STORIES TELLING STORIES

The final chapter of H.G. Wells 1914 novel "The War That Will End Wars" entitled "The War of the Mind."

We at STS stand with the people in Ukraine and condemn the invasion by Russian President Putin, and would like to use this episode to remind people of the stark comparisons that can already be made between this conflict and WWI - "the war to end all wars."  Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it...

Read by Eric R Hill

FEATURING

Eric R Hill & Rickshaw Tom

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EPISODE STS-501 

“Forty Yards of Naugahyde, a Girl, and a Dream”

By Phil Perlman

From Throw Momma from the Train

Written and Performed 

by Eric R. Hill

This has been the premiere episode of Season 5 of STORIES TELLING STORIES, we’re glad you’re here.  The STS network delivers high quality pop culture content from around the globe to your frontal lobe - directly into your brain-head.  The STS network of shows is available on the STORIES TELLING STORIES YouTube channel and in traditional audio format on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever podcasts are found.  STS is 100% independent with no ads or corporate sponsors cluttering up the content thanks to the generosity of our supporters.  And you can help keep it that way with a donation on PayPal or by joining the STORIES TELLING STORIES Patreon for $1 or more. If you like what you hear, please leave a review and share this episode with your family and friends so we can continue to grow the series through Season 5 and beyond.

And until next time… stay whimsical.

I’m Troy McClure. You might remember me from such Musical Comedies as “The Giving Tree Strikes Back” and “Tru-Man Group - Capote Explodey!” I’m coming to you from “beyond the grave” to ask you, the fine members of the academy, to consider me for “Best Actor in a Musical” for my career-defining role as “The Human” in “Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!” Please enjoy the following highlight reel, and I hope I pass the audition! 

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Additional Content Written by Eric R Hill

Voice Talent:  Eric R Hill, Thomas M Hunt

Read by Eric R Hill

Within the bright and colorful universe of SUPER MARIO GALAXY exists quite possibly the saddest story Nintendo has ever told... the story of a young Rosalina and Luma and their adventure across the cosmos trying to find Luma's Mama. But what they discover along the way is even more heartbreaking than you can possibly imagine...

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Here we stand at the precipice of another SPOOKTOBER season… Samhain is upon us and All Saints Day looms large with the first of November.  But Samhain… the basis for American Halloween… where did it come from?  

A long time ago, before there were computers, TV’s, cars, or electricity . . . a time when people went from one place to another by walking, or by riding a horse. A time when families gathered near the fire to stay warm as the weather turned cold. A time when children would listen to stories... stories that answered their curious questions. 

Long before people were called Christians or Pagans, a fair-skinned, dark haired clan called Celts lived on a beautiful green island. On this island, at the end of each summer harvest they would have a celebration called the Festival of Samhain. Samhain marks the end of the year, when skies darken early and the weather turns cold. They knew that some among them would not survive the winter. They would gather and build a giant bonfire; share the harvest with neighbors and talk with friends. They would wear costumes and try to tell each other’s fortunes. They danced and sang, playing all sorts of games. At the end of the celebration, they carried embers from the bonfire in a turnip to light their fireplaces at home, to help protect them during the winter.

Until… The Romans conquered the Celtic lands. The Romans combined two of their own festivals with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. One was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans honored the dead. The other honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The apple is the symbol of Pomona… bobbing for apples, anyone?

Many years later, Christianity spread to Celtic lands. The Pope replaced the Celtic festival with a religious holiday. November 1 became All-hallowmas, or All Saints’ Day. The night before, which was the night of Samhain, became All-hallows Eve, and eventually Halloween. The celebration remained similar to Samhain. They still had bonfires, costumes, parties and parades.

When Europeans came to America, they brought their Halloween traditions with them. As all the traditions of the different ethnic groups meshed, an American amalgamation appeared. Dressing up in costumes, going from house to house, and asking for food or money are customs from Ireland and England. Telling fortunes the night before Halloween by opening cabbages - and occasionally leaving them on the doorsteps came from a Scottish tradition that adopted a negative connotation as an excuse for petty crime and vandalism, dubbed “Cabbage Night” in Vermont and New Hampshire… but far less severe as the Devil’s Night arsons that would rage across Detroit in the mid 20th century...

These customs became America’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. When the Irish came to America, they found pumpkins to be more plentiful than the turnips they used for Jack-O-Lanterns. So a hollowed-out pumpkin became the American Jack-O-Lantern.  Traditions continue to morph as time passes.  In another few generations, what constitutes American Halloween may not be recognizable to those of us alive today… just as our current traditions are mere tributes to the celebrations of the past…  But not all October traditions are Games to be toyed with… This is… THE OCTOBER GAME by Ray Bradbury, closing out SPOOKTOBER 2021 on Stories Telling Stories...

People look to the stars and wonder if we are indeed alone in this universe… And the bold dare to dream as they stare out over that endless starry sea... What's beyond that sea I wonder?  Children leave their homes in search of this quest.  As they search, they are always asking questions.  What's out there? What's waiting for me?  Leaving their innocence behind, they set out on this journey and experience many life changing adventures. Countless difficulties lie in wait. Moments of despair... The lure of the razor's edge...  There's always hope, joy, meeting new friends.  They face challenges, but in the process they come to find themselves.  This is a journey.  When they have conquered a new land, yet another sea is reflected in their eyes.  What's beyond that sea?  When children become adults, they begin their own quest. 

Life is an endless journey. But a journey that does, ultimately, end...

STORY BY RYAN BRENNAMAN

NARRATION BY ERIC R. HILL

One of the most recognized tales in American folklore has Mississippi roots. The story has many names, including “The Delta Legend,” “The Deal with the Devil,” and “The Deal at the Crossroads,” among others. Yet each tells a similar story that centers on a midnight meeting between a frustrated guitarist and Satan himself

Scholars disagree over the origins of the Crossroads myth. Some maintain that the story originated in Africa, with Satan representing an African trickster deity such as the Dahomean Legba or Yoruba Eshu. This interpretation places the tale in a broader cultural context and elevates the musician to spiritual status. Other folklorists argue that the tale possesses many Western elements and reflects slavery’s impact on African American life. Regardless of its precise origins, the myth has become most associated with early twentieth-century bluesman Robert Johnson.

But take the bluesman and the Mississippi Delta out of the story, and you’re left with a familiar and repeating myth that has echoed throughout modern human history… drawing its closest western parallel to the German myth about Faust… who is a highly successful man yet is dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. 

The Faust legend has been the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical works that have recycled and reinterpreted the basic story through the ages. "Faust" and the adjective "Faustian" imply sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain.  But if you take another step back, you can see that all these Faustian myths share similar structure with the Theophilus legend, recorded in the 13th century, in which a saintly figure makes a bargain with the keeper of the infernal world, but is rescued from paying his debt to society through the mercy of the Blessed Virgin… which itself can be traced back to Saint Theophilus the Penitent or Theophilus of Adana, who was a cleric in the sixth century Church and is said to have made a deal with the Devil to gain an ecclesiastical position.   His story is significant as it is one of the oldest popular stories of a pact with the devil and was an inspiration for the Thelphilus legend, which inspired Faust legend… which in turn may have inspired the crossroads myth of the Mississippi Delta and cemented the legacy of one Robert Johnson.

Except… this explanation of western religion says nothing about the similarities existing for centuries within the previously mentioned myths stemming from African folklore... Could it be that 6th Century historians simply appropriated this piece of African cultural heritage?  It wouldn’t be the first time… or perhaps we’re digging too deep and the answer is something simpler… something more… sinister… the Devil is in the details… and perhaps we’ve been witness to the same story, the same Satan, playing the same con on unwitting men throughout all of recorded history… This is… The Man in the Black Suit… by Stephen King...

INTRODUCTION AND NARRATION BY: Eric R Hill

Hello friends… this is THE TRANQUILITY NETWORK… a product of Confectionary Industries Association… I am your neurological spirit guide on this trip through your DIGESTIVE SYSTEM... you didn’t think this was a FOOD RELATED HUMOR did you?  That’s funny…

STS SPOOKTOBER is brought to you by THE TRANQUILITY NETWORK, which is produced in collaboration with Stories Telling Stories and STS Media Group… Killing you softly at Mitlhouse Studios in Milton, Vermont… Casting around the globe to your frontal lobe wherever podcasts are found… SPOOKTOBER is also streaming on YouTube @ StoriesTellingStories.  Make sure to give us a review wherever you stream our show, we really appreciate it!  Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, give us a subscribe on YouTube, and consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive rewards starting at $1 a month or more!