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A Halloween episode with two stories from the master of Gothic horror, Edgar Allan Poe. Adapted by the Weisers from "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe

A professor checks in to a rundown hotel for a long vacation and becomes obsessed with another resident - a pale man who moves from room to room. Adapted by the Weisers from "The Pale Man" by Julius Long -- The shop: https://shop.bardic.fm -- Music: "Andelo" by Blue Dot Sessions "Velda Tallow" by Blue Dot Sessions Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder

Lester’s work has killed trillions, making way for humanity’s march across the galaxy. But, after a trip off-world and witnessing a dead planet firsthand, he’s now changed. Lester wants out. Will the government release their best scientist and, more importantly, did Lester even return from the wastes? -- The new site: https://fictional.fm -- The next story: A man goes to a country hotel for his summer break away from his teaching job. But, as the days wear on, is this dilapidated hotel and its guests all that they seem? And who is that quiet, pale stranger that is watching our protagonist from down the hall?

A man comes to Sherlock Holmes with a development: he's making a lot of extra money each week solely because he has fiery red hair. For the famed detective, this is terrible news. -- Check out the new site: https://fictional.fm -- Music: "Vienna Beat" by Blue Dot Sessions "Evidence" by Raphael Costa "In the Box" by Blue Dot Sessions Theme song by Breakmaster Cylinder Adapted from "The Red-Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (link if you want: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1661/1661-h/1661-h.htm#chap02)

Four men took part in the ruining of one life. Their reckoning is at hand. It all ends here. -- Sponsors: Bombas: Not only is it fun to say, but they are the most comfortable socks ever seriously if your feet could thank you they would. Go to http://www.Bombas.com/fictional and use the code FICTIONAL to get 20% off your first order. KiwiCo: KiwiCo creates super cool, hands-on projects for kids that make learning about science, technology, engineering, art, and math fun! To try them for free, go to http://kiwico.com/fictional Tilted: Check out Tilted, an awesome new podcast from Lean In: https://leanin.org/tilted-a-lean-in-podcast -- Music: "The Dark Glow of the Mountains" by Chris Zabriskie "The 49th Street Galleria" by Chris Zabriskie "Darkling Skies" by Jelsonic "Blue Blanket" by Podington Bear "Box Canyon" by Podington Bear "Minor Islands" by Podington Bear "Reckoning" by Podington Bear "The Things we Save" by Podington Bear "The Last Whale" by Jelsonic "Leave the TV on" by Blue Dot Sessions "Lonely Stairwell" by Blue Dot Sessions "House of Grendal" by Blue Dot Sessions

The Count of Monte Cristo moves his pieces into place. His revenge is at hand. -- Sponsors: Hello Fresh: For a super-easy, super-delicious weeknight meal, check out Hello Fresh. Go to http://hellofresh/fictional60 and use the code FICTIONAL60 KiwiCo: KiwiCo creates super cool, hands-on projects for kids that make learning about science, technology, engineering, art, and math fun! To try them for free, go to http://kiwico.com/fictional -- Music: "All Out" by Podington Bear "Bambi" by Podington Bear "Bare Shoulders" by Podington Bear "He Went Away" by Podington Bear "KeoKeo" by Blue Dot Sessions "Robot Park" by Podington Bear "Pretty Simple" by Podington Bear "Relay 7" by Blue Dot Sessions "Solan" by Podington Bear

  When we last left Edmond Dantes, he was sailing off into the sunset after rescuing one of the only friends he has left. Today's story begins 13 years later, after he's been transforming himself into the count of Monte Cristo, an enigmatic and ruthless nobleman who is heading to Paris to bring justice on the people who destroyed his life.    -- Sponsors: KiwiCo creates super cool, hands-on projects for kids that make learning about science, technology, engineering, art, and math fun! To try them for free, go to http://kiwico.com/fictional   Audible Originals: Get your first audiobook free and choose two titles from a curated list of Audible Originals when you try Audible for 30 days. Go to http://audible.com/fictional or text FICTIONAL to 500-500    -- Music: "Cylinder Eight" by Chris Zabriskie "Solemn Oath" by Podington Bear "Rapids" by Blue Dot Sessions "Little Door" by Podington Bear "There's Probably No Time" by Chris Zabriskie "John Stockton Slow Drag" by Chris Zabriskie "Topslides" by Blue Dot Sessions "Stellar's Jay" by Chad Crouch "Lemon and Melon" by Blue Dot Sessions  

All the pieces are in place. Everyone responsible for Prospero's exile is on the island. His island. It's time to take back what's his. -- Sponsors: Wolverine: The Long Night. Check this fantastic scripted podcast at https://www.wolverinepodcast.com/ Bombas: Not only is it fun to say, but they are the most comfortable socks ever seriously if your feet could thank you they would. Go to http://www.Bombas.com/fictional and use the code FICTIONAL to get 20% off your first order. Check out Steal the Stars, an awesome sci-fi podcast, at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steal-the-stars/id1259505930 -- Music: "Roundpine" by Blue Dot Sessions "John Stockton Slow Drag" by Chris Zabriskie "Cylinder Seven" by Chris Zabriskie "Undercover Vampire Policeman" by Chris Zabriskie  

Prospero can't remember the last time he slept. He can't remember the last time he saw his daughter or even how old she is. He has been working on one singular task for decades, and now he's nearly there. He's on the precipice of the greatest discovery of all time... ...and then someone kicks in the door. They're coming for him. -- Sponsors: The Great American Read starts September 11th at 8/7 Central on PBS. Check it out and vote here: https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/home/ Casper, seriously, is the most comfortable mattress I've ever used. You can try it out 100 nights risk free by going to http://www.casper.com/fictional (code FICTIONAL) and getting $50 off select mattresses. -- Music: "Ervira" by Blue Dot Sessions "Great Egret" by Chad Crouch "Greyleaf Willow" by Blue Dot Sessions "Vik Fenceta" by Blue Dot Sessions "Hickory Shed" by Blue Dot Sessions "A1 Rogue" by Podington Bear "Refraction" by Podington Bear "Myrian" by Blue Dot Sessions

Dracula has already claimed his first victim, and she is working on many more. Soon, the British Isles and then the rest of civilization will be one of two things: hunter or hunted. The few that Dracula chooses to turn will feed on the rest, and no one within 1000 miles of him knows it's coming. No one, that is, except for an unlikely alliance of people that will stop at nothing to put Dracula's reign to an end before it starts. -- Sponsors: Bombas - seriously, the most comfortable socks in the history of feet. And that's a long history. Go to http://www.bombas.com/fictional and use the code FICTIONAL to get 20% off your first order. The Great American Read starts September 11th at 8/7 Central on PBS. Check it out and vote here: https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/home/ -- Vampire folklore on Myths and Legends: https://www.mythpodcast.com/4281/50-dracula-bad-blood/ The book I mentioned: http://a.co/d/fV8l8Gd  -- Music: "Residual Anxieties" by Ketsa "Cicle Gerano" by Blue Dot Sessions "Velvet Ladder" by Blue Dot Sessions "Thule Racer" by Blue Dot Sessions  

Mina is distraught. Her friend is sick, hit by a strange and sudden anemia the day a ship came into port from the other side of the world - some province in Romania known as Transylvania. Worse, Jonathan, her fiancee, hasn't returned yet. He had gone to visit a nobleman on the continent, and he was now a month overdue. Mina wasn't the only one with problems, though. At the mental institution, a heartbroken doctor has a patient come in with a dark secret...and a sinister appetite. -- Sponsors: RXBars: Not only delicious for you, but kids love them too. They're the perfect after school snack. Go to http://www.rxbar.com/fictional and use the promo code FICTIONAL for 25% off your first order. Hello Fresh: For $20 off your first 3 boxes, visit http://www.HelloFresh.com/FICTIONAL60 and enter code FICTIONAL60 -- Music: "Serial Killer" by John Bartmann "Thin Passage" by Blue Dot Sessions "I Should have been More Human" by Chris Zabriskie "What does Anybody Know about Anything?" by Chris Zabriskie "Gadwall" by Chad Crouch "Doubled" by Blue Dot Sessions "Tender Moment" by John Bartmann "Pieces" by Blue Dot Sessions "Floor Shine" by Blue Dot Sessions

Jonathan Harker is on a work trip, which means new and bizzare foods, people with interesting stories, and a meeting with a count that people seriously will not stop warning him about. He doesn't see what the fuss is about. It's just an old guy with a handlebar mustache who lives in the woods in a creepy castle surrounded by wolves. What could go wrong? -- Sponsor: Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic company that sends you everything you need to easily cook delicious meals that you can feel good about. For fifty dollars off your first box of Green Chef, go to http://greenchef.us/fictional -- Music: “The Caspian Sea” by Blue Dot Sessions “Veins of Silver” by Blue Dot Sessions “Morning Too Soon” by Ketsa “Can I Play” by Ketsa “Cicle Vascule” by Blue Dot Sessions “Good Evening Melancholy” by Ketsa “March on Gumdrop Field” by Blue Dot Sessions

Irene Adler. She's in one story, but she left such a permanent, indellible mark on Sherlock Holmes that he will now and forever refer to her as THE woman. Sherlock receives two visits in one night. One is expected: royalty with a problem that could alter the history of Europe. The other is a surprise: Watson, who's well on his way to a dad bod. -- Sponsor: Check out Levar Burton reads. If you like stories (and, I mean, c'mon, I hope you do) then you can't go wrong with Levar Burton Reads. Look for it wherever you get your podcasts. -- Music: The Gall” by Podington Bear “Elephants On Parade” by Podington Bear “The Confrontation” by Podington Bear “PC Plodder” by Ketsa “Catharcism” by Ketsa “Buzzy Minuet” by Chad Crouch

In an alternate future, it's 1981 and the UN allies have been at war with the Soviet Union for six years. In that short amount of time, the world has been reduced to an irradiated husk of itself. Standing victorious over a fallen world, the Soviets unexpectedly find themselves overwhelmed by a new technology developed by the Allies. A technology that will turn the tide of the war. One that will harbor a deep secret. -- Sponsor: Check out http://www.nutrafol.com and use code FICTIONAL at checkout to start taking control of your hair health and to get your first month's supply for $10 with a subscription -- Music: “Son of the Widow” by Ketsa   “Better Way” by Kai Engel   “Soli” by Kai Engel   “Oneiri” by Kai Engel   “Passages” by Kai Engel   “Somnolence” by Kai Engel   “Daemones” by Kai Engel   “Scalloped” by Blue Dot Sessions   “Uncertain Ground” by Blue Dot Sessions   “Dangerous Swing” by Blue Dot Sessions “Holo” by Blue Dot Sessions

On the season 2 finale, Victor Frankenstein's creation is responsible for two deaths, but Victor fears that the body count isn't close to being finished. The battle between creator and creation will stretch over multiple continents, destroying lives and bringing up questions of our responsibility toward our creations, arrogance, and what it means to live a good life.  !!! We're up for a Webby People's Voice award! If you're going to vote, we ask that you please vote for Myths and Legends. It is tied for 2nd and has a better chance of winning. Go to http://wbby.co/pod-writ to cast your vote! Thanks! !!! --- Sponsor: Away travel! It's my favorite suitcase, and right now you can get $20 off your suitcase at http://www.awaytravel.com/fictional. --- Music: "Two Boys and a Girl" by Podington Bear "Darklit Carpet" by Blue Dot Sessions "Bare Shoulders" by Blue Dot Sessions "Relay 7" by Blue Dot Sessions "Our Fingers Cold" by Blue Dot Sessions "Spot Peter" by Blue Dot Sessions "Stillness" by Blue Dot Sessions "Solemn Application" by Blue Dot Sessions "Tessalit" by Blue Dot Sessions "March on Gumdrop Field" by Blue Dot Sessions

A lurching green monster that's afraid of fire with bolts in his neck. A hunchback assistant named Igor. A menacing, mustache twirling doctor. None of those things are in this episode. Instead, we have an eight-foot-tall introspective giant, a thoughtful, if dangerously ambitious child who doesn't understand the enormity of the task he's undertaking, and a world that's not ready for the consequences of one young man's thoughtless genius. -- Fan of the show? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts! http://apple.fictional.fm -- Music: "Anxiety" by Kai Engel "Plate Grayscale" by Blue Dot Sessions "Delirium" by Kai Engel "Morbid Imagination" by Kai Engel "A Catalog of Seasons" by Blue Dot Sessions "Tolls Folly" by Blue Dot Sessions

A couple in early 1800s Louisiana is headed home when they spot something unusual by a pillar, something that will change their lives, and the lives of the most powerful family in town, forever. -- Sponsor: You have to check out Masterclass. You can learn from professionally produced videos of people who are (literally) the best in the world at their craft. Try the All-Access pass at http://www.masterclass.com/fictional to unlock every class for the price of just two. -- Music: "When in the West" by Blue Dot Sessions "Bell Solo" by Blue Dot Sessions "Bidous Transit" by Blue Dot Sessions "Low Slopes" by Blue Dot Sessions "February" by Kai Engel "Crying Earth" by Kai Engel As always, our theme song is by the fantastic Breakmaster Cylinder

Two stories by the U.S. writer O. Henry. In the first, a young woman is dying, pinning her hopes to a leaf dangling on a branch. In the second, ol' Soapy, a homeless man in New York City, is gearing up for a trip to his summer home: prison. A warm bed, three meals a day, and safety from harassment by people on the street. The only problem? He can't seem to get himself thrown in there. -- Sponsors: Casper, seriously, is the most comfortable mattress I've ever used. You can try it out 100 nights risk free by going to http://www.casper.com/fictional (code FICTIONAL) and getting $50 off select mattresses. -- Music: "Constellation" by Podington Bear "3rd Chair" by Blue Dot Sessions "Come as You Are" by Blue Dot Sessions "The One Shot" by Blue Dot Sessions "Valantis" by Blue Dot Sessions "Valantis Vespers" by Blue Dot Sessions "Faithless Constellation" by Blue Dot Sessions "Demalion" by Blue Dot Sessions

Our humble hero just wanted to swing by a remote mental institution in the south of France on his way back home to America. He was just going to spend one night in the self-described madhouse to sate his curiosity/gawk at the mentally ill. What could be wrong with spending one night in a rural private 1800s insane asylum without a means of escape? You know, besides every word in that sentence. --- Sponsor: Check out Masterclass. You can learn from professionally produced videos of people who are among the best in the world at their craft. Try the All-Access pass at http://www.masterclass.com/fictional to unlock every class for the price of just two. --- Music: "Grey Alley" by Blue Dot Sessions "Lonely Stairwell" by Blue Dot Sessions "Noe Noe" by Blue Dot Sessions "Our Own Melody" by Blue Dot Sessions "Strange Dog Walk" by Blue Dot Sessions

When we last left Edmond, he was about to hit the rock and start his escape from Chateau d'If when he heard a scream from his friend's cell. This week, we'll see how he finally manages to get out of the inescapable prison...and what happened to his world after a decade and a half of his absence. "Egregia" by Blue Dot Sessions "Halflight" by Podington Bear "Slough" by Podington Bear "Topslides" by Blue Dot Sessions "Tralaga" by Blue Dot Sessions "Velejo" by Blue Dot Sessions "Ballast" by Blue Dot Sessions "Closing" by Blue Dot Sessions "Rapids" by Blue Dot Sessions