Stories from the Borders of Sleep
58 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 435 ratingsA semi-regular podcast, featuring original stories, fantastic fables and curious tales written and read by your host, Seymour Jacklin. Each episode takes the listener on an imaginative and thought-provoking journey. Aimed at adults but very suitable for children, too.
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Episodes
The Cicada Laundrette
March 14, 2024 14:05 - 26 minutes - 21.8 MBNight time is the time to visit the Cicada Laundrette and meet all kinds of critter characters. Enter the twilight world of washing machines and soap suds under the watchful eye of Mr. Aardvark.
Decorations
December 24, 2023 20:27 - 30 minutes - 34.2 MBA heartwarming magical story for the Holidays in the tradition of well-loved Yuletide tales.
The Copse
December 04, 2023 20:20 - 34 minutes - 39 MBFor all the gatherers of feathers and stones and the friends of nature, a tale of healing and connection with the soul of the woodland.
The Cadillac in the Pond
March 21, 2023 14:37 - 39 minutes - 43.9 MBWhat if ... someone woke up one morning to find a Cadillac in their duck pond? You need wonder no more ...
The Boat Going Home
July 03, 2022 22:45 - 38 minutes - 30.7 MBHere's another sleeptime story that came from a dream. In it you will meet a special friend that I was privileged to have for a while, as well as accompanying me on a strange and wonderful journey along with another friend, somewhat mysterious.
Flea
May 05, 2022 22:43 - 29 minutes - 23.5 MBAn artist executes an act of subversion one hot afternoon while nobody is paying very much attention.
The Guestbook
March 23, 2022 06:47 - 51 minutes - 41.6 MBA friendship is nurtured through a series of entries in 'The Guestbook'. Then, one day, the friends meet each other and things take a magical turn.
The Spudfellow
December 14, 2021 05:56 - 48 minutes - 39.1 MBThe humble potato has the power to bring so much joy.
The Artisan, The Abbot and the Architect
October 17, 2021 19:02 - 31 minutes - 26 MBThree men meet one evening and not entirely by chance ... the story unfolds. Above them is the monastery and below them is the forest, each with their peculiar forces.
Monday Mechanical CLub
August 04, 2021 14:59 - 27 minutes - 21.9 MBThis is a story about a stenography machine, and an unusual group of people who meet in a basement .... http://www.bordersofsleep.com
To Catch a Skerrid
April 12, 2021 17:26 - 21 minutes - 17.1 MBMagic runs in the family, so when cousin Rupert comes to spend the summer with Damson and her mother, there are magic tricks, a little transdimensional tomfoolery, and, of course, poetic justice.
The Frog and Banjo
February 26, 2021 19:32 - 33 minutes - 27.5 MBNeither the frog or the banjo are quite what you might think at first - a mystical pair who surprised everyone and taught a few lessons.
Sketching and Painting
October 26, 2020 23:04 - 20 minutes - 32.3 MBThis is a story about an artist called Anna and a surprising discovery she makes in the autumnal woods.
Brother Savion
August 21, 2020 02:54 - 22 minutes - 38.7 MBOne day in September, 40 years of the companionship of a forest brings a hermit to the culmination of his life cycle.
The Librarian
May 01, 2020 00:47 - 22 minutes - 37.3 MB"You know, all this talk we are talking? It's like the sunshine and the rain. It's present or not, but when it is present it soaks and warms and disappears. Nevertheless, the nourishing effect of it lasts and shows continually."
Chippie and Angus
March 29, 2020 23:02 - 13 minutes - 21.6 MBIt's a story about a quiet girl, and I don't want to give too much away ...
Lady Isabella
March 06, 2020 06:18 - 16 minutes - 24.7 MBA story about an unlikely friendship that occurs on an expedition to gather chamomile.
Horseless Carriage
January 15, 2020 00:52 - 23 minutes - 35.3 MBJust a rather nice little trip down memory lane in later life, wherein we discover that the peacock is a magical bird ... perhaps.
Rehoming
November 19, 2018 06:38 - 26 minutes - 39.8 MBIn which some fascinating things are discovered about the secret lives of plants and other living things.
Water Cure
July 13, 2018 23:47 - 8 minutes - 13.8 MBInspired by a piece of music by Paul Morris (https://soundcloud.com/paul-morris-music-for-film) this story tells of a strange visit to an unusual shrink.
Mortal Uncoil
May 20, 2018 16:11 - 11 minutes - 16.7 MBThe strange last journey of an old man from this life.
Poor Butterfly
January 14, 2018 12:55 - 10 minutes - 16.2 MBTwo girls get away from it all in a borrowed Studebaker, and get diverted on their way to the coast.
My Journey
September 23, 2015 08:36 - 15 minutes - 12.2 MBEpisode 36 ... a little bit of autobiography: part of the story of the inception of 'Stories from the Borders of Sleep'.
The Night of the Nipperquins
September 01, 2015 22:41 - 21 minutes - 17.5 MBWritting for the wedding of a friend, this story recounts the strangest wedding night of all time.
Hitting it Out of the Park
July 20, 2015 21:38 - 13 minutes - 10.8 MBAn episode dedicated to corporate daydreamers, opponents and proponents of boardroom bluster, meeting doodlers and anyone who has ever had to circle the waggons, eat their own dogfood or deploy blue-sky thinking - this is for you.
Thrice Buried
July 07, 2015 23:02 - 31 minutes - 25.4 MBAs in the King, so in the Kingdom. But how terrible, then, for the Kingdom if the King has lost the will to live...
Kalakut's Gift
July 01, 2014 22:12 - 21 minutes - 17 MBThis is a story about a little girl and a volcano and it's also about a grandfather and a fish, and a village and a rock ... and many other things if you listen carefully.
The Jellyfarglemarsh
July 13, 2013 11:15 - 13 minutes - 10.5 MBHere we are, back after a long hiatus, kicking off a new season of fortnightly podcasts with episode 31 - a tale containing a lot of made-up words ...
Cantatur in Taberna
August 18, 2012 11:17 - 21 minutes - 17.3 MBA cautionary tale about drinking in strange taverns.
Returning Student
July 30, 2012 22:36 - 17 minutes - 14.1 MBCan there be learning without books? Can there be as much to ponder in a day of walking as in a term of studying? A student is forced to face these questions on his way home for the summer.
The Other Side of the Hedge by E.M. Forster
July 19, 2012 23:20 - 17 minutes - 13.6 MBOccasionally on this podcast, we feature the work of another author from the public domain. This week we have a short story by the marvellous E.M Forster. Writing in the first half of the twentieth century, his romantic soul was troubled by the march of "so called" progress and his voice is still prophetic in our own times. Enjoy!
Iron and Wood
April 22, 2012 22:32 - 23 minutes - 18.7 MBA woodcutter, a sailor, a lace maker, and a mysterious old woman ... sounds like a fairytale to me.
Michigan Water
March 05, 2012 22:22 - 8 minutes - 6.53 MBIt's December 1939, a hard winter in Harlem and pianist Jelly Roll Morton is plotting his return to fame. Tragically, in just over a year he would be dead.
The Wisdom of Things Found
February 20, 2012 23:17 - 14 minutes - 11.8 MBIf you listen to anything, animal, vegetable or mineral, in time it will disclose some secret wisdom to you that you are obligated to share with others. Here is a story about a man who knew all that he knew because of what the sea brought to him.
Fighting Lions
February 06, 2012 23:41 - 9 minutes - 7.77 MBWelcome to "Stories from the Borders of Sleep" Episode 24. Rome ... Romantic? Oppressive? You decide, but just be aware that strange things might happen if you are at a loose end in the vicinity of the Colisseum.
The Ferryman
January 28, 2012 15:15 - 22 minutes - 18.3 MBTurpin Whittington has a few problems: an unusual name, complete deafness in his left ear and an uncontrollable tendency to get lost in fairy-land but somehow he makes good.
The Unhappy Body by Lord Dunsany
January 21, 2012 17:20 - 10 minutes - 8.25 MBEvery once in a while, we have decided to unearth a short story from the public domain and to give it the "Borders of Sleep" treatment. Here's a curious tale originally published in 1910 by Lord Dunsany in a collection entitled A Dreamer's Tales. Enjoy!
Moving in Mysterious Ways
December 22, 2011 17:28 - 16 minutes - 13.3 MBWhat lies beyond the chess board? A few chess pieces get to find out ...
Bear Bridge
November 25, 2011 09:17 - 19 minutes - 15.4 MBA tale in which a baker gets the better of some savage bears with the help of a mysterious miller.
Subterranean
November 15, 2011 00:37 - 24 minutes - 19.5 MBStitched together from ideas that occurred to me while out walking the dog, my ponderings on the nature of fear, a dream from a long time ago, and a more recent journey in my own soul - it kind of emerged over the course of the last week. Is there something in you that needs to be unblocked?
The Seven Legged Spider
November 03, 2011 23:44 - 13 minutes - 11.1 MBThis story does not do what it says on the tin. Not to give too much away, but: It is based on a folk tale that is still told in many variations across the world. I remember hearing it as a child. usually the "take home message" is something to do with collaborating and contributing to a greater effort, but here's my take on it ...
Wild Blue Yonder
October 28, 2011 08:33 - 11 minutes - 9.35 MBHere is a deep dive into the ocean and beyond, to carry you far away in your imagination, to dream within dreams, or just to help you get to sleep ... enjoy!
Beth and the Emerantil
October 22, 2011 22:42 - 31 minutes - 25.2 MBA story of a young girl who intends to become a princess by marrying a prince one day, yet in a single night she meets a strange shadow and an even stranger creature who shows her things no princess has ever seen.
Tolly-pep-me
October 06, 2011 22:14 - 7 minutes - 6.26 MBA fragment of autobiographical memory, introducing one of the many creatures that inhabited my childhood.
A Tale of TwoPots
September 29, 2011 11:23 - 8 minutes - 6.96 MBAnother folk tale adapted for "Stories from the Borders of Sleep" by Seymour Jacklin. If you are enjoying these stories please rate them on iTunes or leave some feedback on the website: http://www.bordersofsleep.com
Between Two Tides
September 22, 2011 17:31 - 33 minutes - 26.9 MBHere is another story that is a retelling of a vivid and lengthy dream I had many years ago. A stranger is washed up on a beach, barely alive. Years later he tries to recover his memories of a very different time and place and the people he lived with before - a people whose entire civilisation rose and fell in a single life-time or even ... between two tides.
Clown
September 15, 2011 23:03 - 8 minutes - 6.87 MBThis is a story about ... a clown, that's about all I can say without giving the game away!
Balthazar's Chandelier
September 05, 2011 22:17 - 12 minutes - 10.1 MBWelcome to episode 11 of Stories from the Borders of Sleep, which tells of an extraordinary day in the life of a humble servant who was trying his best to keep a low profile ... This is one of many stories that I have heard or read in a forgotten time and place that has, nevertheless, stuck in my mind enough to be given the "borders of sleep" treatment. I hope that it stays with you as long as it has stayed with me.
Swee-swee and the Cobbler
August 22, 2011 22:44 - 11 minutes - 8.92 MBI adapted this story from one that appears in the writings of Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Christian pastor who was imprisoned by the communists for his faith. He spent some 14 years in prison, much of it in solitary confinement and enduring torture on a daily basis. He was beaten so badly he was never able to wear shoes again. In spite of this he has written some of the most profound and powerful stories and sermons I have ever read. He was a master of the parable and this one, about a cag...
Two Handkerchiefs
August 04, 2011 23:30 - 23 minutes - 19.1 MBThe latest podcast from www.bordersofsleep.com. This one is a "fairy tale" ... well ... it does have fairies in it but it may not be "happily ever after" in the quite the same way as most fairy tales end. You will also hear about two letters, and two wars, and two sworn enemies, but most of all you'll hear about two handkerchiefs. The soundtrack contains music by Jami Sieber, available from magnatune.com. Story by Seymour Jacklin, artwork by Robyn Trainer and production by Tim Wiles.