Screaming Creature, 3 Gray Beings, Orb in the Forest & Spirit Guardian | 406

[00:00:03] Welcome once again and thank you for being here. I'm your host, Nic Ryan. Tonight's episode is brought to you by my newest supporters, Samantha, Dr. Jensen, and Kim. Thank you for making the show possible.

[00:00:35] Tonight's first encounter comes to us from Shania, and Shania's experience is called The Weird Roar.

[00:00:43] Shania says,

[00:00:45] Hi, Nic. I'm from South Africa, and greetings to all.

[00:00:49] This story starts on Friday night during the holidays. My sister and I were awake watching scary movies on TV, followed by some cartoons, to make us less afraid. You know the drill.

[00:01:00] My sister was laying on the floor, and she was the one controlling the TV. I was on the sofa positioned under the window facing the street. We were watching the cartoon named Powerpuff Girls, and I remember looking up at my phone because of a notification, and I looked back at the TV, and the time read 12.03 a.m.

[00:01:20] After two minutes, I had the urge to look at the door, and when I did, I felt fear, anxiousness, paranoia, evil, and malevolence. I also felt watched like a hawk. Then I heard footsteps.

[00:01:34] Now, these sounded bipedal like a human walking, but something was off. They were too light, if that makes sense. The being just paced around the door, and then stopped. Then continued.

[00:01:47] My first thought was, oh, maybe it's a drunk person who is currently lost, but the strange feeling and the light footsteps did not support that reasoning.

[00:01:56] I continued to look at the door, and that's when I noticed that my sister was also looking up, and staring at the same door that leads to the backyard.

[00:02:05] Then, the most terrifying sound came directly from the creature behind the door. It sounded like a screech, scream, or even a roar. I never want to hear that sound in my life ever again.

[00:02:16] Then the creature started walking away from the door, and it was heading toward the street. Or so I thought. It would do that horrible sound between the interval of two minutes.

[00:02:27] The creature then passed the house, and we heard the footsteps heading down the street nearing my neighbor's garage.

[00:02:33] A sense of relief washed over me, and I told my sister to switch off the TV, but instead she just muted the TV.

[00:02:40] And then, the remote fell. Then the footsteps went silent.

[00:02:46] The silence that came after that was the eeriest and probably longest two minutes of my life.

[00:02:52] The creature then started walking back towards us, but now it sounded like the creature was on four legs instead of two, and it was definitely moving faster than before.

[00:03:02] The creature then stood on the porch in front of the window, just breathing.

[00:03:07] That's when I decided to nope out of there.

[00:03:09] I stood up from the sofa and took the biggest jump in history, and I landed on the second step on the stairs.

[00:03:16] I ran, and I could hear my sister behind me.

[00:03:19] We barged into my parents' room, screaming and crying.

[00:03:22] I remember silently standing there trying to figure out what was going on, and what was outside.

[00:03:28] My sister, half-sobbing as well as out of breath, explained what had transpired downstairs.

[00:03:34] Then I snapped out of my motionless state, and I looked around.

[00:03:38] I noticed that my parents were awake, and therefore they should have heard the sound the creature was making, or at least heard the footsteps.

[00:03:46] You see, if you're upstairs in my parents' room, you can hear everything, even the rodents skittering about.

[00:03:52] However, they did not hear a single thing.

[00:03:55] The TV in their room was on, but the volume was so low that you could hear anything.

[00:04:01] Well, my parents, like every other parent out there, dismissed the event, telling us that it may have been a large stray dog wandering around,

[00:04:09] or possibly even a drunk person with a messed up throat, or a sense of humor.

[00:04:14] We were dismissed, and off we went to sleep.

[00:04:17] I did not get a wink of sleep that night.

[00:04:20] Every sound scared the hell out of me.

[00:04:23] Come morning, I ran outside to search for footprints, or some sort of impression left, but lo and behold, there was nothing there.

[00:04:30] I went to my friend who lives next door, and I asked him if he had been awake at midnight, and he responded that he had.

[00:04:37] I then asked him if he had heard anything weird, to which he answered no.

[00:04:42] He said that he hadn't even heard the occasional stray dog or cat hunting rodents.

[00:04:47] Now this was weird and creepy.

[00:04:49] Safe to say, I refused to spend the night watching movies downstairs, and I slept earlier than usual to avoid being awake at midnight.

[00:04:59] Some days passed, and I decided to research animals that sounded remotely close to that creature,

[00:05:04] which was funny to me because I love animals, and I know how animals sound.

[00:05:09] Nothing came up.

[00:05:11] I decided to look for weird creatures or cryptids,

[00:05:14] and I found out about the mythical creature called the Tokoloshi.

[00:05:17] It is described to be a goblin or leprechaun-type creature, which resides in South Africa.

[00:05:23] They are agents of witches, used to cause harm, and endanger humans targeted by the witch.

[00:05:29] They are a foot tall, some are hairy, others are pale without hair, and this depends on which region they are from.

[00:05:36] They are evil and malevolent creatures, and some stories say that they do not harm kids.

[00:05:42] However, I don't know about that, because when this event happened, my sister and I were 15 and 12 respectively.

[00:05:49] The other creature I came across is called Pinky Pinky.

[00:05:53] This creature is a half-man, half-woman monster who lives in the girls' toilets in primary schools,

[00:05:58] and it supposedly snatches girls who go to the bathroom alone.

[00:06:03] I don't really believe it was this creature, because it was a story made up by the elders to scare girls,

[00:06:08] so that they would not go to the bathroom alone, because of assault cases occurring in schools,

[00:06:13] especially public schools.

[00:06:16] I don't know what was outside that night, and frankly speaking, I don't want to know.

[00:06:25] Our next experience of the night comes to us from Mary,

[00:06:28] and their experience is called

[00:06:31] Three Beings

[00:06:33] Hello Nick.

[00:06:34] I wanted to share with you an experience that I had with the paranormal.

[00:06:37] I was around the age of 24, and still living with my mother in central California.

[00:06:42] In the days leading up to my encounter, the weather was strangely cloudy.

[00:06:46] It wasn't hot, nor cold.

[00:06:48] There was also no wind in the air.

[00:06:51] Everything outside

[00:06:52] was quiet.

[00:06:54] I went outside, and I looked up into the sky to see what looked like giant orbs coming down and shooting west,

[00:07:00] and then disappearing.

[00:07:02] There might have been about seven or eight globe-shaped orbs that flew down and then straight.

[00:07:07] There was absolutely no sound.

[00:07:09] I called my cousin who was on her way here,

[00:07:12] and she confirmed from 50 miles away that she too could see the same phenomenon in the sky.

[00:07:17] We were shocked with what we saw,

[00:07:19] so we did not have a chance to record the instance.

[00:07:23] A few weeks went by,

[00:07:25] and I was sitting up on my bed in my room late one night.

[00:07:27] I have insomnia,

[00:07:29] and it is hard to fall asleep.

[00:07:31] That night I was restless and scrolling on my phone.

[00:07:34] I heard a loud generator turn on outside my door.

[00:07:37] I thought to myself,

[00:07:39] the crazy druggies next door must be mowing their lawn.

[00:07:42] I then looked down at the time on my phone,

[00:07:45] and it struck 12 a.m.

[00:07:47] I was so angry at the noise,

[00:07:49] and thought that I was going to call in a noise disturbance

[00:07:51] so the police could make them turn off their lawnmower or generator.

[00:07:55] When I tried calling 911 to report the noise though,

[00:07:58] a huge beam of light shined through the cracks of my curtains.

[00:08:02] I was livid.

[00:08:03] I was angry that my neighbors were so inconsiderate of the time

[00:08:06] that they had turned on their lights.

[00:08:08] A few moments later,

[00:08:09] the door of my bedroom flung wide open

[00:08:12] with no noise coming from it,

[00:08:14] and three gray small beings

[00:08:16] no more than three feet tall

[00:08:18] ran toward me.

[00:08:19] They looked like aliens

[00:08:21] with huge dark eyes

[00:08:23] and a pointy chin.

[00:08:24] I screamed and blinked,

[00:08:26] and they were gone.

[00:08:27] I decided to look down

[00:08:29] so that I could see what time it was,

[00:08:30] and the clock now said 3 a.m.

[00:08:33] I had lost three hours of my life

[00:08:35] in what seemed like a few minutes

[00:08:37] of events.

[00:08:39] There was no way this could have been a dream,

[00:08:41] because this all happened

[00:08:43] in a sequence.

[00:08:45] I kept quiet about the encounter,

[00:08:47] thinking that others would think I'm nuts.

[00:08:49] I finally opened up to my mother about the encounter,

[00:08:52] and she told me that she believed me.

[00:08:54] She went on to tell me

[00:08:55] that she also had an encounter as well.

[00:08:58] It happened in the same room,

[00:09:00] except the beams came through the window,

[00:09:02] and not the door.

[00:09:03] I described to her what I had seen,

[00:09:05] and she confirmed that she had seen the same thing.

[00:09:08] Only years after my encounter.

[00:09:12] I have always been fascinated by the sky,

[00:09:14] and I always look up as if I'm going to see something.

[00:09:17] There's been times where I have seen random lights in the sky

[00:09:20] appear in one spot,

[00:09:21] and then disappear,

[00:09:23] only to then reappear in another.

[00:09:26] Thank you, Nick,

[00:09:27] for allowing people like me

[00:09:28] to vent about their experience.

[00:09:30] I do believe in science,

[00:09:31] so I know how unreal this all sounds.

[00:09:34] I do believe the beings

[00:09:36] came to help me

[00:09:37] in some way.

[00:09:42] Our next experience of the night

[00:09:44] comes to us from Jeff,

[00:09:46] and Jeff's experience is called

[00:09:48] 8-28.

[00:09:51] Jeff says,

[00:09:52] Hello Nick,

[00:09:53] I am from upstate New York.

[00:09:55] I am a long-time listener

[00:09:56] and a Patreon supporter.

[00:09:58] My story below is not particularly terrifying,

[00:10:01] but it happened to me

[00:10:02] and continues to haunt me to this day.

[00:10:05] Every year,

[00:10:06] as 8-28 nears,

[00:10:08] I find myself on edge.

[00:10:09] If you read below,

[00:10:11] you will understand why.

[00:10:14] In August of 1981,

[00:10:16] I was entering my senior year of college

[00:10:18] while working second shift

[00:10:20] in a warehouse loading trucks.

[00:10:21] I stayed at my parents' home

[00:10:23] during the summer months.

[00:10:24] My trek home

[00:10:26] included one stretch

[00:10:27] up a desolate hill,

[00:10:28] which had only cemeteries

[00:10:30] and a few scattered homes

[00:10:31] at that time.

[00:10:33] Sometime between 3 and 3.30 a.m.

[00:10:36] on August 27th,

[00:10:37] I was headed home from a shift

[00:10:39] when I noticed a light ball

[00:10:40] about 20 feet high

[00:10:42] in the tree line,

[00:10:43] about 60 yards off the road

[00:10:45] and across a meadow.

[00:10:46] I slowed,

[00:10:47] then stopped,

[00:10:48] in total awe.

[00:10:50] The light was not a beam,

[00:10:52] but more of a plasma ball,

[00:10:53] which years later

[00:10:54] I would come to know

[00:10:55] as an orb.

[00:10:56] It was white,

[00:10:58] about the size of a soccer ball,

[00:10:59] and seemed to shimmer

[00:11:01] or pulse

[00:11:01] with some bluish streaks.

[00:11:04] There was no other traffic,

[00:11:05] so I backed up a bit

[00:11:06] and rolled down my window

[00:11:07] to get a better look.

[00:11:09] The light,

[00:11:10] which was perfectly steady

[00:11:11] until now,

[00:11:12] noticed me,

[00:11:13] and it started to dance

[00:11:14] back and forth,

[00:11:15] almost in a taunting manner.

[00:11:17] After a few seconds,

[00:11:19] it shot back into

[00:11:20] and through the trees,

[00:11:21] seemingly to grow in size,

[00:11:23] and it was now illuminating

[00:11:24] the branches and leaves

[00:11:25] of the tree canopy

[00:11:26] that were in its path.

[00:11:29] I sat there in disbelief,

[00:11:31] wondering what I just saw.

[00:11:32] I have traveled that road

[00:11:33] hundreds of times in my life

[00:11:35] without any other incident.

[00:11:36] This was the most acute

[00:11:38] and overt paranormal experience

[00:11:39] in my life at the time.

[00:11:42] I was restless all night,

[00:11:43] reliving this.

[00:11:45] But,

[00:11:46] there's more.

[00:11:47] The very next night,

[00:11:49] 827 into 828,

[00:11:51] it was very hot

[00:11:52] and very busy

[00:11:53] and tiring at work.

[00:11:54] There was nothing unusual

[00:11:56] and no orb

[00:11:57] during my egress home.

[00:11:58] My bedroom was in the

[00:12:00] finished attic,

[00:12:01] which will be pertinent

[00:12:02] later.

[00:12:03] I went to sleep fast,

[00:12:05] being exhausted

[00:12:06] from work.

[00:12:07] At some point

[00:12:08] before daybreak,

[00:12:09] I jolted up

[00:12:10] from a sound sleep,

[00:12:11] and I spun to my left

[00:12:12] defensively,

[00:12:13] only to see a face

[00:12:15] at arm's length away.

[00:12:17] It was only a face,

[00:12:19] small in size,

[00:12:20] like a skull.

[00:12:21] But,

[00:12:21] it was different.

[00:12:23] It had either all black eyes

[00:12:25] or just black sockets.

[00:12:27] It was the color

[00:12:27] and texture of smoke,

[00:12:29] and appeared to be

[00:12:30] speaking something,

[00:12:31] although I heard nothing.

[00:12:33] It then lost its form

[00:12:35] and dissipated,

[00:12:36] and there was no other

[00:12:37] smoke or smell.

[00:12:38] I was in full

[00:12:40] heart-pounding

[00:12:41] adrenaline fight mode.

[00:12:42] It was as if my

[00:12:43] subconscious and body

[00:12:44] reacted to something first,

[00:12:46] before my mind

[00:12:47] was jolted awake.

[00:12:48] I was nauseous,

[00:12:50] and I did not

[00:12:50] go back to sleep.

[00:12:52] Nothing this surreal

[00:12:53] has happened to me

[00:12:54] before or since,

[00:12:55] and I felt that

[00:12:56] these two incidents

[00:12:57] had to be related somehow.

[00:12:58] I was on edge

[00:13:00] for several nights

[00:13:00] afterwards.

[00:13:01] However,

[00:13:02] I then moved back

[00:13:03] for the start of college,

[00:13:04] and this faded

[00:13:05] from my focus.

[00:13:06] For a while.

[00:13:08] I would come to realize

[00:13:09] that 828

[00:13:10] wasn't done with me yet,

[00:13:11] though.

[00:13:12] As it turned out,

[00:13:13] I was married that day

[00:13:14] in the next year.

[00:13:15] This seemingly

[00:13:16] joyous occasion

[00:13:17] would turn horribly

[00:13:18] negative years later,

[00:13:20] ending in a divorce

[00:13:21] after 17 years

[00:13:22] of enduring

[00:13:23] an adulterous relationship

[00:13:24] and all of its fallout.

[00:13:26] Back on the third

[00:13:27] wedding anniversary,

[00:13:29] while speaking

[00:13:29] with my mother,

[00:13:30] she mentioned

[00:13:31] being awakened

[00:13:31] before dawn

[00:13:32] that day

[00:13:33] to three loud bangs

[00:13:34] from up in my old bedroom.

[00:13:35] These bangs

[00:13:36] sounded like heavy weights

[00:13:38] being dropped

[00:13:38] on the floor.

[00:13:40] The attic bedroom

[00:13:41] was of course

[00:13:41] unoccupied.

[00:13:42] It was at this point

[00:13:44] that I recalled

[00:13:45] the events of 1981

[00:13:46] and was convinced

[00:13:47] that this was

[00:13:49] no coincidence.

[00:13:50] On the fifth anniversary,

[00:13:52] one of the wedding

[00:13:53] engraved crystal wine glasses

[00:13:54] which was hanging

[00:13:55] on a glass rack

[00:13:56] shattered,

[00:13:57] leaving only the stem

[00:13:58] on the rack.

[00:13:59] My wife at the time

[00:14:00] and I both heard

[00:14:01] this happen.

[00:14:02] There was no plausible

[00:14:04] explanation for it.

[00:14:06] Next,

[00:14:07] my mother passed away

[00:14:08] suddenly and unexpectedly

[00:14:09] on the sixth anniversary.

[00:14:11] This augmented

[00:14:12] my conviction

[00:14:13] that all these events

[00:14:14] were connected

[00:14:14] in some ethereal way.

[00:14:16] Was that orb

[00:14:17] that I saw

[00:14:18] an omen of the

[00:14:19] failed marriage

[00:14:20] or the catalyst

[00:14:21] of it?

[00:14:22] Or was it a ghost

[00:14:23] or possibly a demon

[00:14:24] or even a djinn?

[00:14:26] I am relieved

[00:14:27] when 828 passes

[00:14:29] without incident,

[00:14:29] but I always recall

[00:14:31] and ponder

[00:14:32] these occurrences

[00:14:32] on that date.

[00:14:35] What follows

[00:14:36] are a few

[00:14:36] ancillary details

[00:14:37] in case you are interested.

[00:14:39] The road

[00:14:40] on which I encountered

[00:14:41] this orb

[00:14:42] is called

[00:14:42] Widow Susan Road

[00:14:44] in Amsterdam,

[00:14:45] New York.

[00:14:46] The road now has

[00:14:47] a historic road marker

[00:14:48] and even a mention

[00:14:49] on a website.

[00:14:50] There is a major

[00:14:51] power line

[00:14:52] about 100 yards

[00:14:53] into the woods

[00:14:54] that that orb

[00:14:54] flew into

[00:14:55] and I often wondered

[00:14:56] if it was caused

[00:14:57] by some

[00:14:58] electromagnetic anomaly

[00:14:59] as there are also

[00:15:00] quartz deposits

[00:15:01] in the area.

[00:15:03] Also,

[00:15:03] I didn't mention

[00:15:04] this above

[00:15:05] because I was unsure

[00:15:06] of the date

[00:15:06] and I didn't

[00:15:07] personally experience it,

[00:15:09] but my ex-wife

[00:15:10] once opened

[00:15:10] the china cabinet door

[00:15:11] and observed

[00:15:12] an orb

[00:15:13] which shot out

[00:15:14] of the cabinet

[00:15:14] and then

[00:15:15] disappeared

[00:15:16] into a wall.

[00:15:19] I greatly enjoy

[00:15:20] the podcast

[00:15:21] and I look forward

[00:15:22] to new episodes.

[00:15:23] Please keep up

[00:15:24] the great work.

[00:15:26] Jeff

[00:15:28] I have added

[00:15:28] the website

[00:15:29] that Jeff mentioned

[00:15:30] in the show notes.

[00:15:38] Before I continue,

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[00:16:05] Now,

[00:16:07] please stay tuned,

[00:16:08] and I'll be right back

[00:16:09] after these brief messages.

[00:16:15] Our next experience

[00:16:16] of the night

[00:16:17] comes to us

[00:16:18] from Jay,

[00:16:19] and Jay's experience

[00:16:20] is called

[00:16:21] Ghostly Lady.

[00:16:25] Jay's experience

[00:16:25] involves the topic

[00:16:26] of abuse

[00:16:27] and may be inappropriate

[00:16:29] for some listeners.

[00:16:30] Discretion

[00:16:31] is advised.

[00:16:33] Jay says,

[00:16:35] I am a recent recipient

[00:16:36] of Spotify,

[00:16:37] and I adore podcasts,

[00:16:39] so I looked,

[00:16:39] of course,

[00:16:40] for paranormal ones,

[00:16:41] and your fine podcast

[00:16:42] was the first I came across.

[00:16:44] I am loving this podcast,

[00:16:46] and I haven't listened

[00:16:46] to anything else

[00:16:47] since.

[00:16:48] Thank you.

[00:16:50] I thought that I would

[00:16:51] share a story

[00:16:51] from my childhood,

[00:16:53] as it still blows my mind

[00:16:54] to this day.

[00:16:56] I was born in London,

[00:16:57] UK.

[00:16:58] We left under the cover

[00:16:59] of darkness

[00:17:00] to escape my abusive father.

[00:17:02] My alcoholic mother

[00:17:03] jumped right into the arms

[00:17:04] of another abuser,

[00:17:06] and my childhood

[00:17:07] was horrific.

[00:17:08] I've made peace with it now,

[00:17:10] and I'm a mother myself.

[00:17:11] We moved from London

[00:17:13] in the 90s

[00:17:13] to another part of the UK.

[00:17:15] We had an old Victorian house

[00:17:17] that would have been called

[00:17:18] a two up

[00:17:19] and two down,

[00:17:20] but this house had

[00:17:21] extensions.

[00:17:22] I was given the attic

[00:17:24] to sleep in.

[00:17:25] The attic was

[00:17:26] rough wooden floors,

[00:17:27] no wallpaper or paint,

[00:17:29] but it did have

[00:17:29] a window installed.

[00:17:31] During really

[00:17:31] rough days,

[00:17:32] I would be shoved

[00:17:33] into the attic room,

[00:17:34] and I would sit on my bed

[00:17:36] and sob.

[00:17:37] Life was rough,

[00:17:39] and I would,

[00:17:40] at the age of seven,

[00:17:41] wonder if I could

[00:17:42] throw myself from the roof

[00:17:43] to end my suffering.

[00:17:46] One day,

[00:17:47] I was sitting on the bed

[00:17:48] sobbing.

[00:17:48] My mother

[00:17:49] and step-monster

[00:17:50] had finished screaming

[00:17:52] in my face,

[00:17:53] and had slammed the door shut

[00:17:54] and locked it behind them.

[00:17:55] I would wait

[00:17:56] until I was sure

[00:17:57] that they were gone

[00:17:58] before I would cry,

[00:17:59] as I never wanted

[00:18:00] to give them

[00:18:00] that satisfaction.

[00:18:02] I felt a static-like feeling,

[00:18:04] and the room became

[00:18:05] icy cold.

[00:18:06] It shocked me

[00:18:07] from my tears,

[00:18:08] and I looked around,

[00:18:10] convinced that I had

[00:18:11] left a window open.

[00:18:12] I was confused

[00:18:13] as to why,

[00:18:14] on a bright sunny day,

[00:18:15] it would be so cold

[00:18:16] with the window open.

[00:18:18] I then saw her.

[00:18:20] A woman,

[00:18:21] standing just

[00:18:21] at the foot of my bed.

[00:18:22] She was looking

[00:18:23] right at me

[00:18:24] with the blackest of eyes.

[00:18:26] Her hair was

[00:18:26] a frightful mess,

[00:18:28] looking burnt

[00:18:28] and tattered

[00:18:29] on one side,

[00:18:30] and she had a gaping wound

[00:18:31] to the side of her head

[00:18:32] as well.

[00:18:33] Her clothes were

[00:18:34] old-fashioned

[00:18:35] and ragged,

[00:18:36] like she had been

[00:18:37] through something.

[00:18:38] As a small child,

[00:18:39] this should have scared me.

[00:18:40] She was terrifying

[00:18:41] to look at,

[00:18:42] but I didn't feel scared.

[00:18:45] She reached out a hand,

[00:18:46] and I could see bruises,

[00:18:47] and she then touched

[00:18:48] the end of my bed.

[00:18:49] I was hit with a wave

[00:18:51] of calm.

[00:18:52] I looked at her.

[00:18:54] She was there,

[00:18:55] but she wasn't there.

[00:18:56] She was like a projection.

[00:18:58] She tried to speak,

[00:18:59] however,

[00:19:00] no sound emerged.

[00:19:02] A few bad hits

[00:19:03] to the side of my head

[00:19:04] had ruptured an eardrum,

[00:19:05] so I had learned

[00:19:06] to lip-read early on,

[00:19:07] and I understood

[00:19:08] what she was saying.

[00:19:10] She was telling me

[00:19:11] to be strong,

[00:19:12] and that I didn't

[00:19:13] need to do it.

[00:19:13] I was worth more,

[00:19:15] and this was not my fault.

[00:19:17] I couldn't hear her.

[00:19:18] There were no actual sounds,

[00:19:20] but when she told me

[00:19:21] to lay down and sleep,

[00:19:23] I did so.

[00:19:24] I awoke in the early hours.

[00:19:26] A slice of bread and jam

[00:19:28] had been left on the floor

[00:19:29] with a small cup of water,

[00:19:31] which smelled of bleach.

[00:19:33] It was this smell

[00:19:34] which woke me.

[00:19:35] I looked toward

[00:19:36] the end of my bed,

[00:19:37] and she was still

[00:19:38] standing there,

[00:19:39] but I didn't feel fear.

[00:19:40] I knew actual fear

[00:19:42] from the people

[00:19:42] that were charged

[00:19:43] with my care.

[00:19:45] She then spoke again.

[00:19:47] Don't drink

[00:19:48] the water.

[00:19:49] I nodded

[00:19:50] and left the bed,

[00:19:51] opened the window,

[00:19:52] and dumped the water out.

[00:19:53] I closed the window gently,

[00:19:55] and I went back

[00:19:55] to the bed.

[00:19:56] She then told me

[00:19:57] to lay down

[00:19:58] and sleep,

[00:19:59] and I did.

[00:20:01] Anytime there was

[00:20:02] a bad day,

[00:20:03] a bad event,

[00:20:03] or a nightmare,

[00:20:04] she would appear.

[00:20:05] Her appearance

[00:20:06] never changed,

[00:20:07] and I began

[00:20:08] to call her Mary.

[00:20:09] She would talk to me

[00:20:10] after any bad event,

[00:20:12] and she would soothe me.

[00:20:13] Sometimes when she spoke,

[00:20:15] there would be a crackle

[00:20:16] like the beginning

[00:20:17] of a VHS tape,

[00:20:18] like her voice

[00:20:19] was trying to break

[00:20:19] some sort of barrier,

[00:20:21] but I never heard

[00:20:22] her voice.

[00:20:22] I would whisper to her

[00:20:24] and try a few questions,

[00:20:25] but she would shake her head

[00:20:27] whenever I tried.

[00:20:28] She said that she was

[00:20:29] there for me.

[00:20:30] I wasn't to ask,

[00:20:31] and I stopped trying.

[00:20:34] As the years continued,

[00:20:36] I planned the day

[00:20:36] that I could run.

[00:20:37] I was plotting.

[00:20:39] I was ready.

[00:20:40] The nightmare

[00:20:41] didn't stop,

[00:20:42] but something changed.

[00:20:43] When incidents occurred,

[00:20:45] sometimes something

[00:20:46] would happen.

[00:20:47] One day,

[00:20:48] during a particularly

[00:20:48] violent assault,

[00:20:50] a large,

[00:20:50] heavy-framed picture

[00:20:51] flew from the wall

[00:20:53] at the step monster.

[00:20:54] It missed him,

[00:20:55] but it stopped him

[00:20:56] dead in his tracks,

[00:20:57] and he lost interest

[00:20:58] in me,

[00:20:59] instead going to the wall

[00:21:00] and demanding to know

[00:21:01] how I had done it.

[00:21:02] I was so small

[00:21:03] that I couldn't have

[00:21:04] moved that frame.

[00:21:05] It weighed so much.

[00:21:07] When he got in my face

[00:21:08] to demand an answer,

[00:21:10] again,

[00:21:10] the room turned

[00:21:11] into a freezer.

[00:21:12] This is when the frame

[00:21:13] scooted across the floor

[00:21:14] into the baseboard

[00:21:15] on the other side

[00:21:16] of the room,

[00:21:17] denting the wood.

[00:21:18] It hit with such

[00:21:19] a loud boom,

[00:21:20] I swear the room shook.

[00:21:22] He then fled the room,

[00:21:23] leaving me behind.

[00:21:24] I then whispered

[00:21:25] a thank you.

[00:21:27] Mary had done this.

[00:21:28] I knew it.

[00:21:30] After that,

[00:21:31] taps would turn on

[00:21:32] when I wasn't in the house.

[00:21:33] Things would be moved

[00:21:34] which I would sometimes

[00:21:35] be blamed for.

[00:21:36] Electrical items

[00:21:37] would shake and break,

[00:21:39] refusing to ever work again.

[00:21:41] Whenever the violence

[00:21:41] got too bad,

[00:21:42] big things would happen.

[00:21:44] Flooring would shake

[00:21:45] like the house

[00:21:46] was falling apart.

[00:21:47] Loud booms would be heard,

[00:21:49] and the incident would stop

[00:21:50] so the monsters

[00:21:51] could figure out

[00:21:52] what was happening.

[00:21:53] The cause

[00:21:54] could never be found.

[00:21:56] I planned my escape

[00:21:58] as I aged.

[00:21:59] I would sit with Mary

[00:22:00] in my locked room,

[00:22:01] tending to my wounds,

[00:22:02] and she would sit

[00:22:03] on the far side

[00:22:04] of the room.

[00:22:05] She never came closer

[00:22:06] to me than the length

[00:22:07] of a bed.

[00:22:08] I would whisper to her

[00:22:09] of my plans,

[00:22:10] and she would mouth

[00:22:11] encouragement,

[00:22:12] and she would tell me

[00:22:13] to get out

[00:22:13] as soon as I could.

[00:22:15] The day finally arrived.

[00:22:17] I had my exit,

[00:22:19] and I spoke to the room,

[00:22:20] my prison,

[00:22:21] for years.

[00:22:22] The floor is still rough

[00:22:23] and splintered wood,

[00:22:25] the walls bare

[00:22:25] and unpainted,

[00:22:27] the single bed

[00:22:28] and a single chair

[00:22:29] with stuffing

[00:22:29] falling out of it.

[00:22:31] I told her thank you

[00:22:32] before I left,

[00:22:33] and I didn't see her again.

[00:22:35] I ran as far

[00:22:36] and as fast as possible,

[00:22:38] and I hid for weeks,

[00:22:39] scared to death

[00:22:40] that I would be found.

[00:22:42] During this time,

[00:22:43] I had an overwhelming urge

[00:22:44] to discover the past

[00:22:45] of my old prison

[00:22:46] and the history

[00:22:47] of the place.

[00:22:48] I do not know why.

[00:22:49] I dug deep,

[00:22:50] and it wasn't too hard

[00:22:52] to find out

[00:22:52] some information.

[00:22:54] During World War II,

[00:22:55] the estate the house

[00:22:56] stood on

[00:22:57] was decimated.

[00:22:58] Large swaths of houses

[00:22:59] reduced to rubble

[00:23:00] and ash.

[00:23:01] This is why the house

[00:23:02] I hated

[00:23:03] was the last of its line.

[00:23:05] And three brand new builds

[00:23:06] were butted up against it.

[00:23:07] There was also

[00:23:08] a large new church,

[00:23:09] and the plans I saw

[00:23:10] showed houses.

[00:23:12] All of them

[00:23:12] were two ups

[00:23:13] and two downs,

[00:23:14] and covering a mile

[00:23:15] in either direction,

[00:23:16] which were just gone

[00:23:17] in one night.

[00:23:19] The house that I despised

[00:23:21] was listed as damaged

[00:23:22] in the raid.

[00:23:23] The roof of the attic

[00:23:24] had been clipped

[00:23:25] by a large bomb,

[00:23:26] the one which had taken

[00:23:27] out the row of houses,

[00:23:28] where the church

[00:23:29] now stands.

[00:23:30] The occupant?

[00:23:32] A Miss Mary P.

[00:23:33] was listed

[00:23:34] as deceased.

[00:23:36] It wasn't until

[00:23:37] years later,

[00:23:38] many years later,

[00:23:39] that I spoke

[00:23:40] to a local historian.

[00:23:41] He was very happy

[00:23:42] to talk to me

[00:23:43] about the raid,

[00:23:44] the aircraft

[00:23:45] that was used,

[00:23:46] and the yield

[00:23:46] of the bombs

[00:23:47] that had caused

[00:23:48] the damage.

[00:23:49] Regarding the school

[00:23:50] that I had attended

[00:23:51] on occasion,

[00:23:52] he was enthralled

[00:23:52] to tell me

[00:23:53] that he had recently

[00:23:54] had a bomb removed

[00:23:55] from the back field.

[00:23:56] He also told me

[00:23:57] how many people

[00:23:58] had perished,

[00:23:59] where the shelters

[00:24:00] had been,

[00:24:01] how long it took

[00:24:01] to recover people

[00:24:02] from the rubble,

[00:24:03] and the strength

[00:24:04] of the locals

[00:24:04] who abandoned shelters

[00:24:06] to attend to the wounded,

[00:24:07] pulling people

[00:24:08] from broken

[00:24:09] and demolished houses.

[00:24:10] The raid

[00:24:11] had been so sudden,

[00:24:12] and many people

[00:24:13] hadn't been able

[00:24:14] to get to the shelters.

[00:24:16] I sort of steered

[00:24:17] the man back

[00:24:18] towards the house.

[00:24:19] It makes no sense,

[00:24:20] but I seriously

[00:24:21] needed to know.

[00:24:22] He had a wealth

[00:24:23] of information

[00:24:24] about the house.

[00:24:25] It was damaged

[00:24:26] when a very large bomb

[00:24:27] had taken out

[00:24:28] a portion of the roof,

[00:24:29] but had somehow

[00:24:29] not fallen

[00:24:30] when the bomb

[00:24:31] had detonated,

[00:24:32] protecting three other homes

[00:24:33] and a shelter

[00:24:34] at the end of the road.

[00:24:35] I asked about the occupants,

[00:24:37] and this is where

[00:24:39] the story got darker,

[00:24:40] somehow.

[00:24:41] Miss Mary P.

[00:24:43] had been locked

[00:24:43] in the attic

[00:24:44] by her brother.

[00:24:45] She had a wealth

[00:24:46] to her name

[00:24:46] from her husband.

[00:24:48] He had died young,

[00:24:49] and the brother

[00:24:49] had taken in

[00:24:50] his grief-ridden sister.

[00:24:52] The historian

[00:24:53] went on to tell me

[00:24:53] that the brother's intentions

[00:24:54] were not benign.

[00:24:56] The story goes

[00:24:57] that he wanted her wealth,

[00:24:59] claimed her

[00:24:59] to be insane

[00:25:00] and unstable,

[00:25:01] and he then

[00:25:02] locked her in the attic

[00:25:03] for her own good.

[00:25:05] During the raids,

[00:25:06] he would leave her there

[00:25:07] claiming that she would

[00:25:08] put everyone in danger

[00:25:09] if she were allowed

[00:25:10] in the shelters.

[00:25:11] The locals either

[00:25:12] believed him

[00:25:13] or they didn't,

[00:25:14] but the police

[00:25:15] weren't interested.

[00:25:16] There was a war going on,

[00:25:18] and they had bigger

[00:25:18] things to do.

[00:25:20] Protecting a single

[00:25:21] mad woman

[00:25:22] didn't make that list.

[00:25:24] On that night,

[00:25:25] when the bomb

[00:25:26] struck the roof,

[00:25:27] it took a portion

[00:25:28] of the back wall

[00:25:28] out with it,

[00:25:29] which would have been

[00:25:30] where the stairs

[00:25:31] to the attic were.

[00:25:32] The door wasn't locked

[00:25:33] and still stood in place,

[00:25:35] but she lay a broken mess

[00:25:37] on top of a pile

[00:25:38] of broken masonry.

[00:25:40] She was one of the first

[00:25:41] to be declared

[00:25:42] deceased

[00:25:42] on that night.

[00:25:45] The historian

[00:25:46] was building

[00:25:46] a local community project,

[00:25:48] showing the place

[00:25:48] before,

[00:25:49] after,

[00:25:50] and current.

[00:25:51] He had a lot of information,

[00:25:53] local gossip,

[00:25:54] witness statements

[00:25:54] from people

[00:25:55] who had been there

[00:25:56] that night.

[00:25:57] He had been going

[00:25:58] about his work

[00:25:58] for decades.

[00:26:00] I asked if he had a picture

[00:26:01] of Miss Mary P.

[00:26:03] He told me that he had

[00:26:04] been in contact

[00:26:05] with the family

[00:26:06] who now resided

[00:26:06] in Australia,

[00:26:08] and they had been

[00:26:08] kind enough to send

[00:26:09] a picture of her

[00:26:10] and her husband

[00:26:11] on their wedding day.

[00:26:12] I asked if he would be

[00:26:13] so kind to email it to me,

[00:26:15] which he did.

[00:26:16] It was her,

[00:26:18] the lady who stood

[00:26:19] at the foot of my bed,

[00:26:20] the kindest soul

[00:26:21] that I knew,

[00:26:22] who had soothed

[00:26:23] a small and frightened child.

[00:26:25] It was her.

[00:26:27] Despite how she had

[00:26:28] appeared to me

[00:26:29] all those times,

[00:26:30] I knew that it was her.

[00:26:33] I was able to visit

[00:26:34] her grave.

[00:26:35] I knew the monsters

[00:26:36] had moved far,

[00:26:37] far away by this point,

[00:26:38] and I tidied it up,

[00:26:39] cleaned the headstone,

[00:26:41] and I scrubbed it

[00:26:42] until my hands were raw.

[00:26:43] I also did the same

[00:26:45] for her husband's,

[00:26:46] as she is buried

[00:26:46] next to him.

[00:26:48] I am debating

[00:26:49] purchasing them

[00:26:49] new stones,

[00:26:50] but I don't know

[00:26:51] if that would be

[00:26:52] disrespectful or not.

[00:26:54] I go each month

[00:26:55] to lay flowers

[00:26:56] and keep it tidy.

[00:26:58] It's a long, long trip,

[00:26:59] but I feel like

[00:27:01] I need to repay

[00:27:01] a kindness.

[00:27:06] This episode

[00:27:07] is dedicated

[00:27:08] to the memory

[00:27:08] of Miss Mary P.