Welcome Spooky Lovelies! This evening our reading is in honor of a very special... lady, (who's definitely not related to your wholesome host, Miranda Merrick)-- The One, The Only, Baba Yaga. She is rumored to be an ogre, a witch, a crone, a goddess... and perhaps even more than one being all rolled into one! Will she harm you when she greets you; offer you gifts, or decide to eat you? We'll just have to see... Dear Guest, please welcome, Baba Yaga

Greetings Spooky Lovelies & Creepy Kitties!!

Step lightly, right this way, Dear Guest-- and bring your feline friends for this evening's tale on BLACK CATS!! From rat catcher to revered deity; from loving pet to witch's shifty sidekick. Black cats are the famed harbingers of doom... and sometimes The Devil in the room! The cat certainly does NOT have Ms. Merrick's tongue, so don't pussy-foot around! Please take your seat for this kitty cat treat! Oh! And Happy Halloween!

There's a rumor in The Village that The Midnight Library holds secret, exclusive parties, and that only certain people ever get invited. If you believe such things, you can only hope that you might be on the guest list. Or, hope that you're not! Some believe that such strange goings-on is just the stuff of dreams... or nightmares. In any case, we hope you get exactly what you should be careful of wishing for... Welcome to The Midnight Library Masked Ball

Now that it's just you and I... alone, let me ask you a question, won't you, my guest? Do you keep any secrets? I'm afraid I'm about to break your heart with my story about this lovely old painting. You don't think I can? You don't think this witch is wicked enough to do it? All right... We'll just let Natasha pour the tea and I'll tell you a secret that was never meant to be told... or maybe it was. This is the story of The Angelus -- I read somewhere that"you have to keep breaking your heart until it opens" Love, Miranda

Step Lightly Right This Way, Dear Guests! The Hospitality Tray is brimming with tombstone-shaped biscuits! (just check them for wolf fur) Tonight Ms. Merrick will take you on a moonlit tour of some twisted tales of old tombstones and what lies beneath them! She has lost graves, cursed graves, and witch graves to entice you! And after the reading, we're all going outside for a little tour of The Library's private Chauncey Graveyard! You'll be fine. Everything will be just... fine...

Welcome Aboard, Dear Guest! You'll probably never get any closer to the Island of Poveglia than you are to it this very moment... and trust us, that's probably for the best. So, wipe your feet, see if anything looks tempting to you on The Hospitality Tray, and curl up in your favorite spot in The Reading Room! Ms. Merrick will tell you all about the beautiful, haunted & forbidden: Povegelia, "Island of Ghosts"

Welcome, Dear Guest! Please find your favorite spot in The Reading Room as we gather to gaze upon what some have considered to be forbidden subjects for artists and the human eye: WITCHES IN ART! See for yourself what several artists have dared cast onto their canvases as your host describes for you the rich, enchanting, and other-worldly life of witches captured in these magical paintings! If you would like to look the paintings up in advance, which is highly recommended, the paintings discussed will be: "The Magic Circle" by John William Waterhouse, "Witches Sabbath" by Francisco Goya, "Witches Going to Their Sabbath" by Luis Falero, and "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch. We promise you will be delighted by all of these unusual paintings that are the subject of tonight's unusual reading.

Please find yourself the most comforting spot in The Reading Room this evening, My Dear Guest, and cuddle up warm with a wolf pup as we hear the forlorn tale of those who endured troubled times and terrible journeys onboard the dreaded "coffin ships"-- as well as those who sadly, did not survive. The people in this reading will be given the utmost respect. The accounts are true, and the reading carries a "heartbreak" warning due to its intense sadness and few graphic facts.

There are, however, excellent examples of human beings as role models, both horrific and nearly perfect. It's likely to be one of the only more serious readings we shall ever have. I thank you for attending.

Yours Very Sincerely with Love,

Miranda Merrick.

Well, Dear Guest, when was the last time you added a truly interesting rock to your collection? Tonight, Ms. Merrick will soon have you hunting for your very own Hag Stone! Once she tells you of all the magical might these "holy stones" are historically said to carry with them; the fun & mayhem they can make and prevent- well, we predict you'll end up bewitched by the story and the stone. Please choose your favorite spot in The Reading Room as The Midnight Library "rocks" your world.

Welcome Dear Guest! If you've been feeling a little under the weather- the cure is "dead ahead!" Just saunter over to our Hospitality Tray where Bob's your Uncle AND your medicine! Tonight, your Divine Hostess is more than a little pleased to fill you in on how your forebearers were munching on the dead to try to live longer themselves! BONUS! There are also 2 Spirit Board messages to be read out from Stefan Strangeways! (Please be advised--The Midnight Library & Miranda Merrick are not responsible for these messages, they are merely the transmitters of them. So there.)

We advise you to watch where you step on the grounds this evening, Dear Guest, and we politely ask that you not inadvertently carry in any muck your shoes may have gathered as you find your way to your seat in The Reading Room. You’ll find mini hay bales & sugar cubes on The Hospitality Tray… and a healthy dose of cautionary warnings and old-timey tales of dark horses! Please, Hold Your Horses, as we meet some delightfully-devilish demon steeds…and a mysterious stranger… Welcome

The sweet scent of cotton candy drifts along in the warm evening air… soft thunder can be heard far off in the fading glow of a perfect evening…

The Festival in Phantom Forest is one of a kind, submersive event, meant to be a unique journey of the mind for guests of The Midnight Library. For this reason, it is greatly advised that in order for the listener to fully experience their environment- a quiet atmosphere and the use of quality headphones or earbuds- is highly recommended. Admission is free and you may want to bring a jacket

Tonight as Mr. Darling slumbers in his den, Miranda shares the answers to some of The Midnight Library's most dedicated fans, its patrons. This rugged group of daring individuals has Miranda's undivided attention. Get a private peek into her ... mostly direct answers to their most burning questions: Can Irma control our dreams? How are the books in the library organized? Are there any mythological guardians in the library or upcoming readings about them? And who is the proprietor of The Broom & Fang Pub? These curious questions and more are answered for you tonight. Buckle in.

Step right this way, Dear Guest! No, not that way…. this way! Join us in our other Reading Room tonight as we tour the house of Winchester and the heart of Sarah Winchester. How did a lone woman with no architectural knowledge command the building of such an astounding and confounding mansion- and WHY? Join us in the 24,000 sq. ft. house as we try to unravel it’s baffling way into being! DISCLAIMER: Any similarities between Winchester House and The Midnight Library are strictly coincidental -and probably a figment of your disturbed imagination. Welcome to Winchester House

Step right this way, Dear Guest! No, not that way…. this way! Join us in our other Reading Room tonight as we tour the house of Winchester and the heart of Sarah Winchester. How did a lone woman with no architectural knowledge command the building of such an astounding and confounding mansion- and WHY? Join us in the 24,000 sq. ft. house as we try to unravel it’s baffling way into being! DISCLAIMER: Any similarities between Winchester House and The Midnight Library are strictly coincidental -and probably a figment of your disturbed imagination. Welcome to Winchester House

Welcome to The Reading Room, Dear Guest! Why doesn’t anyone want to sit beside Mr. Cutlass, our totally just-for-show, prop guillotine?? Oh well. Please find a comfy spot and pull the blankets up tight around your chilly neck because tonight our heart-stopping topic is all about BEHEADINGS! When did they start? How were they improved? Why were they popular? Who tried to speak after they were beheaded? And why are they a hot topic in more ways than one in The Midnight Library? Head right this way!What if ...someone thoughtfully woke an angry, vicious spirit from its cozy slumber… and it was waiting to meet you? Well then, perhaps you’d better hurry along to The Reading Room to mingle with George “Bloody” Mackenzie fresh from his Black Mausoleum in Greyfriars Kirkyard! It’s not all terror though, there’s also fire, an explosion, plague pits, Harry Potter connections, and one Good Boy! (No, not Mr. Darling) Come, Dear Guest, and tiptoe through the tombstones with us!

What if ...someone thoughtfully woke an angry, vicious spirit from its cozy slumber… and it was waiting to meet you? Well then, perhaps you’d better hurry along to The Reading Room to mingle with George “Bloody” Mackenzie fresh from his Black Mausoleum in Greyfriars Kirkyard! It’s not all terror though, there’s also fire, an explosion, plague pits, Harry Potter connections, and one Good Boy! (No, not Mr. Darling) Come, Dear Guest, and tiptoe through the tombstones with us!

Step right this way, Dear Guest! A magical feast for the ears has been prepared for you this evening. We want to tempt you with magic mushrooms-not like that. Well...maybe. Tonight we delve into the earthy and mysterious world of fabulous fungi. Learn to tell tasty from toxic...hopefully, as Ms. Merrick has collected a fine selection of mushroom lore and toadstool tales for you to devour! Well of course they’re on The Hospitality Tray, Silly!

The guests are all settled and filled with dread, while Visions of Vampires dance in their heads! Join us tonight as your haunting host, Miranda Merrick leads you astray to meet some “blood enthusiasts” of olden times. We’ll find some of the first famous vampires and hear how they were stopped, then we’ll weigh up our options for joining a nice, friendly blood-drinking cult. Such a full evening… Our cup runneth over. Welcome Dear Guest!

You know his name. You know the story. You know the legend he created. Tonight, our reading will tell you just how eerily all of the spooky pieces of Bram Stoker’s life fell precisely into place so that he could give the world--DRACULA! Stoker had the right illness, the right grim mother, friends, books and even the right nightmare that contributed to the making of the perfect literary monster, Count Dracula. So, find your favorite spot in The Reading Room and cuddle up with a wolf pup because we are Stoked for Stoker!