I took a deep breath, charged at Henry with all my might, and CRASH! My knee gave out, and I slammed into the side table, sending a vase hurtling toward the floor. It landed with a smash, shards of glass flying everywhere, and water seeping between the rapidly wilting flower petals. I stayed put on the floor, frozen in fear. A large shadow hovered in the doorway. Papa. Papa had just come home. Papa had seen the whole incident. The shadow came toward me, and Papa came into view. “Look what you’ve done!” Papa shouted so loudly that my ears started to ring. He grabbed my shoulders, and I knew. I knew just what he was going to do… 

Hello and welcome, dear listeners, to Haunted UK Fiction – a sister podcast to The Haunted UK which features original flash fiction, short stories, and novellas with paranormal themes. All stories you will hear were written by a collection of talented writers, authors, and storytellers, both independent and professional.

To celebrate Halloween, we have decided to introduce a new concept as part of the show – Flash Fiction Fridays – some bite-sized bonus content for your spooky listening pleasure.

In today’s episode we’ll be reading Helen (Something in the Cellar) which was written by Melissa West and first released on her podcast, The Skylark Bell, as part of a collaboration with The Haunted UK Podcast back in 2022. The story is based on a real-life encounter that was relayed to a friend of mine by his father and subsequently shared with me. Melissa then took that story and rewrote it… from the perspective of the ghost itself.

We truly hope you enjoy this spine-tingling bite-sized tale. If you would like to hear more from Melissa, you can find her collection of novels and short stories on The Skylark Bell podcast, available on all major podcast platforms. Links to her website, social media and contact information can be found below:
Instagram: @theskylarkbell
Website: www.theyskylarkbell.com
Contact: [email protected]

If you have an original story that would send a chill down our spines, and you would like to submit it for review, simply send it in to [email protected]

Until next time, stay safe, and take care. 

Episode Credits:
Story by Melissa West
Narrated by Steven Holloway and Melissa West
Script prepared by Melissa West
Produced by Pink Flamingo Home Studio


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