On this edition of Ron’s Amazing Stories Join Ron as he takes you on a journey through the strange and unusual. From classic horror tales to modern stories of the macabre this one has something for everyone who loves a good scare.
Porter Hawkins from Liverpool, England tells his story about recent unusual events at his home. Sylvia Shults gives her thoughts on what it all means. This week’s featured story is Valse Triste from the old-time radio series, Lights Out. It’s a bizarre and controversial tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Ron also shares his thoughts on fear, reviews the audiobook Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and explores the fascinating topic of phobias in a brand new Johnny Is It True. So sit back, relax, and let Ron’s Amazing Stories transport you to a world of wonder and suspense.
Featured Story – Valse Triste
Our featured story comes from the old time radio series, Lights Out. Valse Triste is a very strange tale that borders on subject matter that could be considered controversial today. But, it is horror at its best and has the Obler twist that you won’t see coming. I really don’t know when this version aired, but It originally aired on March 3, 1938.
Other Stories Include – My Thoughts On Fear, Review -Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, The Beheading Of Sarah, Johnny Is It True – Phobias
Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.
Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.
Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.
On the podcast this week we have a story from the creative mind of Arch Obler. He was the director and producer of the OTR series Light’s Out. The story is called Valse Triste. I can’t confirm this but it appears to have been inspired by Sibelius’ “Valse triste” (Sad Waltz). Originally composed for a 1903 production of the play Kuolema (Death) by Arvid Järnefelt, the waltz captures the sense of haunting memories recollected in old age.
Our story is a horror tale where two women are faced with a madman who has to make a choice, which of them will live. It is horror at its best and has the Obler twist that you won’t see coming. I really don’t know when this version aired, but the original aired on March 3, 1938.
Also on the show this week we have more of your stories, my thoughts on the article A Journey Through the Brain’s Reaction to Fear by Marcy Arnold, A review of the audiobook Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, and a special Johnny Is It True on Phobias.
You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listings or find the station closest to you at this link
Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can.
On Ron’s Amazing Stories this week we have Ghost Stories With Sylvia. Sylvia Shults and Ron are going to dive into the realm of the supernatural with a spine-tingling first-person ghost story. Join them as they venture into the haunted Wolfen Woods in Spooksville, Arizona, in search of the hidden grave. Also, on the show we have three listener submitted stories. Future Gadgets, a fictional story sent in by Abigail Ackinsen, Tricked on Halloween, a true experience from Bonnie Hernandez, and Cold Shadow from MacSweet302. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
About Sylvia Shults: Sylvia is a Librarian, Author, and Ghost Hunter. She has spent a lifetime in the pursuit of the weird and strange. Her non-fiction works include Ghost of the Illinois River, Fractured Spirits, Fractured Souls, 44 Years in Darkness, The Spirits of Christmas, Days Of The Dead, and her latest release Grave Deeds and Dead Plots. All of her books are available on Amazon and you can find out more on her blog page.
On the Podcast – At the end of the GSWS discussion Sylvia and Ron created a prompt for Google’s Gemini. The results are below. Here is the prompt that they came up with: Write a third person ghost story on the east coast in a Victorian style mansion. Ron and Sylvia enter the home to find a table set for afternoon tea waiting for them. Spooky sounds echo through the house. The house is haunted by a clown.
The Clown Of Blackwood Manor
The rusty wrought iron gates groaned open as Ron and Sylvia steered their car up the overgrown driveway. Looming before them, shrouded in the oppressive humidity of the East Coast summer, stood Blackwood Manor. Its Victorian grandeur had faded, replaced by peeling paint, boarded windows, and an air of ominous neglect.
“Charming,” Sylvia muttered, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Ron, ever the optimist, simply chuckled and grabbed their bags.
The heavy oak door, surprisingly, swung open with a gentle push. Dust motes danced in the shafts of sunlight that pierced the gloom of the entrance hall. A thick layer of dust coated the ornate furniture and the once vibrant Persian rug. An unsettling silence hung in the air, broken only by the distant scuttling of unseen creatures.
As they ventured further into the house, a chill settled over them despite the stifling heat. They found themselves in a grand dining room, where a scene awaited them that was both bizarre and unsettling. A long, mahogany table was set for afternoon tea. Fine china cups and saucers sat beside silver teaspoons, and a three-tiered stand held an assortment of pastries that, despite the thick layer of dust, looked eerily fresh.
“This is…creepy,” Sylvia whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
Suddenly, a high-pitched giggle echoed through the room, followed by the distinct squeaking of a rubber shoe on the hardwood floor. Ron and Sylvia exchanged startled glances.
“Did you hear that?” Ron asked, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
Before Sylvia could answer, a teacup lifted from the table, seemingly of its own volition, and shattered against the wall. A cold gust of wind swept through the room, sending the remaining cups and saucers clattering.
Terror gripped them. They weren’t alone.
This art was also created using Google Gemini using the story as a prompt
As they backed away from the table, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a clown, grotesque and unsettling. Its painted smile was stretched into a nightmarish grin, its eyes two black pits in its chalk-white face. It moved with an unnatural jerkiness, its oversized shoes squeaking with every step.
Ron and Sylvia, paralyzed with fear, could only watch as the spectral clown glided towards them. It raised its hand, revealing a long, silver knife glinting in the dim light.
A scream tore from Sylvia’s throat as she turned and fled, Ron close behind. They scrambled through the house, the clown’s maniacal laughter echoing behind them. They raced down hallways, stumbling over unseen obstacles, the clown’s squeaking shoes always close behind.
Finally, they burst out of the front door and into the blinding sunlight. They didn’t stop running until they reached their car, the rusty gates clanging shut behind them like a prison door slamming shut.
As they sped away from Blackwood Manor, they could still hear the faint echo of the clown’s laughter, a chilling reminder of the horror they had encountered within its walls. They knew they would never return, and the image of the ghostly clown would forever haunt their nightmares.
Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.
Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.
Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.
On Ron’s Amazing Stories this week we have Ghost Stories With Sylvia. Sylvia and Ron are going to dive into the realm of the supernatural with a spine-tingling first-person ghost story written by Gemini. Join them as they venture into the haunted Wolfen Woods in Spooksville, Arizona, in search of the hidden grave of a miner. As they explore an abandoned cabin, they encounter a chilling presence that sends shivers down their spines. Will they uncover the secrets of Jebediah Stone’s ghost and find his long-lost gold? Tune in and prepare for a thrilling tale of mystery, horror, and the restless spirits that dwell within the shadows.
You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listings or find the station closest to you at this link
Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can.
On Ron’s Amazing Stories this week we continue The Month Of Spooky 2024 with more creepy stuff. We will visit with Emma Lynn Dowd in a new segment called Stories From The Other Side. In this chat Emma and Ron will answer the question: If you could speak to a ghost, who would it be and what would you ask? The answer will probably surprise you.
We take a historical look at the Great Pumpkin, and the classic American folklore stories The Hook and A Wisconsin Ghost Story. We have three listener-submitted stories: What happens when you become unnoticeable, or play a dangerous game of Ding Dong Ditching? Also, a tall man ruins another man from Iowa’s halloween.
About Emma Lynn Dowd: From an early age, Emma has loved her art. Over the years she has used various mediums, but none was more profound than photography. She finds inspiration wherever she goes because she keeps her eyes open for things that will make the perfect photo. Emma lives in the great state of Florida, and is our radio producer. She has been putting the podcast out on the radio for the last 6+ years!
Stories Include – The Other Day I Thought – The Great Pumpkin, Roadkill, Ding Dong Ditching, The Tall Man Who Ruined Halloween, The Hook, and A Wisconsin Ghost Story
Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.
Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.
Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.
Ron's Amazing Stories - The Blog 