The Stories They Tell

By: Aspen J. Stafford

Narrated by: Claire Glover

It’s just a story, a children’s story. Right? A creature that haunts the woods during the Yuletide. Could it possibly be real?

Rune embarks on a rescue mission to find her missing father. Her journey through a wintry forest is fraught with dread and unease. Something seems to watch her from the ice cold shadows. Confused and lost, she happens upon a strange village made up of black, crooked buildings. Even more strange are the villagers themselves; people who sing frightening songs around an evergreen tree about a mysterious creature that haunts the woods.

The all too perfect and happy people of the town raise Rune’s suspicions about her father's whereabouts. In her quest, Rune sets into motion a chilling sequence of events that not only upends her world but connects her to the secrets of the townsfolk.

Misfortune continues to stalk the village, but Rune isn’t about to give up. As she digs deeper and deeper, she discovers a slew of disappearances credited to this “imaginary” creature. If she doesn’t find the true culprit first, she may not only lose her father, but her own life as well.

©2024 Aspen J. Stafford (P)2024 Aspen J. Stafford

Unique and engaging

I loved this refreshingly unique story. I was engaged from the beginning to the end. The reader did a great job with the characters and even a beautiful song. I liked that the writer told this story with enough imagery to immerse me in the story without overdoing the moods, scenes and feelings. There was one or two details that could have had better explanations but overall didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. Without giving the story away, I would classify this as a dark fairy tale with an elements of mystery and investigation.

I’ve never listened to anything like it before!

It was so detailed and beautifully written that I felt like I was living the story not just an outsider looking in, and I couldn’t stop listening until the end. The character arcs are amazing, there are no plot holes, the suspense of the mysterious monster, the wholesome wisdom and lessons, the real life emotions, all culminate into a true masterpiece. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this story and made the characters come alive in a way that made my ears feel like they were watching a movie—rather than listening to an audiobook! This was an incredible experience to listen to. I can’t wait for more from Aspen J. Stafford!