Fast Asleep with Gena Marie

"New Year's Night" by Henry Lawson

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

222 - Welcoming the New Year,  Australian-style: "They lingered awhile - arms round each other's waists... the two sweethearts of twenty years ag...

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

221 - 'Tis the season for forgiveness.  Will Sherlock Holmes find forgiveness in this adventure? (And what IS a carbuncle anyway?)

"A Stolen Christmas" by Mary Wilkins Freeman

10 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

220 - Who doesn’t love their grandma? Here’s a tender tale of a fiercely-loving one!

"The Kit-Bag" by Algernon Blackwood

03 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

219 - Charles Dickens's Scrooge is not the only character to encounter ghosts at Christmas time.  The prolific Algernon Blackwood brings us this:...

"An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Louisa May Alcott and "As a Native American I Found a Better Way . . ."

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

218 - "The crops were in, and barn, buttery, and bin were overflowing with the harvest . . . Thanksgiving was at hand, and all must be in order for th...

"The Night Before Thanksgiving" by Sarah Orne Jewett and "Wampanoag Indian Story"

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

217- A heart-warming seasonal story . . . followed by a different perspective from the Smithsonian Institute

"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury

12 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

216 - "Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth like daggers."

"Miriam" by Truman Capote

05 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

215 - Mrs. Miller: "Your mother must be insane to let a child like you wander around at all hours of the night . . ."  Miriam: "What difference d...

"The Judge's House" by Bram Stoker

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

214 - This one has it all: a stormy night, a creepy old house, and a very angry ghost.

"The Witch" and "Charles" by Shirley Jackson

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

213 - From the acclaimed author of mystery and horror, two twisted tales about tots . . .  From The Witch: "The little boy gasped and the mother ...

"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

212 - Originally intended to be a ghost story, Roald Dahl read through this piece and felt he had not "brought it off." He changed the ending (so glad...

"The Beast with Five Fingers" by W. F. Harvey, Part 2 of 2

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

211 - The conclusion: "After you spiked it through with that nail, it naturally forgot about other people and concentrated its attention on you (and) ...

"The Beast with Five Fingers" by W. F. Harvey, Part 1 of 2

01 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

210 - You were promised:  "He had just got to the top when the lights went out . . . and he heard the scuttling along the floor. . . About ten yards ...

"Escort" by Daphne du Maurier

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

209 - Escort: (noun) a person, vehicle, or group accompanying another for protection.   Ms. du Maurier provides you with the safety of an es...

"Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

208 - Honored repeatedly for her courageous writing, author Eudora Welty was never afraid to jump into the fray for the right cause.  In this episode...

"Wunderkind" Part 2 of 2 by Carson McCullers

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

207 - The conclusion for our wunderkind: "Nothing mattered much except playing music as it must be played, bringing out the thing that must be in her ...

"Wunderkind" Part 1 of 2 by Carson McCullers

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

206 - Wunderkind: a person who achieves great success at a young age.   “That was what (her teacher) had called her when, at twelve, she first came...

"The Breaking Up of the Winships" by James Thurber

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

205 - They'd had a fight, he hadn't come home, and ". . . visions of him lying in a gutter or under a table, somehow horribly mangled, haunted her . ....

"Impulse" by Conrad Aiken

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

204 - From another Pulitzer Prize winner: "And at once he was seized with a conviction that his real reason for entering the drugstore was not to get ...

"Bliss" by Katherine Mansfield

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

203 - "What can you do if . . . turning the corner of your own street, you are overcome, suddenly, by a feeling of bliss(?)"  But will the day en...

"The Clock" and "August Heat" by W. F. Harvey

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

202 - The house was supposed to be empty, but "I heard a noise. . . Whatever it was, was coming slowly down the corridor, scratching at the doors as i...

"The Phantom Coach" by Amelia B. Edwards

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

201 - From the Victorian's best supernaturalist, "I turned to the next passenger and saw - oh God, how can I describe it! - I saw that he was . . ."&n...

"Greenleaf" by Flannery O'Connor, Part 2 of 2

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

200 - You won't want to miss the gut wrenching, heartrending conclusion.

"Greenleaf" by Flannery O'Connor, Part 1 of 2

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

199 - Ms. O'Connor's story is "full of bull," the dangerous, horned kind!

"Like Mother Used to Make" and "Got a Letter from Jimmy Today" by Shirley Jackson

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

198 - Another TWO for ONE episode and this time they are from Shirley Jackson.  You're welcome!

"All Summer in a Day" and "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today you get TWO from ONE of the best, Ray Bradbury. Tuck in with that vivid imagination combined with that soothing, poetic style.

"A Diamond Guitar" by Truman Capote

25 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

196 - Prison inmates: "Nobody here can run to catch Tico. He run the fastest." The response?  "Shotguns run faster."

"Indiscretion" by Daphne du Maurier

18 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

195 - From the most beloved author of this podcast, tuck in for a "dark, sexy" tale of "the wrong word at the wrong time." 

"Skin" by Roald Dahl

12 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

194 - From an unpleasant man: a passion for art paints us a thoroughly-entertaining and prickly tale. 

"W. S." by L. P. Hartley

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

193 - The police asked . . . "if there was anyone who had a grudge against him.  'No one that I know of,' Walter said.  Hmm . . .

“Three Girls” by Joyce Carol Oates

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

192 - You will find yourself in those stacks of books. What will you do when you discover that incredibly famous woman in disguise?

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

191 - A wild dream? Or something more. This one makes all the lists!

“Day of the Butterfly” by Alice Munro

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

190 - From one of your favorite authors, isolation and the dark side of young girls . . .

“The Last Leaf” by O. Henry

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

189 - Greenwich Village is the setting for this, one of nearly 600 stories from William Sydney Porter or our friend, O. Henry.

“A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett

27 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

188 - Tuck in and let the gentleness of Maine’s coastal region carry you to the home of its most precious winged inhabitants.

“Thank You, Ma’am” and “Bodies in the Moonlight” by Langston Hughes

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

187 - Not one, but two tales from the celebrated leader of black literature, Langston Hughes. His character Luella Bates Washington Jones, with a very...

“A Horseman in the Sky” by Ambrose Bierce

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

186 - With our hearts and minds focused on our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, we present a classic tale of family torn apart by war.

“Luella Miller” by Mary Wilkins Freeman

27 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

185 - Not your traditional vampire tale.

“The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

184 - Borrowing from a Scottish ballad, Jackson presents us with a woman’s frantic hunt for her betrothed.

“The Office” by Alice Munro

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

183 - A moment from Munro’s real life? “This is the first time I ever remember taking deep breaths, consciously, for purposes of self-control. I r...

“The Thing from Another World” Part 4 by John Wood Campbell, Jr.

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

182 - The conclusion: “Garry’s blood struggled to escape the tube . . . as a dissolving imitation of Garry struggled to dodge the snake-tongue wea...

“The Thing from Another World” part 3 by John Wood Campbell, Jr.

23 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

181 - “. . . one of us two . . . one of us is a monster.”

“The Thing from Another World” Part 2 by John Wood Campbell, Jr.

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

180 - Part 2: “What in the hell do you think I am?” . . . “A monster . . . Now shut up and listen.”

“The Thing from Another World” Part 1 by John W. Campbell, Jr.

09 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

179 - Originally entitled “Who Goes There?”, here’s the classic story that led to two iconic films. Don’t miss the creak of the floorboards!

“The Star” by H. G. Wells

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

178 - For your new year: “And overhead . . . lonely and cold and livid, blazed the star of the coming doom.”

“ A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

177 - His warm holiday memories with a beloved relative will soothe and delight you!

“Barn Burning” Part 2, by William Faulkner

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

176 - “I could run on and on and never look back, never need to see his face again. Only I can’t.”

“Barn Burning” Part 1 by William Faulkner

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

175 - “. . . the element of fire spoke to some deep mainspring of his father’s being . . . as the one weapon for the preservation of integrity. . ...

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” part 2 by Joyce Carol Oates

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

174 - What’s happening to Connie? “But if you don’t come out we’re going to wait till your people come home and then . . .”

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates

14 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

173 - Arnold Friend wanted Connie to go for a ride: “I know your name and ALL about you, LOTS of things.”

“Pat Humbert’s” Part 2 by John Steinbeck

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

172 - Will you find the happy ending?

“Pat Humbert’s” Part 1 by John Steinbeck

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

171 - Hard working Pat Humbert has his whole life ahead of him, but will he know what to do with it?

“The Outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

170 - “I trembled at the thought of what might be lurking near me unseen.”

“Lost Hearts” by M.R. James

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

169 - Recently orphaned Stephen “would do well . . . to shut his bedroom window at night”. . . and to “turn the key of the door” when he went ...

“Dracula’s Guest” by Bram Stoker

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

168 - From Stoker’s own collection of short stories: “There are often dangers from snow and wolves and night.”

“Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

167 - Imagination and a savage sense of humor, what more could you want from an author?

“The Furnished Room” by O. Henry

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

166 - It is the season (finally) for a creepy tale. This one is melodramatic, very grim, and yes, ends with a twist.

“The Fly” by Katherine Mansfield

12 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

165 - No, New Zealand’s favorite author did not write a sci-fi, but you’ll want to check this out!

“The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” by Charles Perrault

05 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

164 - This version was written 100 years before the Brothers Grimm.

“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

163 - Magical Realism awaits you from Latin America’s Nobel prize-winning author.

“Taste” by Roald Dahl

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

162 - A quiet little dinner with friends, wine, and a little wager . . . what could possibly go wrong?

“A Red Dress - 1946” by Alice Munro

15 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

161- A first awkward dance in a dress that made “my breasts jut out surprisingly with mature authority . . .”

“The Greatest Man in the World” by James Thurber

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

160 - A satirical look at an American “hero” from the popular humorist.

“Big Two-Hearted River” Part 2 by Ernest Hemingway

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

159 - Fresh from war and ready to soothe his restless mind with a little fishing . . .

“Big Two Hearted River” by Ernest Hemingway, Part 1

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

158 - Finally, the peaceful healing of nature . . .

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

157 - According to Bierce, a Civil War veteran, there is NOTHING fair in love and war.

“The Stranger” by Katherine Mansfield

18 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

156 - “He couldn’t move; he couldn’t breathe. He felt all his strength flowing—“

“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” Part 4 by F. Scott Fitzgerald

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

155 - How do the wildly wealthy Washingtons end up?

“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” Part 3 by F. Scott Fitzgerald

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

154 - What made “John (sit) there open mouthed, feeling the nerves of his body twitter like so many sparrows perched upon his spinal column?”

“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” Part 2 by F. Scott Fitzgerald

11 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

153 - Fitzgerald’s fantasy continues, but not without darkness.

“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” Part 1 by F. Scott Fitzgerald

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

152 - A fabulous fairytale about the ridiculously rich . . . with a twist.

“Beware of the Dog” by Roald Dahl

27 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

151 - “. . . the small grain of doubt took root in his mind and it began to grow.”

“A Great Day” by Frank Sargeson

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

150 - “It’s going to be great day,” but there was something uncommonly strange about it.

“The Summer People” by Shirley Jackson

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

149 - “I suppose the phone wires were . . . cut.” This tale: horror, crime, or something else? You decide.

“The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

148 - Tuck in and let this Canadian Nobel Prize winner feed your brain.

“The Garden Party” Part 2 by Katherine Mansfield

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

147 - “Here she was going down the hill to where a man lay dead . . .”

“The Garden Party” Part 1 by Katherine Mansfield

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

146 - “Fancy cream puffs so soon after breakfast(?) . . . two minutes later (they) were licking their fingers with that absorbed inward look that on...

“The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

145 - One of Ireland’s gifts, a most poignant short story . . .

“The Listener” Part 3 by Algernon Blackwood

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

144 - “The full realisation that I was alone... with this nameless creature, almost within arm’s reach of him, overcame me . . .”

“The Listener” Part 2 by Algernon Blackwood

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

143- “I crept out of bed (and heard) the unmistakable sound of someone retreating stealthily . . . on his hands and knees.”

“The Listener” Part 1 by Algernon Blackwood

30 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

142 - “I noticed several people at the readers’ table staring at me and watching every movement I made “

“The Night the Bed Fell” and “The Lady on 142” by James Thurber

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

141 - America’s favorite humorist brings us the most unpleasant word ever uttered on Fast Asleep.

“The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton

23 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

140 - Here’s the famous fable with the unusual punishment, and which will it be?

“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

139 - Surviving a shipwreck led to the “crown of all Crane’s work.”

“The Storm” by Kate Chopin

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

138 - Who said the classics can’t be . . .sexy?

“The New Mother” Part 2 by Lucy Clifford

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

137 - A cautionary tale . . .

“The New Mother,” Part 1 by Lucy Clifford

08 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

136 - In honor of all mothers, even the slightly creepy ones . . .

“Dip in the Pool” by Roald Dahl

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

135 - No such thing as a bad one from this beloved author! It’s a “dip” all right.

“The End of the Party” by Graham Greene

01 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

134 - Early morning twin talk: “You are having a bad dream.” . . . I dreamed that I was dead.”

“The Door in the Wall” Part 2 by H. G. Wells

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

133 - “The door that goes into ... a beauty beyond dreaming. And I have rejected it.” Will he finally find his way back?

“The Door in the Wall” Part 1 by H.G. Wells

25 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

132 - Haunted by a magical garden. . . Will he ever find it again?

“Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs” by the Brothers Grimm

18 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

131 - Two brothers have carefully collected over two hundred oral tales for your enjoyment. Tuck in for this favorite.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “The Unicorn in the Garden” by James Thurber

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

130 - The very witty James Thurber is back with the most raucous of daydreams and more!

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Part 2

10 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

129 - Different in many ways from the 2008 film, this is just a sweet, simple story.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Part 1

04 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

128 - So very different from the 2008 film, you’ll love this in its original (1922) form.

“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Part 2

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

127 - “The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure.”

“When It Changed” by Joanna Russ

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

125 - From a “radical feminist,” a planet without men . . .

“The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

124 - Miss Chandler. . . and Linda Stewart’s parents would have gone unsuspectingly ahead . . . never aware of the possible evil lurking nearby . . ...

“A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, Part 2

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

123 - Is it possible for a small woman to hang a man?

“A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, Part 1

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

122 - Written by the reporter that covered the shocking crime . . .