Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction
Fiction & Audio Drama
About
The Kaidankai is a short fiction podcast featuring strange, supernatural, and dark stories across horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the uncanny. The Kaidankai presents original short stories from experienced and emerging authors that explore the unsettling edges of human experience. These tales can be touching, scary, gruesome, funny, and even heartwarming. From ghostly encounters and supernatural revenge to speculative futures and uncanny moments, the stories span genres while sharing a common atmosphere of mystery and unease. The Kaidankai is narrated with a focus on mood, pacing, and immersion. Whether a story leans toward horror, fantasy, science fiction, or something harder to define, each episode invites listeners to step into a world just slightly off-kilter.
Episodes
- Night of the Living Bedsheet by Alex Grass: Night of the Living Bedsheet: A Strange and Terrifying Supernatural Encounter
A night janitor encounters a floating bedsheet at a blood bank. The bedsheet has a terrifying purpose, leading to a surreal horror experience.
- Ep. 360: HMS Wraith by Thomas Wetzel--A Ghost Ship Horror Story
This episode of the Kaidankai Podcast features "HMS Wraith" by Thomas Wetzel, a ghost ship horror story. A naval officer investigates a mysterious vessel that appears and disappears along the English coast.
- Why Didn't You Just Leave by Shannon Massey: A Story of Trauma and a Haunting
This episode features Shannon Massey's story "Why Didn't You Just Leave," which explores trauma and a haunting. Strange events unfold as a woman tries to rebuild her life, bringing her past to the surface.
- The Search by LN Hunter: A Sci-Fi Horror Story About AI, Humanity, and the Unknown
This episode of Kaidankai presents "The Search" by LN Hunter, a sci-fi horror story. It features machines that inherit the universe and seek to discover the fate of their human creators.
- The Cauldron by Mark Speed: A Dark Horror Story of Street Harassment and Twisted Justice
This episode features "The Cauldron" by Mark Speed, a dark horror story about a woman experiencing street harassment and its escalating consequences. The narrative blends real-world fear with an unsettling sense of inevitability.
- Hannah Sawyer by Aaron Brown-Ewing: A Ghost Story About Loneliness and Regret
This episode features "Hannah Sawyer" by Aaron Brown-Ewing, a ghost story exploring themes of loneliness, regret, memory, and the blending of past and present. The narrative combines supernatural horror with emotional depth.
- Ep. 355: King of the Mountain by Matthew Hurst: A Cycling Horror Story
This episode features "King of the Mountain" by Matthew Hurst, a story about a solo cyclist in southern France. The narrative blends psychological tension with subtle supernatural horror as the cyclist takes an unexpected shortcut.
- Ghost Jam by Daniel Scott Tysdal: A Haunting Story About Music and Ghosts
This episode features "Ghost Jam" by Daniel Scott Tysdal, a story about a musician whose creative endeavors are interrupted by a haunting. The narrative blends supernatural horror with themes of creativity and burnout.
- Laughter and the Devil by Nemo Arator: A Chilling Literary Horror Tale
This Kaidankai episode features "Laughter and the Devil" by Nemo Arator. The story centers on a writer whose childhood fascination with summoning dark forces resurfaces, leading to a terrifying exploration of memory, guilt, temptation, and…
- Old Ben by TG Smith:A Ghost Story of Displacement, Captivity, and Friendship
The Kaidankai Podcast presents "Old Ben" by T.G. Smith. The story follows an immigrant zoo worker who encounters an unexpected presence during his nightly rounds, exploring themes of isolation and cultural displacement.
- Negative Space by Jennifer Peaslee: A Supernatural Horror Story About What We Fail to See
This Kaidankai Podcast episode features "Negative Space" by Jennifer Peaslee. It is a supernatural horror story about a warning from an unknown presence and an impending tragedy.
- Ep. 350: Torn by Melissa MIles--A Supernatural Story of Identity and Survival
This Kaidankai episode features "Torn" by Melissa Miles, a supernatural story about a woman who receives a warning phone call from her future self. The narrative blends psychological horror with speculative dread, exploring identity and su…
- What Comes Next by David Corisis--A Quiet Story About Death and What Follows
This Kaidankai podcast episode features "What Comes Next" by David Corisis. It is a supernatural story about aging, death, and mortality.
- That Sound that the Crickets Make by Val Chatindo: A Dark Witchcraft Confession
This episode features a first-person supernatural confession about inheriting witchcraft. It explores witchcraft as a generational obligation and examines themes of fear, taboo, and belonging.
- La Loca by Robert Walton – A Mythic Tale of Revenge and Supernatural Justice
This Kaidankai podcast episode features Robert Walton's story "La Loca," a mythic tale of revenge and supernatural justice. The story explores themes of betrayal and hypocrisy through the lens of ancient vengeance.
- Polydactyl Aboard by Tom Koperwas| A Maritime Ghost Story
In "Polydactyl Aboard," a retired sailor recounts his memories of an extraordinary ship\
- Ep. 345: Redress by Nick Young
This Kaidankai episode features "Redress" by Nick Young. The story involves a man drawn into a situation revealing a literary grievance and a demand for justice.
- The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens
This episode features "The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton" by Charles Dickens. It is presented as an alternative holiday story to "A Christmas Carol."
- Dead Man's Posse by Chad Gayle
This Kaidankai episode features "Dead Man's Posse" by Chad Gayle, a story about a drifter who uncovers a ghost-hunting ritual. The story was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of SPOOKY Magazine.
- Fleeing to the Dawn by Daniel Stride
This Kaidankai episode features "Fleeing to the Dawn" by Daniel Stride. The story describes two brothers fleeing an unearthly pursuit and discovering a mysterious city.
- The Patience Factor by Rick McQuiston
This Kaidankai Podcast episode features "The Patience Factor" by Rick McQuiston. The story describes a self-help guru whose teachings were twisted by a follower with "infinite patience."
- Ep. 340: A Prophet's Hometown by Nathan Perrin
This episode of Kaidankai features Nathan Perrin's story, "A Prophet's Hometown." The narrative follows a pastor and a troubled parishioner, exploring themes of prophecy and tragedy.
- Penance by Ed Ahern
This episode features "Penance" by Ed Ahern. The story is about a priest who sells his church to a nightclub owner and finds that the dead still seek redemption.
- Hungry Ghost by Paul Walter
This episode presents "Hungry Ghost," a story by Paul Walter. It describes a ski trip to Japan where two friends encounter a spirit.
- The Faces in Morgan Alley by Rick Kennett
In "The Faces in Morgan Alley," a student filmmaker
- The Rodadora by Helen Gallegos Evans
This episode of the Kaidankai Podcast features "The Rodadora" by Helen Gallegos Evans. The story describes a family's struggle for survival against an ancient force.
- Ep. 335: Brainworm by Salem Savage-Cutcher
This episode features the story "Brainworm" by Salem Savage-Cutcher. The narrative explores a woman's struggle with identity while under a monster's influence.
- The Gap in the Closet by David Corisis
This episode of Kaidankai features "The Gap in the Closet" by David Corisis. The story involves a boy who hears his mother's voice coming from a closet after he has already seen her downstairs.
- Shadows by LN Hunter
This episode of Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction presents "Shadows" by L.N. Hunter. The story describes a character named Paul who sees strange entities after a near-death crash.
- Fever by Stefan Sofinski
This episode of the Kaidankai Podcast features "Fever" by Stefan Sofinski, where a man wakes from illness to find his world profoundly changed. Stefan Sofinski is the pen name of a Bulgarian author residing in the UK.
- The Spook Who Sleuths by Daniel P. Douglas
This episode features "The Spook Who Sleuths" by Daniel P. Douglas, a story about a ghostly private detective. Daniel P. Douglas is the pen name for authors Phillip and Paul Garver.
- Ep. 330 Stairway to Death by Alice Baburek
This episode of Kaidankai Podcast features "Stairway to Death" by Alice Baburek. The story describes a former Nazi guard returning to a camp and confronting his past memories.
- Transmitter by Nick Porisch
This Kaidankai Podcast episode features "Transmitter" by Nick Porisch. The story involves a man whose car radio picks up occult broadcasts, leading him to a motel with unexpected encounters.
- Expectations by Deborah Sale-Butler
In "Expectations," a ghost warns a journalist about her impending death, revealing that the afterlife depends on belief. The story is by Deborah Sale-Butler, whose work often features supernatural elements.
- The Revenant by K.D.P. Wildwood
This episode of Kaidankai features "The Revenant" by K.D.P. Wildwood, a story about a cursed shepherd facing his past. K.D.P. Wildwood is a trans Midwestern author.
- The Empty House by Ed Ahern
This episode features "The Empty House" by Ed Ahern. The story describes a man fulfilling a promise to the dying, leading him back to an abandoned house where he finds strange comfort.
- Ep. 325: Ghost Picnic by Jim Wright
In this episode, Kaidankai presents "Ghost Picnic" by Jim Wright. The story features a group of ghosts and a surprising spring day.
- Return to Rocky Point by Lee Clark Zumpe
This episode features "Return to Rocky Point" by Lee Clark Zumpe. The story is about an elderly man returning to a significant place from his past, dealing with themes of regret and enduring love.
- The Last Ticket by Daniel Culver
In "The Last Ticket" by Daniel Culver, a mysterious ringmaster has knowledge about a man's father's past. The ringmaster offers the man a choice that may alter his life. The story can be read at kaidankaistories.com.
- They Said It Was The Trees by Matt Smart
This episode of the Kaidankai Podcast presents "They Said It Was The Trees" by Matt Smart. The narrative explores themes of vanishing children and trees that move at night.
- Rest in Peace by David Corisis
This episode features "Rest in Peace" by David Corisis. The story is about a character seeking revenge after being buried alive and robbed.
- Ep. 320: Last Breath by Nathan Perrin & Ode to Obscured Ancestors by Elise Maren
This episode features two stories: "Last Breath" by Nathan Perrin, which concerns a boy on a hunting trip and the questioning of killing animals sacred to the Sami people, and "Ode to Obscured Ancestors" by Elise Maren, which speaks to end…
- Out of the Fire by Alex Dal Piaz
This Kaidankai Podcast episode features "Out of the Fire" by Alex Dal Piaz. The story is about a woman in a remote cabin who encounters a fire and another presence.
- Over And Over by Tim Law
The Kaidankai podcast features "Over And Over" by Tim Law. This story describes a man repeatedly experiencing a horrific moment in a nightclub, with time and reality becoming distorted.
- Rise Up by C. S. Fuqua
This episode of Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction presents "Rise Up" by C. S. Fuqua. The story explores themes of love, loss, and the mysterious forces that blur the line between life and death.
- Do Not Stand By My Grave, I Am Not There by Tony Del Degan
This Kaidankai episode presents "Do Not Stand By My Grave, I Am Not There" by Tony Del Degan. The story explores a nurse's experience with the emotional and spiritual demands of end-of-life care.
- Ep. 315: The Blonde of Kennedy by Sam Williamson
This episode of Kaidankai features "The Blonde of Kennedy" by Sam Williamson. A podcast team explores an urban legend in Santiago, delving into belief, memory, and the unknown.
- Nighthawks by Grove Koger
In this episode, Laura revisits the place where her uncle vanished. She encounters a voice and a familiar face, causing her reality to unravel.
- Closing Time by Robert Kibble
Robert Kibble's short story "Closing Time" features a tired traveler who encounters loneliness and the ghosts of the past in a country pub. The author lives west of London and has published several works, with more available on his website.
- The Mango Tree by Arpad Nagy
This episode features "The Mango Tree" by Arpad Nagy. The story is about a city boy who encounters mysterious rural secrets after being drawn in by a strange girl and the allure of magical fruit.