Cassandra Harold is back on Unpleasant Dreams this week narrating the short story "The Dead Valley" by Ralph Adams Cram. Cram's reputation as a writer stems solely from six stories published in Black Spirits and White: A Book of Ghost Stories. "The Dead Valley" is his most well-known and frequently reprinted tale, which H.P. Lovecraft later praised for its masterful use of atmosphere and description to evoke a haunting sense of regional horror.

Content Warning: This story includes the death of a dog, which some listeners may find upsetting. Please listen with care.

"The Death Valley" was published in 1893 and is in the public domain.

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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This week on Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra Harold is on vocal rest—doctor’s orders—so we’re revisiting her first Unpleasant Dreams reading from 2023: The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs. This chilling tale is one of Jim Harold’s favorite short stories, and its haunting moral remains timeless—be careful what you wish for.

Originally published in Harper’s Monthly in 1902, The Monkey’s Paw is now in the public domain.

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget to share the show with your friends!

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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In this chilling episode of Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra brings to life Thurnley Abbey, a masterful ghost story by Perceval Landon. First published in 1908 and in the public domain, this unsettling tale follows a skeptical traveler who dismisses superstitions—until he finds himself spending the night in a cursed abbey with a horrifying secret.

Thanks for listening and please share the show!

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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In this spine-chilling episode of Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra Harold takes on the eerie tale Caterpillars by E.F. Benson, first published in 1912 and is in the public domain. A short story that twists the innocence of nature into something far more sinister. For Cassandra, this episode is a particularly unsettling one, as she has a deep fear of bugs—making the creeping horror of this story all the more real and terrifying.

Thank you for listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share the podcast!

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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On this episode of Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra reads the supernatural horror short story, The Body Snatcher by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson.

William Burke and William Hare gained notoriety for allegedly carrying out at least sixteen "anatomy murders"—murders committed for the purpose of providing fresh cadavers for medical study—over the course of roughly ten months in 1828. Their gruesome actions captured the public's imagination and made headlines, leaving a lasting impression that endured for many years. The case inspired authors like Robert Louis Stevenson, with The Body Snatcher being one of the most famous fictionalized retellings of the murders.

The Body Snatcher is in the public domain and was published in 1884.

We hope you enjoy!

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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This week Cassandra reads H.G. Wells' The Red Room. The narrator of The Red Room is a 28-year-old who doesn't believe in the supernatural. He comes to Lorraine Castle with the intention of spending the night in the Red Room, a place rumored to be haunted. As Cassandra explains it, the story "intertwines the psychological with the supernatural in a delectable way." How do you personally deal with the fear of the unknown?

Enjoy!

H.G. Wells' The Red Room was first published in 1896 and is in the public domain.

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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This week on Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra Harold takes us on a journey through the whimsical and thought-provoking short story, "A Quicksilver Cassandra" by John Kendrick Bangs. Known for his wit and satire, Bangs weaves a tale that blends fantasy with a touch of the absurd, much like the prophetess Cassandra (not our Cassandra!) herself—gifted with the power of prophecy but cursed to have no one believe her.

"A Quicksilver Cassandra" was first published in 1894 and is in the public domain. It was a part of Bangs' short story collection "The Water Ghost & Others."

If you enjoy the show, share it with friends or anyone who enjoys a good blend of literature and musings from Cassandra.

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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This week on Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra reads the eerie ghost story “Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad” by M.R. James. First published in 1904 and now in the public domain, this chilling tale is part of James’ Ghost Stories of an Antiquary collection.

The story’s title is inspired by a 1793 poem of the same name by Robert Burns, which Cassandra also reads in this episode.

Thanks for listening, and be sure to share the podcast with your friends!

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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This week on Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra Harold brings to life F. Marion Crawford’s eerie tale "The Upper Berth." In this haunting short story, the dark secrets of a haunted cabin aboard a ship unfold, as a man becomes entangled in a chilling mystery that blurs the line between the living and the dead.

"The Upper Berth" was published in 1886 and is in the public domain.

We hope you enjoy this week's reading!

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra Harold brings the eerie and unexpected world of Saki (H.H. Munro) to life with a reading of his classic short story, The Open Window. Published in 1914, Saki was known for his sharp wit and dark humor, and crafts a tale of deception and suspense that leaves the listener questioning what’s real.

"Romance at short notice was her speciality."

The Open Window was published in 1914 and is in the public domain.

Enjoy!

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Christmas Carol is perhaps the most loved classic holiday story of all time. Cassandra Harold, once again shares her narration of the full version of Ebenezer Scrooge's tale by Charles Dickens.

Did you know that while the phrase "Merry Christmas" first appeared in written form in 1536, it was Charles Dickens who helped popularize its use in Victorian society through A Christmas Carol? Did you know the term "Scrooge" came to be synonymous with a miser and was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary with this meaning in 1982?

Enjoy this super sized Christmas edition of Unpleasant Dreams.

Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Every One!

This episode includes the complete story.

A Christmas Carol  by Charles Dickens, originally published 1843 and is in the Public Domain.

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Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain:

https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain

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