The Midnight Hour

Have you ever stayed up late? Like really late? Like your bedtime was hours ago? Well we wouldn’t recommend it, especially going off of these stories. Many of the characters in these tales find themselves out after the sun has gone down and everyone else is safely tucked away in their beds and for whatever reason they are awake around midnight. The midnight hour is sometimes referred to as “the witching hour”, a time when ghouls and goblins are more likely to appear, so we've collected some stories with ghosts and other strange occurrences that all happen around the midnight hour. Stories included in this episode: Girl in the Rain by Betty Ann Wylie (1:19) Betty Ann Wylie leaves a meeting late and finds a girl on the side of the road on a rainy night and offers her a ride. Betty Ann Wylie is also known for her unique ability to bring books and childhood stories to life through her dramatic gestures, singing, voice changes, and audience participation. Her home town is Americus, Georgia. Little Orphant Annie by Judy Dockery Young (15:19) A poem by James Whitcomb Riley (1885) about the advice Annie gives other children at the orphanage to avoid the goblins. Learn more about Judy Dockery Young, who receited the poem, and her storytelling husband Richard by visiting: www.yawp.com Friday the Thirteenth by Leeny Del Seamonds (19:05) The notion of Friday the Thirteenth didn’t even make Leeny Del Seamonds bat an eyelash until one October when she and her mother encounter some car troubles in the middle of the night. Learn more about Leeny Del Seamonds, who was the 2015 National Storytelling Network Oracle Circle of Excellence Award Winner, by visiting: leenydelseamonds.com The Legend of Emo by Nannette Watts (31:39) Some boys decide to take their dates to see a spooky grave and uncover the truth behind an urban legend. Learn more about Nannette Watts, who has been telling stories since 1993, by visiting: www.nannettewatts.com Shaboom and the Gangbangers by Susi Wolf (42:58) Shaboom the Clown trusts some gangbangers to lead her out of the hood. Learn more about Susi Wolf, who is also a counselor and an artist, by visiting her profile on the national storytelling network site: www.storynet.org Ghosts of the Living by Rivka Willick (50:44) A girl stays up late studying and has an frightening yet informative encounter about her brother who's in the military. Learn more about Rivka Willick, who is an author in addition to being a storyteller, by visiting: www.simplyextraordinarytales.com At Midnight by Priscilla Howe (54:46) A nursery rhyme of sorts about a creepy old woman with some red, red lips and some long, red nails who always comes at midnight. Learn more about Priscilla Howe, who used to be a children's librarian before becoming a storyteller, by visiting: www.priscillahowe.com