S19 Ep36: Fast shadow figures, an old hag and a Keystone gargoyle (Sn. 19 Ep. 36)

Summary

Monsters Among Us - Season 19, Episode 36: Fast Shadow Figures, an Old Hag, and a Keystone Gargoyle

Release Date: August 14, 2025
Host: Derek Hayes
Description: Monsters Among Us brings you true paranormal stories directly from the witnesses themselves. In this gripping episode, Derek Hayes delves into a variety of chilling encounters ranging from mysterious shadow figures and eerie hags to legendary gargoyles. Prepare yourself for a night of spine-tingling narratives and deep explorations into the supernatural.

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1. Metallic Shadows in Palm Springs

Caller: Matt from LA County, Palm Springs, California
Timestamp: [02:13] - [03:49]

Summary:
Matt recounts an unsettling experience from 2019 while attending the Stagecoach festival in Palm Springs. After leaving the pool at around 3 PM, he and his friends observed unusual metallic objects forming a ring around the sun. These entities resembled the liquid metal of the T-1000 from the Terminator movies, exhibiting behavior that Matt couldn't rationalize as conventional skydivers. The sighting lasted approximately an hour, leaving Matt puzzled and seeking explanations.

Notable Quotes:

• Matt: "The best way I can describe it is how the T1000 from the Terminator movies would go. Like liquid metal." [02:20]
• Matt: "I've never seen anything like it. I haven't seen anything since then." [02:45]

Host's Commentary:
Derek Hayes explores the possibility of these entities being plasmoids—mysterious, plasma-based entities that defy conventional science. Although Hayes admits initial unfamiliarity with plasmoids, he references Delaney’s research, hinting at the enigmatic nature of these phenomena. He teases future discussions on plasmoids, maintaining a balance between skepticism and open-mindedness.

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2. The Silent Shadow in Virginia

Caller: Jackson from Virginia
Timestamp: [08:35] - [09:28]

Summary:
Jackson shares a haunting encounter from his countryside home in Virginia. Around midnight, he observed the silhouette of a little girl through his window. The figure remained motionless, staring at him for several minutes before abruptly darting into the woods. Despite the initial optical illusion possibilities, Jackson insists on the figure's autonomous movement, reminiscent of cinematic horror.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackson: "It was a couple years, like five years back in the summertime at night, like 11 to 12." [08:40]
• Jackson: "It was a little girl, probably 11 to 12 was my height. She just stepped in and stared at each other for like three, five minutes before I saw her dart and disappear into the woods." [08:55]

Host's Commentary:
Derek discusses the human brain’s tendency to recognize familiar shapes, acknowledging that while many might mistake objects for shadows, the figure’s deliberate movement suggests something beyond mere optical illusion. He likens the experience to scenes from M. Night Shyamalan’s movies, emphasizing the eerie nature of such sightings.

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3. The Old Hag in Kansas

Caller: Cheryl from Kansas
Timestamp: [12:28] - [15:06]

Summary:
Cheryl narrates a terrifying encounter during her college years when she lived in a dormitory. Alone one night, she observed a disturbing figure atop a shelf between two closets. Described as a combination of "Gollum" and the "Ring Girl," the entity had stringy hair, elongated arms, and emanated a haunting presence. Cheryl felt an intense urge to hide, ultimately pulling her head under the covers to escape what she feared might be a malevolent spirit.

Notable Quotes:

• Cheryl: “It was kind of like the old hag, the night hag, or the mare, as in nightmare or mer.” [14:50]
• Cheryl: “That was probably the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me in my life.” [15:00]

Host's Commentary:
Derek introduces the concept of the "old hag," a creature often associated with sleep paralysis but acknowledges the possibility of a more sinister presence. He muses about the nature of these entities, suggesting that if a ghost were to induce sleep paralysis, it might go unchecked for centuries, as people typically attribute such experiences to natural causes. Cheryl’s story underscores the thin veil between the perceived natural and the supernatural.

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4. Sleep Paralysis or Something More? Tacoma, Washington

Caller: Anonymous from Southeast Arkansas
Timestamp: [29:45] - [33:07]

Summary:
An anonymous caller from southeast Arkansas shares a harrowing experience from the late 1980s in Tacoma, Washington. He describes waking up with the suffocating sensation of being pinned down, feeling an ominous presence mere centimeters from his face. Unlike typical sleep paralysis, he maintained consciousness but was immobilized by sheer terror. Unable to see anything, he eventually muster the will to escape the bedridden state, waking his wife in the process. This episode left a lasting impression, making him wary of experiencing something similar again.

Notable Quotes:

• Caller: “I could not move and I was in that fight or flight sensation but I was terrified and I finally willed myself to get the hell out of the room.” [18:45]
• Caller: “The sheer terror that I was feeling. I do not wish to go through that again.” [19:00]

Host's Commentary:
Derek examines the distinction between sleep paralysis and true paranormal phenomena. While acknowledging the physiological basis of sleep paralysis, he entertains the possibility that such experiences might sometimes involve actual supernatural entities exerting influence. He appreciates the caller's detailed account and underscores the profound fear associated with such encounters.

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5. Fast Shadow Figures in Illinois

Caller: Vince from Chicago, Illinois
Timestamp: [20:12] - [23:12]

Summary:
Vince discusses his difficulty with visualizing images, experiencing what he refers to as "Shadowrunners." These shadowy figures appear as nondescript silhouettes moving rapidly alongside vehicles, reminiscent of characters from the mobile game Temple Run. He questions whether these shadows are manifestations of his imagination or something more tangible, seeking insights from the podcast community.

Notable Quotes:

• Vince: “You'd be a passenger in a vehicle just staring out the window and see a nondescript shadowy figure running along the side of the road.” [21:00]
• Vince: “What am I really seeing? What are they?” [22:30]

Host's Commentary:
Derek reflects on similar personal experiences from his youth, where he imagined figures running beside vehicles that existed only in his mind. He differentiates these from genuine sightings, such as the painted Native Americans reported in Western areas, suggesting a range of possibilities from psychological phenomena to actual paranormal entities.

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6. Haunting in Massachusetts: Family House Stories

Caller: Kyle from Massachusetts
Timestamp: [23:12] - [33:07]

Summary:
Kyle, a mailman from Massachusetts, shares multiple eerie stories centered around his best friend’s ancestral home. The narratives include:

1. Unexplained Odors: Smells of cigarettes, coffee, and alcohol persistently emanating from the kitchen, even after hours.
2. Physical Manifestations: Objects like a tote bag inexplicably move from the top of the stairs to the front door, bypassing structural barriers.
3. Auditory Experiences: Hearing his name called out without anyone physically present.
4. Visual Phenomena: Observing shadows moving under closed doors despite no one being inside.
5. Interconnected Ghostly Sightings: A neighbor's ghostly apparition matches a deceased relative's photo.
6. Dog Behavior: A dog remains unresponsive when startled, contrary to typical canine reactions.

Notable Quotes:

• Kyle: “His ashes are in the kitchen on a stand with a Playboy centerfold draped over it.” [25:00]
• Kyle: “I saw a ghost last night. And his friend explained what the ghost looked like. And my buddy went and picked out a family photo album and found a picture of a woman.” [27:00]
• Kyle: “The dog didn’t even move, which is really unusual because they react to everything.” [28:00]

Host's Commentary:
Derek delves into Massachusetts' storied reputation for hauntings, expressing a desire to visit Salem to uncover more. He appreciates Kyle’s detailed accounts, which paint a vivid picture of a haunted residence where spirits of ancestors and past inhabitants linger. Derek’s analysis ties these stories to broader themes of residual hauntings and protective spirits, emphasizing the deep cultural ties to the supernatural in Massachusetts.

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7. Unusual Lights in Arkansas Pasture

Caller: Anonymous from Southeast Arkansas
Timestamp: [29:45] - [33:07]

Summary:
Another anonymous caller from southeast Arkansas describes an incident around 2019-2020 near his home’s pasture. While sitting in the driveway, he and a friend observed flashing green and clear white lights emanating from the trees and dirt fields. The lights flickered multiple times and spawned a sighting of a UFO-like speck that changed directions unpredictably. The caller later shared videos documenting these sightings, which occurred in various locations and were never recreated, leaving him both fascinated and frightened.

Notable Quotes:

• Caller: “I saw it as a UFO... literally like a UFO.” [31:00]
• Caller: “It looked like a ufo... changing directions because it'd be turning around.” [32:00]

Host's Commentary:
Derek explores the possibility that the lights might stem from "predator lights"—tools used by hunters to spot animals like coyotes and foxes. He suggests that a hunter might have been operating in the area, explaining the green and white light patterns. However, he remains open to alternative explanations, tapping into the 1980s nostalgia that many listeners might find relatable. He also references the National UFO Reporting Center’s database, highlighting similar sightings and encouraging listeners to consider both natural and unexplained causes.

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8. Silver Orbs Over Michigan

Caller: Austin from Southern Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Timestamp: [34:31] - [39:49]

Summary:
Austin shares his observation of numerous small silver orbs in the sky a few months prior to his call. While relaxing on his trampoline near Kalamazoo City, he noticed these orbs descending from the horizon, changing directions, and moving rapidly across the sky. Over twenty orbits were sighted in quick succession, leading him to believe they were anomalous. He recorded multiple videos capturing these phenomena but admits to being both fascinated and fearful about what they might represent.

Notable Quotes:

• Austin: “I think we had counted 30 or 40 before it got to the point where it was just.” [35:20]
• Austin: “It was the weirdest thing, seeing so many of them coming in rapid succession like that.” [36:08]

Host's Commentary:
Derek leverages his knowledge of avian patterns, specifically the Mississippi Flyway, to propose that Austin’s orbs were likely migrating birds such as sandhill cranes. He explains how light pollution can cause these birds to appear as metallic orbs flying at high altitudes. Although this offers a logical explanation, Derek acknowledges the possibility of paranormal interpretations, noting similar reports in UFO databases. This duality invites listeners to ponder the boundary between natural phenomena and the unexplained.

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9. Doppelganger on the London Train

Caller: Daniel from Brooklyn, New York
Timestamp: [40:12] - [42:06]

Summary:
Daniel narrates a perplexing experience from his time living in Hastings, UK. While disembarking a train at Sevenoaks station, he observed a woman and her son exit the train. Moments later, he noticed the same woman and child approaching from the opposite direction on the platform, defying the physical possibility of their rapid turnaround. This eerie duplication left Daniel questioning whether he encountered a doppelganger, a ghostly apparition, or a mere coincidence.

Notable Quotes:

• Daniel: “I see the same woman and son walking up from the opposite end of the platform. How did they get there?” [40:30]
• Daniel: “It was so peculiar and strange.” [41:20]

Host's Commentary:
Derek muses over the possibility of doppelgangers or mirrored spirits, as well as the unsettling nature of such encounters. He empathizes with Daniel’s confusion and highlights the psychological impact of witnessing something inexplicable, noting that such experiences often leave lasting impressions and unresolved questions.

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10. Whispering Spirits in New Zealand and Illinois

Caller: Ivy from New Zealand and Reese from Illinois
Timestamp: [42:51] - [49:08]

Summary:
Ivy from New Zealand:
Ivy describes paranormal happenings in her new two-story home, including hearing footsteps upstairs and hearing a haunting woman's voice in her left ear. Despite initial skepticism, these occurrences intensified, encompassing loud sounds resembling dishwashing without any visible source. Ivy’s partner attributes the noises to psychological causes, but she remains convinced of an external presence. Fortunately, the disturbances have ceased since her moving in.

Notable Quotes:

• Ivy: “She just said 'off' really loud in my ear and like here.” [43:08]
• Ivy: “I froze. I remember thinking, did I actually just hear that?” [43:20]

Host's Commentary:
Derek reflects on common explanations such as earworms or neurological phenomena like exploding head syndrome but concedes that repeated and convincing experiences suggest something beyond the natural. He welcomes international stories, emphasizing the global nature of paranormal encounters.

Reese from Illinois:
Reese shares a chilling story from Alton, Illinois, where he encountered a silent, tall male figure walking along River Road at 3:40 AM. Concerned, he offered assistance, only to later discover that the individual had tragically drowned, validating his eerie premonition.

Notable Quotes:

• Reese: “I believe in everything, and I guess everything kind of happens for a reason.” [48:00]
• Reese: “I knew what I saw and what I seen after it really shocked me.” [48:30]

Host's Commentary:
Derek attempted to verify Reese’s story by seeking out the referenced obituary but couldn’t locate it, leaving room for skepticism. He underscores the emotional impact of such experiences and the often unverifiable nature of paranormal claims, yet respects Reese’s conviction about the encounter’s authenticity.

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11. Mysterious Visitations in Georgia

Caller: Missy from South Georgia
Timestamp: [60:15] - [61:16]

Summary:
Missy relates a vivid dream from her teenage years where three hooded humanoid beings attempted to enter her home through a sliding glass door. The beings were faceless, dark, and exuded an aura of anger, tapping incessantly on the window. Missy felt an intense need to protect her home from these entities, evident through her fear and desperation in the dream.

Notable Quotes:

• Missy: “They were trying to get into my house... and they were darker than the dark.” [60:45]
• Missy: “They never said a word to me. They never made a sound. But in my head I could feel how angry they were.” [61:10]

Host's Commentary:
Derek connects Missy’s account to Philippine legends of hooded beings and considers the possibility of culturally diverse mythological influences on modern paranormal sightings. He emphasizes the personal impact these experiences have on individuals, especially when intertwined with cultural folklore.

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12. The Butler County Gargoyle in Pennsylvania

Caller: Otto from Pennsylvania
Timestamp: [52:58] - [56:01]

Summary:
Otto recounts sightings from his youth where he and his cousins observed a winged, humanoid creature with leathery skin and short arms perched in a tree. Decades later, one of his cousins confirmed similar sightings during a cookout, describing the creature’s wings and grayish skin in greater detail. Otto connects these descriptions to the legendary Butler County Gargoyle, a cryptid reported in Pennsylvania with similar characteristics to the infamous Mothman.

Notable Quotes:

• Otto: “It had wings. Definitely had short arms. The face looked more flat, almost human.” [53:30]
• Otto: “She knew what I was talking about because she saw it later in life. She remembers seeing something like that moving through the trees.” [54:45]

Host's Commentary:
Derek identifies Otto’s description with the Butler County Gargoyle, comparing it to the Mothman. He highlights the recurring nature of such sightings and their impact on local folklore, suggesting that these creatures might be more integrated into regional mythologies than previously thought. He emphasizes the enigmatic presence and recurring reports that deepen the mystery surrounding such cryptids.

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Conclusion

In this episode of Monsters Among Us, Derek Hayes masterfully weaves together a tapestry of paranormal encounters from across the globe. From metallic shadows and silent hags to mysterious shadow figures and cryptid sightings, each story adds a unique thread to the rich fabric of supernatural folklore. Derek’s insightful commentary bridges the gap between skeptics and believers, offering plausible explanations while honoring the profound experiences of the callers. Whether it's the ethereal presence of the old hag in Kansas or the enigmatic Butler County Gargoyle in Pennsylvania, this episode underscores the persistent allure and mystery of the unknown.

For those fascinated by the paranormal, this episode provides a compelling mix of personal testimonies and thoughtful analysis, inviting listeners to ponder the thin line between reality and the supernatural. Tune in, keep it spooky, and join the conversation on the many unexplained phenomena that continue to captivate our imaginations.

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Credits:
Written and produced by Derek Hayes, with additional support from Sarah Carter Hayes, Delaney Bowers, and Connor Ryan. Special thanks to Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse Co AG Music, and Carl Casey at Whitebat Audio for providing episode scores.

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Prepare yourself for the next episode, where Derek explores Demons, a twist on Winnie the Pooh, and a mysterious entry on Mirrored Men from Georgia. Until then, keep your ears open and your senses sharp—monsters truly are among us.

Transcript

[Derek Hayes]

Limu Emu and Doug.

[Matt]

Limu and I always tell you to.

[Derek Hayes]

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[Matt]

Cue the Emu music.

[Derek Hayes]

Limu.

[Matt]

Save yourself money today.

[Derek Hayes]

Increase your wealth.

[Matt]

Customize and save.

[Derek Hayes]

We save. That may have been too much feeling. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings vary underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Affiliates excludes Massachusetts Good evening and welcome to Monsters Among Us. I am your guide, Derek Hayes. Welcome folks to another bone chilling edition of your favorite paranormal podcast. It's a pleasure to have you aboard here this evening. I have a weird one lined up for you. Lots of strange encounters, odd occurrences and unusual events. Winged creatures, stringy haired hags, strange lights in the woods and shadowman on the freeways. But first, this entry from Matt out here in California.

[Matt]

Hey Derek, my name is Matt. I'm calling out from LA County. This story happened in Palm Springs actually around 2019. Me and some friends were out there for Stagecoach that year, which is like country Coachella. This took place before we happened to go to the festival. We were hanging around the pool, probably like three in the afternoon, pretty clear day. And I happened to get out of the pool after everyone else and coming up the steps I happened to look up at the sun and kind of in a ring around the sun almost, there were these metallic looking things in the sky. The best way I can describe it is how the T1000 from the Terminator movies would go. Like liquid metal. It looks pretty similar to that. At least that's what it reminds me of. And everyone was there. I told them to look up and they all saw it. So they can all vouch for me. I saw them for about an hour maybe. I was just sitting there looking at them. First I thought they were skydivers, but looking closer, it didn't really make sense. They started shining and it looked like metal. Yeah, that's my experience. I've never seen anything like it. I haven't seen anything since then. Maybe you might have an explanation. I've tried to look it up. I've come up with nothing. I'd love to hear what you have to think about it. Thank you. Have a great day. Love the show. Bye.

[Derek Hayes]

Thanks, Matt. Well, it sounds exciting, whatever it was. And if you're going to see something strange, that's a great place to do it. That area is less than a dozen miles away from the nearest lake of the infamous Borrego Triangle. As the crow flies at least. And we already know that that area is rife with aerial activity because we made a movie about it, but Matt asked for an explanation, so let's see what we can do. Have you ever heard of a plasmoid? Now, it's not the antagonist invader from a 1950s horror picture. These are entities, best as I can describe them, made entirely out of plasma. Now, plasmoids are mysterious, often glowing ball like entities made of plasma that appear to defy conventional science, hovering, zipping, and sometimes even reacting to their environment with uncanny intelligence. Witnesses describe them as otherworldly, like something pulled straight from a sci fi horror flick. Yet they've been reported for centuries and no one truly knows what they are. Now, full disclosure, I'd never heard of these things until Delaney brought me research detailing them. And I admit that I spent a significant amount of time down a plasmoid rabbit hole. But sadly we don't have the time this week to explore the subject further. But I promise this won't be the last time you hear about this unexplained but very much real phenomena. Until then, hopefully you'll consider that as an explanation. Matt, thank you again for calling in. Now folks, all sorts of strangeness lies ahead, but first, a word from tonight's sponsors.

[Matt]

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[Derek Hayes]

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[Matt]

Hello Derek, this is Jackson. At the time I was living in Virginia when this occurred. I was surrounded by farms and forests where I lived at. It was a couple years, like five years back in the summertime at night, like 11 to 12, I was looking at the moon through my window and I saw a shadow, like a silhouette of a person. It wasn't moving. A little girl, probably 11 to 12 was my height. She just stepped in and stared at each other for a good three, five minutes before I saw her dart and disappear into the woods. It was in my backyard, it was under my street light and I was on the second floor of where I was living at. Thank you for listening. Thanks.

[Derek Hayes]

Thank you Jackson. Now we've all stared at a fence post or a tree stump or a pile of clothes in our darkened bedrooms, thinking that they were a person. The human brain is wired to look for that specific shape, so we all tend to be fooled by different optical illusions. But there is no question when the figure you've been staring at takes off running stumps, posts and clothes piles do not do that. And you know this story gives me signs, vibes that M. Night Shyamalan movie from the early aughts. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. But it's fun stuff, Jackson. For us, of course, I doubt any of this experience was enjoyable for you. Nonetheless, we appreciate the call. Thank you again for calling in. And folks, if you too have a story you would like to share here on the program, give my hotline a call at 888-608-NIGHT. That's 888608 NIG HT. Or you can record your story on your phone or computer and email it to me. Monsters among us podcastmail.com now there are a few rules to making a submission, so be sure to keep those in mind when you call. One story per call and if you need more time, just call back and pick up where you left off. There is a five minute limit you can call in as many stories as you want, but only one story per phone call. And only call in each story one time. It helps us keep everything organized and keeps us from repeating stories. True stories. Only second hand stories are okay as long as they're good and you believe that they happened. And lastly, but most importantly, call from a quiet place. Calls made from vehicles are almost never shared on the program even though I receive them all the time. The sound quality is just complete garbage. So Again, that number is 888-608-608-night and we can't wait to hear from you. Oh, and don't forget, if your youngster has a story they would like to share on Monsters Among Us Junior that is, they can call that hotline at 833- Maui-KIDS or the email is Monsters Among Us Junior gmail.com. now our next entry will almost certainly keep you up at night. Please join me in welcoming Cheryl out of Kansas.

[Matt]

Hi, this is Cheryl. And this story occurred when I was in college. I lived in a dorm room. And the layout of our dorm room was when you'd walk in the room, you would walk in there and against that one wall there were two closets. And then in the middle of the two closets there were a set of drawers and a shelf up on top of the drawers and then a mirror. One night I was there by myself. My roommate was out for the weekend and I was sleeping and I woke up because I heard some noises. I looked and on top of that shelf between the two closets was a figure. And I always felt that it was a feminine figure. And when I think about what this thing looked like, it was kind of like a combination of Gollum and the Ring Girl. I said Gollum because it had very stringy hair and was down in his face. And the ring girl, just because it was long hair. I kind of sat up in bed and I was probably trying to figure out what I was seeing. But this thing was squatted up there and was not really looking at me. Kind of had its head down and its hair was kind of swelling over its head face. That had seemed like very long arms because it was like they were beckoning me. They would, you know, thrust the arm out with the fingers and come back to the figure and that went over and over again. And I was trying to figure out how I could get to a room. And I remember very distinctly saying, if I try to go out my door, they're going to be able to reach me because what seemed like very long arms. I know a lot of people have said this is what they did. And I felt like it was my only choice. I put my head under my covers and I somehow fell back to sleep years later, especially after listening the show. I'd wonder if that was some sort of sleep paralysis that I told someone that story later and they said they didn't think it was because I had set up in bed. And I guess some of the things I was aware of didn't sound like sleep paralysis. But whether it was a dream or real, that was probably the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me in my life. Thank you.

[Derek Hayes]

Thanks, Cheryl. These figures have a name? Well, they have several names, all depending on where you are, I suppose. But they call her the old hag, the night hag, or the mare, as in nightmare or mer, which means to crush, oppress, or oppress. A fitting moniker if you ask me, because these creatures are said to sit or stand on the victim's chest, causing difficulty in breathing. But the weird thing about this character, however, is that she's mostly associated with sleep paralysis. At least these days she is. So I don't know, Cheryl, maybe it was somehow still sleep paralysis. Maybe you were able to move just slightly even though the episode was continuing. Or maybe your friend is right as well. Perhaps there was something more to this experience. Regardless, we appreciate your injury. It was pretty spooky, whatever the hell it was. Since we're on the topic of sleep paralysis, I had a thought the other day. If a ghost were to pin someone down to the bed, they'd most likely get away with it. Because most people, including the experiencer in most cases, will simply assume that sleep paralysis is to be blamed. After all, that's how it's gone for centuries. But the following entry from a in Arizona might just make you question what's really going down.

[Matt]

Hey, Derek, this is a. I currently live in Arizona. This story happened to me back in 1986 or 1987 in Tacoma, Washington. My ex wife and I had purchased her grandfather's house in north Tacoma. And this house was built in 1921. It was a big house. It's kind of spooky, but it was a nice house. Well, anyway, we went to bed and I had, you know, been sleeping soundly, perfectly fine. And I woke up and I was having the sensation of being pinned down. And I know people talk about sleep paralysis. This was not sleep paralysis, in my opinion. I was being pinned down and I could feel sheer terror and fright of something that was mere centimeters from my face. And I would not open up my eyes but I was awake but I would not open up my eyes and I could not move and I was in that fight or flight sensation but I was terrified and I finally willed myself and I think it was more out of terror and just getting the hell out of the room. But I sat up in bed and flew out of my bed to scramble around in the pitch dark and turn on the light to nothing being there and my wife waking up wondering what the hell I was doing. I have never experienced anything since like this and I'm 60 years old now. Quite honestly, I don't want to experience anything like that ever again. The sheer terror that I was feeling. I do not wish to go through that again. I really like your podcast. I've been listening to it all week. I'm doing work on my house and it's really nice to listen to Pastime so thanks a lot. Take care.

[Derek Hayes]

Thank you. A How do we know from sure that it is sleep paralysis? I assume it is, but how do we actually know sleep paralysis or not? It sounds like a frightening experience, eh? And we can't thank you enough for taking the time to share it with us.

[Matt]

Doug Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save.

[Derek Hayes]

Hundreds with Liberty Mutual, but now we want you to feel it.

[Matt]

Cue the emu music. Limu Save yourself money today.

[Derek Hayes]

Increase your wealth.

[Matt]

Customize and save.

[Derek Hayes]

We say that may have been too much feeling. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Affiliates excludes Massachusetts.

[Matt]

521-01-348.

[Derek Hayes]

Now next up we work our way to Illinois where Vince is stationed with our next entry. Hey Derek Vince from Chicago. So some quick background and I promise it is important I realize at a young age that I can't visualize things like other people do. Someone would say picture a dog or picture a T. Rex and most others could do just that. They visualize the tail of the dog or its paws, or they imagine the Tyrannosaurus from Jurassic park. Maybe now with some feathers. I can't do that. I get lines of description like I'm reading a book. No pictures, just words. I guess I'm technically visualizing them, but I've never really met someone that this happens to. Well, anyway, I'm catching up on the backlog of episodes and last week I catched the episode about imaginary friends and it triggers a memory. Have you or any of the other monsters seen those, I guess Shadowrunners? You'd be A passenger in a vehicle just staring out the window and see a nondescript shadowy figure running along the side of the road, jumping from light posts and electrical posts to the next. Maybe running along the rooftops just like the character from that mobile game Temple Run. Because I do. But as I mentioned, I don't really know how to visualize or imagine things. So what am I really seeing? What are they? You know, just some food for thought. Keep it up. I love the show. Take care. Thanks, Vince. I think we touched on this once a long time ago. And back then I'd mentioned that I used to imagine a figure running along the side of our vehicle when I was a kid. He had to jump from power line pole to power line pole to avoid sunny patches or whatever game the terrain we were passing would allow for. But this was firmly planted in my imagination. There was no flesh and blood figure jumping from guardrail to guardrail. And of course we've heard stories about the painted Native Americans running alongside vehicles out west here. But that seems to be different somehow. So how about it listeners? Anyone heard anything similar to this? If so, you know how to reach us. 888-608-night and thank you again, Vance for sharing. Now the calls just keep on flowing and this next one comes to us from the old Colony state. Please welcome Kyle out of Massachusetts.

[Matt]

Hey Derek, it's Kyle from Massachusetts. I'm a mailman and I save your episodes for dark and stormy days like today. Things can get kind of weird on the back roads. These stories aren't mine. They're actually my best friends. I've known my best friend for about 12 years now. We're soul brothers. We've been through hell and back together. He's definitely not one to exaggerate stories and I've heard him tell these stories several times. And so they've never faltered. I'll try my best to retell them. The first one is one that I've actually been a part of a little bit. He had a uncle who wasn't really an uncle, he was just a family friend but pretty much helped raise him. He passed away and this fellow was kind of a rough individual. And his breakfast of choice was a cigarette, a cup of black coffee with a shot of brandy in it. So I've actually witnessed this where if you go in the kitchen in the morning, pre dawn when it's like, you know, dusky, twilighty out, you can smell a cigarette, you can smell coffee brewing, and most like importantly, you can smell that strong scent of alcohol. You know, even when you've been the first one in there for hours. His ashes are in the kitchen on a stand with a Playboy centerfold draped over it. So I guess you can kind of figure out something about that. I don't know what it is, but there's something there. The second one has to do with that house. Again, his great grandfather built the house, and it's been in the family ever since. And every generation of his family has lived and died in that place. And so there's a lot of spooky stuff that goes on. One story that he told me was everyone was in the kitchen fighting, and they heard a big bang on the front door. And when they went to go investigate, a tote from the top of the stairs had hit the front of the door. Now, like, if you've been in an old house, I'm sure a lot of your listeners can relate. It would be really difficult for this tote to have gone from the top of the stairs and hit the front door with force. Because if you're at the top of the stairs and you look straight ahead, My buddy's room actually, like, cuts the stairs in half. So, like, if you were to walk down the stairs, you would hit your head on the wall to his bedroom. You have to duck under the wall. That's just the way the house is built. So in order for this tote to have hit the front door with force, it would have had to, like, levitate from where it was sitting, go down the stairs. So it bypassed that wall, and then flung itself at the front door. He said that when that happened, everyone kind of quieted down and stopped arguing. A lot of spooky stuff went down in that house. One time, he was out playing with his friends, and he thought he heard his name being yelled. He said he could hear it clear as day. And so he ran home and asked his mom what was going on, and his mom said that she hadn't called him, so he went back out and he heard it again. That's just like, another spooky thing. I think his house is pretty haunted. It's definitely got a weird vibe. It's old and rickety, and it's not really malevolent or evil. It's just more like his family just hasn't left yet. They're keeping an eye on him. I actually do remember one time he had the door closed into one of the bedrooms, and you could see a shadow walking back and forth underneath the door. You could see the shadow through the light. And I opened up the door and There was no one in there. So that was actually another one that I've experienced. His family built the house across the street as well, and they sold it to this other family that's also lived there for a while. And I guess, you know, he was friends with the kid who lived across the street in that house. And his friend said, you know, I saw a ghost last night. And his friend explained what the ghost looked like. And my buddy went and picked out a family photo album and found a picture of a woman. And the kid said, that's the woman I saw in my room. And it was my buddy's great grandmother. And the other story, this one's a little bit less intense, but it's still interesting nonetheless. He was walking down the train tracks one night, and he saw this guy walking with his old hound dog. It was pretty late at night, so he tried to make some noise, you know, kind of be a little weird, spook the guy, because we used to be punks. And no one reacted to him being weird. And so he picked up a rock and threw it at the guy with his dog. Now, we all know dogs like, they react to noise. And so when the dog, Stone, hit the railroad track, the dog didn't even move. Which anyone who has a dog or has been around dogs know that that's, like, really unusual because they react to everything. They're always on guard, especially hound dogs. Anyway, love the show, Derek. Have a great day.

[Derek Hayes]

Thank you, Kyle. You know, I sure could go for a dark and stormy day myself. We haven't had one of those around here in a good long time. It sounds like the perfect environment in which to tune in to this program. Now, Massachusetts seems to be full of spookiness. I've never been there myself, but Sarah and I are hoping to change that later this year. We've been trying to put a trip together to Salem for a number of years now, but our rigorous release schedule makes getaways quite difficult. But if Kyle's stories are to be believed, the place is worth making time for, and we fully intend to do that. So until we get out there, thank you again, Kyle, for giving us a preview of the state's activity. Now, folks, you keep listening, and I'll keep playing. This next entry was submitted out of Arkansas. Please welcome Anonymous to the program.

[Matt]

Hey, Derek. I'm from southeast Arkansas. The most southeast you can get right before you cross into the Mississippi state line. I would like to remain anonymous. This happened about, let's see, 2019, 2020, somewhere around like that. It was about 12 o' clock to about 11:30 at night. And me and my buddy were sitting in the driveway of a pasture right beside my house. And it's not a big pasture, it's about 8 to 10 acres big. It ain't big anyways. We're sitting there in the driveway of the cow pasture, but half of it is like woods and half of it is grass. And it ain't big woods. It's not big oak trees or nothing like that. It's small pine trees, not tall ones, the small pine trees with some of them, what we call them down here, gum trees. But behind those trees is plain dirt field. Ain't no more trees or nothing behind us, just plain dirt field right behind it. Anyways, we're sitting there and talking, looking out of the windshield of his truck. And then all of a sudden, this green light through the trees just flashing, it was on and it cut off and it turned back on about two or three times. And then when we noticed that, we looked at each other like, hey, man, you see that? Did you just see that or was that just me? And you know, we're like, oh yeah, I've seen it too. And we're sitting there looking at again. Then a clear light came off. No, right in of front, the same spot where the green light was. It was maybe a couple inches over to the right hand side of where the green light was. It was a green light and the flash about two or three times long enough where we could tell it was a green light and about the height it was. And you know, once we noticed that we looked at it again. We were like, dang, you just seen that? And then that's when that clear white light shined as well. It looked like a flashlight. But surely wasn't somebody out there looking, because why would it be out there? And it was during the week too. So people have work, they ain't gonna be out there that late. And it ain't no woods to try to go hunt because it's slow. And then after that, he started seeing something in the sky, kind of look like, you know, was following him. About a couple weeks later, he sent me a video. He said, man, that speck in disguise, like it appears and it disappears. And I'm like, what are you talking about? And he showed me a video. Like it looked. I don't want to sound crazy or anything like this, but it looked like a ufo. Literally like a ufo. Once he recorded it, he like went away. But you can still see in video, it'd be like changing directions because it'd be turning around. He didn't only send me one video, send me multiple videos about two or three or four and it wouldn't be in the same spot and he'd be in different locations. Whenever you see it, I don't know what it was or anything like that. I would just like to know if anybody could kind of give me an idea of what it was or what we might have we shown the world we were experienced or something, but we haven't seen anything else like that. I would like to see some stuff, but I'm also kind of scared about that stuff. But you know, God is with me and nothing will hurt me or anything with the good Lord. I love the podcast that keeps me going through my 12 hour workday. May God bless you keeping up the hard work. Thank you.

[Derek Hayes]

Thanks caller. You know, our researcher extraordinaire Delaney Power suggested that I look at a product that emits both white and green light and is purchased to shine into the woods. They call them predator lights and they're like flashlights that you affix to a rifle barrel to spotlight predators like coyote and fox. And you know, she might be onto something because there are many models that have both the green and white option options you can easily interchange between. So is it possible that there was a hunter holed up in those woods and perhaps he heard something out there and switched between colors trying to get a look at whatever it was? That's one theory at least. Now, I certainly enjoyed this entry. There's just something 1980s about it that triggers my nostalgia. So a big thanks caller for taking the time to ring in. Now, according to my calculations, we have time for one more call before the next pause in the action. So please welcome Austin from the Midden State.

[Matt]

Hey Derek and Monsters among us crew. This is Austin from southern Kalamazoo county in Michigan. I am calling in regard to a series of, I guess, little silver orbs I saw. It was a few months back.

[Derek Hayes]

I was taking a break from working.

[Matt]

On my car, laying back on my trampoline, taking a look up at the sky. It was dusk, almost dark, but enough to where there's still a little bit of light in the sky. And I sit south of Kalamazoo so I can see the light pollution from over there. But I'm pretty much in the middle of nowhere out here. And as I'm looking up, just ever so faintly, I see these teeny little dots, silver dots coming from over the horizon near Kalamazoo City proper, I guess, as you would say it coming from over the horizon and out toward me.

[Derek Hayes]

A little bit to the north, and.

[Matt]

Then they continue on and then make a break about 45 degrees, not even that. Probably 30 or so to the left, and head off to what would be northeast. I watched probably 20 of these things.

[Derek Hayes]

Lord knows how long it was going.

[Matt]

On before I got out there, before I decided to run inside and grab my wife and make sure I wasn't seeing things. And she came out, and we sat there and proceeded to watch. I think we had counted 30 or 40 before it got to the point where it was just. It wasn't very eventful. I mean, it's really cool and something I've never seen before. And I've seen quite a few things, and I'm pretty picky about what I see. And, you know, making sure that it's definitely doing something that's anomalous rather than.

[Derek Hayes]

Jumping the gun and making assumptions.

[Matt]

But, yeah, it was just the weirdest thing, seeing so many of them coming in rapid succession like that. I mean, it would be almost maybe 15, 20 seconds before the next one would come across the sky. I mean, one would make it about.

[Derek Hayes]

A quarter of the way across the.

[Matt]

Sky, and then there'd be another one following it, going the same path. They just kept coming and coming and common. Just barely visible, but you could definitely see them and my wife and test the hat. I guess that's it. I appreciate what you guys do. I hope more of you guys listening call in, share your stories, because there's definitely other people out there that have seen the same thing or at least can relate. Thank you.

[Derek Hayes]

Thank you.

[Matt]

Thank you. Thank you. Adios, man.

[Derek Hayes]

Thanks, Austin. All right, I'm gonna make a lot of you unhappy here, but I think I have an explanation for this one. And Austin lays out each of the clues. Let me start by saying I'm a huge bird guy. I had long bus rides to and from school as a young kid, so I would pass the time by memorizing birds, reptiles, and other animals from field guides that I checked out of the library. This was before cell phones, obviously, and I got pretty good at it. And some of that knowledge remains with me to this day, enough to know that that area and the direction that Austin saw the objects moving in happens to align with a prominent flyway for migrating birds from down south. That particular route is called the Mississippi Flyway, and all kinds of bird species take it en route to places east of the Hudson Bay in Canada. And Austin said his sightings occurred a few months prior to his Submission, and he submitted in very early July. Now, the peak time for birds to be flying along that flyway is March to June. And right smack dab in the middle of that window is when Austin had his experience. Now, the most important part of all this is that these birds, some of them like sandhill cranes, are massive and they fly very, very high up. High enough that you can still see them, but not low enough that you can make out that it's actually a bird. From that distance, they sort of just look like oblong orbs. But what makes them really stand out involves an ingredient Austin mentioned. The area has in spades. Light pollution. You see, light from town shines up and bounces off the white or gray birds, causing them to almost glow or have a metallic finish. So that's my guess here, a perfectly logical explanation, albeit a boring one. But before I move on, I will ask you to consider the alternative. If you jump over to the National UFO Reporting Center's database and search out silver orbs or metallic orbs in the Michigan area, you'll quickly learn that there are several sightings from that area of the exact same thing. So I wonder if they've seen the same birds that Austin did, or if there's something unearthly taking place up in the Great Lakes state. I'll let you be the judge. But thank you, Austin, for giving us the opportunity to break it all down. Thank you again for calling in.

[Matt]

You're like a mind reader. Technically, yes, but saving really put him over the edge.

[Derek Hayes]

Now join me in New York, where we meet up with our next submitter. Please welcome Daniel to the program.

[Matt]

Hi, Derek, this is Daniel. I'm from the uk, but I moved to Brooklyn, New York about four months ago now. And I was listening to this episode with the story about the woman in the bar and she appeared from two different directions. And I wanted to share a similar experience that I had. So this was when I was still living in the uk and I lived in a town called Hastings, which is on the southeast coast. And I'd caught a train into London, which is about an hour and a half away from there. And towards the end of the journey, the train stops at a station called Sevenoaks. And just before the train got there, people started getting up and queuing in the aisle to get off through the exit, which was just behind where I was sitting. And right in front of me, there was this woman and who I assumed was her son. And they're waiting there for a couple of minutes. So I get to get a good look at them. The train then stops and the woman and her son and get off the train. And then in the amount of time that it takes for me to turn my head and look out of the window, which was like seconds, I see the same woman and son walking up from the opposite end of the platform. And I was like, what? How did they get there? Because there wasn't enough time for them to get off the train and then walk down the platform and then walk all the way back again. It was so peculiar and strange. Yeah, and I wonder what your thoughts were on what that was. So thank you, Derek. Bye bye.

[Derek Hayes]

Thanks, Daniel. Well, what do you think, folks? Was this a doppelganger experience? Perhaps a pair of ghosts of some sort? Or maybe even a wild coincidence? Regardless, put yourself in Daniel's shoes. I bet he'll be trying to figure this one out for the rest of his life. Thank you again, Daniel, for making the call. Alright folks, we're down to our last two stories of the evening and these two are guaranteed to tingle your spine. Let's start with this entry from Ivy, all the way down in New Zealand.

[Matt]

Hello, my name's Ivy, I'm from New Zealand. The experience that I'm speaking about today happened about seven months ago. About a month after that I'd moved into a new house.

[Derek Hayes]

About a month leading up to this.

[Matt]

Event, I thought I'd heard some weird things, like people walking around upstairs when.

[Derek Hayes]

There was no one up there.

[Matt]

But I just brushed it off, you know, just thought that's just the wind or something. But after this experience, it does make.

[Derek Hayes]

Me think that maybe I was actually hearing something.

[Matt]

We live in a two story house.

[Derek Hayes]

I was standing at the bottom of.

[Matt]

The stairs and all of a sudden I just heard someone say it was a woman's voice in my left ear and I hope I can swear, but she just said off really loud in my ear and like here. I instinctively looked to the left to see if there was anyone there. Of course there wasn't. Hair on the back of my neck, stood up, all that stuff. I froze. I remember thinking, did I actually just hear that? And then almost to like confirm that, I heard it again, louder this time.

[Derek Hayes]

In my left ear again.

[Matt]

And I ran up the stairs immediately told my partner, they're still not sure.

[Derek Hayes]

They think it was just my head.

[Matt]

But it was not my voice, it was an external voice speaking to me. Then the next day I was bringing the laundry and our laundry is next to our kitchen and I thought I heard like lots of glasses clinking together. Like someone was unloading the dishwasher, but it's like louder than usual.

[Derek Hayes]

So I called out to my partner.

[Matt]

Just to check everything was okay, and.

[Derek Hayes]

They weren't in there. They were not in the kitchen.

[Matt]

So, yeah, those are my experiences. Thankfully, nothing's happened since. I don't hear people walking around upstairs anymore. So I don't know if maybe that spirit just needed to adjust to us living there, get it out of her system. But, yeah.

[Derek Hayes]

Thank you, Ivy. Well, that was kind of rude of her, wasn't it? Certainly not welcoming. And to think that you hear it once, well, that's one thing. It could be an earworm or exploding head syndrome, or you misheard something outside. But to hear it twice and to still think that's what you heard, well, that says something, in my opinion. Now, it's great to receive a story from New Zealand. We don't get many entries from down there, so if there are any Kiwis listening, do me a favor and shoot me a call. We'd love to hear from you. Now, this next one is what I like to call a classic ghost story, meaning it could almost be a version of one of those traditional campfire stories we used to tell. The hook on the door handle, feet dangling on the hood of the car, that sort of thing. I think you too will notice a few parallels here. Please welcome Reese in Illinois.

[Matt]

Hey, Derek. This is Reese. I live in a little small town of Illinois. I have to drive what we call the river road to work every morning, which I work around the Alton, Illinois area. And one morning about three years ago, it was probably about 3:40 in the morning, I stopped and got gas like I usually do, which I was having a weird week at the beginning because it was a Monday. And I usually get fuel at the end of the week, you know, like on a Friday when I'm going in. But anyway, as I'm driving in, I get about, I don't know, probably three miles down the road, and there's a person walking, which you see people walking on the river road every day, or you see people jogging or you see people riding bikes. And this particularly kind of threw me off because here it is, you know, four o' clock in the morning. So I drive by. I kind of have this guilt in my stomach. I'm like, something's not right. And I don't usually ask people if they need help unless, you know, I absolutely think they really need it. So I stop back at my truck, roll down the window, and they're just walking. And I'm asking if they're okay. You know, it's a tall male, and they're not saying a word, which, I mean, threw me off again. 4 o' clock in the morning. Don't really know what's going on. And there's no vehicles around that are broke down on the side of the road. So I give it about another, you know, two minutes after that, I kind of gave up on, you know, trying to ask them if they're okay, they needed anything. I ended up driving back to work. And I get to work, I'm in a funk, you know, and a couple of my buddies ask me what's going on. And I tell them and, you know, they all kind of smile at me and, you know, they're like, ah, you're just, you know, seems. Well, two days later, I'm actually scrolling through Facebook on Riverbender, and I see a obituary for a person that I guess died. And it was that person in that obituary and they drowned. And for some reason in the back of my mind, I was there. Like, it felt like I was the last person that person seen is what it felt like to me. You know, I've never seen anything like that in my entire life. So I told my wife about it, and to this day, it still gives hair on my neck, you know, standing straight up. And it chokes me up to really talk about it a lot because I knew what I saw and what I seen after it really, you know, I don't know, shocked me. To this day, I believe in everything, you know, and I guess everything kind of happens for a reason. That's just. Oh, gosh, I'm really. Oh, man. Anyway, I thought I'd share that with you guys. Love the show. Keep up the good work and talk to you some other time.

[Derek Hayes]

Thanks, Reese. And we tried our best to find the actual obituary that Reese was talking about, but we were not able to locate it. But if someone knows where it's at, we're happy to update the show notes. But all of that is not to say that Reese wasn't telling the truth. It just means that we weren't able to access the same information that he was. But does it really matter? You can hear it in Reese's voice that he is unsettled by what had occurred. And I have a feeling many of us are as well. So we thank you again, Reese, for sharing the entry. And please do let us know if you can locate the obituary. I wonder how that guy would feel if he knew he was being talked about years after his death. In the ghostly form. I guess the legacy is a legacy and folks that's going to do it it for this episode. A huge thanks to everyone that submitted this evening and a huge thanks to you for taking the time to tune in now. Monsters Among Us podcast is written and produced by me, Derek Hayes, copyright Red Grow Media. Additional support is provided by Sarah Carter Hayes, Delaney Bowers and Connor Ryan. All media used in his production is done so under the protection of fair use. Give us a Like and follow on our social media accounts. Give us a Like and follow at YouTube. Leave us a rate and review wherever possible. And of course join us on our Discord server for additional conversation. Don't forget that you can catch the show every Saturday evening at 10pm Eastern on the Annex Digital Network. Just visit on xnetwork.com to tune in and find finally, tonight's score was provided by Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse Co AG Music and Carl Casey at Whitebat Audio. Now don't forget to watch our film Shadows in the desert. Go to borregotriangle.com to learn more and join us in the beyond. Just keep listening to this episode until you can't anymore. For more details or visit monster among us podcast.com and click the Patreon tab. And there we have it folks. For those die hards, I'll see you soon. But for everyone else, have a good night.

[Matt]

Larry A round of applause.

[Derek Hayes]

They couldn't get their coaches right.

[Matt]

We are always accepting new patients.

[Derek Hayes]

Join the thousands of satisfied patients. Now it's time for our secret story. A little tradition that we've been doing around here for the last few years. Now, one last story before I ride off into the sunset that is the beyond. And this secret story is a weird one like they all tend to be. So if you would put your flippers together for Otto in Pennsylvania.

[Matt]

Hi Derek, this is Otto from pa. I just want to call in about something I saw when I was younger. My grandmother had a pretty big backyard and I had a bunch of cousins and we would hang out in the backyard and playing stuff during the summer. And one particular summer I was outside with three of my cousins. Only one of them is important to the story, so I will call this B. Four of us were out in the backyard playing and we kind of were just running around. You know, there's a lot of trees from the other yards, houses up, you know, against each other and stuff. And after a little while we noticed something in one of the trees in one of the neighbor's backyards. I can't Remember exactly how far away it was. I know what we saw because it was daylight, you know, summer, sun's out, everything. So what I would describe is something white or gray skin. It had wings. It definitely had short arms. I couldn't tell you if it had claws or hands, but definitely had wings. And its face wasn't that of a normal creature that I would see flying. I guess you could say it didn't have, like, a beak. The face looked more flat, almost human. Like, I can't exactly tell you how far away we were, but this was pretty high up in a tree. And it just kind of sat there. And I pointed this out to my other cousins and they all saw it too, to the point where I specifically remember us going in the house and talking about it. Like, okay, what are we seeing? Like, did we tell an adult? Like, that didn't seem like a normal thing. We were all probably 12 or 13, so, you know, we knew this is something weird. So I recently saw some of these cousins at a family event and I brought it up to them and none of them remembered anything. Well, that's what they told me at first. Two of them specifically said that they didn't remember what I was talking about. And B also said she didn't remember. But later on in the party, B. Pulled me aside and said she didn't remember exactly that day, but she knows what I'm talking about because she saw it later in life. She had moved in with her girlfriend and they were having like a get together with some friends. And it was daytime. I'm not sure if it was summer or whatever, but they were having some type of cookout. And she said she was just sitting there and just felt like something was watching her. And she kind of like scanned the tree line. And she remembers seeing something like that, like, moving through the trees. And she didn't really get a good look at it, but what she did see was wings. Was a white leathery with a grayish kind of skin. And it had, like, arms. Not like just that were wings, but like arms separate from the wings. She couldn't really get a good look at the face, but she specifically remembered the skin was like gray or white. Different part of PA she was in from where the story originally took place when I was younger. But I don't know, something weird. Like I said, this is probably 20 years ago now, but I don't know if anybody's ever seen anything like that Ta or anywhere else in the world. But thanks for taking my call and take care.

[Derek Hayes]

Thank you. Otto If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're describing the Mothman. Here is how the original Mothman witnesses described the creature after their sighting in November of 1966. It was shaped like a man, but bigger, around six and a half to seven feet tall, wings folded against its back, grayish in color, and of course, those bright red eyes. Now, I can't help but pick up on how similar the Mothman descriptions are to what Otto just shared with us, but believe it or not, those descriptions are a better match to another cryptid. A cryptid that's also known to roam the state of Pennsylvania. They call it the Butler County Gargoyle, and this clip From Cryptic on YouTube sums up the story perfectly. On March 21, 2011, a man driving down a desolate road in Butler County, Pennsylvania, between Chikara and Brady spotted what he had first believed to be a deer in the distance. As he approached, he realized it wasn't a deer at all, but a hunched over winged creature. As it stood up, it revealed itself as a tall humanoid covered in leathery skin, with long arms and muscular legs. It appeared to be around 8ft tall with a flat face and helmet shaped head. The witness said he couldn't clearly make out any eyes, but that they might have been pointed in the corner. The creature crossed the road and entered a wooded area. In the following days, three more sightings were reported in Keppel's Corner, East, Brady and Rimmersburg. All three sightings were almost identical to the original, with witnesses spotting an eight or nine foot tall muscular wind creature near a road. They described it as having a pointed head, flat forehead, a slit mouth, and eyes that were were squinted but swept upwards at the corners. In my opinion, the descriptions are uncanny. It's almost an exact match to what Otto described. And like Mothman, this creature too seems to show up for a few weeks or months, then simply vanish. Now, I certainly don't want to jump to conclusions here, but these kinds of details really get my blood pumping. Because when something like this happens and it's one off, it's easy to dismiss. But when it happens several times and in several different places, well, it doesn't solve the mystery. But it does certainly deepen it. So maybe this was the Mothman. Maybe the Mothman and the Gargoyle are the same thing. Or maybe not. Maybe there is more than one flying monster flapping around that part of Appalachia. Regardless, we really enjoyed the entry Auto and I really enjoyed getting to talk about some of these more obscure cryptids. So thank you again for taking the time to call in. Now, folks, it's time to go beyond. And boy, do I have a few good ones lined up for you here tonight. We have Demons, we have Winnie the Pooh, and we have a potential Mirrored Men entry from the state of Georgia that you won't want to miss. And joining us is simple and potentially free. Visit monsters among us podcast.com and click the Patreon tab or sign up directly at Patreon, Patreon or Apple Subscriptions. For five bucks a month, you get access to the rest of this episode, hundreds of others, and you're directly supporting the program. And don't forget, there's a seven day free trial for each of those platforms. So that's potentially two free weeks if you're creative enough. Anything you have to do to hear stories like Missy's out of the state of Georgia.

[Matt]

Hey, Derek, my name is Missy. I currently live in South Georgia. The story I'm going to tell you happened when I lived in South Florida and I was 13 years old. So a couple weeks ago I was listening to your podcast and I've been trying to, like, you know, go through it. I don't know why I skipped to season 15. And I was listening to your mirrored men part two. I'd never heard of them before. I'd never heard part one, but I was listening to this part two that you put out and you started talking about this Philippine legend of these three beings and hoods that knocked on people's doors. I have to tell you that my whole body went numb when I heard you say that. And the reason being is because I'm 44 now. But when I was 13 years old, I had a dream about these three hooded beings trying to come into my house. And they were humanoid shaped. I would say they were completely human.

[Derek Hayes]

Shaped, except they didn't have any feet.

[Matt]

Or I didn't see their feet. In my dream, in my house, we had a sliding glass door and they were trying to get into the sliding glass door. And in the dream it was nighttime and I was in my breakfast nook where the sliding glass door, you could look outside onto the pool patio. And these three beings just floated up towards the door out of the darkness. They were dark. They were darker than the dark. You couldn't see through them. And all three of them just put their finger out. And the finger and the nail, like, you can't see, like the difference between where the finger and the nail ends was just like all one big black finger with like a sharpened point at the end and they were all three tapping on the window at the same time. They never said a word to me. They never made a sound. But in my head I could feel how angry they were and what they wanted. They wanted to come inside. They want anything to do with anybody else except for me. And I just remember being so terrified and thanking God. I hope nobody opens this door because nobody else could see them but me.