The Upper Berth by Francis Marion Crawford

[@MorganScorpion]

Excellent! Richard Pasco is a great narrator.

[@konstantinoskaragiannis1596]

"The Upper Berth"(1885) is a short horror story masterpiece! This is one of the best and most scariest short Ghost stories of all time for sure!

[@Oakleaf700]

I went to stay with a cousin Nikki in the country at age 9, and she read me this story...I LOVED it... Her mum died just the other day, bless her, aged 102.. sharp of mind and still active. This story will always remind me of happy days at 'Further Fields' Rest in Peace, Elizabeth xx

[@1amjapan]

MR James brought me here 👍 awesome story, fabulous narration, many thanks

[@whit2642]

This is one of my FAVORITE classic scary stories! So hard to find. LOVE it.

[@eleftheriaeleftheria3302]

This old school horror story, is one of the 50 most scary stories of all time! It's very creepy!

[@veil337]

This was my first introduction to Victorian Christmas ghost stories--love it.

[@angelaf5040]

Oh Richard Pasco! The best story narrator of all time! Thanks for sharing!

[@Oakleaf700]

He really is good. Probably the best recording of this story by far. I loved this story as a child, the claustrophobic atmosphere of the bunk, and the description of the motion of the ship..Crawford must surely have been on a sea Crossing to have got it down so well.

[@jerribee1]

You can find him here on KZbin, playing Captain Erickson in a radio production of The Cruel Sea.

[@Oakleaf700]

@@jerribee1 Thanks! Will look out for this.

[@suzannecrooks6873]

Very enjoyable radio show enjoyed it very much

[@angelachouinard4581]

This is one of my all time favorites., both as a sea story and a ghost story. Thank you for uploading this excellent narration.

[@spanglestein66]

Marvellous stuff❤

[@beneelohim6322]

When i was ~12 yrs old someone gave me a book of ghost stories. This story was included. When i read it,it scared me half to death...it was sooo spoooky!! I never forgot this story,but thought it was written by a dif author....Thanks for uploading!

[@rickogden204]

I was 14 when I discovered this...I found it at one of my childrens book fairs

[@h.calvert7443]

Bene Elohim It wasn't by any chance Tales to Tremble By, was it? 'Cause that's where I got it from! Great little book. 👻

[@pankajsowaddi]

Same . My sister got a book called ' great Stories in easy English ' . This story along with few from Saki , Oscar Wilde were included In that . What a great narration . Best use of KZbin

[@Oakleaf700]

@@pankajsowaddi You Tube has some hidden gems for sure.

[@granny13ad33]

I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating story. Creepy and fun. Thank you.

[@romafroimchuk3294]

What a story! Loved it!

[@Oakleaf700]

It really is a classic..Am going to look for others by this narrator and by this author. I didn't realise how old it was, a 19th century story...1886!

[@eddiemunster2196]

To. Whom. That. Sails And. To. Whom Travels On Cruise Liners Take Heed of this story Because Ghosts do Exist AND YOU MUST LISTEN TO - THIS - STORY - PLAY YOU WILL ENJOY IT AS - I !

[@ufosrus]

"Extraordinary" is as usual the classic adjective in British speech of yester years, followed by "Good Lord", "delighted" and "lovely." Does anybody in England still speak in that elegant manner anymore? Anyhow, more than the story, I am very impressed by the author, his eloquent and elegant writing style and look forward to reading or listening to other stories written by him.

[@astonmartinbond0075]

This should be made into a film or TV drama. It would be easy to adapt

[@willmccormick947]

This is great. Many thanks for sharing this. Perfect narrationl

[@BackToTheBlues]

I've always loved this tale, although written in 1885 there's nothing dated about it at all. F. Marion Crawford's grandson, H. Marion Crawford, became an actor, and played Dr. Watson (superbly, in my opinon) in a 1950's Sherlock Holmes series starring Ronald Howard as a young, enthusiastic Holmes still learning his trade.

[@aaronaragon7838]

Included in HP Lovecraft's definitive treatise on "cosmic fear".

[@feralbluee]

a truly good story - the narrator was excellent. hearing a new, to me, author of a scary tale was enlivening - the same author always brings his own emotional qualities which can be very wearing if it's a depressing bent. thanks so much for this one - very enjoyable and a fun scary story :}

[@eddiemunster2196]

This is a great story it's a shame it was not longer. I had to stop 3/4 of the way through the story to put this comment in. We need more haunting plays just like this. This is 100% my speed.... So to the individual that uploaded it, please try to find more very similar to this play. You'll have me as a full-time subscriber and a full-time person to share your great plays. And thank you... I'll see you in the next haunting play.....

[@DrDespicable]

This is not a play - this is a short story. If you want more, you needn't wait on our host. Just search for the author of this one, or M.R. James, Algernon Blackwood, H.R. Wakefield, E.F. Benson, or other similar authors.

[@aaronaragon7838]

Alfred Hitchcock's ghost stories collection.

[@frankhenry587]

100 years in the future and the protagonist would be kept awake by FB, KZbin videos and Pornhub

[@Oakleaf700]

Thank goodness a male narrator! And English too. Phew.

[@angelaf5040]

His name is Richard Pasco. He's the best!

[@rickogden204]

If you want horror narration only Sir Chrispoher Lee will do..But this guy is good

[@Oakleaf700]

@@@angelaf5040 Thanks!...It is a real skill to be able to read stories well. I will look out for more of Richard Pascoe's work. Many years ago my cousin [a 14 yr old girl] read it to me [I was 9] and I loved it, but for a video, a male voice with correct pace and modulation is the best.

[@Oakleaf700]

@@@rickogden204 I'll look out for Sir Christopher Lee too... Librivox do sterling work with volunteer readers, but many are amateurs, and the recording equipment may not be the best, If the voice has an American accent, {For a British story} or is the wrong gender for the story, or is read too slowly, it does get in the way of the story.

[@thomfarrell9567]

Absolutely. Great insight👍

[@sclerismockrey8506]

F M Crawford writes. Richard Pasco narrates. Cannot fail.

[@julieburton192]

Who is the narrator? I seem to recognise his voice.

[@HerrCrankzy]

It's the English actor Richard Pasco. I remember him from the movie Room At The Top and also many years later from Mrs. Brown. He died in 2014.

[@chazbrennan9632]

A very homoerotic horror story, with an intensely physical, cold, and fleshy ghost and an uncanny nighttime intimacy, almost a corpse-rape. The hero is also uncommonly macho and strong (a man other men admire) the setting is naval, and the story is told to men by a man, in a totally male setting.

[@Oakleaf700]

Chaz, That is an interesting perspective, never seen this story as 'homoerotic' before.. but as a 9 yr old girl [when I first heard this story] I loved the claustrophobic element of being locked in a cabin with a creepy drowned being. On an Irish Sea night crossing in latter years, I was disappointed that there were no portholes in the cabins, just toughened unopenable glass 'windows' and the person in the upper berth was my son..I did tell him of this story.

[@h.calvert3165]

Chaz Brennan None of that makes it necessarily homoerotic. You must have some depraved fetish.

[@steerpike66]

@@h.calvert3165 The fact that you don't want to discuss it is, in the end, the most damning confirmation.