A Night at Cloot's
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About this story
Some bars serve drinks. Cloot's serves temptation. Adam and Tom wander in for nothing more than a quiet evening and find a bartender who seems to know a great deal about them, a room that is never quite the same size twice, and a challenge offered in the friendliest possible voice.
The game starts as a bet between friends. It does not stay one. With more than pride on the table, the two men learn what regulars already know — that every bargain in this place carries a price, that the price is never what it seems, and that not everyone at the bar is who they appear to be.
A Night at Cloot's is an original by John Sunseri, about thirty-two minutes, directed for four voices inside a fantasy-tavern sound environment: glasses, low talk, a fire that never needs feeding. It sits in the long tradition of the devil-at-the-crossroads tale and takes its time getting to the point of the knife. The text is on screen as it is spoken. Rated 13+.
The cast
- Narrator
- Cloot
- Adam
- Tom
- The Stranger
How this was made
This is a full-cast production, not a single narrator reading a book. Each character has its own voice, the lines are directed for pace and emotion, and the story plays inside a live sound environment — a low-lit tavern, glasses and murmured talk — that shifts as the scenes change. The voices are synthetic (high-quality text-to-speech, directed by people), and the words appear on screen as they are spoken, so you can read along or follow in a second language.
Questions
Who is Cloot?
The bartender. "Cloot" is an old Scots word for a cloven hoof — which is as much as the story says out loud.
How much does it cost?
The opening is free to hear right now, no account needed. The full story is $2.99, a one-time purchase with a free account that stays in your library. Several stories on this site are free in full.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Press Play and it opens in your browser. It works on iPhone, iPad, Android and desktop.
Can I read along?
Yes. The text is highlighted word by word as it is spoken, and you can switch the on-screen text to Spanish while listening in English (or the other way round).
Source and rights
"A Night at Cloot's" © John Sunseri. All rights reserved. Audio production © Nightstand Labs LLC (ImmersivePage). Distributed under license; no part of this work may be reproduced without permission. Cover art created for this edition.
