"Lucky's Grove" by H. Russell Wakefield | Audio narration by Jasper L'Estrange

[@EnCryptedHorror]

Hope you enjoy my latest upload. CONTENT ADVICE: Contains loud noises and screams, just so you know 🎄⛄🔥EDIT: Also, speculation about the fate of a missing dog 🐕

[@Boogie_the_cat]

So, it's just like Christmas at my Mom's house ?

[@EnCryptedHorror]

​@@Boogie_the_cat That's about the size of it 😂. I'll be in the kitchen with the cooking sherry...

[@mijiyoon5575]

[@thurayya8905]

I can bet we all have a good guess as to why the roots of the tree were stained in red🫣😂🎁. The party catered by Hel🩸🩸🩸

[@jasonfx28]

Utterly dreadfully terrifying from start to finish. I loved the juxtaposition of festive Christmas music against the horrific narrative! Irony and nightmare with a touch of humor?! Brilliant story only rivaled in its telling. Cheers and thanks Jasper!!

[@joereilly8028]

Thank you Jasper for all your hard work throughout the year. Merry Christmas

[@SueCooke]

Who else was shouting...... "PUT THE TREE BACK. PUT THE TREE BACK!" Brilliant story. I did get a teeny tiny bit frightened when the storm was raging, as I had just leaned the broom against the kitchen worktop after sweeping the floor, and as I turned away, it suddenly crashed to the floor! Just goes to show how you entice us into your story telling Jasper! Wonderful stuff.

[@joedge6142]

Thanks Jasper, great choice of story. Really enjoyed this.

[@villalajolla]

Encrypted Horror is my absolute favorite of these types of horror storytelling. The editing is crisp and the supporting music and sound effects are perfect and not too intrusive. Most perfect of all is the voice(s) of the narrator. Accents are spot-on, not overly wrought, and for this Yank, understandable. Well done, Jasper.

[@alisonduffy6206]

Completely fabulous Jasper. I enjoyed it so much, esp the butler, and the distressed little Jingle Bells tune.... Thank you again.

[@johngalvin6352]

Fantastic episode guys, and thanks for helping to make Christmas even better. You guys are the best 😜

[@franken-pattern]

Thank you, Mr. Jasper and I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas ✨️🎄✨️

[@mijiyoon5575]

🎁 Thanks for the story *Jasper*

[@Agrajag4Dent]

Hello, I am just dropping you a line to wish you and your family a happy and peaceful holiday and a healthy and prosperous 2025, and thank you for all the pleasure you give to us cryptonites throughout the year with your story telling

[@jimpearson1143]

Both the reading and the story are excellent - thank you! Hope you'll have another Christmas postmortem.

[@GrandOldMovies]

Really enjoyed your reading of one of the great stories of folk horror; it builds up the terror slowly but with telling detail. H.R. Wakefield wrote several folk-horror stories that should be better known. Would recommend his "Look Up There!" as a candidate for a future reading.

[@shelleymarquis2887]

Ma taught me when I was a wee tot who loved the woods and nature to always "Look, but don't touch." Nature is doing its work and I'm part of it, not separate from it. I'm forever grateful to her for instilling in me a reverence for the secret workings of the world. As a result of that reverence I have been privileged to see amazing things. I once saw a small copperhead leave his ledge beside my creek, slip into the small pond, dive to the bottom and come up with a seriously prehistoric looking black catfish the size of a man's fist. The snake's fangs were sunken into its fat barbed body pumping venom into it as it swam across the pool, pushed the catfish all the way onto a sand bar, less than 3 feet from me, and killed it deader than 4 o'clock, backed off and dropped the carcass into the deepest part of the pool and returned to his ledge. There was no possible way for the snake to swallow the cat fish. I considered for a while to figure out what had really happened. I came to the conclusion that the snake had killed his competition and fed it to the minnows and cray fish that were it's natural food thereby fattening his herd with the body of his enemy. Genius. Pure genius. Most humans consider snakes a lower form of life. Not me... evolution has been honing these skills for millions of years and the elegance and efficiency of survival is stunningly beautiful, to my eye. No improvement needed from human hands. These atavistic stories from you are always a reminder to me that when I feel that urge to leave or stay or just be quietly observant; I obey it automatically. When I describe what I've seen, humans say things like that can't happen, or you misinterpreted what you saw and confabulated a story. I know better... We've just found out that black and red rat snakes can recognize human faces and voices and here in the US, black rat snakes are the most gregarious least dangerous, strongest, most social with humans, and most popular pets. The two who live in my barn will casually hang out all afternoon with us just as cordial as you please. As I was coming down from the hay loft right at daylight I saw a dozen or so what looked like black patent leather earth worms crossing the dirt floor. I'd never seen them before. Picked one up! Omg! It became a coiled spring and leapt out of my hand so strong and fast I was shocked. Picked up a other one. Same thing, corkscrewed out of my hand then all of them began moving in the same direction, fast and how the heck do worms do that? Then I remembered a lesson from 1965 about free living predatory nematodes who eat fly larva and live in waste hay by preference. They are beautiful, dry, shiny black and they reminded me of Brando in the Wild One. When I told my horse vet about them she told me they are so successful there is really a snake mimic. Picked up a worm and he turned to bite me at the next encounter! He was the snake mimic. I know I'm long winded but finding people who get the wonder of npsture and have respect for its perfectly tuned, not pretty, way of doing things I wax lyrical. On the spiritual plane, a friend and I were reading headstones in an old Vermont graveyard one fall and very soon after entering an icy wind blew up from behind us. He and I looked at each other and said we're not welcome here. We begged their pardon and left. Eerily there wasn't a breath of wind beyond the wall. We could take a hint. Hehehe The secret to seeing amazing nature is, don't hate me, leave the dogs home. Their crashing around guarantees you'll see nothing cool most of the time. Take a donkey and flocks of turkeys will surround you. Take a nuke and 19 point bucks step out of cover to chat ... With the mule. You, Jasper, remind me I've had wonderful moments in this life when the holidays get me down and I love you for your natural awareness in the stories you find . People are way boring. Thanks you and happy xmas. ❤💋

[@Andrew-if3sd]

Wow! Thanks for sharing!🇨🇦😎

[@oilygr1n]

I enjoy all of your uploads even those that I’ve read or heard before. As did Frank singing “My Way” etc you place your unique mark on each tale. I guess out of KZbin’s teller of tales you’re my favourite covers band:) Have a great Christmas and thank you.

[@suzannemoodhe927]

Thanks Jasper 🎉🎉🎉🎉!

[@AuntClara0911]

Loved this but especially the sound effects Thank You,❣️

[@stephaniestevenson6335]

Perfect timing! Thank you!

[@SandyBrrr]

Thank you Mr.J! Wakefield is perfect today. Horrifying holidays to you and yours. Sweet dreams...

[@thurayya8905]

If it had been me, I would have immediately told them to take that tree right back and replant it. But then, there would be no story. Merry Christmas!🎄

[@woolybullybananapeel8642]

✨Thank you Jasper!!!✨☃️🎄🎅🏽❄️✨

[@andrewlane4766]

What could be more festive than a Wakefield tale! Well - pretty much anything but its one of my favourites and another great performance by Jasper!

[@Boogie_the_cat]

That's the cutest thumbnail!

[@hilaryeales1268]

Oh, thank goodness you're here, Jasper, I'm in need of a dose of spook to take my mind off things.........mainly because I went into Marks and Sparks to get a Colin Christmas Caterpillar 🐛 (15 quid) and spent 86 pounds 😮😮😮

[@rameyzamora1018]

Edwardian or no, this is the quintessential Victorian horror story. So rewarding to have your subtle narration, Mr L. Fave metaphor: the heavy & hurrying river. Gratitude!

[@spews1973]

What a fantastic way to spend the early evening of the last Saturday before Christmas. It doesn't get much better than this. How lucky we EnCrypted listeners are.

[@richardpowers6576]

Thank You !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😀

[@libertycowboy2495]

Thanks Jasper. I need to say thank you with a "cup of coffee" more regularly. Hope others do the same.❤

[@CPWebster]

Darkly wonderful... Merry Christmas!

[@clairegreenaway9653]

Great story!Beautifully read as always, thanks so much Jasper 👍

[@libertycowboy2495]

One of the best ive listened to or read in some time! Thank you very much from Texas! 🎄

[@Andrew-if3sd]

Thanks Jasper, and happy Christmas 🎄 😊

[@mijiyoon5575]

Anyone want my fruit cake recipe? Here it be: Beat these ing.: 3/4 cup veg oil (I use Canola) 1 cup white granulated sugar or brown sugar ( I always use Brown Sugar) light or dark 2 eggs stir in 1 cup chopped raw apples (I use a food chopper to mince them well) *Dried* apricots cut into small bits (NOT) canned ... dried only Golden *dried* raisins as many as you like Nuts of choice (I use pecans chopped) Spices of choice ... allspice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg ... 1 cup + 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour (plain) flour 1 teaspoon baking *soda* for rising not powder ... *soda* baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Do not overmix ... I mix by *hand* only ... no electric mixer Use a 9x5 loaf/bread pan after spraying w/ spray oil or butter it up to prevent sticking Bake 350 degrees depending on oven used about 48~50 minutes or test w/ long toothpick/skewer in middle of cake Note: Can also use carrots in this

[@thurayya8905]

That sounds awesome -- and I don't even like fruitcake! But yours just sounds absolutely delicious!

[@mijiyoon5575]

@@thurayya8905 Thank You it is & I forgot to put in that a little extra thing I do is sprinkle granulated white sugar lightly onto the raw batter just before popping into oven. This gives it a holiday sparkle. I have some in oven now so away I go before it over cooks!

[@jackyhawkins1895]

A tree with malice in its roots 😮 Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄

[@petere5826]

That was a GOOD one. Well done Mr Jasper ! Moral of the story : leave the Sacred Places of the Old Gods in peace. (caveat: I would have liked to see Wolf-Snowman eat a child or two..but that was a good story nonetheless.)

[@rheinhartsilvento2576]

How very sad. That's what comes from disconnecting from nature and disrespecting ancestral knowledge.

[@mijiyoon5575]

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄📬📬📬📬📬