A Haunting Tale

A Short Ghost Story

By: Bill Stokes

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Do you believe in ghosts? No? How about you visit this house and then decide?

There is a haunted house up there that squats like a huge wooden toad behind a thick grove of pine trees on the end of a dead end road. Maybe once it was painted, but now it has a gray cadaver-like complexion, and its siding is sagged and splintered as if the devil had been poking at it with his pitchfork. Its windows are streaked and stained, and trying to see through them from the outside is like trying to look a skull in the eye.

If this doesn't get you to believe in the supernatural, listen to the rest of this short story and you will believe; just like I did!

Warning: Don't listen to this story if you have a weak heart or are subject to night terrors or nightmares! Bill Stokes richly tells the tale of the haunted house in vivid and almost poetic words; you cannot help but be sucked in. Listen if you dare!

©1973 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal (P)2016 Paul Stokes

An excellent campfire story!

The house has stood empty for some time. It’s fallen into a disreputable state. Some say it’s haunted. The rational say that’s not possible, that it’s only silly ghost stories. Our main character takes the dare. Will his mind be changed about ghosts?

This story was deliciously spooky. It is told in both a quaint and lyrical manner, being a straight-forward ghost story peppered with plenty of appropriately creepy imagery. Our main character isn’t convinced this old, rundown house is haunted. On a very cold, snowy night, he ends up stuck at the house with a sleeping bag.

Suspense builds as the character becomes aware of the oddities of the house, the strange sounds (or lack of the expected ones), and, eventually, something more. I really loved that this story didn’t rely of shock and gore; rather, the tale titillated with hints of something just beyond our accepted norm. Plus, there’s bats. Stories always get a bonus point if there’s bats.

In my opinion, this tale is fit for kids and adults alike. I can see reading it at a campfire during Scary Story time or having it available for kids at sleep overs. It’s a well-wrought story that I found very delightful.

Narration: Jeff Hays gave a wonderful performance, as always. His voice contained just a hint of creepy when describing the house. I also liked how he was able to contain a hint of skepticism at the beginning of the story, as the main character, and how that changed as the tale went on.

A Quick Scare

I am definitely not one to deliberately spend the night at a haunted house. But listening to someone else do it is entertaining.

SHORT SHORT HAUNTING

I found this to be to short, footsteps on the ceiling!!! Sounds like it could have potential but needs to be longer leaves a lot to the imagination..
I received this free of charge for an honest review from the author or narrator.

Quick and spooky

The author and narrator combine to give a quick and spooky tale of a haunted house. A great Halloween listen for any age. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Deliciously creepy!

If you could sum up A Haunting Tale in three words, what would they be?

Terrifying Ghost Story

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, unnamed, is just as crazy terrified as I would have been in this situation.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Hays’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, quality seems to be part for the course for Hays.

If you could rename A Haunting Tale, what would you call it?

In an effort to not be trite, I'll not name Goosebumps (ok, I named it, but really, I couldn't help it!). In all seriousness, though, "hair raising, creepshow, chiller" could ALL have been possible titles. In eleven minutes, the author has managed to give us all the shivers. There is real talent in that.

Any additional comments?

I received a promotional copy of this audiobook, after purchasing and reading the ebook. My opinion remains the same, that this story is disturbing on a soul deep level. It's a tale to be told around a campfire, or around a ouija board in a haunted house. Beautifully disturbing, in a way that is easy to visualize. Stokes has mastery of the good scare.