A Tale of Two Pots

Dear Listener,

Broken and wounded though we are, perhaps we are more useful than we think. At least that's what I was wondering as I wrote this very simple little story, which based on one of those folk tales that I heard once and which has stuck in my mind. I think the original may be from India but don't quote me on that.

As usual, here's the direct link if that's how you get your fix. Otherwise, don't forget that you can get this podcast via iTunes or subscribe to the feed with another podcatcher of your choice.

I hope you enjoy this.

Sweet dreams,

Seymour.

Between Two Tides

Dear Listener,

Here's a direct link for this weeks episode.

I wrote this story about 12 years ago so it is one of the few that has not been freshly generated for the Borders of Sleep project. However, I am including it here because, like some other stories here, it is a re-telling of a very vivid dream that I had one night - albeit a long and odd one. At the time, I was a second year Anthropology undergraduate and I think that some of the things that were occupying my waking thoughts had started to seethe on another level.

You will, hopefully, imbibe something of my sadness at what happens to human beings as they move from an essentially egalitarian hunter-gatherer existence to a sedentary existence where the accumulation of wealth and status begins to create hierarchies that are often underpinned by a priesthood and religion that becomes more concerned with legalities and maintaining power structures than stewarding the mystical.

Ah, well, If all that sounds a bit heavy, don't try to read too much into it, just enjoy the story and the pictures it makes in your mind ...it's only a silly dream after all.

Sweet dreams,

Seymour

Clown

Dear Listener,

A few months ago, by a string of coincidences and choices that principally consisted of me being stupid, forgetful and impulsive, I went home to collect something I had forgotten and discovered a fire in my kitchen. I was able to save the house and our dog before any serious damage was done. The timing of everything was so impeccable and, since it owed absolutely nothing to the intervention of my will or powers of determination, I was convinced there was a wiser and higher power at work that morning.

I don't know if that was in the back of my mind when I wrote this story about a clown whose very foolishness preserves him through peril. To be honest, as with so many of these stories, I simply let my imagination go and recorded what I observed.

You'll hear straight away that this story is a bit different from others so far. Lookout for one or two rhymes and the Tango-Jazz in the soundtrack from Scott Hallgren (check him out on Magnatune).

Here's the direct link to the MP3 that you can download by right clicking and saving to your hard drive, or you can listen with the embedded player above or subscribe using i-Tunes or other podcatchers using the links in the side bar.

Enjoy listening, please leave some comments, and ... until next week ... sweet dreams!

Seymour.

Balthazar's Chandelier

Dear Listener,

It was reached by a bamboo scaffold ...

Welcome 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 ...

It is also the first episode in our long promised new WEEKLY podcasting schedule!

As usual, here's the link for direct download (right click and save to your hard drive) and here's a link for the i-Tunes page for this podcast. If you use another type of podcatcher and would like to subscribe, grab a feed from the top of the column on the right.

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.

Sweet dreams ...

Seymour.