Wilhelm Presents: Frightening Tales

Why is it that some of us can't shake the need to refrain from dangling a limb off the bed during the night... perhaps that need is there for a reason.

They say in the deep south that when the rains come down hard and God plays his drums, it may wake loved ones long since gone. And on one dark and stormy night there was a knock at the door.

There were two strong women in his life – and one of them were dead.

Billy had made concessions to give his wife her dream pool, but what would this really cost them?

A retrospective visit to the classic tales by renowned authors. In this tale author M.R. James shares arguably his best ghost story, written in 1894.

What lengths would you go through for success in your career? This weeks story examines the dark place one might be led to in an effort to get... a head.

How many of us are haunted by the life that might have been... But what happens when that haunting is no longer metaphor? A story from Sara Century's new book "A Small Light & Other Stories" available through publisher Weird Punk.

We all have our vices, our personal demons. But some demons are a little more tangible than others. *Listener Discretion is Advised horrific scenes depicted.

What happens with the unoticable is noticed? Starved for attention how far would a being go once it finally felt 'seen' This weeks story asks just such a question, in an exclusive story by Mark Wilhelm.

What happens when you peer into the mirror only to realize that something was off a little about your reflection. As though it just wasn't right.

A magician is only as good as their assistant. Sometimes the entire act hinging on the skills they possess. This dark tale was written by Katharine Widdows to a prompt from reedsy.com "Write a story about a magician who never reveals their secrets" https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/i1i78l/#comments

A seemingly normal date is interrupted by the demands of an unassuming side dish.

A recounting of the terror filled moments hunted by... something in the dark woods. A story created at the prompt provided by Reedsy.com "Start your story with an unusual sound being heard" https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/6g70s7/

Pilot Episode. An odd man with a very personal connection to the paranormal is on a hunt, shaking down hells minions for information that will help him aquire a powerful divine relic. Along the way he meets an even stranger man that seems to remain outside the perceptions of hell, a real life Nobody. Thrust together seemingly by fate the two start to try to unravel this mystery but will they do it before hells warden notices it's getting kind of empty and comes looking... for Daniel Damned!

Clarabelle and her Father are trying to make their new house a home. But Clara's unplanned roomate seems to have darker idea's for the new residents. It wouldn't be long before dark secrets would take these negotiations to a whole other level.

It was a sad and somber thing that set about one of the truly great moments for nearly any New Yorker. Henry Adams was dead, and that meant there would be a vacancy.

Special Presentation! Written in 1820 by American author Washington Irving as part of a collection of 34 essays and short stories in a volume called 'The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon'. This is the a reading of the original story of Sleepy Hollow. As this was written in 1820, what was considered proper in life back then deviates from what is considered by today's standards of proper. Keep in mind that this piece suffers from anachronism and as such is a historic look at the period. Episode Notes: There is reference to 'Chanticleer'. I myself had to look this up to figure out how to pronounce it or what it was. My research reveals it was a childrens character from a kids book of the time that was a very proud Rooster. It was as common to children then as the Cat in the Hat is today.

Trigger warning: descriptions of family violence. A Mother's love can span greater distances than the measurements of mankind, in time Darcy would learn how far a Mother would go for her little girl.

What would you give to change the things about yourself that you just don't like? What if you were approached with a miracle fix to get that perfect you? Would you leap before you look?

Lisa is having trouble getting a song out of her head... a song that only she can hear. Seemingly now the soundtrack to all the tragedy in her life. But where did it come from? And who made it?

Sprinkled throughout the snow-covered Canadian north, hidden military bases monitor the arctic circle. Their orders are not to watch for enemy threats, but to alert domestic forces should the things that makes their hunting grounds in that desolate north… move south.

The burden of guilt, given enough time, can weigh down a soul, forcing us to revisit the past... perhaps one last time. But revisiting our old haunts has been known to stir up ghosts.

We all must come to terms with those things in our lives that we fear... What happens though, when we're finally free of those shackles that nature put there for our own protection...

In the heart of summer, a house - just waiting for a family to fill its halls - sits nearly forgotten by the nearby city. That is until an unassuming couple bring with them the inherent sounds of the living. But some neighbours don't appreciate those who disturb their rest.

When I wake up, the doctor gives me the facts. She delivers them to me gently—her voice like a warm cup of water you could steep a bag of tea in. Somehow, she's made a car accident sound like a papercut, and so I decide that's what I'd like to call it from now on—a papercut.

A good magician never reveals their secrets. But, today as I lie in my deathbed, I am prepared to tell you mine... 

Nothing I had been taught in school or in social settings could have prepared me for the irrational events that unfold when you encounter a ghost. Nothing prepared me to deal with the fear and panic that inevitably comes with that, either. But that's getting ahead of my story.

The devilishly clever Clay McLeod Chapman offers up our season 3 premier tale. A moviegoer realizes that what he assumed was an ignorant parents' negligence is actually... something far more sinister.

In the Straw Doll, a dying monarch bestows a gift to the next generation, but not all gifts are so innocent. Pulling the Plug explores the weight of traveling the expanse of our universe so far from home. And the toll it weighs on the soul.

Author Brett B asks the question... does the guilt of an action sometimes reach out and tether something else to us? Perhaps the universe's need for balance is what haunts us... who's to say? 

Author Rachel Ryan takes us on a journey with an Alaskan research student and the discoveries made in nature's quiet places.

Author Wemory Charnel's tale challenges everything we've known about princesses and forests full of cute playful animals.

Author Katharine Widdows brings us an unexpected twist to a botched suicide. Trigger warning suicide.  Details: Her original story was written for the prompt "Write about a character who is trying to convince others to play a game." As seen on Reedsy prompts and presented here with her permission. https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/.

Welcome brave listeners, I'm your host Wilhelm, Tune in weekly for a new creepy tale of the paranormal. If you're brave enough.

Sometimes more than just the past can haunt us. In this beautiful tale by Katharine Widdows a family learns what secrets there are to dig up in the basement. Details: Katharine's original story was written for the prompt "Start your story with someone sharing a secret that has a big impact on everyone." As seen on Reedsy prompts and presented here with her permission. ⁠https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/xc3oac/⁠. This episode was updated in 2023 with more accurate content.

Sometimes the strings that come with gifts can lead to deadly consequences. An inheritance, in this case, introduces two brothers to a darker place they would otherwise have never found.

A mysterious force seems to be haunting Sam, it only wants her to be safe... but how far will it go to ensure that? Listen, if you're brave enough.

The focus you give your homework just might become the thing that saves your life.

(Content Advisory: Use of Expletives) Christmas eve has long been a time for reflecting and sharing. The 3 staff on hand at Duke's are about to share an unforgettable experience.

Humanity has often defiantly mimicked things that were dangerous, who would have thought that unofficially something as innocent as hide and seek started more malevolently?

Have you ever been so attuned to people that you could sense even the subtlest of changes with them... and dreaded knowing deep in your heart that something has happened to one of them? But who?

Sometimes your regular routines are interrupted by something altogether unimaginable... how would you react?

When faced with imminent doom, how will you react? will you own it proudly... or find another to take your place. Either way, the Tangled Man is coming for someone. Will it be you?

Harry has been working overtime for far to long... but has it finally blurred the lines between what is real and unreal? find out in this frightening tale by Daniel Jankowski

Learning the in's and outs of the family business can often dig up the ghosts of our family history revealing the true sacrifices a family does for one another. In this tale a man is faced with the weight of taking on the family business.

Her song is sung in local taverns... its warning clear and true. If you're not careful you'll cross paths with Gurgleplop. Balin would learn all to well what that entails.

What if the thing to be afraid of, wasn't hiding in the dark, but in among the photons of the light? On, Off shines some light on fear.

Hoping to make a good impression on his girlfriend a young man lends a hand when her little brother asks that simple question, "will you tell me a story?" Our other tale follows a man living in a world that has been over run by feral shadows, and the reflection that inherently happens when faced with oblivion. Listen now... if you're brave enough.

A drifter finds himself rolling into a part of the country that seems like it's not even part of the world. And there, he is confronted with something that could shatter everything he's come to believe. Challenging his resolve. How will he react to learn that he's found the Library of Lost souls, and who might be there waiting to meet him. Written by George Frost.

Author's Gunnar Ladd and Frances Hogg Lockow bring us this weeks 2 doses of scary. How would you react to find an entirely new addition to something you were incredibly familiar with? Only then to find the un-natural source to its creation? That's what Gunnar Ladd explores in "The Man By The Tree. Antony is a photographer in search of the perfect photo of his muse... the new tenant in his apartment building. But convincing her to be his model comes with its own dangers. Pulled from the dark corners of Frances Hogg Lockow's mind, The White Woman.

Welcome brave listeners to another episode of Frightening Tales. Todays episode titled "My New Home" was adapted from a reddit horror story written by an author simply called Mikey. Our tale follows a man who does his best to make a new start for himself only to learn that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and some deals are too good to be true.