Episode Summary:

Welcome to Season 13 of The Wicked Library. In this episode of The Wicked Library, we dive into the depths with a haunting seafolk tale by Sabella Dziabczenko.


"How Will You Woo Her?" is a tale of haunting beauty, ravenous desire, and the terrible cost of being seen by man. Beneath the waves, Grandmother Hydra tells a cautionary tale to her brood of sea-born granddaughters—a dark fairytale from the deep, where songs can drown ships, and the soul is the cruelest curse of all.​


Credits:

Produced and Hosted: Daniel Foytik

Hosted by: Daniel Foytik


Author: Sabella Dziabczenko

Narration: Addison Peacock

Custom Score: Nico Vettese of The Inky Pawprint

Artwork: Sable Morrow

Main Theme: "The Library Awakens" Nico Vettese


Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC


FX: freesound.org


Warning:

The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it.


If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.


Special Content Warning:

As longtime listeners of The Wicked Library know, we love the older, darker fairy tales. These non-sanitized tales were meant to caution, warn, and disturb, leaving a deep, lasting impression on those who heard them—they are the original horror stories.


They never shied away from exploring the darkest depths of human nature, and tonight’s tale, while it is a modern story, follows in that tradition. Like many fairy tales, it contains elements of body horror, transformation, and unsettling themes of power, control, and obsession. There are moments of intense violence, non-consensual touch, psychological and physical trauma, and acts of unimaginable cruelty, including harm to the most innocent among us. Yet, despite its horrors, this is a compelling and powerfully terrifying tale—one that calls to the depths like a siren’s song, both haunting and irresistible—dragging you unrelentingly deeper into dark waters. Listener discretion is very strongly advised.


Get Your Copy:

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.


Production:

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC

www.9thstory.com


Audio program ©2025 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC.

The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Episode Summary: Welcome to Season 13 of The Wicked Library. In our premiere episode, we feature a tale by returning author Lindsey Goddard. "Almost Finished Business" is a darkly humorous story of revenge from beyond the grave, featuring a grudge-bearing ghost, a poodle named Marshmallow, and a haunting that's more personal than paranormal.​

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it. If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Credits:

• Author: Lindsey Goddard​
• Narration: Addison Peacock​
• Custom Score: Nico Vettese of The Inky Pawprint​
• Artwork: Jessica Green
• Main Theme: "The Library Awakens" by Nico Vettese
• Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC​

Producer and Host: Daniel Foytik​
FX: freesound.org​

Get Your Copy: The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.com​

Audio program ©2025 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC.

The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free!
Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month. Hear stories first for $5 / month.

Welcome to 2024’s Christmas Celebration. Today’s episode is the second of the series by Daniel Foytik, written and performing as Damos Vrynn.

“The Lure of the Star” Three Wizards are drawn to participate in visiting the child of a special birth.

“A Visit from Yulthar’Niklas” An ancient god – a dark figure covered in crimson –  makes his annual visit, to sow chaos.

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it.If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Produced and Hosted: Daniel Foytik
Hosted by: Daniel FoytikArtwork: Greg Shaffer
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC
FX: freesound.org

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print.  Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print.  Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.comAudio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC.  All Rights Reserved.No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free!
Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month. Hear stories first for $5 / month.

Welcome to 2024’s Christmas Celebration. Today’s tale is the first of the series by Daniel Foytik written and performing as The Dark Voice: “Ch’ill’ha-thra, Man of Snow”. Children build a snowman who comes to life with the help of ancient, dark magic. 

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it.If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Produced and Hosted: Daniel Foytik
Hosted by: Daniel FoytikArtwork: Greg Shaffer
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC
FX: freesound.org

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print.  Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print.  Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.comAudio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC.  All Rights Reserved.No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free! Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month. Hear stories first for $5 / month.

Welcome to Season 12 episode 1208.

Today’s episode features a story by Alexis Dubon: “Her Drowned Envy”. Performed by Addison Peacock, with a custom score by Nico Vettese of The Inky Pawprint.

Cataclysmic environmental change has made life difficult, and new life impossible. But one woman is determined to be a mother, willing to commit atrocities and suffer agonies if it means she has a baby to call her own. Body horror, eco-horror, and the horror of unremitting envy come together in this near-future story of a world soaked in death.

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it.If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Producers: Daniel Foytik & Meg Williams
Resident Composer & Executive Producer: Nico Vettese, at The Inky Pawprint
Hosted by: Daniel Foytik
Artwork: Greg Shaffer
Score & Incidental Music: Nico Vettese at The Inky Pawprint
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC
FX: freesound.org

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print. Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.com

Audio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free!
Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month. Hear stories first for $5 / month.

Welcome to Season 12 episode 1207.

Today, as part of a Wicked celebration of Halloween, enjoy the third of three collections of Wicked Campfire Tales.

• “The Spoiler", by Pippa Bailey. Told by Daniel Foytik.
• “The Thinning Veil", by Lee Andrew Forman. Told by Daniel Foytik.
• "From the Water", by Briana Morgan. Told by Daniel Foytik.
• “Observations Concerning the Thing that Most Definitely is Not a Cat”, by Myk Pilgrim. Told by Daniel Foytik.

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it. If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Producers: Daniel Foytik & Meg Williams
Resident Composer & Executive Producer: Nico Vettese, at The Inky Pawprint
Hosted by: Daniel Foytik
Artwork: Greg Shaffer
Score & Incidental Music: Nico Vettese at The Inky Pawprint
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC
FX: freesound.org

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print. Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.com Audio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free!
Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month.

Welcome to Season 12 episode 1206. Today, as part of a Wicked celebration of Halloween, enjoy the second of three collections of Wicked Campfire Tales.

• “Kindling”, by Christopher Long. Told by David Ault.
• “The Coffin”, by LB Waltz. Told by Daniel Foytik.
• “Slice the Thread”, by Mel. Told by Daniel Foytik.

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it. If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Producers: Daniel Foytik & Meg Williams
Resident Composer & Executive Producer: Nico Vettese, at The Inky Pawprint
Hosted by: Daniel Foytik
Artwork: Greg Shaffer
Score & Incidental Music: Nico Vettese at The Inky Pawprint
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC
FX: freesound.org

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.
Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print. Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.com Audio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free!

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month. Hear stories first for $5 / month.


Welcome to Season 12 episode 1205.Today, as part of a Wicked celebration of Halloween, enjoy the first of three collections of Wicked Campfire Tales.

1. “The Devil and Jack”, by Myk Pilgrim. Told by Daniel Foytik.
2. “For Love of The Dark Ones”, by Victoria C. Blackthorne. Told by Daniel Foytik.
3. “It Has A Way Of Messing With You Too”, by Caitlin Marceau. Told by Daniel Foytik.

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it.

If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Producers: Daniel Foytik & Meg Williams
Resident Composer & Executive Producer: Nico Vettese, at The Inky Pawprint
Hosted by: Daniel Foytik
Artwork: Greg Shaffer
Score & Incidental Music: Nico Vettese at The Inky Pawprint
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC

FX: freesound.org

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print. Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.com

Audio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free!
Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month. Hear stories first for $5 / month.

Welcome to Season 12 episode 1204.

1. “Just Another Cautionary Tale”, by Alexis Dubon. Performed by Addison Peacock, with a custom score by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams. Every bar has its regulars. Every regular has their quirks. When one woman is given the chance at a night with this bar’s most problematic stud, you can almost taste the possibilities.
2. “The Very Counterfeit of Death”, by Ken Brosky. Performed by David Ault, with a custom score by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams. A mysterious deserted island becomes home to two strangers. They can’t remember how they got there, but as time passes, they realize they know each other better than they first suspected.

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it.If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Producers: Daniel Foytik & Meg Williams
Resident Composer & Executive Producer: Nico Vettese, of We Talk of Dreams
Hosted by: Daniel Foytik
Artwork: Greg Shaffer
Score & Incidental Music: Nico Vettese
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print. Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.comAudio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.

Get these episodes ad free!
Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 / month. Hear stories first for $5 / month.

Welcome to Season 12 episode 1203. Today’s episode features a story by India McCarty: “Rose Hill”. Performed by Mary Murphy, with a custom score by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams.Josephine thought she had moved into the perfect apartment building. Everything was going great, until she got a mysterious email. Now she thinks that maybe someone’s trying to get rid of her…

Warning: The Wicked Library is a horror fiction podcast created for a mature audience. Our stories contain graphic descriptions of pain, murder, violence, blood, betrayal, and inhumanity; monsters win, people die, and hope is often shattered. There is also beauty, heart, catharsis, and raw emotion. Fear may be deeply personal, but we all share it.If at any time a story takes you to a place too dark, turn on the lights, press pause, or press stop. And always remember, that unlike in the real world, these nightmares, and your participation in them, are under your control.

Producers: Daniel Foytik & Meg Williams
Resident Composer & Executive Producer: Nico Vettese, of We Talk of Dreams
Hosted by: Daniel Foytik
Artwork: Greg Shaffer
Score & Incidental Music: Nico Vettese
Main Theme: “The Library Awakens” Nico Vettese
Final Audio Mix: Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios LLC

Get your copy of The Wicked Library Presents: 13 Wicked Tales on Kindle, or in print. Visit thewickedlibrary.com/read to get your copy today.

Get your copy of The Lift, 9 Stories of Transformation Volume One on Kindle, or in print. Visit victoriaslift.com/read to get your copy today.

The Wicked Library is created by 9th Story Studios LLC: www.9thstory.comAudio program ©2023 – 9th Story Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of 9th Story Studios LLC. The copyrights for stories are held by the respective authors.