Tormentor

By: William Meikle

Narrated by: A.D. Milne

This story isn't really about me.

On the Isle of Skye, near the community of Dunvegan, sits a rustic old one-bedroom home, waiting for a new tenant. It seems like the perfect opportunity for Jim Greenwood to escape the hectic London city life—a place to move on from tragedy.

This is the story of a house.

As he tries to settle into country life, he is tormented by mysterious soot marks left throughout the house while he sleeps, cryptic emails from unknown senders, and hundreds of hand-drawn stick-figure drawings etched in a perfect pattern on the cottage's cellar walls.

Stay. Beth needs you.

Jim begins losing control, drinking excessively, shaking to an uncontrollable beat in his head, trying to decipher what may or may not be a code—or a warning.

No limbs, no limbs, no head, no head, left arm gone, left leg gone, no legs, no head.

The door is open, and something is coming through. It's just a matter of when—and what.

©2014 William Meikle (P)2023 David N. Wilson

Atmospheric Folk Horror at its Finest

Miekle’s prose is luxurious and the sense of place is exquisite. There’s an ethereal charm to the writing that I rarely see in modern Horror. The closest I can compare this novella to is the work of Ramsey Campbell.

The narrator’s voice provides all the right scotch-smoke tones for this misty island tale, and his cadence is perfect for the trancelike repetition of the central mysterious notes. No limbs. No limbs. No head. No head.

Listen to this one alone on a winter night with a glass of Talisker close at hand.

Dread Dance

Folk dread gaelic style with a rustic seascape in mourning thematically and in content. It has an eerie abstract terror that feels psychological but also has a tangible shadow. It's an economical tale that doesnt overstay at a trim three hours and I consumer it in one day, it was rich enough it could have gone on. The plot is relatively straightforward and it's merit is mostly in atmosphere. There is a cool audio rhythm that feels suited yo the audiobook format. It calls back to folk stories that left me wanting to search the web more to see if they were inventions here or based on a larger culture as they felt nuanced. There is an attempt to offer context to the horror that sometimes feels a little cheesy but it's unique enough that I enjoyed it. The narrator has a perfect irish accent that is immersive for the content.