Stories from the Borders of Sleep

Much to the consternation of passengers and crew, a mysterious woman is found aboard a ship, and soon nothing is quite as it seems and nobody will be the same again.

A tale of the agonies of unrequited love, and of dancing a path through sadness. Trigger warning: alcohol.

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 adventures!

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 will take you to another world. And maybe you will wake up tomorrow with a compelling urge to build a den under your desk.

A tired old sailing ship feels outdated and longs for rest and retirement as she sets off from the port.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 new chapter of life.

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 suds under the watchful eye of Mr. Aardvark.

A heartwarming magical story for the Holidays in the tradition of well-loved Yuletide tales.

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.

What if ... someone woke up one morning to find a Cadillac in their duck pond? You need wonder no more ...

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 accompanying me on a strange and wonderful journey along with another friend, somewhat mysterious.

An artist executes an act of subversion one hot afternoon while nobody is paying very much attention.

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 humble potato has the power to bring so much joy.

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 peculiar forces.

This is a story about a stenography machine, and an unusual group of people who meet in a basement .... http://www.bordersofsleep.com

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 transdimensional tomfoolery, and, of course, poetic justice. 

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.

This is a story about an artist called Anna and a surprising discovery she makes in the autumnal woods. 

One day in September, 40 years of the companionship of a forest brings a hermit to the culmination of his life cycle.

"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 disappears. Nevertheless, the nourishing effect of it lasts and shows continually."

It's a story about a quiet girl, and I don't want to give too much away ...

A story about an unlikely friendship that occurs on an expedition to gather chamomile.

Just a rather nice little trip down memory lane in later life, wherein we discover that the peacock is a magical bird ... perhaps.

In which some fascinating things are discovered about the secret lives of plants and other living things.

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 shrink. 

The strange last journey of an old man from this life.

Two girls get away from it all in a borrowed Studebaker, and get diverted on their way to the coast.

Episode 36 ... a little bit of autobiography: part of the story of the inception of 'Stories from the Borders of Sleep'.

Writting for the wedding of a friend, this story recounts the strangest wedding night of all time.

An episode dedicated to corporate daydreamers, opponents and proponents of boardroom bluster, meeting doodlers and anyone who has ever had to circle the waggons, eat their own dogfood or deploy blue-sky thinking - this is for you.

As in the King, so in the Kingdom. But how terrible, then, for the Kingdom if the King has lost the will to live...

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 you listen carefully.

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 ...

A cautionary tale about drinking in strange taverns.

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 questions on his way home for the summer.

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 Forster. Writing in the first half of the twentieth century, his romantic soul was troubled by the march of "so called" progress and his voice is still prophetic in our own times. Enjoy!

A woodcutter, a sailor, a lace maker, and a mysterious old woman ... sounds like a fairytale to me.  

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 dead.

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 others. Here is a story about a man who knew all that he knew because of what the sea brought to him.

Welcome to "Stories from the Borders of Sleep" Episode 24. Rome ... Romantic? Oppressive? You decide, but just be aware that strange things might happen if you are at a loose end in the vicinity of the Colisseum.

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 somehow he makes good.

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 curious tale originally published in 1910 by Lord Dunsany in a collection entitled A Dreamer's Tales. Enjoy!

What lies beyond the chess board? A few chess pieces get to find out ...

A tale in which a baker gets the better of some savage bears with the help of a mysterious miller.

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 more recent journey in my own soul - it kind of emerged over the course of the last week. Is there something in you that needs to be unblocked?

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 across the world. I remember hearing it as a child. usually the "take home message" is something to do with collaborating and contributing to a greater effort, but here's my take on it ...

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 ... enjoy!

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 stranger creature who shows her things no princess has ever seen.

A fragment of autobiographical memory, introducing one of the many creatures that inhabited my childhood. 

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 leave some feedback on the website: http://www.bordersofsleep.com