These aren't the stories your mother told you.

No, these are the other stories.

Today's episode is brought to you by Black Leopard Red Wolf, a new novel by Marlon James.

Join Tracker as he is engaged to find a child who disappeared three years ago.

He must break his own rules, joining a group of eight very different mercenaries working together to find the boy.

Drawing from vivid African history and mythology, Marlon James weaves a saga of breathtaking

adventure and powerful entry and mesmerizing unique meditation on the nature of truth and power.

Black Leopard Red Wolf is out now in hardback and audiobook from Penguin Random House.

Today's episode is Mark Myer Words, written by Andy Convert Turner and narrated by

Alexandra Elroy.

Stand up straight, Richard, and take your hands out of your pockets.

You'll have mushrooms sprouting from under your

fingernails if you keep your hands in the dark all the time. And look at the state of your face.

Grandma! Ricky protested in vain as his grandmother spat into a handkerchief and proceeded to

scrub at whatever much she'd perceived on his cheek.

It was going to be a long weekend. He'd scarcely been bundled through her door by his parents

as they rushed off for their anniversary weekend away before the scolding and reprimands

had begun. He frowned as his face was clean despite his protests, and he looked forward

to a weekend of strict rules, most swiftly followed by a warning of a terrible fate that breaking

them would bring about. According to Grandma, watching TV made children's eyes square,

eating his crust would give him curly hair,

all the more reason to leave them, and eating ice cream after a hot meal would give him kidney

...