Listener Stories: Vol. 107

Summary

And That's Why We Drink: Listener Stories Vol. 107 – "Haunted Thrift Store Finds"

Podcast: And That's Why We Drink
Hosts: Christine Schiefer, Em Schulz
Episode: Listener Stories: Vol. 107
Date: September 1, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In celebration of the unofficial start of spooky season, Christine and Em dive into their latest listener submission episode centered around the brilliantly eerie theme: Haunted Thrift Store Finds—a topic suggested by Patreon listener Clarissa. The episode is a lively, joke-filled, but ever-creepy journey through tales of haunted dolls, cursed furniture, spectral children, and thrifted treasures that should maybe have stayed on the shelf.

The hosts read and react to several listener submissions, each involving paranormal encounters or unsettling vibes linked to secondhand purchases—and, true to the show’s spirit, get repeatedly distracted by their own haunted thrifting habits, pet stories, and occasional technology failures (suspected, of course, to be the work of ghosts).

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Welcoming Fall & Listener Episode Theme

• Christine and Em excitedly declare it’s fall in their hearts and begin the episode by bantering about the start of spooky season ([02:01]).
• Theme announced: haunted thrift store stuff, as suggested by Clarissa from Patreon ([02:43]).
  • Em says: "She haunted. She haunted our hearts. She suggested haunted thrift store finds. Oh, my God, that's so good." ([02:47])

2. Haunted Thrifting: Hosts’ Personal Tales

• The hosts reflect on their own most-haunted thrift finds: Christine’s collection of creepy pictures, Em’s suspiciously old and possibly moldy doll trunk from 1895 ([03:38–06:12]).
  • Em: "If you own anything and it's dated the 1800s, I'm just gonna have to assume at this point. You know what I mean?" ([06:05])
• Christine laments her lack of thrift luck compared to Em: "Your ability to sense when you shouldn't buy something. Your ticker is off." ([25:02])

3. Story 1: The Classic Haunted Thrift Shop (Katie)

• Katie recounts her experience working at a thrift store on an Air Force base, formerly a commander’s house ([09:25]).
  • Spotted the ghost of a little girl darting behind a couch in the break room ([10:17]).
  • There was also a man who haunted the manager’s office—vanished when the walls were painted pink.
• Christine: "There’s something about the ducking and the darting. It’s just, it’s not for me." ([10:24])
• Em: "Maybe he was like, please bring it back to the way I like it. Turn it pink. And then maybe it turned pink and Yeah, I love that." ([11:29])
• Sent in December 2023; the hosts note the episode lag between submission and reading ([12:00]).

4. Story 2: Thrift Store Ouija Board (Megan)

• Megan’s mother, a thrift store employee, finds an old wooden Ouija board in toys ([13:19]).
  • Store manager snaps the board in half, releases supernatural chaos: a hand mirror in her (always locked) office is mysteriously smashed ([15:12–16:34]).
• Em: "It’s gangster. But you just released all the demons. That’s what I see." ([15:14])
• Christine: "Eye for an eye, babe. Like, we’re both here, dude." ([16:47])
• Hosts debate the best way to dispose of haunted objects—with “love and light” versus violence ([17:34], [17:39]).

5. Personal Tangent: Dogs & Ghosts

• Christine shares that her dog, Hank, is inexplicably attracted to a roadside memorial, attempting to chew the cross every time ([17:59–19:47]).
• Discussion of whether pets sense or invite paranormal presences, leading Em to muse: "Now, I’ve never seen Pet Cemetery, but that seems like it could be a plot." ([20:27])

6. Story 3: Don’t Buy Wind Up Porcelain Dolls (Alo)

• Alo, a witch, buys a porcelain wind-up doll from a thrift store despite feeling ill at the sight of it; doll later plays music on its own at midnight ([23:04–31:10]).
  • Alo performs a cleansing ritual, wrapping the doll in black twine, eggshells, and black salt until they can bury it the next day.
• “My best friend half jokingly says, ‘Watch it start playing music tonight…’” ([26:44])
• Em: “If something makes me feel gross, like a bad vibe, I will not buy it. Even though I buy all sorts of crazy—” ([24:53])

7. Witchcraft Tangent: Simmer Pots & Eggshells

• Christine and Em discuss magical home cleansing methods like simmer pots and the witchy symbolism of eggshells ([33:57–39:59]).
• "If it’s all about manifesting anyway, it certainly gives me some good vibes." — Christine ([39:01])
• "I feel like you can write, like, a little, like, what you want. And you put that in the pot, too." — Em ([40:14])

8. Story 4: Clowning Around – The Haunted Clown Cabinet (Maddie)

• Maddie, in Canada, adopts a terrifying clown cabinet to store cassettes. Over the years, it shows a mischievous, almost sentient streak ([41:48–53:01]).
  • Knocks items off if not acknowledged, dislikes costumes, plays music at midnight, causes nosebleeds, hides phones in dryers.
  • Standout: “He also likes to remind you that he cares. On the night before my birthday... he started playing 'Happy Birthday.'” ([45:39–46:32])
• The hosts oscillate between horrified and charmed, then review photos of Clarence the clown cabinet, ultimately admitting “I would have bought this” ([52:50–53:01]).
• Maddie’s niece cryptically claims to be talking to a ghostly friend—“Not mine. Yours.” ([49:26])
  • "Auntie, your friend says they’re okay and you will be too." ([50:19])

9. Story 5: The Armchair Story (Kendra)

• Kendra receives a thrifted armchair from grandma ([57:12]).
  • Dog barks and avoids chair, plant stalks break mysteriously, whiffs of men’s cologne sensed, sometimes only when alone.
  • Vivid dream at a doll-filled mansion reveals the attached spirit: an elderly man in ‘60s–‘70s attire, who sits in the armchair and disappears ([61:41]).
• Christine: “Facebook Marketplace—you can even write haunted chairs. Someone will probably pay double for it.” ([59:30])
• Kendra swiftly sells chair (“It’s out of here”), weirdness ceases ([62:14]).

10. Story 6: The Town of My Dreams (Jenny)

• Jenny recurs a detailed dream for years: a town with a lighthouse-style water tower, a cottage-turned-thrift-store, always entering and exiting ([64:41–66:12]).
  • Years later, husband identifies real place: Cape Charles, Virginia, which matches the dream’s details exactly ([67:24]).
  • Upon visiting, Jenny feels “eerie... enveloped by a feeling” until they leave ([69:30]).
• Em: “It’s like you were not lucid dreaming but, like, astral projecting to a different time.” ([68:45])
• Christine: “I was driving normally. The sky would be blue. Salt of the ocean.” ([66:12])

---

Notable Quotes, Funny/Bizarre Moments & Timestamps

• “[The] theme... haunted thrift store stuff. I’m very excited.” — Em ([03:04])
• <em>“If you own anything and it’s dated the 1800s, I’m just gonna have to assume at this point.”</em> — Christine ([06:05])
• “There’s something about the ducking and the darting. It’s just... it’s not for me.” — Em ([10:24])
• “It’s gangster. But you just released all the demons.” — Em ([15:14])
• “He also likes to remind you that he cares.” — Maddie ([45:39])
• “Auntie, your friend says they’re okay and you will be too.” — Maddie’s niece ([50:19])
• “Facebook Marketplace—you can even write haunted chairs. Someone will probably pay double for it.” — Christine ([59:30])
• “It’s like you were not lucid dreaming but, like, astral projecting to a different time.” — Em ([68:45])

---

Listener Story Summaries with Timestamps

• Katie: Ghosts in Military Thrift Store ([09:25–12:07])
  • Ghost of a little girl, a man who vanishes after a paint change—creepy thrift employment!
• Megan: Ouija Board Chaos ([13:19–17:18])
  • Manager snaps board, releases chaos, mirror smashes itself.
• Alo: Possessed Porcelain Doll ([23:04–33:22])
  • A wind-up doll plays music on its own; intense protective ritual ensues.
• Maddie: Clarence the Clown Cabinet ([41:48–53:01])
  • Sentient clown stuff, hauntings, nosebleeds, lost phones, plus photos included!
• Kendra: The Haunted Armchair ([57:12–62:14])
  • Dogs avoid it, phantom cologne, dreamtime spirit visitor—chair rapidly rehomed.
• Jenny: Haunted Dream Town Realized ([64:41–73:07])
  • Prophetic dreams about an exact real town and house, culminating in a deeply uncanny real-life visit.

---

Episode Tone and Conclusion

The mood is classic ATWWD: cozy, irreverent, conspiratorially spooky, and inclusive. Christine and Em riff off each other as they weave jokes and personal superstitions with the chills and confessions sent in by their loyal audience. They encourage more haunted object stories for “official” spooky season next month, and leave listeners with laughter (“Happy September!”) as they plot which haunted items they’d totally buy next time they’re at the thrift shop.

---

End of Summary

Transcript

[Sydnee McElroy]

When we were looking for someone to hire, when we needed help with things as simple as doing our emails or our social media, we did not know where to start. And back then, we were just lucky that we found Eva. But the future of hiring looks even brighter because ZipRecruiter's latest tools and features help speed up finding the right people for your roles so you save valuable time. And now you can try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com Drink Finding Eva was the the best thing we could have ever done. But the fact that there's even more tools, I mean, instead of finding her in 24 hours, we would have found her in one hour.

[Justin McElroy]

We don't know. But I don't know. The Zip recruiter has really changed the game for us. And I'm sure it will for you, as it has for many businesses.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, use ZipRecruiter and save time. Hiring four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. We are exactly a ringing endorsement to that.

[Justin McElroy]

And if you go to ziprecruiter.com drink right now, you can try it for free again. That's ZipRecruiter.com Drink ZipRecruiter the smartest way to hire. Thanks for selling your car to Carvana. Here's your check. Whoa.

[Sydnee McElroy]

When did I get here?

[Justin McElroy]

What do you mean?

[Sydnee McElroy]

I swear it was just moments ago that I accepted a great offer from Carvana online. I must have time traveled to the future.

[Justin McElroy]

It was just moments ago. We do same day pickup. Here's your check for that great offer.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It is the future. It's.

[Justin McElroy]

It's the present. And just the convenience of Carvana. Sorry to blow your mind.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It's all good.

[Justin McElroy]

Happens all the time. Sell your car the convenient way to Carvana. Pick up. Times may vary and fees may apply. Well, we're living on the edge as usual. Who knows if this episode will ever make it out to your beautiful ears. But we are trying our best. We are restarting the browsers and computers and mixers and I think we're gonna knock it out of the park today. Friends. Happy September 1st September, if you will.

[Sydnee McElroy]

In my mind, it's officially fall.

[Justin McElroy]

I know.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Which means it's officially we're flirting with spooky season. I think it's already spooky season.

[Justin McElroy]

I almost wore pumpkin stuff. And then I was like, okay, give it like another couple days after the first of the month.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Like maybe, like maybe September 1st is trying too hard. But September 2nd is the sweet spot.

[Justin McElroy]

I think so. I think so. Yeah. So we're excited. The. The leaves are probably not falling and the heat is probably not going anywhere, but it's fall in our hearts. At least it will be soon. And this week. Month. Year. This month, we have a suggestion from Patreon for our listeners episode, which I'm very excited about. I love this topic. Have you seen it yet?

[Sydnee McElroy]

I saw the name, but I didn't see. I saw who suggested. But not what they suggested. No.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay, great. So it's Clarissa. She. Her. And she haunted. She haunted. She haunted our hearts. She suggested haunted thrift store finds. Oh, my God, that's so good. Like, I could never have come up with that myself. I'm so glad that it's not just me spitting out stupid.

[Sydnee McElroy]

How could you not come up with that yourself? I feel like everything you've ever gotten from a thrift shop is haunted.

[Justin McElroy]

It's because I'm too close. You know what I mean?

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm too close to the case.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Close to the case. I gotta step back and let Clarissa, you know, you're. You're a detective of my ways. Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Your detective lead is telling you to go home and take a few days because you're too close.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. And how dare you. But then at the end of the.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Day, he was right.

[Justin McElroy]

He was right. And then we kissed. Oops, sorry. That was just private, personal stuff. Okay, so. So we have this theme, haunted thrift store stuff. I'm very excited. I don't know if there is a. Is there an order? Maybe you go first because Blaze just asked if Geo ate because he's pretending he didn't get to eat lunch yet. And I'm going to have to tell Blaze that Geo rda. And he's. He's lying. He's lying.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Interesting.

[Justin McElroy]

You go first.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You know what's so funny? First of all, our dogs are so different. Unless my dog's sick, but he just leaves food just hanging out he doesn't like.

[Justin McElroy]

Well, Geo did that for years, and then we moved in with two other dogs.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, right.

[Justin McElroy]

And all of a sudden, he developed that kind of fixation eating his food all at once. And it wasn't great for his health, but it was very immediate and we have not been able to reverse it, even though we don't have any other dogs. So, puppy. I know my baby boy, but it's okay. He gets special yummy foods.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, before I kick off the first story, I wanted to ask of all the things you've ever thrifted. And you don't get to say all those fucking pictures.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, no, that was my answer.

[Sydnee McElroy]

What's the most haunted thing you've gotten? Or is. Or do you think just the pictures?

[Justin McElroy]

I think the pictures, for sure.

[Sydnee McElroy]

They certainly take the cake.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Like, they're too. They're too obvious, right? Like, they're like. I'm not even. I'm too close to that case, and I still know that those are haunted. What else did I even get? I don't remember. I feel like nothing else was that haunted. I mean, again, I wouldn't know. I probably just wander around, like, la la.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I feel like there's gotta. Eventually there will be a.

[Justin McElroy]

You know what? I got a little, like, doll trunk, and it's really creepy.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, I bet I've never seen a doll trunk. And went, oh, that's not. That's not at all intimidating spiritually.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay, well, you did just freeze. And I'm worried that now I've really set the doll into motion, and now things are going really difficult. I said, oh, the haunted doll trunk. And then your whole computer just glitched. Oh, okay. Maybe it's on my end.

[Sydnee McElroy]

My exact words. Yeah, my exact words were that it. I'm sure any. Any doll trunk I've ever seen is spiritually intimidating.

[Justin McElroy]

No, for sure. And it's from, I think, 1895, and it has still, like, the inner lining and the fabric, and it's, like, kind of gross.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Wake up, Christine. Are you.

[Justin McElroy]

I think it's just kind of moldy, so maybe I need to just get it. Get that under control. But other than that, I feel like just those pictures are just.

[Sydnee McElroy]

If you own anything and it's dated the 1800s, I'm just gonna have to assume at this point. You know what I mean?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, even Leona doesn't play with that. But again, it might be the mold. I'm not really sure, so. Okay. And it might be because it's a doll's trunk from 1895, you know, and even she's not. She. She's. She doesn't need to wake up. I need to wake up. Okay. That being said, let's get into the stories.

[Sydnee McElroy]

This podcast is sponsored by Daily look, the number one highest rated premium personal styling service for women. And with Daily look, you get your own dedicated personal stylist to curate a box of clothes based on your body shape preferences and lifestyle. And it's not an algorithm. These are real personal stylists, and you get the same stylist every time. Christine. Talks about her stylist all the time. They might as well be best friends.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, we are. She doesn't know yet, but Esperanza and I go way back. She really gets my whole thing. I'm, I've, I feel like I've always wanted something like a personal shopper, but obviously that is not something in my lifestyle, you know. But this is like its own sort of online personal styles and it really does feel very specialized. So listeners of our show can head to dailylook.com and use code drink for 50 off your first order. That's 50% off with our code drink. Yeah, it's really cool. You get like, you get to try up to 12 premium pieces per box at home. Then you just ship back what you don't want. My, my strawberry sweater has been such a hit. I get comments every time I wear it. It like esperance is just new. It was meant for me. Yeah, I just love it. It's a cool program.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It's time to get your own personal stylist with Daily Look. Head to DailyLook.com to take your style quiz and use code drink for 50% off your first order.

[Justin McElroy]

Once again, that's Daily Look.com for 50% off. Make sure you use our promo code drink so they know we sent you one last time. Daily look.com and promo code drink.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Christine, I have a question for you. You're on tour, you have a toddler. Your hair, it should look like a damn mess. But you look not frazzled even a little bit. Everyone would think that you're just a single woman on the town, not at all traveling every single night.

[Justin McElroy]

Wow.

[Sydnee McElroy]

What's your secret? I just don't know.

[Justin McElroy]

My advice to those who have suffered from hair thinning in the past. Hair shedding, that was an issue from of mine whether it was like from a chronic illness which I have also stress which we all have, you know, postpartum. Whatever it was, it felt like my hair was always getting worse. But now I'm able to take care of it with Nutrafol. I've used neutrophil for years.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. And you can feel great about what you're putting into your body. Since Nutrafol hair growth supplements are backed by peer reviewed studies and NSF contents certified the gold standard and third party certification for supplements see thicker, stronger, faster.

[Justin McElroy]

Growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Nutrafol for a limited time, Neutrophil is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to neutrophil.com and enter the promo code DRINK.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Find out why Neutrophil is the best selling hair growth supplement [e-mail] spelled n u t r a f o l. That's nutrafol.com promo code drink. All right, the first one we have today is by Katie, who's a she. Her pronouns. Thank you for normalizing pronouns and the title is your classic haunted thrift shop. All right.

[Justin McElroy]

Love it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And Katie says hello, humans and fur babies. I love the pod and you keep me entertained and creeped out through many hours of work and crafting. Here is one of my creepy encounters at the thrift store I used to work at in high school. The thrift store was located on the Air force base I grew up on and used to be a commander's house before housing was moved to the other side of the base. According to the history of the building, at one point, one of the commander's young daughters died in the house when she was young from an unknown illness.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I worked there sophomore year through senior year of high school. And one day my co worker and I were in the break room. The break room was on the back side of the building, far from where any customer could get. As we sat at the table in the room eating lunch, we saw a little girl dart behind the couch. In my room. In your root?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No, in the room in the brain.

[Justin McElroy]

In the room. In the room. Okay. Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Just a little girl dart past. Ah, I hate it.

[Justin McElroy]

There's something about the ducking and the darting. It's just, it's not for me.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I understand if it was like a 5 year, like even alive 5 year old would be scared and maybe duck behind a couch. But do all of them duck and hide behind couches? Because I feel like every encounter is something ducking and darting. Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

It is wild to think, like, as a child, if someone just kind of glanced at me, I wouldn't like dart and duck unless I were doing something like, nefarious. But it's just like, why are you hiding? What do you have to hide? I don't like it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Maybe it's the blueprint theory of, like, you're just catching them playing hide and seek or something. You have to hope. I don't know.

[Justin McElroy]

We're just always catching them playing hide and seek. I mean, Leona does love a game of sardines, so I feel like if she were to haunt a place, it would be like playing a game. Like. Like hide and seek. Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Uh huh. Uh huh. Well, needless to say, we noped the fuck out of there. And we came to find out that was not the only creepy thing going on on that side of the building. There was a man to stand in the doorway of the manager's office until they painted the office pink and he never showed up again.

[Justin McElroy]

Wow.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Afraid of the binary much?

[Justin McElroy]

No. Maybe he was like, please bring it back to the way I like it. Turn it pink. And then maybe it turned pink and Yeah, I love that.

[Sydnee McElroy]

We had completely different views of that. I was like, I know.

[Justin McElroy]

I was like, he's a man afraid of pink. I'm like, he loves pink. He loves this stuff.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I actually hope that's the route. Like he just feels at peace again.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, that's what I chose to believe, you know.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Thank you. Thank you. I hope you guys have LOL. Happy Holidays. This is from December 2023. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and to yours.

[Justin McElroy]

They met any in the future because they know better. She knows better than to assume we're going to get to this in a timely fashion.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay, so this is. Let's see. From Megan. It says, don't hold it against me. Lol. And I'm like, too late. We did already.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I'm so glad I'm not reading one. I can't wait to judge though, you know?

[Justin McElroy]

Okay, I hope your computer freezes the moment you start talking about Megan. This is called thrift store Ouija board. Dun dun, dun, parenthesis.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Love it.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay. I'm really excited. This was sent in in 2019 because I was like, this is an email instead of a submission form.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Megan's probably married with kids at this point. Oh my God.

[Justin McElroy]

Megan has probably heard us bully her so many times that she's. She's probably married with kids. As if she, like, couldn't have been four years ago or whatever.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I know, but think of all the time that's happened. She could.

[Justin McElroy]

Had already at the, at the.

[Sydnee McElroy]

She could have gone a bachelor's and a masters. I was gonna say. I heard you say that she could be like, in the home now. I was saying she could have. In the time that she. From the time she wrote this email to now, she could have gotten a bachelor's and a master's.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, and a PhD. Maybe, maybe, maybe if she were like super speedy.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I don't know.

[Justin McElroy]

Hello. I've been listening to ATWD for over one year now and I Thought I should finally send you the story. The story didn't happen to me, but to my mother. About four or five years ago while she was at work one day my mom worked at a thrift store and she. Oh my God. What if this was the mom? Never mind. That doesn't make sense. I was like, oh my God. Our first Cottler worked at a thrift store. Are you my mom?

[Sydnee McElroy]

It was in high school. Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

What's wrong with me? Oh my God. It's a girl darting behind the couch. Wait a minute. Ok, wait. Oh gosh. My mom worked at a thrift store and she would always tell me about funny or odd things people would donate there. But this item was by far the spookiest. My mom was in charge of sorting children's toys. And in the sea of one eyed teddy bears and beat up Barbies, someone had donated a very old wooden Ouija board. The fact that it's an old like carved wooden board makes it worse.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, I feel like, like Goodwills should not take Ouija boards. I feel like.

[Justin McElroy]

You know what, I wonder if some have that rule. I bet you managers are like, no.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Certainly like in like Alabama. I'm sure they do.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like there are definitely places that are like, nope, not crossing the threshold.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay. Let's see. My mom told me it looked really old and she guessed it was from the 1960s, but wasn't sure how old it really was. Okay. I love that this mom works at a thrift store and is cool. I'm taking it home to my child. Whereas most people would be like, get this out of the store. This is me. My mom has a love for the macabre and thought it was very cool. Living in a small town in rural South Carolina, her co workers did not feel the same way. M you so nailed it with the Alabama thing.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I, I believe it.

[Justin McElroy]

The rural South. Yeah. Living in a small town in rural South Carolina, her co workers did not feel the same way about this item. The manager of the store was mortified by it and refused to sell something so satanic in the store. She snatched the wooden board away from my mom and broke it over her knee and threw it in the trash.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That's gangster. That's crazy.

[Justin McElroy]

It's gangster. But you just released all the demons. That's what I see.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Like that's some Zack Bagan full.

[Justin McElroy]

Smash it. Yeah, but then all the like phantoms come out the inside, you know?

[Sydnee McElroy]

I know, but imagine all the he would say after he cracked it over his knee, is this the Spirit from my kneecap.

[Justin McElroy]

It's my knee. Stronger than any human male kneecap in history of mankind. Oh, gosh. They said it couldn't be broken. Nobody said that, Zach. Okay. The manager then said it said a prayer over the board before going back to whatever it is she was doing. Big mistake. The next day, the manager went into her office, which my mom told me she always kept locked. Like, who's got ghosts going to haunt? Except the woman who's so terrified that she broke the Ouija board in half. Like, of course your office is now gonna be haunted. Like, you've just stepped into this role of Zach Bagans 100%. The next day, the manager went to her office, which my mom told me she always kept locked, and came running out yelling at everyone and asked who'd been in there. Everyone looked around confused because she's the only one who went in there because it's always locked. She's the only one with a key. Somehow the hand mirror. Oh, somehow the hand mirror she kept in her desk had been taken out and thrown against the wall and smashed into a million pieces. I hate that. It's a mirror. I hate that.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Nope.

[Justin McElroy]

She demanded that the person who did this come forward. And the ghost is like, I am here.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You've seen me here.

[Justin McElroy]

I'm inside the mirror. Oh, yeah, well, she broke it thing. Now it's gonna break her thing.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Good point, Christine. It's like eye for an eye, babe. Like, we're both here, dude.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, we're just trying to live our lives, man.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I love how it took 30 seconds for this ghost to go into her personal room, go snooping through her, find something and crack it on the ground.

[Justin McElroy]

And just be like, this is perfect. This will. This will send a message.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That'll do. Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

Later on, my mom jokingly told her it was probably the angry spirits from the Ouija board that went to her office and broke her mirror. The manager, however, did not find that amusing. Haha. From Megan. Oh, my gosh, Megan.

[Sydnee McElroy]

What a poor manager who then had to like, like, stay after closing or whatever. Like, lock up all by themselves later.

[Justin McElroy]

Well, she's the one who did it. She's the one who started it. She shouldn't have snapped a Ouija board in half under the roof. I mean, come on.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

You say what M does with love and light with love and light I leave you there with love and light.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Literally, every time I go and take Hank on a walk, we. There's three different spots that feel eerie. And every single time I say goodbye like, 20,000 times we heard, hello, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, you should bring a spirit box there. No, I'm full of good ideas.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I'm telling you. Like, Hank probably hears the word goodbye the most on. Out on the street, because every time we walk past something, it's always haunted, like his. By the way, his favorite thing to chew. I don't know if this makes him a demon dog or I don't know what his favorite thing to do when I walk him is. There's, like, a cross where somebody, like, obviously, like, passed away. His favorite thing to do is try to lunge at it and chew on the cross. And I'm like, get the. Away from that thing. And he's never been successful, but it's his. He lashes at it every time.

[Justin McElroy]

My God, he's like a hellhound.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And the craziest part is that for a while, there wasn't even a cross there. Like, I think, like, maybe the last one, like, got taken or something. Oh, God. Really?

[Justin McElroy]

The way. The way that your computer. The way that you just went. And the craziest part is. And then it just, like, completely froze, and I went, what? What is it?

[Sydnee McElroy]

The craziest part is that the cross wasn't even originally there. I think the original one probably got stolen or something. But he used to go over to that one tree all the time and wouldn't leave it. And then eventually there was a cross there again. That was like a. Like a new cross.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, well, maybe he knows someone's some. Oh, yeah. Whoa. That's weird. Wait. Yeah. That doesn't even make sense. I was thinking, like, cemetery. And then I went, wait, nobody's buried there. It's just a memorial. Right? Like, it's just.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah. I feel like he's got, like, a. He can sense something there. And so now what we've done. Because I don't want.

[Justin McElroy]

I like that he's, like, into it, though. He's like, oh, wow. Some. Really. A dark, heavy, oppressive, sad energy. Yeah. I'll sit under this tree. Thank you.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I like to imagine that whoever did pass away there happened to be a dog person.

[Justin McElroy]

I'm sure there's a much way to look at it, and that seems like what it would be, because a dog would not go somewhere that they felt freaked out or like.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No, he runs to it, and I feel like this ghost has treats for him or something.

[Justin McElroy]

It's probably the way he crossed. And you won't let. You won't let him have it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

He's like a big stick of Course I want to eat it.

[Justin McElroy]

It's two big sticks.

[Sydnee McElroy]

But no, now every time we walk past, I go, say hi to your friend. And then I. And then I go, okay, you can't come home with us. Goodbye. Goodbye, Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, sorry. Anyway, one day Hank's gonna be like, you can come home with us, and you're gonna forget to say goodbye. No, I'm not gonna put that in your head.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I am terrified that in his heart he's inviting whoever.

[Justin McElroy]

Right. Because he's got that open energy. Just come with me.

[Sydnee McElroy]

There's gotta be a ghost movie out there where, like, the pets just keep inviting things in and you can't figure out why all these ghosts.

[Justin McElroy]

Now, I've never seen pet cemetery, but that seems like it could be a.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Rot that it's not, but I know.

[Justin McElroy]

I know, I know. I like to pretend. Please stand by. We have to step away. Hello, everyone. We're back. We took a break.

[Sydnee McElroy]

We got. We got exhausted of your two stories.

[Justin McElroy]

They were just so powerful that they kind of knocked us into next Wednesday. No, we're back the next day. We actually had Internet issues that we blamed on M repeatedly. And then I went downstairs and found out that my Internet was unplugged, and my computer, I think, had been just, like, moseying on over to my. My iPhone hot spot. And it's like. It's not even a good hotspot. So I don't know how we were even managing to, like, pull. Unclear.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It is impressive. That hotspot can kind of get you 50% there, though.

[Justin McElroy]

That's what I. Yeah. And I kind of, like, am hesitant to even believe that that's what happened. I don't really know. But either way, I think it was my fault because now it seems like we're back to normal. And so with that said, I think we were still in the middle of your story. Right. We were.

[Sydnee McElroy]

So should we just start over and just have.

[Justin McElroy]

Sure. Because I already. Of course. Forget it. Even though it was so powerful, it knocked me into next. No, I'll remember it the moment I hear it. But I have my.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Did you say knocked me into next Wednesday, Dad?

[Justin McElroy]

I did say that earlier too, and you didn't react, so I went. I'm gonna say it again, because that's the kind of joke I do is I just say it again and again until someone acknowledges after.

[Sydnee McElroy]

How many times do you realize that someone's just accepting you for who you are? I'd say four.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, four is a good number. Four feels right.

[Sydnee McElroy]

If I get away with it four times. I'm saying it consistently and expecting no remark.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, exactly. That's just like, it's the new me and you've signed off on it. You've docu signed, you've resigned this.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, I got you at 2, so this is obviously a new little sentence that you're trying out, but I like it, so keep it up.

[Justin McElroy]

Thanks.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay, so for everybody, because you didn't hear the first part of this.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, yeah, true. We gotta cut that. It's probably the. That's probably when the WI fi got the worst. So who knows what that's about? But yeah, it would make sense because.

[Sydnee McElroy]

The story's about dolls, so that's true.

[Justin McElroy]

And I feel like anytime I started shouting it would, like, freeze. So, yeah, hopefully we're in the clear now. But I'm. I'm ready.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, this is from they Them. You know, I love them the most. If I'm picking and they obviously chose this name, I love it. I'm saying obviously because I've never met anyone with this name. Maybe I'm wrong, but her name is Aloe and I love it.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, it's a kick ass name. We called it Soothing. We called it. You said smells good, Smells good, Refreshing. It's like a really chill and cool name. Aloe.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah. Which if that's what you're going for, you nailed it immediately. Imagine if they're like trying to be like real rough and tough, you know.

[Justin McElroy]

Aloe to be has spikes on it sometimes a little bit.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Alo is made of sandpaper.

[Justin McElroy]

What are you talking about?

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, here's what Al said. The title is don't buy Wind Up Porcelain Dolls from Thrift Stores.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I recall rule number one of horror stores. So Alo says hi, Lemon and crew. I'm a big fan of the podcast. I found y' all back at the beginning of quarantine and have been listening ever since. But holy, do I have a story for you. Right now I'm sitting on my bed, back facing the wall, still shaking because I just got done hopefully with this whole thing less than a half an hour ago.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, yeah, it's a timely. We keep making it. Not timely, but it's a timely rewind for back to next Wednesday, back to last Wednesday, then another four years, and now we're like getting the live report.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yes, we were very impressed at how on top of it they were. And then we realized that it was like four score seven years ago or something.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, we were a little bit behind, but we're Here now, again.

[Sydnee McElroy]

So Alo says 12 hours ago, but really it means, like, half a. Half a decade ago.

[Justin McElroy]

Right.

[Sydnee McElroy]

12 hours ago, I'm making a run to Target, and I decide to stop by my local thrift store. Now, I saw a porcelain doll and thought, this looks creepy. I wonder why. I feel a bit sick looking at it. Oh, and then our Internet cut out.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, no, legit. Because I think that is when I said the remark of, like, if I. If something makes me feel gross, like, at a. Like a. Like a bad vibe, I will not buy it. Even though I buy all sorts of, like, crazy. I feel like, the. The feeling sick. Looking at it would be the biggest.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No, for me, that's the biggest red flag. But I will say, your ability to sense when you shouldn't buy something. Your ticker is off. You should. No.

[Justin McElroy]

And you're right. I keep saying this, like, so confidently, and then I get the Internet shut off for no reason. So it's like, what am I. What. What's. Something's clearly going on that I'm not acknowledging.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I'm just saying some of the haunted things you buy because you're like, I have a good feeling. And I'm like, no one else does.

[Justin McElroy]

It's literally like a moving box full of photos that I haven't even looked at. And it's like, how could you possibly know? And then m goes, that woman has no eyes. And I'm like, oh, she doesn't.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I thought you. I thought you meant a. I know you meant, like, a box from FedEx, but I thought you had a moving box, which, like.

[Justin McElroy]

Wait, wait, wait. Remember at the beginning of the episode you, like, yesterday you asked me what was the, like, weird, ickiest thing I bought? And I said, it was that box, that trunk. What if now is the time? I said, oh, I didn't tell you it moves around by itself. I'm sorry. I thought that.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Crawls around. You hear all the voices muttering to each other like it's a soiree.

[Justin McElroy]

Clawed feet. Yeah, no, that is not quite what I meant. Even the Divock box, may she have all the respect she deserves, does not move. As far as I know. Maybe she does, but no, sorry, a moving a. A car. U Haul box. That's better.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You really got me there.

[Justin McElroy]

Because at first I was like, sorry about that.

[Sydnee McElroy]

First I was like, that's the funniest thing she's ever said. Then I went, oh, she meets a literal.

[Justin McElroy]

She's literally talking about a moving box. Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay. Well, okay. Aloe felt sick by looking at it. And yet their natural reaction was to buy this doll.

[Justin McElroy]

Love it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Alice's I finish up my order at the thrift store and go into the car where I FaceTime my best friend who is superstitious and intuitive. I show them the doll and this is where I noticed that the doll is a wind up doll.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeesh.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Like every horror movie ever. I fiddle with the winder upper and nothing happens. And my best friend half jokingly says watch it. Start playing music tonight in middle just.

[Justin McElroy]

Like worst possible time.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I mean, yeah, you didn't tell Me.

[Justin McElroy]

Horror movie 101 didn't tell me your.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Best friend's a witch who just conducted this whole situation conjured up.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, it feels like you shouldn't have messed. Well, clearly you shouldn't have messed with. Well, okay, obviously we're Wait, we'll. We're well past that. Ello, sorry, we're four score seven years late from now. And so am I, frankly. So I don't know where I think I get off off giving you advice.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Anyway, Fast forward about eight hours. It's 11pm I'm on FaceTime again with my best friend and another one of our friends. I'm peacefully scrolling through Tick Tock when I hear music coming from the corner of my room.

[Justin McElroy]

I love that the friend was there, though I do love the same friend. Now I'm wondering if it's the friend's fault. I'm like, is the friend kind of like causing a problem? Because you did sort of say like, oh, did the friend conduct? And I'm thinking, wait, the They've been there.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That's what I'd say. Yeah, that's what I would say.

[Justin McElroy]

Shame, shame. Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Also hearing music from the corner of your room. I. I think I brought this up yesterday. Maybe I didn't finish my sentence. I don't know where is the creepiest spot to hear music because either in your room you think it's horrific, but like down the hall is worse. Or even in the yard, in the garage. Yeah, because you said in the grass. But like there's no place where the music is okay. Unless even inside.

[Justin McElroy]

Like even inside, even outside, there's literally no spot where any music. I don't know if you've ever heard this one. It was I think like only a few months ago. But again, my concept of time is warped, I guess. But I remember a Jim Harold story, a campfire story where this person said, I think it was Jim Harrell or maybe spooked the podcast. I'm not sure but this person kept hearing a birthday card jingle, like, from an inside of a card. Like, you know how, like a birthday. Oh, forget that. And they, like, couldn't find it, and it went on for, like, two days or something. And it happened, you know, on a birthday of a loved one, they would pass or something like that, and they never fucking found it. And they said it just stopped and never happened again. And it's like coming from under the sink or somewhere. And I remember going like, this is weird.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I feel like the ghost was like, I got myself a fucking card. Don't worry.

[Justin McElroy]

Thanks a lot.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I guess because I'm dead, you don't buy me cards anymore.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, they're 399. I get it. You know, maybe not worth the expense. Wow. No. Yeah, I just. That reminded me of that. Because you're right, like, looking for the source. Ooh.

[Sydnee McElroy]

If, like, there's no good place for it to be. And, like, even if it's as obvious as right next to you or, like, somewhere and you can hear it vaguely in the attic, it's like, especially at.

[Justin McElroy]

11Pm because it's like. Well, okay. I don't even. It's already dark.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It's like I'm just settling down, you.

[Justin McElroy]

Know, it's time for bed time.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, Aloe says it's the doll up on the shelf where I place it, having forgotten to cleanse it first, of course. I freak the out. I start screaming. I feel sick to my stomach, and I explain the situation to my friend and frantically go for my sage. The music is playing this entire time, more than I wound it up earlier in the day for sure. And about three seconds into cleansing it, the music stops. I assume it's over and set it back on the shelf. I go back to my bed, terrified, trying to come up with a plan for the doll, how to get out of it.

[Justin McElroy]

A plan that you. For the doll, 12 hours later or 8 hours.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Plan is take it back to Goodwill.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

After doing some general curse tests. Okay. How do I do one on Christine?

[Justin McElroy]

It's too late for that.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I look back at the doll again, sick to my stomach, and I know I'm still fucked. This would be a good time to mention I practice witchcraft. And I know what to do in this situation. And I have.

[Justin McElroy]

It'd be real rich for them to go witch, witch to their friend because they are actually actively witches. Okay? So that. That doesn't hold water anymore.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It's Alo's own fault for not telling us that. It's a covenant. It was Actually gathering that night.

[Justin McElroy]

Very good point. Very good point. Very good point.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I know what to do in this situation, and I have protections up for myself and my space. So I go over to the doll, and a second before I grab it off the shelf, it starts playing the music again.

[Justin McElroy]

It's like, don't take. It's like, I'm home.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Which, like, the last thing the doll saw was a hand reaching to grab it. And then it was like, nope.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, I can't stand it. I can't.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I almost start crying as I hold the doll, feeling the sickest I have that night. I get an old shoe box, my eggshells, black salts, and other herbs, and I throw that shit into the back, into a box on top of the doll, and wrap the doll in black twine, binding it to the box. The box, as far as we know.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, good. No clawed feet. Okay. Okay. But, like, imagine if they hadn't mentioned they were a witch at this point, and they just said, you know, I just, like, wrapped it in black twine and we're like, what is that? Is that, like, general knowledge?

[Sydnee McElroy]

We have to drag you back to your enclosure now. This is crazy. Like, your padded walls.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. I need to know, like, what class you took on this. This. Because they didn't teach me this at.

[Sydnee McElroy]

School, which, by the way, I did not know this in witchcraft. I was very unaware of the, like. Like the. The random kitchen ingredients meaning different symbolic things. I. I had. I had heard of eggshells being used all the time, but for some reason, the. The why had never come to me. So for anyone else out there is because eggshells protect the actual yolk. So they are. They represent production membrane. I had literally no clue. So had I not learned that myself. And then your situation showed up where Alo was just talking about eggshells. All of a sudden I'd be like, aloha's.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Aloe and I both need to have a sit down. Okay, good point. Very good point.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Understood.

[Justin McElroy]

Well, my eggshell. Yeah. In the shoebox. I mean, if you, like, out of context, it's like, wait, what. What's happening? Okay. If.

[Sydnee McElroy]

If my grandmother were listening to this, she'd go, hang on. What's happening here? Why are you doing this? She would actually think we, all of us, need a padded room. For sure.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, Precisely.

[Sydnee McElroy]

But you're exactly in the right place. Hello. Okay, so we're doing a whole ritual. I'm not about to go outside in the dark to bury this box right now, but I plan to in the Morning. I cleansed my. Oh, like, and really in real time as they're writing this too, by the way.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, right, right.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I cleansed my room thoroughly and placed the doll on the opposite end of my room as my bed. And I'm still shaking. But I know I'm safe for now. And I've hopefully learned my lesson about staying the away from haunted dolls at thrift stores. Also, it sounds like your friends left you.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What happened to those? Those? The coven.

[Sydnee McElroy]

A covenous witch. All of a sudden you are.

[Justin McElroy]

I think they were like. We're actually really busy right now at.

[Sydnee McElroy]

11:00Pm it's like, I'm so glad you have your eggshells. You don't need us.

[Justin McElroy]

Alice got the eggshells again. Come on, we gotta go.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Love to you all. And just don't buy wind up porcelain dolls from thrift stores. You don't gotta tell me to tell.

[Justin McElroy]

Christine, though, because I'm the one who needs the advice. I'm the one who's needing the advice. I'm consciously aware now that I need the advice. Before, I think I kind of tried to pretend like I was wiser than that, but I'm not. So.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Speaking of which, that's a. Bring it back to eggshells really quick. But one of the things I wanted to mention that ever since Allison and I moved in here, we've been doing simmer pots at night. Have you ever done a simmer pot?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, but only like at the holidays.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, fun. No, it's become a bit of like a little thing we do since Allison's been gone. I haven't really been doing it.

[Justin McElroy]

But that's like, where you put ingredients to like, smell the house. To like. Yeah. The house's scent. Yeah, yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Aloe slash all other witches. I would love your take on this. First of all, if I'm like, doing something I shouldn't be doing, let me know. But no, my. My old nanny that I'm now friends with as adults, she's kind of into like the witchy world and she always does, like summer pots Poppins.

[Justin McElroy]

It just hit on so many levels. Like, she's kind of witchy, you know, she's an old.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Mary Poppins is a witch. I'm glad you said that.

[Justin McElroy]

No, she sure is. Like, there's no doubt in my mind. And then like an old nanny and I thought like Mary Poppins. And then I'm like, this is actually tracking for me. A spoonful of sugar.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, well, no, we could really get into that because I love how they made that such, like, a lovely little movie. But today, Mary Poppins would absolutely be, like, a DEI witch or some. I don't know.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, yeah, it would be. It would. Let's do it. Make a redo remake.

[Sydnee McElroy]

So, no, my nanny, who, when I met her, I was a little kid, and she was, like, 10 years younger than I am now, which was horrific. But, no, she's, like, now in her 40s, and anytime I go home, we still hang out, but she always puts on a simmer pot anytime I'm in town. And it's always got, like, a lot of intentional meaning to it. She's the one to tell me about eggshells and a whole bunch of other ingredients. But it. I hope I'm not doing anything wrong by, like, just putting them on for the vibes, but they're so lovely, like, if you're not doing them. Christine, I like how it's very. It feels up your alley entirely.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, I feel like it's. It really does. And it fits kind of that, like, Victorian house vibe. And. Yeah, it was thunderstorming again last night. I didn't tell you, but it was thunderstorming again. And I. I was like, oh, this is so moody. And I lit a candle, but, yeah, I hadn't even thought of that. That's a great idea.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Also, I think, because my house is. Is on the smaller side, it pretty much takes over, like, the. The need of a candle. Like, if you put in the right stuff, it, like, it smells up the house in a really, like, soothing way, which.

[Justin McElroy]

Without being a candle, and it's, like, natural. And I. I also think, like, part of the thing that kind of annoys me about candles, maybe it's just me, is, like. I feel like I get used to the smell so quickly, so I feel like with a simmer pie, you can kind of, like, change it up and, like. Like, you know.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

Spice it up or, like, add some different. Do a different.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Literally spice it up.

[Justin McElroy]

Literally spice it up. Right.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Like, one of the ones that Allison and I were doing for a while is. Is, like, a lot of citrus, and then there was, like, cinnamon.

[Justin McElroy]

I've never done that. I've done. I've never done a citrus one. That sounds lovely.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I think that's our favorite, like, grapefruit and orange and delightful, like, orange peel and. And cinnamon. But it, like, ends up smelling kind of, like, fall. It's, like, very beautiful.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, what the hell? This is. You're gonna start a new, like, actual cozy trend here. I mean, it's probably already A trend on. I know. I. I saw people doing on TikTok last year. It's just such a lovely, like, homey thing.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I love it if it's for the vibes. And in my mind. Do you use just, like, a random pot? We have, like, you know. Yeah, but, you know, when. Like, the sets of pots. Because we got a set forever ago. You know, like that one, like, weirdly tiny one. You never know what to use.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, a toddler. You. I figured it out finally, by the way. A little baby.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay. Well, it's also your witchy simmer party.

[Justin McElroy]

For a Kraft Mac and Ch. From Annie's. Or not Craft. Like, whatever. Annie's Mac. I don't know if it fits Craft. I assume it's the same volume level.

[Sydnee McElroy]

But it's also perfect for a simmer pot.

[Justin McElroy]

See? Okay, great. Oh, so you use a little one. Okay. I love it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, because we don't really. Because then it takes forever for the water to boil down, and then if you just want to refill it, you can.

[Justin McElroy]

Right.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No, it's very wonderful.

[Justin McElroy]

The one that I always kind of think of as a simmer pot, but it probably. Well, it's actually dual purpose because it's like mulled wine, and so then it smells like cloves and red wine, and then you get to drink it, and then you leave the orange peel in it. It's really lovely. So it kind of serves dual purposes. But you get a ladle and you just drink it, you know? But that's. I know that's not necessarily.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That feels like the next step of the witchcraft simmer.

[Justin McElroy]

No, it feels like red all of a sudden. But also it feels like the thing I would do, and they'd all turn around and go, you're not supposed to put that in your mouth. Like, you're not supposed to actually drink that. Like, I think that's what I. I would be the.

[Sydnee McElroy]

The party faux pas of the witchy potions that. I mean, I. I don't even know.

[Justin McElroy]

If this is a fair point, but.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Of the witchy potions out there. If I were to, like, play witchcraft with you when we were kids.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And I was like, drink this. This one's, like, palatable. It's like cinnamon and orange juice.

[Justin McElroy]

You know, a nice zesty water. Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah. Anyway, I. I again, hope I'm not, like, doing anything that's, like, you know, I don't know enough about witchcraft to know if I. I should or should not be doing it.

[Justin McElroy]

But I will say, as witchcraft is like a closed Practice either. I think it's.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You know, it feels like I'm just. It feels like in the world of. If it's all about manifesting anyway, it certainly gives me some good vibes. So I highly recommend.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, I'm gonna. I'm gonna look into that. Do you make the recipes up or do you look them up?

[Sydnee McElroy]

My nanny sent me a few of her favorite ones.

[Justin McElroy]

Can I be.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I think you're allowed to just kind of.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Or I could look them up, too.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No, no. I mean, they're like some of hers that she's kind of made up along the way. But I think, realistically, as long as, you know, like, the symbolism behind each thing, you can throw it all together. I mean, then again, I'm sure there's a witch out there who's like. If you mix two things that are the wrong.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, I don't know. I think everything is attention. I also think, like, this has. This is something that's not just witchcraft. Like, people just do this when you. This is what realtors do when they're selling houses. Like, it's a very common.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I didn't know that.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, it's not like, just.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I just like to live in the world of everything.

[Justin McElroy]

In fact, I've never even thought of it. I mean, I love that Ide. But I've always just done recipes for, like.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, really?

[Justin McElroy]

I've.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I've only. Because then I talk to other people in the. In my witchy community, in my spooky world, and I've only ever heard of simmer pots being used for, like, manifesting certain things. Because then you can write, like, a little, like, what you want. And you put that in the pot, too.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I've never done that. My TikTok was definitely not. It was, like, the same idea, but it was just, like, to make your house smell nice. Nice. Like, that was hopefully the ones I ever saw. So that's interesting. I'd not thought of it as, like, a witchy thing.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Anyway, highly recommend. Sorry.

[Justin McElroy]

Love it. Love it, love it. Okay, so let's see. I have story number four here. And don't open anything yet because it looks like they're out of order, but I think they are. They have photos, so we'll look at those afterward. I have not seen them yet. Those will probably be a nice surprise. All right. It's called. Oh, God. It's called clowning around.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I. I knew I wanted to prolong this here in this story. That's why I kept bringing up the eggshells.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay, you were like, good vibes, right? Good vibes, everyone. We're on the same page. Good vibes.

[Sydnee McElroy]

All of a sudden, I am an eggshell. I'm just walking around in all shell just to protect myself from this.

[Justin McElroy]

Stuck your head through one. Greetings from the cold north. Hi, my name. Sorry, I started without even acknowledging your intro. It says, hi, my name is Maddie. She. They. Greetings from the cold north. Canada, eh? Oh, gosh. I spent hours trying to edit and piece together a timeline for my story, but it's been over the course of a few years, so bear with me. It all started with a clown. Oh, my God. Amen. That's how this podcast life. It all started with a clown. I was creeping a thrift store for potential furniture, as us poor kids do, when I stumbled across an apple. Absolutely distressed, clearly. Old, decrepit, and downright terrifying. Cabinet that looked like a clown.

[Sydnee McElroy]

A cabinet. I have not heard of this upsetting.

[Justin McElroy]

I have not either, and it sounds upsetting. And I'm assuming that's the photo we're gonna get, and I don't want it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay, finally, furniture Christine doesn't want. No.

[Justin McElroy]

For the first time, I don't even want the picture of it. I've never felt this way before. Okay, let's see. Looks like a clown. Naturally, I thought to myself, sold. He would be. Of course, he would be very perfect. Nope, it doesn't say that. He would be perfect to hold my collection of old cassettes of equally creepiness. After lugging this thing into my lovely home with my very unimpressed roommates. Imagine living with this person. Imagine living with me.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I. I know.

[Justin McElroy]

Very unimpressed roommates. I, of course, decided this fellow needed a name. I know, I know. You just scream, no. Stop. Don't humanize him. Oops. After spending. This is literally what I did with Lemon. After spending two hours searching old man names on Google, I stumbled across Clarence.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I. I appreciate the alliteration, but I don't want anything else to do with it.

[Justin McElroy]

Too bad. The name stuck instantly. Clarence has stuck with me through four. Oh, I thought he was gonna be gone by morning like our wind up doll, but no, he's apparently here through four different rental properties. Oh, my God. All with varying roommates who probably all, like, broke the lease when they saw the clown.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I actually have to move in with my partner immediately.

[Justin McElroy]

I'm moving out of Canada. Bye, varying roommates. And now two provinces. The first time Clarence had shown me any spirit attached to him was when he would frequently knock objects off the wall. Clarence has a bad habit of doing this if a new person is coming into our space and does not acknowledge him.

[Sydnee McElroy]

First of all, he's a Gemini.

[Justin McElroy]

High maintenance. So fucking high maintenance. God damn it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

How many things had to fall before you started realizing there was a connection?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, good point.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You know?

[Justin McElroy]

Good point. Because if you're collecting other creepy shit, too, it's like, I guess you had to know the timeline of it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

There's a process of elimination that has to happen.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Especially across apartments and stuff. Okay. Oh, my gosh. Or if you remove a cassette from him and do not play it, parentheses. These are his rules, not mine. Okay, girl?

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay, I.

[Justin McElroy]

Hey, we have a coven we want you to call. And they have eggshells and stuff.

[Sydnee McElroy]

This feels like. It feels like it's almost forcing someone to get ocd. It's like, well, I have to play it now that I've taken it off.

[Justin McElroy]

I know, I know. It feels like it's, like, the perfect environment to create. Yeah. There's like, a breeding ground. Yeah, Those, like, compulsions. Oh, my God. Clarence. God damn it, Clarence. You would be not good for my men health. Okay. He also. Oh, there's more. Sorry. Okay, so these are his rules, not mine. My roommates and I also discovered after a long night of drinking that he does not like costumes. Well, that's rich coming from him. Okay.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You truly. He's like, I'm the only one on.

[Justin McElroy]

I am the clown here. Yeah. What the fuck? These are his rules. Okay, we already said that he does not like costumes. We placed a paper hat. Oh, he doesn't like to wear costumes.

[Sydnee McElroy]

He's like, what mine is isn't good enough.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, maybe that's it. Or maybe he's like, this is my identity, it's not a costume. You know, like, maybe he's like, this isn't a joke. Okay. And then he knocks over another, like, cassette tape. Okay.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I really hope he can't hear us right now.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, my gosh. Don't say that. Okay. Yikes. All right. We placed a paper hat on him and left. He quickly started shaking all the art on the wall in front of him.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Like an earthquake.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, but just on the wall. The shaking stopped as soon as the hat came off. Off. He also. Oh, no, I don't like this sentence. I don't even know what it means.

[Sydnee McElroy]

What?

[Justin McElroy]

And this one's for you. He also likes to remind you that he cares.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I don't need the reminder, thank you.

[Justin McElroy]

It's not for me. Thank you. No, I don't like that. To remind you that he cares. On the. I'm not even this bad. I'm sorry.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Something like Tony Soprano would say with a gun to your head of like, don't worry, I care.

[Justin McElroy]

You want to say I take care of my family. Yeah. Like, what the. Take care of you. I'm sure he also likes to remind you that he cares. On the night before my birthday, my room and my roommate and I were sitting out on our balcony and could hear a faint piano noise playing Mary Had a Little Lamb. This continued faintly until about 1159, and the second it hit midnight, it switched tunes to Happy Birthday. Oh, I was just saying that about the song. I.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Thank you, Clarence.

[Justin McElroy]

Bye. Thank you. I get it. Clarence has caused my girlfriend numerous nosebleeds after she met him for the first few months.

[Sydnee McElroy]

She doesn't care, babe.

[Justin McElroy]

He does.

[Sydnee McElroy]

This is. It's like you're explaining a toxic boyfriend to us. He does not care. It's like, well, he's saying happy birthday on my birthday, but he gives me bloody nose for one minute.

[Justin McElroy]

It's like, girl, get him out of here. The bar is so low with Clarence. Clarence has caused my girlfriend numerous nosebleeds after she met him. For the first few months, she's still with me. Guys, talk about initiation. Oh, my God. I can't believe that.

[Sydnee McElroy]

She's waiting for the day you go on a long vacation.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Yeah. You better put that thing under locking key or it might disappear. Okay. Play. So for the first few months, played the Netflix sound loud on our tv, even when the TV was on mute and unplugged. Just get it. Just the other night when I was listening to your podcast. Don't do that anymore around Clarence. I don't need you knowing about this. What I'm saying right now. Hi, Clarence. We love you.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You look really nice.

[Justin McElroy]

Stay there. It's not a costume, Em.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Your uniform.

[Justin McElroy]

Thank you. Okay, just the other night when I was listening to your podcast, my phone went missing for 30 minutes. Oh, fuck. It's too late. We're too late.

[Sydnee McElroy]

He turned this shit off.

[Justin McElroy]

My phone went missing for 30 minutes and I found it in our running dryer.

[Sydnee McElroy]

He hates us.

[Justin McElroy]

Clarence hates us. Okay, abort mission. I am quitting the show. Clarence hates me, and I've never been so scared of my life.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It makes me really mad that Maddie isn't telling us what we were talking about. So we know.

[Justin McElroy]

I'm screaming right now because what if.

[Sydnee McElroy]

We were talking about clowns or something?

[Justin McElroy]

I mean, I'm so nervous okay. All right, all right, Maddie, here we go. I'm really mad at you right now, okay?

[Sydnee McElroy]

Just. I never actually loathed a person in my life.

[Justin McElroy]

Just the other night when I was listening about, I found it in our running dryer. I could go on all night, but I'll end it here with one last thought. He's all tricks with no harm done. Okay, I guess you could say he's kind of a clown. We've never seen. You're delusional, Maddie. We've never seen. If we were all at the bar.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Together, Christine and I would be pointing and laughing. This is.

[Justin McElroy]

No, we would be surrounding you and being like, we have so many questions. Questions like, can we come to your house?

[Sydnee McElroy]

I would be texting Alo, and I'd be like, where are the eggshells? Give me a cross whenever I need.

[Justin McElroy]

Christine's dragging me to this haunted clown. Help. I could go on all night. Yeah, okay, so he's a clown. We've never seen another one like him. And I've attached a picture of him for you guys. Oh, good. I have one more story. I swear. It's a short one. I was making my niece lunch and realized she was talking to someone under the table. Oh, my God. The timer on my phone went off, and my niece squealed and sat under the table. Did you call her? I finally asked, who are you talking to? And she said, a friend. I said, who's your friend? I'm so scared right now.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That's not your friend?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, Who? I said, who's your friend? And she responded, not mine. Yours. All the hair on my arm stood up, and of course, I proceeded to cry. Oh. Oh, this is a sad one. It's not about the clown. I thought this wasn't about. Again, about clown.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Clarence was under the table.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, my God. I did, too. I really, really did. Because also, he's lurking in the tiny little attachment picture at the bottom of this cage. And it's, like, haunting because I can't see him full size yet, but okay, sorry. So she said, did you call her? I finally asked, who? Oh. The timer on the phone went off. My niece squealed and said, under the table. Did you call her? I finally asked, who are you talking to? She said, a friend. I said, who's your friend? And she responded, not mine. Yours. All the hair on my arm stood up, and of course, I proceeded to cry. I'd lost one of my best friends to drug addiction three years ago, and this Christmas was the first time I've been home since my niece then Came up to me, hugging me around the leg egg. I'm gonna cry. It said, auntie, your friend says they're okay and you will be too.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, that's cute.

[Justin McElroy]

That is. It was the best Christmas present I could have asked for. Thank you for reading all my gibberish. I hope you enjoyed it. I have 100 more. The fact that the phone Stay thirsty, Maddie. The fact that the phone timer went off by itself. And then it said, oh, did you call her? Yeah, like, did you call her?

[Sydnee McElroy]

I also like that the niece, like, clocked that immediately. She was like, oh, I heard a little beep. That must have been you. Like, it couldn't be anything else.

[Justin McElroy]

I heard that. Okay, now open the photo. Oh, my Christ in heaven. I absolutely would have bought this. I'm. I'm so full of shit.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I actually would have also bought this.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, right. I think now looking at him, I get a different idea of what he is.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I especially would have bought him because he truly is made for tape cassettes. Like, he's built two size for tape cassettes. He could have been like a little bookshelf or something. But really nothing fits in there better than take a set.

[Justin McElroy]

And I think also, like, somebody clearly took out, like, a tape cassette thing and then like, built this creation maybe.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, it's like. It's a weird shaped shelf for anything that isn't tiny.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, it's like a narrow, tall, and then it has, like this, like, vintage clown head on it. I mean, honestly, it sounds terrible, but I think I really would buy.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I would too. And you can tell the little button on his uniform when you. When you turn it is what closes the door.

[Justin McElroy]

That's. I mean, it's quaint.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I would have given him a bath. Like, he looks like maybe he wants to be, like, repainted. You know what I mean?

[Justin McElroy]

I think maybe the paint needs to be redone. That's the vibe I'm getting also. M. Maybe. Listen, I don't want to tell you what to do, Maddie, because this is your friend. And I'm being. I'm being. I'm getting nosy after we said we wanted nothing to do with.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No, no, no. I want something to do with Clarence. All of a sudden. Here, put the phone x. Clarence. Clarence. If you. If you want a bath and a. And a paint job, it'll look. The alpha will look exactly the same. Maybe just like a new coat of color so you just look brand new and fresh. Then move something on the counter if you don't want to be touched at all then put us back in the dryer.

[Justin McElroy]

Good.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And other than that, we, we. We. Goodbye.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay, now open the. Now open this one. Four. Open. Because that's with the cassettes inside it. And you're right, it's like, perfect.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, yeah, that's the one I clicked by accident.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, sorry.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I clicked that one first. That's how.

[Justin McElroy]

Gotcha. Anyway, and then I was like, how do you know the exact dimensions of a cassette tape? And now I'm like, oh, I see you image.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, Clarence, we wish you the best. Please don't, don't.

[Justin McElroy]

I'm sorry. That. And also, Maddie, I'm sorry that we just shit on you so hard and then went, oh, we for sure get into Clarence. Like, we immediately 180. When he's.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I understand. I mean, he's cutesy. I get it.

[Justin McElroy]

He's like, he's like, so strange, but in like, a fun way that's not as, like, horrifying as it sounded at first.

[Sydnee McElroy]

He's cutesy. But I, I, I am. I would maybe. I don't know.

[Justin McElroy]

Hey, let's.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay, good idea.

[Justin McElroy]

Would you. Or in. Because now you can do that in a post. If, if Maddie's okay with us sharing a picture of Clarence and spreading good news about Clarence. If Maddie's okay with that, then maybe we can post a photo and say, like, would you. If you saw. Obviously, Maddie, no one's coming for Clarence. Clarence, your friend. We're not touching this, okay? I promise we're not going to try anything and take Clarence from you. We would never do that. But my question is, if you saw Clarence, would you have done the same thing and brought him home? Because I think I would have said no, and now I say yes.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It's like the thrift store equivalent to, like, if you saw him at a bar, would you pick him up? It's like if you saw him at the thrift store. Are you paying for him? Are you taking them? Taking them home? I mean, I think I would too. I think I would realize once we got to my house, like, he's a little eerie. I think my first thought would have been to wash him and give him like a new. New.

[Justin McElroy]

I mean, he's probably been washed. I think he just probably hasn't been paint repainted.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, I would need him to maybe be a little repainted. Just zhuzh him up, you know, give him a sand, A quick sanding.

[Justin McElroy]

Well, let's see if he wants that first. Yeah, he's gonna move something on the counter. If he does want it, right?

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah. At Maddie's house. Don't move anything on my counter.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, certainly not mine either. Yeah.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay. Well, thank you Maddie. And thank you, Clarence. And goodbye.

[Justin McElroy]

Goodbye.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Goodbye. We leave you with love and light. I hyper fixate on a lot of things, but finance has never been one of them.

[Justin McElroy]

Isn't that a shame?

[Sydnee McElroy]

You know I would, I would be so powerful if that were the case. But unfortunately I am just left quite illiterate often, especially when it comes to things like overdraft fees and there was a time where missed payments were and I were very familiar with each other.

[Justin McElroy]

It's intimidating.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Had I known at that point in my life about Chime, I would have maybe breathe a little easier at night.

[Justin McElroy]

Chime understands that every dollar counts. That's why when you set up direct deposit through Chime, you get access to fee free features like free overdraft coverage, getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit and more. It's sort of like they care about you a little more, you know, like they're like, hey, we know how hard it can be.

[Sydnee McElroy]

To date Chime has spotted members over 30 billion with A B dollars, not to mention access to over 47,000 fee free ATMs more than the top three national banks combined.

[Justin McElroy]

It's a great feature. It's a great service. Chime secured credit builder Visa Credit Card has tools designed to help you build, protect and maintain your credit card with less stress. You can increase your credit scores with automatic credit reporting. They're just always adding cool new features.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Work on your financial goals through Chime Today open an [e-mail] drink that's chime.com drink Chime feels like progress.

[Justin McElroy]

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancor Bank NA or Stride Bank NA members, FDIC spot me Eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file. Fees apply at out of network ATMs. Bank rank and number of ATMs according to U.S. news and World Report 2023 Chime checking account required. You know, I love my data and my data and my data says that I sleep better on a Helix mattress. It's undeniable. The facts, the stats.

[Sydnee McElroy]

My back pain.

[Justin McElroy]

I don't trust my own body and sensory perception. So I need an actual statistic mathematically to tell me what's going on. But yeah, my back also totally true.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Every time I've woken up and I don't hurt, I'm like, oh wow. I Must just be, like, doing really well with my stretches. No, it's because I'm sleeping on a Helix mattress.

[Justin McElroy]

Same story. And then I'm, like, on tour, and I'm like, help. Everything hurts. Okay. Yeah. We love our Helix mattresses. We have slept on them for years now, so I feel like we have a pretty good endorsement there. I don't have any plans to ever change brands, and that's saying something. So we both have seen better sleep. And you can, too. Go to helixsleep.com drink for 27 off site wide exclusive for listeners oven that's why we drink drink.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That's helixleep.com drink for 27 off site, wide exclusive for listeners of and that's why we drink helixsleep.com Drink my next story. This is my last story. My last story for you. This is from Kendra, who uses she, her pronouns. Thank you for normalizing pronouns. And the subject line is, I have an armchair story.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, Remember that now?

[Sydnee McElroy]

Nope.

[Justin McElroy]

That was a thing. You and I got into this big tiff about. Not even a tiff, but we had this, like, misunderstanding about armchairs. Like, I said armchair detective or something, and you thought we were requesting stories about armchairs. And I was like, no, like, forget. We had this big, like, miscommunication about armchairs.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And then you were the first person, I think, to ever say the phrase armchair detective around me. And then I was like, I didn't understand. Like, are you just gonna sit in an arm? I. I don't know what I thought, but I do remember this conversation.

[Justin McElroy]

I remember you really dug your heels in on. You want stories of armed about armchairs. And so I was like, okay, what about haunted armchairs? And then I think we just settled on armchairs. So it sounds like someone really has come through for you. That's good.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Thank you. And I do remember digging my heels, because I think I was like, well, when in Rome. Like, let's just see what's going on here on the armchair question.

[Justin McElroy]

And it only took a few years to get an answer, so that's all right.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Okay. Well, you know what? I'm glad finally. You wait long enough, an armchair story will come. So.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. I can't believe it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Kendra says, I can't believe you asked for armchair stories. I happen to have one.

[Justin McElroy]

Perfect. I think we actually did a whole episode. Maybe perfect. We just didn't include this. I don't want people to be like, girl, you did, like, 10 armchair stories. We might have. I don't remember.

[Sydnee McElroy]

You know, after enough time, I like the refresh.

[Justin McElroy]

I knew. I do, too.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, and then Kendra says, sorry, I forgot to say hi.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Anyways, a few months back, my grandma bought a leather couch from a thrift store, and it came with a matching armchair that she didn't want, which I don't understand because the armchair is always my favorite one. We bought it to. We brought it to our house to try to sell it for her, but it kind of took up residence in our living room instead. Mom was annoyed, but I liked the look. And I also joked with my mom that it was probably haunted, because I tend to think any secondhand item is haunted. Ding, ding, ding.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, sounds familiar.

[Sydnee McElroy]

So the chair had been in our house probably a month and a half. By the time we started to notice some strange stuff. My dog started acting really weird. We would be sitting on the couch, and my dog would sit and stare at the chair like there was someone sitting there, and then would start barking at it. Yeah, I'm out.

[Justin McElroy]

If someone barks at the chair. Empty chair. I'm out for sure.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Especially after, like, a pregnant pause of staring at it to try to figure out what's going on.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Facebook, Marketplace place you can even write haunted chairs. Someone will probably pay double for it.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, if you say my dog barked, you get triple.

[Justin McElroy]

Yep, probably.

[Sydnee McElroy]

They would also do this. The dogs would also do this in one corner of the living room by a coat rack. And at one point, my dog named Megan.

[Justin McElroy]

I'm sorry, no comment.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Megan Would walk the long way around the room to specifically avoid the chair.

[Justin McElroy]

Wow. How?

[Sydnee McElroy]

I was probably sitting in that chair. I was going, a dog named Megan. I can't even.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, stay away from me. Stay out of my carpet.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Another time, my mom was sitting in the chair while we were watching tv, and a plant across the room moved. And then when we saw one of the healthy leaf stalks get broke. Oh, and then we saw one of the healthy leaf stalks get broken and fall to the ground.

[Justin McElroy]

Ew.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That's like someone was plucking it.

[Justin McElroy]

Someone was, like, breaking it. Yeah. Yuck.

[Sydnee McElroy]

My mom and I noticed that sometimes when we sat in the chair, we would smell a man's cologne. But this wasn't ev. Every time we sat there, only occasionally. And it was usually when one of us was home alone. In my mind, I like to think that this ghost is like, oh, I'm keeping you company. But for us, it's like, why is a man here? Like, I. I'm alone.

[Justin McElroy]

Perfume, maybe. I'd be like, that's nice, but cologne feels a little Like, I don't need cologne in my face right now. I'm like.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It's like, what, are we going to a steakhouse?

[Justin McElroy]

Get out of here. Yeah, right, exactly.

[Sydnee McElroy]

The last thing to happen was when I was is house slash cat sitting at this creepy ass mansion filled with dolls. Of course I. I will send in that story separately.

[Justin McElroy]

It was called the Zach Baggins Haunted Museum.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It was called A Room full of clearances. And this porcelain wind up.

[Justin McElroy]

Yikes.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I will send in that story separately because me and these dolls had beef, but we're friends now. Anyways, I was at the dollhouse overnight, and I had the super vivid dream about the chair. I was standing in my living room and I could smell the cologne again. And I look over at the chair and there's a man standing in bit. He's dressed in 60s or 70s white colored clothing, and he had a little fedora on. And he was older, like maybe 70. He was tall and thin. And we just stared at each other for literally a few minutes. And then he sat down and disappeared.

[Justin McElroy]

Whoa.

[Sydnee McElroy]

So I texted my mom when I woke up that I saw the spirit of the guy who was attached to the chair. And women on my mom's side of the family are weirdly sensitive to spirit stuff. Stuff. And most communication comes from our dreams, but we sometimes have those really weird gut feelings. I have some pretty wild stories of my mom predicting people's deaths, but again, I'll send that in separately. She said, I knew it was haunted. It's out of here. And she had it sold in less than a week. Nothing weird has happened since. Anywho, that's my armchair story. Love you all and thank you for getting me through nursing school.

[Justin McElroy]

Wow. Congratulations. Well, hey, listen, that's crazy. And also the idea that, like, it just blows my mind that you had to be away from the house to have the dream that clarified what was going on with the chair. It's like you had to leave the property.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

You know what I mean? Like.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah. To let it air out.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. It's almost like you got clarity when you, like, went away from it, which is interesting to me.

[Sydnee McElroy]

A PS From Kendra is that Kendra was at the San Francisco show where we introduced Lemon for the first time.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, forgot.

[Sydnee McElroy]

God's sake.

[Justin McElroy]

That was quite. Talk about a turning point in our lives. Yeah. Wow. You witnessed a miracle.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, no, that's what I would say. That's what I would say.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, well, thank you so much. We've only got, I think, one story left.

[Justin McElroy]

This is the last one. Yeah, this is from Jenny. She her. And it's called the Day My Dreams Became Reality. Hello. I want to begin this with just saying how much I enjoy the podcast and the banter between the two of you. Y' all make work a little less stressful and the ride to work a little less lone. Only I was fortunate enough to attend the Raleigh Live show and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, technical difficulties and all. Oh, boy. Was that the one where your mom was there and there. Was that Q A or that sounds right. Or was that Charlotte? I don't remember.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It was a North Carolina show. Yeah, I don't remember which one.

[Justin McElroy]

I mean, technical difficulties. We were on, like 90 minutes late. If that's the show you were. You went to. I'm so sorry. I hope you two enjoyed the Little Crocheted Ghosties. I still have mine. Actually, he's over there. I gave y'. All. Anyhow, I know that is not what you want to hear about. So on to the story. I've always been plagued slash gifted with very realistic dreams. Not every dream I have has this aspect to it, but I learned at a very young age to pay attention to the ones that did. Ooh, doesn't that make you think it's like a Darwinian thing that's like such a wild side note, but, like the idea that, like, over time people keep this ability and it's like, passed along through generations, you know, like to have these kind of prophetic dreams and stuff in my mind.

[Sydnee McElroy]

By definition, it would be a survival instinct, like a tactic to, like, be able to. To know in advance when things happen or to have, like, that spidey sense. But. But I guess it's not ne. I guess it's not important enough that we have literally weeded through people until we only have that. That trait left.

[Justin McElroy]

Right, Right. You know? Right. Or maybe it is there, but it's just dormant.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, some people just aren't stretching the muscle.

[Justin McElroy]

Access it. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Interesting. Okay. Not every dream I have has a suspect. I learned at a very young age to pay attention to the ones that did. If I could physically touch, feel, smell, hear, or taste things in the dream, it was important. I've woken up from many a dream with scratches and bruising in exact places as I was injured in dreams. Dreams. Probably about 10ish years ago, I began. Began having a recurring dream. In this dream, I would be driving into town and pass a water tower on the left that was made to look like a lighthouse. Driving into town, I would go a little ways and pull up to a small cottage style two story house. There was a front porch with a window in the center up top with white curtains in the window. I would pull into the driveway which was on the left of the house. I always entered the house through the side door store. Inside was a thrift store of sorts. Every surface and space was filled with a wild menagerie of collectibles and things. Stuff hung from the ceiling and baskets and nets in haphazardly haphazard fashion. Closets spilled their contents into the surrounding areas. There was an endless sea of things to touch and interact with. I would walk around that I know I would walk around the house slash store for a while before growing bored and deciding to leave. The checkout was at the front of the house by the front door. I never bought anything and usually never saw another person in the stor. I would always exit through the front of the house and would wake up as I was exiting the town. Normally the weather in town was absolutely beautiful. The sky would be cloudless and blue and you could feel the breeze and smell the salt of the ocean.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Why would you ever come back? I'm so sorry. This sounds so wonderful.

[Justin McElroy]

I'd be like take me back to dreamland and like wandering through a thrift store with not a care in the world. I mean it sounds like a dream. I mean it is a dream. I. I guess. Yeah. Okay. I was driving normally. It was the sky be blue. Salt of the ocean. There was only one time the dream changed. I was going through a difficult time and this time as I was driving into town, it was as if I was driving into a hurricane. The wind was whipping around my car and the storm was raging. I still entered the house the same. Oh, this gives me chills. I still entered the house the same way. But when I walked in there were two people I knew already that there. They milled around for a bit then said they needed to leave. I proceeded to do my. Oh my God, I have such chills. I proceeded to do my normal thing and when I left through the front door it was as if the storm had never happened. There was not even a puddle on the ground. Fast forward to me telling me telling my now husband about this dream four years ago. So this is a recurring dream from that started 10 years ago. Now four years ago she's telling her husband about it. He is very inquisitive and starts googling water towers that look like lighthouses. This is the kind of person I need to analyze.

[Sydnee McElroy]

100.

[Justin McElroy]

Thank you. I was paying him no mind. Because in my mind, it's a silly dream. It does exist. Suddenly he turns to me and says, do you have any connection to Cape Charles, Virginia? As he is asking me this, he turns his laptop towards me and they're staring me in the face is the water tower from my dream.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That's so weird.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh my God. I felt all the blood rush out of my face in disbelief. I assured him I have no connection that I'm aware of to this town. Oh my God, that's so creepy. A few months later, on the way home from his yearly birthday vacation in July, we made a pit stop in Cape Charles. Sure enough, as you enter the town, the water tower is to your left. I could tell him I have such chills right now. I could tell him every turn to take and lead him straight to the house. It is now a private residence and I could find no record online of it ever being anything but that. I could. Oh, can you send me the address and I'll do some, yeah, googling.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And also, like, I would have just straight up knocked on the door and been like, I need to come in. You don't understand.

[Justin McElroy]

I would be way too conflict averse and scared. But I would ask you to do it for me.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Anytime there's a house that I've got like a memory attached to, I'll knock on the door and ask if I can walk.

[Justin McElroy]

Wow. I have recurring dreams of your house that you're a hoarder. Is this true?

[Sydnee McElroy]

No, but if you left at least left a note on the door and then like your number so that they could like reach to you, maybe something.

[Justin McElroy]

But man, this is amazing.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It's. It's like you were not lucid dreaming but like astral projecting to a different time. It's so.

[Justin McElroy]

Or. Or person. Like maybe you were acting out like a life as this person who lived there or something and you were like, oh, no, but if it was a store back, maybe it was like a.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I would also be curious to see like, what hurricanes have passed through that area. Oh, interesting, because then you could figure out a time a year, you know.

[Justin McElroy]

Holy, dude, this is really crazy. Okay. A few months later on my home. Yeah, we made a pit stop. Sure enough, it's now private residence. I could find no record of it being anything but that. I could not shake the eerie feeling that enveloped my body the entire time we were there though. And I begged to leave. As soon as we passed the water tower again, I felt at ease. Oh, this is so creepy.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Dude, I don't think I noticed that it was like a. Like a negative feeling. I thought this was, like, a. You're excited to finally see it.

[Justin McElroy]

I don't think I got that vibe either until. Until now. Which is a bummer that, because you wouldn't have probably known until you got there how you were gonna feel. Oh, that's so chilling. I wonder if you got, like, too close to something.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Too close to the case. Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

Too close to the case. So, yeah, this is how I ended up in the town of my dreams. That's really weird. Like, I wonder if you're just, like, freaky living out somebody else's, like, astral projecting to someone else's, like, daily. I don't know. It's weird, though, with the shopping in the store anyway.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And also, like, the two people that you happen to know were in the dream, I'd be like, do they remember that dream?

[Justin McElroy]

And did they bring the hurricane? Like, is that the symbolism? Like, they were the. They were the.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I mean, it sounds like she was having a. She, right?

[Justin McElroy]

A tough time. Yep. She.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, it sounds like she was having, like, a good time visiting this place often. Until this one bad day.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, that energy came back. I have a lot of questions, Ginny. Call me back.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Me, too.

[Justin McElroy]

Via email. Okay, so let's see when this was sent, because I don't even know the answer to that. 2023. Okay. There's a chance Jenny's is still with us. I mean, again, with us, the podcast. I'm so sorry. Every time I say that, it sounds so bad. I mean, with us. Listen.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yes, I know. But also, don't stop saying it.

[Justin McElroy]

Okay, thanks. All right, so let's see. Last thing here. So, yeah, that is how I ended up in the town of my dreams. I can thankfully say I have not dreamt of the town since. Mints. Weird. Once again, thank you two for what you do. I hope I can come see y' all again the next time you visit North Carolina. Wow. What a tale.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That's wild.

[Justin McElroy]

That is. You should ask your family if there's any. Maybe you have already any connection, like, to that town or something. I don't know.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I'm gonna look at Cape Charles. Lighthouse, water tower. No, I don't think I even know where Cape Charles is. Cape Charles to Fredericksburg.

[Justin McElroy]

Now I'm just gonna do a. Like a. We're gonna. We're on the case.

[Sydnee McElroy]

I literally, like, went to college near Cape Charles. I can't believe I didn't know that.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, maybe it was your. Did you ever go to a Weird little thrift store inside someone's house.

[Sydnee McElroy]

No. Oh, it.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh. Oh. It's. It's on a. You know, a lot of maps in. You know, maps.

[Justin McElroy]

I don't.

[Sydnee McElroy]

There's a. There's a chunk of Virginia that always gets kind of left behind because it's actually an island. It's. It's. I think it's over on the island.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, okay. I'm looking at it. What's it called? Cape Charles.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Cape Charles.

[Justin McElroy]

It looks like Cape James.

[Sydnee McElroy]

What am I doing in the Chesapeake Bay?

[Justin McElroy]

The town water tower. That's so creepy. I don't know about this. This is creeping me out. And that water tower looks not like how I pictured it. So it's like. If that's exactly what it looked like in your dream, that's very weird. Weird. You know what I mean. Like, I was picturing, like, a red and white tower, and it looks nothing like that. So if it's identical to the one in your dream, that's, like, so creepy.

[Sydnee McElroy]

It actually looks like a. Like a UFO pretending to be a water tower.

[Justin McElroy]

It looks like the same thing.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Like a Twilight Zone. Yeah, a Twilight Zone tower.

[Justin McElroy]

That.

[Sydnee McElroy]

That is very imposing. I feel like if I kept driving past that in my dreams, it would feel scary.

[Justin McElroy]

It would feel mean. Like it meant something. Right? Like, and the fact that they said. She said, like, oh, you could touch everything, but she said, like, tact. Dreams are the ones where she knew they meant they were important. Like, pay attention. And the fact that you had it over and over again usually means your psyche is trying to tell you something, but I don't know what that would be.

[Sydnee McElroy]

And that's not a water tower you mistake for something else. That's not like.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, no, no. Exactly. Goosebumps, man.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Has Xandy been to that one yet? Is he still on his.

[Justin McElroy]

Great question.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, lighthouse or lighthouse Trail quest?

[Justin McElroy]

Well, considering it's not an actual lighthouse, I doubt it, because a water tower, but fair enough. But I'll ask if he wants bonus points.

[Sydnee McElroy]

He's got a water tower he could go see.

[Justin McElroy]

Wow. That is just really weird.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Yeah, that's super. I don't know. I was gonna say awful. It feels awful.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, I don't like the sinister. I don't like how it turned sinister at the end. That was kind of sad and scary.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Well, happy September, everybody.

[Justin McElroy]

I'm on Yelp now, looking up thrift stores in Cape Charles, Virginia. Yeah. Newport News.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Hey. Hey. Yeah, it's actually like, two hours away from me, so it makes sense. Why even in college, so it makes sense why I didn't know about it.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, okay. Got.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Anyway, thank you, everyone, for sending in your stories. You will have another chance to do it next month for spooky season. Officially October.

[Justin McElroy]

That's Leona's birthday.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Oh, yeah. So we'll have a little B day. A little B day party.

[Justin McElroy]

And we'll be ready for the reason for the season.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Leona's four.

[Justin McElroy]

Well, I meant the ghosts and stuff. Yeah, the Halloween, but also the four year old. Yeah, she's scary, too.

[Sydnee McElroy]

All spooky things.

[Justin McElroy]

Yes.

[Sydnee McElroy]

All right, we will see you. See you next time. And that's why we drink.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, wow.

[Sydnee McElroy]

Drink.

[Justin McElroy]

Drink. Mama. Papa. Vivies paraviajarcontos, amigos. Bibimos parofres paquetes de buello. Yo tel?

[Sydnee McElroy]

Pormenos expedia. Vivimos paraviajar.