Stories from the Borders of Sleep
Episodes
The Last Dance
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A tale of the agonies of unrequited love, and of dancing a path through sadness. Trigger warning: alcohol.
The Tree Who Walked
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What has an ancient yew tree to do when she captures a wanderlust from two passing travellers? Of course, she must go a-roving too, and find her own a...
Pillow Pillar Portals
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The new kid at school seems a bit odd, but things are about to get a whole lot stranger. As you put your head on your pillows tonight, I hope this one...
Mother Voyage
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A tired old sailing ship feels outdated and longs for rest and retirement as she sets off from the port. Her wish is unexpectedly granted but it is a ...
The Cicada Laundrette
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Night time is the time to visit the Cicada Laundrette and meet all kinds of critter characters. Enter the twilight world of washing machines and soap ...
Decorations
24 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A heartwarming magical story for the Holidays in the tradition of well-loved Yuletide tales.
The Copse
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For all the gatherers of feathers and stones and the friends of nature, a tale of healing and connection with the soul of the woodland.
The Cadillac in the Pond
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if ... someone woke up one morning to find a Cadillac in their duck pond? You need wonder no more ...
The Boat Going Home
03 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here's another sleeptime story that came from a dream. In it you will meet a special friend that I was privileged to have for a while, as well as acco...
Flea
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An artist executes an act of subversion one hot afternoon while nobody is paying very much attention.
The Guestbook
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A friendship is nurtured through a series of entries in 'The Guestbook'. Then, one day, the friends meet each other and things take a magical turn.
The Spudfellow
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The humble potato has the power to bring so much joy.
The Artisan, The Abbot and the Architect
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Three men meet one evening and not entirely by chance ... the story unfolds. Above them is the monastery and below them is the forest, each with their...
Monday Mechanical CLub
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a story about a stenography machine, and an unusual group of people who meet in a basement .... http://www.bordersofsleep.com
To Catch a Skerrid
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Magic runs in the family, so when cousin Rupert comes to spend the summer with Damson and her mother, there are magic tricks, a little transdimensiona...
The Frog and Banjo
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Neither the frog or the banjo are quite what you might think at first - a mystical pair who surprised everyone and taught a few lessons.
Sketching and Painting
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a story about an artist called Anna and a surprising discovery she makes in the autumnal woods.
Brother Savion
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One day in September, 40 years of the companionship of a forest brings a hermit to the culmination of his life cycle.
The Librarian
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You know, all this talk we are talking? It's like the sunshine and the rain. It's present or not, but when it is present it soaks and warms and disap...
Chippie and Angus
29 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's a story about a quiet girl, and I don't want to give too much away ...
Lady Isabella
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A story about an unlikely friendship that occurs on an expedition to gather chamomile.
Horseless Carriage
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Just a rather nice little trip down memory lane in later life, wherein we discover that the peacock is a magical bird ... perhaps.
Rehoming
19 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In which some fascinating things are discovered about the secret lives of plants and other living things.
Water Cure
13 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by a piece of music by Paul Morris (https://soundcloud.com/paul-morris-music-for-film) this story tells of a strange visit to an unusual shri...
Mortal Uncoil
20 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The strange last journey of an old man from this life.
Poor Butterfly
14 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Two girls get away from it all in a borrowed Studebaker, and get diverted on their way to the coast.
My Journey
23 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 36 ... a little bit of autobiography: part of the story of the inception of 'Stories from the Borders of Sleep'.
The Night of the Nipperquins
01 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Writting for the wedding of a friend, this story recounts the strangest wedding night of all time.
Hitting it Out of the Park
20 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
An episode dedicated to corporate daydreamers, opponents and proponents of boardroom bluster, meeting doodlers and anyone who has ever had to circle t...
Thrice Buried
07 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As in the King, so in the Kingdom. But how terrible, then, for the Kingdom if the King has lost the will to live...
Kalakut's Gift
01 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
This is a story about a little girl and a volcano and it's also about a grandfather and a fish, and a village and a rock ... and many other things if ...
The Jellyfarglemarsh
13 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Here we are, back after a long hiatus, kicking off a new season of fortnightly podcasts with episode 31 - a tale containing a lot of made-up words ...
Cantatur in Taberna
18 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A cautionary tale about drinking in strange taverns.
Returning Student
30 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Can there be learning without books? Can there be as much to ponder in a day of walking as in a term of studying? A student is forced to face these qu...
The Other Side of the Hedge by E.M. Forster
19 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Occasionally on this podcast, we feature the work of another author from the public domain. This week we have a short story by the marvellous E.M Fors...
Iron and Wood
22 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A woodcutter, a sailor, a lace maker, and a mysterious old woman ... sounds like a fairytale to me.
Michigan Water
05 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
It's December 1939, a hard winter in Harlem and pianist Jelly Roll Morton is plotting his return to fame. Tragically, in just over a year he would be ...
The Wisdom of Things Found
20 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
If you listen to anything, animal, vegetable or mineral, in time it will disclose some secret wisdom to you that you are obligated to share with other...
Fighting Lions
06 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to "Stories from the Borders of Sleep" Episode 24. Rome ... Romantic? Oppressive? You decide, but just be aware that strange things might happ...
The Ferryman
28 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Turpin Whittington has a few problems: an unusual name, complete deafness in his left ear and an uncontrollable tendency to get lost in fairy-land but...
The Unhappy Body by Lord Dunsany
21 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Every once in a while, we have decided to unearth a short story from the public domain and to give it the "Borders of Sleep" treatment. Here's a curio...
Moving in Mysterious Ways
22 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
What lies beyond the chess board? A few chess pieces get to find out ...
Bear Bridge
25 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A tale in which a baker gets the better of some savage bears with the help of a mysterious miller.
Subterranean
15 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Stitched together from ideas that occurred to me while out walking the dog, my ponderings on the nature of fear, a dream from a long time ago, and a m...
The Seven Legged Spider
03 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
This story does not do what it says on the tin. Not to give too much away, but: It is based on a folk tale that is still told in many variations acros...
Wild Blue Yonder
28 Oct 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Here is a deep dive into the ocean and beyond, to carry you far away in your imagination, to dream within dreams, or just to help you get to sleep ......
Beth and the Emerantil
22 Oct 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A story of a young girl who intends to become a princess by marrying a prince one day, yet in a single night she meets a strange shadow and an even st...
Tolly-pep-me
06 Oct 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A fragment of autobiographical memory, introducing one of the many creatures that inhabited my childhood.
A Tale of TwoPots
29 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Another folk tale adapted for "Stories from the Borders of Sleep" by Seymour Jacklin. If you are enjoying these stories please rate them on iTunes or ...
Between Two Tides
22 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Here is another story that is a retelling of a vivid and lengthy dream I had many years ago. A stranger is washed up on a beach, barely alive. Years l...
Clown
15 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
This is a story about ... a clown, that's about all I can say without giving the game away!
Balthazar's Chandelier
05 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 11 of Stories from the Borders of Sleep, which tells of an extraordinary day in the life of a humble servant who was trying his bes...
Swee-swee and the Cobbler
22 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
I adapted this story from one that appears in the writings of Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Christian pastor who was imprisoned by the communists for ...
Two Handkerchiefs
04 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
The latest podcast from www.bordersofsleep.com. This one is a "fairy tale" ... well ... it does have fairies in it but it may not be "happily ever aft...
The Trespassers
25 Jul 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A cautionary tale, and not for the feint of heart. This is a story about what befalls a party of revellers on their way home one night.
The Cat and The Mouse
07 Jul 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Dear Listener, Traditionally we know that cats and mice do not get on with one another - it's a cat-eat-mouse world! But here is a story that just ask...
Midsummer
23 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Three schoolboys and an idyllic midsummer evening on the river Thames, echoing in the memory forever. This is a short snapshot, the very briefest of a...
Greatness
09 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Dear Listener, What is greatness, anyway? I guess we all have a different idea of what it means to be "great". Here is a story about someone who was r...
One Stormy Night
27 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
What are archaeologists really looking for? This one is digging up his own soul. This week's story is longer than the usual Borders of Sleep fare and...
Tree and Stream
18 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
If you were water, what sort of water would you be? Would you be the water in a stream or the water in a tree? Or would you be ice or vapour? And what...
Water in the Desert
28 Mar 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a story that is a precise retelling of a dream that I had many years ago. Make of it what you will; but, for my part, I have never been able to...
The Prince and the Bird
03 Mar 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Where a prince discovers that everything in his kingdom is also in his own soul.