An ex-athlete reminisces fondly about his years in a half-forgotten, strictly mid-tier baseball league, recalling the characters, the laughter, and all the other tiny pleasures of a long chapter in his fortunate life. Written and performed by Soren Narnia. Music: “All There Is” by Mateja Kojadinovic, all rights reserved. Narrator: Linda Wojtowick.  Photo by Hitoaki Koishikawa, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.

An ex-athlete reminisces fondly about his years in a half-forgotten, strictly mid-tier baseball league, recalling the characters, the laughter, and all the other tiny pleasures of a long chapter in his fortunate life. Written and performed by Soren Narnia. Music: “All There Is” by Mateja Kojadinovic, all rights reserved. Narrator: Linda Wojtowick. Photo by Hitoaki Koishikawa, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.

Little Boy Games

In this love story set in a small American town in the late 19th century, a wanderer seeking shelter from troubling memories is changed forever by the women who befriend him there. Additional narration by Amy Paonessa. Music: ‘Wooden Starlight’ by Dear Gravity ‘Better Now’ and ‘Liquid Mirror - Piano Version’ by Philip Daniel Zach ‘Landscape with Airplanes in the Rain’ by REW

In this love story set in a small American town in the late 19th century, a wanderer seeking shelter from troubling memories is changed forever by the women who befriend him there. Additional narration by Amy Paonessa. Music: ‘Wooden Starlight’ by Dear Gravity ‘Better Now’ and ‘Liquid Mirror - Piano Version’ by Philip Daniel Zach ‘Landscape with Airplanes in the Rain’ by REW

The Angle of the Light

Five movie parodies for those times when you get wistful about the closure of that discount theater you used to go to with your weird friend Sidney. The movies: Eyes Wide Shut - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - Solaris - Winter Light - Heat With Amy Paonessa, Jason Hill, Linda Wojtowick, Josh Hillinger, Cal Butera, Rich Albert, Les Lentz, and Soren Narnia. Written by Soren Narnia. Music by Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com, as follows: "Night In Venice"  Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5763-night-in-venice License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Dhaka” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3646-dhaka License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Send for the Horses” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4335-send-for-the-horses-by-kevin-macleod License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Danse of Questionable Tuning” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3603-danse-of-questionable-tuning License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Dark Walk” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3612-dark-walk License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Gregorian Chant” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3825-gregorian-chant License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Scheming Weasel (Faster Version)” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4326-scheming-weasel-faster-version License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4612-we-wish-you-a-merry-christmas License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Airport Lounge” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3347-airport-lounge License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “’Dreams Become Real” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3678-dreams-become-real License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Hiding Your Reality” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3875-hiding-your-reality License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Minima” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4054-minima License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Prelude and Action” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Satiate (Only Percussion)” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4320-satiate---only-percussion- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Tiny Fugue” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4531-tiny-fugue License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Canon in D Major” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3473-canon-in-d-major License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Easy Jam” Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3694-easy-jam License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Five movie parodies for those times when you get wistful about the closure of that discount theater you used to go to with your weird friend Sidney. The movies: Eyes Wide Shut - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - Solaris - Winter Light - Heat With Amy Paonessa, Jason Hill, Linda Wojtowick, Josh Hillinger, Cal Butera, Rich Albert, Les Lentz, and Soren Narnia. Written by Soren Narnia. Music by Kevin MacLeod, <a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>, as follows: "Night In Venice"  Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5763-night-in-venice" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5763-night-in-venice</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Dhaka” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3646-dhaka" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3646-dhaka</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Send for the Horses” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4335-send-for-the-horses-by-kevin-macleod" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4335-send-for-the-horses-by-kevin-macleod</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Danse of Questionable Tuning” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3603-danse-of-questionable-tuning" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3603-danse-of-questionable-tuning</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Dark Walk” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3612-dark-walk" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3612-dark-walk</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Gregorian Chant” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3825-gregorian-chant" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3825-gregorian-chant</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Scheming Weasel (Faster Version)” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4326-scheming-weasel-faster-version" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4326-scheming-weasel-faster-version</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4612-we-wish-you-a-merry-christmas" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4612-we-wish-you-a-merry-christmas</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Airport Lounge” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3347-airport-lounge" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3347-airport-lounge</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “’Dreams Become Real” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3678-dreams-become-real" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3678-dreams-become-real</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Hiding Your Reality” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3875-hiding-your-reality" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3875-hiding-your-reality</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Minima” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4054-minima" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4054-minima</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Prelude and Action” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Satiate (Only Percussion)” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4320-satiate---only-percussion-" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4320-satiate---only-percussion-</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Tiny Fugue” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4531-tiny-fugue" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4531-tiny-fugue</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Canon in D Major” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3473-canon-in-d-major" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3473-canon-in-d-major</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Easy Jam” Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3694-easy-jam" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3694-easy-jam</a> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

In the Realm of the Eight Dollar Soda

A cryptic family album hiding a mystery 170 years old; a lonely cemetery revealing disturbing patterns no one will acknowledge; a dreaded knock at the door on a night of deserted streets, hushed voices, and villagers cowering by candlelight. These are a few of the elements of this tale of slowly mounting dread, in which an anguished mystery writer explores the secrets of a strange and ominous town beckoning her from the past. Abridged from the novel.  Additional narration by Amy Paonessa of The Bloodlust podcast. Music: “The Sea of Nothing” by Aquartos and “The Loner” by Pete Kneser, Getty Music.

A cryptic family album hiding a mystery 170 years old; a lonely cemetery revealing disturbing patterns no one will acknowledge; a dreaded knock at the door on a night of deserted streets, hushed voices, and villagers cowering by candlelight. These are a few of the elements of this tale of slowly mounting dread, in which an anguished mystery writer explores the secrets of a strange and ominous town beckoning her from the past. Abridged from the novel.  Additional narration by Amy Paonessa of <a href="https://www.thebloodlust.net/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Bloodlust</a> podcast. Music: “The Sea of Nothing” by Aquartos and “The Loner” by Pete Kneser, Getty Music.

Town With a Tranquil Name

The year was 2007, and conditions in Bello Gardens, one of the most squalid and dangerous housing projects in America, were at their worst. Decimated by poverty, tortured by crime, and suffocated by neglect, the slum known cynically as the Joke faced a lonely, unnoticed death. When tensions in the community rose to a breaking point, the last remaining inhabitants of Bello Gardens--desperate gang members turned remorseless freedom fighters--vowed not to give up its deserted streets without a battle to the death. Tyrant, Draw Thy Sword is the fictional history of the tactical siege of the Joke, the tale of one December night when this country's troubled divide between cultures erupted in chaotic house-to-house warfare. Cast, in order of appearance: Soren Narnia - narrator Jason Hill - narrator Brian Lillie - narrator Seythe McCoy - Charles Le Beth Teddy Ray Bullard - Steven Dunkirk Sasha-Ann Simons - narrator Amy Paonessa - narrator Tausha Marshall - narrator Marcus Anderson - Herbert Le Beth Damon Alums - narrator Cherisse Rivera - narrator Savion Hays - Rod Baker Antonio King - Kojo Kendi MUSIC: Lee Rosevere, from “10 Minute Meditations,” licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial License. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere

The year was 2007, and conditions in Bello Gardens, one of the most squalid and dangerous housing projects in America, were at their worst. Decimated by poverty, tortured by crime, and suffocated by neglect, the slum known cynically as the Joke faced a lonely, unnoticed death. When tensions in the community rose to a breaking point, the last remaining inhabitants of Bello Gardens--desperate gang members turned remorseless freedom fighters--vowed not to give up its deserted streets without a battle to the death. Tyrant, Draw Thy Sword is the fictional history of the tactical siege of the Joke, the tale of one December night when this country's troubled divide between cultures erupted in chaotic house-to-house warfare. Cast, in order of appearance: Soren Narnia - narrator Jason Hill - narrator Brian Lillie - narrator Seythe McCoy - Charles Le Beth Teddy Ray Bullard - Steven Dunkirk Sasha-Ann Simons - narrator Amy Paonessa - narrator Tausha Marshall - narrator Marcus Anderson - Herbert Le Beth Damon Alums - narrator Cherisse Rivera - narrator Savion Hays - Rod Baker Antonio King - Kojo Kendi MUSIC: Lee Rosevere, from “10 Minute Meditations,” licensed under an <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution-NonCommercial License</a>. <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere</a>

Tyrant, Draw Thy Sword

For diehard romantics only, these are the letters of a reckless stargazer who turned his back on reality to lose himself in a love story whose ending seemed foretold from the beginning. Narrated by Soren Narnia and Justy Gee of the  Starless podcast. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

For diehard romantics only, these are the letters of a reckless stargazer who turned his back on reality to lose himself in a love story whose ending seemed foretold from the beginning. Narrated by Soren Narnia and Justy Gee of the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/starless-podcast/id1289014709" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Starless</a> podcast. Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking

What do you mean, you don't remember my podcast Joke Meets Ground? Here's the entire run (I would have gone much farther, but I seem to recall the audience had other ideas). Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What do you mean, you don't remember my podcast Joke Meets Ground? Here's the entire run (I would have gone much farther, but I seem to recall the audience had other ideas). Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

Joke Meets Ground

Music: “Feather Waltz” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Music: “Feather Waltz” by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/</a>

Three Stories for a Rainy Sunday Afternoon

Bride, Groom, Sunday, Forever depicts the unusual on-stage wedding of Stanley and Muriel, a ceremony filled with stunningly honest testimonials and reenactments which reveal the couple’s deepest secrets. In the space of ninety minutes they experience hilarity, embarrassment, wonder, and sadness, all with the goal of emerging from a tiny small town theater cleansed and determined enough to face the uncertain but boundless future. Narrated by Soren Narnia, with Angela Mae Johnson. Music: “Touching Story” and “Reminiscing” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “Barcarolle, Op. 60” by Francis Kleynjans Performed by Petter Albertsson  YouTube channel: 550ia Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, FreeMusicArchive.org Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 United States— CC BY 3.0 US Produced onstage by Counterweight Theatre Lab in 2021.

Bride, Groom, Sunday, Forever depicts the unusual on-stage wedding of Stanley and Muriel, a ceremony filled with stunningly honest testimonials and reenactments which reveal the couple’s deepest secrets. In the space of ninety minutes they experience hilarity, embarrassment, wonder, and sadness, all with the goal of emerging from a tiny small town theater cleansed and determined enough to face the uncertain but boundless future. Narrated by Soren Narnia, with Angela Mae Johnson. Music: “Touching Story” and “Reminiscing” by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> “Barcarolle, Op. 60” by Francis Kleynjans Performed by Petter Albertsson  YouTube channel: 550ia Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, <a href="http://FreeMusicArchive.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 United States— CC BY 3.0 US Produced onstage by Counterweight Theatre Lab in 2021.

Bride, Groom, Sunday, Forever

This is a bleak, brutish tale of dark suspense related by a narrator condemned to Hell's wintry plain. The Grip, the Speaking Stones, the Far Mountains, the Perimeter, the Lie: In describing Hell's harsh geography and customs, Nicholas Strait also describes the events and people that brought him to damnation. His search for a way out must navigate madness, addiction, and the immutable hand of death. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This is a bleak, brutish tale of dark suspense related by a narrator condemned to Hell's wintry plain. The Grip, the Speaking Stones, the Far Mountains, the Perimeter, the Lie: In describing Hell's harsh geography and customs, Nicholas Strait also describes the events and people that brought him to damnation. His search for a way out must navigate madness, addiction, and the immutable hand of death. Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

An Oral History of Hell

Works written and produced by Soren Narnia. The text of these stories is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA.  Email: songofsadbirds@aol.com      --     When I was in the fourth grade, my teacher asked me to sit next to a handicapped kid named Sean and help him along a little if I could. It wasn't easy, because he was quite slow, but I tried. When Sean got especially excited about something, or if he was told he had done something well, he would smile and shout out nonsense words. One of them I remember, which he used to shout many times over the few months I sat beside him, was "Sorinarneeya!" Again and again, it was a harmless word he used when he was happy, and seeing my puzzled expression would just make him say it once more, even more pleased than the first time: "Sorinarneeya!" For some reason that word stuck with me for years, until one day as an adult I realized how neatly and curiously it cut in half. And I thought that was so perfect, how this little gem of a thing had sprung from a bit of the absurd and a bit of the tragic. That seemed like all of life to me: momentary bits of perfection out of all the absurdity and tragedy. And amazingly, they just keep on coming. - SN

Whatever You Find Within You is a romantic comedy of both solemn longing and bumbling confusion, and the rather fine line between the two. When an unread love story by the great nineteenth century Icelandic playwright Dari Stanislad is discovered in 2011 by the brain trust of an educational institution of dubious reputation, numerous obsessed parties squabble like overstimulated chickens over its vast financial and intellectual significance. Just one problem: The play is incredibly awful, and promises benign ruin on all who dare turn its lousy pages. In no time, The Cobbleswoddler's Tale becomes a magnet for literary chaos--but on the plus side, it does bring together a pair of lonely and frustrated academics with fading dreams, wildly different opinions of romance, and a strong desire to get as far away as possible from Dick's Notch Community College.  Adapted from the novel by Soren Narnia Read by Julian McLaren Poulter Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Whatever You Find Within You is a romantic comedy of both solemn longing and bumbling confusion, and the rather fine line between the two. When an unread love story by the great nineteenth century Icelandic playwright Dari Stanislad is discovered in 2011 by the brain trust of an educational institution of dubious reputation, numerous obsessed parties squabble like overstimulated chickens over its vast financial and intellectual significance. Just one problem: The play is incredibly awful, and promises benign ruin on all who dare turn its lousy pages. In no time, The Cobbleswoddler's Tale becomes a magnet for literary chaos--but on the plus side, it does bring together a pair of lonely and frustrated academics with fading dreams, wildly different opinions of romance, and a strong desire to get as far away as possible from Dick's Notch Community College.  Adapted from the novel by Soren Narnia Read by Julian McLaren Poulter Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

Whatever You Find Within You

It's funny, the little theories you develop over the years, so random and rarely spoken. One of mine is that if any true, irrevocable harm can come to a single innocent creature on this earth, then maybe, just maybe, life itself should never have existed--nothing has ever been worth that pain, none of it, going back to the beginning of time. I suppose that from such thoughts must occasionally come stories like this one.

It's funny, the little theories you develop over the years, so random and rarely spoken. One of mine is that if any true, irrevocable harm can come to a single innocent creature on this earth, then maybe, just maybe, life itself should never have existed--nothing has ever been worth that pain, none of it, going back to the beginning of time. I suppose that from such thoughts must occasionally come stories like this one.

Objects Found in a Faraway Field

Over the course of one long day on a seemingly endless country road, a hitchhiker listens to the sad, desperate circumstances that her driver has found himself in--and becomes witness to his determined effort to free himself from a terrible trap of isolation and regret. The only weapon he has is a truly powerful one: his ever-wandering mind and its awesome ability to show him worlds no one else can see. Narration by Heidi Kole, thesubwaydiaries.com Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Over the course of one long day on a seemingly endless country road, a hitchhiker listens to the sad, desperate circumstances that her driver has found himself in--and becomes witness to his determined effort to free himself from a terrible trap of isolation and regret. The only weapon he has is a truly powerful one: his ever-wandering mind and its awesome ability to show him worlds no one else can see. Narration by Heidi Kole, <a href="http://thesubwaydiaries.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thesubwaydiaries.com</a> Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

The Tears of Sisyphus

A short and simple fable, written years ago, and one I think about whenever I feel the first chill of the season in the air. 

A short and simple fable, written years ago, and one I think about whenever I feel the first chill of the season in the air.

Toward the Close of November

You never know which one of those temporary jobs you take in your twenties on your way to a real career will provide you with the greatest memories. For the narrator of this novella, it was unexpectedly working for the Pittsburgh Design Agreement, a board game company populated by dreamers with endlessly creative designs--all brought to the world through the recklessness of a CEO who understood ambition and adventure far more than dice and cards. Those familiar with the modern board game hobby will likely get the most out of this story, but it’s a tale of friendship, laughter, and fond reminiscence for even the most anti-Monopoly of us all.

You never know which one of those temporary jobs you take in your twenties on your way to a real career will provide you with the greatest memories. For the narrator of this novella, it was unexpectedly working for the Pittsburgh Design Agreement, a board game company populated by dreamers with endlessly creative designs--all brought to the world through the recklessness of a CEO who understood ambition and adventure far more than dice and cards. Those familiar with the modern board game hobby will likely get the most out of this story, but it’s a tale of friendship, laughter, and fond reminiscence for even the most anti-Monopoly of us all.

New Players Welcome Here

The zombies rose and walked, the country went mad, and then the zombies laid down again--all without committing a single act of violence. Traveling randomly across the east with a group of close friends, the restless dreamer Lionel Gathers witnesses first-hand the nightmarish confusion that the living dead bring upon the land in this tale that is both satire and elegy. It's a story of one man's despair over his country's inability to unite in crisis, a tale of sudden, random violence and illusions of America's greatness gone askew. When the zombies rise a second time and become anything but docile, the tale becomes darker, as Lionel struggles to understand the design of a universe lost in the realm of B-horror movies--and more vivid real-life tragedies. Adapted from the novel by Soren Narnia, originally published in 2003. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The zombies rose and walked, the country went mad, and then the zombies laid down again--all without committing a single act of violence. Traveling randomly across the east with a group of close friends, the restless dreamer Lionel Gathers witnesses first-hand the nightmarish confusion that the living dead bring upon the land in this tale that is both satire and elegy. It's a story of one man's despair over his country's inability to unite in crisis, a tale of sudden, random violence and illusions of America's greatness gone askew. When the zombies rise a second time and become anything but docile, the tale becomes darker, as Lionel struggles to understand the design of a universe lost in the realm of B-horror movies--and more vivid real-life tragedies. Adapted from the novel by Soren Narnia, originally published in 2003. Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

Song of the Living Dead

This novella follows young Tobin Millane, lonely outcast and reluctant gunslinger, on his run for survival across the Kansas prairie in 1881. His desperate travels lead him and his silent partner into violent conflict with the bandits he stole from, the law enforcers who see him as nothing more than a lowly thief, and the wrath of a brutal Midwestern winter. Yet in the midst of his hopeless situation, a single ray of beauty unexpectedly touches his life. Created by a genius more famous than he will ever be and pursued by a murderer more infamous than he could ever imagine, a coveted artwork becomes Tobin's final reason to fight on. Sketch of a Bird in Flight is a fable about the nature of courage, an ode to the immortal longing within men to reach for greatness at a cost that often cannot be endured.  read by Ron Herczig Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This novella follows young Tobin Millane, lonely outcast and reluctant gunslinger, on his run for survival across the Kansas prairie in 1881. His desperate travels lead him and his silent partner into violent conflict with the bandits he stole from, the law enforcers who see him as nothing more than a lowly thief, and the wrath of a brutal Midwestern winter. Yet in the midst of his hopeless situation, a single ray of beauty unexpectedly touches his life. Created by a genius more famous than he will ever be and pursued by a murderer more infamous than he could ever imagine, a coveted artwork becomes Tobin's final reason to fight on. Sketch of a Bird in Flight is a fable about the nature of courage, an ode to the immortal longing within men to reach for greatness at a cost that often cannot be endured.  read by Ron Herczig Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

Sketch of a Bird in Flight

It is 3:13 a.m., and now the human imagination reaches out to places and yearnings that it shies away from during life's daylight hours of quiet desperation. The brief parables, random episodes, and emotional wanderings presented here act as a repository of all that can be felt and dreamed when the night is dark, the soul is alone, and our thoughts become uncaged until the first blue of dawn ends the spell. Read by Soren Narnia  End music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It is 3:13 a.m., and now the human imagination reaches out to places and yearnings that it shies away from during life's daylight hours of quiet desperation. The brief parables, random episodes, and emotional wanderings presented here act as a repository of all that can be felt and dreamed when the night is dark, the soul is alone, and our thoughts become uncaged until the first blue of dawn ends the spell. Read by Soren Narnia End music: Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>

3:13 a.m.

Loft

For seven years around the turn of the 21st century, America was enthralled by one of the most intense sporting competitions ever invented. The game of Loft demanded extraordinary precision, athleticism, and daring, rewarding only those who made a total physical and intellectual commitment. This is the story of Loft's rise, glory, and controversial disappearance from the sports landscape. Its history was defined by the efforts of two men: its enigmatic creator and its indomitable, single-minded superstar. When their dreams came into conflict, Loft took on greater meaning, reminding the world of both the heartbreak and beauty of being unable to hold onto great things forever.  Read by Olivia Berry Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  Artist David Montano created the lovely thumbnail image for this episode.  http://davidmontano.com/home.html

For seven years around the turn of the 21st century, America was enthralled by one of the most intense sporting competitions ever invented. The game of Loft demanded extraordinary precision, athleticism, and daring, rewarding only those who made a total physical and intellectual commitment. This is the story of Loft's rise, glory, and controversial disappearance from the sports landscape. Its history was defined by the efforts of two men: its enigmatic creator and its indomitable, single-minded superstar. When their dreams came into conflict, Loft took on greater meaning, reminding the world of both the heartbreak and beauty of being unable to hold onto great things forever. Read by Olivia Berry Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> Artist David Montano created the lovely thumbnail image for this episode. <a href="http://davidmontano.com/home.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://davidmontano.com/home.html</a>

When data analyst and closet comedian Calvin Tarby enrolled in depression treatment at a facility in the middle of nowhere, he was prepared to slog through six long weeks of isolation. But then he was tipped off to an unexpected perk of the program, and suddenly the barren winter fields all around him no longer held him completely captive. This is a story of unscripted travel via the kindness of strangers, and facing tough odds with a lightness of heart and a fierce spirit of adventure. Based on the book by Soren Narnia. Read by Heidi Kole, thesubwaydiaries.com Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Thumbnail sketch by Kimber Petersen

When data analyst and closet comedian Calvin Tarby enrolled in depression treatment at a facility in the middle of nowhere, he was prepared to slog through six long weeks of isolation. But then he was tipped off to an unexpected perk of the program, and suddenly the barren winter fields all around him no longer held him completely captive. This is a story of unscripted travel via the kindness of strangers, and facing tough odds with a lightness of heart and a fierce spirit of adventure. Based on the book by Soren Narnia. Read by Heidi Kole, <a href="http://thesubwaydiaries.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thesubwaydiaries.com</a> Music by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> Thumbnail sketch by Kimber Petersen

Signs Pass By

Both the narration and writing in this podcast is superb. This is by far my favorite podcast.

Bravo!

Thank you as always to a great narrator who writes the best

Gold....more gold

Those Snowy Nights You Read to Me, They'll Never Be Forgotten

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