This gothic short story spawned a bunch of fictional viruses from Earth Abides to the Stand and the Red Plague. It concerns Prince Prospero who welds himself into his castle with 1,000 of his best mates to party and wait out the disease. On the night of a masquerade ball, as the huge ebony clock tolls midnight, an uninvited guest appears, ending the party. We also consider the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, by Wallace Walpole, as well as a quick review of Poe's life and his poem, The Raven.Read the short story here:http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1064/1064-h/1064-h.htmThoughts? Comments? Potshots? Contact the show at:https://www.discreetguide.com/Follow or like us on podomatic.com (it raises our visibility :)https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/deardiscreetguideSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/discreetguideFollow the host on Twitter:@DiscreetGuideThe host on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkcrittenden/