Speaker 1: You're listening to an airwave media podcast. Monster Talk is
Speaker 1: supported by listeners like you. Find out how you can
Speaker 1: contribute via Patreon or with reviews at monster talk dot
Speaker 1: org forde slash support. Your contributions, large or small, make
Speaker 1: a huge difference. Thanks. Okay, it's actually quite unlike anything
Speaker 1: we've ever seen before. A giant hairy creature. Part eight
Speaker 1: part mat in Luckness, a twenty four mile long bottomless
Speaker 1: lake in the Highlands Discovernment. It's a creature known as
Speaker 1: the Luckness Monster Monster Tall Merry Christmas, Monster Talkers, It's
Speaker 1: time again for a Christmas ghost story. If you're a
Speaker 1: Patreon supporter, thank you so much. I'm putting this in
Speaker 1: the Patreon feed because our webmaster at Skeptics enjoying some
Speaker 1: much needed time off, and I'm sure he'll get the
Speaker 1: episode up soon. But since I can control the Patreon feed,
Speaker 1: I'm going to upload it right now whenever it's ready
Speaker 1: to go. Tonight's ghostly tale is a famous one The
Speaker 1: Monkeys Pau by William Wymark Jacobs, better known as W. W. Jacobs.
Speaker 1: This frequently anthologized tale first appeared in a collection of
Speaker 1: stories titled The Lady of the Barge and other stories
Speaker 1: in nineteen o two. Jacobs is probably most well known
Speaker 1: for this frightening little supernatural story, but he also wrote
Speaker 1: numerous nautical stories that are said to be quite amusing.
Speaker 1: This year's story was selected by a listener named Sophie,
Speaker 1: who said, I'd like you to read us the Monkey's Paul.
Speaker 1: I keep seeing it referenced in shows, but I haven't
Speaker 1: read it. Can you read it to us? Well? Yes, Sophie,
Speaker 1: and thank you for listening to our Christmas special. I
Speaker 1: also wish you'd listen to some other episodes, but you know,
Speaker 1: I know you have important roadblocks role plays to do,
Speaker 1: and I certainly don't want to deflect you from your
Speaker 1: life's work. But before we get to the story, there's
Speaker 1: a few words in here that I thought I should
Speaker 1: define since they're not super common on the show. The
Speaker 1: first one is rubicund. That means red faced or ruddy
Speaker 1: in complexion. The next one is anti macassar, and that's
Speaker 1: a cloth that you would place over the top of
Speaker 1: a fabric covered chair to prevent stains. Macassar oil used
Speaker 1: to be a common hair tonic, so if you wanted
Speaker 1: to prevent your chair fabric from getting macastor oil on it.
Speaker 1: An anti macassar was just the thing, and avaricious, which
Speaker 1: means greedy or overly concerned with monetary gain. And if
Speaker 1: you encounter any other words in the story that you
Speaker 1: don't know, you'll have to look them up yourself. So,
Speaker 1: as Casey Caseum used to say, this long distance dedication,
Speaker 1: well up too. Floors goes out to Sophie the Monkey's
Speaker 1: Paw by W. W. Jacobs One without The night was
Speaker 1: cold and wet, but in the small parlor of Laburnham Villa,
Speaker 1: the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. Father
Speaker 1: and son were at chess, the former, who possessed ideas
Speaker 1: about the game involving radical changes, putting his king into
Speaker 1: such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment
Speaker 1: from the white haired old lady knitting placidly by the
Speaker 1: fire hawk at the wind. Said mister white, who, having
Speaker 1: seen a fatal mistake after it was too late, was
Speaker 1: amiably desirous of preventing his son from seeing it. I'm listening,
Speaker 1: said the latter, grimly, surveying the board as he stretched
Speaker 1: out his hand check. I should hardly think he'd come tonight,
Speaker 1: said his father, with his hand poised over the board, mate,
Speaker 1: replied the son, that's the worst of living so far out,
Speaker 1: bawled mister White, with sudden and unlooked for violence, of
Speaker 1: all the basely, slushy, out of the way places to live,
Speaker 1: And this is the worst pathway's a bog, and the
Speaker 1: roads a torrent. I don't know what people are thinking about.
Speaker 1: I suppose because only two houses on the road are let,
Speaker 1: they think it doesn't matter. Never mind, dear, said his
Speaker 1: wife soothingly, Perhaps you'll win the next one. Mister White
Speaker 1: looked up sharply, just in time to intercept a knowing
Speaker 1: glance between mother and son. The words died away on
Speaker 1: his lips, and he hid a guilty grin in his
Speaker 1: thin gray beard. There he is, said Herbert White. As
Speaker 1: the gate banged too loudly, and heavy footsteps came towards
Speaker 1: the door. The old man rose with hospitable haste, and
Speaker 1: opening the door, was heard condoling with the new arrival.
Speaker 1: The new arrival was also condoled with himself, so that
Speaker 1: missus White said tut tut, and coughed gently as her
Speaker 1: husband entered the room, followed by a tall, burly man
Speaker 1: beauty of eye and rubicund of visage, Sergeant Major Morris,
Speaker 1: he said, introducing him. The sergeant Major shook hands, and,
Speaker 1: taking the proffered seat by the fire, watched contentedly while
Speaker 1: his host got out whiskey and tumblers and stood a
Speaker 1: small copper kettle on the fire. At the third glass,
Speaker 1: his eyes got brighter, and he began to talk the
Speaker 1: little family circle, regarding with interest this visitor from distant parts,
Speaker 1: as he squared his broad shoulders in the chair and
Speaker 1: spoke of wild scenes and dowdy deeds, of wars and
Speaker 1: plagues and strange people, twenty one years of it, said
Speaker 1: mister White, nodding at his wife and son. When he
Speaker 1: went away, he was a slip of a youth in
Speaker 1: the warehouse. Now look at him. He don't look to
Speaker 1: have taken much harm, said missus White politely. I'd like
Speaker 1: to go to India myself, said the old man, just
Speaker 1: to look around a bit. You know better where you are,
Speaker 1: said the Sergeant Major, shaking his head. He put down
Speaker 1: the empty glass and, sighing softly, shook it again. I
Speaker 1: should like to see those old temples and fakers and jugglers,
Speaker 1: said the old man. What was that you started telling
Speaker 1: me the other day about a monkey's paw or something. Morris, Nothing,
Speaker 1: said the soldier hastily. Lace weighs nothing worth hearing monkey's paw,
Speaker 1: said Missus White curiously. Well it's just a bit of
Speaker 1: what you might call magic, perhaps, said the sergeant major
Speaker 1: off handedly. His three listeners leaned forward eagerly. The visit
Speaker 1: ter absent mindedly put his empty glass to his lips,
Speaker 1: and then set it down again. His host filled it
Speaker 1: for him to look at, said the Sergeant Major, fumbling
Speaker 1: in his pocket. It's just an ordinary little paw, dried
Speaker 1: to a mummy. He took something out of his pocket
Speaker 1: and proffered it. Missus White drew back with a grimace.
Speaker 1: But her son, taking it, examined it curiously. And what
Speaker 1: is there special about it? Inquired mister White, as he
Speaker 1: took it from his son, and, having examined it, placed
Speaker 1: it upon the table. Ah. I had a spell put
Speaker 1: on it by an old fakir, said the sergeant Major,
Speaker 1: a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate
Speaker 1: ruled people's lives, and that those who interfeared with it
Speaker 1: did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on
Speaker 1: it so that three separate men could each have three
Speaker 1: wishes from it. His manner was so impressive that his
Speaker 1: hearers were conscious that their light laughter jarred somewhat. Well,
Speaker 1: why don't you have three, sir, said Herbert White cleverly.
Speaker 1: The soldier regarded him the way that Middle ages wont
Speaker 1: to regard presumptuous youth. I have, he said, quietly, and
Speaker 1: his blotchy face whitened. And did you really have three wishes? Granted,
Speaker 1: asked missus White. I did, said the sergeant major, and
Speaker 1: his glass tapped against his strong teeth. And has anybody
Speaker 1: else wished? Persisted the old lady. The first man had
Speaker 1: his three wishes? Yes, was the reply. I don't know
Speaker 1: what the first two were, but the third was for death,
Speaker 1: and that's how I got the paw. His tones were
Speaker 1: so grave that a hush fell upon the group. Well,
Speaker 1: if you've anual three wishes, it no good to you now, then, Morris,
Speaker 1: said the old man. At last, what do you keep
Speaker 1: it for? The soldier shook his head. Fancy I suppose,
Speaker 1: he said slowly. I did have some idea of selling it,
Speaker 1: but I don't think I will. It's caused enough mischief already. Besides,
Speaker 1: people won't buy. They think it's a fairy tale some
Speaker 1: of them, and those who do think anything of it
Speaker 1: want to try it first and pay me afterwards. If
Speaker 1: you could have another three wishes, said the old man,
Speaker 1: eyeing him keenly, what would you have them? I don't know,
Speaker 1: said the other. I don't know. He took the paw, and,
Speaker 1: dangling it between his forefinger and thumb, suddenly threw it
Speaker 1: upon the fire. White, with a slight cry, stooped down
Speaker 1: and snatched it off. Better let it burn, said the
Speaker 1: soldier solemnly. If you don't want it Morris, said the other,
Speaker 1: give it to me. I won't, said his friend doggedly.
Speaker 1: I threw it on the fire. If you keep it,
Speaker 1: don't blame me for what happened. Pitch it on the
Speaker 1: fire again, like a sensible man. The other shook his
Speaker 1: head and examined his new possession closely. How do you
Speaker 1: do it, he inquired. Hold it up in your right
Speaker 1: hand and wish aloud, said the sergeant major. But I
Speaker 1: warn you of the consequences. Who sounds like the Arabian nights,
Speaker 1: said missus White, as she rose and began to set
Speaker 1: the supper. Don't you think you might wish for four
Speaker 1: pairs of hands for me. Her husband drew the talisman
Speaker 1: from his pocket, and then all three burst into laughter
Speaker 1: as the sergeant major, with a look of alarm on
Speaker 1: his face, caught him by the arm. If you must wish,
Speaker 1: he said, gruffly, wish for something sensible. Mister White dropped
Speaker 1: it back in his pocket, and, placing chairs, motioned his
Speaker 1: friend to the table. In the business of supper, the
Speaker 1: talisman was partly forgotten, and afterwards the three sat listening
Speaker 1: in an enthralled fashion to a second installment of the
Speaker 1: Soldier's Adventures in India. If the tale about the monkey's
Speaker 1: paw is not more truthful than those he's been telling us,
Speaker 1: said Herbert, as the door closed behind their guests, just
Speaker 1: in time for him to catch the less train. We
Speaker 1: shan't make much out of it. Did you give him
Speaker 1: anything for it, father, inquired missus White, regarding her husband closely.
Speaker 1: Er trifle, he said, coloring slightly. He didn't want it,
Speaker 1: but I made him take it, and he pressed me
Speaker 1: again to throw it away, likely, said Herbert, with pretent horror.
Speaker 1: Why we're going to be rich and famous and happy?
Speaker 1: Wish to be an emperor? Father to begin with it,
Speaker 1: and he can't be him packed He darted round the table,
Speaker 1: pursued by the malign Missus White, armed with an antimacassar.
Speaker 1: Mister White took the paw from his pocket night it dubiously.
Speaker 1: I don't know what to wish for, and that's a fact,
Speaker 1: he said slowly. It seems to me I've got all
Speaker 1: I want. Hey, if you only cleared the house, you'd
Speaker 1: be quite happy, wouldn't you, said Herbert, with his hand
Speaker 1: on his shoulder. Well, wish for two hundred pounds, then
Speaker 1: that'll just do it. His father, smiling, shamefaced his own credulity,
Speaker 1: held up the talisman as his son, with a solemn
Speaker 1: face somewhat marred by a wink at his mother, sat
Speaker 1: down at the piano and struck a few impressive chords.
Speaker 1: I wish for two hundred pounds, said the old man distinctly.
Speaker 1: A fine crush from the piano greeted the words, interrupted
Speaker 1: by a shuddering cry from the old man. His wife
Speaker 1: and son ran towards him. It moved, he cried with
Speaker 1: a glance of disgust at the object as it lay
Speaker 1: on the floor. As I wished it twisted in my
Speaker 1: hand like a snake. Well, I don't see the money,
Speaker 1: said his son, as he picked it up and placed
Speaker 1: it on the table. And I bet I never shall.
Speaker 1: It must have been your fancy father, said his wife,
Speaker 1: regarding him anxiously. He shook his head. Never mind, though
Speaker 1: there's no harm done, But it gave me a shock
Speaker 1: all the same. They sat down by the fire again
Speaker 1: while the two men finished their pipes. Outside, the wind
Speaker 1: was higher than ever, and the old men started nervously
Speaker 1: at the sound of a door banging upstairs. A silence,
Speaker 1: unusual in depressing settled upon all three, which lasted until
Speaker 1: the old couple rose to retire for the night. I
Speaker 1: expect you'll find the cash tied up in a big
Speaker 1: bag in the middle of your bed, said Herbert, as
Speaker 1: he bade them good night. And something horrible squatting upon
Speaker 1: top of the wardrobe, watching you as you pocket your
Speaker 1: ill gotten gains. He sat alone in the darkness, gazing
Speaker 1: at the dying fire and seeing faces in it. The
Speaker 1: last face was so horrible and so Simian, that he
Speaker 1: gazed at it in amazement. He got so vivid that,
Speaker 1: with a little uneasy laugh, he felt on the table
Speaker 1: for a glass containing a little water to throw over it.
Speaker 1: His hand grasped the monkey's paw, and with a little shiver,
Speaker 1: he wiped his hand on his coat and went up
Speaker 1: to bed two. In the brightness of the wintry sun
Speaker 1: next morning, as it streamed over the breakfast table, he
Speaker 1: laughed at his fears. There was an air of prosaic
Speaker 1: wholesomeness about the room, which it had lacked on the
Speaker 1: previous night, and the dirty, shriveled little paw was pitched
Speaker 1: on the sideboard with a carelessness which betokened no great
Speaker 1: belief in his virtues. I suppose all old soldiers are
Speaker 1: the same, said missus White. The idea of our listening
Speaker 1: to such nonsense? How could wishes be granted in these days?
Speaker 1: And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you?
Speaker 1: Father might drop on his head from the sky, said
Speaker 1: the frivolous Herbert Morris said. Things happened so naturally, said
Speaker 1: his father, that you might, if you so wished, attribute
Speaker 1: it to coincidence. I'm afraid it'll turn you into a mean,
Speaker 1: avaricious man, and we shall have to disown you. His
Speaker 1: mother laughed, and, following him to the door, watched him
Speaker 1: down the road, and, returning to the breakfast table, was
Speaker 1: very happy at the expense of her husband's credulity all
Speaker 1: of us, which did not prevent her from scurrying to
Speaker 1: the door at the postman's knock, nor prevent her from
Speaker 1: referring somewhat shortly to retired Sergeant Major's of bibulous habits
Speaker 1: when she found that the post brought to tailor's bill.
Speaker 1: Herbert will have some more of his funny remarks, I
Speaker 1: expect when he comes home, she said. As they said
Speaker 1: at dinner, I dare say, said mister White, pouring himself
Speaker 1: out some beer. But for all that the thing moved
Speaker 1: in my hand that I'll swear to you. Thought it did,
Speaker 1: said the old lady soothingly. I say it did, replied
Speaker 1: the other. There was no thought about it, I had,
Speaker 1: just what's the matter? His wife made no reply. She
Speaker 1: was watching the mysterious movements of a man outside, who,
Speaker 1: peering in in an undecided fashion at the house, appeared
Speaker 1: to be trying to make up his mind to enter
Speaker 1: in mental connection with the two hundred pounds. She noticed
Speaker 1: that the stranger was well dressed and wore a silk
Speaker 1: hat of glossy newness. Three times he paused at the
Speaker 1: gate and then walked on again. The fourth time he
Speaker 1: stood with his hand upon it, and then, with sudden resolution,
Speaker 1: flung it open and walked up the path. Missus White,
Speaker 1: at the same moment, placed her hands behind her and,
Speaker 1: hurriedly unfastening the strings of her apron, put that useful
Speaker 1: article of apparel beneath the cushion of her chair. She
Speaker 1: brought the stranger, who seemed ill at ease, into the room.
Speaker 1: He gazed at her furtively and listened in a preoccupied
Speaker 1: fashion as the old lady apologized for the appearance of
Speaker 1: the room and her husband's coat, a garment which he
Speaker 1: usually reserved for the garden. She then waited as patiently
Speaker 1: as her sex would permit for him to broach his business.
Speaker 1: But he was at first strangely silent. Uh I was
Speaker 1: asked to call, he said at last, and stooped and
Speaker 1: picked a piece of cotton from his trousers. I I
Speaker 1: come from maw and Maggin's. But the old lady started,
Speaker 1: Is anything the matter? She said, breathlessly, Has it anything
Speaker 1: happened to herbert? O? What is it? What is it?
Speaker 1: Her husband interposed, There there, mother, he said, hastily, sit down,
Speaker 1: and don't jump to conclusions. You've not brought bad news.
Speaker 1: I'm sure, sir, and he eyed the other wistfully. Ah,
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, began the visitor. Is he hurt, demanded the
Speaker 1: mother wildly. The visitor bowed in assent. Uh, badly hurt,
Speaker 1: he said quietly. But he's not in any pain. Oh,
Speaker 1: thank god, said the old woman, clasping her hands. Thank
Speaker 1: god for that think. She broke off suddenly as the
Speaker 1: sinister meaning of the assurance dawned upon her, and she
Speaker 1: saw the awful confirmation of her fears in the other's
Speaker 1: averted face. She caught her breath, and, turning to her
Speaker 1: slow witted husband, laid her trembling old hand upon his.
Speaker 1: There was a long silence. He was caught in the machinery,
Speaker 1: said the visitor at length, in a low voice. Caught
Speaker 1: in the machinery, repeated mister White in a dazed fashion. Yes.
Speaker 1: He stared blankly out at the window, and taking his
Speaker 1: wife's hand between his own, pressed it, as he had
Speaker 1: been wont to do in their old courting days, nearly
Speaker 1: forty years before. He was the only one left to us,
Speaker 1: He said, turning gently to the visitor, it is hard.
Speaker 1: The other coughed, and rising, walked slowly to the window.
Speaker 1: The firm wished me to convey their sincere sympathy with
Speaker 1: you and your great loss, he said, without looking around.
Speaker 1: I beg that you will understand I am only their
Speaker 1: servant and merely obeying orders. There was no reply. The
Speaker 1: old woman's face was white, her eyes staring, and her
Speaker 1: breath inaudible. On the husband's face was a look such
Speaker 1: as his friend the sergeant might have carried into his
Speaker 1: first action. I was to say that Maua and Megan's
Speaker 1: disclaim all responsibility continued the other. They admit no liability
Speaker 1: at all, but in consideration of your son's services, they
Speaker 1: wished to present you with a certain sum as compensation.
Speaker 1: Mister White dropped his wife's hand, and, rising to his feet,
Speaker 1: gazed with a look of horror at his visitor. His
Speaker 1: dry lips shaped the words how much two hundred pounds
Speaker 1: was the answer? Unconscious of his wife's shriek, the old
Speaker 1: man smiled faintly, put out his hands like a sightless man,
Speaker 1: and dropped a senseless heap to the floor. Three in
Speaker 1: the huge new cemetery, some two miles distant, the old
Speaker 1: people buried their dead and came back to a house
Speaker 1: steeped in shadow, in silence. It was all over so
Speaker 1: quickly that at first they could hardly realize it, and
Speaker 1: remained in a state of expectation, as though of something
Speaker 1: else to happen, something else which was to lighten this
Speaker 1: load too heavy for their old hearts to bear. But
Speaker 1: the days passed, an expectation gave place to resignation, the
Speaker 1: hopeless resignation of the old sometimes miscalled apathy. Sometimes they
Speaker 1: hardly exchanged a word, for now they had nothing to
Speaker 1: talk about, and their days were long to weariness. It
Speaker 1: was about a week after that that the old man,
Speaker 1: waking suddenly in the night, stretched out his hand and
Speaker 1: found himself alone. The room was in darkness, and the
Speaker 1: sound of subdued weeping came from the window. He raised
Speaker 1: himself in bed and listened. Come back, he said, tender,
Speaker 1: you'll be cold. It's colder for my son, said the
Speaker 1: old woman, and wept afresh. The sound of her sobs
Speaker 1: died away on his ear. The bed was warm, and
Speaker 1: his eyes were heavy with sleep. He dozed fitfully, and
Speaker 1: then slept until a sudden wild cry from his wife
Speaker 1: awoke him with a start. The paw, she cried, wildly,
Speaker 1: the monkey's paw. He started up in alarm. Where where
Speaker 1: is it? What's the matter? She came, stumbling across the
Speaker 1: room towards him. I want it, she said quietly. You've
Speaker 1: not destroyed it. It's in the parlor on the bracket,
Speaker 1: he replied, marveling. Why she cried and laughed together, and
Speaker 1: bending over, kissed his cheek. I only just thought of it,
Speaker 1: she said, hysterically. Why didn't I think of it before?
Speaker 1: Why didn't you think of it? Think of what? He questioned?
Speaker 1: The other two wishes, she replied rapidly. We've only had one.
Speaker 1: What's that naught in? He demanded fiercely. No, she cried triumphantly.
Speaker 1: We'll have one more. Go down and get it quickly,
Speaker 1: and wish our boy alive again. The man sat up
Speaker 1: in bed and flung the bedclothes from his quaking limbs.
Speaker 1: Good god, you're mad, he cried, aghast, Get it, she panted,
Speaker 1: get it quickly, and wish oh, my boy, my boy.
Speaker 1: Her husband struck a match and lit the kendle. Get
Speaker 1: back to bed, he said, unsteadily. You don't know what
Speaker 1: you're saying. We had the first wish granted, said the
Speaker 1: old woman feverishly. Why not the second? U uh A coincidence,
Speaker 1: stammered the old man. Go and get it and wish,
Speaker 1: cried his wife, quivering with excitement. The old man turned
Speaker 1: and regarded her, and his voice shook. He he's been
Speaker 1: dead to day's and besides he I would not tell
Speaker 1: you else, but I can only recognize him by his clothing.
Speaker 1: If he he' too terrible for you to see, then
Speaker 1: how now? Bring him back? Cried the old woman, and
Speaker 1: dragged him towards the door. Do you think I fear
Speaker 1: the child that I've nursed? He went down in the
Speaker 1: darkness and felt his way to the parlor, and then
Speaker 1: to the mantelpiece. The talisman was in its place, and
Speaker 1: a horrible fear that the unspoken wish might bring his
Speaker 1: mutilated son before him ere he could escape the room
Speaker 1: seized upon him, and he caught his breath as he
Speaker 1: found that he had lost the direction of the door.
Speaker 1: His brow cold with sweat, he felt his way round
Speaker 1: the table and groped along the wall until he found
Speaker 1: himself in the small passage with the unwholesome thing in
Speaker 1: his hand. Even his wife's face seemed changed as he
Speaker 1: entered the room. It was white and expectant, and to
Speaker 1: his fears, seemed to have an unnatural look upon it.
Speaker 1: He was afraid of her. Wish, she cried in a
Speaker 1: strong voice. It's foolish and wicked. He faltered. Wish, repeated
Speaker 1: his wife. He raised his hand, I wish my son
Speaker 1: alive again. The talisman fell to the floor, and he
Speaker 1: regarded it fearfully. Then he sank, trembling into a chair,
Speaker 1: as the old woman, with burning eyes walked to the
Speaker 1: window and raised the blind. He sat until he was
Speaker 1: chilled with the cold, glancing occasionally at the figure of
Speaker 1: the old woman peering through the window. The candle, in
Speaker 1: which burned below the rim of the china candlestick, was
Speaker 1: throwing pulsating shadows on to the ceiling and walls, until,
Speaker 1: with a flicker larger than the rest, it expired. The
Speaker 1: old man, with an unspeakable sense of relief at the
Speaker 1: failure of the talisman, crept back to his bed, and
Speaker 1: a minute or two afterward, the old woman came silently
Speaker 1: and apathetically beside him. Neither spoke, but lay silently listening
Speaker 1: to the ticking of the clock, a stair creaked, and
Speaker 1: a squeaky mouse scurried noisily through the wall. The darkness
Speaker 1: was oppressive, and after lying for some time, screwing up
Speaker 1: his courage, he took the box of matches, and, striking one,
Speaker 1: went downstairs for a candle. At the foot of the stairs.
Speaker 1: The match went out, and he paused to strike another,
Speaker 1: and at that same moment a knock so quiet and
Speaker 1: stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door.
Speaker 1: The matches fell from his hand and spilled in the passage.
Speaker 1: He stood motionless, his breath suspended until the knock was repeated.
Speaker 1: Then he turned and fled swiftly back to his room
Speaker 1: and closed the door behind him. A third knock sounded
Speaker 1: through the house. What's that, cried the old woman, starting
Speaker 1: up A rat, said the old man, in shaking tones.
Speaker 1: It passed me on the stairs. His wife sat up
Speaker 1: in bed, listening. A loud knock rose unded through the house.
Speaker 1: It's Herbert, she screamed, it's Herbert. She ran to the door,
Speaker 1: but her husband was before her, and catching her brother
Speaker 1: arm held her tightly. What are you going to do?
Speaker 1: He whispered hoarsely. It's my boy. It's Herbert, she cried,
Speaker 1: struggling mechanically. I forgot it was two miles away. What
Speaker 1: are you holding me for? Let go? I must open
Speaker 1: the door. Oh, for God's sake, don't let it in,
Speaker 1: cried the old man, trembling. You are afraid of your
Speaker 1: own son, She cried, struggling, Let me go. I'm coming, Herbert,
Speaker 1: I'm coming. There was another knock, and another. The old woman,
Speaker 1: with a sudden wrench, broke free and ran from the room.
Speaker 1: Her husband followed to the landing and called after her appealingly.
Speaker 1: As she hurried down the stairs. He heard the chain
Speaker 1: rattle back, and the bottom bolt drawn slowly and stiffly
Speaker 1: from the socket. The old woman's voice strained, panting the bolts.
Speaker 1: She cried loudly, come down, I can't reach it. But
Speaker 1: her husband was on his hands and knees, groping wildly
Speaker 1: on the floor in search of the paw. If he
Speaker 1: could only find it before the thing outside got in
Speaker 1: a perfect fuselot of knocks reverberated through the house, and
Speaker 1: he heard the scraping of a chair as his wife
Speaker 1: put it down in the passage against the door. He
Speaker 1: heard the creaking of the bolts as it came slowly back,
Speaker 1: and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw
Speaker 1: and frantically breathed his third and last wish. The knocking
Speaker 1: ceased suddenly, although the echoes of it were still in
Speaker 1: the house. He heard the chair drawn back and the
Speaker 1: door opened. A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and
Speaker 1: a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his
Speaker 1: wife gave him the courage to run down to her
Speaker 1: side and then to the gate beyond the street. Lamp
Speaker 1: flickering opposite shown on a quiet and deserted road. Monster
Speaker 1: Tal You just heard the Monkeys Paul by W. W. Jacobs,
Speaker 1: read by me Blake Smith on behalf of Myself my
Speaker 1: co host Karen Stoles noo we hear at Monster Talk.
Speaker 1: Wish you a merry Christmas, a happy Honukah, a festive Festivus,
Speaker 1: a quality Kwanza, or, if you're not into holidays, a
Speaker 1: pleasant week. Monster Talk is an official podcast of Skeptic Magazine.
Speaker 1: The views expressed on the shore are those of myself
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Speaker 1: Peach Stealing Monkeys. Thank you so much for listening. Hungry
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