Brotherhood

 Dear Listeners,

Written in a day three months ago, this tale has nevertheless taken me a long time to get around to recording. I poured a lot into it, and maybe I'm more attached to it than I should be, and perhaps that's why I've sat on it so long. Nevertheless, I am glad to bring it to you this April! 

This tale begins with a stowaway discovered on a sailing vessel somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, and the consternation her arrival causes among the crew, the passengers ... well, it all plays out strangely, and I hope it stirs you. If you have ever had the feeling that something enormous was hiding in plain sight, you may find something that speaks to that, or any number of other threads that seem to have been dominating my imagination lately.

I was, in fact, given the first bare 500 words with no context or explanation by a fellow writer, other than a challenge to do something with it. I found very quickly that here was a fitting vessel for quite a lot of the blocked up stuff swirling in my head, and my pen scribbled until it was done. I will ever be grateful to Bobbie Allen for this unlocking. Please take a look at her work, and maybe you'll get inspired too!

I won't say too much more, except to wish Sweet dreams to you and all who are dear to you,

Seymour

Direct download link

Mother Voyage

 

Dear Listener,

Welcome to episode 59! This story was born out of ponderings on the endings and beginnings of different stages of life and how there might always be something new to embrace at the next stage, rather than a gloomy narrative of decline.

I hope you enjoy hearing of the good ship Mariella's last voyage and of what comes next for her.

Rather typically, there has been a long gap since my last upload and this sometimes gets to the point that listeners wonder if I have abandoned the project altogether. However, I want to reassure you that Stories from the Borders of Sleep is, for me, a lifelong project. My mental screensaver for the last decade is thinking about the next story or where to take the podcast in the future. I try to work on new material every day, even if I can only manage to write one paragraph.

I have more ideas already than will ever be followed through in this lifetime, and the only limits are time and energy, emotional and material resources. If you'd like (and are able) to give me a hand up with a donation, please take a peek at my Support and Donations page. 

As usual, here's a direct link to download the MP3, or you can listen on the embedded player at the top of this post or using your preferred podcast app (just search for Borders of Sleep).  

The lovely soundtrack for this episode is by Kuorosh Dini from Magnatune.

Until soon, thank you for listening, and wishing you sweet dreams,

Seymour