Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove

The Monkey's Paw - A Halloween Special Story

October 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

“I wish for two hundred pounds,” said the old man distinctly. A fine crash from the piano greeted the words, interrupted by a shuddering cry from the old man. “It moved,” he cried, “as I wished, it twisted in my hands like a snake.”

That moment, from W. W. Jacobs’ 1902 story The Monkey’s Paw, is the hinge of one of horror’s most enduring cautionary tales—a story about what happens when you try to bend fate to your will. In this Halloween special episode of Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove, host Christopher Fitton reads the classic tale in full, letting its slow-burning dread unfold as a bedtime narrative. The story’s central argument, delivered early by a mysterious sergeant major, is that fate rules people’s lives, and those who interfere with it do so to their sorrow. The monkey’s paw is the mechanism for that interference—a dried, mummified object cursed by a holy man to grant three wishes to three separate owners, each wish carrying consequences the wisher never anticipates.

The Paw as a Trap, Not a Gift

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Intro & Context** - Host introduces the episode as a Halloween reading of "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, a classic 1902 horror story about unintended consequences and being careful what you wish for.
2 (02:08) **Chapter 1: Setting & The Sergeant-Major's Arrival** - The White family, father, mother, and son Herbert, are gathered in their cozy parlor on a cold, wet night, playing chess as a visitor arrives.
3 (09:05) **The Monkey's Paw is Introduced** - Mr. White asks about a "monkey's paw" Morris mentioned previously, and the sergeant-major reluctantly reveals the talisman.
4 (11:44) **Warnings and the Paw's Transfer** - Morris tries to throw the paw into the fire, but Mr. White rescues it, and the sergeant-major warns him of the consequences before leaving.
5 (17:01) **The First Wish** - Mr. White, prompted by his son, holds up the paw and wishes aloud for two hundred pounds.
6 (19:42) **Chapter 2: Morning After & The Visitor** - The next morning, the family laughs off the previous night's fears, but a well-dressed stranger arrives at their door.
7 (24:06) **The Terrible News** - The stranger, an employee from Maw and Meggins, reveals that Herbert has been badly hurt in an accident at work.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Christopher Fitton

Show Notes

For Halloween, I am reading The Monkey’s paw by, W. W. Jacobs. A classic chilling horror story of unintended consequences and the cautionary tale of being careful what you wish for. Written in Harper's Magazine

Written in 1902 and featured in Harper’s Magazine, it is one of the classics of the genre, and even had the honour of being parodied in the Treehouse of Horror series on The Simpsons.

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