From a small girl living in late-19th century Slovakia to a wee little woman living in a wee little house, Haints in the Hollow provided entertainment for the whole family.

Members of the Imagine That...Storytellers took turns thrilling the crowd gathered at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Annex Friday evening. With the only light coming from a lamp that illuminated the storytellers, the annex provided the perfect backdrop for the night’s stories.

The storytellers captured the audience’s attention from the start and held it, even through the more familiar tale of Hansel and Gretel.

“Children are tasty,” cautioned Frank Donnell, whose commentary throughout the story kept the audience laughing. “I’ll tell you right up front now, witches are stu-pid. If a witch says check the temperature of an oven, don’t do it.”

Donnell chose to tell Hansel and Gretel because it is a story that scared him as a child, and because he has always liked the idea of having an edible house.

The story teller’s guild which took part in the evening’s event meets regularly to practice telling different types of stories. Although they meet regularly to do this very thing, telling stories in front of a new audience is always a thrill that they try not to pass up.

“This really enlivened me. It’s fun,” said Sue Olchak after the event where she and her husband, Dick, both performed, saying that she was tired when she left work. “I feel like this is part of a tradition around here.”

Donnell’s wife, Linda, also took part in the event, choosing a story about a wee, little woman which she heard as a child.

“It’s really fun to tell stories to children. They’re not used to listening to people tell stories any more. I like to look at people’s eyes to see their reactions,” she said.

Terri Ingalls chose her story because of a single line. As a mother tries to identify her seven children who have been turned into food, she says, “I will know my children by what they ask for.”

“That’s how we know ourselves is by what we ask for,” said Ingalls. “I love storytelling, I really do. I have a background in theater but there’s more one-on-one with the audience in storytelling.”

Paul Hodges also participated in the evening’s event, wrapping up the storytelling with “The Long Black Veil,” a song made famous by Johnny Cash.

Contact Morgan Wall at mwall@mtairynews.com or 719-1929.