Dark Softly Tales
Dark Softly Tales is a weekly podcast of horror, suspense and dark fantasy stories (mostly) written, produced and narrated by Mav Skye. The podcast will host dark fiction by guest authors and occasional interviews. Eventually, we will add additional weekly episode of true tales of the supernatural and fantastic.
Part Two—Spark Your Creative Fire: A Chat about Creative Inspiration and Perserverance
This is part two of Spark Your Creative Fire. Hopefully, it is helpful to those of you out there chomping at the bit to do something creative! Lots of love to everyone. Happy holidays! I hope to be back here soon.
Spark Your Creative Fire: A Chat about Creative Inspiration and Perserverance (Part One)
I am still website building, but wanted to assure everyone I am still here and so is the podcast. I decided to take a break to share one of my current frustrations about website building and respond to questions about creativity from your emails. This is broken into two parts since it's longer chat. Stay tuned next Monday for Part Two.
Hope to be back here with stories soon!
Hope everyone is doing well.
Announcement!
Quick announcement!
The Ebony Horse, Part Fifteen ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Fourteen ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Thirteen ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Twelve ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Eleven ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Ten ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Nine ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Eight ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Seven ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Six ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Five ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Four ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Three ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part Two ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
The Ebony Horse, Part One ~ Arabian Nights, Summer Bites
Welcome to Dark Softly Tales: Arabian Nights~Summer Bites.
Our Summer Bites series centers around an unknown but dramatic and rather steampunk story called The Ebony Horse. The story features an enchanted wooden horse, an evil sage, very confused kings and, of course, love that survives the ages.
"Time dies, but never dies the fondest love for you I bear; and in your love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again."
I hope everyone enjoys the summer bites series and I'll be back again in the fall with th...
Introduction to Arabian Nights Summer Bites 2022
We kick off the 2022 Summer Bites with an introduction to Arabian Nights and the story I'll be narrating over the summer called The Ebony Horse.
Summer Bites are shorter episodes than our normal program without an intro or commentary from the host. I hope you enjoy and I'll be back with the regular program in the fall!
Music: Islamic Way by Serge Quadrado
Arabic Dawn by Zen Man
Website: www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
Neverwas of Koppleburg Hill by Mav Skye
Following in the footsteps of the Pied Piper series, I wrote my own story based off a dream I had:
Neverwas is trapped in an abusive relationship with her mother. When she meets the Pied Piper, a beautiful hero who calls to her with his silver whistle, she transforms into the very essence of beauty and freedom. She follows the Pied Piper into the forest where he shows her the deep, dark secrets of his cave. You can read this story in Three Tales to Chill Your Bones, Volume 3: Shapeshifters.
Music: Dark Streets by Ambient...
The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning
Though written several hundred years after the event, Robert Browning's poem catches the eerie mystery of when 130 children were led away by a magician over Koppleburgh hill, never to be seen again. The Pied Piper of Hemalin by Robert Browning.
Music: Mystique from pixabay.com
Website: www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
The Children of Hamelin by the Grimm Brothers
In the year 1284, a hundred and thirty children went missing from a small German town. This has been a historically documented event that actually happened. Tonight we will be straying from our regular structure. I’m going to narrate the Grimm brother’s version of The Pied Piper called The Children of Hamelin and then we we will lightly discuss the story and it's history. The following two weeks I will be narrating a Robert Brown's Poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" followed by own take on the pied piper called "Neverwas of Koppleburg Hill."
Find the Aston...
Reminder!
A quick reminder we are on break the next two weeks as I continue to put material together on the Pied Piper and for the Summer Bites series. I hope everyone has a great week!Â
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part six)
This week brings us to the conclusion of Algernon Blackwood's The Wendigo where reality and the hauntingly fantastic meet at the tipping point of sanity...
I will be taking two weeks off before we launch into the brief history and stories of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and then the summer bite series.
Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron
www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part five)
We continue on this week with part five of Algernon Blackwood's The Wendigo, where Simpson meets up with Hank and Dr. Cathcart. The two hunters struggle with Simpson’s story…trying to argue it away with logic and emotion. The mirror of reality has been shattered. And when it shatters, the mind, body and emotions struggle to put it back together again… but we all know what happened in the story of Humpty Dumpty.
Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron
www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part Four)
Simpson performs an investigation to find clues to where the guide disappeared. He makes a startling revelation when he finds not one but two sets of footprints in the snow. One set is 18 feet long, the other set obviously human...eventually the human prints disappear leaving only the monstrous prints behind. Join Dark Softly Tales in Part Four of The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.
Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron
www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part Three)
Huddled in the tiny tent amongst the smothering trees, there are not two shadows, but three...two of human form and one very distinctly not human. Join Dark Softly Tales in Part Three of The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.
Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron
www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part Two)
Hunter and guide set out by themselves deep into the heart of the vast unknown. The beauty is unfathomable, yet impersonal. Still, late into the evening, the guide catches the scent of something that has definitely taken notice...and it shakes him to his very core. This week is part two of The Wendigo by Alergnon Blackwood.
Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron
www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (Part One)
In the the wilds of Canada, an ancient evil taunts a group of hunters, creating such madness that is sure to send goose bumps down your spine and cause you to double think going out into the woods alone...
For the next few weeks, we will be reading The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.
Music: Cello in a Dream by Liron
www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
We Do Not Play on Graves by Emily Dickinson and Other Dark Poems
Last week of our improv, short episodes with dark poetry by Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe. Next week we return to our regular program with The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.
Poems in Order:
Silence is All We Dread - Emily Dickinson
We Grow Accustomed to the Dark - Emily Dickinson
We Do Not Play on Graves - Emily Dickinson
Silence by Edgar Allan Poe
Music: Dark Street by Dream Protocol
Rise Up by Rumi
This week is a lovely poem called Rise Up by Rumi. His wise words bear to witness that there is always a light within the dark. A reminder that Dark Softly Tales is creating shorter, unscripted, episodes for a few weeks. We'll be back to regular schedule at the end of April. ;-)
Music by Chillmore
Do Not Love Half Lovers by Kahlil Gibran
This week we ponder the wonderful words of Kahlil Gibran in his poem "Do Not Love Half Lovers." The next few weeks will be slightly shorter episodes as I'm helping my son with his move to Montana. Towards the end of April we will back with our regular program!
Music: Soft Ambient by Alex MakeMusic
Violet Visions by Mav Skye
Tonight’s poem called Violet Visions, is inspired by a passage I wrote in one of my books called Wanted Single Rose, and also by world events. It’s kind of a mashup of things.
Find the illustrated storybook creation of the poem on
YouTube here: https://youtu.be/vrhCabz9SJ8
www.darksoftlytalespodcast.com
www.darksoftlytales.com
Part Two-Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle
Death makes quite the entrance at Lady Neville's ball. To everyone's surprise, Death is young, beautiful and charming. So charming in fact, that Lady Neville and her guests request Death remain with them, which Death accepts... on one condition. This week's story is part two of Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle.
Music: Waiting for the Sun by Luca Fraula
Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle
Lady Neville has thrown the most wonderful parities that even the king himself has attended. Now in her old age, she wants to throw the grandest party of all…but she can’t think of who could be grander than all the nobles she has already invited in the past, and finally it comes to her…she will invite Death himself…er…herself. This week's story is part one of Come Lady Death by Peter S Beagle.
Music: Waiting for the Sun by Luca Fraula
The April Witch by Ray Bradbury
A woodland fairy decides to enter the body of a young woman to discover what it feels like to be in love. Through the ups & downs of this experience, she considers giving up her magic to become human. This story is none other than Ray Bradbury's The April Witch.
First published in 1952 by The Saturday Evening Post
Music: Facile by Kevin MacLeod
Courage
In light of current events, I decided to pause the regular programing this week and make an impromptu episode discussing courage and freedom. I recorded this on Friday, Feb 25th.
The two clips of speech is Winston Churchhill's address to Harrow School in 1941
Music: 528 Hz Morning Meditation
Lacerta by Mav Skye
A blind woman meets a mysterious man in the forest who is very coy about who he is. She bargains a potion from an old gypsy so she can finally see her lover. She does see her lover, but pays the ultimate price...
This story has appeared in a few publications including Howl: Tales of the Feral and Infernal, Best of Lame Goat Press Anthology, Cast Macabre where it was originally narrated by the wonderful Barry Northern and, finally, in my short but sweet Tales to Chill Your Bones anthology, Shapeshifters, Volume 3.
Music: Dark Romance...
Part Four—The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde
The soul and the Fisherman lead us to a surprising conclusion and give us yet another piece of the human spirit to ponder on. This isn't the Valentine's episode I was planning on, but perhaps it's the one we need... Part Four of The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde.
Music: Music: Deep Woods by Lilo Sound
Part Three—The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde
The Fisherman's soul continues its journey to a wealthy city's wondrous bazaar and meets the rich young emperor. The soul makes demands that is too great and the young emperor meets an uncertain fate. Join Dark Softly Tales as we continue this week with part three of The Fisherman and HIs Soul by Oscar Wilde.
Music: Deep Woods by Lilo Sound
