Edgar Allan Poe is practically the godfather of macabre. This story is just an example of his writing in a way that allows the readers to be fully immersed, but deeply trouble them.

Although I didn’t enjoy the themes and plot of this one, I can recognize that his writing is impressive, intriguing, and bursting at the seams with details. There’s also something so honest about loving something so much, and being terrified that it loves you back. Terrified that you aren’t deserving of that love, so you self sabotage. That shouldn’t lead to double homicide, but it should be a clue to get some sense of self esteem or therapy.

Let me know what you think of this one! Do you like the darker themes like this one or do you prefer sci-fi or more literary fiction?

Like, Comment, or Share if you liked this episode. Goodnight!

The music for this podcast was provided by Miles Agean. Check out his album, Alpenglow, on Apple Music & Spotify.

We as a human race are always searching for more. If we’re looking for a higher power or hunt for a better way to do something - that’s not anything new. What do we do once we learn the truth about a situation or if we build a new technology? Do we hold it for ourselves or do we innately get so excited to share about it, not thinking about potential risks?

Personally, I stop and share everything I know, and then some. To have these chats with other thinkers like me, brings up new perspectives and allows me to imagine other use cases. We all have our limited perspectives started in childhood and shaped by experiences. That’s why it’s important we talk to each other and grow with each other.

In this story, the priest’s son goes on a journey to the Place of the Gods. A forbidden area near the tribe. While on his way, he runs into issues, and finally makes it there. Not knowing what to expect, he explores the space and begins to see what had happened there and how destructive it was. When he gets home, he talks to the Priest and they determine how to share (or hide) the truth. And how powerful that truth is.

I loved this one, it stands the test of time, and shows us that although we are tired of living in the age of historic events that kids might read about in school, back in 1937, they were also feeling as though the world would end. And for some, it did.

I hope you enjoy.

Like, Comment, or Share if you liked this episode. Goodnight!

The music for this podcast was provided by Miles Agean. Check out his album, Alpenglow, on Apple Music & Spotify.

Today’s episode is about a woman who’s not well. Her husband/physician, since that’s a great combination, has prescribed her rest in the countryside. It’s a beautiful house with incredible gardens and greenery - grape vines, and pathways around the property. What isn’t gorgeous however, is the musty, dirty, yellow wallpaper in the room in which she is ordered to rest.

The man she has trusted to be her husband, has isolated her in the countryside with only his sister as company. Don’t worry though, she is able to write her thoughts, feelings, and emotions onto a piece of paper (as long as no one sees her do it). This story is an intriguing take on what could happen to someone, once the isolation sets in. Once the mind starts to run. Once there is no one to turn to except a little piece of paper.

I hope you enjoy.

Like, Comment, or Share if you liked this episode. Goodnight!

The music for this podcast was provided by Miles Agean. Check out his album, Alpenglow, on Apple Music & Spotify.

This is a whimsical confession to a woman who will never read it. While trying to make the trek cross country on top of a train, the protagonist comes across many people. Some may be willing to feed him, some want him to kick rocks, and some might just stare and wait for him to move past.

In choosing this short story, I thought it would be a delightful way to shake off some of the funk from the last two. It’s lighthearted and fun instead of being dark and somewhat ominous. Unfortunately, like with all of the other stories read so far. I started thinking deeper into the story instead of letting it make me laugh and moving on.

This time I ruminated on the language used and how that language has changed over time. From Hobo, to Homeless, and later Unhoused. The usage of the word tramp back in 1907 vs its near eliminated use in 2026. The words that we no longer use in common language because they’re slurs to negatively depict certain racial groups. It’s interesting how language changes time over time, new words come into the lexicon while others fade away or get revived. It seems that as some slurs and words that evoke a negative emotion get phased out, a brand new word with the same meaning gets created. Don’t let that deter you from being kind or reaching out to someone who might need a community.

Like, Comment, or Share if you liked this episode. Goodnight!

The music for this podcast was provided by Miles Agean. Check out his album, Alpenglow, on Apple Music & Spotify.

This episode may be short and sweet, but long after recording, I began to think. I tend to ponder ideas and concepts to the point where I’ve thought it to death and I annoy myself. This rumination has deeper implications.

The biggest take away here is that there’s a man that’s tired of being poor, so he sets off to be rich, but stops to say that he’ll never make an honest penny again. Fine. I can understand someone being so tired with the idea that they have to work all day in the sun to live a good life, that they walk away and charter a new path. I can even understand building a name for yourself in a new town while being somewhat unqualified. We’ve all applied for a job where we’ve only held half of the requirements in the job description.

The main issue I take with this short story isn’t even about the story at all. It’s about the lengths people will go to in order to make money. The main character doesn’t want to be poor so he sets himself up with a fake degree to become the town physician. He builds a business and soon sets up another, a cemetery. He builds a life around a lie and starts to reap the reward of wrongdoing. He’s able to invest in the towns future, bring his parents to town, and provide for them. Everything is great until, “The Alderman declared my cemetery a public evil and decided to take it from me.” That’s when the trouble for him starts.

There are plenty of people in positions of power who aren’t as knowledgable as they tend to let on. You can count on your hands the amount of times someone who gets paid more than you is unable to open an HTML file. It’s infuriating in that case, but in the case of this story, it’s life or death. Our main character took one of the most important jobs in the town without a background in medicine and was tasked with helping everyone who needed it. If they didn’t survive, instead of giving them a place of rest, in the cemetery he owned, he sent them to a medical school to be used in lessons. He was making money off of the ailments of these people as well as making money off of the medical school, who I’m sure didn’t know where the bodies were coming from exactly.

When people in positions of power have the money to provide “credentials”, someone’s going to get hurt, and typically that someone doesn’t have the money and status to shield themselves from the fallout. This is only half of what has been living in my head after recording this episode. Unfortunately it’s the most prominent, making me draw parallels in other stories, movies, and miscellaneous content.

After you listen, let me know what you think! If you like “With Rachael” and want to hear more, subscribe to it wherever you get your podcasts.

The music for this podcast was provided by Miles Agean. Check out his album, Alpenglow, on Apple Music & Spotify.

“With Rachael” has quickly become a way for me to get to know classic authors, read their short stories, and expand my horizons when it comes to reading. What started as just a podcast to help me, and you (duh), go to sleep at night has me checking out more books from the library.

You hear the name Ray Bradbury so often when it comes to literary greats. He’s been on every high school english curriculum since the beginning of time, and now I’m understanding why. If “Asleep in Armageddon” is any indication of his work, I’m going to be really excited to read some of his novels. It’s the repetition in his writing, from the “eeeeeeee, ahhhhhhhh, oooohhhhs” to the short decisive lists Leonard writes, and the internal thoughts of a man stranded that make the whole short story intriguing. It’s almost feels as though we need just a few more pages. Just a few more pages would make the story even better.

After you listen, let me know what you think! Would you read more by Ray Bradbury? Did you like the Sherlock Holmes story better? What genre would you like to hear? If you like this podcast and want to hear more, subscribe to it wherever you get your podcasts.

The music for this podcast was provided by Miles Agean. Check out his album, Alpenglow, on Apple Music & Spotify.

You all know H.G. Wells from his exciting works like, The Invisible Man or War of the Worlds, but have you ever ventured into his other works? This short story is about a shy kid and his dad going to a Magic Shop meeting unique characters and the presence of magic in an ordinary space.

This is my first time reading anything by H.G. Wells and if any of his other work is like this, I’d be happy to explore more of the worlds he’s created for readers not only in his time but for the years to come.

Take a listen, and let me know what author or genre you’d like me to read next!

Music: Japanese Watch by Miles Agean

I’m not the most creative human being on the planet, but I do like to make up scenes in my head. I spent a lot of time reading books on the couch about far away places, things that could never happen in real life, and imaginary worlds filled with any type of living being that you could think of.

As a chronic over thinker, Sherlock Holmes brought out a world where I could overthink and it still wouldn’t be enough to understand these stories. “How did Sherlock know that? What does deduce mean? Are there people really out in the world that have the brain power to understand underlining tones, patterns, and hidden meanings? Could I?” Sherlock Holmes was always one step ahead, smarter, with more brain capacity than anyone else.

In “The Adventures of the Veiled Lodger” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle we discover Sherlock Holmes talking to a woman, Mrs. Merrilow, who has a story to tell. That story involves her tenant named, Mrs. Ronder, who’s face is extremely disfigured and hidden behind a Veil, hence the “Veiled Lodger”. Mrs. Merrilow notes that the tenant wants to talk to Holmes. While visiting Mrs. Ronder, we learn how she came to become disfigured, the tragedy within, and why she wants people to know.

It’s cliche but as I grow older, it feels as though the capacity in the brain for imagination and the willingness to read about the intangible dims. Instead of creating worlds in our heads or reading about strange places, we’re consumed with bills to pay, work drama or our overloaded schedules we keep. We’re less likely to read between the lines and dig deeper into stories, asking questions and figuring things out for ourselves. You can see a little bit of that in this episode when I speak about the motives behind Mrs. Ronder sharing her stories.

At first I was wholeheartedly in the camp of thinking she distorted the truth about what happened. The more I think about it, I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t a lie, if it was just a guilty woman clearing her conscious and trying to make sure someone knew her truth. In all reality, we may never know, but it’s fun to try to figure it out. Is she giving Holmes and Watson the full story or is she twisting it a little bit to justify her actions? No one is alive to contest her word, but if they were, would they?

What do you think?

I’ve always wanted to start a podcast, but I’ve never had the content ideas. One of my friends is a creative and he gave me some advice that he probably heard from someone else. “Create the kind of art that you’d want to listen to. What kind of podcasts do you like?” That’s how this podcast was born.

For over 10 years I’ve been listening to podcasts to fall asleep. I’ve been listening to other people talk about the social and political state of Mexico (El Club de Los 21), listened to modern takes on myths and legends (Myths & Legends), and most importantly, I listened to LeVar Burton read short stories from popular authors (LeVar Burton Reads). When LeVar ended his podcast, it left a hole in my night routine and I needed something else to fill it. “With Rachael” is an attempt to fill it. Whether no one listens to it, or 10 people listen, I will do my best to create a space where mindless scrolling is not allowed, but inserting yourself into a story is encouraged. I hope you enjoy- because I most definitely will.

x Rachael