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Podcast Host (Intro/Outro)
Happy Holidays. I hope your season has been festive and if it hasn't been mysterious enough, then I have got a present for you. In the holiday spirit, I'm sharing an episode from one of my favorite podcasts, Otherworld, hosted by Jack Wagner. The name might be familiar. We shared an episode of theirs last year too, because I just love these stories of firsthand encounters with the supernatural. The woman in this episode is like a lot of us right now, traveling to see family, taking long drives, staying in different towns, but her trip turned unnerving when she encountered a shadowy presence sharing her hotel room. We'll be back with new episodes of conspiracy theories on January 7th. Thanks again for a great 2025.
Jack Wagner
Welcome to Other World. I'm your host Jack Wagner. The holiday season is officially upon us. Myself and the team will be taking next week off to relax with our friends and family. A well deserved one week break if I do say so myself. Especially before kicking off next year with a bang because we have some truly crazy projects in the works. Some of them have been ongoing for way too long. There's a few episodes I'm really excited about and I can't wait to get started, but we didn't want to leave you completely hanging during the holidays. So we have an extra episode this week that actually takes place on Christmas Eve. It's about a woman named Andrea who works at a particle accelerator in Berkeley, California. This was during the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic, which made life very hard and isolating for everybody in general, but especially during the holidays. I'm sure everybody remembers what that was like. Andrea's experience takes place during that time and it happened when she was staying in a hotel near her parents house in Marysville, California. This is in Yuba county, which was sort of a booming area during California's Gold rush. It's sort of a old Wild west town, or at least used to be. While Andrea was staying in this hotel, she ended up having a surprise visitor on this particular Christmas Eve and unfortunately it was not from Santa. I'll let her explain for herself. Happy holidays. For myself and the entire Otherworld team, thank you so much for listening this year. I hope you enjoy this episode and I hope you have a great holiday.
Podcast Host (Intro/Outro)
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Andrea Taylor
My name is Andrea Taylor. I live in Oakland, California. I am a principal supervisor at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Essentially, it's like a specialized particle accelerator. Really cool science is done there and I love my job. So I am not a scientist just to make that clear, but I do work with a lot of scientists myself. I manage the administrative team at the Advanced Light Source. And essentially the Advanced Light Source is a U.S. department of Energy user facility. So we have synchrotron. We're a synchrotron light source that provides all kinds of capabilities to our user community. And that community is essentially people who come to the ALS to do science. So we have we're a specialized particle accelerator. Like I said, we generate really bright beams of X ray light and that is used for all kinds of research. I mean the material sciences for sure, but biology, chemistry, physics, any kind of environmental science. And we just use the photons that are produced in light spanning the electromagnetic spectrum to produce energy ranges that can examine the atomic and electronic structure of matter. I did grow up in the Christian church. My dad has been a pastor pretty much all of my life. One of the good things about my dad specifically being a pastor is that he really loves science and he would try to incorporate it into his sermons as much as he could. I remember distinctly when I was like, oh my goodness, 11 or 12, something like that. We were living in Missouri, he had a church there and in his sermon he introduced the concept of string theory. And very long ago that this happened. But if memory serves, in that explanation he was sort of connecting, you know, these sort of nano precise things that aren't visible to us but that we know and their resonance and how they interact with each Other, and then connecting that to like a broader creation story almost. I'm taking a long way in saying that the perspective that I had that was definitely shaped by my dad, my parents, and then later on, you know, getting an education is that creation is intentional and that, you know, maybe the language I have of God, you know, that's the tradition I was raised and grown with. But I do think that whether you call it God or, you know, Allah or whatever the name for it is, I don't feel like it's a contradiction with science at all. In fact, I feel like the more science reveals, the more it reveals how expansive the universe is. And it doesn't feel like it's in conflict for me. You know, my faith is not something that is a gatekeeping system. And I think that, that it comes in, in the story because it was something that helped me stop feeling powerless and something that I could replace my fear with, if that makes sense. This occurred right when Covid was still fairly new and all of us were trying to figure out how to respond to this, you know, semi apocalyptic event impacting everyone everywhere. So certainly in a state of uncertainty, you know, perpetual anxiety, and trying to hold on to the little things, like, you know, the rare visits to family that we could actually engage in. It occurred actually the event itself, on Christmas Eve. My husband had been really sick with COVID and because we didn't have vaccines yet, he quarantined himself in our bedroom. We have a small home in Oakland, so I had to sleep out in our couch in our living room for several days on that point. And I mean, thank goodness I have a comfortable place to sleep, but I really wanted to sleep in a real bed. So I had this, you know, this sort of mix of sentiments of feelings that I was feeling, like the stress of just being in a pandemic and the stress of how people were responding. And it seemed to bring out our worst impulses as human beings. I was just really looking forward to visiting my family. Just my family, you know, taking all of the precautions, the social distancing, etc. So they were in Yuba City, which is around three and a half hours or so drive from Oakland, and I went by myself. And I was, you know, in parallel to being excited to see my family even, you know, through the social distance mechanisms, I was so desperate, like I was fixated, totally fixated on having a big ass bed to sleep in. Like, I was so stoked, you know, it's just like a random. I can't even remember the hotel. It Was either Marriott or something like that. So just, you know, really straightforward franchise hotel. But that king size bed was really calling my name. It was like almost part of the reason I was doing this visit was just to sleep in a big bed. And of course because I didn't want to stay with my family, not only considering Covid precautions, but also because it would just mean sleeping on another couch. And at that point I was like, no more couches for me. I need a king size bed. So I booked that hotel and I spent Christmas Eve with them. I booked the hotel and I had not gone there to drop off my luggage or whatever. I booked the hotel, but I went straight to my family's house. Left around 10 or 11, very excited to sleep in a bed for the first time in many days. The hotel itself was in Marysville, which is just right outside Yuba City. And like I said, it was pretty generic. Definitely in, I guess this, what would qualify as the, quote, seedier, end quote part of the town. And when I came into the lobby late on Christmas Eve, there was what I, who I think I assumed must be a guest or maybe like a friend of the front desk because he was just kind of. This guy was just hanging out at the desk, drinking from a bottle of whiskey, which, no judgment there, man, like, drink your whiskey. Have a great Christmas Eve. He was chatting with the front desk agent. Seemed fine, but when I came in and started, you know, to do my check in and everything, he was trying to talk to me while I was checking in with the front desk agent. And then, you know, I'm sort of just like, ah, yeah, yeah, cool, right? Not, not really committing to a conversation, but not trying to be rude either, but he followed me as I went to go to the elevator and then he went on the elevator to the same floor I was going to. So I did this thing. He was pretty drunk, so I was like, it should be easy to shake this guy. And fortunately he was right. But I was like, oh man, I have the wrong room. You know what, I'm just going to take the stairs. I could use some exercise. And I kind of like quickly went to the end of the hallway and then went up the stairs, stayed in that elevator or, excuse me, the stairwell for, God, I don't know, five minutes or so. And then I kind of peeked. I opened the door and peeked out at the hallway and thankfully he was gone. So after that little like, you know, subversive behavior, I then went to my room and was excited to get a night's sleep, a Good night's sleep. I mean, it had to be like 11, like closing in on midnight at that point. And you know, I'm a baby, I need to go bed at like 10 o'. Clock. You know, I was, I was feeling exhaustion and irritation when I opened the hotel door itself. Like right outside of the door, opened the door and I mean, I tell you, as soon as I stepped foot into that hotel room, like I said, there was just this feeling that something was really off. This podcast is brought to you by Carvana. Carvana lets you buy your next car on your terms. 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Andrea Taylor
I've had this feeling before, you know, this is not a new experience for me. So I was familiar with the sensitivity and I was like, oh shit. You know, and in an effort to like calm myself down, I'm like, girl, you're just, you're tired, you know, you had to deal with this drunk guy. That was annoying. Just get into the room. This will go away. You know, take shower and enjoy that big ass bed in the corner. But as I started to go into the room and I mean, this was all going in my head, I had not yet even fully stepped into the room. I was like kind of frozen there at the threshold for a second with all of these sensations and thoughts going through my mind. And as I was trying to convince myself and then going into the room and doing, you know what we all do, Find a place for your suitcase, take off your shoes, your jacket, whatever. The sense that feeling that I was hoping would just fade, it got sharper and more specific. It really felt like I was being watched. And as much as I tried to deny it, I knew this was not just like leftover irritation. It felt like there was something glaring at me. You know, if you've ever been glared at by somebody who just hates your guts, which unfortunately, I've experienced a couple times, it felt very much like that. It is a sensation that almost has, like, a. Like a tangible quality to it. You know, trying to ignore this sensation and sort of even just subconsciously justify it. I set my suitcase down. I got out the things that I need to take a shower, the pajamas I was going to change into. When I went into the bathroom and turned on the light, that sense of unease grew. And I remember the bathtub or the shower area had a curtain. And I remember when I pulled the curtain across the bathtub, feeling really uneasy, kind of like like the movie Psycho, right? I was just like, somebody's on the other side of that curtain. This. Which is ridiculous, right? Obviously, there's no one here. The room is not that big. I have used my eyes and determined that. But it just. It was almost that, like, primal fear that, like, if I open this curtain, something might be right there looking at me. So again, I ignore it. I. I like to. I like to sing. So I'm always singing, like, a little dumb tune to myself. So I started sort of humming. So I come out of the bathroom and the room when you. The bathroom was, like, the first thing immediately when you open the door, it is on the immediate left. And then you walk into the room, and there is a couch there. There's like a little coffee table. And then on the other side is the dresser, tv, et cetera. And then deeper into the room on the left side is the bed. So that's kind of how everything was situated. There was a really weird stain on the floor when I walked in, too. I noticed that. I have no idea if it is at all related, but I remember being put off by that, too. Like, if you spilled a lot of coffee on the floor, not just a coffee cup, but maybe a whole coffee container. So it was kind of brown, dark. And, you know, of course, in that sense of unease, my mind went to, is that blood? But I was like, that's ridiculous. Settle the fuck down. Like, that's not blood. They would not give you a hotel room with blood in it. But it was a noticeable stain. And I was kind of annoyed at it because, you know, I wanted a nice room. So it's fine if the bed. Like, I was looking over the bed. I'm like, that bed that looks perfectly clean. That is literally all I care about. I'm just gonna let this go. That was, like, my obsessive focus at that point. Was the bed. So, yeah, so coming out of the bedroom, walking towards the bed. And it was at that point when I was walking towards the bed, you know, all nice and clean in my pajamas, but very much distracted because it was at that stage where that sensation, that sense of unease and. And like, I was being watched became more directional and even more distinct. It felt like as I approached the bed, you know, now the couch and the coffee table, et cetera, those are behind me to my left. It really felt like it was coming from that direction specifically. So I get into the bed, I turn on the two lamps on either side of it, and it's Christmas Eve. I love watching stupid Christmas movies on that day. So I watched the Grinch because I hadn't actually seen it before. It was the Jim Carrey version. I had, like, I don't know, some potato chips or something. And I was just very focused. I turned up the volume, you know, at a reasonable level. Very focused on watching this movie. Even just watching the commercials, like, that kind of just sustained chatter and this sustained thing that was engaging my attention. It felt like, oh, okay, you know, I. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm just kind of. I must just be really keyed up. And I. And I. I felt a little better is what I'm trying to say. And. And by the end of the movie, which was kind of long if you consider, you know, all the commercial breaks, I had even started to forget that I was feeling uneasy. Like, I was like, yes, bed, bed. And so turn off the tv. I always like to read before bed, so I can't remember I was reading, but I read a few chapters. And that's when. When I. When I started reading and, like, snuggling down into bed and the TV was off was when I started to feel that sensation again, that sense of unease. And. And now I'm laying in the bed, so the couch and those items are now to my right. And it really felt like it was just emanating from there, from there specifically. And at that point, you know, I started to engage my faith a little bit. Right? Like, even if none of this is real, praying will help me feel better because it's inviting something else to be in this situation with me. Like, hopefully there is a God, and hopefully that God is listening right now. And with that turned out the light, I just got more and more uneasy. And it felt like this. It felt like suffocating, honestly. Like the room was shrinking. Like the bed was the safe place, the oasis. If you Will. Right. And it was at that point I had turned the light back on to help deal with that unease. And I had kind of been wrestling with that because I really have, like, sensitive eyes. I cannot sleep with lights on. Like, I'm such a wimp. I have to have, like, the perfect setting for sleeping. I turn on the light, I'm laying there maybe an hour or so, half hour or so passes, and then I turn off the light again because I know I cannot fall asleep no matter how tired I am with this light on. And it was at that point when I had turned the light off that I really felt like, not just a feeling, but presence. Somebody's standing right behind you. You can absolutely sense that they are there. And it was that exact same feeling, like if somebody had walked up to the bed and stood right at the edge of it, staring down at me. It was absolutely that feeling. And, oh, man, my heart is starting to race talking about this. I was so scared. That is when I saw. Saw this. It sounds unbelievable, but this is what I experienced, right? I saw this very big, dense and tall, thick, very dark. Like the darkest dark, like darker than any other shadows in the room. And it was a shadow. It kind of had form. It was extremely, like, solidly black. It was kind of. It was vaguely, very vaguely humanoid shaped. Definitely over 6ft tall, vaguely humanoid, but kind of like a blob. Like a big blob with what one might assume is. Is a head. As if it was just like, there's no neck and the shoulders are the next thing that happens. It was. Whatever it was, it was definitely a distinct thing, right? It's not like it was a. Oh, that was just the shadow of my suitcase or whatever. Like there was something right there. Undeniable at this point. You know, there's. There's no denying that what I am seeing, you know, maybe I'm hallucinating. I don't think I am. But this is absolutely the experience I'm having right now, right? Like, I definitely believe I am seeing this thing. And I cannot describe how scared I felt. Terror and confusion. And it was almost like I was expecting this, honestly. You know, I had almost like affirmation, maybe that's the word, this affirmation that what was, you know, boiling up at that stage. There was a reason for it. And this is the reason. Here it is. It's this guy, whatever the hell this thing is. Then it just like blinked, like a snap, and it just popped. It was like a pop. Like a balloon. When you pop a balloon that's kind of what it was like. It was like a pop and it popped out of existence. It's just like it was there and then it was gone. It popped from the right side of the bed and then it's at the, the, the foot of the bed and then it's at the left side of the bed and then it's just kind of like popping. It was just like a blink, blink, blink, blink, blink. And it even, it had this kind of like, like blurry whirlwind effect. Like if you're spinning around and every, you know, say you're, you're in a, I don't know, you're dancing with friends and you're in the middle and you're just spinning around. Like the way that all of the people around you just start to blur together. That's kind of what it looked like. Just like this one big whirlwind surrounding the bed where I could kind of, kind of see its, you know, nebulous features, such as they were, but they were all blending together in this like almost like inky black whirlwind, if that makes sense around the bed.
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Andrea Taylor
At no point did it was it able to go over the space of the bed. It was almost like there was a barrier right around the bed and it was coming as close to that barrier as it possibly could. Like if you're at the zoo and you're watching, I don't know, the gorillas and the gorillas, like on the other side of that glass. It almost felt like, I don't know, that it just couldn't get further. But I mean, it was still scaring the fucking shit out of me. Like it, like I wasn't thinking at that moment, oh, look, I'm safe. It can't get me. Hahaha. Like I was just terrified. Like I didn't have coherent thoughts, really, as this continued and could not. I did not have sense of time in this. In this moment. So it felt like a long time. It felt like minutes, but it was probably like 20 seconds, 30 seconds. But I got really mad. I was so scared. But I got really angry because I was finally in a bed. Like, it's Christmas Eve. It's my favorite holiday. I'm seeing my family. I am so tired because I have not slept super great on the couch for the last, you know, five days that my husband has been sick. I'm finally in this bed. I paid money for this, right? And, like, who is this fucker? Like, what is it doing? Why does it think it could take my evening from me and do this to me? I just was so, so upset. So at this stage, I had been sort of cuddled into the bed, sort of near the middle of it. I had moved even more to the middle, you know, with like, the pillows sort of forming a little fort around me. But when I got increasingly angry and at the point of being furious, like, just fucking mad, like the maddest I have ever been, I didn't even really think about it. I just. I just kind of shot up on the bed. I didn't stand up completely, but I shot up to, like, a seated position. And that's when, you know, it sounds so cheesy. It really does. And I swear I'm not like, this evangelical Christian who is saying things like these like this commonly, but I started shouting. What I said was, I'm covered by the blood of Christ. You cannot touch me. I'm not afraid of you. You need to fuck off. Like, I think I even said the scripture. God has given me authority to trample on snakes and scorpions. Nothing will harm me. As I started really getting into invoking those phrases and that belief and really calling on it, like, I really started to believe it. It's weird. I'm kind of a scaredy cat. So this confidence and this just this fury. I could get pretty pissed off. But, like, I can't believe that I was that confident and strong in the face of what I felt like I was seeing. And then I remember distinctly, I was like, leave me the alone. Go back to where you came from. Don't bother me again. And that was the culmination of this whole, you know, verbal fight. And the crazy thing is, is that as soon as I was like, go back to your corner. Don't bother me. Like, it looked like somebody had grabbed the back of this thing and just yanked them back into this corner. Like, it wasn't making that decision. It wasn't like, okay, man, whatever. I'm gonna go chill in my corner. Like, it was yanked back there. I could still see that it was there. I could still see it in, you know, my periphery, Especially when I look directly at the corner and this is the corner, like, where the couch is and everything. When I look directly at that, it was definitely really dark. Darker than the other shadows in the room. But when I turned my head, I could see it peripherally, and it was strange. I don't know why, but for whatever reason, in my periphery, it seemed to have more shape. It was there. And I had this sense that it couldn't get out of that space. Like, it wasn't going to go away completely, which, obviously that would have been preference, but that it just was not able to step out from that zone. And I was sweaty. I was shaking. Oh, I was shaking so hard. Panting. I mean, hyperventilating. And the crazy thing is that it even occurred to me that I could fall asleep at all. Like, when I hear these stories, I'm like, how the fuck did you fall back asleep? That's insane. Like, I get out of the hotel and burn it down, right? But for some reason, I was like, yeah, I can go back to sleep. So I was able to. I was able to turn out, or the lights were still off. I was able to keep the lights off and fall back asleep. In the morning, I woke up. I, like, forgot for a minute what had happened. I'm just like, oh, it's Christmas. And in the morning, I did not notice anything. I had opened the curtains. I did not notice, like, a shadow or anything being darker than the space around it. You know, I think that I still kind of had the sense that, like, this room is still inhabited by more than just me, But I didn't at all feel, like, freaked out about it. I just kind of got up, thought about how I was stoked that it was Christmas, and I was stoked to see my family, and got my stuff together and left and then immediately went over and I was like, hey, family, do you want to hear something crazy? I told them, and I was surprised that they were not surprised. It was just like, they were. They were like, oh, my God, I can't believe that happened to you. But they're at no point where they like, are you maybe a little bit crazy? You know, they sort of reaffirmed that. It sounded like I wrestled with something. I think it was. My mom said something to the effect of that sounds like, that was like a demon. And I don't really know if I believe in the. I don't know if I believe necessarily in demons or evil spirits. I just, I don't think we're really equipped to identify what these things are. So we reach for the language that we already have, you know, so obviously she was doing that, right? It sounded like a demon. And clearly the, the invoking Christ worked on it. They accepted the story, they, they kind of talked about it. My, my dad, he, he said a little prayer, you know, thank you for protecting my princess. And then we just had Christmas, you know, we moved on. It did not become something that we really referred to the rest of the day. My husband, he. I love him and he is such a great compliment to me, but he does not believe in this at all. By this I mean generally paranormal, supernatural, etc. Absolutely. Just not. He's extremely pragmatic man, very analytical, but he, he has not been anything but supportive. And that is to say he's like, well, you know, I don't really know how to reconcile with that. And he does not come from a background where he would have any kind of like, easily accessible language like I do, right, to describe my experience in the world. And even when I talked to him about it recently, I was like, well, do you believe me or not? And he was like, well, I believe you, but I just, I don't, I, I can't explain it. And you know, we got to talking and, and I said something to him that I very much believe, which is that many of these phenomena, we just don't have the tools to examine them properly. I mean, you know, going back to my experience of where I work, when you think about the micro level at which we can examine things, material structures, you know, nanoparticles, that would have been insane and sounded like complete, you know, fairy tale made up shit to scientists not that long ago. So it is truly my belief that science just hasn't revealed how these things connect, but that it will eventually and then we will collectively as human beings be able to develop better vocabulary to explain these things. And I think that in my husband's reaction there, I think that that sort of general perspective is more comfortable for him. You know, just a general acknowledgment. The universe is more complex than our categories. Until we have better tools, things are just mysterious, you know. So.
Jack Wagner
Otherworld is executive produced and hosted by myself, Jack Wagner. Our producers are Theo Schaeffer, Theo Krantz, Haley Pearson and Nikki Kate Delgado. Our theme song is by Cobra Man. The soundtrack of this episode is by North Americans and Juice Jackal. Our artwork is by Cul de Sac Studios. Please show us your support by subscribing, leaving a five star review and telling your friends about the show. If you want to hear bonus episodes of Otherworld, you can become a patron@patreon.com Otherworld Our social media is Otherworldpod. Thank you to the team at Odyssey. Leah Rhys, Dennis, Maura Curran, Josefina Francis, Eric Donnelly, Kate Rose, Colin Gaynor and Hilary Schuff. Follow and listen to Otherworld now for free on the Odysee app or wherever you get your podcasts. And finally, if you or somebody you know has experienced something paranormal, supernatural or unexplained, you could send us your stories@storiesotherworldpod.com.
Andrea Taylor
Been out here all morning. Not a single bite. Guess the fish finally figured it out. Just like hackers do when Cisco Duo's on guard with Duo's end to end fishing resistance, every login, every device, every user stays protected. No hooks, no catches, no bites. Cisco Duo fishing season is over. Learn more@duo.com hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited.
Jack Wagner
To be clear, that's half price, not half the service.
Andrea Taylor
Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price, so that means half day.
Jack Wagner
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment.
Andrea Taylor
Of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of network busy taxes and fees extra.
Holiday Favorites: Otherworld – Andrea’s Shadow Encounter
Date: December 24, 2025
Host: Jack Wagner (via Otherworld, in collaboration with Spotify Studios)
Guest: Andrea Taylor
This special holiday episode, shared from the "Otherworld" podcast, recounts Andrea Taylor’s chilling first-person paranormal experience in a hotel room on Christmas Eve during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrea, a principal supervisor at a particle accelerator in Berkeley, California, describes her unsettling encounter with a menacing shadow presence while reflecting on themes of science, faith, and our limited understanding of the unexplained.
“...the more science reveals, the more it reveals how expansive the universe is. And it doesn’t feel like it’s in conflict for me.”
—Andrea Taylor [06:03]
[14:53]
Quote:
“It just… it was almost that, like, primal fear that, like, if I open this curtain, something might be right there looking at me.”
—Andrea Taylor [15:44]
[19:00]
Faith as Comfort:
“Even if none of this is real, praying will help me feel better because it’s inviting something else to be in this situation with me.”
—Andrea Taylor [20:55]
[22:50]
Quote:
“It was absolutely that feeling. And, oh man, my heart is starting to race talking about this. I was so scared.”
—Andrea Taylor [24:21]
Quote:
“At no point was it able to go over the space of the bed. It was almost like there was a barrier right around the bed and it was coming as close to that barrier as it possibly could.”
—Andrea Taylor [27:44]
[28:30]
“I’m covered by the blood of Christ. You cannot touch me. I’m not afraid of you. You need to fuck off… God has given me authority to trample on snakes and scorpions. Nothing will harm me.”
—Andrea Taylor [29:46]
As soon as she asserts herself, the shadow appears yanked into the corner, unable to cross a threshold, confined there, becoming less threatening.
Despite the ordeal, Andrea surprisingly manages to fall asleep.
Quote:
“For some reason, I was like, yeah, I can go back to sleep.”
—Andrea Taylor [32:30]
[33:40]
“I believe you, but I just, I don’t, I can’t explain it.”
—Andrea Taylor [35:50]
Science and Mystery:
“Many of these phenomena, we just don’t have the tools to examine them properly… Science just hasn’t revealed how these things connect, but it will eventually.”
—Andrea Taylor [36:40]
On the conflict between science and faith:
“My faith is not something that is a gatekeeping system… creation is intentional.”
—Andrea Taylor [06:00]
Sensation of being watched:
“It felt like there was something glaring at me… a sensation that almost has a tangible quality to it.”
—Andrea Taylor [15:28]
Description of the entity:
“It was vaguely, very vaguely humanoid shaped. Definitely over 6ft tall… like a big blob with what one might assume is a head.”
—Andrea Taylor [23:12]
On confronting the presence:
“I just kind of shot up on the bed… I started shouting, I’m covered by the blood of Christ, you cannot touch me. I’m not afraid of you. You need to fuck off.”
—Andrea Taylor [29:46]
On family reactions:
“My mom said… That sounds like a demon. And I don’t really know if I believe… in demons or evil spirits. I just, I don’t think we’re really equipped to identify what these things are.”
—Andrea Taylor [34:32]
Andrea’s storytelling is candid, vivid, and self-aware—at times humorous (“I was so desperate, like I was fixated, totally fixated on having a big ass bed to sleep in”), often reflective, honest about her fear, but also open-minded and intellectually curious about her extraordinary experience. Her account seamlessly weaves personal anxiety, scientific skepticism, religious conviction, and emotional vulnerability.
This episode delivers a gripping, relatable, and profoundly human tale of an unexplained, possibly supernatural, hotel encounter. Andrea’s unique background in science and faith provides a thoughtful perspective on the mysterious, highlighting how personal beliefs and lived experience shape interpretation—and ultimately, how science and faith can intersect in the search for understanding. The story is as much about a woman’s confrontation with the unknown as it is about how we process fear, uncertainty, and the limits of our own categories of knowledge.