Send us a text Our story, “The Best Teacher at Pleasant Hill Oak Elementary,” by Anica Mrose Rissi, is a tale of an unusual teacher. One who inspires her students but has a dark secret. The teacher in the story is indeed unusual, and I wondered if there were any tales about ghostly teachers out there.…apparently not. At least I couldn’t find any stories. However, haunted elementary schools are in abundance. We'll look at three. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Halloween" "Scary Music,"...

Send us a text Our story, by author Gary Raisor, is perfect for this time of year. “The Old Black Hat” is a different take on a Christmas Icon. It’s a delightful “what if “story that offers up some dark holiday humor. Not so humorous are some of the beasties that make their appearance around the world during winter. We'll look at a few. Very carefully... Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Halloween" "Scary Music," Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltzes" Jimmy Durante: "Frosty the Snowm...

Send us a text Our story for this episode is, “Twilight Play,” by August Derleth. In the story, a young boy has an unusual friend that meets him each day at twilight. When other boys bully him, the friend becomes something more than a playmate. Something deadly. This story touches on the importance of the Hawk in native cultures. We'll also look at some native lore about these beautiful birds. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Halloween" "Scary Music," Audio Jungle: "Halloween W...

Send us a text Our story for this episode is, “Passenger,” by John Beardify. To pay off a gambling debt, a man takes the job of chauffeuring a mysterious passenger to different locales. What the passenger does once dropped off is the stuff of nightmares. Are there any Uber, Lyft or taxi drivers out there with tales of ghostly passengers? The answer is, yes, and we have a couple of stories. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Halloween" "Scary Music," Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltz...

Send us a text Our story for this episode is, “The House on 5th Avenue,” by Durbin Lee Horner. A young man goes to a family gathering to meet the relatives of his beloved. Unfortunately, there is a surprise in store even worse than Aunt Agnes’s lime-Jello-salmon truffle. As this is the week of Thanksgiving, many of you will be attending family gatherings. Some of you may be meeting a loved one’s family for the first time. No matter what, family gatherings can be a bit stressful. So, we includ...

Send us a text This week’s tale is one of true love. A love that has lasted for centuries, literally. The couple are vampires. E. Everett Evans’s story, “The Undead Die,” tells of their meeting, their transformation and their undying love. In the vein of “Interview with the Vampire,” by Anne Rice, our story raises the same question— “How much humanity do vampires retain after transformation?” If wolves, black vultures and prairie voles mate for life, why can’t the creatures of the night? Afte...

Send us a text Dollhouses…hobby, plaything or creep fest? Do dollhouse figures live their own lives separately and invisibly to those who play with them? Well, we'll look at a real dollhouse with its own ghost story. And, in our story, “Desecrated Dollhouse,” by Edgar Carmine, a dollhouse turns deadly for an obsessed collector. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Halloween" "Scary Music," Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltzes" Pro Effects Sound Library: "Evil Music Box" Narration: Robert...

Send us a text Our story for this episode is, “The Empty Drawer,” found in Chilling Morgue Stories, edited by Eve S. Evans. Ghost hunters explore an abandoned morgue, or at least they think it is abandoned. If you visited a non-abandoned morgue, you would probably county coroner. Being a coroner, at least according to the CSI TV shows, looks like a very interesting job. What is it really like? We'll take a look. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Scary Music," Audio Jungle: "Halloween ...

Send us a text Our story for this episode is, “Dead Man’s Fingers,” by Patrick Winters. In the story a Halloween dare turns deadly for some trick or treaters. A great story for the week of my high-holy day, Halloween. Like our tale, scary stories are full of the bad results of taking on a graveyard dare. We'll take a look at two “real” creepy graveyard dares. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Scary Music," "Song of Demise" Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltzes" Narration: Robert Breault P...

Send us a text On this episode, we have a story by one of my favorite authors, Paul Ernst. “The Face at Death Corner” tells the tale of a strange and terrifying face that appears at an intersection just before a deadly auto accident. The mystery is solved by one brave soul who nearly dies himself. Are there real places in the world where mysterious or ghostly faces appear repeatedly? Indeed, yes, and we have a few. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Venomous" Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltzes"&...

Send us a text This episode was previously #197, but the file only loaded halfway. So, here it is again, as episode #199, in its entirety. Our story is "The Buzzing in My Wife's Head," by Nathaniel Lewis. A young wife and mother is being driven mad by a persistent buzzing sound that only she can hear. Her husband is concerned and should be. The buzzing is in her head, but from a very different source than her imagination. This episode has a squishy insect warning. Music Fesliyan Studi...

Send us a text Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Scary Atmosphere" Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltzes" Hello, and welcome to episode #199 of After Words Paranormal. I’m your host, Shelby. Our story for this week is, “The Monkey Spoons,” by Mary Elizabeth Counselman. In the story a purchase is made at an antique store of three delightful spoons, each one topped with a carved monkey. As it turns out, the spoons are cursed, and the results are far from delightful. Want to know what nev...

Send us a text On this week's episode, we tag along with a new ER doctor on his first night at a new job. The story, by Blair Daniels is entitled, “There is Something Wrong With this Hospital,” and that might give you a clue as to the kind of night the doctor has. We’ve had some “haunted hospital stories” in past episodes…but what the heck, let’s read some more!! Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Dark Winds" Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltzes" Mavis Staples: "You Need That True Religion" ...

Send us a text On this episode, we’ll dive deep (literally) into the graves in an old cemetery. In “Grave Danger,” by Devin Cabrera, a bullied boy is trapped in a grave and finds something much more sinister than worms and dirt clods. We’ve explored burial practices and haunted cemeteries, so let's find something new. What about those who take care of a cemetery? I wonder what it would be like to be a sexton? Listen in and find out! Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost," "Song of the Siren" Audio...

Send us a text On this episode we will climb the steps to the top of a great tower. The main character thinks he’s going to get a good night’s sleep, but what resides in the tower has other ideas. The mere thought of a tower seems to invoke ghostly images whirling around it. Perhaps there is a ghostly maiden waiting for a rescuer that never came. A good old creepy tower is a great setting for hauntings both fictional and real. There are many haunted towers around the world, and we'll take a l...

Send us a text Our story for this episode is, “Me and My Shadow,” by Sandra Cook. A kind schoolteacher reaches out to a lonely girl with an imaginary friend. At first passed off as a childhood fantasy, she discovers that the friend is very real and very deadly. Are there other stories of imaginary friends who turned out to be not so imaginary? Oh, yeah. And they’re creepy. We'll share a few. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost Stories," "Journey of Demise" Audio Jungle: "Halloween Waltzes" R...

Send us a text Ouija boards, a good way to communicate with the dead, or an open portal to evil? In our story, a curious young lady finds out it’s the latter. Ouija boards are a hot topic of debate in the paranormal investigation community. Some say that only bad things come of using one; that a door is opened to the dark side, and nothing good can come of it. Join us for this ghoulish story and a brief history of Ouija boards. Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost Stories," "Journey of Demise...

Send us a text This is the time of year for planting. Small gardens are cropping up all over my neighborhood. One of my favorite things to plant is pumpkins. I love the beautiful pumpkin blossoms and having a Halloween Jack-o-lantern that was grown in my own yard. In our story, “The World’s Biggest Pumpkin,” by Nathaniel Lewis, a man from the Guinness Book of World Records is out on a farm to measure and weigh a likely winner in the pumpkin category. Unfortunately, he also discovers what has ...

Send us a text Any runners out there? Ever seen anything unexplainable on your daily jog? In our story, “Keep Running,” by Renata Pavrey, a marathon runner finds himself suddenly running for his life along with the finish line. I checked to see if there were any real stories from joggers, and there were several, including an urban legend involving ghostly jogger. So put on your jogging shoes and let's go for a run! Music Fesliyan Studios: "Ghost Stories," Audio Jungle: "Hallowee...

Send us a text Ready for a dark and disturbing castle? Well, we’ve got a good one for you. “The Dark Castle,” by Marion Brandon, definitely delivers. Two travelers caught in a dark and stormy night find shelter inside an old castle. The castle is creepy, but what they really need to fear is their hostess. The story takes place in Romania, and although we have touched on vampire legends in some of the other podcasts, I thought it might be fun to look at some other legends of the area. So, ve v...