The Bottle Imp, part 3, by Robert Louis Stevenson

·20 min·1 clip

Kokua trades her soul for her husband's by buying the cursed bottle with three centimes.

This episode is the third and final part of Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Bottle Imp,' read by host Tycho Alhambra. The story follows Hawaiian couple Kiawe and Kokua as they travel from San Francisco to Tahiti, attempting to sell a cursed bottle that grants wishes but condemns the owner's soul to hell if not sold for less than purchased. In Tahiti, they face social ostracism as locals avoid them, believing they deal with the devil. Kokua, witnessing Kiawe's despair, decides to save him by buying the bottle herself through an old man, using the decreasing coin rule (four centimes to three). She succeeds, taking on the curse. Kiawe later discovers her secret and, remorseful, tries to buy back the bottle by sending a bosun to offer two centimes, planning to repurchase it for one. However, the bosun, after testing the bottle's power, refuses to sell, keeping it for himself. This breaks the chain, freeing Kiawe and Kokua from the curse. The episode concludes with their joyful reunion and the host's closing remarks, including advocacy for vaccinations and anti-racism. The format is a solo narration of classic weird fiction, with the host providing brief introductory and concluding comments.

As heard by us

A patient reading that lets Kokua's choice settle into something bleak and lasting.

Part three of The Bottle Imp narrows in on Kokua and turns Stevenson's bargain into something painfully intimate. Tycho's reading gives the voyage, the old man's kindness, and the bottle's curse room to breathe, so the tension builds less from pace than from the slow…

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Why you'd press play

For when you want a bargain story to keep tightening until the price feels impossible.

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