Edgar Allan Poe’s “MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH” from Doorway To Nightmare #WeirdDarkness
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We all dream, but for some people, what should be a time for their bodies and minds to rest turns into a nightmare from which they cannot escape. Our next Weird Darkness live stream is Saturday night, December 28th on the Weird Darkness YouTube channel. And during the live broadcast, I'll share some of these chilling nighttime stories.

Tales of shadow people, sleep paralysis, and demons who stalk their victims in that place between dreams and reality. I'll share true tales of prophetic dreams, some joyful, some not. Sleepwalking incidents that are both amusing and disturbing. I'll also share real stories of night terrors so horrifying that sleep

became something to fear and dread for those victimized by the night. You might not want to sleep after joining our next live-screen. It's Saturday, December 28th at 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, 8pm Eastern. On the lighter side, I'll also be responding to comments and questions live on the air and doing a giveaway of some Weird Darkness merch.

Prepare yourself for our next live scream for chilling tales of what some people must endure in an attempt to get some sleep. Find the details on the live screen page at WeirdDarkness.com.

The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal or so hideous.

Blood was its avatar and its seal, the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleedings at the pores with disillusion. The scarlet stains upon the body, and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow men.

and the whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease were the incidents of half an hour. But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys.

This was an extensive and magnificent structure, a creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair from without or of frenzy from within.

The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions, the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime, it was folly to grieve or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons. There were improvisatori. There were ballet dancers. There were musicians. There were cards. There was beauty. There was wine.

All these and security were within. Without was the Red Death. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Welcome, Weirdos! I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre,

Crime. Conspiracy. Mysterious. Macabre. Unsolved and unexplained.

If you're new here, welcome to the show! While you're listening, be sure to check out WeirdDarkness.com for merchandise, to visit sponsors you hear about during the show, sign up for my newsletter, enter contests, connect with me on social media, hear other podcasts that I host, listen to free audiobooks I've narrated. Plus, you can visit the Hope in the Darkness page if you're struggling with depression, dark thoughts, or addiction. You can find all of that and more at WeirdDarkness.com.

Coming up in this episode, I bring you a production from my friends at the YouTube channel Doorway to Nightmare.

Since we discovered each other recently, I've had the privilege to play voice roles in many of their productions, including this one: Edgar Allan Poe's "Mask of the Red Death," in which they asked me to play the lead role of Prince Prospero. While I'm about to share with you the audio version, Doorway to Nightmare is a YouTube channel and they do produce videos for each of their stories. So if you're interested in seeing the video version of this story, I've placed a link to it in the show notes.

Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the weird darkness. It lies in wait amidst your dreams, is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway nightmare. Welcome.

I'm your host, Artemis Black. From the years 1346 to 1353, the plague, known as the Black Death, reigned over Europe. It was estimated that over 50 million people died from the effects. With that in mind, if you will look to where I am pointing, you will see a very large mansion.

sitting on top of a cliff. Inside you will find a party, one that has been going on for several days now. A wonderful idea! A masquerade! I thought that you'd approve, my dear Shelly. Prosper, do you honestly think that we are protected from the Red Death? I told you I forbade those words from this house!

Yes, Edward, I do think that. We have plenty of food and drink and- Oh, entertainment! Oh, Edward, don't be such a killjoy. Have some fun for a change. Maybe we should at least go to the nearby town to see if there are any survivors and- And bring the Red Death right to our own doorstep? Have you lost your mind?

How many people are here on the estate, Prosper? At last count, I would say close to 300. Yes, the wealthiest who had the good fortune of coming here. But what about everyone else? At least I did something. I fortified the house and grounds. I made sure that everyone who came here was well cared for. As long as they had the money. You disgust me, Prosper. Well, if you don't like it, Edward...

You can always leave. I would, but Prosper has the place completely sealed. You bet I do! No one will leave! Why have you brought me here, Prosper? I wanted you to see my hall of colors. You see? Each room is a different color. This one is the blue room. Beautiful! So... bizarre. You know how I love the weird and unnatural. And this room?

Purple! Each room's grand window is covered in stained glass, reflecting the color of the room. Here, the third room, a vibrant green. How many rooms are there down this hallway? Seven in all. Here's the fourth, the orange room. But what are they used for? For the party, of course. I had them built especially for the party.

And the fifth room. A brilliant white. I'm going to open them to our guests after we return to the main hall. Here, the sixth room. A deep violet. I'm sure that everyone will have a wonderful time. Ah, but here, the seventh room. Oh.

Oh my! It's...it's all...black! Heavy curtains hanging from the ceiling. And the carpet, all in black. But the windows...they're tinted in red? A blood red color? It's horrifying! Ah, isn't it? Oh, Prospert, let's go back...to the party!

Frightened. Look at how the light from the window gives your face a blood red color. Almost as if... Please, don't say it. As if you had contracted the Red Death. Giovanni Bocascio wrote about the Black Plague.

Neither physicians nor medicines were effective. Whether because these illnesses were previously unknown or because physicians had not previously studied them, there seemed to be no cure. There was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. I know what you should do, and that's to return with me shortly with Act 2. The poet Percy Shelley wrote,

I have made my bed in charnels and on coffins, where Black Death keeps record of the trophies won. I thought I would find you in here, Edward. Why aren't you with your husband, the mighty Prosper? He's currently playing the guitar for a group in the green room.

I've heard everything that he can play. Besides, I wanted to talk with you. Talk to me? About what? Edward, you know that Prosper only wants what is best. Sure, but only saving the ones who can afford it and letting everyone else suffer and die. But the Red Death can't last forever. These people are going to be needed when it's finally saved.

Those people? The ones who can't even take care of themselves? I mean, come on, Shelly! Prosper hired ten servants to take care of almost 400 people! They are being well paid. Sure, until they get sick. Now that's not fair. Was it fair to send that cook outside to face the Red Death? She... she was sick.

She could have infected everyone! So, Prosper locks her outside and makes her walk down the road. Prosper did the right thing. The woman never made it to the end of the driveway. She's still laying out there. You can always join her! I would. Gladly. Anything is better than being in this gilded prison. Shelly tells me that you really want to leave. You bet I do, Prosper.

You know, the only reason that you're even here is because you were friends with Shelly. She begged me, begged me to let you come. So here I am, Mighty Prosper. What can this lowly servant of the people do for you? Do not be impertinent. I brought you here for a reason. After all, you were a pretty good journalist. And you think? You mean you honestly think that...

Now wait just a damn minute! When all of this is over, someone is going to have to tell the world how I, Jonas Prosper, saved this city. You are delusional. There is no way that I... are you looking at? No, it can't be! Prosper? What are you doing in here? Your guests want to know... No! No! What is it?

Your forehead... the perspiration on your forehead... it's... it's blood! No, it can't be! Prosper... please don't do it! Get out! Get out of this house, now! Where do you think he is? Will you forget about him? He's dead. He's lucky we caught it before he infected anyone else. I wonder if he made it to the end of the driveway... I wonder... Well, stop wondering!

Now come on, Jelly. Let's go back to the party. I don't want to, Prosper. I just want to... to... I don't know. The party's getting boring, that's what it is. I think I have an idea to... spice things up. I know that look in your eye, Prosper.

What are you thinking? I've got it! Remember all of those old clothes I bought some time ago? What about them? As I recall, they were from an old theater group. I'm sure there are some masks and costumes. So, what of it? My dear, we shall turn this party into a masquerade ball. Norman Cousins wrote, Death is not the greatest loss in life.

The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. I'll return shortly with our final act. The philosopher and inventor Blaise Pascal wrote, Let us imagine a number of men in chains and all condemned to death, where some are killed each day in the sight of the others, and those who remain see their own fate in that of their fellows and wait their turn.

Looking at each other sorrowfully and without hope, it is an image of the condition of man. Oh, look at them. They are having the time of their lives. I have to hand it to you, Prosper. This really was a great idea. And you, my dear, dressed as a leopard cat, where did you find that leotard? Meow!

It was at the very bottom of that old trunk. I couldn't believe it! And it actually fits this body of mine. Yes, it does. But you, Prosper! What are you supposed to be? Haven't you guessed? I'm a bum. A beggar! Prosper, look.

In the entryway of the ballroom. I don't see... Who are you talking about? Don't you see it? Costume! I see it now. Come on, let's find out who this is. Look at the mask. The skull covered in... in blood! I told everyone. Everyone! That costume was strictly forbidden! Who are you? I demand to know who you are! Don't you know, Prosper? How did you...

How did you get in here? I know all of my guests, but I don't recognize your voice. Who are you? Walk with me, Prosper. Walk with me through your colored rooms. Prosper? Who is it? I don't know, but I will find out. Prosper! Everyone is... dying! Prosper!

I have been here always. There was no escape. No! I demand to know who you are! Tell me! The final room. Black room with the red windows. Rasper! Shelly! Rasper! Your face! Please! It's covered in blood! Oh!

Who are you? You know who I am. See? Edward? You? Once I was Edward. Now I am the Red. Death, death, death, death, death. No! I was protected. I thought of everything. No! No!

As the blood pours from the body of Prosper, Edward begins to walk out of the mansion, carefully stepping over the bodies of the dead. I'll have a final word in just a moment. The very last part that Edgar Allan Poe wrote for The Mask of the Red Death goes like this: "He had come like a thief in the night.

and one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And darkness and decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. Our cast included Darren Mahler, Mick Davis, and Crimson McKenzie.

The play was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale. Confess! You are a killer! Confess! Herman, you know me. I'm your... your... at least I thought I was your friend. Confess, Peter. Confess to what you have done and what you are...

Alright! I am what you say! I have done everything! I am... a werewolf! This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue. The butler did it!

Thanks for listening! If you like what you just heard, you might want to subscribe to the Doorway to Nightmare YouTube channel – I've linked to it in the show notes. And also, please, share this episode or the YouTube version with your friends, family, co-workers who love the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do! You can email me and follow me on social media through the Weird Darkness website.

WeirdDarkness.com is also where you can listen to free audiobooks I've narrated, get the email newsletter, visit the store for creepy and cool Weird Darkness merchandise. Plus, it's where you can find the Hope in the Darkness page if you or someone you know is struggling with depression, addiction, or thoughts of harming yourself or others. While on the site, you can also click on Tell Your Story to share your own true paranormal or creepy tale. You can find all of that and more at WeirdDarkness.com.

Mask of the Red Death was written by Edgar Allan Poe. The version you heard tonight was transcribed and edited for audio by Winslow Swan from the Doorway to Nightmare YouTube channel. Weird Darkness is a registered trademark. Copyright Weird Darkness. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light.

Titus 1:15: "To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." And a final thought: happiness isn't about getting what you want all the time. It's about loving what you have and being grateful for it. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness.

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