've really enjoyed listening to many of your stories. And especially this one. There's a specific reason that I liked this one...dealing with the Military Combat Veteran and Coal Miners and Disasters. My family's heritage and history cover both.
I was born and raised in southern West Virginia (which is true King Coal Country!!
My father was born (1917) in the Weyanoke Coal and Coke Camp in Mercer County, West Virginia. My great grandfather and grandfather were Above Ground Mine Forman's at Weyanoke. My grandmother lost both her husband and father-in-law when dad was around 6yrs old. Luckily, they owned a small family farm just across the WV/VA border in Giles County, Virginia. Since Mama Audrey (grandmother) had no one still working the mine, no company house was provided. After dad graduated White Gate High School (10th grade was it in 1935) he worked for our 1st cousin at his Sawmill hauling Mine Timber to the Pocahontas Coal Fields in southern West Virginia. Dad briefly worked in the Mine in 1940-41, but when America was drawn into WWII, dad immediately joined the US Army Air Force. During his 4-year service, he was eventually shipped to the South Pacific Campaign on Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima. Dad was a Combat Veteran with the 20th US Army Air Force, 7th Army Air Corp, 414th Fighter/ Bomber Group, 413th F/ B Squadron. He was a Flightline Engineer and Mechanic on the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. After returning home in late 1945, he had two job opportunities... Become a Virginia State Trooper or a Class A Transmission Lineman for Appalachian Power Company. He chose the latter working 38 years. He and mom had married 02/14/1942 and he shipped out to boot camp almost immediately.
I remember listening to my grandmother and my dad's stories about the conditions in the mines and how bad it was during the 1910-1920's and especially before the WV Mine Wars occurred to bring in the union.
As a side note, my maternal great grandfather (my mother's maternal grandfather) had originally been Sheriff of Grayson County, Virginia and later became a Baldwin Felts agent. The B-F agents were union Mine busts and th#gs. If you research the Matewan Massacre in May of 1920, Charles Troy (CT) Higgins was one of the 7 agents killed in that fight.
How mom and dad ever got together mystified myself and my 6 elder siblings. Dad came the mines, mom came from busting the mines. But, they married for 62yrs.
There are many tragic events that occurred in the West Virginia mines over the years. Even up to this day.
It’s so like the pandemic and being shut up inside during lockdown... another one I might never have read, being so rare. I am delighted more than I should have been reading it, with this silvery enchanted work of your words, character, humor and musical voices!
That was a fascinating story. I went to look Bessie up, but found more about her husband than herself. The reviewer of the piece was frustrated by the fact that the main character was never told anything by the others, but that's exactly what l did like... It adds to the tension and general creepiness. Your barking dog was inspired, Jasper, by the way. Thinking of you.
It's one of the most frustrating (and slightly saddening) things about doing these stories is that even with the internet at our disposal there's very little out there about some of these authors or their work, sometimes nothing at all.
Just returning to reiterate what a strange and compelling piece this is! The Edwardian impulse to explain at the very end is definitely a bit of a diminishment from how strange and inexplicable the haunting first strikes us as, but even so it's remarkable this isn't a more famous story, lord knows it beats the hell out of nominal classics like "The Red Lodge"
It's just so compellingly unusual. Even the author couldn't surpass it.
@@EnCryptedHorror Yeah, to my mind it almost presages Aickman (Or Mervyn Peake maybe) in bringing an unabashedly surreal (sort of a matured influence of Lewis Carrol I always thought) element to things, or it might be more accurate to compare to De La Mare or Sheridan Le Fanu insofar as all have that strange metaphysical vibe.
Unfortunately, at the end you realize there was logic, and it was one of the "ghost-story-as-mystery" types which seem to be the only format most people associate with the ghost story (see Crimson Peak) which is unfortunate, as even James seemed to already be tiring by it at the end of his writing career (A School Story especially) and breaking free of it is what brings us say, The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw, or The Hospice.
What an amazingly well written - and tragic - story. Your narration and the sound effects perectly suited it in every sense. My goodness, I shan't forget this one in a hurry! What a find! Sincere thanks and appreciation.
It's proved very popular, this one. It's really different.
These short stories are fantastic to listen to while going to sleep. Trouble is, I have to keep re-listening, as I miss the end! Great work, new subscriber here
Thanks Melanie! Don't tell anyone, but once when I was recording late at night I nodded off while narrating...so you have my sympathies 😄
Me too 😅😅
Excellent excellent excellent! My favourite raconteur! I suspect you are an Actor in your other job! Nobody else reads with such expression and character you really are very good and I hope you find lots more intriguing tales to keep us thoroughly encrypted.
Thank you, Lorna! Very kind comment. I'm afraid this channel is the extent of my acting, but I'm enjoying it immensely. Just editing the next two stories now...
Agree!
I know it’s of the time, but the central protagonist enraged me. What a rude, pigheaded arse.
And calling his fiancée 'my little girl' constantly, was nauseating.
Great story, though. And beautifully read!
As you say, "of its time". Thanks for listening and commenting 😊
Whew!!! What a journey !!!! Will I sleep tonight? We shall see,...Gripping narration--love the sound-images. Thank you, Jasper!!!
I keep coming back to this story every week. honestly one of the most enjoyable narrations of yours
Thanks Alex. This story has proved so popular!
This story is new to me and a great find. Love how it's written, love your narration, and as usual your subtle sound effects add a lot.
Thanks zettaichan! Your comment has reminded me to go back to Bessie Kyffin-Taylor's collection for another selection. This one has proved so popular!
This just may be my favorite of all your postings so far. So good that I have listened to it multiple times, and never get tired of it. And I'm pretty sure that I'd never be satisfied with anyone else reading it to me!
I find (good) ghost stories extremely entertaining but rarely would I describe one as scary. This one? Quite frankly it gave me the creeps. Spent much of the time thinking ‘no, you fool! Don’t do that!’ and really meaning it. Of course at the same time I could completely empathize - I wanted to know, too. Without giving anything away I would not recommend this one if you are looking for something to lull you to sleep. First class reading. As usual.
A tale about ptsd, trauma, and mental illness from war. And the cost of greed for wealth and power.
1 of the best JASPER ❤
I’ve officially lost count of how many times J that I’ve listened to this. I bloody love it ❤👻
My favorite kind of story and delivered with excellent narration...thanks for sharing!🤗
You're very welcome. Glad you liked the story. When I first found it I couldn't wait to share it!
I have not come across this author before, thank you for the introduction. I will have to investigate them further. Oh my, this story is really is quite scary 😲 and so beautifully read.
Thanks Kate. The author's one volume of stories (that, as they say, is all she wrote) is available as an Amazon e-book for mere pennies. There are some other interesting tales in there so I'll probably come back to her. This story has proved very popular! 👌
What a wonderful creepy Edwardian ghost tale...I can't believe I have never heard of this one...the mood and the setting is evocative of The House on the Borderland with the morality of an old English ghost tale. Her use of humor in a few places made me chuckle as well. Good job in selecting this one, Jasper!
Yes, it was new to me. I haven't read all the others in her one volume of stories but will see if there are any good ones. Thank you for supporting the show, Aaron 🙏
@@EnCryptedHorror please do that Jasper! This author is amazing! I always use present tense when I speak about people who have died because as you know I don’t believe in death! Yes I’m weird, but we are all energy.....🤷♀️
@@mariameere5807 I'm not sure I'm all energy this Monday morning...😴🥱
@@EnCryptedHorror I know exactly how you feel❗️
Great story, superb reading. Thx
wow! what a story!!! kept me on edge! prettyyyy scaryy n so much tension till you find out what was the matter. So sad end..wish it was other one ..happy one. They could make a movie out of this story!!!
What a good doggo!
That was a brilliant story and your narration was wonderful.Thank you Jasper.I don’t know how I missed this when you first released it.
I’m impressed
On so many levels
Wow
The quality of life to Missing 411 theory to perfect narration.
Just Wow
Truly an excellent time and place, most likely a true story.
Really
I constantly return to this channel
How wonderful to have found you!!Please, keep up the good work. I'm a "patreon" of several other horror speakers, as soon as I can afford it, will add you absolutely. Again, thank you!!
Thank you for listening and commenting, blixten! 😊
Very grim.. surprise ending, not at all what I was thinking! Really enjoyed this! Thank you!
Yes, takes quite a turn, doesn't it? Glad you liked it! 👍
@@EnCryptedHorror I think she really set him up; I think had she handled it differently at outset, and been honest, it might have ended well. But maybe this was the family way of handling things. Kind of like being thrown into the deep end of the pool.
I loved this!!! I think my fave. Your voice, creeping tension and one of my passions ... the Great War period. Thank you !! ❤️👻
Marvellous! I was bowled over when I came across this story. Really pleased to hear you liked it!
For myself an Audiobook firstly has to have an interesting voice, once you have that you can read the telephone book and hold people's attention. This Jasper , is what you have, an interesting voice. 😊
So I have subbed to enjoy more of your readings. Thank you 🤗
Thank you, Jacky! That's very kind of you to say so. Welcome to the channel.
In spite of it’s age the story comes across as extremely modern in it’s themes. Human kindness vs selfish self protection. The wisdom of elders vs the foolish stubbornness of the young. In a way it’s hilarious, as we,in the audience, get to see a young soldier’s blind pursuit of his personal freedoms, while knowing he trods into forbidden territory. Often forbidden fruits remain off limits for a good reason. Great selection, awesome narration. Kind of reminds me a bit of our current politics, but no judgement from me, and no offense intended. Just a casual observation from my POV. Bravo
Thanks andersdroid! I always enjoy finding the modern resonances in these old (sometimes very old) stories. Great to hear your thoughts.
You are an excellent narrator. Thank you.
Another brilliant production . Thank you
Great tale, super great narrator. This is top line professional caliber work. Please keep it coming.
Thanks Robert!
Yay!🙏For some reason I always wake up at this time of night, I usually meditate or read and then I will get back to sleep so this came at the perfect time! Been looking forward to this one!!
"The Second Sleep". It was very common and a thing that most people experienced in pre modern times. I don't know why. So your,just a bit retro lol.
All the best folk are up at 3 in the morning 😁😴
This story was very intriguing and so well read. I loved it
For a change I'm posting before listening to say thanks ! , I'm still convalescent and stuck home on Saturday night and , as if a gift for us , an extra long Encrypted appears in my feed !! And one that I do not recognize the title of !!
I appreciate your effort , Jasper. 💀🎱💀
I will of course comment again after listening ! Lol
That was excellent! I always wake up at 3:30 am, look for something on UA-cam like a meditation to get back to sleep! And found this amazing story! You can tell how much work is put into it! Thank you for recommending this channel!
Hopefully this story of a convalescent soldier will resonate...
@ Maria Meere. Yeah , that was a great one . Good for some late night/early morning listening . Glad you are enjoying the channel as much as I am ! 💀🎱😉
@EnCrypted Classic Horror. Yes , it resonated . Even through the dulled senses of the "noxious morphia" . I especially liked it before the (somewhat) prosaic explanation (ghosts get revenge), when we didn't have a clue to what was causing the creepiness ! I wonder if they drew lots to see who would take the hound out and spend the night outside saving the Major's ass ! Lol. Like how the hound saved him a second time , also . Hounds' Rule , ok ? Lol
Great production , as always ! 💀🎱💀
@@jeffreese1828 It would have worked well just as a PTSD story, I thought.
What an excellent reader, thank you.
Thanks Jane 👍
Wow this is excellent on every front. The story is delicious to listen to and your voice brings it home thank you!!
Thanks Angela! This story has proved to be very popular. Glad you enjoyed it.
Yes! Thank you for yet another incredibly well done and professionally executed production. You deserve so many more subscribers. I will recommend you as often as possible to my friends.
Thank you so much for your continued support of the show 😊
He is the best!
Outstanding story and narration/reading.
Thank you c s j! 👍
This was a strange (in a good way) story. Thank you!
Yes, I thought so. When I first read it I was taken with the indoor utopia the family had created.
Wondrous good, Mr. L. I didn't want it to end...
Hello Ramey! 👋 Glad you enjoyed.
What a great story and fabulous narration...thank you
You're very welcome. Thanks for your comment 😊
Fantastic. Almost midnight...time for a bedtime story. Xo
Thanks Cristi. I knew it must be 'round midnight somewhere in the world.
Wonderful work, great narration, splendid!
Amazing, sad and dark.
Just found you today through Classic Ghost Stories' recommendation. Amazing voice and story-telling. Excellent production. I immediately shared your channel with family and friends.
Thank you!
Thank you, Rain Jude. Glad you enjoyed it. More classic horror and original stories on their way!👍
Thanks so very much for this story. It's one of my faves and your narration of it was, as usual, fantastic!
Great story. Thank you 🦋
Loved it man! Especially since it was so long, it was perfect for me brother👍 the more the merrier I say
Thanks Pickford!
Wonderfully narrated, I've never heard of this one before!
Another good story 😊
If I were a director -- how many films would I make based on these stories! This one is long enough for a feature film, and the end is great!
Well,
That was amazing! ❤
Another one I've never heard of. Thank you so much. Really first class reading of it.
Thank you so much.
Outstanding narration..agree!
Enjoyed this. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏💕
You're very welcome, Persia 😊
Wonderful story, beautifully presented ❤ I listen to your tales while cooking supper 🍷😊 thank you for such superb entertainment!
Yes, this seems to have been one of the most popular stories I've done. Glad you enjoyed...and I hope your supper was nice 😋
Pretty early into the story, I decided that John should abandon all thought of marrying his "little girl". A great story and excellent reading.
Thank you, Carol. Yes, this story shows that the horror tropes (1) why would you do that? and (2) if someone just said something! existed at least as far back as 1920. I think it's in keeping with the weirdness of the story though (so gets away with it). I can't comment on the age difference between Major Longworth and his kiddie 😄
Same goes for her giving him the boot imo. Back then he'd have been a good prospect from a parent's eyes, honorable war hero and all, but he was quite an ass the way he went about his investigations.. especially after requiring rescue once already 🙄
@@jackdare He was an ass 🙁
@@jackdare I have so little patience with people who do stupid things. My first inclination would be a direct attack - What the hell's going on here, while everyone is sitting in that garden room.
@@EnCryptedHorror I wonder how he made it through the war with only an injured leg!
Great story and narration!
Thanks!
Oh my goodness…this is sooo creepy, opening all those fears of the dark…wow
Another great one.
Thanks Jared. I always get excited when I find a story that has some unusual qualities to it - and then see it hasn't been widely covered anywhere else. It keeps my reading going in all different directions. (Originally I was going to just read M.R.James et al 😄)
This is excellent narration, thank you for your work, it is appreciated.
Interesting juxtaposition of political & industrial war on personhood, leaving men & women “shell-shocked” by ill VAINS and deeply, hellishly used for ill gains...
The weak and the powerful...
Thanks Evelan. Yes, there were some interesting ideas in this story.
Great story
Good one, wasn't it? Thanks Susan! 👍
Good old blighty,your voice is golden,i caught your collaboration with Tony Walker, another "syrupy voiced" narrator
A very disturbing story. I was listening at bedtime and became too unnerved to get to sleep. Very effective horror.
I come back to this story regularly to go to sleep at night. I've just read the comments and had a laugh at the animosity towards the author referring to his sweetheart as 'little girl'. Personally, I think it's lovely 😉 When you read, listen to stories or watch films from other eras, you should just enjoy them for what they are, not go metaphorically marching through the comment section like militant feminists 😂 You can't judge a story from the early 20th century by todays standards for christ sake... Take a day off from getting bloody offended and 'triggered' 🙄 and just enjoy an innocent story for what it is, a piece of harmless entertainment 😁
Hi Hannah, I couldn't agree more. I sort of understand why people might find some of the language and attitudes objectionable or even offensive in a modern context, but I would have hoped that mostly, at a remove of sometimes a hundred years or more, they could be seen as merely quaint or even a sign of how much progress has been made. The anger, though, seems misplaced. As a smarter fellow than I famously said, "The past is a foreign country..."
Hannah. Well said. I couldn't agree more. 🙏
Another great choice, Jasper. Though I loved the creepiness more than the explanation. Wonder what happened to Elsie?
Thanks Alison. I think a more modern author would have left things ambiguous. It works just as well as a story about PTSD. As you say though: great atmosphere.
We hope you are alright Jasper. You said you had a bad cold. Let us know how you are. Thinking of you
Thank you, Carol. It's too boring to go on about, but I'm just left with a persistent cough. I won't be doing any episodes in the near future because I'm supposed to be studying in the evenings and, on top of work, it just doesn't leave a great amount of spare time. If things get easier in the future and I get the urge to record again I'll upload in the usual way. Thanks for listening.
Thank You for replying Jasper. I love your unusual stories
So cool.
Thank you Rho Bot.
There doesn’t seem to have been any reason they couldn’t tell the explanation for their rules. Granted, the soldier may not have believed, but look where no explanation got them.
I think we're supposed to take their secrecy as a mix of family shame and fear of disbelief (if I recall; it's a while since I read it) but, yes, I think it's really the author needing to conceal the reason so that the plot can happen 😄.
@@15multiventure51 I’m sorry. I never even thought about that.
To be fair, anyone who reads comments before or during the story must know they're walking a tightrope...😬
Jasper i am writing this a second time it’s a thank you for your downloads for which this is to let you know that Huw Carr recommended your channel all I can say I just love your delivery of both the stories I have heard so far until I found Huw’s channel all I had was old dialogue from cbsmt otr etc i am middle aged and tv is not for me Jasper enough I will just say adieu Micky 😎F
Ps the first draft disappeared some how
Thank you, Michael. UA-cam likes to play hide 'n' seek with the comments sometimes. I got the notification though. Cheers 👌
I rate this story B+ . It would have been an A if not..
But i wont spoiler.
Narration as always excellent.
Thank you PARAPOLITICOS.And thanks for not spoiling. I suspect I share your reservations about the story.
Re~listen
may be a spoiler, although i’ve tried not to. i don’t like stories like this. I DO love the reader, however.
The most horrible part of this story is what that man did. why didn’t the author have him grabbed? it’s the worst part and my stomach hurts.
Narrators voice is Top Notch,some people were born to speak,although not my girlfriend people would pay her to do the opposite,only joking "scouts honour"
"My little girl" 🤢
So off-putting, though great story.
Wheres da new stories? Been a while.. .
Sometimes difficult to record with a full-time job and a family...but you're in luck! New story just uploaded...
Apt narration, but the constant reference to the fiancée as "little girl" drove me crazy. I was betting on the fog being an allusion/symbol for gas attacks in WW I, but nah. The story would have been more interesting if they had been.
Indeed. I share your sentiment about the ending. Sometimes we have to remember when these stories were written, and perhaps it was too early for a PTSD metaphor.
@@EnCryptedHorror For writers of horror and a woman to boot, I am sure that it was too early. I also understand that the era was even more patriarchal and condescending to women than today; hence, calling women "little girls" was acceptable. It amuses me, though, when the narrator asserts that he is a "man" at one point while refusing to see his fiancée as a woman. I wonder if this how the author saw herself!
@@EnCryptedHorror I will add that the story was published circa 1920. Wilfrid Owen wrote "Dulce et Decorum Est" at the same time. His poem starkly portrays the horrors of WW II and is a true "horror" story: however, he experienced them and died in battle. No doubt, Bessie would have had no true perspective of the horror.
@@gwendolyn2001 It may have been. There's an alternative possibility, of course, that the narrator's use of "little girl" was a conscious choice. Could this be a critique of a certain type of masculinity that leads our narrator to ignore all advice (from the matriarch, no less) and seals his fate? I compare this to E. Nesbit's "Man-Sized in Marble" which again has the man using infantalising language about his wife, but is more explicit in showing how ignoring the heeding of the female maid and the intuition of the wife leads to the final tragedy...at the hands of two resurrected rapists, no doubt.
I like to think there is often more going on in these stories than meets the eye. They certainly make for entertaining discussion and I thank you for sharing your thoughts. What do you think?
I'm mixed on this. With the scene in the hospital she seems to be perfectly describing what we would call PTSD. But I know my dad used to tell me that most returning soldiers refused to ever talk about what they'd seen and endured (so a lot of people were in the dark about the realities of the war).
"The sins of the Father"
Speaky the english much?
@@rezzer7918 What's your problem?