What happens
Fred Tompkins, who runs the general store in the small New England town of Reedville, is a respected local figure until a string of pressures begins to close in on him. Customers have started cancelling their accounts, money is missing from the books, and he has been passed over for the presidency of the new fire department. His wife Jenny watches his mood darken as he grows increasingly bitter and suspicious. Narrated by John Steele, the story follows a man who sees his small world slipping away and reacts in ways that alarm the people closest to him.
Reedville, a small town in New England, during spring
Characters: Fred Tompkins, Jenny Tompkins, John Steele, Steve Alton, Laura Adams, Doc Adams, Cora, Susan
Listen for: Fred's shifting moods and the mounting pressure on him as customers desert the store and he is passed over for the fire department presidency
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.