2024 Recap of Listener Experiences: Part 1

[00:00:07] Thank you for joining me and welcome. I'm your host, Nick Ryan. Tonight's episode is brought to you by my newest supporters, Amanda and Michelle. Thank you so much for making the show possible.

[00:00:23] 2024 has been an interesting year for myself, my family, and the podcast. As usual, all of you have continued to show me how much you appreciate the show, and many of you have shared your deepest, darkest, and most personal experiences with me.

[00:00:37] And the other listeners. For that, I am truly grateful, and I really hope you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you.

[00:00:44] Speaking of which, I'd like to extend birthday wishes to my friend and long-time listener, Sarah. I hope you have a wonderful day.

[00:00:53] With that said, I hope the new year brings everyone good health, love, and prosperity, and I will do my very best to bring you even more paranormal mysteries throughout the coming months.

[00:01:03] In fact, I have several upcoming show topics that I think you'll find interesting.

[00:01:08] And of course, for anyone that would like to share their unexplained experience, my door is always open.

[00:01:15] Now, as always, at the end of the year, I like to showcase many of the listener experiences that stood out to me.

[00:01:21] This is always difficult to do, because every experience that I receive is interesting in its own right.

[00:01:26] But there are those that are so unique, so heartwarming, or just downright chilling, that they stick with me.

[00:01:34] And these are what I would like to bring to you tonight.

[00:01:38] Let's begin.

[00:01:55] This next experience comes to us from Jesse.

[00:01:59] And Jesse's story is called

[00:02:02] Poltergeist Fatal Attraction.

[00:02:05] Jesse says,

[00:02:06] Hi Nick.

[00:02:08] I reside in Honolulu, Hawaii.

[00:02:10] I love listening to your podcast as I work graveyard security for a residential tower.

[00:02:15] I have had quite a few paranormal experiences throughout my life,

[00:02:19] and I'd like to share perhaps the most bizarre one with your audience.

[00:02:24] First, a little background.

[00:02:26] I grew up mostly in a Catholic household in Hartford, Connecticut,

[00:02:30] but later in my teenage years, my parents converted to Christianity.

[00:02:34] I joined the U.S. Navy out of high school to seek adventure,

[00:02:38] and fortunately I got stationed in Hawaii,

[00:02:40] where I decided to stay after my four years was up.

[00:02:44] This bizarre poltergeist experience occurred about 16 years ago,

[00:02:48] and it lasted about three days.

[00:02:50] I had moved into a small studio in Chinatown because it's cheap rent,

[00:02:55] but it was a really old apartment building.

[00:02:57] I was working swing shift at the time for an airline catering company,

[00:03:01] and would get home late, usually before midnight.

[00:03:05] This one particular evening when I got home,

[00:03:08] as I opened the door to my studio and turned on the lights,

[00:03:11] I looked at my bed,

[00:03:12] and I saw what can only be described as a shadow rat

[00:03:15] running in slow motion across the top of my sheets.

[00:03:19] I thought that I was hallucinating,

[00:03:21] so I scratched my eyes,

[00:03:23] and I looked again,

[00:03:24] only to see this shadow rat jump into the wall next to my bed,

[00:03:29] and then disappear.

[00:03:30] I thought to myself that I must be tired,

[00:03:33] so I took a hot shower and then played video games before going to bed.

[00:03:37] Now, as I lay in bed before drifting off to sleep,

[00:03:41] I started to hear scratching sounds coming from within the concrete wall

[00:03:44] right next to my bed,

[00:03:46] where the shadow rat had previously jumped into.

[00:03:49] The scratching sound was slow and very irritating,

[00:03:52] which made me angry as I couldn't sleep.

[00:03:54] I decided to put some headphones on

[00:03:56] and listen to relaxing music.

[00:03:58] I eventually did fall asleep,

[00:04:01] and I slept peacefully,

[00:04:03] until the next evening.

[00:04:04] On the second night,

[00:04:06] as I returned home from work,

[00:04:07] I was stunned by what I saw on the wall

[00:04:10] next to my bed.

[00:04:11] There were three lines of black goo or slime

[00:04:15] slowly oozing from the middle of my wall.

[00:04:18] I took a closer look

[00:04:19] after wiping the area with cleaning solution,

[00:04:22] but there were no holes in the wall.

[00:04:24] Then it hit me.

[00:04:26] The shadow rat from the night before

[00:04:28] must be causing this mysterious black goo somehow.

[00:04:31] I spent most of the night cleaning my wall,

[00:04:34] which left me feeling upset.

[00:04:36] However, I managed to fall asleep a short time after.

[00:04:39] At least, there were no scratching sounds that night.

[00:04:43] As I slept,

[00:04:44] I had a somewhat romantic dream,

[00:04:46] where I was having a picnic with a beautiful,

[00:04:49] tall,

[00:04:49] auburn-haired woman.

[00:04:51] This was a woman that I'd never seen before.

[00:04:54] We kissed,

[00:04:55] and she told me that she was waiting for me

[00:04:57] on the other side.

[00:04:58] Now when I woke up,

[00:05:00] I couldn't figure out what she meant by

[00:05:01] the other side.

[00:05:03] I went to take a shower,

[00:05:05] and as I looked in the mirror,

[00:05:06] I was shocked at what I saw.

[00:05:08] I had several red hickeys on both sides of my neck.

[00:05:12] How was this possible?

[00:05:14] I thought the hickeys would wash off as I showered,

[00:05:18] but to no avail.

[00:05:19] I went to work,

[00:05:20] and was teased by my coworkers,

[00:05:22] who thought that I had a new girlfriend.

[00:05:24] If only they knew the truth,

[00:05:26] but I couldn't tell them the truth,

[00:05:27] or they might think I was using drugs.

[00:05:30] I felt perplexed throughout the day,

[00:05:32] as I tried to figure out what was happening at home.

[00:05:36] Oddly enough,

[00:05:37] an answer came in the mail.

[00:05:39] It was a letter from a Catholic priest

[00:05:41] from another state.

[00:05:42] I opened and read this very revealing letter,

[00:05:46] which warned me of danger.

[00:05:48] Not only for me physically,

[00:05:50] but for my soul.

[00:05:53] It was revealed to the priest by the Holy Spirit

[00:05:55] to contact me regarding a young female poltergeist spirit

[00:05:59] that was tasked to ensnare me into hell.

[00:06:03] Now, everything that happened the previous two nights

[00:06:05] made sense.

[00:06:07] The priest had included a special prayer

[00:06:09] to the Blessed Virgin Mary,

[00:06:10] along with a church relic,

[00:06:12] to be placed next to my bed.

[00:06:14] That evening,

[00:06:16] I stilled my mind,

[00:06:17] and recited the prayer as I held the church relic.

[00:06:20] I also gave thanks to God for his intervention,

[00:06:23] as well as the way it happened.

[00:06:25] I went to bed that evening

[00:06:27] with a feeling of complete peace.

[00:06:29] There were no scratching sounds,

[00:06:31] nor black goo oozing from the wall.

[00:06:33] And there were no dreams.

[00:06:36] Now, the following morning,

[00:06:37] I went walking to the store,

[00:06:39] and not a few yards in front of me,

[00:06:41] I froze for a couple of seconds,

[00:06:43] as who I saw walking towards me

[00:06:45] was the tall auburn-haired woman from my dream.

[00:06:49] She was walking as if she was very angry.

[00:06:52] Eventually, I regained my composure

[00:06:54] and resumed walking towards her.

[00:06:56] But as we came within a few feet of each other,

[00:06:58] she turned her head to look away from me.

[00:07:01] And then,

[00:07:02] she just vanished

[00:07:03] into thin air.

[00:07:04] I knew then and there

[00:07:06] that the holy prayer had worked,

[00:07:08] and my soul

[00:07:09] was safe from hell.

[00:07:12] I never saw her

[00:07:14] again.

[00:07:18] This next experience of the night

[00:07:21] comes to us

[00:07:22] from Lyra and Jay.

[00:07:24] And Lyra and Jay's experience

[00:07:26] is called

[00:07:27] Terrifying

[00:07:29] Rental House

[00:07:31] Hey there, Nick.

[00:07:32] My brother and I have been listening

[00:07:34] to your podcast,

[00:07:35] and we really enjoy it.

[00:07:36] While we have been listening,

[00:07:38] we have been inspired

[00:07:39] to share with you

[00:07:39] some memories

[00:07:40] from when we were younger.

[00:07:42] I was about eight,

[00:07:43] and my brother Jay

[00:07:44] was around six.

[00:07:46] In the summer of 2015,

[00:07:48] we went to a family reunion

[00:07:49] in a small development

[00:07:51] in central Washington.

[00:07:52] It was a great family reunion,

[00:07:54] but the house we stayed at

[00:07:56] and some others nearby

[00:07:57] were just off.

[00:07:59] This rental house

[00:08:00] that we stayed at

[00:08:01] was a small

[00:08:02] and relatively new building

[00:08:03] with two stories,

[00:08:05] including a basement.

[00:08:06] Us kids

[00:08:07] stayed in the TV room.

[00:08:09] We had no real problems

[00:08:11] with the place at first,

[00:08:12] but it started to get weird

[00:08:13] when we came home

[00:08:15] late at night.

[00:08:16] The TV room

[00:08:17] was in the basement,

[00:08:18] and our sleeping bags

[00:08:19] were oriented

[00:08:20] horizontally across it.

[00:08:21] I was positioned

[00:08:22] at the end of the room,

[00:08:24] so I needed to step over

[00:08:25] the others to get out.

[00:08:26] My younger cousin,

[00:08:28] who we'll call Sarah,

[00:08:29] was sleeping next to me.

[00:08:31] That night,

[00:08:32] none of us could sleep.

[00:08:34] Shadows danced

[00:08:34] in our peripheral vision,

[00:08:36] and an odd green light

[00:08:37] would come from the doorway.

[00:08:39] Keep this in mind,

[00:08:40] as it's going to be important

[00:08:42] later in the story.

[00:08:43] Now eventually,

[00:08:44] I did fall asleep,

[00:08:46] but I woke up

[00:08:46] in the middle of the night

[00:08:47] for no reason.

[00:08:48] I looked up,

[00:08:49] and still saw shadows

[00:08:51] dancing all around me,

[00:08:52] some of which

[00:08:53] took humanoid forms.

[00:08:55] For some reason or another,

[00:08:56] my brain thought,

[00:08:57] witch lady.

[00:08:59] And when I mentioned

[00:09:00] this to my brother,

[00:09:01] his own odd memories

[00:09:02] surfaced about the shadows.

[00:09:04] I was just a dumb kid,

[00:09:06] and I began to grow curious

[00:09:07] about where the green light

[00:09:09] I mentioned earlier

[00:09:09] was coming from,

[00:09:11] so I welled up the courage

[00:09:12] to wake up my cousin,

[00:09:13] Sarah.

[00:09:14] She groggily asked me

[00:09:15] what I was doing,

[00:09:16] and I pointed to the green light,

[00:09:18] and said that I wanted to know

[00:09:19] where it came from.

[00:09:20] I then asked her

[00:09:22] if she wanted to come with me,

[00:09:23] and for some reason,

[00:09:25] she agreed.

[00:09:26] So we got out of our sleeping bags

[00:09:28] and stepped over the others

[00:09:29] to exit.

[00:09:30] I can also confirm

[00:09:31] that this was not a dream,

[00:09:33] because my brother remembers

[00:09:34] me stepping over him.

[00:09:36] We followed the light

[00:09:37] and realized it led to nothing,

[00:09:39] but we were thirsty,

[00:09:40] and we were up anyway,

[00:09:42] so we went upstairs

[00:09:43] to get some water.

[00:09:44] And this

[00:09:45] is when it happened.

[00:09:47] A couple lights

[00:09:48] in the kitchen were on,

[00:09:49] but we couldn't focus

[00:09:50] on things like that for long.

[00:09:52] At this point,

[00:09:53] a relentless pounding

[00:09:54] erupted from the attic.

[00:09:56] I can't describe

[00:09:57] all the noises I heard,

[00:09:58] but I can try.

[00:10:00] There was knocking

[00:10:01] and scraping,

[00:10:02] almost like a rolling sound.

[00:10:04] Not all of them

[00:10:05] came from the attic,

[00:10:06] but some came

[00:10:07] from the side

[00:10:07] of the house as well.

[00:10:09] It was a sound

[00:10:10] that was like a screwdriver

[00:10:11] coming from outside.

[00:10:14] That was the scariest

[00:10:15] night of our lives.

[00:10:16] Me and my cousin

[00:10:17] were so terrified

[00:10:18] that we hid

[00:10:19] under the counter

[00:10:19] in the kitchen,

[00:10:20] and we saw things

[00:10:21] moving outside the windows,

[00:10:23] like they were

[00:10:24] almost floating.

[00:10:25] My cousin was crying,

[00:10:27] and I was trying

[00:10:27] to comfort her,

[00:10:28] but to no avail.

[00:10:30] I don't know

[00:10:30] how long this terror lasted,

[00:10:32] but it eventually

[00:10:33] got to the point

[00:10:34] where we woke up

[00:10:35] our grandma,

[00:10:36] and we told her

[00:10:37] what had happened.

[00:10:38] However,

[00:10:39] she said that

[00:10:39] she didn't hear anything,

[00:10:41] and she told us

[00:10:42] to go back to bed.

[00:10:43] I'd also like to note

[00:10:45] that our grandma

[00:10:46] is not hard of hearing.

[00:10:48] We were so terrified

[00:10:50] that she had to escort us back

[00:10:52] to the TV room.

[00:10:54] Now, this next part

[00:10:55] is my brother's experience,

[00:10:57] and he will be typing

[00:10:58] this segment.

[00:11:00] Hey there.

[00:11:01] So, my experience

[00:11:02] isn't as cinematic

[00:11:03] as Lira's,

[00:11:04] but just as terrifying.

[00:11:06] This happened later,

[00:11:07] that same night.

[00:11:09] I wanted to get

[00:11:10] a drink of water,

[00:11:11] so I found it in me

[00:11:12] to get out of my sleeping bag,

[00:11:14] but I never made it

[00:11:15] past the stairs.

[00:11:16] So,

[00:11:17] at the bottom of the stairs

[00:11:18] was a painting

[00:11:18] of a street

[00:11:19] with people

[00:11:20] and buildings on it.

[00:11:21] The moment I was

[00:11:22] in front of it,

[00:11:23] ready to go up the stairs,

[00:11:24] I looked at it,

[00:11:25] and I regret that choice,

[00:11:27] even now,

[00:11:28] years later.

[00:11:29] It's really hard

[00:11:30] to describe what happened,

[00:11:31] but it was like

[00:11:32] every person,

[00:11:33] house,

[00:11:34] and streetlight

[00:11:34] in that painting

[00:11:35] turned

[00:11:36] and then stared at me.

[00:11:38] Let me just tell you

[00:11:39] that I immediately

[00:11:40] booked a non-stop flight

[00:11:42] back to my sleeping bag.

[00:11:44] This last part

[00:11:46] is written by Lira.

[00:11:48] For a long time

[00:11:49] after this happened,

[00:11:50] my brain kind of convinced me

[00:11:52] that it was all made up.

[00:11:53] It wasn't until

[00:11:54] I discussed it

[00:11:55] with my brother

[00:11:56] that I realized

[00:11:57] that I had had

[00:11:58] an intense paranormal experience.

[00:12:01] Both of us have.

[00:12:06] This next experience

[00:12:07] comes to us

[00:12:08] from Ethan,

[00:12:09] and Ethan's story

[00:12:11] is called

[00:12:11] Hunting

[00:12:12] with History.

[00:12:15] Ethan says,

[00:12:16] Hello Nick,

[00:12:18] I was listening

[00:12:18] to your podcast

[00:12:19] about people's

[00:12:20] paranormal encounters

[00:12:21] in the woods

[00:12:22] while working

[00:12:22] the night shift

[00:12:23] for my current agency.

[00:12:25] These stories

[00:12:26] reminded me

[00:12:26] of an encounter

[00:12:27] I had while

[00:12:28] hunting in the woods

[00:12:29] of Cumberland County,

[00:12:31] Virginia.

[00:12:32] In 2017,

[00:12:34] before I had gotten

[00:12:35] into the military

[00:12:36] and law enforcement,

[00:12:37] I was a long-haired

[00:12:38] college student

[00:12:39] at Longwood University.

[00:12:41] On my off time

[00:12:42] between classes

[00:12:43] and jobs,

[00:12:44] I would spend time

[00:12:44] at my buddy's farm

[00:12:45] in Cumberland,

[00:12:46] Virginia.

[00:12:47] Being that he is also

[00:12:49] in law enforcement,

[00:12:50] we'll call him

[00:12:51] John.

[00:12:52] John had inherited

[00:12:53] the property

[00:12:54] and the farmhouse

[00:12:55] from his grandmother.

[00:12:56] The property

[00:12:57] had been in his family

[00:12:58] for a very long time.

[00:13:00] The property

[00:13:01] consisted of around

[00:13:02] 200 acres,

[00:13:03] only 20 of which

[00:13:04] was cleared

[00:13:05] and an old farmhouse.

[00:13:06] The house,

[00:13:07] needless to say,

[00:13:08] was very old.

[00:13:10] John and I

[00:13:11] would often

[00:13:11] walk the property,

[00:13:13] mainly to scout area

[00:13:14] for hunting

[00:13:14] and ensure there

[00:13:15] were no poachers

[00:13:16] on the property.

[00:13:17] John would tell me

[00:13:18] that there were

[00:13:19] Confederate soldiers

[00:13:20] buried on the property,

[00:13:21] and we would often

[00:13:22] walk upon unmarked

[00:13:23] graves on the property

[00:13:25] that were deep

[00:13:26] in the woods.

[00:13:27] Now,

[00:13:28] John told me

[00:13:28] of two of his

[00:13:29] paranormal interactions

[00:13:30] on the property.

[00:13:32] It should be said

[00:13:33] that John,

[00:13:34] although younger than me,

[00:13:35] was very mature

[00:13:36] and was not known

[00:13:37] to exaggerate anything.

[00:13:38] He is the son

[00:13:40] of a command sergeant major,

[00:13:41] as well as he is

[00:13:43] currently a state trooper.

[00:13:45] Needless to say

[00:13:45] that when he told me

[00:13:46] about his paranormal

[00:13:47] interactions,

[00:13:49] I had no reason

[00:13:50] to doubt him.

[00:13:52] John stated

[00:13:52] that when he was a kid,

[00:13:54] he was helping

[00:13:55] his grandmother

[00:13:55] move furniture

[00:13:56] on the back porch

[00:13:57] of the farmhouse.

[00:13:58] The back porch

[00:13:59] was like any old-school

[00:14:00] southern plantation porch

[00:14:02] with a big window

[00:14:03] and rocking chairs.

[00:14:05] John said

[00:14:05] that as he put down

[00:14:06] a piece of furniture

[00:14:07] and looked up

[00:14:08] into the window

[00:14:09] toward the living room,

[00:14:10] he saw the reflection

[00:14:11] of a man

[00:14:12] in a gray uniform

[00:14:13] hanging from a noose

[00:14:14] on the old oak tree

[00:14:16] behind the house.

[00:14:17] John stated

[00:14:18] that when he turned around,

[00:14:20] there was nothing

[00:14:21] there.

[00:14:22] John also told me

[00:14:23] of another time

[00:14:24] during hunting season

[00:14:25] when he had

[00:14:26] another paranormal encounter.

[00:14:28] John stated

[00:14:29] that one morning,

[00:14:30] as the sun was still rising,

[00:14:32] he came out of his front door

[00:14:33] to grab something

[00:14:34] from his truck.

[00:14:35] As he walked

[00:14:35] to his truck,

[00:14:36] he saw a man

[00:14:37] with no distinguishable features

[00:14:39] at the corner

[00:14:40] of his field,

[00:14:41] which was about

[00:14:41] 300 yards away

[00:14:43] from his truck.

[00:14:44] He described the man

[00:14:45] as wearing

[00:14:46] a gray uniform

[00:14:47] with a rifle

[00:14:48] slung over his shoulder.

[00:14:49] He said that he called

[00:14:51] out to the individual

[00:14:51] several times,

[00:14:53] but there was no response.

[00:14:54] Being that this was

[00:14:56] hunting season

[00:14:56] and he had been

[00:14:57] having issues

[00:14:58] with the hunt club

[00:14:59] nearby both

[00:15:00] trespassing

[00:15:00] and poaching,

[00:15:02] he went

[00:15:02] to approach

[00:15:03] the individual.

[00:15:04] When he went

[00:15:05] to confront

[00:15:05] the individual,

[00:15:06] they were no longer there.

[00:15:08] John stated

[00:15:09] that there were

[00:15:09] no footprints

[00:15:10] or even impressions

[00:15:11] on the grass.

[00:15:12] He said this was weird

[00:15:14] due to their still

[00:15:14] being due on the grass

[00:15:16] from the early morning,

[00:15:17] and if someone

[00:15:18] had been standing there,

[00:15:19] they would have

[00:15:20] certainly made

[00:15:20] an impression

[00:15:21] on the grass.

[00:15:22] He also stated

[00:15:23] that there weren't

[00:15:24] any impressions

[00:15:25] in the brush

[00:15:25] and undergrowth

[00:15:26] that protected access

[00:15:28] into those woods.

[00:15:29] There were branches,

[00:15:31] vines,

[00:15:32] and even high grass

[00:15:33] that someone

[00:15:33] would have to have

[00:15:34] walked through

[00:15:34] to get into those woods

[00:15:36] from the field.

[00:15:37] John said

[00:15:38] that the vegetation

[00:15:39] was all untouched.

[00:15:42] One day,

[00:15:43] I decided

[00:15:43] to go hunting

[00:15:44] on his property

[00:15:45] during rifle season.

[00:15:46] I had a tree stand

[00:15:47] about 400 yards

[00:15:48] from the wood line

[00:15:49] of the field

[00:15:50] and about 800 yards

[00:15:51] from the farmhouse

[00:15:52] that was on the property.

[00:15:53] My tree stand

[00:15:54] was set up

[00:15:55] on an old pine tree

[00:15:56] and had a creek

[00:15:57] beneath it.

[00:15:58] The stand faced

[00:15:59] dense woods,

[00:16:01] which was advantageous

[00:16:02] because the deer

[00:16:03] would come

[00:16:03] from the deep woods

[00:16:04] through the creek

[00:16:05] to the drop zone

[00:16:06] by my stand.

[00:16:07] The stand backed up

[00:16:08] to a series of

[00:16:09] pine and oak trees

[00:16:10] with large gaps

[00:16:12] in between them.

[00:16:13] Now,

[00:16:14] as it approached sunset

[00:16:15] and as I sat

[00:16:16] with my Marlin

[00:16:17] .30 lever action rifle,

[00:16:19] I heard a series

[00:16:20] of noises

[00:16:21] that were behind me.

[00:16:22] Often,

[00:16:23] while hunting,

[00:16:24] the sound of squirrels

[00:16:25] frolicking around

[00:16:26] is often mistaken

[00:16:27] for the sound

[00:16:28] of a deer

[00:16:28] cautiously approaching.

[00:16:29] And at first,

[00:16:31] I thought the sound

[00:16:32] was either that

[00:16:32] of a deer

[00:16:33] or a squirrel,

[00:16:34] but most certainly

[00:16:35] wildlife

[00:16:36] either way.

[00:16:37] As a result,

[00:16:38] I controlled

[00:16:39] my breathing

[00:16:40] and my movements.

[00:16:42] As I sat there,

[00:16:43] the sound evolved

[00:16:44] from careful and cautious,

[00:16:46] indicating wildlife,

[00:16:47] to loud and reckless.

[00:16:49] It sounded like

[00:16:51] something heavy

[00:16:51] was walking carelessly

[00:16:53] toward my stand,

[00:16:54] breaking branches

[00:16:55] and crunching leaves

[00:16:56] in the process.

[00:16:57] As a result,

[00:16:58] I thought that this

[00:16:59] was somebody trespassing

[00:17:00] on John's land,

[00:17:02] so I turned around,

[00:17:03] but I saw nothing.

[00:17:05] No squirrels,

[00:17:06] no birds,

[00:17:07] no deer,

[00:17:08] and no poachers.

[00:17:10] I then got a very

[00:17:11] uneasy feeling,

[00:17:13] like I wasn't alone.

[00:17:14] I then faced back forward

[00:17:16] trying to shake

[00:17:17] the uneasy feeling

[00:17:18] and to take advantage

[00:17:20] of what little daylight

[00:17:21] I had left.

[00:17:23] Now,

[00:17:23] shortly after that incident,

[00:17:25] right when the daylight

[00:17:26] began to drop

[00:17:27] beneath the trees,

[00:17:28] I heard what sounded

[00:17:29] like someone sprinting

[00:17:30] at full speed

[00:17:31] toward my tree stand

[00:17:32] from the back.

[00:17:33] It was something

[00:17:34] bipedal,

[00:17:35] and it was breaking

[00:17:36] every branch

[00:17:37] in its path

[00:17:38] on its way toward me.

[00:17:39] Whatever was coming

[00:17:40] toward me

[00:17:41] couldn't have been

[00:17:42] more than ten yards

[00:17:43] out from my tree stand,

[00:17:44] and fearing that

[00:17:45] something was behind me,

[00:17:46] I turned around

[00:17:47] with my rifle raised

[00:17:49] and the safety off.

[00:17:51] However,

[00:17:52] there was nothing there.

[00:17:53] I didn't stick around

[00:17:55] much longer

[00:17:55] to figure out

[00:17:56] what it was,

[00:17:57] and I packed it in

[00:17:58] for the day.

[00:18:00] John to this day

[00:18:01] continues to tell me

[00:18:02] about his paranormal

[00:18:03] encounters.

[00:18:04] For a place

[00:18:05] that's so remote

[00:18:06] and quiet,

[00:18:07] it seems like

[00:18:08] a bustling epicenter

[00:18:09] for paranormal

[00:18:11] activity.

[00:18:16] This next experience

[00:18:17] also comes from Ethan,

[00:18:19] and Ethan's experience

[00:18:20] is called

[00:18:22] Graveyard Shift.

[00:18:24] Ethan says,

[00:18:25] Hi Nick,

[00:18:26] I just started

[00:18:27] listening to your podcast

[00:18:28] while working the road

[00:18:29] on night shift

[00:18:30] for a sheriff's office

[00:18:31] in rural Virginia.

[00:18:32] I always enjoyed

[00:18:34] listening to stories

[00:18:35] of paranormal interactions,

[00:18:36] and just recently

[00:18:37] began to dive into

[00:18:38] your series of podcasts

[00:18:40] and recollections

[00:18:41] of the macabre.

[00:18:42] I figured I would offer

[00:18:44] a story of my own

[00:18:45] to your series

[00:18:46] in hopes that it would

[00:18:47] inspire others

[00:18:48] with similar backgrounds

[00:18:49] to share on your platform.

[00:18:51] Before I worked

[00:18:52] for my current sheriff's office,

[00:18:54] which,

[00:18:54] although operates

[00:18:55] in a rural county,

[00:18:56] is the fastest developing

[00:18:57] county in Virginia,

[00:18:59] I worked for a smaller

[00:19:00] sheriff's office.

[00:19:01] Now,

[00:19:02] for the sake of my

[00:19:03] current position

[00:19:03] and career,

[00:19:04] I will not mention

[00:19:05] the name of the county

[00:19:06] or the agency.

[00:19:07] However,

[00:19:08] it was a smaller agency

[00:19:09] which seemed to be stuck

[00:19:11] in a 1980s

[00:19:12] Mayberry-style

[00:19:13] form of law enforcement.

[00:19:15] This equated

[00:19:16] to none of the pleasantries

[00:19:17] of modern law enforcement.

[00:19:18] No cameras,

[00:19:20] no rifles,

[00:19:21] no computers,

[00:19:22] and most importantly,

[00:19:23] no backup.

[00:19:25] At the time

[00:19:26] of this occurrence,

[00:19:27] we had three deputies

[00:19:28] and two sergeants

[00:19:29] to cover the entirety

[00:19:30] of the county.

[00:19:31] As a result,

[00:19:32] this meant that I often

[00:19:34] operated alone

[00:19:35] to cover 211 square miles

[00:19:37] of the county.

[00:19:38] Calling for backup

[00:19:39] meant waking somebody up

[00:19:41] by a phone call,

[00:19:42] hoping that they would answer,

[00:19:43] and then praying

[00:19:44] that they would get there

[00:19:45] in time.

[00:19:46] Working as a sheriff's deputy

[00:19:48] in a rural county

[00:19:49] meant driving for hours

[00:19:50] and hours on end,

[00:19:52] occasionally stopping

[00:19:53] to chat with our one dispatcher

[00:19:55] in hopes of breaking

[00:19:56] the monotony

[00:19:56] of the shift.

[00:19:57] The roads were often

[00:19:59] poorly lit

[00:19:59] and often bobbed

[00:20:01] and weaved

[00:20:01] throughout the county.

[00:20:02] And as a result,

[00:20:03] driving for hours

[00:20:04] often required

[00:20:05] copious amounts

[00:20:07] of caffeine.

[00:20:08] During a typical weekday,

[00:20:10] all calls for service

[00:20:11] and traffic

[00:20:12] usually stopped

[00:20:13] around 2 a.m.,

[00:20:14] and then the county

[00:20:15] turned

[00:20:15] into a ghost town.

[00:20:18] Often during these times,

[00:20:20] having completed

[00:20:20] every business check,

[00:20:22] warrant,

[00:20:22] or report

[00:20:23] that I had

[00:20:23] on the agenda

[00:20:24] for the day,

[00:20:25] I would often

[00:20:26] get creative

[00:20:26] in how I made

[00:20:27] the shift pass.

[00:20:28] Our county

[00:20:29] is riddled

[00:20:30] with cornfields,

[00:20:31] old and dilapidated

[00:20:32] country churches,

[00:20:33] and unpaved

[00:20:34] back roads

[00:20:35] that lead to nowhere.

[00:20:36] I often drove

[00:20:37] through all these

[00:20:38] landmarks hoping

[00:20:39] that if I witnessed

[00:20:40] something paranormal,

[00:20:41] it would give me

[00:20:42] the jolt of excitement

[00:20:43] that I needed

[00:20:44] to get me through

[00:20:44] the rest of my shift.

[00:20:46] It sounds crazy,

[00:20:47] I know,

[00:20:48] but copious amounts

[00:20:49] of caffeine

[00:20:50] do not compensate

[00:20:51] for sleep deprivation.

[00:20:53] For the longest time,

[00:20:54] I would drive

[00:20:55] through cornfields,

[00:20:56] hunting properties,

[00:20:58] abandoned businesses,

[00:20:58] and tucked away

[00:21:00] churches,

[00:21:00] hoping to find

[00:21:01] something.

[00:21:02] One night,

[00:21:03] I got just

[00:21:04] what I was looking

[00:21:04] for,

[00:21:05] and then some.

[00:21:07] Now,

[00:21:08] I had recruited

[00:21:08] my buddy

[00:21:09] to work with me,

[00:21:10] and he and I both

[00:21:11] were military police

[00:21:12] in the army,

[00:21:13] and he was trying

[00:21:13] to find a job

[00:21:14] on the civilian side

[00:21:15] in law enforcement.

[00:21:17] One night,

[00:21:18] he was riding

[00:21:18] with me

[00:21:19] in my patrol vehicle

[00:21:20] throughout the county,

[00:21:21] learning the fundamentals

[00:21:22] of law enforcement

[00:21:23] before he went

[00:21:24] into the academy.

[00:21:25] We had pulled

[00:21:26] into the county's

[00:21:27] middle school

[00:21:27] to conduct

[00:21:28] a security check

[00:21:29] around one

[00:21:30] in the morning,

[00:21:31] working the graveyard shift.

[00:21:32] The school had cornfields

[00:21:34] and woods

[00:21:34] surrounding the back

[00:21:35] of the facility,

[00:21:36] with the building

[00:21:37] facing toward

[00:21:38] the main roadway.

[00:21:39] I had told my buddy

[00:21:41] to get out

[00:21:41] and check all the doors

[00:21:42] of the school.

[00:21:43] I told him

[00:21:44] that it was important

[00:21:44] to know all the entry

[00:21:46] and access points,

[00:21:47] and to make sure

[00:21:48] that they were all secure,

[00:21:49] as we had problems

[00:21:50] with school equipment

[00:21:51] going missing

[00:21:52] during the night.

[00:21:53] So,

[00:21:54] he got out

[00:21:54] and began to make

[00:21:55] his way around the building,

[00:21:56] while I stayed

[00:21:57] in the patrol vehicle

[00:21:58] and finished up

[00:21:59] on some reports.

[00:22:01] At this point,

[00:22:02] I watched my partner

[00:22:03] cut the corner

[00:22:04] of the building,

[00:22:05] disappearing

[00:22:06] into the void

[00:22:06] of darkness,

[00:22:07] as I sat comfortably

[00:22:09] in the well-lit,

[00:22:10] safe haven

[00:22:11] of my patrol vehicle.

[00:22:13] My radio

[00:22:14] then abruptly

[00:22:15] cuts the silence,

[00:22:16] and I hear my partner

[00:22:17] state that there is a man

[00:22:18] looking at him

[00:22:19] from the cornfields.

[00:22:21] He stated that

[00:22:22] he was wearing

[00:22:22] what he described

[00:22:23] as a long black

[00:22:24] trench coat

[00:22:25] covering his face,

[00:22:26] and that he was

[00:22:27] wearing jeans

[00:22:28] that appeared

[00:22:28] to be tattered

[00:22:29] and worn.

[00:22:30] I jumped out

[00:22:31] of my vehicle

[00:22:32] and began full-out

[00:22:33] Forrest Gump-style

[00:22:34] sprinting towards him

[00:22:35] when my partner

[00:22:36] told me

[00:22:36] that he was

[00:22:37] in foot pursuit.

[00:22:38] He said that

[00:22:39] this man

[00:22:40] ran into the cornfields,

[00:22:41] and he asked me

[00:22:42] if he should follow.

[00:22:43] However,

[00:22:44] I told him

[00:22:44] to stay where he was

[00:22:46] until I got to him.

[00:22:48] When I finally

[00:22:49] caught up

[00:22:49] with my partner,

[00:22:50] he stated that

[00:22:51] this man

[00:22:51] ran inhumanly fast

[00:22:53] and almost disappeared

[00:22:54] like vapor

[00:22:55] in a ghost of wind.

[00:22:56] He told me

[00:22:57] that he had cut

[00:22:58] the corner of the building

[00:22:59] with his flashlight

[00:23:00] to check the doors,

[00:23:01] when he was overwhelmed

[00:23:02] by this feeling

[00:23:03] that he was being watched.

[00:23:05] He said that

[00:23:06] he had turned

[00:23:06] toward the soccer field,

[00:23:07] which was the giant

[00:23:08] open grassy field

[00:23:09] that backed up

[00:23:10] to the cornfield,

[00:23:11] and this was where

[00:23:12] he saw a man

[00:23:13] staring at him.

[00:23:14] He said that

[00:23:15] he didn't move a muscle

[00:23:16] and almost appeared

[00:23:17] to be in a trance-like state.

[00:23:19] He said he couldn't

[00:23:20] make out

[00:23:20] any facial feature

[00:23:21] even with the light

[00:23:22] of a flashlight

[00:23:23] in the darkness.

[00:23:25] He stated that

[00:23:26] he called out to the man,

[00:23:27] Sheriff's office,

[00:23:28] don't move.

[00:23:29] He then said

[00:23:30] that the man

[00:23:31] at first

[00:23:31] seemed unfazed

[00:23:32] by the command,

[00:23:33] but continued

[00:23:34] to maintain

[00:23:34] his trance-like state

[00:23:36] without moving

[00:23:37] so much as a muscle.

[00:23:39] He said at that point

[00:23:40] he drew his pistol out

[00:23:41] and kept it

[00:23:42] at a ready position

[00:23:43] and maintained

[00:23:43] his flashlight

[00:23:44] on the entity

[00:23:45] as he walked

[00:23:46] down the hill

[00:23:47] toward it.

[00:23:48] He said that

[00:23:49] after a few steps,

[00:23:50] the tall,

[00:23:51] hooded figure

[00:23:52] went from a statue-like state

[00:23:53] to abruptly running

[00:23:55] as if it wasn't

[00:23:56] even touching the ground,

[00:23:57] only to fade away

[00:23:59] into the labyrinth

[00:24:00] of the cornfield.

[00:24:02] Now,

[00:24:03] to most,

[00:24:04] this would be

[00:24:04] off-putting

[00:24:05] and petrifying.

[00:24:06] However,

[00:24:06] to us

[00:24:07] and our military-trained

[00:24:08] adrenaline-fueled minds,

[00:24:10] we wanted more

[00:24:10] of a rush

[00:24:11] and we set off

[00:24:12] into the night

[00:24:13] to further explore

[00:24:14] anomalies.

[00:24:15] We drove to

[00:24:16] every creepy cemetery,

[00:24:18] abandoned building,

[00:24:19] and dark back road

[00:24:20] until we came across

[00:24:21] an old church

[00:24:22] surrounded by growth

[00:24:23] and, of course,

[00:24:25] cornfields.

[00:24:26] We notified dispatch

[00:24:27] that we would be

[00:24:28] conducting a security check

[00:24:29] at the church.

[00:24:30] We walked around

[00:24:31] the church

[00:24:32] where we observed

[00:24:33] what appeared to be

[00:24:33] a concrete stairway

[00:24:35] leading to a set

[00:24:36] of metal doors

[00:24:37] that led to

[00:24:38] what we believed

[00:24:38] to be a cellar.

[00:24:40] We made our way

[00:24:41] down the steps

[00:24:42] which were secured

[00:24:43] by two iron-clad doors

[00:24:44] which were secured

[00:24:45] with lock and chain.

[00:24:47] We noticed

[00:24:48] that the main door

[00:24:48] to the church

[00:24:49] was unlocked

[00:24:50] and made entry

[00:24:51] into the building.

[00:24:52] The building was old

[00:24:53] and riddled with dust,

[00:24:55] cobwebs,

[00:24:55] and mold.

[00:24:56] It looked like

[00:24:57] it hadn't been occupied

[00:24:58] in years.

[00:24:59] The pews had

[00:25:00] several generations

[00:25:01] of dust on them.

[00:25:02] The baptism pool

[00:25:04] was lined with

[00:25:04] dead spiders

[00:25:05] bigger than my boot

[00:25:06] and the winding stairwell

[00:25:08] was riddled

[00:25:09] with news articles

[00:25:10] from the 1950s.

[00:25:12] We had gone through

[00:25:13] room by room

[00:25:14] and tactically

[00:25:15] and meticulously

[00:25:16] cleared every room

[00:25:17] to find nothing

[00:25:18] but abandoned

[00:25:19] musical instruments,

[00:25:20] leather-bound bibles,

[00:25:22] and broken glass.

[00:25:23] We then made our way

[00:25:24] out to the front door

[00:25:26] towards my patrol vehicle.

[00:25:28] As we opened the doors

[00:25:29] to the patrol vehicle,

[00:25:30] we heard what sounded

[00:25:31] like someone opening

[00:25:32] and slamming

[00:25:33] a metal door

[00:25:34] with all their might

[00:25:35] which was coming

[00:25:36] from the stairwell

[00:25:37] to the cellar

[00:25:38] that we had just cleared.

[00:25:39] It startled us both.

[00:25:41] So we walked back

[00:25:42] to the stairway

[00:25:43] to the cellar doors

[00:25:44] which were still

[00:25:45] sealed with lock,

[00:25:46] chain,

[00:25:47] and twenty years

[00:25:48] of rust

[00:25:48] as if it had never

[00:25:49] been disturbed.

[00:25:51] It was then

[00:25:52] that we decided

[00:25:52] that we had had

[00:25:53] our fair share

[00:25:54] of the paranormal

[00:25:54] encounters

[00:25:55] for the night.

[00:25:57] To this day

[00:25:58] we still talk

[00:25:59] about that night,

[00:26:00] we still work together,

[00:26:01] and we continue

[00:26:02] to look for things

[00:26:03] that go bump

[00:26:03] in the night

[00:26:04] when the county

[00:26:06] sleeps.

[00:26:08] I hope one day

[00:26:09] to hear this story

[00:26:10] on your podcast,

[00:26:11] and I hope

[00:26:12] that it was worth

[00:26:13] the read.

[00:26:17] Our next experience

[00:26:19] of the night

[00:26:19] comes to us

[00:26:20] from Jeannie,

[00:26:21] and Jeannie's

[00:26:22] experience is called

[00:26:24] It's Just Water.

[00:26:27] Jeannie says,

[00:26:28] Hello there.

[00:26:29] I found your pod

[00:26:30] via Amazon Music,

[00:26:32] and it's been a part

[00:26:33] of my daily life

[00:26:34] ever since.

[00:26:35] It was such a relief

[00:26:36] to find people

[00:26:37] who have had

[00:26:37] these experiences

[00:26:38] because I really

[00:26:39] thought that it

[00:26:40] was just me.

[00:26:41] Thank you for all

[00:26:42] your hard work,

[00:26:43] and please keep going.

[00:26:44] We are listening.

[00:26:46] My experience

[00:26:47] happened about

[00:26:48] ten years ago

[00:26:49] when my daughter

[00:26:50] and I moved

[00:26:50] into an apartment.

[00:26:52] What struck me

[00:26:52] right away

[00:26:53] was the bedroom setup.

[00:26:54] The room was small,

[00:26:56] and there was only

[00:26:57] one place

[00:26:57] to put the bed in.

[00:26:59] Right on the opposite

[00:27:00] side facing the bed

[00:27:01] was a walk-in closet

[00:27:02] with a huge mirror door.

[00:27:04] Our first night there,

[00:27:06] I felt uneasy,

[00:27:07] and I covered it

[00:27:08] with a sheet.

[00:27:10] Fast forward

[00:27:10] a few months,

[00:27:11] it was the middle

[00:27:12] of the night,

[00:27:13] and I woke up suddenly

[00:27:14] and I saw that the sheet

[00:27:15] had fallen off

[00:27:16] of this mirror.

[00:27:17] I was too tired

[00:27:18] to pick it back up,

[00:27:19] so I went back to sleep,

[00:27:21] thinking that I would

[00:27:22] fix it in the morning.

[00:27:24] Around 5 a.m.,

[00:27:25] I woke up again.

[00:27:27] Unlike the typical

[00:27:28] night terror,

[00:27:29] I wasn't paralyzed,

[00:27:30] but I knew that

[00:27:31] as I opened my eyes,

[00:27:33] there was a very heavy,

[00:27:34] dark presence

[00:27:35] that had been hovering

[00:27:36] a couple of inches

[00:27:37] away from my face,

[00:27:38] watching me.

[00:27:39] It disappeared

[00:27:40] before my eyes

[00:27:41] were fully open,

[00:27:42] but I knew that

[00:27:43] it almost didn't get away

[00:27:44] in time

[00:27:45] because I saw it

[00:27:46] dissipating.

[00:27:47] It was scary,

[00:27:49] but I covered

[00:27:49] the mirror again,

[00:27:50] and thought that

[00:27:52] it wasn't coming back.

[00:27:53] A few weeks later,

[00:27:55] we got a cat.

[00:27:56] Her name was Jill.

[00:27:58] Now, Jill was a very

[00:27:59] anxious kitty.

[00:28:00] When I would go to bed,

[00:28:01] she would jump up

[00:28:02] on the bed

[00:28:02] and walk around

[00:28:03] my head in circles.

[00:28:05] Of course,

[00:28:05] it was hard to sleep

[00:28:06] with that,

[00:28:07] so one night,

[00:28:08] as she made her

[00:28:08] circles around me,

[00:28:10] I was lying on my

[00:28:10] right side,

[00:28:11] and I used my left hand

[00:28:12] to gently press her down

[00:28:14] on the bed

[00:28:14] to show her

[00:28:15] that I wanted her

[00:28:16] to lie down.

[00:28:17] To my surprise,

[00:28:19] she did.

[00:28:19] She was in the nook

[00:28:20] between my belly

[00:28:21] and my knees.

[00:28:22] Imagine a person

[00:28:23] in the position

[00:28:24] of the letter L.

[00:28:25] Her fur was soft

[00:28:27] and fluffy,

[00:28:28] and we both started

[00:28:29] drifting off.

[00:28:31] All of a sudden,

[00:28:32] she jumped straight up

[00:28:33] in the air.

[00:28:34] She cleared the space

[00:28:35] almost all the way

[00:28:36] to the ceiling

[00:28:36] from a lying down

[00:28:37] flat position.

[00:28:39] As soon as she landed,

[00:28:40] she darted off the bed

[00:28:41] and ran out

[00:28:42] of the bedroom.

[00:28:43] At this point,

[00:28:44] the feeling in the room

[00:28:45] was heavy.

[00:28:46] When I looked over

[00:28:48] at the closet,

[00:28:49] the sheet was once again

[00:28:50] off.

[00:28:52] Now,

[00:28:52] I didn't know

[00:28:53] how that was possible

[00:28:54] since I shut it

[00:28:55] with the side of it

[00:28:56] pinched by the door.

[00:28:57] I don't know

[00:28:58] what she saw

[00:28:59] on that bedroom wall

[00:29:00] that we were facing,

[00:29:01] but it scared her

[00:29:02] and me.

[00:29:04] The next morning,

[00:29:05] my daughter asked me

[00:29:07] who the lady

[00:29:07] with the bonnet was

[00:29:08] who was in her room

[00:29:10] at night.

[00:29:11] At this point,

[00:29:12] I had had enough

[00:29:13] and I started to search

[00:29:15] for another place

[00:29:16] to live.

[00:29:17] Shortly before moving out,

[00:29:19] I was sitting in the living room

[00:29:20] watching TV

[00:29:21] and thinking about

[00:29:22] all these happenings

[00:29:23] and wondering

[00:29:24] if whatever it was

[00:29:26] would follow me.

[00:29:27] As I sat there,

[00:29:29] completely out of nowhere,

[00:29:30] a drop of water

[00:29:31] fell on my forehead.

[00:29:33] How do I know

[00:29:34] that it was water?

[00:29:35] Well,

[00:29:35] I wiped it off

[00:29:36] and I smelled it.

[00:29:37] I jumped up.

[00:29:39] It was daylight,

[00:29:40] but I grabbed the flashlight

[00:29:41] and a step ladder

[00:29:42] and I felt

[00:29:43] the entire ceiling area

[00:29:45] right above

[00:29:45] where I was sitting.

[00:29:47] It was bone dry.

[00:29:49] Also,

[00:29:50] it was not raining

[00:29:51] that day.

[00:29:52] Also,

[00:29:53] did I mention

[00:29:53] that I lived

[00:29:54] on the second floor?

[00:29:55] So there was

[00:29:56] no other apartment

[00:29:57] above me.

[00:29:58] I looked for that

[00:29:59] scientific explanation

[00:30:00] for about 30 minutes,

[00:30:02] but I couldn't

[00:30:03] find anything.

[00:30:04] So,

[00:30:04] we finally moved away.

[00:30:06] Nothing came

[00:30:07] with us thankfully,

[00:30:09] so I guess

[00:30:09] no harm done.

[00:30:11] It was,

[00:30:12] after all,

[00:30:13] just water.

[00:30:15] Thank you so much

[00:30:16] for reading my story.

[00:30:17] Even if it doesn't

[00:30:18] make it into the podcast,

[00:30:20] it still felt nice

[00:30:21] to share this

[00:30:21] with someone

[00:30:22] who won't call me crazy

[00:30:23] when they hear my story.

[00:30:26] Take care

[00:30:27] and have a great day.

[00:30:32] Our next experience

[00:30:34] of the night

[00:30:34] comes to us

[00:30:35] from Michael

[00:30:36] and Michael's

[00:30:37] experience is called

[00:30:39] Potential

[00:30:40] Hereditary Spirit.

[00:30:43] Michael says,

[00:30:44] Hey Nick,

[00:30:45] hope all is well.

[00:30:46] I'm fairly new

[00:30:47] to the podcast,

[00:30:48] but in the brief time

[00:30:49] listening,

[00:30:50] I've fallen in love

[00:30:50] with it.

[00:30:51] You've not only

[00:30:52] created a safe space

[00:30:53] for us to share

[00:30:53] our experiences,

[00:30:55] but created a

[00:30:56] supportive,

[00:30:56] informative,

[00:30:57] and interesting

[00:30:58] community.

[00:30:59] Kudos,

[00:31:00] and thank you.

[00:31:01] I have an odd,

[00:31:03] long-lived,

[00:31:04] and ongoing

[00:31:04] experience I'd like

[00:31:05] to share,

[00:31:06] and I would ask,

[00:31:07] on the off chance

[00:31:08] that you do share it,

[00:31:09] to call on this

[00:31:10] community for its

[00:31:11] thoughts.

[00:31:12] I have limited

[00:31:13] information outside

[00:31:14] of my own experiences.

[00:31:16] Forums and research

[00:31:17] have been helpful

[00:31:18] thus far,

[00:31:19] but sometimes suggestions

[00:31:20] from similar cases

[00:31:21] hold more weight.

[00:31:23] Any feedback

[00:31:23] is appreciated

[00:31:24] since I don't really

[00:31:25] know what to call

[00:31:26] this officially.

[00:31:28] First though,

[00:31:29] a little about me.

[00:31:31] I'm ex-military,

[00:31:32] a believer,

[00:31:33] and newly,

[00:31:34] a family man.

[00:31:34] I have a three-year-old

[00:31:36] son with another

[00:31:37] on the way,

[00:31:37] so I'd like to think

[00:31:38] that there's not a lot

[00:31:40] that gets under my

[00:31:41] skin these days.

[00:31:42] I'm also no stranger

[00:31:43] to the paranormal,

[00:31:44] but I like to approach

[00:31:45] things from a logical

[00:31:47] standpoint first.

[00:31:48] This is a combination

[00:31:49] that I thank my

[00:31:50] family for,

[00:31:51] my mother's side

[00:31:52] of the family being

[00:31:53] especially sensitive,

[00:31:54] while my father's

[00:31:56] are a bunch of

[00:31:56] skeptics.

[00:31:58] Now,

[00:31:58] very rarely do I

[00:31:59] admit defeat,

[00:32:00] but this one

[00:32:01] has had me stumped

[00:32:02] for a while now.

[00:32:03] So,

[00:32:04] here it goes.

[00:32:05] When I was little,

[00:32:07] I saw things.

[00:32:08] Specifically,

[00:32:09] and more often than not,

[00:32:10] a little girl.

[00:32:11] She had black hair,

[00:32:13] a dress,

[00:32:14] which seemed to change

[00:32:15] with every appearance,

[00:32:16] and she'd always be

[00:32:17] carrying a book.

[00:32:19] Now,

[00:32:20] I know she wasn't

[00:32:21] just a local

[00:32:21] that I coincidentally

[00:32:22] ran into all the time,

[00:32:24] as the little barrio

[00:32:25] in Puerto Rico

[00:32:26] I grew up in

[00:32:26] was small enough

[00:32:27] where everyone

[00:32:28] knew everyone,

[00:32:29] but it was mostly

[00:32:30] because I specifically

[00:32:31] remember being asked

[00:32:32] questions and things

[00:32:33] like,

[00:32:34] what are you looking at?

[00:32:35] Or,

[00:32:36] who are you talking to?

[00:32:38] Plus,

[00:32:39] she'd always appear

[00:32:40] in the strangest of times

[00:32:41] and places.

[00:32:42] In my room,

[00:32:43] at night,

[00:32:44] during a long car ride,

[00:32:46] or at my school

[00:32:47] mid-class,

[00:32:49] etc.

[00:32:50] Now,

[00:32:50] she didn't give off

[00:32:51] a positive feeling

[00:32:52] by any means,

[00:32:53] though I never felt

[00:32:54] danger at this stage.

[00:32:55] I would always just feel

[00:32:57] watched or judged,

[00:32:58] but after a while,

[00:33:00] I simply ignored it

[00:33:01] the best I could,

[00:33:02] and it wasn't long

[00:33:03] before I stopped

[00:33:04] noticing her.

[00:33:06] Fast forward a few years

[00:33:07] to a Georgia high school,

[00:33:08] and I had gotten

[00:33:09] into some serious trouble,

[00:33:10] and I was waiting

[00:33:11] to be spoken to

[00:33:12] by our principal,

[00:33:14] and this was when

[00:33:14] I felt the hair

[00:33:15] on the back of my neck

[00:33:16] stand up,

[00:33:18] and a chill

[00:33:18] ran down my spine.

[00:33:20] I'll never forget it

[00:33:21] because it made me

[00:33:22] physically twitch,

[00:33:23] but at that moment,

[00:33:24] in the corner of the room,

[00:33:26] I saw her again.

[00:33:27] It was undeniably

[00:33:29] the same girl,

[00:33:30] but older.

[00:33:32] It was almost as if

[00:33:33] she had grown with me.

[00:33:35] She still wore

[00:33:36] her same dress

[00:33:37] and carried the same book,

[00:33:38] and even though

[00:33:39] I couldn't see her eyes,

[00:33:41] I knew that

[00:33:42] she was watching.

[00:33:43] From that point on,

[00:33:45] her sightings

[00:33:45] became more frequent,

[00:33:47] not in any intrusive way,

[00:33:49] but it was like

[00:33:49] she was routinely

[00:33:50] checking up on me.

[00:33:51] I saw her again

[00:33:52] plenty during my

[00:33:53] military service,

[00:33:55] and even right before

[00:33:55] my own wedding.

[00:33:57] It didn't matter

[00:33:58] what the occasion was,

[00:33:59] she was always there.

[00:34:02] My most memorable

[00:34:03] experience with her

[00:34:04] was a dream.

[00:34:05] Again,

[00:34:06] a few years separated

[00:34:07] from the last interaction,

[00:34:08] in this dream,

[00:34:09] she was a woman,

[00:34:10] the same hair,

[00:34:11] same dress,

[00:34:12] the same book,

[00:34:13] and the same feeling.

[00:34:15] She sat me down,

[00:34:17] opened the book,

[00:34:17] and started reading,

[00:34:19] pausing every now and then

[00:34:20] for my reaction,

[00:34:21] or my response.

[00:34:22] The only thing was,

[00:34:24] I couldn't understand

[00:34:25] the language that

[00:34:26] she was speaking,

[00:34:27] and it was intense.

[00:34:28] It almost felt like

[00:34:29] an interrogation of sorts,

[00:34:31] but I held my silence,

[00:34:33] frozen in fear.

[00:34:35] Mind you,

[00:34:36] this was the only instance

[00:34:37] where any sort of contact

[00:34:38] was attempted,

[00:34:39] and where I felt threatened

[00:34:41] by her presence.

[00:34:43] Now,

[00:34:43] a lot of people seem to think

[00:34:44] that it could be

[00:34:45] a guardian angel,

[00:34:46] reasoning that my fear,

[00:34:48] as mere fear of the unknown,

[00:34:49] and her book

[00:34:50] being a record of my life.

[00:34:53] However,

[00:34:53] I'm hesitant to agree.

[00:34:55] If it was,

[00:34:56] and this book

[00:34:57] was something to be used

[00:34:58] for me on my judgment day,

[00:35:00] it should feel like

[00:35:01] she had an interest

[00:35:01] in my defense,

[00:35:02] instead of my prosecution.

[00:35:05] Others have said

[00:35:06] just the opposite,

[00:35:07] and recommended blessings

[00:35:08] and exorcisms

[00:35:09] from different churches.

[00:35:11] Then, of course,

[00:35:12] you have shadow people,

[00:35:14] which come in all manner

[00:35:15] of different experiences.

[00:35:17] Or,

[00:35:17] there's the fact that

[00:35:18] it could have all just been

[00:35:19] in my head

[00:35:20] this entire time.

[00:35:22] However,

[00:35:23] the main reason

[00:35:24] I now grow concerned

[00:35:25] and want to know

[00:35:26] is this.

[00:35:28] A few weeks ago,

[00:35:29] I was putting my son to sleep.

[00:35:31] It had been a few hours

[00:35:32] in the dark,

[00:35:33] and the door to his room

[00:35:34] leading to the hall

[00:35:35] and the rest of the house

[00:35:36] was closed,

[00:35:37] and my wife

[00:35:38] was out with friends.

[00:35:39] He was almost asleep

[00:35:41] when,

[00:35:41] in his delirium,

[00:35:43] he sat up,

[00:35:44] looked at the corner,

[00:35:45] and asked,

[00:35:46] who's that?

[00:35:48] I immediately froze

[00:35:49] and refused to turn around,

[00:35:51] but immediately,

[00:35:52] I felt it.

[00:35:53] A dread washed over me

[00:35:55] and gave me

[00:35:55] the same uncomfortable chill

[00:35:57] as all those years ago.

[00:35:59] It was her,

[00:36:00] and for the first time,

[00:36:02] it was no longer

[00:36:02] just me

[00:36:03] who saw her.

[00:36:04] I laid him back down,

[00:36:06] closed my eyes,

[00:36:08] and eventually drifted to sleep,

[00:36:09] later to be woken up

[00:36:11] by my wife

[00:36:11] when she got home.

[00:36:13] But this

[00:36:14] was the last straw.

[00:36:16] I'm fearful

[00:36:17] that this will turn

[00:36:18] into one of those

[00:36:19] all-too-common,

[00:36:20] hey dad,

[00:36:21] this is my new

[00:36:21] imaginary friend moments.

[00:36:23] I'm not too sure

[00:36:24] how to handle it,

[00:36:25] but there is a saying

[00:36:26] in my mom's family

[00:36:27] that evil

[00:36:28] feeds off of fear,

[00:36:29] and if our fears

[00:36:31] are not addressed,

[00:36:32] we risk passing

[00:36:33] those fears

[00:36:33] onto our children,

[00:36:35] and coincidentally,

[00:36:37] anything

[00:36:37] leeching off of it.

[00:36:39] Now,

[00:36:39] I certainly hope

[00:36:40] that's not the case,

[00:36:41] but it makes me wonder

[00:36:42] if I'm the first one,

[00:36:43] or if someone else

[00:36:44] in my family

[00:36:45] has seen her too.

[00:36:47] Sadly,

[00:36:48] I have spoken

[00:36:48] to my mom's side

[00:36:49] of the family about it,

[00:36:50] but to no avail,

[00:36:52] which only leaves me

[00:36:53] the skeptics

[00:36:54] to deal with.

[00:36:55] I'll see if I find

[00:36:56] anything out,

[00:36:57] and I will keep you posted

[00:36:58] with another submission

[00:36:59] down the line.

[00:37:01] But again,

[00:37:02] I am open

[00:37:03] to advice.

[00:37:04] Anyway,

[00:37:05] thanks for listening.

[00:37:06] It felt good

[00:37:07] to get this out.

[00:37:09] Cheers.

[00:37:11] Michael.

[00:37:16] Our next experience

[00:37:17] of the night

[00:37:17] also comes to us

[00:37:19] from a listener

[00:37:19] in Finland

[00:37:20] by the name

[00:37:21] of Laura.

[00:37:22] And Laura

[00:37:22] had this to say.

[00:37:24] Hello,

[00:37:25] greetings from Finland,

[00:37:26] and thanks for

[00:37:27] the lovely podcast.

[00:37:28] I've been addicted

[00:37:29] to it,

[00:37:30] even though it

[00:37:31] sometimes scares

[00:37:31] me so much.

[00:37:33] Anyhow,

[00:37:33] I have two stories

[00:37:34] which both are

[00:37:35] kind of related

[00:37:36] to things you've

[00:37:37] mentioned in your podcast.

[00:37:38] The first is

[00:37:39] Shadow People,

[00:37:40] and the second

[00:37:41] is Metzenpito.

[00:37:43] Now,

[00:37:44] as a side note,

[00:37:45] for anyone that

[00:37:45] doesn't know

[00:37:46] what Laura

[00:37:46] is referring to,

[00:37:48] Metzenpito,

[00:37:49] which I'm probably

[00:37:49] not pronouncing right,

[00:37:50] is a term in

[00:37:51] Finnish folklore

[00:37:52] which refers

[00:37:53] to the belief

[00:37:53] that the forest

[00:37:54] could hide

[00:37:55] or imprison people,

[00:37:56] or even domestic

[00:37:57] animals,

[00:37:57] such as cows

[00:37:58] or horses.

[00:37:59] The belief

[00:38:00] is that the forest

[00:38:01] does this

[00:38:01] so they cannot

[00:38:02] escape,

[00:38:03] and would be

[00:38:03] invisible to people

[00:38:04] who went

[00:38:05] in search for them.

[00:38:07] Laura goes on

[00:38:08] to say,

[00:38:09] The first story

[00:38:10] I'll tell

[00:38:10] is about

[00:38:11] this strange

[00:38:11] entity I kept

[00:38:12] seeing as a child.

[00:38:14] My family

[00:38:14] kept moving a lot

[00:38:15] around Helsinki,

[00:38:17] and at some point

[00:38:17] we lived in this

[00:38:18] really fancy

[00:38:19] old building.

[00:38:20] This is where

[00:38:21] I met her,

[00:38:22] and that's also

[00:38:23] where she stayed

[00:38:24] when we left.

[00:38:25] I'd like to brush

[00:38:26] it off as just

[00:38:27] a child's imagination,

[00:38:28] but no,

[00:38:29] I do feel

[00:38:30] there is something

[00:38:31] more real

[00:38:31] when it comes

[00:38:32] to her.

[00:38:33] I'm an early bird

[00:38:34] unlike the rest

[00:38:35] of my family.

[00:38:36] I'd wake up

[00:38:37] a few hours

[00:38:37] before my parents

[00:38:38] or my sister,

[00:38:39] and then I'd

[00:38:40] sneak out of our

[00:38:41] room to the

[00:38:41] living room

[00:38:42] and do stuff

[00:38:43] while not

[00:38:43] disturbing

[00:38:44] anyone else's

[00:38:44] sleep.

[00:38:45] That's when

[00:38:46] I was alone,

[00:38:47] and the oddities

[00:38:48] would happen.

[00:38:50] I started noticing

[00:38:51] something peeking

[00:38:52] at me from

[00:38:53] behind corners

[00:38:53] or bookshelves.

[00:38:54] It had an

[00:38:55] old-fashioned

[00:38:56] black funeral

[00:38:56] dress,

[00:38:57] and the face

[00:38:58] was closer

[00:38:58] to that of

[00:38:59] elves

[00:39:00] than anything

[00:39:01] human.

[00:39:02] This strange

[00:39:03] creature never

[00:39:03] actually said

[00:39:04] anything,

[00:39:05] but it kept

[00:39:06] visiting me

[00:39:06] like that.

[00:39:07] Just thinking

[00:39:08] about it gives

[00:39:09] me the creeps

[00:39:09] after 23 years.

[00:39:11] I told my

[00:39:12] parents who

[00:39:13] told me it

[00:39:13] was just my

[00:39:14] imagination,

[00:39:14] and my sister

[00:39:15] was too young

[00:39:16] to understand

[00:39:17] stuff like that,

[00:39:18] so there was

[00:39:18] no point in

[00:39:19] trying to tell

[00:39:19] her anything.

[00:39:20] I, however,

[00:39:21] knew that it

[00:39:22] was real,

[00:39:23] and I knew

[00:39:23] the creature

[00:39:24] had a name,

[00:39:25] which was

[00:39:25] Kaisa.

[00:39:26] I don't know

[00:39:27] if I came up

[00:39:28] with the name

[00:39:28] or if the

[00:39:29] creature somehow

[00:39:29] told me it,

[00:39:30] but that's

[00:39:31] what I called

[00:39:32] her.

[00:39:33] We moved

[00:39:33] away after

[00:39:34] roughly a year,

[00:39:35] but Kaisa

[00:39:36] stayed there.

[00:39:37] I wonder

[00:39:37] if she's still

[00:39:38] there,

[00:39:39] staring at

[00:39:40] her current

[00:39:40] flatmates.

[00:39:42] The second

[00:39:43] story is from

[00:39:43] roughly 10

[00:39:44] years ago.

[00:39:45] I was at

[00:39:45] my then-boyfriend's

[00:39:46] family's summer

[00:39:47] cabin,

[00:39:48] and his

[00:39:48] grandparents

[00:39:49] came there

[00:39:49] too.

[00:39:50] His

[00:39:51] grandmother

[00:39:51] told me

[00:39:51] that she

[00:39:52] was a

[00:39:52] really avid

[00:39:53] outdoors lady

[00:39:54] who loves

[00:39:54] walking in

[00:39:55] the woods

[00:39:55] around their

[00:39:56] house,

[00:39:56] and she

[00:39:57] knows all

[00:39:57] the details.

[00:39:59] But on

[00:39:59] one occasion,

[00:40:00] she had lost

[00:40:01] her way,

[00:40:02] and nothing

[00:40:02] was where

[00:40:03] it should be,

[00:40:03] and no

[00:40:04] one was

[00:40:04] around.

[00:40:05] Finally,

[00:40:06] she got back

[00:40:07] to their

[00:40:07] house,

[00:40:07] and things

[00:40:08] got more

[00:40:08] sensible

[00:40:09] after that.

[00:40:10] This is the

[00:40:11] first time I

[00:40:12] had heard of

[00:40:12] Metzenpito,

[00:40:13] I think,

[00:40:13] and it

[00:40:14] creeped me

[00:40:14] out a bit.

[00:40:16] The

[00:40:16] grandmother

[00:40:16] is from

[00:40:17] the

[00:40:17] countryside,

[00:40:18] but I

[00:40:18] am from

[00:40:19] the

[00:40:19] capital,

[00:40:19] and it's

[00:40:20] super

[00:40:20] urban,

[00:40:21] so I

[00:40:21] feel like

[00:40:22] the

[00:40:22] central

[00:40:22] park

[00:40:22] where I

[00:40:23] love

[00:40:23] going

[00:40:23] for

[00:40:23] walks

[00:40:24] is

[00:40:24] actually

[00:40:25] a

[00:40:25] forest.

[00:40:26] There

[00:40:26] are

[00:40:26] horses

[00:40:26] there,

[00:40:27] and some

[00:40:27] of

[00:40:27] them

[00:40:28] are

[00:40:28] pretty

[00:40:28] dark,

[00:40:29] and become

[00:40:29] pretty much

[00:40:29] invisible in

[00:40:35] the

[00:41:02] Metzenpito

[00:41:02] version.

[00:41:03] of the

[00:41:03] park.

[00:41:04] I had

[00:41:05] walked

[00:41:05] there

[00:41:05] dozens

[00:41:06] of

[00:41:06] times,

[00:41:07] but then

[00:41:07] I suddenly

[00:41:08] had no

[00:41:08] clue where

[00:41:09] I was

[00:41:09] anymore.

[00:41:10] The

[00:41:10] horse

[00:41:10] no longer

[00:41:11] made any

[00:41:11] sounds,

[00:41:12] and there

[00:41:13] seemed to

[00:41:13] be no

[00:41:13] one around.

[00:41:14] I tried

[00:41:15] to get

[00:41:15] to some

[00:41:16] familiar

[00:41:16] place,

[00:41:17] but simply

[00:41:17] couldn't

[00:41:18] find

[00:41:18] anything,

[00:41:18] and kept

[00:41:19] getting

[00:41:19] more and

[00:41:20] more

[00:41:20] anxious.

[00:41:21] Eventually,

[00:41:21] I found

[00:41:22] myself in

[00:41:22] front of

[00:41:23] a really

[00:41:23] creepy

[00:41:23] concrete

[00:41:24] tower that

[00:41:25] looked totally

[00:41:25] off-limits

[00:41:26] for normal

[00:41:26] people,

[00:41:27] and it

[00:41:33] was.

[00:41:34] Holding

[00:41:35] back tears,

[00:41:36] I got out

[00:41:36] of the park,

[00:41:37] and I

[00:41:37] understood that

[00:41:38] that was what

[00:41:39] the grandmother

[00:41:40] was talking

[00:41:41] about.

[00:41:42] Thanks for

[00:41:43] reading,

[00:41:44] and please

[00:41:44] keep up

[00:41:45] the good

[00:41:45] work.

[00:41:47] Laura.

[00:41:51] Our next

[00:41:52] experience of

[00:41:53] the night

[00:41:53] comes to

[00:41:54] us from

[00:41:54] Cassandra,

[00:41:55] and Cassandra's

[00:41:56] experience is

[00:41:57] called Mill Creek

[00:41:59] Canyon,

[00:42:00] Bigfoot.

[00:42:02] Cassandra says,

[00:42:04] Greetings,

[00:42:04] my friend.

[00:42:05] I hope the

[00:42:06] holidays treated

[00:42:06] you kindly,

[00:42:07] and that the

[00:42:08] start of this

[00:42:08] new year is

[00:42:09] treating you

[00:42:09] well.

[00:42:10] I know it's

[00:42:11] been a hot

[00:42:11] minute,

[00:42:12] but life has

[00:42:12] kept me quite

[00:42:13] busy lately.

[00:42:14] Over the

[00:42:15] holidays,

[00:42:15] my daughters

[00:42:16] and I were

[00:42:16] talking about

[00:42:17] strange things

[00:42:17] we'd seen

[00:42:18] while hiking,

[00:42:19] camping,

[00:42:20] or even

[00:42:20] fishing.

[00:42:21] My youngest

[00:42:21] reminded me of

[00:42:22] a particularly

[00:42:23] interesting adventure

[00:42:24] that we all

[00:42:24] had,

[00:42:25] more than a

[00:42:26] decade ago.

[00:42:27] Now,

[00:42:28] where we live

[00:42:28] in Utah,

[00:42:29] we're surrounded

[00:42:29] by multiple

[00:42:30] canyons and

[00:42:31] mountainous

[00:42:32] peaks.

[00:42:32] This story is

[00:42:33] related to a

[00:42:34] hike up one

[00:42:35] of these

[00:42:35] canyons,

[00:42:36] Mill Creek.

[00:42:37] Mill Creek

[00:42:38] is a beautiful

[00:42:39] little canyon

[00:42:39] with hikes

[00:42:40] ranging from

[00:42:41] short,

[00:42:41] easy trails

[00:42:42] to all-day

[00:42:43] athletic

[00:42:43] adventures over

[00:42:44] remarkably

[00:42:45] difficult terrain,

[00:42:46] ranging from

[00:42:47] boulders to

[00:42:48] dense,

[00:42:48] overgrown foliage.

[00:42:50] Once upon a

[00:42:51] time,

[00:42:51] I was more

[00:42:51] than able

[00:42:52] to run

[00:42:52] up those

[00:42:53] trails with

[00:42:53] no difficulty,

[00:42:54] but alas,

[00:42:55] age has

[00:42:56] caught up

[00:42:56] to me,

[00:42:57] and that's

[00:42:57] a thing

[00:42:58] of the

[00:42:58] past.

[00:42:59] On this

[00:43:00] particular

[00:43:00] day,

[00:43:01] my girls

[00:43:01] and I

[00:43:02] had made

[00:43:02] it to

[00:43:02] the top

[00:43:03] in record

[00:43:03] time,

[00:43:04] where the

[00:43:04] remarkable

[00:43:05] view of

[00:43:05] the valley

[00:43:06] below

[00:43:06] spread out

[00:43:07] before us.

[00:43:08] Breathtaking

[00:43:09] doesn't really

[00:43:09] describe it,

[00:43:10] as it's something

[00:43:11] you truly need

[00:43:11] to see for

[00:43:12] yourself.

[00:43:13] Now,

[00:43:14] this is the

[00:43:14] early 2000s,

[00:43:15] and most cell

[00:43:16] phones back

[00:43:16] then didn't

[00:43:17] have cameras,

[00:43:17] at least not

[00:43:19] the ones I

[00:43:19] could afford.

[00:43:21] After having a

[00:43:22] wonderful lunch,

[00:43:22] we knew it was

[00:43:23] time to head

[00:43:23] back down.

[00:43:24] Mill Creek

[00:43:25] Canyon isn't

[00:43:26] exactly the

[00:43:26] kind of place

[00:43:27] you want to

[00:43:27] be after dark.

[00:43:29] Bears and

[00:43:29] mountain lions

[00:43:30] prowl the

[00:43:30] paths,

[00:43:31] and it's

[00:43:31] heavily populated

[00:43:32] with deer

[00:43:33] and elk.

[00:43:34] Occasionally,

[00:43:35] a lone moose

[00:43:36] saunters by,

[00:43:37] and that's a

[00:43:38] ton of animal

[00:43:38] that you don't

[00:43:39] want to mess

[00:43:39] with,

[00:43:40] especially if

[00:43:41] it's a cow

[00:43:41] with her calf.

[00:43:43] More people are

[00:43:44] killed in Alaska

[00:43:44] than by any

[00:43:45] other wildlife

[00:43:46] combined up

[00:43:47] there,

[00:43:47] just to give

[00:43:48] you an idea

[00:43:48] of the danger

[00:43:49] level with

[00:43:50] those beasts.

[00:43:51] We were almost

[00:43:52] halfway back

[00:43:53] down when I

[00:43:54] heard something

[00:43:54] moving in the

[00:43:55] trees on the

[00:43:55] trail above me.

[00:43:57] Holding on to

[00:43:57] my youngest

[00:43:58] daughter,

[00:43:58] I felt the

[00:43:59] hairs on the

[00:43:59] back of my

[00:44:00] neck stand

[00:44:00] up.

[00:44:01] A sudden

[00:44:02] snap of a

[00:44:02] twig,

[00:44:03] and then the

[00:44:03] slight movement

[00:44:04] of gray

[00:44:05] and white

[00:44:05] mule deer

[00:44:06] drew my

[00:44:06] attention.

[00:44:07] He was

[00:44:08] large,

[00:44:08] weighing close

[00:44:09] to 500

[00:44:09] pounds if

[00:44:10] I had to

[00:44:11] guess.

[00:44:11] His antlers

[00:44:12] were massive,

[00:44:13] and still covered

[00:44:14] in pre-rut

[00:44:15] velvet.

[00:44:15] He was

[00:44:16] simply beautiful.

[00:44:17] But all of a

[00:44:18] sudden he

[00:44:19] turned his

[00:44:19] head to

[00:44:19] look behind

[00:44:20] him.

[00:44:20] In a flash,

[00:44:21] he bolted from

[00:44:22] the trail and

[00:44:23] was out of

[00:44:23] sight in the

[00:44:24] blink of an

[00:44:24] eye.

[00:44:25] Mere moments

[00:44:26] later, we

[00:44:27] saw why.

[00:44:28] Now, up until

[00:44:29] this particular

[00:44:30] moment, I had

[00:44:31] never seen a

[00:44:31] mountain lion in

[00:44:32] person outside

[00:44:33] the zoo.

[00:44:34] They don't

[00:44:34] really look that

[00:44:35] big in pictures

[00:44:36] or on TV,

[00:44:37] and being stuck

[00:44:38] in a cage

[00:44:38] doesn't afford

[00:44:39] them the room

[00:44:40] they need to

[00:44:40] grow to their

[00:44:41] fullest potential.

[00:44:42] In this case,

[00:44:43] though, I was

[00:44:44] wishing that I

[00:44:45] was at the

[00:44:45] zoo.

[00:44:46] This particular

[00:44:47] cat was

[00:44:48] massive.

[00:44:48] His long,

[00:44:49] sleek body

[00:44:50] moved silently

[00:44:51] through the

[00:44:51] brush,

[00:44:52] carefully stalking

[00:44:53] the deer that

[00:44:53] had just

[00:44:54] bounded away.

[00:44:55] I stood

[00:44:56] transfixed,

[00:44:57] having heard

[00:44:57] stories about

[00:44:58] mountain lions

[00:44:58] that have

[00:44:59] stolen children

[00:44:59] from right

[00:45:00] under their

[00:45:00] parents'

[00:45:01] noses.

[00:45:02] I didn't

[00:45:02] want my

[00:45:03] girls to be

[00:45:03] a statistic.

[00:45:04] I've never

[00:45:05] felt more

[00:45:06] afraid than

[00:45:06] the few

[00:45:07] heartbeats that

[00:45:08] cat held my

[00:45:09] gaze.

[00:45:09] It was as

[00:45:10] though he

[00:45:10] was looking

[00:45:11] right into

[00:45:11] my soul,

[00:45:12] and contemplating

[00:45:13] his next

[00:45:14] move.

[00:45:15] Then, I

[00:45:16] watched him

[00:45:17] freeze and

[00:45:18] drop low to

[00:45:18] the ground,

[00:45:19] having spun

[00:45:19] around to

[00:45:20] face what

[00:45:21] was heading

[00:45:21] his way.

[00:45:22] Now, as I

[00:45:23] said before,

[00:45:24] TV doesn't

[00:45:24] do the mere

[00:45:25] presence of a

[00:45:26] mountain lion

[00:45:26] in the wild

[00:45:27] justice.

[00:45:28] Out of

[00:45:28] nowhere, he

[00:45:29] hissed,

[00:45:30] spat like a

[00:45:30] house cat

[00:45:31] does, and

[00:45:32] then quickly

[00:45:32] turned to

[00:45:33] run away.

[00:45:34] My heart

[00:45:35] was racing in

[00:45:35] my throat, as

[00:45:36] it was literally

[00:45:37] the most terrifying

[00:45:38] encounter I

[00:45:39] had had.

[00:45:39] I found myself

[00:45:40] wondering what

[00:45:41] on earth could

[00:45:42] scare such a

[00:45:43] large predator.

[00:45:44] However, I

[00:45:45] didn't have to

[00:45:45] wait long to

[00:45:47] find out.

[00:45:48] The trees shook

[00:45:49] as they were

[00:45:50] angrily shoved

[00:45:51] aside.

[00:45:51] A foul odor, like

[00:45:53] someone that

[00:45:53] hasn't ever taken

[00:45:54] a bath before and

[00:45:55] then spent their

[00:45:56] days playing at

[00:45:57] the dump, reached

[00:45:58] my nose, and it

[00:45:59] made my eyes

[00:46:00] water.

[00:46:00] It was awful.

[00:46:02] It brought back

[00:46:03] the memory of my

[00:46:04] tent getting

[00:46:04] peed on, and I

[00:46:05] then swallowed the

[00:46:06] lump of fear that

[00:46:08] was forming in my

[00:46:09] throat.

[00:46:10] My mouth went

[00:46:11] dry as a massive

[00:46:12] black shadow broke

[00:46:13] through the brush to

[00:46:14] stand on the open

[00:46:15] trail right above me.

[00:46:17] It was a Sasquatch.

[00:46:20] He, and yes, it was

[00:46:21] painfully obvious what

[00:46:22] gender he was,

[00:46:24] turned to face me.

[00:46:25] Flight, fight, or

[00:46:27] freeze, right?

[00:46:28] Yeah, I froze.

[00:46:29] Here was this

[00:46:30] creature almost nine

[00:46:31] feet tall staring

[00:46:32] down at us from the

[00:46:33] fifteen foot height

[00:46:34] difference between the

[00:46:35] trail that we were on

[00:46:36] and the one that he

[00:46:37] was on.

[00:46:38] I broke out in a

[00:46:39] cold sweat, and my

[00:46:41] body began to tremble

[00:46:42] violently.

[00:46:43] There was nothing for

[00:46:44] it.

[00:46:45] If he wanted us dead,

[00:46:46] that would be it.

[00:46:48] Instead, though, he

[00:46:49] grunted and then broke

[00:46:50] a tree, sending it

[00:46:52] down the hill at us.

[00:46:53] I was beyond terrified,

[00:46:54] and my youngest

[00:46:56] literally wet herself.

[00:46:58] My heart was racing,

[00:46:59] waiting to see what

[00:47:00] his next move would be.

[00:47:01] My breath was caught

[00:47:03] in my throat as his

[00:47:04] gaze locked firmly to

[00:47:05] mine, holding me

[00:47:06] captive.

[00:47:07] His eyes were

[00:47:08] stunning, though, large

[00:47:09] and almost bright

[00:47:10] amber, flecked with

[00:47:11] little hints of gold

[00:47:12] here and there.

[00:47:13] Aside from his

[00:47:14] intimidating presence,

[00:47:16] he was truly a sight

[00:47:17] to behold, and he

[00:47:18] was out in the

[00:47:19] afternoon light,

[00:47:20] something that most

[00:47:21] Bigfoot don't

[00:47:22] typically do.

[00:47:24] At this point, he

[00:47:25] snorted, and then

[00:47:26] continued on the

[00:47:27] trail, unsure if it

[00:47:28] was the deer or the

[00:47:29] mountain lion that he

[00:47:30] was after.

[00:47:31] The mountain lion

[00:47:32] had taken off rather

[00:47:33] quickly, so I was

[00:47:34] going to assume it

[00:47:35] wasn't the cat.

[00:47:37] Feeling the blood

[00:47:38] flowing back to my

[00:47:38] legs, I told my kids

[00:47:40] to lay low, and I

[00:47:41] would be right back.

[00:47:43] They nodded shakily,

[00:47:44] and ducked into the

[00:47:45] closest bush.

[00:47:46] After I made sure they

[00:47:48] were well hidden, I

[00:47:49] raced back up the

[00:47:49] trail to get a look at

[00:47:50] the footprints, if there

[00:47:52] were any.

[00:47:53] Boy, were there.

[00:47:54] Now I wear a size

[00:47:56] eight and a half wide

[00:47:57] in women's, and

[00:47:58] sometimes a solid

[00:47:59] nine wide.

[00:48:00] I have big feet.

[00:48:01] Putting my feet

[00:48:02] next to that one,

[00:48:03] though, I looked

[00:48:04] like I had the feet

[00:48:05] of a toddler.

[00:48:06] The print was almost

[00:48:07] two feet long, and

[00:48:08] roughly a foot wide.

[00:48:10] It had flat feet, with

[00:48:12] almost no arch showing

[00:48:13] at all, but there was

[00:48:14] something unusual.

[00:48:16] There was nothing out

[00:48:17] of the ordinary on the

[00:48:18] left foot, but the

[00:48:19] right one only had

[00:48:21] four toes.

[00:48:22] The pinky toe was

[00:48:23] missing.

[00:48:24] The mud had depressed

[00:48:25] almost two inches from

[00:48:26] the sheer weight of him,

[00:48:27] so it wasn't a case of

[00:48:29] it just being stunted.

[00:48:30] It just wasn't there.

[00:48:31] I was desperately

[00:48:33] wishing I had my

[00:48:34] small digital camera,

[00:48:35] as I would have loved

[00:48:36] to at least gotten

[00:48:37] some size reference

[00:48:38] photos.

[00:48:39] So, deciding that I

[00:48:40] would brave the canyon

[00:48:41] at night, I quickly

[00:48:42] collected my girls and

[00:48:44] rushed them back down

[00:48:45] the mountain to our

[00:48:46] car.

[00:48:46] A light pattering of

[00:48:48] rain had begun, and

[00:48:49] I knew I was racing

[00:48:50] against a storm.

[00:48:52] Getting the kids

[00:48:53] home, I called on my

[00:48:54] neighbor to watch

[00:48:55] them while I drove

[00:48:56] back up.

[00:48:57] The rain was falling

[00:48:58] faster now, but I was

[00:49:00] beyond caring.

[00:49:00] I wanted to get a

[00:49:02] picture of the print.

[00:49:03] I was literally racing

[00:49:04] against the clock and

[00:49:05] against the rain as it

[00:49:06] fell heavy in the

[00:49:07] mountain.

[00:49:08] By the time I got to

[00:49:09] where the trail began,

[00:49:11] it was falling in

[00:49:11] bucketfuls, so I

[00:49:13] hurried to get out of

[00:49:14] my car, but I was

[00:49:15] stopped by a park

[00:49:17] ranger.

[00:49:18] I'm sorry, ma'am.

[00:49:19] I can't let you go up

[00:49:20] on any of those trails,

[00:49:21] he said.

[00:49:22] His voice, as dour as

[00:49:24] the weather.

[00:49:25] Is the trail too

[00:49:26] unstable, I asked?

[00:49:27] No, ma'am.

[00:49:28] Something big mauled a

[00:49:29] black bear.

[00:49:30] We think it was a bull

[00:49:31] moose, he answered.

[00:49:33] Until we figure out the

[00:49:34] details, we aren't

[00:49:35] letting anyone up the

[00:49:36] trails.

[00:49:37] Are you sure it was a

[00:49:38] moose, I asked?

[00:49:40] Because I saw something.

[00:49:42] It is the opinion of the

[00:49:44] U.S.

[00:49:44] forestry that the animal

[00:49:45] that mauled the black

[00:49:46] bearer was most likely a

[00:49:48] moose.

[00:49:48] Any speculation beyond

[00:49:49] that statement will not

[00:49:51] be heard, he replied.

[00:49:53] Offering the man a small

[00:49:54] smile, I understood.

[00:49:57] He'd seen the Sasquatch

[00:49:58] too, or the prince at the

[00:49:59] very least, though was

[00:50:01] told by his superiors that

[00:50:02] they wouldn't hear of it.

[00:50:04] It was heartbreaking to

[00:50:05] know that the men and

[00:50:06] women over him were so

[00:50:07] closed-minded that they

[00:50:08] wouldn't even entertain the

[00:50:10] idea that it was anything

[00:50:11] other than just a moose.

[00:50:14] Nodding my head, I got back

[00:50:16] in my car and drove back

[00:50:17] down the mountain.

[00:50:18] I was soaked from the

[00:50:19] downpour, but I wasn't

[00:50:21] the only one to know what

[00:50:22] really happened to the bear

[00:50:23] that day, though I do

[00:50:24] admit that I would have

[00:50:25] thought the mountain lion

[00:50:27] would have been the

[00:50:27] target.

[00:50:28] I hadn't seen a bear, but

[00:50:30] then, black bears are

[00:50:31] usually more shy.

[00:50:33] They're also not as fast

[00:50:35] as mountain lions.

[00:50:37] It was something that I

[00:50:39] will never forget.

[00:50:41] I've driven up the

[00:50:42] mountain several times

[00:50:43] over the last few years,

[00:50:44] but I've never seen or

[00:50:45] heard anything about the

[00:50:46] nine-toed Sasquatch.

[00:50:48] I find myself wondering

[00:50:49] if he is still alive and

[00:50:51] just moved on, or if he's

[00:50:53] met his end somehow.

[00:50:55] I suppose.

[00:50:57] I'll never know.

[00:51:05] Before I continue, please

[00:51:07] consider showing your

[00:51:08] support by subscribing,

[00:51:09] sharing, and giving the

[00:51:11] podcast a positive review.

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[00:51:28] listening to the show is

[00:51:29] the best support of all,

[00:51:30] and I'm grateful to have

[00:51:32] you here.

[00:51:33] Now, please stay tuned,

[00:51:35] and I'll be right back

[00:51:36] after these brief messages.

[00:51:42] Our next experience of the

[00:51:44] night comes to us from

[00:51:45] Joshua, and Joshua's story

[00:51:47] is called Lost Time

[00:51:50] Experience.

[00:51:52] I am very grateful that I

[00:51:54] stumbled upon your podcast.

[00:51:55] I started listening to

[00:51:57] your newer episodes a few

[00:51:58] weeks ago, and then

[00:51:59] decided to just go all the

[00:52:00] way back to episode 1,

[00:52:02] and go from there.

[00:52:03] I am currently on season

[00:52:05] 1, episode 10,

[00:52:06] Missing Time, Experiences,

[00:52:09] and Personal Stories.

[00:52:10] While listening to this

[00:52:12] episode, an experience that

[00:52:13] I had as a younger teenager

[00:52:14] that I hadn't thought about

[00:52:16] in a very long time

[00:52:17] surfaced.

[00:52:18] I apologize that I'm about

[00:52:20] six years late talking

[00:52:21] about this topic, but I

[00:52:22] felt compelled to share

[00:52:23] this unexplained experience

[00:52:25] with all of you.

[00:52:26] My experience took place

[00:52:28] on a summer's evening,

[00:52:29] and if I had to guess,

[00:52:31] it was 1994, and I was

[00:52:33] about 13 years old.

[00:52:35] My three older sisters and

[00:52:36] I were latchkey kids that

[00:52:38] were often left without

[00:52:39] supervision.

[00:52:40] We grew up in a small town

[00:52:42] in northwestern New Jersey,

[00:52:43] living with our father.

[00:52:44] Our parents were divorced,

[00:52:46] and our father worked a lot

[00:52:47] of hours, partying and

[00:52:49] gambling the rest of the

[00:52:50] time, so he was seldom

[00:52:52] home.

[00:52:52] My two oldest sisters,

[00:52:54] who are much older than me,

[00:52:55] had since moved out to live

[00:52:57] on their own, leaving me

[00:52:58] and my sister Marie alone

[00:53:00] at home the majority of

[00:53:01] the time.

[00:53:02] A good percentage of the

[00:53:04] neighborhood kids all knew

[00:53:05] each other and hung out.

[00:53:06] We would do many fun things

[00:53:08] such as bike riding,

[00:53:09] swimming, basketball,

[00:53:11] rollerblading, playing

[00:53:13] manhunt, etc.

[00:53:14] My bike was a crappy,

[00:53:16] rusty hand-me-down from

[00:53:17] one of my older sisters.

[00:53:18] It was embarrassing riding

[00:53:20] a girl's bike, but you

[00:53:21] have to use what you've got

[00:53:23] coming from a blue-collar

[00:53:24] working-class family with

[00:53:26] little extra money

[00:53:26] laying around.

[00:53:28] My friend Jan's older

[00:53:29] brother recently graduated

[00:53:31] from high school and was

[00:53:32] selling his BMX bike for

[00:53:34] $50 because he was going

[00:53:35] to college in the fall.

[00:53:37] It was a gorgeous bike,

[00:53:39] sick rims, jet black,

[00:53:41] and pegs.

[00:53:41] Let me tell you that I knew

[00:53:43] I was going to do

[00:53:44] everything possible to get

[00:53:45] that bike.

[00:53:46] So I approached my father

[00:53:48] the next time he came home

[00:53:49] and pleaded my case for

[00:53:50] this bike.

[00:53:51] I was a quiet kid and

[00:53:53] quite intimidated by my

[00:53:54] father, but I somehow

[00:53:56] mustered up the courage to

[00:53:57] ask him for money.

[00:53:58] Now, I don't know if he

[00:53:59] just won a big gambling bet

[00:54:01] or if the stars aligned for

[00:54:02] me, but he agreed to buy

[00:54:04] me the bike, telling me

[00:54:05] that it would be my

[00:54:06] Christmas and birthday

[00:54:07] present combined.

[00:54:08] I was okay with that since

[00:54:10] he often didn't buy his

[00:54:11] presents anyway.

[00:54:13] I took the $50 that same

[00:54:15] day and picked up my

[00:54:17] new-to-me bike.

[00:54:18] I was in love.

[00:54:20] A few days later, after a

[00:54:22] long day of bike riding

[00:54:23] with the neighborhood

[00:54:23] friends, I decided to go

[00:54:25] home and eat something and

[00:54:26] relax before going back out

[00:54:28] that night to meet my

[00:54:29] friends to hang out, and

[00:54:30] probably to play manhunt.

[00:54:32] It was still light out, but

[00:54:34] starting to get darker, and

[00:54:35] I started riding my bike

[00:54:36] toward my house at a pretty

[00:54:38] fast pace.

[00:54:39] Approximately five houses

[00:54:41] down from mine, I hit

[00:54:42] something on the road that

[00:54:43] caused me to launch off of

[00:54:45] my bike seat and over my

[00:54:46] handlebars.

[00:54:47] At that point, it felt like

[00:54:49] time was slowing down as I

[00:54:52] was about to faceplant on.

[00:54:54] I distinctly remember

[00:54:55] thinking, this is bad.

[00:54:57] This is really bad.

[00:54:59] I'm gonna get hurt.

[00:55:00] Now, the next memory I have

[00:55:02] after launching in the air

[00:55:04] is me coming to in my

[00:55:06] dining room, standing up

[00:55:07] with my hand gently holding

[00:55:09] onto the back of a dining

[00:55:10] room chair, and I was

[00:55:11] looking out the window to

[00:55:13] our carport.

[00:55:14] It was now dark out, but

[00:55:16] there was enough light from

[00:55:17] the moon that I could

[00:55:18] clearly see my beautiful

[00:55:19] bike propped nicely against

[00:55:20] a pillar in the carport,

[00:55:22] right in my line of sight.

[00:55:24] I remember feeling puzzled

[00:55:26] and thinking, how the

[00:55:27] hell did I get here?

[00:55:28] I was frightened, but

[00:55:30] actually, I felt safe.

[00:55:32] I remembered being

[00:55:33] launched in the air and

[00:55:34] going over my handlebars

[00:55:35] and thinking that I was

[00:55:36] going to be hurt badly,

[00:55:38] but I had no recollection

[00:55:39] of hitting the pavement,

[00:55:41] getting to my house, or

[00:55:42] entering my house, or

[00:55:43] even making my way to

[00:55:44] the dining room.

[00:55:46] If I had to guess, I

[00:55:47] had blacked out for

[00:55:48] approximately two or

[00:55:50] three hours.

[00:55:51] I examined myself and

[00:55:53] found no evidence of

[00:55:54] injury.

[00:55:55] My clothes had no marks,

[00:55:56] holes, blood, or any

[00:55:58] evidence of injury.

[00:55:59] I felt no pain, had no

[00:56:01] bruises, lumps on my

[00:56:02] head, or even scrapes or

[00:56:04] cuts on my body.

[00:56:05] The dining room light was

[00:56:07] the only light on in the

[00:56:08] dark house.

[00:56:09] I searched around my

[00:56:10] house, but neither Marie

[00:56:12] nor my father were home.

[00:56:13] I then went outside and

[00:56:15] examined my bike, and I

[00:56:16] found no marks, no

[00:56:18] dents, or any evidence of

[00:56:20] any accident.

[00:56:21] I then grabbed some food

[00:56:23] and went back out and

[00:56:24] found the neighborhood

[00:56:25] friends, but I never

[00:56:26] shared this with anyone.

[00:56:28] I hadn't really thought

[00:56:29] about it in a long time,

[00:56:30] until I listened to this

[00:56:32] episode.

[00:56:33] I don't know what

[00:56:34] occurred during that

[00:56:35] missing time.

[00:56:36] Thinking about it now as

[00:56:37] an adult, I feel I was

[00:56:39] protected from injury by

[00:56:40] something good.

[00:56:41] I was being watched over.

[00:56:43] When I was going over my

[00:56:44] handlebars, I just knew

[00:56:46] that I was going to be

[00:56:47] badly injured when I hit

[00:56:48] the pavement.

[00:56:49] There's no way that I

[00:56:50] would have gotten away

[00:56:51] from this with no injury.

[00:56:52] But I walked away,

[00:56:54] unscathed.

[00:56:56] There are other instances

[00:56:57] too in my lifetime where

[00:56:58] I believe I should be

[00:56:59] dead, but was saved by

[00:57:01] something good.

[00:57:02] I want to believe that I

[00:57:03] was saved to help people

[00:57:04] in this world, so that's

[00:57:06] what I try to do now.

[00:57:07] I'm not perfect, and I

[00:57:09] do fall short, but I

[00:57:10] try my best to do the

[00:57:12] right thing.

[00:57:13] I have to say it's nice

[00:57:14] to have an arena where I

[00:57:15] can share the many

[00:57:16] strange occurrences that

[00:57:17] have happened to me.

[00:57:19] Many people in my family

[00:57:20] have also had paranormal

[00:57:22] experiences, which I

[00:57:23] hope to share, in future

[00:57:25] correspondences.

[00:57:27] Thank you for what you do.

[00:57:33] Our next fascinating

[00:57:34] experience comes to us

[00:57:35] from Bruce, and Bruce's

[00:57:37] story is called

[00:57:39] Vestman in the Badlands.

[00:57:42] Bruce says,

[00:57:44] Greetings, Nick.

[00:57:45] I have been meaning to

[00:57:46] send you this story for

[00:57:47] the past 12 months when I

[00:57:49] first started listening to

[00:57:50] your podcast.

[00:57:51] The stories that your

[00:57:52] listeners share are

[00:57:53] enjoyable, entertaining,

[00:57:54] and thought-provoking,

[00:57:55] especially while on long

[00:57:57] car rides.

[00:57:58] My youngest daughter, who

[00:57:59] is 17, is especially a big

[00:58:01] fan of the Bigfoot

[00:58:02] sighting stories.

[00:58:03] My family is not new to

[00:58:05] the paranormal.

[00:58:06] We have moved often due to

[00:58:07] my job, and have found

[00:58:08] ourselves in more than a

[00:58:09] couple of haunted houses.

[00:58:11] In fact, we believe that

[00:58:13] orbs moved along with us on

[00:58:14] a relocation from Indiana

[00:58:16] to Tennessee.

[00:58:17] Two of my daughters at the

[00:58:18] time of unpacking witnessed

[00:58:19] orbs fly out of a moving

[00:58:21] box, circle the room, and

[00:58:23] then disappear into the

[00:58:24] walls of the bedroom that

[00:58:25] they were sharing.

[00:58:26] Many a dinner conversation

[00:58:28] in our family has evolved

[00:58:29] into the strange goings-on

[00:58:31] we have experienced in the

[00:58:32] many different homes we

[00:58:33] have owned or occupied.

[00:58:35] However, this is not the

[00:58:37] story I want to share with

[00:58:38] you in this first writing to

[00:58:39] your show.

[00:58:41] This story happened with

[00:58:42] my youngest two children

[00:58:43] while on a camping trip out

[00:58:44] west during the summer of

[00:58:46] 2020.

[00:58:47] At the time, my two

[00:58:48] youngest daughters were

[00:58:49] 14 and 16.

[00:58:51] The youngest I will call

[00:58:52] Cecilia, and the older I

[00:58:54] will call Stella.

[00:58:56] On our way out to Glacier

[00:58:57] National Park from Tennessee,

[00:58:59] we stopped at Badlands

[00:59:00] National Park for a couple

[00:59:01] of days to do some hiking

[00:59:03] and take in the otherworldly

[00:59:04] landscape.

[00:59:06] On the first night of our

[00:59:07] stay near the Badlands, we

[00:59:08] had finished dinner and were

[00:59:10] enjoying a campfire when we

[00:59:11] realized it was getting late.

[00:59:13] We were admiring the stars and

[00:59:15] the Milky Way given the clear

[00:59:16] night and the lack of light

[00:59:18] pollution.

[00:59:19] The girls then asked about

[00:59:20] getting further away from the

[00:59:22] campground so that we could

[00:59:23] really see the night sky, and

[00:59:25] my wife agreed to clean up the

[00:59:26] dishes while we had daddy and

[00:59:28] daughter time.

[00:59:29] On foot, we exited the

[00:59:31] campground and started down a

[00:59:32] dirt road that paralleled the

[00:59:33] National Park.

[00:59:34] dark.

[00:59:35] It was extremely dark, but the

[00:59:37] two headlamps we had brought

[00:59:38] with us kept us on track while

[00:59:40] walking down the road.

[00:59:42] We walked for about ten minutes

[00:59:43] or so until we could no longer

[00:59:45] see the lights from the

[00:59:46] campground.

[00:59:47] We then stopped, looked at the

[00:59:49] sky, and marveled at what you

[00:59:51] could see when you were away

[00:59:52] from all the man-made lights.

[00:59:54] Before we turned off the

[00:59:56] headlamps that my daughters were

[00:59:57] wearing, we looked further down

[00:59:58] the road and didn't see anything

[01:00:00] other than grassland, cliffs,

[01:00:02] and a few trees.

[01:00:03] There were no houses, no lights,

[01:00:06] and no noise.

[01:00:07] We truly felt like we were in

[01:00:09] the middle of nowhere.

[01:00:11] We turned off the headlamps and

[01:00:13] saw shooting stars, satellites

[01:00:14] flying overhead, and the second

[01:00:16] best view of the Milky Way the

[01:00:18] three of us had seen during our

[01:00:19] many camping trips together.

[01:00:22] We stood in complete darkness for

[01:00:24] probably ten minutes.

[01:00:25] I then suggested that we should

[01:00:27] head back to see if Mom needed

[01:00:28] any help shutting the camp down

[01:00:30] for the night.

[01:00:31] Cecilia, the youngest, turned on

[01:00:33] her headlamp and first looked

[01:00:34] down the road in the direction

[01:00:36] we were initially traveling.

[01:00:38] At this point, she grabbed my

[01:00:40] shirt and said,

[01:00:41] Dad, what is that?

[01:00:43] By that time, my other daughter

[01:00:45] Stella was trying to get her

[01:00:47] headlamp switched on, but was not

[01:00:48] having much luck.

[01:00:49] I heard a bit of a whimper from

[01:00:51] her as she was now excitedly

[01:00:53] telling me that her headlamp

[01:00:54] isn't working, and she's asking

[01:00:56] what the green glowing thing is

[01:00:58] far down the road.

[01:00:59] Now, I was looking in the

[01:01:01] direction that my youngest

[01:01:02] daughter was pointing in, and

[01:01:04] finally realized what we were

[01:01:06] looking at.

[01:01:07] Some 100 yards down the road,

[01:01:09] there appeared to be something

[01:01:10] person-like, wearing a neon green

[01:01:13] reflective safety vest.

[01:01:15] I immediately told the girls that

[01:01:16] we should get going and head back

[01:01:18] to the campground.

[01:01:20] At this point, we are now walking

[01:01:22] briskly, and kind of nervously

[01:01:23] joking around about where Vest Man

[01:01:26] had come from.

[01:01:27] I couldn't help myself, but after

[01:01:29] a couple of minutes, I told

[01:01:30] Cecilia, with the only functioning

[01:01:32] headlamp, to turn around and look

[01:01:34] back down the road from where we

[01:01:35] came.

[01:01:36] We all stared in disbelief when we

[01:01:38] now see that Vest Man was only

[01:01:40] about 50 yards behind us,

[01:01:43] clearly much closer than he was

[01:01:44] before, but given the single

[01:01:46] headlamp, all we could really see

[01:01:48] was the reflective strips on the

[01:01:49] vest, but we all knew that he had

[01:01:51] covered a lot more ground than we

[01:01:53] had in the past two minutes.

[01:01:55] Quite frankly, I was feeling

[01:01:56] increasingly uncomfortable about

[01:01:58] the situation, given that I was

[01:01:59] still a distance away from the

[01:02:01] campground.

[01:02:02] It seemed as though when we

[01:02:03] stopped, he stopped as well.

[01:02:06] He did not appear to be moving,

[01:02:08] but only staring in our direction.

[01:02:10] We did not hear any footsteps or

[01:02:12] noises coming from behind us.

[01:02:13] All we could hear was our own

[01:02:15] excited and nervous breathing.

[01:02:18] We hastened our pace a bit to make

[01:02:19] it back to the road the

[01:02:20] campground was on.

[01:02:21] We then walked another couple of

[01:02:23] minutes and stopped to look behind

[01:02:25] us again.

[01:02:26] At this point, we now see that Vest

[01:02:28] Man is only about 30 yards behind

[01:02:30] us.

[01:02:31] It was definitely a shorter,

[01:02:33] stockier-built man wearing a

[01:02:35] safety vest.

[01:02:36] It looked like he was wearing

[01:02:37] sunglasses or dark goggles, but

[01:02:40] given the lack of light, it was only

[01:02:41] possible to make out the silhouette

[01:02:43] of the darkened eyes and the neon-colored

[01:02:46] safety vest.

[01:02:48] We started into a jog to get back to

[01:02:50] the main road as fast as possible.

[01:02:52] A couple of minutes into our now jog,

[01:02:54] we see the streetlight from the main

[01:02:56] road, and the campground was just on

[01:02:58] the other side of this road.

[01:03:00] Once we made it to the safety of the

[01:03:01] streetlight, we all looked behind us.

[01:03:04] But there was no sign of Vest

[01:03:06] Man.

[01:03:07] I even took my daughter's headlamp and

[01:03:09] walked back down the road the way we

[01:03:10] came to see if I could see him walking

[01:03:12] back down the road.

[01:03:13] But there was nothing.

[01:03:15] Nothing in this vast open area of South

[01:03:18] Dakota.

[01:03:20] We made it back to the campsite still a

[01:03:22] bit out of breath from our unplanned

[01:03:23] late-night jog.

[01:03:24] My wife came out of the trailer and

[01:03:26] asked why we were huffing and puffing,

[01:03:28] and why we had been gone for so long.

[01:03:30] We told her about Vest Man, and

[01:03:33] insisted that we had only been gone

[01:03:34] for maybe 35 minutes.

[01:03:36] She shrugged and scoffed a bit,

[01:03:37] informing us that we had actually been

[01:03:39] gone for well over an hour, and that the

[01:03:42] girls needed to get ready for bed.

[01:03:45] Now in all your shows, I've heard

[01:03:47] listeners talk about Hat Man, but

[01:03:49] never Vest Man.

[01:03:50] I'm not sure what we saw that night,

[01:03:53] but it covered ground quickly and

[01:03:55] silently, and then it just seemingly

[01:03:57] disappeared into the ethos.

[01:03:59] Our best guess continues to be that a

[01:04:02] deceased highway or construction

[01:04:03] worker shows up on this empty stretch

[01:04:06] of road.

[01:04:07] My daughters and I still enjoy

[01:04:09] stargazing, but we are always sure to

[01:04:11] carry headlamps, as well as my 45.

[01:04:16] Thank you for the forum to share the

[01:04:18] strange and creepy, and keep up the

[01:04:21] good work.

[01:04:22] Stay safe.

[01:04:24] Bruce

[01:04:25] Our next experience of the night comes

[01:04:31] to us from Cameron, and Cameron's

[01:04:34] experience is called

[01:04:36] Don't Take Bones.

[01:04:39] Hi Nick, I've been following your podcast

[01:04:41] for about two weeks now, and I'm almost

[01:04:43] 150 episodes in.

[01:04:46] It's great to see such a cultivated

[01:04:47] community of those willing to talk

[01:04:49] about their experiences, and I

[01:04:51] personally was motivated to write by

[01:04:53] one of your podcasts I just listened

[01:04:55] to, which reminded me of a similar

[01:04:57] ominous clearing, in the middle of a

[01:05:00] forest.

[01:05:01] Roughly 15 or 16 years ago, when I was

[01:05:03] 12 or 13, I was active in the Boy Scouts

[01:05:06] in my community.

[01:05:07] My troop would do one yearly trip to the

[01:05:09] Coivira Scout Ranch.

[01:05:10] This was a ranch or property previously

[01:05:13] owned by Native Americans that spans more

[01:05:15] than 3,000 acres of wooded, rugged,

[01:05:18] sprawling solitude in the Midwest.

[01:05:20] We would camp there for nearly a week

[01:05:22] and work on our badges while cooking

[01:05:24] all food over a fire using tin foil,

[01:05:27] and even fishing.

[01:05:28] When we had free time, myself and a

[01:05:31] couple of friends left to go hiking

[01:05:32] throughout the expansive 3,000 acres of

[01:05:35] heavily wooded area, so long as we kept

[01:05:37] the trails already made.

[01:05:39] The entire ranch encompasses

[01:05:41] beautiful rolling hills that are

[01:05:42] massively forested, around a singular,

[01:05:45] giant lake.

[01:05:46] Needless to say, we strayed from this

[01:05:48] path many times over the week we were

[01:05:50] there, but we made sure to mark the

[01:05:52] trees, indicating the direction we had

[01:05:54] already been.

[01:05:56] When we neared day 6 of our outing,

[01:05:58] my friends and I wanted to go as far as

[01:06:00] we could, ignoring the previously marked

[01:06:02] trees that we had followed, and we went

[01:06:04] completely off the trail.

[01:06:06] As I said in the beginning of this story,

[01:06:08] we came across a clearing in the middle

[01:06:10] of this heavily forested Native American

[01:06:12] campground.

[01:06:13] It was a near-perfect 100-meter circle

[01:06:15] of grass.

[01:06:16] But we noticed something more interesting

[01:06:18] than just a clearing in the middle of

[01:06:20] the forest.

[01:06:21] We saw stones stacked throughout the

[01:06:23] middle of this clearing, and we decided

[01:06:25] to take a look.

[01:06:27] There were several stones sticking out

[01:06:28] of the ground, half buried, as though

[01:06:30] they had been here for decades.

[01:06:32] But, as 13-year-olds, we saw this as an

[01:06:34] adventure.

[01:06:35] We approached the middle of the clearing

[01:06:37] and explored between those strategically

[01:06:39] placed stones, before I noticed one

[01:06:41] particular stack of half-buried stones.

[01:06:44] There were three stones.

[01:06:46] Two were roughly two feet apart, and the

[01:06:48] third flanked them.

[01:06:49] A fourth stone laid across the three,

[01:06:51] creating a sort of cubby, where a one-foot-wide

[01:06:54] by five-inch gap existed between the ground.

[01:06:57] I immediately thought of the 2001 movie

[01:07:00] The Mummy Returns, and I reached my hand

[01:07:03] into this gap of placed stones.

[01:07:05] I pretended to have my hand eaten as a bad

[01:07:08] joke, and no one fell for it, of course.

[01:07:10] But I did feel something slender, smooth,

[01:07:13] and unnatural.

[01:07:15] Naturally, I grabbed it and pulled it from

[01:07:17] the small rock cubby.

[01:07:19] It was an incredibly long, 9-10-inch,

[01:07:22] picked-clean bone.

[01:07:24] As a 13-year-old, I must not have connected

[01:07:26] the dots, and thought that it was just a

[01:07:28] simple animal bone, and I took it as a

[01:07:30] prize, or souvenir.

[01:07:33] We finished our last day, and I returned

[01:07:35] home 100 miles away, and set the bone I

[01:07:38] kept on my dresser as some sort of trophy.

[01:07:41] I fell asleep that night in my bunk bed.

[01:07:44] I slept on the bottom bed.

[01:07:45] The upper bed was vacant, as my sister slept

[01:07:48] in a room next to me, and my brother slept

[01:07:50] in the basement, now that he was old enough.

[01:07:53] I still had not conquered my fear of the

[01:07:55] dark, and a small nightlight illuminated

[01:07:57] my room, as I slept.

[01:08:00] After I fell asleep, which felt like a

[01:08:02] second, I awoke in a room I was not

[01:08:05] familiar with.

[01:08:06] As I was still waking up, I was terrified.

[01:08:09] I was in a room I didn't know, and I had

[01:08:11] no idea how I got there.

[01:08:13] After five minutes of being terrified,

[01:08:15] I realized I had somehow sleepwalked

[01:08:17] into my sister's room, and woke in the

[01:08:19] middle of her floor.

[01:08:20] I had never sleepwalked before, so this

[01:08:23] was terrifying, but I made my way back to

[01:08:25] my room, and I slept, until the night

[01:08:28] was over.

[01:08:29] After a regular day, night came once

[01:08:31] again after my first ever sleepwalking

[01:08:34] stunt, but this time, I awoke in my own

[01:08:37] bed, my nightlight dimly illuminating my

[01:08:39] room, and I found myself unable to move.

[01:08:43] This was likely to be a

[01:08:48] dresser across from me.

[01:08:50] It was then that I was filled with terror.

[01:08:54] I watched as a shadow moved across my

[01:08:56] bedroom wall.

[01:08:57] The shadow was thin, humanoid, and pitch

[01:09:00] dark.

[01:09:01] I could see long hair flowing behind the

[01:09:03] shadow as it moved, as if it were

[01:09:05] submerged in water, and it glided.

[01:09:08] Words cannot describe the amount of fear

[01:09:10] I felt, and I am convinced this fear is

[01:09:12] what prevented me from calling out for my

[01:09:14] parents, or moving a finger.

[01:09:16] As the shadow moved across my wall, I

[01:09:19] noticed it shrink the closer it moved to

[01:09:21] the bone, until it disappeared completely.

[01:09:24] I am convinced that this was not sleep

[01:09:27] paralysis, because I remained awake for a

[01:09:29] solid 15 minutes, unable to move from

[01:09:31] pure fear, even after the shadow had

[01:09:34] disappeared.

[01:09:35] After I was convinced it was finally over,

[01:09:38] I could move.

[01:09:39] No prayer.

[01:09:40] No internal monologue.

[01:09:42] The fear had just finally subsided.

[01:09:45] I left my room and slept in the living

[01:09:47] room until my father woke me and asked me

[01:09:49] what was wrong.

[01:09:50] I described to him exactly what happened,

[01:09:53] and he entered my room to investigate.

[01:09:55] He saw the bone I had taken and interrogated

[01:09:58] me about it.

[01:09:59] Where did you get this?

[01:10:00] How long have you had this?

[01:10:02] Etc.

[01:10:03] I told him the truth.

[01:10:05] Finally, my father said that we must take

[01:10:07] this back immediately.

[01:10:08] And so we did.

[01:10:10] That day, my father excused me from school

[01:10:12] so we could make the one and a half hour

[01:10:14] drive back to Quivera Scout Ranch,

[01:10:17] retrace our steps through our previously

[01:10:19] marked hiking trails, and return the bone

[01:10:21] to where I found it.

[01:10:23] I have never had sleep paralysis.

[01:10:26] If this was sleep paralysis, it was a miracle,

[01:10:28] because I had never had it before,

[01:10:30] and I have never had it since.

[01:10:33] It happened only once, when I stole a bone

[01:10:35] from what I presume was a burial site.

[01:10:39] I am 28 years old, and this wonderful community

[01:10:42] has sparked me to share my story,

[01:10:44] and I thank you, Nick.

[01:10:46] The moral of my story?

[01:10:49] Don't.

[01:10:49] Take bones.

[01:10:54] This next experience comes to us from Toby,

[01:10:57] and Toby's story is called

[01:10:59] The Day That I Saw Baphomet,

[01:11:02] or maybe even Satan himself.

[01:11:06] Toby says,

[01:11:07] I've been a fan of your podcast for almost

[01:11:09] three years now, and I love listening while I

[01:11:12] clean, crochet, or on my way to work.

[01:11:15] This first story is the time I saw

[01:11:17] something.

[01:11:18] I believe that it was a demon,

[01:11:20] or something similar.

[01:11:21] But who really knows?

[01:11:23] I do want to preface this story by explaining

[01:11:25] that after this experience,

[01:11:27] I told my grandmother,

[01:11:28] whom I lived with at the time,

[01:11:30] what I'm about to tell you.

[01:11:31] Mind you that she is a very devout Christian,

[01:11:34] and doesn't usually believe in things like the paranormal.

[01:11:37] But what I told her made her pray every night,

[01:11:39] and salt the entire house,

[01:11:41] the day after.

[01:11:43] Back in 2020, I lived in a small town

[01:11:45] just outside of Worcester, Massachusetts.

[01:11:48] This was one of the darkest moments in my life,

[01:11:51] and I was struggling a lot mentally,

[01:11:53] and I even went to an outpatient mental institution

[01:11:55] soon after.

[01:11:57] Before I start my story, though,

[01:11:59] let me draw out the layout of the apartment

[01:12:01] my grandparents and I lived in,

[01:12:03] as it's important to the story.

[01:12:05] When you open the front door,

[01:12:07] you step into a small kitchen.

[01:12:08] To your left,

[01:12:09] there's my grandparents' bedroom door,

[01:12:11] and straight ahead,

[01:12:12] there's a threshold leading to the dining room.

[01:12:14] Once in the dining room,

[01:12:16] the bathroom door is immediately to your right,

[01:12:18] and next to it,

[01:12:19] my dad's bedroom at the time.

[01:12:21] Straight ahead from the dining room threshold

[01:12:23] is the living room,

[01:12:25] which is the final room.

[01:12:26] As you enter the living room,

[01:12:28] you see the wicker couch I used to sleep on,

[01:12:30] which faces both thresholds.

[01:12:33] This layout allows you to see straight through

[01:12:35] every room from the couch.

[01:12:37] The house has an incline toward the living room,

[01:12:39] meaning that if you place a ball in the kitchen,

[01:12:42] it would easily roll straight to the living room,

[01:12:44] and hit the couch where I sleep.

[01:12:47] The night that my experience happened,

[01:12:49] I was the only one awake,

[01:12:50] so I was drawing while lying down on my couch

[01:12:52] and watching TV on a low volume,

[01:12:54] so as not to wake anyone else in the house.

[01:12:57] Around three or four in the morning,

[01:12:59] I had the weird sense to look up,

[01:13:01] but at the same time,

[01:13:02] I felt my heart racing at the thought of it,

[01:13:04] as if I shouldn't.

[01:13:06] But, lo and behold,

[01:13:07] my sleep-deprived 17-year-old brain

[01:13:09] decided to do so.

[01:13:11] When I did,

[01:13:12] I was met with the most terrifying thing

[01:13:14] I've ever seen.

[01:13:16] In the threshold between the kitchen and dining room,

[01:13:19] equally between the doorways

[01:13:20] of my dad's room and the bathroom,

[01:13:22] was a tall, shrouded black figure.

[01:13:24] It looked as if it was made of smoke

[01:13:26] from a house fire,

[01:13:28] but the thing that stood out the most,

[01:13:29] which most people don't believe

[01:13:31] when I tell this story,

[01:13:32] is the head that I saw.

[01:13:34] It was semi-transparent like the body,

[01:13:37] but it had shape to it,

[01:13:39] the shape of a goat's skull,

[01:13:41] and it was staring at me.

[01:13:43] I froze,

[01:13:44] with my eyes fixed on this

[01:13:46] thing.

[01:13:47] I could feel my heart beating faster and faster,

[01:13:50] as I silently begged myself to wake up,

[01:13:52] hoping I was in some kind of dream,

[01:13:54] or nightmare,

[01:13:55] but this thing held my gaze.

[01:13:58] The holes where its eyes would have been

[01:14:00] were boring into my soul,

[01:14:02] as I stayed there motionless,

[01:14:04] wanting to disappear and sink into the couch,

[01:14:06] to escape its darkness.

[01:14:09] After what seemed like an eternity,

[01:14:11] the sun started to rise,

[01:14:13] and as the light started to melt

[01:14:14] into the apartment,

[01:14:15] the being slowly turned,

[01:14:17] and walked away,

[01:14:18] out of eyeshot,

[01:14:20] into the kitchen.

[01:14:21] As soon as it broke the stare

[01:14:22] it held on me,

[01:14:23] I was sent into a hyperventilating fit,

[01:14:26] the adrenaline and fight-or-flight

[01:14:28] responses leaving my body,

[01:14:29] and my emotions rushing in,

[01:14:31] all at once.

[01:14:33] I didn't dare move to go cry

[01:14:34] to my grandmother,

[01:14:36] fearing that it was still lurking around,

[01:14:38] in the shadows.

[01:14:40] But,

[01:14:41] that isn't the part that makes me

[01:14:42] nauseous at the very thought.

[01:14:44] What happened in the morning,

[01:14:45] after I had woken from a short,

[01:14:47] fear-filled sleep,

[01:14:48] was this.

[01:14:50] When I woke up the next morning,

[01:14:52] I nearly forgot the whole experience,

[01:14:54] brushing it off as a bad dream,

[01:14:55] or sleep paralysis,

[01:14:57] and I made my way to the bathroom.

[01:14:59] I did my business,

[01:15:00] and opened the door,

[01:15:01] but on the way out,

[01:15:03] my foot kicked something.

[01:15:05] Here is where I should mention,

[01:15:07] that when you walk out of the bathroom,

[01:15:08] you face the wall part of the threshold,

[01:15:10] and on the right side of the wall,

[01:15:12] is a hutch,

[01:15:13] that holds my grandmother's collective bells,

[01:15:15] and nutcrackers,

[01:15:16] one of which I had painted,

[01:15:17] when I was younger.

[01:15:19] They're all extremely heavy,

[01:15:20] and hard to knock down.

[01:15:22] But,

[01:15:22] as I knelt down to pick up what I had kicked,

[01:15:25] my stomach dropped,

[01:15:26] and the rush of saliva filled my mouth,

[01:15:28] as I realized what I was holding.

[01:15:31] It was the head,

[01:15:32] of my nutcracker.

[01:15:34] The sticker eyes were peeled off,

[01:15:36] and nowhere to be found,

[01:15:37] and the body was still standing,

[01:15:39] on the top of the hutch,

[01:15:40] where it had always been.

[01:15:42] However,

[01:15:42] what puzzles me about this,

[01:15:44] is the fact that,

[01:15:45] number one,

[01:15:46] the nutcracker couldn't have fallen,

[01:15:48] to knock the head off,

[01:15:49] because the body was still standing,

[01:15:50] and it would have made a loud noise,

[01:15:52] if it had fallen.

[01:15:54] Number two,

[01:15:55] only the head was off,

[01:15:56] and the eyes were gone,

[01:15:58] into thin air.

[01:15:59] And three,

[01:16:00] the most terrifying aspect,

[01:16:02] was the incline of the house,

[01:16:03] is set in a way,

[01:16:04] where if for some reason,

[01:16:05] it did fall,

[01:16:06] the head would have rolled down,

[01:16:07] the incline toward the living room,

[01:16:09] not up toward the bathroom.

[01:16:11] Not to mention,

[01:16:12] I didn't kick it,

[01:16:13] when I went into the bathroom.

[01:16:14] It was only when I came out,

[01:16:16] which means,

[01:16:17] it would have been placed there.

[01:16:20] At this point,