In a small fishing village on the rocky shores of Maine, can two lost souls find temporary comfort – and warmth – in a zero-star motel?
Listen to our newest short story on The Hidden Gems Podcast!
In a small fishing village on the rocky shores of Maine, can two lost souls find temporary comfort – and warmth – in a zero-star motel?
Listen to our newest short story on The Hidden Gems Podcast!
A stranger comes bearing a gift – a mummified monkey’s paw that holds a magical spell that allows three people to make three wishes each. What could possibly go wrong?
Listen to our newest story on The Hidden Gems Podcast at https://the-hidden-gems-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-monkeys-paw-written-by-w-w-jacobs
What would happen if aliens became interested in the Sunday activities of the primitive cultures of that obscure, little planet called Earth?
Listen now to The Hidden Gems Podcast at:
https://the-hidden-gems-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/game-time
We are looking for writers to feature on The Hidden Gems Podcast! Our goal is to find the best short fiction from undiscovered writers. We hire a professional narrator to tell your story and our host will do a short bio on YOU and then direct listeners to where they can find more of your writing. There is no cost to you and you retain all rights to your story.
To submit your short story of 5,000 words or less, go to our website at: https://www.thehiddengemspodcast.com/
A young Vietnam soldier finds himself on his first sweep and destroy mission with a commanding officer who may or may not be up for an Article 15 for making a Charlie eat the mud off his boots. Listen now to the short story “Lair,” which was written by C. Mack Lewis and narrated by John Bell.
Aging may have something to do with it. Song lyrics appear in my head, songs I didn’t remember ever knowing. Now those are there, not always accurate, but they fit the rhyme and scheme of the musicians who created them. Take one song that has been buzzing in my brain for the past two weeks, linked slightly to a checkout woman at our local supermarket, who admitted she’d trained in ballet as a kid.
“Dance Ballerina Dance” was the song. My rusty memory changed the next few words to “Go on with your career, you can’t afford another chance.” That’s not exactly how Carl Sigman wrote the lyrics back about 1946: “So on with your career/ You can’t afford a backward glance.” Close, but no cigar.
This is a puzzle for those who study the brain. How did the song, once encrypted, stay in my memory cells so long? Why were the words almost correct, almost the way the lyricist wrote them about 75 years ago? How did that alphabetical jumble remain intact despite a stroke I suffered three years ago?
If you know or can guess, please don’t tell any songwriters, okay?
There’s another connection with the past. One of the best selling vocalists who recorded the song was the late Nat King Cole. Back in the mid-1950s I worked on the stage crew at Michigan State University for visiting special events. One of those was Cole. I got to stand behind a curtain where I could both see and hear him at the piano. His fascinating sound came, it seemed to me, from deep within him. Even cigarettes, which killed him, were not enough to stifle that sound for me. I can hear him now, deep in my brain.
Written by Jack Grenard
Our heroine, Ilene, is doing just fine, thank you very much, slinging hash for the locals at the Silk City Diner – until, that is, she receives a rather unusual profession of true love from an even more unusual admirer. Check out the short story ‘Pig Eye Poem’ on ‘The Hidden Gems Podcast,’ which features the best short stories that you’ve never heard!
https://the-hidden-gems-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/pig-eye-poem
If you are a writer, The Hidden Gems Podcast is seeking short stories of less than 5,000 words to feature on future episodes. I am currently looking for a writer to feature in episode #6, so please submit your short story and a short author bio to: cathy@thehiddengemspodcast.com
You can check out our podcast on itunes, Spotify or on our website:
https://www.thehiddengemspodcast.com/
I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
C. Mack Lewis