(Bonus Episode) “AMATEUR IN CHANCERY” by George O. Smith (Short Sci-Fi Story) #WeirdDarkness

Real animals have grown to draconic sizes, taken to the skies on thirty-foot wings, and even weaponized explosions from inside their own bodies—but could nature ever assemble all three into a living, fire-breathing dragon? EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/realdragons READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2kepzd3u FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Is it possible dragons are… or at least were… real? Science takes a look at the possibility. (Are Dragons Real?) *** In a thick, dark forest in Colorado is a foreboding house which is considered one of the most haunted places in the U.S. (Haunted House In The Black Forest) *** A woman has the gift of speaking with and interacting with those who have passed on… but what began as a gift, evolved into a curse. (The Man Is Back) *** Weirdo family member Ezra tells us of his personal encounter with a black-eyed child. (An Angel Saved Me From a Black Eyed Kid) *** Pukwudgies were known to Native Americans, who gave them a wide berth. And if you see one, it’s best to stay away. (What is a Pukwudgie?) *** What began as a practical joke soon became one of the greatest hoaxes in American history – it’s the true story of the Cardiff Giant. (The Petrified Man) *** Jody smiled at the children playing in her backyard. She didn’t know them, they were probably the neighbors’ kids. At least that’s what she thought at first until she began to notice something disturbing about those children. (Phantom Children of Guilford) *** Dealing with the paranormal is already unsettling. What if you were to learn that the supernatural has actually been feeding on you? (Supernatural Feedings) *** Newlywed couples planning a trip to Venice envision romantic walkways and Renaissance art. What they don’t expect to find is an island that is illegal to set foot on… and for good reason. (Black Plague Island) *** Weirdo family member Ber Bella shares an experience her grandmother had on an icy road. (Angel On Black Ice) *** Sometimes a prisoner is let free, with experts of the opinion he has been completely rehabilitated. Sometimes they are right. Often they are wrong. And in the case of Jack Unterweger – releasing him was the worst thing that could ever have been done. (Poet of Death) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = “The Dragon” by Ray Bradbury (short fiction story) 00:07:30.018 = Show Open 00:10:13.041 = Are Dragons Real? 00:20:11.728 = Haunted House in Black Forest *** 00:34:02.034 = What Is a Pukwudgie? 00:40:21.466 = The Petrified Man *** 00:48:12.375 = The Man Is Back 00:52:49.488 = An Angel Saved Me From a Black-Eyed Kid 00:54:29.177 \ 00:55:52.250 = The Phantom Children of Gilford *** 00:59:58.589 = Supernatural Feedings 01:07:31.225 = Black Plague Island *** 01:17:23.478 = Angel on Black Ice 01:21:03.162 = Poet of Death 01:27:33.935 = Show Close *** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps *No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast* SOURCES and RESOURCES: BOOK: “Haunted Places, The National Directory” by Dennis William Hauck: https://amzn.to/4iDKvJN The short fiction story “The Dragon” written by Ray Bradbury:

A mild-mannered chemistry teacher weighing a lucrative job offer against the quiet life he loves finds his decision complicated when a woman claiming to be from the Pleiades strolls into his house and refuses to leave, insisting to move in. “A Matter of Ethics” by Russ Winterbotham, originally published by Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy, April 1955 EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/amatterofethics WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness. Originally aired: July 05, 2026

A locked-room death, a fragile heiress convinced her dead mother is beckoning her from the top of the marble stairs, and three witnesses who all swear they've seen the ghost as well. Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTR CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Impossible Is True” (March 14, 1978) 00:46:17.985 = Jeff Regan, “Lady With The Golden Hair” (July 31, 1948) ***WD 01:15:49.025 = The Key, “Gentleman Companion” (1956) 01:40:02.178 = Lights Out, “The Author And The Thing” (September 28, 1943) 02:03:11.287 = Lux Radio Theater, “The Canterville Ghost” (June 18, 1945) 03:02:19.887 = Macabre, “House In The Garden” (December 04, 1961) ***WD 03:29:59.456 = Philip Marlowe, “Big Step” (February 28, 1950) 03:59:32.488 = Black Mass, “Squaw” (January 24, 1964) ***WD 04:29:14.551 = Michael Shayne, “Murder Trial of Jack Holmes” (May 21, 1945) ***WD 04:58:07.194 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing. CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0707

An old villager's tale about a beautiful, undead noblewoman feels like harmless folklore to two visiting American brothers — right up until the night one of them meets her. Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTR CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Wheel of Life” (March 13, 1978) ***WD 00:46:42.838 = Crime And Peter Chambers, “Cemetery Attack” (April 20, 1954) 01:09:59.902 = Hall of Fantasy, “Marquis of Death” (June 22, 1953) 01:33:32.517 = Harry Lime, “Bohemian Star” (September 07, 1951) 01:57:55.866 = BBC Haunted Tales of the Supernatural, “Little Girl Lost” (June 21, 1980) 02:24:28.027 = The Haunting Hour, “Hands of Mr. Smith” (May 19, 1945) ***WD 02:49:17.057 = Hermit’s Cave, “Spirit Vengeance” (December 08, 1946) ***WD 03:13:37.434 = Mystery Is My Hobby, “Death of an Old Prospector” (1945-1950) 03:37:36.810 = Sherlock Holmes, “The Dying Detective” (February 03, 1947) 04:06:49.592 = Mystery House, “Composite Killer” (May 05, 1946) ***WD 04:31:37.992 = Incredible But True, “Death Notice” (1950-1951) 04:35:19.365 = Inner Sanctum, “Voice On Wire” (November 29, 1944) ***WD 05:04:58.539 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing. CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0706

Every state in the Union has its own creepy collection of urban legends — haunted playgrounds and vampires, cryptids and cursed roads, black-eyed children and shape-shifting monsters — and we're crossing all fifty to find the eeriest tale each one has to tell. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/StateLegends READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/StateLegends LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps *No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast* SOURCES and RESOURCES: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mv357ex6, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckpd7md,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3k9anyn3, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3ahdkmkc,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3kmnpahx, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckpebp7,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8s3eny, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2bz4zr7b,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5e9whsm4, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p83tczx (Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.) WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness. Originally aired: August 29, 2023 Every state in America is hiding something. Cross the country from Alabama to Wyoming and you'll find a haunted playground where swings move on their own, a vampire buried in a Colorado cemetery, a goat-headed man lurking under a Kentucky railroad trestle, and black-eyed children knocking on car windows in Texas. Some of these urban legends are pure fiction. Others have a disturbing amount of truth buried underneath them — which is exactly what makes them stick.This episode of Weird Darkness travels through all fifty states to uncover the eeriest tale each one has to tell. There's the Alaskan Triangle, where thousands have vanished without a trace, and the shape-shifting otter people the Tlingit say are responsible. There's Resurrection Mary, the ghostly hitchhiker still searching for a dance partner outside Chicago. There's the Villisca ax murders, an unsolved 1912 slaughter that turned a family home into a haunted museum. There's Mothman over Point Pleasant, the skunk ape in the Everglades, the Jersey Devil in the Pine...