SPOOKY STORIES VOL. III

Summary

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Podcast Episode Summary

I'll Read What She's Reading

Episode: SPOOKY STORIES VOL. III
Date: October 29, 2025
Hosts: Reggie (Rune Winters), Mikayla (Elspeth/Nightmare), Kennedy (Sybil)
Theme:
The annual Halloween special where the hosts, dressed as favorite bookish characters, read and react to listeners' real-life spooky stories—ranging from haunted coffee shops and creepy basements, to unsettling wilderness encounters and childhood visits from the supernatural. Expect chaos, laughter, jumpy moments, and genuine chills as the group unpacks everything spine-tingling submitted by their listeners.

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Episode Structure

1. Opening & Costumes ([00:00]–[06:00])

• Hosts open with excitement for their favorite annual tradition: telling spooky, listener-submitted stories.
• Each reveals their literary-inspired costume and reasons behind their choices:
  • Mikayla: Dressed as Elspeth from One Dark Window—out of her comfort zone with "dark hair, yellow eyes," but "I love Elspeth, especially her character. I don't necessarily love her name. I've struggled to pronounce it so many times." ([02:59])
  • Kennedy: As Sybil from Night and Moth—comments on costume difficulties and listeners’ reactions: "I also thought that her costume would just be really cool and simple, but yet look cool. I'm not gonna lie to you guys. I can't see. But I'm committed to the bit." ([04:23])
  • Reggie: As Rune Winters from Heartless Hunter and Rebel Witch—picks character for being “an icon… just really cool. She’s a witch. And especially in Rebel Witch, when I read Rebel Witch, I was like, yeah, I love her.” ([05:00])

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2. Listener Spooky Stories & Host Reactions

First Submission: Haunted Coffee Shop ([06:14]–[09:47])

Story Summary:
Val, a fan, recounts a disturbing series of paranormal events while working at a coffee shop next to a bookstore. Footstep vibrations, shadowy figures on security footage, unexplained whistling, objects moving on their own, equipment malfunctioning without cause, and a night-time spectral encounter cap off her haunting tale.

• Notable Quote:
  "Later that morning, before we opened, I was setting up the espresso machine, when I heard whistling... Dan whistled a lot, so I assumed it was him. But when I looked up, he was standing right behind me at the register, frozen." ([07:28])
• Hosts React:
  • "I would quit. Quit immediately. No first sign of paranormal. Not even a two weeks; out of there. I'm out." – Kennedy ([09:02])
  • “That’s, like, one too many instances of spookiness…” – Reggie ([09:09])

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Second Submission: Man at the Window ([09:56]–[12:10])

Story Summary:
A listener describes spotting a silhouette through her bedroom’s back window, watching her from the deck in moonlight. The figure taps the glass; she screams, waking her parents. The intruder flees, but vanishes despite the yard’s enclosure.

• Notable Quotes:
  • “That is so scary because, as someone who has encountered a ghost before, people to me are scarier than ghosts... if that was an actual person, that's 10 times scary.” – Reggie ([11:33])
  • “Where are your curtains?” – Kennedy ([11:54])
• Hosts Ponder: Wonder if it was a real person or something supernatural, given the evidence.

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Third Submission: The Green Bear Demon ([12:26]–[16:41])

Story Summary:
Sadie (and later her sister) witness a green bear-like figure—think Berenstain Bear—sitting at the bed, singing comfort but with a terrifying Cheshire Cat smile. Sadie's sister confirms years later, describing the identical apparition.

• Notable Quotes:
  • “I'm not laughing because this is kind of terrifying, but I'm having a hard time... just picturing a Care Bear.” – Kennedy ([13:32])
  • “What demon manifests as a Berenstain Bear?” – Kennedy ([16:41])
• Hosts React: Flip from skepticism to shock: “At first I was kind of like, okay, this is just a dream you had, but when someone else experiences the same thing, that's just weird. Like, that's freaky.” – Reggie ([15:01])

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Fourth Submission: The Haunted Antique Shop ([16:57]–[22:10])

Story Summary:
Parents explore a Pennsylvania antique shop, both suddenly develop headaches and nausea, see an eerie old woman in a rocking chair who does not acknowledge them. Immediate relief on leaving. A later Google search reveals the store’s haunted reputation.

• Notable Quotes:
  • “See? That's why I don't antique. Because I'm superstitious about things. You know, Annabelle has quite literally haunted me since I've seen it.” – Mikayla ([19:40])
  • “Your body just knows, and that's kind of crazy.” – Kennedy ([20:44])

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Fifth Submission: Jailhouse Spirits ([22:34]–[23:33])

Story Summary:
A female officer reports hearing a woman’s voice while alone on night shift, and a black shadow running into a locked cell. All inmates were secured.

• Host Chills:
  • “I just got chills... Quit.” – Kennedy ([22:56])

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Sixth Submission: Rocking Chair at the Cabin ([24:00]–[25:34])

Story Summary:
Listener staying at a rural Utah cabin sees a rocking chair moving violently through the moonlit windows at 3 a.m. No one inside is awake; the scene feels eerily peaceful rather than malevolent.

• Notable Quote:
  • "At least you felt a peaceful presence instead of a spooky one." – Mikayla ([25:27])

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Seventh Submission: Shadow Man in the Hotel Bathroom ([26:24]–[28:46])

Story Summary:
A listener’s mother sees a shadowed silhouette of a man in her hotel room’s bathroom; turns out her husband was in bed behind her. Her father saw the same shape separately. Reggie shares a similar personal story about seeing shadow-children after turning off the lights.

• Notable Quote:
  • “There's something about like seeing something darker than the dark.” – Reggie ([29:11])

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Eighth Submission: Sleep Paralysis and the Sinister Mission Companion ([29:33]–[34:21])

Story Summary:
A missionary in rural New Mexico suffers from sleep paralysis—shadowy entities, an evil-feeling apartment, and a toxic companion blaming the 'spirit' on the narrator’s own "sins." Later, learning about sleep paralysis brings some closure, but the experience (and related nightmares) remain horrifying.

• Groan-Worthy Amanda:
  • “She said that I had brought it in with my disobedience and my sins.” ([32:19])
• Hosts React:
  • “Freaking Amanda. I have a lot of questions. Yeah. That's crazy.” – Kennedy ([34:18])

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Ninth Submission: Kentucky House Intrusion ([34:25]–[36:49])

Story Summary:
Family staying at grandparents’ rural Kentucky home for the first time witnesses inexplicable flashes of light, thumping from the basement stairs, and ominous evidence: the basement exterior door is unlocked, with an axe propped by it. No one dares to stay another night.

• Notable Quote:
  • “If my dad was ever scared, I would be truly scared.” – Mikayla ([37:10])

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Tenth Submission: Tall Faceless White Figure ([36:58]–[39:39])

Story Summary:
A listener, as a child, sees a tall, glowing white figure by the door. Unable to rouse her mother, she hides under blankets until morning. Spawns a discussion about children’s sensitivity to the supernatural, and ghosts versus old houses.

• Hosts Share:
  • Kennedy shares her mother’s revelation about a murder-suicide in their old house’s basement, explaining her own childhood fears.

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Final Submission: The Mt. Timpanogos Skinwalker (The Timp Incident) ([41:01]–[53:13])

Story Summary:
A detailed first-person account (written by a listener’s husband) of a night hike up Mt. Timpanogos leads to a chilling encounter: ghostly hikers warn them, they encounter deer and then a being with nine-foot-tall, shifting, glowing green eyes feeding on something in the shadows. The animal disperses a herd of deer. Later, a man chants by a white van in the parking lot. After fleeing, the group compares notes—believing they saw a skinwalker, describing it as nearly identical to The Rake from online mythology.

• Staggering Quotes:
  • “Do you see those eyes back there behind the buck?... The eyes hovered nine feet off the ground, shifting up and down like it was feeding on something.” ([45:28])
  • "I'm not saying what it was until we're in the car." – Josiah ([46:00])
  • "That was a skin walker." ([48:00])
• Crescendo of Terror:
  • "Look it up so you can be terrified like we are." – Kennedy ([51:03])
  • “I think that might be the best story we’ve ever had submitted.” – Kennedy ([51:11])

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3. Memorable Host Moments & Commentary

• Frequent, self-deprecating humor about being easily spooked:
  • "I am terrified. I'm actually terrified. Happy Halloween, everybody." – Reggie ([51:51])
• Recurring jokes about refusing to stay in old houses, antique, or hike at night.
• Running concern for the two girls hiking up the same trail:
  • “If you recently hiked Mount Temp on October 3rd of 2025 at night. Are you okay?” – Kennedy ([52:18])
• Giddy, nervous energy in reading the creepiest stories.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "I would quit. Quit immediately. No first sign of paranormal." – Kennedy ([09:02])
• "What demon manifests as a Berenstain Bear?" – Kennedy ([16:41])
• "There's something about seeing something darker than the dark." – Reggie ([29:11])
• "That was a skin walker." – Josiah (as relayed by story, [48:00])
• "I think that might be the best story we’ve ever had submitted." – Kennedy ([51:11])

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• [00:00]–[06:00]: Costumes & Halloween intro
• [06:14]–[09:47]: Haunted coffee shop
• [09:56]–[12:10]: Mirror/Window visitor story
• [12:26]–[16:41]: Demon Care Bear/Green Bear story
• [16:57]–[22:10]: Antique store haunting
• [22:34]–[23:33]: Jailhouse ghost stories
• [24:00]–[25:34]: Rocking chair/shadow at the cabin
• [26:24]–[28:46]: Shadow man in the hotel bathroom
• [29:33]–[34:21]: Sleep paralysis in New Mexico
• [34:25]–[36:49]: Kentucky house/basement intruder
• [36:58]–[39:39]: Tall faceless white figure
• [41:01]–[53:13]: The Timpanogos Skinwalker incident

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Final Thoughts

• The episode delivers a chaotic but heartfelt celebration of Halloween, blending humor ("I'm committed to the bit!") with genuine fright ("My heart is racing, you guys. Nine feet off the ground... shifting up and down...").
• The hosts’ willingness to be creeped out alongside their listeners, and their honest, playful personalities, make the spooky stories accessible and fun—while still delivering legitimate shivers.

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For true-crime podcast fans, horror lovers, or cozy book club members wanting a dash of adrenaline on Halloween, this episode is packed with vivid, memorable tales and plenty of “Nope, I would be OUT!” banter.

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Transcript

[A]

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to I'll read what she's reading. I'm Rune Winters, AKA Reggie.

[B]

I'm Elspeth. And Nightmare. I can't be serious. To save my life doing that.

[A]

AKA Michaela.

[C]

And I'm Sybil, AKA Kennedy.

[A]

We are so excited for this episode. We look forward to it every year. So happy Halloween. We are dressed up as some of our favorite bookish characters. And we'll get a little more into that in a second. But to kind of explain what we're doing today, you know, if you have been following along with the podcast for a while, you know that this is like a very highly anticipated episode. Just because we get to dress up, which is fun, and we just kind of, like, tell spooky stories that have happened to you guys. And while it's not an necessarily bookish, the content of the video, as far as, like, what we're talking about, it's still, like, stories and, like, it's more like real life things and it's just fun. We've had some really spooky ones in the past, so we haven't read any of the submissions for this year. And I'm.

[C]

Do you ready to get one in the car parking lot from last year? Someone that came up to her car window?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Yeah. If you haven't watched our other two Halloween episodes, if you loved this, you have two more episodes that you get to go watch with different costumes.

[A]

Yes. And if you're listening and you're not seeing the video, you're probably on, like, Apple or Google and not Spotify or YouTube. Maybe go run that way. If you want to go to our TikTok. Yeah, go to our TikTok. We've been making them all day. Can't stop, won't stop. So, Mikayla, why did you decide to dress up as Elspeth from One Dark Window?

[B]

I think I can speak for all of us when I say we all struggled picking someone this year, and I just wanted to try something different a little out of my comfort zone when it comes to, like, dark hair, yellow eyes, very dark features. And I'm the exact opposite of that. Light eyes, light features.

[A]

So that's why you look so good.

[C]

You look good with black hair.

[A]

The eyes. The eyes are so good.

[B]

And I really loved Dark One, Dark Window, but it was a while since I had read it, and I feel like last year we kind of picked characters that were closeish to when we read it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I kind of had to think back about some characters, and this one Just came to my mind. Yes.

[C]

And she looks good.

[B]

Oh, thank you. It's very, very different. It's a little startling.

[A]

I love it.

[B]

So that's why I love. I love Elspeth, especially her character. I don't necessarily love her name. I've struggled to pronounce it so many times. But yeah, Elspeth and one Dark Window and Nightmare.

[C]

Nightmare.

[B]

So, yeah, so good.

[A]

Kennedy. Also a Rachel Gillig.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Character Rachel Gillig.

[B]

Can we please interview you? Just kidding.

[C]

No, but really, I chose to be Sybil because I read Night and Moth this year and I really, really loved it. And you guys came for me a little bit on our Instagram stories. Well, all of us, really.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Because we were struggling so hard with what we wanted to be for Halloween. And we had put a question box like, who should we be for Halloween? And everyone was like, you guys are basically dressing up as people. Like you guys in different fonts. And so, yeah, I don't feel like I'm very similar to Sybil at all. Especially Looks wise. It is not a Bob, Bob Summer or Bob Fall for me. This is not the vibe for me. But I also thought that her costume would just be really cool and simple, but yet look cool. I'm not gonna lie to you guys. I can't see. So if I look a little funky, like I'm not looking in the right direction, it's because I can't see. But I'm committed to the bit.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah. I'm committed to the shroud. And yeah, like I said, I really enjoyed. I almost said One Dark Window. Not too twisted.

[B]

Crowds.

[C]

Night and Moth.

[A]

Night and Moth.

[C]

So that's why I decided to be her.

[B]

She's also really cool.

[A]

She is really cool. Amazing. Well, not from a Rachel Gillick book by E.M. ruhn. From Rebel.

[B]

Well, Heartless Hunter.

[A]

Heartless Hunter, and then the Rebel Witch by Kristen Cicarelli. And we actually had the Heartless Hunter as our book club book last year. Was it last year or is it this year?

[B]

Had to have been last year.

[A]

Last year. And, oh, I lost my hood. The Rebel Witch I read earlier this year, I believe is when it was, and I just loved it. They're just books that make me giggle and kick my feet and they're just. Just so fun. And I think Ruhn's character is just really cool. She's really cool. She's a witch. And especially in Rebel Witch, when I read Rebel Witch, I was like, yeah, I love her. She's an icon.

[C]

I still haven't read that. I Need to.

[A]

Yeah, you do. Yeah, it's fun. It's very fun. So, I'm Rune Winters, and. Yeah, great duology. If you're needing a fun little fantasy. Witchy duology.

[C]

Duologies do it better. We are all duologies.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

I'm just not completed.

[A]

Yeah, we'll see what awaits you in the next book. So, anyways, without further ado, we're gonna get into your spooky stories. So. Yeah, we had you guys submit them for us, and I think we're gonna get spooked. Are we ready?

[C]

I'm ready.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Do you guys want me to read the first one?

[C]

You read the first one.

[A]

All right. Hi, I'm Val. Huge fan. Hi, Val. We love you.

[B]

Hey, Val.

[A]

Without further ado, I used to work at a coffee shop that opened long before sunrise and closed well after dark. It sat inside a small, open conc shopping center. Our shop was at the front, a bookstore next door, doctor's offices in the back, and the restrooms all the way down a dim hallway. The shop had a loft upstairs, accessible by two winding metal spiral staircases, and we kept the money drawer locked in a closet up there overnight. Usually it was just me and another guy. We'll call him Dan. Opening or closing, since we'd be there the longest. One morning, when I walked in, Dan looked shaken. I asked what was wrong, and he said it felt like someone had been following him around while he opened. He. He'd gone upstairs to grab the drawer, and as he came back down, he felt vibrations behind him, like footsteps matching his one or two steps behind. Every time he stopped to look, no one was there. When he reached the bottom, the lights flickered. I asked if he checked the security footage, but he hadn't. So we went upstairs together to review it. Everything looked normal until the moment he reached the bottom of the stairs. That's when a dark shadow slid across the ceiling. Later that morning, before we opened, I was sitting up, setting up the espresso machine, when I heard whistling coming from the hallway near the bathrooms.

[C]

No.

[A]

Dan whistled a lot, so I assumed it was him. But when I looked up, he was standing right behind me at the register, frozen. We stared at each other. Neither of us said a word. A few nights later, we were closing together. We had just finished counting the drawer when the entire stack of coffee cups on the counter slid forward and toppled off the edge, landing perfectly upright on the floor as if someone had gently pushed them. We brushed it off and kept working. But as we were locking up the drive Thru Buzzer suddenly blared. It was motion activated, triggered only when a car pulled up. But there was no one there. No cars, no animals, no wind. We tried to ignore it and headed out. As I drove away, I glanced back at the window and saw a dark figure standing right next to it. After that, smaller things started happening all the time. The sanitizing sink randomly unplugged, blender switched on by themselves. And espresso. Espresso Grinder.

[C]

Word.

[A]

When no one was near it. But the worst happened late one night.

[C]

It gets worse.

[A]

While we were closing, I was wiping tables in the loft when I heard shuffling in the office below. The office had an open ceiling, so from the loft, you could see the tops of the shelves. Inside, Dan was in the kitchen washing dishes, so I assumed that maybe someone had broken in. Then I saw it. The top of a dark figure pacing back and forth in the office. I froze, listening. There was mumbling. Low, rhythmic, almost like chanting. I ran downstairs and grabbed Dan. We thought maybe someone was hiding out, so we walked toward the office carefully. The door was locked, just like always. When we opened it, the lights and lights instantly went out and a shelf crashed to the floor. I left that job shortly after to join the military. But I'm sure it's just as haunted as it was back then.

[C]

I would quit.

[A]

I gave you the skills.

[C]

Quit immediately.

[A]

Immediately. Immediately.

[C]

No first sign of paranormal. Not even a two weeks out of there. I'm out.

[A]

Oh, that's like, one too many instances of spookiness for it to be considered, like, just a coincidence.

[C]

It sounds like someone's haunting Dan. Only happens with Dan. Yeah.

[A]

Oh, that's spooky.

[B]

I'm glad she. You guys, like, had each other.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I could not imagine, like, opening or closing, like, by yourself and having those experiences because at least you had someone to kind of like. Did you just hear that, too?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I'm saying? Like, you're not going crazy. Yeah, I. I'm sorry. I would have quit so fast. Me too.

[A]

Thanks for the story, Val. That was a good. That was a good one. Started us off strong.

[B]

Feeling a little creeped in this basement.

[C]

Not gonna lie.

[B]

I have always been a night owl setting the scene. My bedroom has a wraparound deck with three steps leading into my backyard.

[C]

That sounds like the coolest, literally, my dream ever.

[B]

Okay, sorry. The window into my bedroom is directly behind my bed. And I had a big mirror facing me inside the room.

[C]

That sounds like bad feng shui. I'm not gonna lie.

[A]

Like a window and yeah, yeah.

[C]

I'm sorry. No, it's okay.

[B]

One night I was. It was almost a full moon. Staying up late, watching a little tv. I turned off all the lights and noticed a strange shape silhouette behind me. Looking into my room. I could see it directly behind me through the mirror. A black shape of a person. I immediately froze in tear. Like I couldn't breathe. But I tried to stay calm. My parents were in the next room over. My phone next to my bed and a door leading to the deck inside my parents room. I'm not sure what came over me, but I yelled hello. A moment later I saw the figure lift its hand up on the glass and start violently tapping on my window. I freaked out and screamed. My parents woke up and I yelled to call them and tell them that there was someone on the deck. My dad got up and opened the door to the deck behind my room. And as he was getting up, I saw the fear turn and run across the deck and heard its footsteps down the stairs and run through the yard. Before my dad got there, I heard the steps running through the grass into the yard. But we saw nothing and no one outside. It's like something or someone just disappeared. We have a huge wraparound fence in the yard. So we would have seen the person trying to hop the fence. To this day, I think about that night and that experience and it was the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me.

[A]

That is so scary because it's like, oh, I am a. Yeah. As someone who has encountered a ghost before, people to me are scarier than ghosts. Like it had that been like if that was a ghost, like that's still scary. If that was an actual person, that's 10 times scary.

[C]

That is terrifying. Regardless, that is a scary.

[A]

Windows open at night into your bedroom.

[C]

Where are your curtains?

[B]

Yeah. I'm always curious how old you were. Not to discredit, but I wonder if it was like someone from school.

[A]

Like.

[B]

Yeah, like trying to. But that's crazy about the fencing. Like you would have been able to see and you.

[A]

They didn't see anyone.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Climb the fence.

[B]

Oh my gosh. That's terrifying. I mean that's a really cool room, but that just. I'm. I'm sorry, that's just like a setup for something terrifying to happen.

[A]

Yeah, I don't like that.

[C]

Oh, that's freaky, freaky, freaky.

[A]

Do you need to lift up the.

[C]

Just give me a minute. Hold on. Hello to you all. My name is Sadie and this is the time I saw a demon.

[B]

Great.

[C]

Gay.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

At the time, I was sharing a room with my two older sisters. They slept on a bunk bed and my bed was a mattress that we pulled out from under the bunk bed. So like a trundle bed?

[B]

Kind of. Yeah. Okay.

[C]

Anyways, I always was afraid of being the last person to fall asleep. That's when I thought a monster was going to get me. So of course this night I couldn't fall asleep. And unfortunately my sisters were both dead asleep.

[B]

Sleep.

[C]

And that's when I hear the door crack open. And I felt someone walk towards me. I turn around to look, thinking it was my mom. And that's when I see it. A what? A green bear.

[B]

Think the green bear from Bear Time.

[C]

Bears in Time. Bears. But as a little man.

[D]

What?

[C]

And he sits on the edge of my bed and starts to comfort me, saying, it's all right and it's okay to go to bed now because he is there and he is saying this all in a sing songy way.

[B]

What?

[C]

I'm not laughing because this is kind of terrifying, but I'm having a hard time. Just like I'm picturing a Care Bear.

[D]

Okay.

[C]

All right. This is very scary. I would be terrified. I remember staring at him and just silently crying. And that's when he says, it's okay, Sadie. I'm here now. While he starts to smile. And the smile takes up his whole face. And I tried to hide under my blankets. And when I finally got the courage to look up, I saw him leaving the room. And as he left, he whispered, sleep tight.

[B]

Don't let the monsters out.

[C]

This, of course, terrified me. And as days passed, I convinced myself it was a dream. Until years later, my sisters told me a story of a green bear guy who she saw at the same house I saw him at and said. I said nothing as she described him exactly the same way he looked to me in her story. He only waved at her while she. While he started to smile in the same way he was doing with me. The difference was she waved back at him and he blinked out of existence. And no one saw him after that. I wonder if we saw him the same night. And her acknowledging him was all he wanted. And while I didn't acknowledge him, he went to find someone else. I just wonder who he haunts now.

[A]

Wait, wait, wait.

[C]

I hope you have one for Halloween. Stay spooky, Kate.

[A]

I'm not gonna lie.

[B]

Explain what it was like. Bear. Bear.

[C]

A bear man.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Bears in Time. What's Bears in Time?

[B]

In Time.

[C]

Bears in Time.

[A]

I'll let you look that Up.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

At first I was kind of like, okay, this is just a dream you had, but when someone else experiences the same thing, that's just weird. Like, that's freaky.

[B]

Sorry, guys, I'm trying to read.

[A]

And also, like, not saying you're making that up, because I. Like, any time anyone tells me a ghost story that happened to him, I'm like, I totally, 100% believe it. But, like, I've never.

[C]

Oh, my.

[A]

I read it wrong because I can't.

[C]

Really see Berenstein bears.

[A]

Oh, the Berenstein.

[B]

Berenstein bears. Okay.

[C]

Sorry. It was a little blurry.

[B]

Through the shroud.

[A]

A green Berenstain bear.

[B]

Scary.

[A]

That is like.

[B]

That's terrifying.

[A]

Such a specific kind of creature thing to describe. So that's why I'm like, the fact. The fact that the sister saw that, too, is.

[B]

It's giving.

[A]

That is.

[C]

What's that bear from that video game?

[A]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Five nights at Freddy.

[C]

Yeah. What's his name?

[A]

Is it Freddy?

[C]

Oh, it is. Freddie. Freddy Fazbear.

[B]

Is it?

[C]

Or. Yeah, Freddy Fazbear. Yeah, that's what I was picturing.

[B]

Yeah, that's like the bears. Team bears, like in the cartoon. Yeah, like the. They're cute, but if you think about that coming into your room, just waddling.

[C]

Waddling in and then sitting on your.

[D]

Bed and then smiling at you like the Cheshire Cat.

[C]

Absolutely not Weird. Sadie, I'm so sorry that happened to you.

[B]

I questioned you.

[C]

I wasn't laughing at you. Okay, I believe you.

[B]

I was questioning you until you said that your sister had similar experience. And then I was like, okay, I can't question you.

[C]

What demon manifests as a Berenstain Bear?

[B]

Yeah, that's really.

[C]

Honestly, no, think about it. That they probably, like, they could manifest in that way because they were probably children to, like, seem more approachable, you know, I'm saying.

[A]

I don't know.

[C]

Creepy, creepy, creepy.

[A]

I'm scared, though. That was spooky. Oh, that was very, very spooky. When I was in middle school, my parents went on a trip to New Oxford, Pennsylvania, just the two of them. They both love unique and old stuff. So their favorite thing to do in a new place is to find a local antique shop and search around it for a while.

[B]

Not antique shops.

[A]

We learned about last year. This town they were visiting is known for being the antique capital. So they were hitting a whole bunch of different stores. As they were driving around, they saw one that didn't have many cars, but had some cool stuff outside. So they decided to stop and go in. My mom said almost immediately as she walked through the front door she got a splitting headache. Oh, they figured it was just from how much they walking they had done that day and continued into the store. My dad said when he walked in, he too felt nauseous, like dizzy, queasy, almost disordered. They both decided to just take a quick lap around the tall dusty aisles of the store and if they both weren't feeling better, to go. However, as they walked further into the store, they both got worse. My mom's headache escalated into sickness and foggy brain. My dad's nausea got worse and also started to add a headache. As my parents were coining around the last corner of an aisle, there was an old lady sitting in a rocking chair at the back of the store. They said she was just staring at them and they both got a very unsettling feeling. But being nice, they said hello to her. She stared at them for a heartbeat longer, then turned her head and looked into the air at nothing and said no hello back. Oh, they just said it was their. They said it was their. They said there was something about the old lady that made both of them have goosebumps. My mom and dad both realized she had been the only person they had seen in the building. No front desk, no checkout person, no other customers, nothing. My dad eventually told my mom he couldn't handle the dizzy spell and needed to step outside for air. My mom agreed and they both left the store not seeing oh, my mom agreed and they both let the left the store not seeing anyone on the way out. My parents said as soon as they stepped out of the store they felt instant relief. No headaches, no dizzy, no nausea. They both had a weird gut feeling and got into the car and left thinking this was super strange. They FaceTime me and told me their experience which I looked up the store they were in on Google and the first link to pop up was an article on one of the most haunted places in the town with people reporting seeing figures and getting sick unsettling feelings. After learning this, both my parents began to wonder if the old lady they saw was ever truly there or if one of the or if it was one of the ghosts others had reportedly seen. Either way, neither of them would go back. I tried convincing them to go back with more people and see if the lady was there again, but they both refused and said that they would never go back inside with the way that they had felt. Their gut said it was something not good to this Day, I think my parents saw a ghost. And perhaps the unsettling feeling was their instinct telling them it was time to leave.

[C]

Absolutely not.

[B]

See?

[A]

Oh, I got, like.

[C]

We got. We got hate.

[B]

Or I got hate last year for saying, like, antiquing.

[A]

Like, I just.

[B]

That's why I don't antique. Because I'm superstitious about things. You know, Annabelle has quite literally haunted me since I've seen it. I was thinking that they walked in.

[A]

To buy, like, bought something.

[B]

No, I was thinking they walked into the place where, like, all of the haunted figures because, like, Annabelle's based on a true story. Yeah.

[C]

Did you guys know that she disappeared?

[B]

The lady Annabelle. Annabelle, yes.

[A]

Recently.

[B]

Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So I was thinking they walked into the place where they have all of those. That's where I thought this story was. Okay.

[A]

Yeah. Like, all the dolls and stuff.

[B]

Yeah. All of this.

[C]

Yeah. Maybe it is.

[B]

Maybe if you.

[A]

I want to look up that place now.

[B]

Did she say her name was? There's no name.

[C]

Did she say where it was, like, the town?

[A]

It was in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. So I'm sure.

[B]

I'm gonna look it up.

[A]

Google search. We could find it.

[C]

That's creepy. The thing is, is your body will.

[B]

Tell you a lot.

[C]

Like, your body just knows, and that's kind of crazy.

[B]

I can't spell Pennsylvania.

[C]

I'm glad your parents made it out alive.

[A]

Large antique shop with an extremely creepy basement set up for paranormal. I don't know.

[C]

Anyways, I don't mess with that kind of stuff. No, no.

[A]

Did you find it?

[B]

I don't know. There's. I found a review and they have all good reviews.

[C]

They did some damage control.

[A]

Yeah, maybe.

[B]

Have you heard? Will you tell us what it is, please?

[C]

Yeah, I want to look it up.

[A]

Yes, send us the link.

[B]

Yeah, please. I always love when. Not that I want to fact check you. I just want to. I'm just genuinely curious.

[A]

Yeah. Now I gotta, like, get myself more.

[C]

I want to visit.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Just kidding.

[A]

Let's book our tickets after this.

[C]

Let's go. We're taking a chance hunting.

[A]

Let's do our episode next year in the antique store.

[C]

Yeah, sounds great. You know what? Next year we should do it in the nunnery.

[A]

No, I would actually.

[C]

I need to know. We need to do it in the great outdoors.

[B]

I refuse.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

If you guys didn't know this for.

[B]

People out of Utah, or maybe you didn't know this in Utah. So we live really close to a place called the nunnery. And who did, like, an episode on.

[C]

It one of like the paranormal ghost hunters or something. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

And that's like a haunted place that you should look up. The story of the nunnery.

[C]

It's crazy.

[B]

It's crazy.

[C]

I'm pretty sure that a guy bought.

[B]

It and he is turning it into a venue. Yes. Yeah.

[C]

Who wants to get married there?

[B]

I don't know. It does look really pretty though, actually.

[C]

Yeah, I think I can't shoot a wedding there.

[B]

I actually have refused so many times to go creepy. Anyways, that's really close to us. It's in our like, local canyon. We live really close to the.

[C]

All the time.

[B]

Yeah, we pass it all the time. Anyways, it's me. Huh. They said I worked in the jail on night shift. Oh, we could go into the kitchen to get ice or water. And I went in for ice and immediately felt chills about two seconds later. Or I hear what do you need? In the female's voice. No, I was the only female officer on duty.

[C]

I just got chills.

[B]

And all the inmates were locked down.

[C]

Quit.

[B]

Another story. Same jail. I was doing my cell checks overnight and I saw a black shadow run to a cell through the locked door. Although I didn't see it. When looking in the cell to check on the inmates, I nearly fainted. I was so scared to look in there with my flashlight. But of course I had to.

[A]

There was nothing in there.

[B]

I think it was just like the inmate or nothing in there. I. That's.

[A]

That was anything at night.

[C]

I feel like you in a jail.

[A]

In a jail.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I know someone who used to live next to like in the same building as a mortuary.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

So they like got like discounted rent or like got to live there for free by helping like, run the mortuary. And she had like little kids that lived like in with them. So like her and her husband, they had like a few.

[C]

Oh, I thought you had little kid ghosts.

[A]

So her and her husband would take turns closing at night.

[C]

No.

[A]

So, like, one of them would put the kids to bed and then someone would close. And I just remember her telling me, like a lot of scary, like, spooky experiences from.

[C]

I mean, it's cool. Probably nice.

[A]

Yeah. Hopefully still just like think anything at night?

[C]

No, no, no, no. I was staying at a cabin in Utah near Fish Lake in a super rural town. It was the middle of the night around 3am when my dog woke me up to go potty outside. The cabin had big windows on two walls that met in the corner, so you could see a lot of the inside from the Outside, when I stepped out with my dog, I noticed how bright the moon was, and it was lighting everything up through the windows. After letting my dog do his business, I happened to glance back towards the cabin and saw the rocking chair in the window moving. It was rocking back and forth really fast, not just in a slow way, but like someone was sitting in it and pushing it hard, back and forth, forth. At first I thought maybe my dad was playing a prank on me. I could still see the chair through the window as I walked back up the deck, but it kept rocking at the same pace the whole time. As soon as I opened the door and looked inside, the chair was completely still. Everyone else in the cabin was asleep. No lights were on. For some reason, I didn't feel scared. More like there was a peaceful presence in the room. I just went back to bed and fell asleep. Not long after, I waited until we left to tell my husband what happened. I'd be waking up, my husband being like, kyle, I just saw a rocking chair go back and forth. Nobody's sitting in it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Cause that's, like, not natural. Like, it's not like a. Something bumped it or like a breeze caught it.

[C]

Yeah. No, but at least you felt a peaceful. A peaceful presence instead of a spooky one.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, that. I don't do anything by myself at night, to be honest.

[C]

I mean, I feel a little bit more brave if I had my dog, but.

[B]

Yeah, my dog's a security cat, so.

[C]

Honestly, so are mine.

[B]

Um, rocking chairs. What is about rocking chairs?

[C]

Creepy.

[B]

And, like, creepy. It's because they rock and, like, yo. Duh. Yeah. No, but, like. Like, inanimate objects, like, moving, and that's, like, you know, one that you can't move by itself. But it's always creepy. They always use it in, like, scary movies and stuff.

[C]

Yeah, they do.

[B]

Guys, I'm getting spooked. I'm spooked right now.

[A]

Okay. My parents were in Napa Valley staying in one of the historic hotels. Neither of them had any knowledge of this hotel being haunted or anything like that, but they quickly learned otherwise. In the middle of the night, my mom woke up to use the bathroom. She left the lights of the hotel room off as she made her way to the restroom, using only the light shining through the curtains to guide her. As she entered the bathroom, she saw the shadowed silhouette guy. Okay, this is taking me back.

[C]

Oh, no.

[A]

Shadowed silhouette of a man standing in the doorway of the restroom. Seeing as it was dark and late at night, she assumed was her husband and waved at him. Waved him off, telling him to go back to bed. However, she hadn't realized that he was still asleep beside her just moments before. As she said his name, he called from behind her where he had woken from the noise she was creating. She explains it as dreamlike. How she went from staring at the man in the bathroom to quickly turning to find her husband actually in bed behind her. Oh, it was a flash moment of fear, she said, where she wondered who the hell stood in the bathroom. But by the time she looked back, the figure was gone. It was as though he was never there. Looking back, my mother is convinced she was still half asleep and imagining things. But my dad swears that he too. This is crazy, guys.

[B]

What?

[A]

Saw the shadowed silhouette of a man standing in the bathroom when he woke up. He still says the whole night in that hotel, he wondered how many spirits surrounded them. Okay, do you guys remember my ghost story that's, like, so similar.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Down the hall.

[A]

Yeah. I woke up to use the bathroom. I lived in a haunted apartment when I was a kid for a little bit, and I was 8 years old. I walked to the bathroom, and I didn't want to turn any lights on because I was just, like, feeling for the bathroom. I walked to the bathroom, and once I got in the bathroom, I turned the light on, went to the bathroom, turned the light off before I opened the door. And, you know, like, when you first turn off a light. Sorry, I've shared this on podcasts before, but this is just, like, too similar. I have to share it again. Turn the light off. And, you know, like, you turn the light off and it's just so dark, like, you can't even, like. But clear as day. There were two little kids sitting on the floor in my hallway of our apartment, and I was, like, trying to adjust my eyes, and, like, they turned and looked at me, and it was just these two, like, clear as day. They were like shadows, like, darker than the dark, just sitting there. And I heard my mom go. And I turned, and my mom was looking at the little ghost children on the floor. And then when I looked back, they were gone.

[C]

Have you ever talked to your mom about this as an adult?

[A]

Yeah, she. She denies. She's like, I don't know what you're talking about because it free. I think it just freaked her out so much. But, like, there's way too many other stories that happened while we lived there that, like, I can't. And I'm, like, 8 years old. It stuck. I can literally remember it as if it was yesterday. Freaky so, yeah, there's something about like seeing something darker than the dark.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like I've never experienced a shadow in the dark.

[C]

Never experienced that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I hope. And it was weird. I wasn't actually scared. I was just like. That was weird. And I just went right back to bed.

[C]

Once again, your body knows those little two children were probably nice ghosts.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, it's me.

[A]

That's spooky.

[B]

All right, next one. When I was 19 years old, I left my family, my family home for the first time to serve a religious mission. My first area of assignment was in the middle of nowhere, snug in the wasteland deserts of New Mexico. Not gonna lie, I feel like I've.

[C]

Heard a lot of New Mexico. Yeah, it's crazy. I've heard, yeah, a lot of like.

[B]

Scary, like haunting stories from New Mexico. I don't know, something about New Mexico kind of freaks me out. I wasn't alone and I was sent to live and preach with one other girl. We will call her Amanda.

[C]

I'm Amanda.

[B]

And she was older than me, about four or five years. I heard great things about her and was really looking forward for to our time together. It all started out great. We got along for the most part. Oh, no.

[C]

Oh.

[B]

About a month into our time together, Amanda became more cranky. Oh, my gosh. This is. This goes where I think it's going. I'm going to freak out. She'd lash out when I couldn't remember a certain fact. While teaching a curious investigator, she chastised my teaching skills and told me I ruined potential connections with God's children. I wish I could tell you I was confident enough in myself to tell her she could stick to her opinions where the sun doesn't shine. But I held to every word, eager to improve and do my job as a missionary well. Soon the stress of it all became a lot to take in. I was sick a lot. I couldn't sleep. I felt uneasy. Then one night I woke up.

[C]

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[B]

Then one night I Woke up around 3am Paralyzed. I couldn't move my body. Only dart my eyes around the room. I remember screaming, but no sound came. It was one of the most vile feelings, the lack of control over my body while staring into the dark room I barely knew. But that wasn't the worst of it. I felt it before I saw it. While I couldn't move my limbs, I could sense a presence.

[C]

No.

[B]

That's when the shadows in the corner of my room began to shift. And I could See something watching me. I remember desperately trying to move, like my soul was wriggling inside my bones, frantically searching for a way out, but my body wouldn't budge. It was the most intense terror I have ever felt. I don't remember what happened next, only that I woke to my alarm the next morning. What? Terrified. I confided. I confided in Amanda about my nightmare. She went on to say she could feel something wrong in our home. An evil spirit. She said that I had brought it in with my disobedience and my sins.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[C]

I became Amanda. Amanda. Amanda. No.

[B]

I don't know what sins I had. I had. But being a naive child, I accepted this responsibility. I did everything I could to combat this demonic presence. I fasted and I prayed, begging for repeat reprieve, while I only found myself plagued by par.

[A]

Paraly paralysis.

[C]

Yep, that's it. Paralysis, Paralysis.

[B]

A couple more times. The rest of my nights with Amanda were riddled with nightmares. I was so stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed. I got sick. My vision went bad. I found myself forgetting things, lost my train of thought. I felt like I was going insane. So many more weird and terrifying things happened during my time deep in the desert of New Mexico. Like a girl calling my phone, screaming that she was being stabbed to death. What? But nothing had ever topped my nightmares. And then in those first couple months, until a year later, I was home, TikTok was suddenly a thing, and I was scrolling. One of those fun fact videos popped up, talking about something called sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a temporary state where you wake up, but your body remains unable to move or speak. I can include. It can include vivid hallucinations and a feeling of pure. Of pressure or fear. That was what I experienced in my time with Amanda.

[C]

Oh, my gosh. Honestly, sleep paralysis sounds horrifying.

[B]

Yeah. But I feel like not to give Amanda anything. I think there's seriously something wrong with, like, where you're staying. Oh, yeah, for sure. Because I feel like I have heard of people having sleep paralysis literally only in, like, certain homes or, like.

[A]

Certain places.

[B]

And I'm curious to know if you've ever had it ever again or if.

[A]

It was literally just in that place you were. Oh. I was almost wondering if, like, once she was no longer with Amanda, if it, like, went away.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But maybe not.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know.

[C]

Freaking Amanda.

[B]

I have a lot of questions. Yeah. That's crazy.

[C]

That is insane.

[A]

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'm so sorry.

[C]

I hope your sleep paralysis is gone, because that's terrifying. Years ago my family went to spend the night at my grandparents house. We had just moved into the area and needed somewhere to stay for a while. I my grandparents were out of town for the week. The house sat up on an old hill in the woods of Kentucky. Great Think dark winding roads, barely lit driveways and not a soul in sight. It was nighttime. Me, my brothers and my parents all went to our separate rooms to sleep. I turned off my lights, jumped in bed and tried to sleep. I couldn't. It was quiet and dark but I couldn't relax. I rolled over to try another position. The side I rolled to face the window. The my grandparents didn't have shades. They had thin lacy curtains that did practically nothing. I for some reason opened my eyes. When I did I saw a flash of light through the window facing me. I laid there under my blankets frozen, staring at the light. There were no lights on my room in on in my room whatsoever. This was not a glare. After a couple of seconds I jumped up and ran into my parents room and quickly told my mom what I had seen. My dad had just walked into the room and they said my eyes were probably messing with me. I was trying to convince them when we heard loud thumping sounds coming from farther down the hallway. More specifically from the wooden stairs that led to the unfinished basement. No, sorry, we're in an unfinished. What's that movie where they find the thing in the basement a lot. It sounded as if someone was either running up the stairs or something heavy was falling down the stairs. We all froze, not knowing what had made the sounds. Me and my mom started crying because we were so afraid. My dad snuck into another room to grab his gun.

[B]

Great.

[C]

I went into my brother's room to wake them up. We were all so shaken up that we decided to leave the house. We grabbed a few of our things and ran out the front door to our vehicle. We found a place to stay for the night but it was hard for any of us to sleep. The next morning my dad and other brothers went to check out the basement. They said there was nothing out of place and nothing had fallen down the stairs. Everything was as it should be. The only thing, the only thing was the door in the basement that leads outside should have been locked.

[A]

Locked.

[C]

It was unlocked. Even scarier was the fact that a small ax owned by my papa was propped up right by the door that led outside from the basement. To think that if someone broke in, they would have had the perfect murder weapon still shakes me to this day. I can say that none of my family has spent another night in that house. My grandparents moved out not long after. We still do not know what the light in the window was or the sounds in the stairwell were. It still remains a mystery that happened up in that house in the wooded hills of Kentucky.

[B]

That's terrifying.

[A]

So it was locked originally, and then it wasn't locked.

[C]

Yeah. So someone. Sounds like someone was trying to break in or. Oh, my God.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[C]

Here's the thing. The. The most terrifying part is, like, when you're a child, you know, your parents are your protectors, whatever. The fact that her parents were freaked out.

[B]

Yeah. Freaks me out. Yeah. Experiencing that as a family.

[A]

No.

[B]

If my dad was ever scared, I would be truly scared.

[C]

Oh, yeah, same.

[A]

My dad likes, like, spooky stuff.

[B]

Oh, that gives me the heebies. Especially, like, in the middle of nowhere.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, that had to be meticulously planned by someone to, like, go out. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah.

[A]

This is like a short one, but I just can't get over this. When I was younger, my mom and I were living at my grandma's house, and we were sleeping in our room. One night I had woken up and there was a huge, white, tall figure by our door. It didn't have a face, it was just white and really tall, but bright white. I tried waking up my mom to tell her, but she wouldn't wake up. This figure wouldn't go away, and I didn't want to look at any at it anymore. So I just remember going under the blankets and going back to sleep.

[B]

I mean, what do you do when you're trying to wake your mom up?

[A]

But how do you go back to sleep? I don't know if something like. Like this light right here, I'm just imagining, like, she's, like, shining in my doorway like a faceless man.

[B]

Slenderman. Oh, no, no. Slenderman. No, no, don't bring that up.

[C]

No.

[A]

I reported when I lived in that apartment, I remember telling. Well, I don't remember this, which is weird, but, like, I would tell my parents all the time that there was, like, a shadow man in the corner of my room at night that would watch me sleep. I don't remember that. I remember little kids. But, like, it's weird because, like, I wonder, like, how old? Because she said she. When she was younger. It was weird because, like, it kind of, like, I guess it kind of. It didn't really scare me when I would tell my parents about it, but I think now as an adult, if I Saw that, I would be so freaked.

[C]

You wanna know what, though? I do think that kids are, like, so in tune with that kind of stuff. I'm just now remembering that the old house that we lived in when I used to live in Idaho when my parents were together, I hated the basement. Like, hated being in the basement. Just. I would never be in the basement by myself. I was so scared. We moved out and as an adult, my mom drops this bomb on me. She goes, oh, yeah.

[B]

In the house we used to live.

[C]

In, there was a murder suicide in the basement shop.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I was like, okay, that makes sense why I was so scared of the basement.

[A]

That's spooky.

[B]

That is so spooky.

[C]

Yeah. I never, like, saw ghosts or anything, but, like, I always just had this creepy, eerie feeling.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[C]

Why would you buy a house where that happened? Girl? I don't know.

[A]

The thing that gets me is, like, people tell spooky stories of things that happen in their house. I'm like, move. Why didn't you move? Just kidding.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Or you hear, like, the true stories, like the Annabelle ones, or is an Amal horror based or something on true story?

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

Anyways, I mean, they try to get it blessed. They try everything they possibly can. But the moment I'm seeing anything, I'm like, I'm out.

[B]

See ya. That's what's kind of scary about our little town. I told my husband when we were looking at houses that I was not going to live in a house over, like, older than a certain date.

[C]

Because I'm trying. I don't know, I'm. I can't remember if they have to legally disclose.

[A]

Oh.

[C]

Like if there's a crime. If, like, if there was a. I think they do. I think they do.

[B]

But I just, like, I've been on ghost tours in our town. I've been. Yeah. So I said no old houses, please.

[C]

Pretty please.

[B]

Pretty please. Okay, this one's kind of long. So sorry. Hang in here. It seems good. Okay, this person submitted and said, this is my husband's story and he wrote.

[A]

It down after it happened.

[C]

Oh, it's.

[B]

Oh, the Timp incident.

[C]

Oh, this is going to be good. I have a feeling it's going to.

[B]

Be 10, 3, 2025. Oh, recent. Oh, like two days ago?

[A]

No, no, like a month.

[C]

Oh, the 3rd of October.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I thought you said 1023 on October 3rd.

[B]

10 3, 2025. All right.

[A]

I'm.

[C]

I'm sad.

[B]

I'm sorry if you didn't want these names to be said. I don't know if she replaced them or whatever, but I'm just going to say them. So I'm sorry if they're the actual names early during earlier during the week on Friday, October 3, Luke, Josiah and I decided to hike the Tippanoki Trail up Mount Tippanogos.

[C]

That's your first problem? Yeah.

[B]

No, I'm just kidding. Since we were getting deeper into the fall, mom said we wanted to prioritize hiking early before the trail closers closures. In mid to late October, the forecast called for cold temperatures and a good amount of rain, but that didn't get didn't deter us. It only added to our excitement. We'd get to experience the rain turning into snow as we climbed higher. Fast forward to the day of the hike. One of Josiah's and Luke's roommate Robert decided to join us, making us a party of four. We arrived to the 10 parking lot around 8:30pm What?

[C]

What?

[A]

It's pretty late.

[C]

Okay, wait. And especially on October 3rd, how long.

[B]

Does it take to hike to Were they trying to do it like guys.

[C]

The sun would have been set.

[B]

It is set. I wonder if they're trying to get sunrise because I think it takes.

[C]

I don't know what the freak.

[B]

Why did they get there?

[C]

Well, that's your second problem.

[A]

It's a different trail.

[B]

The was gloomy, the hair the air heavy, and the trail head dimly lit. Only two cars sat in the in the law, ours in a lone sedan. It made sense. The conditions were precarious at best. About a half mile in, two older men came down the trail towards us. We stopped aside to let them pass. They said, how far are you guys going? Up all. And then they responded all the way to the tippy top. They nodded, took a few steps forward, then stopped and turned back. A word of to the wise Some hikers told us that there are two moose about a mile and a half up bucking people off the trail. Folks are cutting through bushes just to get by. You should turn around. After they left, we realized something was strange. There were no other hikers on the trail, so who exactly were they referring to? We paused, debating whether to continue, when a group of young men, maybe in their early 20s, came up behind us. We asked if the older guys had warned them. They responded and said, what guys?

[C]

Oh no.

[B]

That caught us off guard. Why would those men tell us? Not tell us, but not them? We shared the warning anyway and proceeded with caution. We crept around every corner, flashlights trained on the narrow Path ahead. Guys, why are you doing this in the dark? I just can't.

[A]

And if there's. If there's actually a moose up there.

[B]

Yes. Terrifying.

[A]

That's scary.

[C]

Two of them skitting Blair Witch Chronicles.

[B]

Yeah. After a mile or so, we let the faster group pass. They seemed impatient with our slower, more deliberate pace. They set up camp. Not long after, on a wide plateau, the storm intensified, lightning flashing in the clouds near the peak. Unfortunately, the worst of it split. Split around the mountain, leaving us with the rain. And we expected around mile 3. The clouds cleared up for a moment and the full moon lit up the landscape. We joked, what if those hikers were just trying to freak us out? Maybe there aren't any moose at all. We laughed. But deep down, a quiet unease lingered. I should preface this next part by saying that all of us are pretty religious. We believe in prayer and divine protection. As we hiked, Luke prayed that something would convince Josiah and me to turn back. I prayed for awareness and discernment. Josiah and Robert prayed for safety and guidance. Increasingly, the Timpanogis Range is considered sacred land by the Timpanogi tribe. This is something we had not considered. Around mile five, we began to ascend towards the meadow beyond the summit. As we rounded the switchback, my flashlight landed on a buck, maybe 15ft away, standing on a slope to our left. The trail curved right into darkness. Behind us, 10 to 15 deer stood, motion motionless in the small clearing. Then Josiah spoke, low voice tense. Do you see those black. Those eyes back there behind the bucks? Oh. Oh, my God.

[A]

I'm kidding.

[B]

No. The hairs on my neck stood up. I aimed my flashlight where he pointed. About 30ft beyond the buck, two green eyes glowed in the dark.

[C]

Green.

[B]

The figure was skinny, yet large. No, yet large, too large. Confusion set in. Josiah drew his gun. It mounted light, revealing more. The eyes hovered nine feet off the ground.

[C]

What?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. My heart is racing, you guys. Nine feet off the ground. Shifting up and down like it was feeding on something.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

No. The movements were unnatural. Fast but smooth. No animal native to these mountains can move like that or stand that tall. Suddenly, the buck bolted towards the herd and all the deer scattered. Not from us, but from it. The creature lifted its head and locked eyes with Josiah. Every instinct screamed, don't look away. My hands switched up towards my camera. But something deep inside told me, to me, don't break focus. Something was very, very wrong. I've passed moose and other animals on the trail before, but this was different. Josiah spoke firmly. We need to go back now. Without argument, we turned and started down the switchbacks, my heart pounding. What the heck was that? Was it a bear? I asked, hoping half hoping for a normal answer. I'm not saying what it was until we're in the car. Just say, I replied. What? His tone left no room for debate. Scott's confidence as we descend, a distant moose calls an elk bull bloops blue. I don't know. Googles? Yeah. Bugle echoed through the forest, amplifying the tension. Then out of nowhere, he came across two college aged girls hiking up alone. Girls?

[C]

Girls.

[A]

At night.

[B]

For real. Warrant them. Using the same moose story the older man had told us, hoping to persuade them to turn back. They nodded uncertainly and continued on. Why didn't you tell them about Sorry? Why aren't you telling him about the situation you just had? Soon the forest thinned and then the parking lot came to view. Relief hit us like a wave. We peeled off our raincoats and packed up quietly. That's when we noticed the vehicle. Ours. The camper, camper's car, the girl's car, and along white van parked illegally near the outhouses. A man stood beside it, chanting, dancing in a low rhythmic tone. What? That sounded like a Native American hymn. That was was the final straw. We threw our gear in the car and sped out of there. We drove and Joshua broke the silence. That was a skin walker?

[C]

Absolutely freaking not. Nope. No no no no no no no no no no no. I'm sorry, no no.

[B]

I'm sorry, no. I scoffed at first, trying to convince myself otherwise. Come on, what did you actually see? And then he said, I didn't believe in skinwalkers before this hike, but there was def. That was definitely one of them. It had long skinny arms, pale skin, not fur, and when it looked at me, I saw that it had three green eyes. What? Luke nodded. He said he had seen its upper torso, confirming the impossible height and other world, really otherworldly proportions attributing to this being. Robert added that he felt sick to his stomach, a deep instinct warning him to get away, something we had all felt. As soon as we got signal, Joshua immediately searched, started searching the web, trying to find an image of what he's seen. I watched his expression shift as a wave of chilling recognition flowed over him. He turned the screen towards us. This was it, he said. This is exactly what it looked like. Except there was one more eye right there between the others and just a little higher. I can't copy and paste the photo into Google forms, but if you look up the rake on Google. That's similar to the photo that Josh aired.

[D]

Hold on.

[B]

Wait.

[D]

The rake.

[B]

No, guys, I'm like, my eyes are watering.

[C]

The rake.

[D]

The rake.

[C]

Hold on.

[D]

Not as happening in Utah.

[C]

The rake monster.

[B]

Oh, no.

[D]

Oh, my gosh, guys, that's terrifying. That is actually so scary. I. Terrified right now.

[B]

Wait, no, I kind of want to.

[D]

See, but I don't. If you're in, please tell. I don't know. I'm so scary. If I saw that. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

No.

[D]

Okay, where to go? Are you going to.

[B]

No.

[D]

Are you ready?

[A]

No, I'm not.

[C]

Oh.

[A]

Oh, my.

[D]

Imagine seeing that.

[C]

Wait, wait, wait.

[D]

No, that's not what I saw. That is not what I saw.

[B]

This thing.

[D]

Wait, you guys, get that thing away from me.

[B]

I think I have a vivid imagination.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Let me go say a prayer.

[D]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Here's the thing, you guys.

[B]

Here's the thing, you guys, guys.

[C]

I was reading that in my tears.

[A]

I'm crying. I'm, like, laughing.

[C]

No, but I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure, like, the legend of skinwalkers is they also, like, will, like, fake. Like they're like dogs.

[B]

Yeah. And like, humans.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Heck, no. I will.

[C]

I was never going to hike that hike, but now I will never hike.

[B]

That's so freaking long. Oh, my gosh. That was.

[A]

You were ending that one on a banger.

[B]

My heart is racing like, to see that, but actually, no, look it up. Just look it up.

[D]

Look it up so you can be.

[C]

Terrified like we are.

[B]

Thank you so much for sharing that story. Yeah. I'm scared.

[C]

I'm.

[B]

I'm.

[C]

I'm successfully scared.

[B]

I. Yeah.

[C]

I think that might be the best story we've ever had submitted.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Thank you for your husband for writing that down.

[C]

My hands. I'm not.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

See, it just like when that something. All three, three, four of you, men as well, men you all experience like you. There were witnesses. That makes me literally never want to go camping. Stay in a cabin in the woods.

[C]

That's why. Go on a hike. Yeah.

[A]

I am terrified. I'm actually.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Terrified. Happy Halloween, everybody.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Happy Halloween. That was a really good one.

[C]

That was a good one.

[A]

Thank you for tuning in. I hope you got spooked. And we hope you have a really wonderful Halloween. We hope it's not spooky. Unless you want it to be. And you cozy up with a good book. Eat some candy.

[B]

Real sec. I'm really just really concerned about those two girls. Actually.

[C]

They turned around, right?

[A]

No, they didn't.

[C]

Are they okay?

[A]

I don't know if you recently hyped if you hiked Mount Temp on October 3rd of 2025 at night. Are you okay?

[B]

Yeah. Oh, I don't know. Why would you hug at night? I don't know. I didn't call.

[C]

I think a lot of people do, like, for the sunrise. Yeah, I think that they do it a lot.

[B]

Yeah. Because it's, like, really long. It's a long hike to the top of mountain.

[C]

Guys, here's the thing. My eyes are. My eyes are closed. And that. That image is seared into my eyes right now.

[B]

Yeah, that's terrifying, honestly.

[C]

And I'm by the stairwell.

[D]

What if someone comes down next to the door? Crunchy sit table.

[A]

Just FYI, my husband's about to walk through the door with my kids in just a second. So, anyways, yeah, thank you so much for tuning in. We're really excited to do this next year. I don't know if anything's going to top the terror that we just.

[D]

Gosh dang.

[A]

So thank you so much for listening. You can go see more of our content from our Halloween stuff, all on our Instagram and TikTok at what she's reading pod. And have a wonderful Halloween. We'll see you guys next year. But you can tune in every Wednesday wherever podcasts are available, and. Yeah, we'll see you then.

[B]

Bye.