OnRon’s Amazing Storiesthis week we have a classic science fiction story that has this humble beginning,The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the door …Does that Sound intriguing? We also review a clever book by Scott McCormick, and we have two crazy listeners stories that should send chills down your spine. We end the show with a brand new Christmas edition of Johnny Is It True? Check it out!
Featured Story – Knock
Knock by Fredric Brown is our featured story for this episode. The last man on Earth following an alien invasion becomes an exhibit in a zoo set up by the invaders to showcase the flora and fauna of the conquered planet. It is based on the short story first published by Brown in Thrilling Wonder Stories magazine, in December 1948. Our version comes from the X Minus One radio series which first aired on X Minus One on May 22, 1951
Other Stories Include– 38 Special Mystery, Rivals Frenemies Who Changed The World, How Do You Spell That Again, The Ghost Of The Abandoned Railway, Johnny Is It True – Christmas Edition, and Knock
Ron’s Amazing Stories has an upcoming podcast that will look at the Charles Dickens classic The Christmas Carol in a whole new way. If you are not familiar with the story, it is about a mean-spirited and selfish old man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates Christmas. One cold Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by ghosts to show him the error of his ways. We are going to take that classic Christmas story and turn it on its head. How are we going to do that? It will be the topic of a brand new Ghost Stories With Sylvia. Sylvia and I are going to combine real-life ghost stories with Dicken’s storytelling! I can honestly say I don’t know what will happen. I do hope that you will join us for this event. Be watching the website, Facebook and Twitter for date and time.
Now let’s talk about Charles Dickens.
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English writer. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters, including Ebenezer Scrooge, and is one the greatest novelists of the Victorian era. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at the age of 12 to work in a factory after his father was incarcerated in a debtors’ prison. After that, he began his literary career as a journalist. Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories, and non-fiction articles. He lectured and performed readings extensively, was a tireless letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children’s rights. Dickens’s literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers, a publishing phenomenon that sparked Pickwick merchandise and many spin-offs. Within a few years, Dickens had become an international celebrity, famous for his humor, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His 1843 novella A Christmas Carol remains especially popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre.
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, Hunting Demons, The Spirits of Christmas, and her latest release Days Of The Dead. All of her books are available on Amazon and you can find out more on her home page.
This Week’s Podcast: On the show this week we will play a classic OTR episode of X-Minus One. It is based on the idea that you are the last person on earth and there is a knock on the door. One of science fiction’s greatest questions is: Who is at the door? Tune in this 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 listing or find the station closest to you at this link
OnRon’s Amazing Storiesthis time we review the audiobookReady Player One, have a story about a helpful green mist, and a ghost boy who haunts a child’s bedroom. Then we will listen to a science fiction story from Robert A. Heinlein titledThe Roads Must Roll. We’ll end the show with a story about Halley’s Comet passing in 1910. So grab your favorite beverage and press that play button.
Featured Story – The Roads Must Roll
Our featured story is titledThe Roads Must Rolland was originally published in the June 1940 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It tells the story of a group of technicians working “down inside”, among the very noisy great rotors which keep the roads moving. Things go bad and the world faces not being able to transport goods, people, or anything else for that matter. Will society grind to a halt or will Larry Gaines save the day? This is a radio adaptation of the story created by X Minus One that first aired on January 4, 1956.
Other Stories Include– The Eye Of The Beholder, Ready Player One, Random O’Malley, Oak Park Ghost, The Roads Must Roll, and The Comet Tale.
Our story for this edition of These Are Your Stories comes from Orlando Florida. It first appeared in Episode #358 – The Mightiest Man. This is one of the more terrifying stories we have had over the years and It was submitted by Lizzie Martinez.
Hi Ron, My name is Lizzie. My husband has been an avid listener of your show for months and has been raving about it. So, I started listening to your podcast too. I am a little person. The only one in my family. Since I was about three or four years of age I have had the ability to see and speak to spirits. I am sensitive to their presence. Because of my experiences growing up I started investigating the paranormal and later started my own business. When I was a young girl my family lived in a small house. I had no room of my own so I had a bed in my parents’ bedroom. I saw some unexplainable things in that room at night. The first I remember is what I can only describe as the Grim Reaper.
This creature would stand near the end of my bed and just stare at me. It wore a felt-like cloak shrouding its face and arms. The thing would come nightly, but then it suddenly stopped. Something else began to come for me instead, and It was even more terrifying. It came to hurt and torment me and made sure that I couldn’t scream for help. Each time it came I would fight to free myself from its grasp. When I finally broke free I would jump into my parent’s bed and lie between them.
This new creature would watch me from the foot of the bed between the rails and glare. Looking back at it I believe it was still the Grim Reaper from before. It had transformed itself into a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little boy who had a peg leg. Yes, you read that right a peg leg. Just like a pirate.
Close your eyes and imagine a small child hearing footsteps approaching from the kitchen. With each small step, there was a loud clop that dragged upon the ceramic floor. Your heart races faster and you begin to feel almost out of breath. You hear that thing-child step down from the kitchen into the room and peek from behind the dresser that blocked the doorway’s view. That blonde-haired boy with blue eyes slowly walked around the side of the dresser and then just stood there with a smile on his face. That smile changes to a frightening and menacing smear. You want to run but there’s nowhere to go. His demeanor changes yet again. That look and that grin make you realize that something bad was going to happen. Your voice disappears. You can’t even scream to wake your parents to protect you. Then that blue-eyed boy charges at you. He removes that horrible peg leg and hits you over and over again.
I would get free. I could hear him, behind me, chasing me as I climbed in between my parents. There he would stop, stand at the end of the bed, and look through the railings swaying back and forth. We would lock eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, I would wake up and it would be morning. As each new day came I’d forget about the night. But when it was time to go to bed I’d remember why I was afraid to go to sleep. I would fight with my mom to stay up. She would think that I was just being a difficult child and send me anyway. I couldn’t find the words to explain to her what was going on.
We did eventually move up the street from that crazy little house and you would think that would have solved my ghost problems. Well, not so much, but that is another story for a different day.
Lizzie Martinez – Orlando Florida
I really don’t know what to say about this one. We have had a number of stories like this, but none has affected me quite like this. When I read it, somehow, it feels like it was happening to me. I don’t know how else to explain it. So very terrifying and it rings true. Lizzie thank you for sharing this story, it truly is amazing.
-Ron
This Week’s Podcast:
On the program this week we have a science fiction story that fits right in with today’s news. It is titled The Roads Must Roll and depicts a society dependent on the transit system of the time, and what could happen if that system were interrupted. Sound familiar? 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 listing or find the station closest to you at this link
OnRon’s Amazing Storiesthis time I guess you can say that this is our official Thanksgiving Day show. While it might be light on gobbler content since most of this show is… well normal amazing stuff. We have a review of Robert Jordan’sEye Of The World, two science fiction stories, and a Bigfoot adventure. Then we end the show with a tribute to the men and women of Plymouth Rock. So grab a turkey sandwich and enjoy the show.
Featured Story – After A Few Words
We have a story today that is… well.. different from anything we have ever had before. It could be considered “controversial” but it is too darn good to not play it. I received an email from Corey Snow of Chula Vista, California recommending it. Well, I gave it a listen, and I do not support the habit of smoking nor wish to glamorize its use, but this is a fantastic story. It is called…After a Few Words, was first published in Analog Magazine in the October 1962 edition, and is read for us by Corey.
Other Stories Include– How Did You Know, The Eye of the World, Big Foot Calling Bigfoot, After a Few Words, The Ultimate Experiment, and The Thanksgiving Tale.
Ron's Amazing Stories - The Blog 