Avoid the Jikininki, Eaters of the Slain

Kairyo the samurai quickly left the slain on the battlefield. It was getting toward dark. Once night fell, the Jikininki would emerge from the forest to eat the dead.

It was best to not meet them. They were ghosts of the night woods.

That night he slept far enough away from the river not to hear the voice of the Kawa-Akago, the demon in the water. It used a baby’s cry to lure its unwitting victims to the shore as they searched for the lost child. It struck from just beneath the surface.

————–

A story excerpt from a Japanese tale of the supernatural.

Come hear it and three other chilling tales this coming Friday night, Oct. 19th, at 8 pm at the Sweet Beet Market in Bradford, New Hampshire. Music on two 12-string guitars, 6-string guitar and Celtic harp.

No children, please. An adult evening of storytelling with Odds Bodkin.

Special thanks to Hanna Koby, event producer.

Tickets $13 in advance, $15 at the gate.

HORROR TALES FROM THE DEEP VAULT/October 19th Outdoor Show

HORROR TALES FROM THE DEEP VAULT/October 19th Outdoor Show

I stopped performing Sedna the Ocean Mother because it’s just too unsettling, especially in the #MeToo era. Still, I’m going to do it. I haven’t told The Phantom Train of Marshall’s Pass in years because the flat picking on 6-string guitar is so fast. Still, I’m going to do it. I haven’t told The Infallible Doctor since I made the mistake of doing so in New Jersey shortly after 9/11 for schoolkids who, I only learned afterwards, had lost loved ones in the Twin Towers. Despite that bad memory, I’m going to do it. And I’ve never told The Demon Heads ever, so I’m going to debut it and see what people think.

Music on Celtic harp, 12-string guitar and 6-string guitar.

October 19th, 2018 at 8 pm, outdoors at the coolest new food and culture hub in New England, the Sweet Beet Market in Bradford, New Hampshire.

Hot chili, freshly baked breads, mulled cider and lots of organics to buy. Bring a blanket or chair, hat and gloves for this outdoor show by the cemetery.

DARK TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

Tickets $13 in advance, $15 at the door.

 

BE PART OF A LIVE RECORDING EVENT/DARK TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

BE PART OF A LIVE RECORDING EVENT/DARK TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

Long ago I made a recording called Dark Tales of the Supernatural on audio cassette. Years later, when going to digital downloads, I decided not to sell it. That’s not to say that the thousands of kids and grownups who owned it didn’t love it. For decades I’ve gotten emails from young adults asking why it’s not available at my web store, since they remember it from their childhoods. Seems to have stuck in their heads. Mildly haunted by their requests, pardon the pun, I’ve decided to capture the tales fresh, in a live recording event.

It’s happening on Sunday, October 28th at Grendel’s Den on Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. at 5:00 p.m.

Called Heartpounders: Halloween Tales of Horror, the show includes lots of characters and music on two 12-string guitars, a 6-string guitar, an alto recorder and the Celtic harp. You can read about the stories here.

So, if you’d like to be part of a live recording, grab a $15 ticket, now available, and mark your calendar. We’ll share a fun night in the realm of supernatural horror.

And if all goes well, I’ll end up with a new live storytelling album.

–Odds Bodkin

DARK TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL public performance Oct. 29

I don’t tell them often, these three stories. They’re just too unsettling. Still, for Halloween? The Storm Breeder, a New England ghost story, is about an angry man who goes up against Nature and pays an eternal price. The Panther Boys from China is a lycanthropy tale (think werewolves) that pits enchanted sons against their own father. Treasure Trove from Russia is like a wild Twilight Zone story where a greedy fool dons the skin of the Devil to scare an old man into giving up some gold. He regrets that.

Or, if there are too many young kids in the crowd, I’ll go with less graphic tales. I’ll just have to wait and see. DARK TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL is coming Saturday, October 29th at 5:00 p.m. to the Town Hall in Warner, New Hampshire.

The stories are told with music on 12-string guitars and alto recorder. Lots of voices. Lots of really wild vocal effects, too.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Hope you can make it!