Bedtime Stories for Insomniacs - Presented by Rich Hosek

Max Fathom is a self-described Simulation Hacker. He has come to the conclusion that our world—in fact, our entire universe—is nothing more than an massively elaborate computer program, and we are all just bits of code in some cosmic video game.Most of his friends pass off his world view as a harmless eccentricity. That is until they find themselves at its mercy.humor sim

What is it about the full moon that inspires so many different things. A romantic evening illuminated by its silvery light can be the setting for a heartwarming love story. But hospital emergency rooms claim it's a time that marks an increase in their business.The full moon can also be a harbinger of things of a more malevolent nature. Creatures you wouldn't want to come upon… By the Light of the Moonhorror monster sf

Leap day comes but once every 1461 days. It is a quirk of our calendar based on the discrepancy between the time it takes the Earth to revolve around the sun versus the number of times it spins on its axis.Most people think it's just one extra ordinary day, but what if instead, it is an extraordinary day. One on which those who have it as a birthday can do something magical.fantasy

Dreams are a great mystery of the human mind. Many people believe that they give us a glimpse into our true selves. Some even believe they can foretell the future. Every once in a while you find yourself in one that seems so real you can't tell it's a dream. Which begs the question, what if what you think of as real life is really the dream?fantasy

Have you ever seen a man on a busy street corner, or perhaps on the side of a highway, maybe in the crowd at a stadium, holding up a sign saying, "The end is nigh"? You might assume he's crazy.But what if he's not? What if the end of days is just around the corner, waiting for that final sign, something innocuous, the last piece of a hidden puzzle dropping into place. Perhaps it's as simple as an unlikely baseball team winning the World Series… Visit https://JodyJSperling.com to learn more about the Luke In Time Mysteries and Jody's other books.spec fantasy

There are places on Earth where no human has ever set foot. Some of them are probably not too far from where you live. A steep mountain slope, an island surrounded by a muddy swamp, or a dark corner of a thick forest. What mysteries might these places hold? New species are discovered every day. Some of them are harmless. But others are deadly in ways you can't even imagine.horror monster

If you’re a veterinarian long enough, you’ve seen it all. The odd assortment of things dogs swallow. Giant overweight cats. Owners who disregard your professional advice and feed their pets things they shouldn’t.But Dr. At is faced with something he’s never encountered before. An owner who claims her cat is possessed. The question is, is checking it out worth skipping lunch? mystery humorshort story, mystery, humor

Technology has inarguably made life better for billions of people. The industrial age started it all, then the information age kicked it into high gear and now the age of Artificial Intelligence is promising even more.But maybe we should take a step back, and make sure that the algorithms we're so eager to entrust our very lives to are up to the job. After all, despite all they know, there's so much that they don't.horror spec

Insurance is something we all need, but hate having to pay for. We have insurance for our cars, our homes, our health and our lives. Most of the time, you look at the big numbers, what the premium is and what the payouts would be.No one ever reads the fine print. But maybe you should. Because there just might be something tucked away in those pages of legalese that could be the difference between life and death. "Total Loss" first appeared in the pages of Analog: Science Fiction and Fact in July of 2006 and was voted by the readers as one of the favorite short stories of the year. You can discover more by James Hosek at https://JamesHosek.com.sf humor spec

It seems like everything these days is getting bigger and bigger. Big box stores, huge amusement parks, enormous shopping malls. Everyone wants to be the world's largest something. But at some point, the novelty of it all can become more of a problem than a convenience. Especially if you happen to forget your wallet while visiting the world's largest rest stop.humor sf spec

There's a jar in Rodney's cupboard. One that's been there for as long as he can remember. No one will tell him what's inside, only that it must never be opened. A warning passed on through the generations in his family. Perhaps there's a good reason not to. It could just be an old jar filled with jam that turned bad decades ago. But maybe it's something more sinister. Something best left undisturbed. horror

Simulation theory holds that it is likely—even certain—that our universe is not real. That we only exist only as code running on some alien supercomputer, and everything we do or think is just a product of algorithms and subroutines. Max Fathom believes this to be true. And furthermore, he has devised various hacks to exploit flaws and bugs in that code to benefit himself and his friends. One of those hacks is … The Polymorphic Puppy Paradigm. humor sim

The line between truth and fiction can sometimes be a very fine one. Imagine reading a story in a book you picked up off the rack in an out of the way gas station and discover that many of the details echo events in your own life.Such a thing is not only possible, but likely, at the Owl Eyes Motel. A mysterious little establishment with a quirky proprietor, where there’s always room for the dead. horror

Everyone knows what a Joker is in a deck of cards. Originally, there was only one used in the game, Euchre. Later, the second Joker was added and employed as a wild card in poker. But did you know there’s a third joker found in French decks and used in the game German Rummy? Like in poker, it can stand in for any other card. Imagine if you had that power. To be a human wild card. Whose place would you take? horror

Have you ever noticed how you appear different in a picture than you do in your mirror? Photographs, they say, show how other people see us. Mirrors reflect how we see ourselves.There’s a whole other world behind the silvered glass of a mirror. One populated with copies of ourselves. What do you suppose all those people are doing when we’re not looking at them?horror sf

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Everything has a cost. The Universe, as big as it is, is a closed system. Nothing can be created without something else being destroyed.Image a box, from which you can pull anything   you want, like a magician’s top hat. An enchanted cornucopia that provides whatever you need for free. But, as Mildred Landon is about to find out, nothing is ever truly free. fantasy sf spec

Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction. You might tell a friend, “Hey, you should watch that movie or read this book, it’s really good.” But haven’t we all at one time or another experienced something in real life, that, when we share it with someone, we tell them, “You’ll never believe what happened to me…” para true

A good Samaritan is something we all should strive to be. Helping others can be a satisfying reward in itself—but it’s not always the easiest thing to do. Dr. At is a veterinarian, just trying to get a well-deserved cheeseburger in the middle of a busy day when he crosses paths with a little lost dog whose situation turns out to be a little bit of a mystery... mystery humor

A wedding night is supposed to be a happy occasion, a time to celebrate the joining of two lives. A beginning of something special. But if your honeymoon starts out in a strange little motel managed by an obsequious little man who is a little too attentive, make sure the name illuminated in neon on the outside is NOT the Owl Eyes Motel.This week, Barbara Avon takes you once more into the world between life and death, a place where behind each door, lies and truth collide, and where there’s always room for the dead. Find out more about this multi-genre author at https://www.barbaraavon.com/Get her latest book, Owl Eyes Motel - Lover's Retreat at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLV8KW5V Pick up a copy of Owl Eyes Motel at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Owl-Eyes-Motel-Barbara-Avon-ebook/dp/B0977LTKMTCheck out all her amazing books at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Barbara-Avon/author/B076MCBGVCAnd join the conversation, let us know what you think at https://SubStack.com/@RichHosek horror

We’ve all been frustrated by a takeout dinner that was missing the egg rolls. A mistake on your order at the coffee shop. The pizza delivery that was late and cold. But we do we ever stop to consider what’s going on in the lives of the service people from whom we demand so much? Maybe they deserve a break. Maybe they’re having a day you wouldn’t believe. sf humor