7 Minute Stories

Today on a new 7 Minute Stories: Aaron Calafato recalls the Halloween his fifth-grade classroom transformed into a haunted house nightmare. What began as a fun escape became a journey through fear, as he found himself trapped in darkness, facing more than just jump scares…. Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you cast pods. Art by Pete Whitehead

It was 1990 and a mother, father, and son lived a quiet life in Ohio —until one day, the father left. No explanation, no warning—just gone. The mom had to step up. She worked double shifts to keep their heads above water. The son, only 5, couldn’t understand why his mom was always away. One thing remained constant, though—every morning at 5 AM, like clockwork, the mom would walk into his room and say… …“Wake up, it’s time for breakfast and your comics.” The mom would drive him to their favorite breakfast spot—order a bacon, egg, and cheese for herself, and hotcakes for her boy. They’d park and watch the sunrise, hardly speaking, except for the sound of him flipping through his comics. It was their small ritual amidst the chaos. But when the son got older.. …he started driving himself to school, and those mornings stopped. College eventually came, he moved away, life happened. They drifted. The distance widened. Years later, his mom called and said, “I know you’re busy but I really hope you can visit for Thanksgiving.” The son, now living out of state & busy with a new job and family - agreed. The day came and they stood in the kitchen, strangers now, years of silence between them. Before he could speak, she handed him something… … a booklet—that contained laminated receipts from every breakfast they’d ever shared. “I saved these because I just wanted you to know…I was there with you.” It left the son speechless… The only thing he could think to do was wake up early the next morning, and knock on her bedroom door and whisper: “Hey mom, want to get some breakfast?” She smiled—a genuine, long-forgotten smile. They got into the car, drove to that same old spot, and this time, she let him drive. To listen to stories like this, find the 7 Minute Stories Podcast on your favorite podcast app. Art by Pete Whitehead

I couldn’t believe it. I was stuck. It was my fault. I thought I could handle it. I was 11 going on 12 and I just wanted to go down the giant slide like all the other teenagers. But as soon as I started sliding, I got scared. I held onto the sides of the slide like Ralphie did in “A Christmas Story”. I was terrified… I couldn’t go up, but I was afraid to go down. The woman managing the ride got on the loudspeaker so half the park could hear and said: "There’s a little boy stuck at the top of the slide! There’s a little boy at the top of the slide!!" And I’ll tell you, no matter how scared I was, hearing that was a hit to my ego. So I summoned all my courage, stood up on the slide, pointed at her, and said, "I am not a little boy! I am not a little boy!!!! Some boys have bar mitzvahs, some girls have quinceañeras, but that day at Cedar Point was my rite of passage into manhood. 👂Listen to the full audio version of 7 Minute Stories wherever you get podcasts Art by Pete Whitehead

🎻 Here’s how I became the Milli Vanilli of my Ohio youth orchestra: I’ll never forget the first rehearsal. Surrounded by kids with their instruments, I sat there clutching my violin, grateful it was portable compared to the giant cello and bass. I struggled with the sound, though—squeaky & off-key. But I stuck with it, and soon enough I learned to play simple tunes like “Good King Wenceslas”. Things were going great until… …the music got harder—eighth notes, sixteenth notes—it all became too much. I couldn’t keep up with reading music, so I started playing from memory. Soon, I wasn’t even reading the sheet music anymore. I was pretending to play 👀. And to overcompensate during our performances I turned my violin parts into performance art: standing up, bobbing my heard, hair flying - like I was the star of the show. For months, people thought it was cute until… The orchestra director called me into her office and asked, “Can you read music?” At first, there was total silence from me. She went on, “Have you been pretending to play this whole time?” I finally had to admit it: I was faking it. The result? She informed me that I was being kicked out of the orchestra. I wish I could say I felt sad, but I actually felt such incredible relief! But before I left the room, she asked, “I’m just curious, have you ever heard of the group Milli Vanilli?” Get the full audio experience of these 7 Minute Stories wherever you get podcasts. Art by Pete Whitehead

For 20 years, my father walked with intense knee pain, delaying the inevitable: surgery. By the time he finally consulted a surgeon, he was told it was one of the worst knee they'd ever seen—requiring a highly complex operation. He searched for the right surgeon all over and narrowed it down to two. One that relied on a robot assist. That surgeon was confident he and the robot could handle the complexities, with him stepping in if needed it. The other? More old school... When my dad entered the second surgeon's office, Thelonious Monk was playing on vinyl in the background. When asked if he used robot assistance, the surgeon replied, "No, I’m old school." My dad questioned if that meant more risk. The surgeon said, “I’m confident I can do this because when I’m inside a knee like yours, I need to be able to play jazz. And as of now…robots can't play jazz. My dad decided on the Jazz surgeon. And luckily today, he's walking pain-free, taller & happier than ever 🤲

It was my turn to share what I did over summer break… It was the 90s and my first day of school. I was pumped to talk about my “vacation”—a trip to the Holiday Inn with my mom and brother. To us, it was paradise: a pool, water slides, and air conditioning. I couldn’t wait to tell my classmates! But when I shared, they laughed. Then someone said, “That’s not a vacation; it’s just a hotel.” 😳 Listening to others talk about the “cool” places they’d been, I realized… …my summer wasn’t as impressive. I thought I’d recover with a cool fact: “Did you know Cleveland’s smokestacks actually make clouds?” My dad told me this when I was 4, & I believed it! As soon as I said it, everyone laughed again. I was crushed. Later, I told my grandpa about my crappy first day & he said, “I just think you see value in small things.” After he said that, I gave him a hug. And I felt cool again. Then, he said, “So what smoke stacks don’t make clouds! ☁️ That may be real life, but I like your story better!”

She was looking at the picture & holding back tears. I finally understood why...It started at a Chinese restaurant near Bowling Green, Ohio . I was a broke college kid, there for a lunch special. The food wasn’t just good; it had character. I noticed the owner—focused and hard-working, with a “Help Wanted” sign. I needed cash, so I asked for a job. She gave me a chance. I wasn’t the best waiter, but I entertained the guests by telling stories so she kept me around. One day after my shift… the owner asked if I could help with her English—$30 a session & free food. I was in! One day, while reading to her, I saw a framed picture of her, her mom, and her daughter. She said, "That’s my mom & daughter in China. I haven’t seen my daughter in person in 10 years. We’re saving up to bring her to America.” 🥹 She looked around the restaurant holding back tears, “Soon..”Suddenly I realized… this wasn’t just a place for fried rice, there was so much more at stake ❤️ Listen to the full story this Thursday on a new episode of 7 Minute Stories. Art by Pete Whitehead

A familiar voice ❤️

It started in Ohio with a VHS tape: the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I begged my mom to get it, and my brother and I wore that tape out. But before the turtles showed up on screen, there was a commercial—an unexpected legend. A redhead kid in right field, kicking dandelions. A ball’s hit his way; he’s the worst player on the team. Everyone’s thinking, “This is a disaster.” But he lifts his glove, catches the ball, and becomes a hero. As cheers erupt, the scene cuts to… … Pizza Hut 🍕 Well, the commercial worked, and I begged my mom to take me there. But I didn’t expect to join an exclusive club. “Are you in the club?” the hostess asked me. “What club?” I said. “Well, if you read enough books, you earn free personal pan pizzas.” I was stunned. I all I can say is, that summer, was the most literate summer of my life! And Pizza Hut? It became sacred ground. Years passed, and I thought the club ended. But today, I found out it’s still going strong. Listen to the full story Thursday 9.5.24 on the Season 5 Premier of 7 Minute Stories. Wherever you listen to podcasts. Art by Pete Whitehead

How Audio Short Storytelling Can Be Used to Build Iterative, Visual Content Across Various Platforms Timeline: 1. One year ago, I shared a story on the 7MS podcast about my grandfather visiting me in a dream. 2. From that seven-minute audio piece, I created a one-minute bite-sized story for YouTube Shorts. 3. A YouTube subscriber then shared a similar experience with me about their grandmother in the comments. 4. After speaking with her, I adapted her story into a narrative for a new monthly series on my YouTube channel called Strange Short Stories. Here’s the result: “A Call from Her” #Linkedin #creative #storytelling