And greetings to you, Bobby. I hope seclusion is treating you well. I must admit, I have had a chuckle or two thinking of my own Dianas from times gone by. But I've also had less comfortable moments imagining if someone from my past thinks of me as their Diana. I hope not, but you can never tell.

Very true, Diana. It certainly sets the mind spinning. I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and thank you for commenting.

Thank you, Laura. I apologize for uploading so infrequently.

@@MattiesStoryland I'll take what I can get! 💯❤️

I'm glad I kept the language in, and always try to respect the author's choices. I have only altered the author's words twice at this point, and both were in readings of Lovecraft tales. In his story "The Temple", I took a little artistic license by changing "pig-dog" to "schweinehund", and in my reading of "The Rats" I changed the name of the protagonist's cat to "Blackie" (the ethnic slur it replaced seemed gratuitous, and it's lack detracted not at all from the story). These alterations seemed to me entirely justified, and caused no harm to the original tales. Nonetheless, I wrestled with the decisions mightily. Thank you for commenting T Done, and I'm glad you enjoyed the reading.

Thank you, Debbie. Do you mean the poem by Atsuro Riley? I'd be happy to, though it will take a little preparation. It is a brutal poem, and I would like to do it justice (or at least attempt to). And I will certainly give an explanation as to the story I believe the poet is telling.

Oh wow! Yes that’s the one. I’m amazed you knew the one I meant 😁

Thank you TSO, that is very kind of you to say (and of course thank you for subscribing). "The Last Question" is a wonderful story and it would certainly be my pleasure to read it (and I appreciate you thinking I may be able to do it justice). It will take a bit of time, though. I post quite infrequently and am already rather behind on my working projects and requests. But if you can be a little patient, I will certainly honour your request!

@@MattiesStoryland No rush at all, I can wait. Thank you for your response, Matties. Looking forward to it!

Such a moving and beautiful poem, isn't it Elsie? Here it is in full: She stood at the bar of justice, A creature wan and wild, In form too small for a woman, In features too old for a child; For a look so worn and pathetic Was stamped on her pale young face, It seemed long years of suffering Must have left that silent trace. “Your name?” said the judge, as he eyed her With kindly look yet keen,- “Is Mary McGuire, if you please, sir.” And your age?”-”I am turned fifteen.” “Well, Mary,” and then from a paper He slowly and gravely read, “You are charged here-I’m sorry to say it- With stealing three loaves of bread. “You look not like an offender, And I hope that you can show The charge to be false. Now, tell me, Are you guilty of this, or no?” A passionate burst of weeping Was at first her sole reply. But she dried her eyes in a moment, And looked in the judge’s eye. “I will tell you just how it was, sir: My father and mother are dead, And my little brothers and sisters Were hungry and asked me for bread. At first I earned it for them By working hard all day, But somehow, times were bad, sir, And the work all fell away. “I could get no more employment. The weather was bitter cold, The young ones cried and shivered- (Little Johnny’s but four years old)- So what was I to do, sir? I am guilty, but do not condemn. I took-oh, was it stealing?- The bread to give to them.” Every man in the court-room- Graybeard and thoughtless youth- Knew, as he looked upon her, That the prisoner spake the truth; Out from their pockets came kerchiefs, Out from their eyes sprung tears, And out from their old faded wallets Treasures hoarded for years. The judge’s face was a study, The strangest you ever saw, As he cleared his throat and murmured Something about the law; For one so learned in such matters, So wise in dealing with men, He seemed, on a simple question, Sorely puzzled, just then. But no one blamed him or wondered, When at last these words he heard, “The sentence of this young prisoner Is, for the present, deferred.” And no one blamed him or wondered When he went to her and smiled And tenderly led from the court-room, Himself, the “guilty” child.

Thank you very much, CC.

Hi TLF, lovely to hear from you. Wonderful poem, isn't it? Resonates with me, too.

Hi BB, I'm glad you are enjoying the readings. Any chance you have more information about the tape? The only "Mid Winter Tales" I can find is a book featuring the Moomins, the Swedish children's characters. Given that you are commenting on a Poe short story, I'm guessing that's not the one.

My pleasure, NB. I'm glad you enjoyed the reading.

I'm glad it spoke to you, LWP. Apologies for the late reply.

I agree (on both counts).

Thank you, Michelle.

Thanks Michelle. Lovely tale, eh?

Thank you, Xadrum.

Sad times. Thank you, Stephen.

Thank you, FMP.

Thank you, Yvonne.

Thank you, Stephen.

@@MattiesStoryland my thoughts are with you and the family. Expression of sympathy is always inadequate...but totally sincere.

Thanks TLF, that was very kind of you.

@@MattiesStoryland You're the best, Mattie. Love your channel.

Thanks Ruth. Brutal indeed. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Hello 👋 Ruth! - hope you are well.😊

@@StephenSinclair-d6n Hi there Stephen. Lovely to hear from you. I've been poorly for several months - all triggered by fecking sleep paralysis. I mostly sleep during the day and am awake through the night, which helps. Is Sir (the caretaker) well also? He's unique xx

Sorry to hear that you've been unwell.

@@MattiesStoryland Thank you so very much, Mattie. Yes, I still have trouble focusing and reading. I love the HSC with the caretaker, but I don't want to have trouble focusing on them, so I have been saving them for when I am better. I really love your work, Mattie; you are gentle and sensitive with your narration. I look forward to more. Go gently, from Ruth x

Thank you, Janina. That is very kind of you to say.

Thank you, Nourka. I'm glad it came in handy 😀

Thank you, DIY. It's a wonderful (though heartbreaking) story and was a pleasure to read.

My pleasure, Sean. I'm glad you enjoyed it. A true SciFi classic.

Thank you FW (for commenting and subscribing), and I certainly will. I do love a little Dahl.

Thank you Karolina, I'm very glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you Leroy, and I will absolutely read more King (when you say "shorts", I imagine you mean "short stories" and not KZbin Shorts?)

Ha, nope. Nothing artificial. Just little ol' garden variety intelligence me. This is the second time someone has questioned the reality of my existence, though. Maybe I just have one of those faces? Or perhaps I am a singular example of naturally occurring uncanny valley personified in human form? Or proof that the Simulation Hypothesis is actually correct, and the reality we exist in is still in beta testing? Or maybe I just have a bad camera? Who can say? Anyway, thanks for watching, Pix.

Thanks KB. And I'm gad you liked the story. It's such a good story...and that is also a good thing

Indeed

Thanks Michelle, and thank you for continuing to watch and for all of your lovely comments.

Hello Ruth!!...it's Stephen Sinclair from the horror story corner!! I hope you are doing great.😊kindest regards.😊

@@StephenSinclair-d6n Hello Stephen! Hope you and the caretaker/Sir are well. I'm coming back to you. I have returned to my poetry. It's been a long haul xx

@@ruth_southernstar glad to hear it. And good for you. The channel is kind of "resting". But he's still putting things up on occasion. Still writing my book. Take care. Lovely to 'speak' lol to you.

@@StephenSinclair-d6n I have a lot to catch up on, and much feedback to leave. Keep in touch about your book , I'd love to know more when you are ready x

@@ruth_southernstar will do!!...regards the book - its an anthology of short stories. Some of which you already know. Take care.

Thank you FMP, and I'm glad you like the voices 😄 And thanks for letting me know about the mid-roll ad; I was able to fix it (gone, baby!).

Thank you as always, Stephen. And while I have a (very) basic understanding of buoyancy and aerodynamics, there is still a part of me that gives a little side-eye to the idea of heavy metal objects floating on the water or floating in the sky 😄

@@MattiesStoryland as an old farmer once said to me when a bull got among the cows on "the sabbath" - 'Archie's boy...no good will come of this!" 😂.

Thank you, TLF. All is well. I do appreciate you asking, though. I hope life is being good to you.

Thank you very much Evgeniy, that's very kind of you to say. I'm so glad you enjoyed the reading.

Perhaps thinking longingly of Spring, Michelle, as I am?

Thanks LBR, that's very nice of you to say. I love King's short stories (and novels, for that matter), and they are some of the most fun to read. I've already done one other of his ("The Man Who Loved Flowers"), and have two more in the planning stages. Unfortunately, getting my videos up is never a quick process (the editing alone is anywhere from 1 to 3 hrs per minute of video) so I can't promise anything soon. But when I can, I will! Thanks again for your compliment and interest.

@@MattiesStoryland No problem. From the Night Shift Collection, "Trucks" or "Quitters Inc." would be great, if you get around to it! I understand the struggle of editing, haha- mine usually take a couple of days.

Thanks TWYM 😄 I do love a little Poe myself, and will certainly read more. Unfortunately, it takes me rather a long time to get a video up, and I am very (very) far behind already...so I can't promise Poe anytime soon. But I absolutely will at some point!

Thank you very much, Kalli. Believe me, it was entirely my pleasure 😄 I'm so glad you enjoyed the reading.