The following is a story I narrated for the Auditory Anthology podcast a few months ago.

If you'd like to hear the fully produced version with music and sound effects, I've placed a link to the full version in the episode description.

And if you're a fan of classic sci-fi stories from the 50s and 60s or quirky, short, creepy stories,

you'll want to subscribe to Auditori Anthology, which you can do

at Auditori Anthology.com.

The Healing Touch by Keith Conrad

The noise of the bustling hospital filled the air. Phones ringing, footsteps echoing down the

hallways, and the constant low murmur of voices. It was another chaotic day in the heart of New York

City in the 1950s. Nurse Evelyn Carter was in the middle of it all, doing her best to keep things running smoothly.

A man had been found unconscious on the steps of a church, his body, limp, and weak.

Dr. Mitchell, the head of the hospital's medical staff, looked over the man as they wheeled him into a room.

"'No identification, no belongings, no signs of trauma,' he muttered.

"'What's wrong with him?'

His heart rate, blood pressure, and reflexes were all stable.

Yet the man remained unresponsive, his body appearing fragile, as though something was

sapping his strength.

"'He doesn't seem to be in immediate danger,' Dr. Mitchell said.

"'But we need to figure out what's going on.'

Evelyn was no stranger to strange patients coming through the hospital,

but something about this man felt different.

His stillness was almost unnerving, and the pale, almost translucent quality to his skin

made him seem like he was fading away before her eyes. As the day wore on, Evelyn checked on him frequently, though there was

...