S19 Ep48: Cornfield UFOs, horse-headed entities and more mirrored men (Sn. 19 Ep. 48)

Summary

Monsters Among Us – Season 19, Episode 48: Cornfield UFOs, Horse-Headed Entities, and More Mirrored Men

Host: Derek Hayes
Date: September 25, 2025

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Overview

In this episode, Derek Hayes curates a chilling collection of firsthand paranormal stories from listeners, featuring a tour through haunted caves, disturbing UFO encounters, an eerie horse-headed trio reminiscent of the “mirror men,” and unsettling domestic hauntings. Special guest Sapphire Sandalo joins to discuss Filipino folklore creatures and her upcoming film, tying listener calls to global supernatural traditions. The episode blends haunting narrative, folkloric analysis, and the signature spooky storytelling that defines Monsters Among Us.

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Key Stories & Insights

1. The Haunted Colossal Caves (Arizona)

[03:06-06:39]

• Caller: Anonymous, Arizona
• Summary: While touring the Colossal Caves with his wife, the caller felt a distinct poke in his lower back, as if someone was urgently trying to get by. Turning around, he saw no one, and this triggered an intense sense of dread and chills.
• Derek’s Commentary: There are multiple legends about the Colossal Cave, including that of a “lady in white,” buried treasure, and the restless spirit of Frank Schmidt, one of the cave’s developers. Derek suggests paranormal activity is expected in such places, but pinning down the who remains impossible.

Quote:
“I can still remember that poke to this day that basically said, hey, you’re in the way. And there was nobody, there was nobody.”
— Arizona Caller [06:39]

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2. Legal Doppelganger (North Carolina)

[11:15-13:10]

• Caller: John, North Carolina
• Summary: In college, John received a call from the administration claiming he owed money, but upon closer inspection it turned out someone with nearly identical identifying information (only one SSN digit different) was the actual debtor.
• Derek’s Commentary: Derek dubs this scenario a “legal doppelganger,” marveling at the coincidence and recognizing how easily records can become tangled.

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3. UFOs: Spinning Lights and Mirroring Stars

• A. Spinning Light UFO (New Brunswick, Canada)
  [15:25-16:44]

  • Caller: Sam, New Brunswick
  • Summary: Sam recounts a childhood memory of witnessing a point of light moving in fast, repetitive circles before shooting directly into space, distinctly unlike any satellite.
  • Significance: Sam found validation years later when others reported similar sightings.
  • Derek’s Take: Spinning UFOs are rare but powerful in witness testimony.

• B. Moving Star UFO (Lake Austin, Texas)
  [26:23-27:33]

  • Caller: Travis, Texas
  • Summary: On Lake Austin, Travis observed a “star” detach from the Little Dipper, zigzag, and flash like a camera, echoing other “moving star” UFO reports.
  • Derek’s Take: The motif of UFOs “disguised as stars” recurs in the show and remains unnerving.

Quote:
“It went around in a circle…then shot into space, not across the sky like a satellite… and vanished. And I’ve never forgot it.”
— Sam [15:44]

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4. Domestic Hauntings and Disturbing Sounds

[17:50-21:10]

• Caller: Crystal
• Summary: While home alone, Crystal heard a man cough loudly and clear his throat in her smoke-filled kitchen, immediately after burning food. She checked the security cameras and house; no one was present.
• Derek’s Commentary: Raises both the paranormal implication and the frightening possibility of a hidden intruder, referencing real-life cases of unexpected squatters.

Quote:
“As soon as the smoke started filling the air… I heard clear as day, a man cough three times and clear his throat. I turned off the water immediately. I froze.”
— Crystal [18:42]

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5. Cornfield UFO and Family Confirmation (North Carolina)

[29:09-31:28]

• Caller: Andrew
• Summary: Andrew recounts his uncle chasing a glowing, beach-ball-sized orb through the fields at night, with another family across town confirming a similar sighting that same night.
• Derek’s Commentary: Suggests UFO, but considers alternate explanations like crop-circle activity, emphasizing the strength of multiple-witness cases.

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6. Idyllwild Shadow Figure (California)

[32:35-34:58]

• Caller: Chris, Los Angeles
• Summary: During Covid isolation in a remote Idyllwild cabin, Chris saw a robed, hooded figure between the trees amid thick fog. He later found no evidence such as footprints, but did snap a photo (available in show notes). Friends who doubted him were convinced by the photo.
• Derek’s Take: Idyllwild has a diverse catalogue of local legends, and Chris’s sighting doesn't neatly fit any known, adding to the area's mysteries.

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7. Closet Entity: Ventriloquist-Doll Face (Iowa)

[37:52-40:51]

• Caller: Callie, Iowa
• Summary: While putting her baby to bed, Callie glimpsed a 4½-ft tall face staring at her from the closet. She describes it as a cross between a human and a ventriloquist doll, and was later shocked to learn her fiancé has seen the same face since childhood.
• Derek’s Thought: Parent-witnessed childlike apparitions are rare and especially distressing; he urges her fiancé to call with more detail.

Quote:
“It was like a human and a puppet, like a ventriloquist doll… the freakiest thing I had ever seen.”
— Callie [39:03]

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Notable Guest Segment

Interview: Sapphire Sandalo Discusses Horse-Headed Entities and Mirror Men

[42:29-55:56]

• Context: TJ from England reports seeing three figures with horse heads in unison, evoking the “mirror men” motif.
• Sapphire’s Input:
  • Draws parallels to the tikbalang from Filipino folklore (horse-headed, man-bodied trickster spirits).
  • Connects other global tales: Le Segua (Central America), Mari Lwyd (UK tradition).
  • Notes that perception may be culturally influenced: spirits may appear as familiar (horse-like) due to our expectations.
• Derek’s Lore Recap: Mirror men are typically three identical men, moving in perfect sync, often with missing time and strange weather.
• Film Plug: Sapphire discusses Breeder, her horror short starring a tikbalang, currently in post-production and fundraising; links in show notes.

Quote:
“So what TJ is describing kind of reminds me of this creature in Filipino folklore called a tikbalang. So they kind of look like BoJack Horseman… they’re trickster entities… usually in forests or the woods.”
— Sapphire Sandalo [49:15]

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Mirrored Men on a Bus (North Dakota)

[60:01-61:43]

• Caller: CJ, North Dakota
• Summary: CJ witnessed three elderly men board a bus, move and act in perfectly matched timing, and then turn to look at him in unison—so unsettling it made CJ immediately disembark.
• Derek’s Analysis: Lacks some hallmarks of classic mirror men encounters (missing time, rural setting), but shares their unnerving, synchronized behavior.

Quote:
“Their heads turn in unison together… They look back at me and I’m just like, nope, nope. I am out.”
— CJ [61:20]

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Memorable Quotes

• “You know, I’m standing there listening to these jokes… and I feel like someone poked me right in my lower left back… and there was nobody standing there.”
  — Arizona Caller [06:39]

• “I heard clear as day, a man cough three times and clear his throat. I turned off the water immediately. I froze.”
  — Crystal [18:42]

• “It was like a human and a puppet, like a ventriloquist doll…”
  — Callie [39:03]

• “So they kind of look like BoJack Horseman… trickster entities… forests or the woods.”
  — Sapphire Sandalo on the tikbalang [49:15]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|:--------------:| | Haunted Colossal Caves | 03:06 - 06:39 | | Doppelganger Data Error | 11:15 - 13:10 | | Spinning Circle UFO (Canada) | 15:25 - 16:44 | | Domestic Haunting: Disembodied Cough | 17:50 - 21:10 | | Lake Austin Star-Moving UFO | 26:23 - 27:33 | | Cornfield UFO & Family Confirmation | 29:09 - 31:28 | | Idyllwild Robed Figure | 32:35 - 34:58 | | Closet Entity: Puppet Face (Iowa) | 37:52 - 40:51 | | Horse-Headed “Mirror Men” & Interview | 42:29 - 55:56 | | Mirrored Men on a Bus (North Dakota) | 60:01 - 61:43 |

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Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

Derek maintains his trademark warmth, humor, and skepticism, blending comfort and spookiness:

“Keep it spooky and you have yourselves a good night.”

The episode stands out for its global range of legends (from Arizona caves to Filipino forests, English village traditions and the plains of North Dakota), demonstrating how certain paranormal motifs—three mysterious figures, strange lights, shadowy watchers—surface around the world, crossing boundaries of culture and folklore.

Listeners are encouraged to keep an open mind, share their own encounters, and, perhaps most importantly, lock their doors at night.

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For more content, show notes, and Sapphire’s film fundraising, visit MonstersAmongUsPodcast.com.

Transcript

[Derek Hayes]

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[Sam (Caller from New Brunswick, Canada)]

It'S.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Good evening and welcome to Monsters Among Us. I'm your guide, Derek Hayes. Hello everyone and thank you for swinging by. You made the right choice. You won't find a scarier collection of calls than what I have lined up for you here tonight. I have some real bone chillers in store, a few absolute hair raisers. And like we do each and every week, we get right into the action. You'll find no chit chat from me, just spooky stories. Stories like this one sent in anonymously out of the state of Arizona.

[Caller from Arizona]

Hey Derek, I'm going to tell you about a time I visited the Colossal Caves here in the state of Arizona. Some of the brief history that probably could be checked by people is that the Colossal Caves were inhabited by many Indian tribes for several hundred years and they lived in these caves because it's always 72 degrees inside the caves where in Arizona. It's 8 million degrees out here in the sun. So it's a very, very nice climate to be inside those caves. Those Indians were there for many hundreds of years and then they chose to, I believe, abandon. It is what I remember. And I could be wrong again. People can check that. I know that a German immigrant came in. I Think his name was Frank Schmidt, and he put a mining claim on that. And he lived in that cave years. He eventually he donated that or sold it to the state or the conservation of the state or something like that. I'm going to tell you the story about the tour that I took with my wife. You sign up and you go to this tour, and it's hot outside during the summer, and they open up those doors and then let a group of people go through there with a tour guide. And it's real nice. It's 72 degrees. It's real nice. But anyway, we had a tour guide who was a young kid, about 18. And, you know, a lot of those tours, they have canned jokes and canned sayings that they do. And I had ended up at the front of the pack there. There's probably about 15 people there. And I'm not a small guy. I'm about 6ft tall. I'm not a big guy. But I felt that, you know, I'm standing there listening to these jokes, and they weren't real good. So I decided to just kind of slide to the back of everybody and let everybody pass by me because I didn't want to block him and I didn't want to stop his shtick of what he did. So we were going through this cave and you could look down and see where they lived. And there was, you know, they had living situation down. You can look down on the living room and stuff like that. A stove. And it's pretty cool. We were at this point, almost like a gangplank. I had slid to the back of everybody, and my wife was in front of me. And I am gonna, you know, slide to the very beginning of this gangplank. And I'm gonna take a picture of her in the picture and then up the stalagmites, stalactites, things that are hanging down. It's pretty cool. I saw a moment to take a picture, so that's why I'm doing it. So I'm stepping back and I got my cell phone up. I got both hands on it because you don't want to drop a cell phone in there, man. If you do, you're never getting it back because it's going to fall down and it's gone, it's toast. But anyway, I'm stepping back and I am going to take a picture and I'm going to get her in it. I want to make sure everything's framed correctly and everything like that. And I feel like someone poked me right in my lower left back, like excuse me, kind of a poke, you're in the way. So I said, oh, I'm sorry and I stepped back out of the way. So when I looked over so they can get by and there was nobody standing there and every hair on my arm, on my back, on my head stood up and I zipped by my wife quickly. She was on her own at that point and I told her I just got poked, I just got poked and I walked right by her and I just basically caught up with everybody and it was, it was kind of a cool situation, it was kind of freaky situation. And I can still remember that poke to this day that basically said, hey, you're in the way. And there was nobody, there was nobody.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Behind me and it freaked me out. But it was also super cool.

[Caller from Arizona]

Anyway, I thought I'd share that story with you. Love your podcast and keep up the good work.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you caller. Southern Arizona Now I'll actually be making my way to that area here in the coming weeks for a quick business trip. And I planned on visiting Tombstone for the first time, but now I might have to add Colossal caves to that list as well. Now when it comes to Colossal Cave in any paranormal activity experienced there, good luck nailing down which ghost it is you'd like to blame, because like any good cave worth its salt, it's chock full of ghosts now. The following informational clip comes to us from a travel page about the area youtubes welcome to Tucson, Arizona. There are many, many stories surrounding Colossal Cave, not the least of which revolves around buried treasure hidden deep within the cave that has never been found. But of course no cave system would be complete without its fair share of ghost stories.

[TJ (Caller from England)]

It has been said that the lady.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

In White haunts the cave and its entrance.

[Derek Hayes]

There's also another ghost of a woman.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Who years ago tried to outrun a bear with by hiding in the caves. She supposedly survived the bear attack, but.

[TJ (Caller from England)]

Did not survive the 12 foot fall.

[Derek Hayes]

At the original entrance.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Her cries can still be heard from within the cave.

[TJ (Caller from England)]

It is also said the ghost of.

[Derek Hayes]

Frank Schmidt, who was one of the.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Colossal Cave developers, also haunts the cave by checking up on the activities and happenings around the area. So given that past activity, I have no problem believing that you had an experience down there, caller, but picking out which paranormal Persona to assign the poke to, that seems to be downright impossible. But we thank you sir for taking the time to call in. Now folks, we gotta take a quick break, but I'll be right back with more right after this as you know, we love fall around here. The crisp air, the autumn color and the warm flavors that just make everything feel so comfortable. It's a great time to reset and bring healthy habits back into focus. And with Green Chef, the number one meal kit for clean eating, you can see do just that. Green Chef makes it easy to spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying spooky season. And with their new heat and eat meals, I can enjoy a delicious meal in just three minutes. Green Chef's recipes feature fresh organic seasonal produce and 100% responsibly sourced proteins to help you feel your best. Enjoy salads that are ready in just five minutes, protein filled breakfasts or nutrient rich smoothies to fuel your day. With 80 plus dietitian approved weekly meal options, Green Chef makes it easy to find the meals that fit your lifestyle. Pick from Mediterranean gluten free plant based, protein heavy. There are even gut and brain health and calorie smart options too. The recipes change every week and with week to week flexibility you can adjust your plans to match your your mood and your schedule. This week we had Chicken with Garlic Herb Mushroom Risotto. It was mighty tasty and because all the ingredients are pre measured it makes cooking easy and no food is wasted. The unique flavor combinations make healthy eating so much more enjoyable. Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green chef. Head to greenchef.com 50 monsters and users code5.0 monsters to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. That's code5.0 [e-mail] 50 monsters. There's also a link in the show notes. $6,000 off select compact tractor now next up, we work our way to North Carolina where John is waiting with the next story.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Hey Derek, it's John from North Carolina. And it's funny how listening to this podcast triggers memories all the time for me. Wanted to share this one from back when I went to college at Western Carolina University in North Carolina. This would have been back in about 1983 or 84. Was in my room one afternoon and got a call from the Chancellor's office. Lady was telling me that I owed money on my tuition, which is odd because my parents were paying for my schooling. And so I gave the lady my name. She's like yeah, that's the name we have here. So I gave her my full name, middle name included. She's like, yes, that's the name we have here. We talked for a while. I'm like, you know it's not Possible I don't owe you any money. She's like, well, let's do this. Give me your Social Security number. So I give her my Social Security number. She was very, very quiet. I'm like, what's the matter? She's like, well, you're correct. You're not the one we're looking for. And I asked, well, how do you know that for sure? She's like, well, the person we're looking for has a different Social Security number, and it was only different by one number. So I always thought that this is very, very odd, a very strange coincidence, but would love to hear your take on this. I absolutely love this podcast. Keep doing what you're doing. It's the most dynamite podcast I've ever heard. Thanks for listening and keep it spooky. Bye.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you, John. That sounds like a legal doppelganger. Two people with similar enough information that the government gets them confused. Now, that's not a real term or anything. Not that I know of, at least. Just something I made up to explain this situation. But I don't know. John. Very interesting and quite the coincidence if that's in fact what it was. Hopefully it wasn't some sort of elaborate scam or something. But regardless of the cause, we thank you for sharing it here with us. Now, folks, if you have a tale to tell, give my hotline a call at 888-608-night. That's 888608, Nig HT. Or just record your story as a voice memo on your phone and email it to me at Monsters Among Us PodcastMail. Now, don't forget about these simple rules, rules that are put in place to ensure that you sound as clear and crisp as possible. So true stories only. No fibs, please. One story per call and one call per story. Be patient, we'll get to it eventually. And if you get cut off or need more time, just call back in and pick up where you left off. And lastly, and most importantly, call from a quiet room. No background noise, no pets at your feet, and no moving vehicles, please. And don't forget, if you have a youngster that's at an encounter, they can call into Monsters Among Us Junior at 833Mau Kids. Or you can email files to Monsters Among Us Jrmail.com no matter how you reach out to us, we can't wait to hear from you. And we can't wait to hear from this next submitter either. Please welcome Pam, all the way from Canada.

[Sam (Caller from New Brunswick, Canada)]

Hi, Derek, by the way, my name is Sam. I'M from New Brunswick, Canada. So me and my friend, when we were young, we were talking on walkie talkies, and he was up the street from me and we were both looking at the night sky together, and we both were looking at this little dot. They're both the same size as what a satellite would look like. And we watched it and it went around in a circle about maybe 10 times, and it shot into space, not across the sky like a satellite does, but it spun in circles and shot right up directly into space and vanished. And I've never forgot it. And I was listening to one of the episodes on a previous season and a woman had called in and she had seen the same thing. And I've heard from another podcast, the host from last podcast on the left, he talked about seeing the same thing. So it's just, it's really cool because I know what a satellite looks like and it definitely wasn't a satellite. And my friend also saw it. Unfortunately, him and I don't talk anymore. But yeah, I just wanted to call in and give some credence to that lady who called in with the same story. Thanks. I love your show.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you, Pam, for the phone call. It's pretty incredible stuff. And it's not all that often that you hear of a UFO that seems to be spinning in the air. It's a detail we hear from time to time, but honestly, not all that often. Now, folks, let Pam's encounter be an inspiration for you because it pays to keep your eyes on the skies. You never know what you might stumble upon. You might get lucky and get to see something cool like Pam here did, and you might get to share the experience here with all of us as well. Thank you again, Pam, for taking the time to share the entry. Now, folks, I'm squeezing in one more story before our next break. I think we have enough time. So from parts unknown, please welcome Crystal to the show.

[Energy Trust of Oregon Spokesperson]

Hi, Derek. My name is Crystal and I have a story to share with you and your listeners. But first, I want to say I am a scientific person. I want to rule out anything before I automatically assume it's paranormal. And I think a lot of that is just for my self preservation because nobody wants to live in a house that they're afraid of. Needless to say, one evening I came home from work and now my husband and I worked at the same hospital. We both worked in the emergency room and like I said, we got out at the same time and he went off to his mom's to pick up our son and I came straight home to start on dinner. I like to multitask. So I started cooking chicken on the stove, and I threw in a load of wash in the washing machine, and I took out a load that I already had in the dryer, and I started folding it. And I think I took a little longer than I was supposed to because by the time I came back to check on the chicken, there was smoke in the kitchen. And as soon as you walk into my front door, it's a long hallway and you see the kitchen, and it's an open concept. So from the kitchen, you're going to see the dining area, you're going to see the living room, the backyard. But anyhow, there was smoke in the kitchen and in my pan, of course, chicken was burning. So I took my pan and immediately put it in the sink, turned on the water, so that, of course, created a bunch of smoke. And as soon as the smoke started filling the air where the counter space was at, I heard clear as day, a man cough three times and clear his throat. I turned off the water immediately. I froze, and I snapped out of it and said, oh, my gosh. Knowing that nobody's here, I came around the counter just to check, and there was nothing. Of course, nothing. I have this little computer screen on the counter that has cameras that I can see shooting to the front of the house, the side of the house, which is where one of our back doors is at, and there was nothing. There was nobody there. I later on went back in the feed because the cameras record there was nobody there. My doors were locked because I'm very adamant about when I come into the front door, I lock it because of the things that I've seen in the ER and have heard. I lock my doors when I come inside to make sure that nobody's gonna barge in or whatnot. But there was nobody around. I freaked out. I said a prayer and cannot explain it. So that is one of the stories that I will say paranormal had to happen. Other than that, I mean, I really try and not jump to conclusions. I need to analyze things. I think that's a whole nurse part of me. I need to find out why, but I couldn't. This time, there's no explanation. Thank you for your podcast, Eric.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you, Crystal. Can a spirit be affected by pollution in the air? I don't know. I'm not sure that I can buy into that. But, you know, this is one of those calls that makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. Not because of the activity and not because it's too scary. Or unnerving. It's because I can't help but think that the cough that Crystal heard was an actual living human being hidden somewhere in her house. Now, before you think that suggestion is bonkers, listen to this.

[Derek Hayes]

When Mark and his roommates moved into their new place off campus, it seemed just like any other college house that.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Needed a bit more work.

[Derek Hayes]

But after a month of living in the house off East 13th, the guy started to get the feeling that something more was wrong.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

We had been telling everybody the story about the ghost in our house coming and opening all our cupboards in the oven and the microwave and all this stuff.

[Derek Hayes]

They started getting even more suspicious. So Mark and his eight housemates searched the house down two flights of stairs. In their basement, they found a door. They tried opening it, but it was locked.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Behind the locked door, there were some weird noises, like dings and alarms and stuff.

[Derek Hayes]

When their realtor finally opened the door, what they found shocked everyone. A bedroom that someone else had been living in.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

No. What? Like, you gotta be kidding me.

[Derek Hayes]

Inside the room, they found pictures of the guy with his friends and family. One of Mark's housemates, Brett, recognized the guy in the photos as a man he'd run into once before. On their property, the house is divided into two separate rental spaces. So at the time, Brett just thought he was on the other lease.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Now, that clip was from the lantern, the student news organization at the Ohio State University. And I know what you're thinking here. This was a college house. People come, people go all the time. This was a squatting roommate scenario, not some complete stranger that broke in and moved in. Now, if this particular scenario applies to Crystal, then it would require someone to be hiding within her home. A home we can only assume she'd been living in for some time. Well, believe it or not, it can happen in that environment as well.

[Derek Hayes]

When an Oklahoma homeowner heard a commotion in his attic, he expected to find squirrels. Instead, he found a grown man hanging.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Out on a mattress.

[Derek Hayes]

Police say the homeowner grabbed his gun and called 911. He directed the suspect out of the house at gunpoint and took him out to the driveway, where they waited for police. The unexpected guest is now taking up a mattress at the Oklahoma county jail.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Now that one from KTVQ, CBS News 2 out of Billings, Montana. And see, it can happen anywhere. So the next time you hear a squeak, it might not be a mouse. The next time you hear thumping, it might not be a ghost. And if you hear a disembodied cough, grab the kids, Grab the pets get the hell out of the home. Truly terrifying stuff. Crystal, we thank you again for calling in.

[Derek Hayes]

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[Derek Hayes (Host)]

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[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Next time.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

All right, gang, for this next one, we venture to Texas. Travis, tell us what you saw.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

I've been listening to your podcast for a few years now, and I've heard a few stories of people who have seen UFOs that almost disguise themselves as stars. And one night, I think it was in 2013 or so, I was driving a party boat on Lake Austin in Austin. I was swimming by myself because everybody else was on the boat drinking, and I was looking up at the stars and I was watching the Little Dipper, and one of the corner stars of one of the cups started to move, but the star stayed there, so it was a separate light and it moved really slowly like a satellite. And then it did this crazy zigzag motion where it shot down and then back up with a big flash of light like a camera flash. And I've heard a few other stories like that. Anyways, just wanted to send my story in. Thank you for everything that you do. I love your podcast and love your voice. Have a good one, man.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you, Travis. Now here Travis is worrying about what's up in the sky, and all I can think about is the water monster below him, poised and positioned, ready to pull him down into the inky depths. I tell you all, you night swimmers, you're another breed. But you're right here, Travis. We hear that detail all the time. Moving stars or UFOs disguised as stars. Now we hear this detail enough to make us wonder if this phenomena isn't real. And with stories like Travis's here, it certainly lends to that possibility. So thank you again, Travis, for sharing this fun little experience. Now, folks, don't forget to swing by and grab a brand new Monsters Among Us Podcast Halloween T shirt by the wonderfully talented Sam Heimer. Visit monsters among us podcast.com and click the Shop tab. While you're there, peruse the other selections. We have tons of items all designed by independent artists in the paranormal space. Again, that's monsters among us podcast.com and click the Shop tab. Now back to the action and back to the state of North Carolina. Please welcome Andrew to the program.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Hey Derek, My name is Andrew Faircloth and I'm from Sampson County, North Carolina. I wanted to tell you about a story that my dad has always told me. They grew up on a farm in Sampson county, the same farm that I grew up on. And my uncle, he used to ride a Harley Davidson dirt bike around the farm late at night. And one night my dad was in bed asleep and my uncle comes bursting in the door and said, you got to come with me. You got to come with me. And my dad jumps on the back of his dirt bike and underwear. They ride out across the farm and they're going down all these dirt paths around a giant cornfield. And unfortunately, dad didn't see anything. When he got my uncle to calm down, my uncle told him that he had been out riding a circle around the field and that there had been this glow of light that was hovering just above the corn stalk and he had actually chased it down the field. It followed him like parallel to the dirt road. And at some point after he had chased it for a while, it finally lifted up high enough to go over the trees in the distance and went on a sight. And that's when he ran to get my dad. He described it as like a beach ball that was glowing with bright gold light. And he even said that he could see the shadows of the corn stalks on the road as he drove beside him. Well, after all this happened, a couple days later was Sunday, and my dad and his brother and my grandpa and grandma went to visit their aunt, my grandma's sister, for Sunday lunch, and they were all excited to tell her about the story, and she was just sitting there all surprised and finally it came out that her and her husband had seen the same glowing ball go over their town of Ultraville later that night. And nobody could explain it. I just thought it was interesting. I wanted to share it with you. I love, love, love your show. Thank you for everything, man.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you, Andrew. Now, what do you think here, folks? Did Andrew's family witness a ufo? Or was this some sort of aircraft? Or is it possible that they interrupted something? Maybe the creation of a crop circle perhaps, and to have a separate party witness the same thing later that night? That's great stuff, Andrew, and we appreciate you taking the time to share those details here with us. Well, now, our next location is one that I'm very familiar with. It's essentially one of the tips of the Borrego Triangle and is the location at which we held the premiere for our film about that mysterious swath of. Of desert. Shadows in the desert, a strangeness in the Borrego Triangle. So here with a story from the sleepy little mountain town of Idyllwild is Chris from Los Angeles, California.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Hey, Derek. This is Chris in Los Angeles. A couple weeks ago I got Covid and I had to isolate because there was a big family wedding. I didn't have any place to go, so I rented a cheap cabin up in Idyllwild, which is near your favorite neck of the woods, Anzo Borrego, a couple hours outside Los Angeles. I got up there and it was cold the first night. As the kind of night came along, it got really foggy, like unusually foggy. And I went out on this porch and there's no houses around this cabin. It's a pretty sleepy town. And I'm looking around the trees and I was just kind of creeped out and not feeling great, feverish and stuff. And I could swear that I saw in the trees, like a robed, hooded figure between some trees looking up at me and sort of moving back and forth. It scared the hell out of me. I'm all alone up there. I'm not feeling well. Maybe I'm having fever dreams. But I did take a picture, and I'm going to send you the picture because my family and friends who thought I was crazy didn't think I was crazy when they looked at this. So look, I went back the next day. There was nothing there. No footprints. There's no way you walk to where this was. I don't know if someone's just screwing around up there. There's a lot of weird artist types. But maybe I had some paranormal thing. I Looked up paranormal in Idlewild. They've got a local kind of Bigfoot version. They've got some shadow people stories. They even got a bunch of paranormal deer that I have never heard of, but nothing like this kind of robed monk figure. So dawned on me later that maybe this was a grim reaper type of thing hanging out while I worked my way through Covid. But fortunately I'm okay now. So in any event, just wanted to share it. I'll send you the photo. And thanks so much for the show. I mean it really is awesome. And since my daughters were little, I'll imitate your voice and they think it's hilarious and get all spooked out. And I just love that you provided that for me and my family. Very grateful. Thank you very much and continued success to you. Take care.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

And I'm glad that you're there for us in return. Chris, thank you for calling in. Well, you know, Chris is right. There is a lot of weird activity up there in Idle Wild and the surrounding areas. Keep your eye out for the idle beast should you find yourself up there. That's the Bigfoot like creature that Chris mentioned. Some say it's a massive hair covered creature that's taken up residence in the San Jacinto Mountains. But there are others in the area that say he's just a local that uses a costume to get people to buy him drinks. Though I can neither confirm nor deny either of those claims. But I do know that the town of Idyllwild has an un usual mayor. He is a golden retriever named Max or Maximus Mighty dog Mueller the third as he was sworn into office. Just go to mayormax.com if you don't believe me. Now I'm gonna have to look into these strange deer that Chris had mentioned. That's a new one for me. If anyone has any insight on that legend, be sure to hit me up. And speaking of insight, Chris was true to his word and he did send in the photo. It's in the show notes at monsters among us podcast.com and under the show notes tab. I'm not exactly sure what it is we're seeing here. Maybe a tarp hung over a tree branch or simply a blanket hung out to dry. Or maybe it's like what Chris said, a robed figure in the trees of Idyllwild. Whatever it is, it's always fun to get a story from my backyard. So thank you again Chris for sharing.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

He's talking to the world. Submit to his command.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

And Doug Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual, but now.

[Energy Trust of Oregon Spokesperson]

We want you to feel it.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Cue the emu music. Limu. Save yourself money today. Increase your wealth.

[Derek Hayes]

Customize and save.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

We save. That may have been too much feeling. Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty. Liberty Savings Fairy Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.

[Derek Hayes]

Its frame is twisted.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Okay, this next entry can be best described as unsettling. Please welcome Cali out of the state of Iowa.

[Sam (Caller from New Brunswick, Canada)]

Hi, Derek. This is Cali. I'm from northeast Iowa, and about two years ago, my daughter was like six months old, seven months old, somewhere in there. She's two now, and it was in the winter time, so anywhere from like December to February, whichever. I was going to lay my daughter down, and at that point I was always singing her you are my sunshine, you know, so that she could go to sleep easier. And I got done singing, I put her in her crib, and I turn around and there is a face in her closet staring at me. It was probably about like 4 1/2ft tall up maybe a little bit shorter. And I freaked out. And I ran out of her room, and I took one giant step out to run, and then I was like, crap, my kid. And I turned around, grabbed her, went to our living room, which it's an apartment, so it was really small. And my fiance was gone at that point. And so I just stood there looking down the hallway until he got home. And I called him and I said, I saw this face. I saw this face, and it wasn't like a human face. And that's what was like, the freakiest part is it was like. This is how I describe it to everybody. It was like a human and a puppet, like a ventriloquist doll. It's like they had a baby. And it was the freakiest thing I had ever seen. And as I'm calling my fiance to tell him about this, he starts describing the rest of it to me. He's like, hold on, hold on. Did it look like this? Was it like this color? Because it was like a weird, like, light green color. Like, it wasn't like a normal thing at all. And he finishes describing it to me and he said, I've been seeing that since I was a kid. And he has a bunch of crazy stories. And ever since I got with him, it's been one thing after another. But later, when he got home, I went in there and I turned on the light and I looked in her closet. And I was like, maybe my mind was messing with me. Maybe I saw something and it was nothing. It was just her clothes hanging. And they're baby clothes, so they're really short. They don't go down like adult clothes do. There was nothing where that face was. There was nothing that could have been mistaken as a face or demonic, whatever. And so it was just so creepy. And that was like the first time I had ever seen something that close and that personal. And I have not sang that song to my daughter ever since then. I do if we're in the living room and it's like I got the lights on and stuff or whatever, but I have not sang that song to her ever since then. But, yeah, that's my story. I love your podcast. It makes my boring job go by very quickly. Yeah, thank you. Bye.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

We appreciate the call, Kelly. And we hear about how children see this sort of thing all the time. A monster under the bed or a creature in the closet. But it's not very often that a parent catches a glimpse of whatever it was. But come on, a mix between a human and a ventriloquist doll? Terrifying. And your fiance has been seeing this thing since he was a kid. I think we need to hear from him pronto. Now, I certainly can't explain this one, Callie, but I can tell you that you've convinced me that you've seen something you can't explain. Let's just hope whatever it is, it doesn't come back. Thank you again for taking time to make the phone call. Now, folks, we're going to do something a little bit different for the ending of this episode. I almost never have guests here on the program, but I'm breaking that trend tonight to help a good friend of the show get her film made. Now, I'll get to our next call here in just a moment, but first, now, you guys know her from Stories with Sapphire, her time on Paranormal Caught on Camera, Ghost Town Terror, of course, Shadows in the Desert, and her upcoming short film, Breeder. Ladies and gentlemen, our friend, Sapphire Sundalo. Hi, Sapphire. How you doing tonight?

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Hello.

[Derek Hayes]

I'm doing great.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Great to have you on the show. It's been a. Well, it's been a hot minute since I had a guest and it's been a long time since I've had you on, so welcome back.

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah, thanks for having me.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Now, you know, as we do with most of our guests here, we like to play calls and get their reactions. So what do you say we fire up a call right now?

[Derek Hayes]

Sounds good.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Alright. Then let's get it started. From England, please welcome TJ to the program.

[TJ (Caller from England)]

Hi, Derek, my name is TJ from southwest of England, particularly interested in the Mirror Men podcast that people have reported on. Now, I haven't seen Mirror Men, but as a child I did used to see routinely and it used to absolutely terrify me. Three figures. I could only describe them as figures. They were like three beings, shall we say, but they had like horse heads. And this went on from age 5 or 6, right up until I was about 10. There would be no particular time when these things were would appear, but I would be perhaps in the kitchen getting a glass of water and there would be three beings with weird horse heads. They would walk in procession straight past the window. They would all stop and they were in such exact perfect time, in unison, they would all turn and face me with these weird horse head things, look directly at me, then they would turn and look away and then they would just march on past the windows. I used to scream for my mum, mum, Mum. Those things are there again at the window. Obviously she never saw them. And it was all pretty much put down to, you know, childhood. You've seen that? Oh, okay, yeah, that's fine. Of in front, brushed under the carpet. However, in the last couple of years, I have in fact moved back to my family home. And whilst I haven't seen these things, there is a local legend, something called a Skimmington ride, where people would shame other people that perhaps had had affairs or done something, maybe beaten their wife or whatever, and they would dress them up and put for some reason horses heads on them and then parade them through the streets. Now, this particular tradition, I suppose, for want of a better word, continued in our area of East Devon as late as the 1920s here in the UK. So was it that I'm not aware of any missing time? Our house. I have had lots of experiences all the way through growing up in this house and away from this house. Have actually had a TV investigation cruise that's on the TV out there. I won't particularly name that at the moment, but I don't know whether this is the equivalent of mirror men or whether it's a version that a child can understand. Whether it's something to do with leftover from this particular tradition, I really don't know. Was it demonic? I don't know anyone's had anything similar. You know, I'd be really interested to find out. But the nearest thing I could work out was these, like mirror men. They weren't men, but they were Three figures that were in unison. And as I said, they used to scare me absolutely witless. I moved away from the home when I was 10, when my parents separated, and haven't seen them, thank goodness, since. But I just thought that would be an interesting comparison. Love the show. Shout out to all monsters among us listeners. Thank you.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you, tj, for calling in. Well, Sapphire, before we get started on this, I want to ask, are you familiar with the mirrored men?

[Derek Hayes]

Like, just from the name, I feel like I understand, but I don't know details about their lore.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Okay, I'm gonna give you just the quickest history on the mirrored men.

[Derek Hayes]

Okay.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Essentially, I think our podcast found this phenomena I think our podcast found this phenomena in that I had a call early on. I think it was season one, actually. A friend of mine, weirdly enough, called in and told this experience about seeing three gentlemen walking along the road outside of his house. And they seemed to be moving in unison. They were dressed in similar clothing, or the exact same clothing, moving in unison. And they sort of noticed him at the exact same time. They all turned their head at the same time to see him. And then suddenly he lost, like, eight hours. He woke up and it was the next day, and he's still leaning against the window glass. So I played the call and dozens of other stories exactly like those flooded in over the years.

[Sam (Caller from New Brunswick, Canada)]

Whoa.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

They involved missing time, they involved strange weather, a lot of rural locations. It's not really a city situation. It's. This is something that takes place out in the sticks, out in the middle of nowhere. So it's very similar to TJ's call here a bit in that there are three figures, they all turn their head at the same time. But the horse head, that's where things get a little weird, isn't it?

[Derek Hayes]

Yes. And actually this might sound a little random, but something that made me think about this. So the image of three identical men right next to each other reminds me of. This is kind of embarrassing. There's like, these Instagram videos that have two images next to each other, and then you're supposed to kind of stare in between, and then a third image will appear, and then that one will appear more three dimensional. And I'm wondering if, like, maybe there's something like that happening.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

You're not the first person to suggest that, let me tell you. Oh. A lot of people suspect that these may be, like, interdimensional beings, that because they're in our dimension and they're from a higher dimension, they're displayed as three instead of One figure?

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

So everything that they're doing is mimicked because there's actually only one figure there. But we're for some reason, seeing it as three. It's well above my pay grade, but that's about just that I understand of it.

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah. I mean that. Yeah.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Now, when it comes to horse headed figures, you have a bit of some insight, I guess, on figures like that. Is that correct?

[Derek Hayes]

Yes. So what TJ is describing kind of reminds me of this creature in Filipino folklore called a tikbalang. So they kind of look like BoJack Horsemen. So they've got the head of a horse and then the body of a man. They usually are in forests or the woods. And they're trickster entities. So they really like to get travelers lost. There's like a really funny part of their lore where they say that if you want to prevent a tikbalung from getting you lost, you just, like, take off your shirt and turn it inside out. And that confuses them enough that they let you go. I'm like, what? Where did that come from?

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Easily fooled, I guess.

[Derek Hayes]

Easily, I guess. But what's kind of interesting. So there is a theory that the Tikbalang actually wasn't originally a horse head because horses are not native to the Philippines.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Oh, that makes sense.

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah, right. They were brought over by the Spanish. And so people think that maybe it turned into a horse. Now, because that is our understanding. Like, if somebody were to describe seeing a long face with, like, a long chin, you would probably think of a horse. But there are stories of people who have seen spirits in the forest with long faces and long chins. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's a horse and it's similar. I'm sure you've heard this too, about how maybe the hat man isn't actually a man wearing a hat. It just looks like that to us because that's like our closest reference point. And so maybe what TJ is seeing isn't actually horse heads. It is. I don't know, I thought of, like, maybe it is some type of nature spirit, you know, that just like, looks like it might be a horse, but it's not sure.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Sure. You know, that kind of pops up a lot of different places. I think of Le Segua in Central American cultures or Mary Lud in the uk. Yeah, both of those horse heads on those entities as well. Or what we assume is a horsehead. I mean, that's how we convey it, at least. Super interesting stuff. And can you tell me a little bit more about the tikbalang.

[Derek Hayes]

Tikbalang. You were close.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Okay, I gotta have that accent on there, is what it is.

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah, it's on the second syllable. There's a lot of Filipino superstitions that relate to the tikbalang, too. They say that if it's sunny outside, but it's raining, there's two tikbalang that are getting married. I don't know. I actually don't know the origin of that. I thought that was kind of funny.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

So they have, like, a whole social structure beyond the legendary stuff, right?

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah, I guess. But, yeah, And I'm actually working on a short film that features a Tikta Lang because, yeah, it's a creature that I'm, like, really fascinated by. And in my film, somebody uses it, like, for their advantage. In my film, it's more demonic than it is, like, in the actual lore. But, yeah, it's my interpretation of the monster.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

I'm a big horror film buff in especially 80s horror films, and this instantly reminded me of Pumpkinhead. I don't know if you're familiar with that film.

[Derek Hayes]

I am familiar with Pumpkin Head. That's a great movie.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Yeah. They kind of summon this demon for their own purposes. Revenge, but, you know, their own purposes nonetheless. You mentioned your short film. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? Where are you shooting? How are you funding this? What are the details there?

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah, so I submitted the script and project to this competition called the Horror Filmmaking Initiative, and it was being run by Roman Coppola's company and Eduardo Sanchez, who directed the Blair Witch Project, and Judd shepherd, who wrote Host the Zoom seance movie, of course. Yeah, yeah. And so I was like, let me just, you know, submit this and see if they like it. And there were originally supposed to be two winners who receive 25k each, but they created a third award for me. So when they. When they read my project. So I really appreciated that and I thought that was really cool. But, yeah, so I received this grant from them to produce the film. So far, we have shot everything, and we're currently in post production. And so now there's a couple more things that need to be done, like color correction, sound design, and also the title and poster design and film festival stuff, all that. And so we are currently raising some finishing funds to help get over that finish line.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Perfect. Perfect. Yeah. Having done a film myself, you'd be surprised how much you have to spend in post. Yeah, you'd think most of the expenses were at the front end of the film, but most of it is in post. It is kind of a surprise. I know it was to us. We had to do an initial funding run and it did a lot of out of pocket expenses too, to get that finished. So you're running a. Is it a Kickstarter that you have set up there?

[Derek Hayes]

We are on Indiegogo.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Indiegogo. Okay. And I'll put a link up to all of that in tonight's show notes and we'll share it on our social media as well. So everybody gets a good look at this. But you guys are raising money for post production to get this out to film festivals, is that correct?

[TJ (Caller from England)]

Mm, awesome.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Very cool. Very cool. So, folks, if you're feeling spendy, if you have a couple extra bucks in your pocket and you want to see.

[Derek Hayes]

The tick belong, Tik Ba along, if.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

You want to see it in action, definitely support Sapphire's project here. There's a behind the scenes video that I saw and the creature looks really interesting. Do you want to talk about the design at all or is this a secret?

[Derek Hayes]

Yes. Oh, not a secret at all. I've been posting so much about him. So my friend Sygnutron was the winner of season 11, Syfy's Face Off.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Oh, very cool.

[Derek Hayes]

So they're super talented special effects makeup artist. And so we collaborated on this idea and like I had mentioned, the Tikbalang kind of just looks like BoJack Horseman, which isn't really scary. So I told them just make it look like we've torn all the skin off, so the skull's exposed, the body is just purely red. What's really cool is that we incorporated a bunch of ancient Filipino designs.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Very cool.

[Derek Hayes]

I know you can't like, see, but, like, things that are similar to, like, my tattoos just to make him feel really ancient and Filipino.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Very cool. Very cool. Breeder is the name of the short film, is that right?

[Derek Hayes]

Correct.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Definitely. Check out some of the behind the scenes stuff that Sapphire has put out there. And like I said, I'll put it up in the show notes and a link to the GoFundMe and everything else. Is there anything else you'd like to add about the creature, the production, anything like that that you found super interesting and that you learned as you were putting this process together?

[Derek Hayes]

Well, some of the perks that you get is I can do a tarot and oracle reading for you. I've been reading cards for over a decade, so if that's that you're interested in, that's something you can get.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

So the perks it's a good value. I think it's pretty expensive these days to get a reading.

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah, just a warning. It is like kind of an intense film. But yeah, if you want to learn more about it, there's a video on the Indiegogo page.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Well Sapphire, we thank you so much for swinging by. I wish we had more time, but I'm glad we got to hear about the project and I can't wait to see it.

[Derek Hayes]

Yeah, thank you so much for having.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Me take care of now go check out the show notes if you'd like to help bring this project to life. I've seen the creature design and let me tell you, I can't wait to see it on the big screen. A big thank you to tj, to Sapphire, and to the rest of tonight's callers because that's going to do it for this episode. A Monsters Among Us podcast is written and produced by me, Derek Hayes, copyright Red Crow Media. Additional support is provided by Sarah Carter Hayes, Delaney Bowers and Connor Ryan. All media used in this production is done so under the protection of fair use. Now give us a Like and follow on social media, give us a Like and follow on YouTube, join our Discord server and leave us a rate and review wherever that sort of thing is possible. Now don't forget, you can catch the show every Saturday evening at 10pm Eastern on the NX Digital Network. Just visit onxnetwork.com to tune in. Now. Tonight's score was provided by Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse Co EG Music and Carl Casey at whitepad Audio. Now don't forget to watch my film, the film that Sapphire is in. Coincidentally. Shadows in the desert, A strangeness in the Borrego Triangle. Just visit borregotriangle.com to learn how and join us in the beyond. Visit monsters among us podcast.com and click the Patreon button. Or just wait around to the very end of this production to learn other ways that you can join us. But for now, keep it spooky and you have yourselves a good night.

[Derek Hayes]

Score big this football season.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

And Duck Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual.

[Energy Trust of Oregon Spokesperson]

But now we want you to feel it.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Cue the emu music. Limu Save yourself money today. Increase your wealth.

[Derek Hayes]

Customize and save.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

We save. 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 Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts. Now I will admit TJ's story about that trio of horse headed entities was great and all, but it brought up the Mirrored men without ever really delivering on them. And man, what a tease that is. So I figured I'd make up for that with a little mirrored min call that I found. Now, the following is one of those rare entries out of the state of North Dakota. Please join me in welcoming CJ to the program.

[Sam (Caller from New Brunswick, Canada)]

Hey, Derek. You can call me cj. I'm from North Dakota. So I was listening to one of the podcasts recently about mirrored men, and I had to call you and tell you what happened to me. This was a couple of years ago. I was on the public bus, just going out shopping. Middle of the summer day, bright sunny day, so no weird weather. But these three older guys got on the bus and they were probably in the late 60s, early 70s, and they were wearing almost identical outfits. They got onto the bus, got back to the rose on the bus, and they stopped. And it was like they had it choreographed. And they stepped into their seats and sat down one row behind the other. And I'm like sitting there thinking, okay, who does that kind of stuff? You know? They're sitting perfectly still facing forward on the bus, and I was up a row behind them. Their heads turn in unison together. Slowly. They look back at me and I'm just like, nope, nope. I am out. The next stop that the bus got, I got off the bus and took off. I was so freaked out. And to this day, I've never had a name for it. I didn't know what it was, so now I get it. I thought it was just a glitch in the Matrix and that I'd seen something I wasn't supposed to. But, dude, you totally put a name to exactly what I saw. And it still freaks me out to this day. Thought you'd like to hear that story. I'll call back with more later. Bye.

[Derek Hayes (Host)]

Thank you, cj. Well, if this took place in a more rural setting, if there was some missing time involved, and if there was some sort of inclement weather mentioned, I'd probably sign this off as a genuine Mirrored man encounter. But with some of those major elements missing, I'm not real sure how to label this one. Maybe it was just a trick of the eye. Maybe it was some sort of strange street performance, or maybe it was the Mirrored Man. They were simply off the clock. Whatever it was, you did the right thing by calling us, cj. So thank you again for bringing in. Well, folks, this is the portion of the program where we go beyond the after show that we put on for you fine folks every Thursday evening directly after the main show. Now, if you'd like to join us and you don't have a ticket, you can gain access by joining us on Patreon Apple subscriptions or by visiting monsters among us podcast.com and by clicking on the Patreon tab. It's only five bucks a month for at least two extra hours of content every 30 days. Plus you get it all ad free and you can even take advantage of a seven day free trial so you have so you have nothing to lose. Join us in the beyond today where you can hear thrillers like Rant Randy's from here in California. Hi Derek.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Randy again.

[Caller from Arizona]

So about a month ago, I was.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

Sitting here at work on night shift and my buddy who works in another.

[Caller from Arizona]

Lab got off of the PM shift.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

And he texts me around midnight asking if I'm too busy or if I'm available to take a call. I'm like, yeah, sure, call me, I'm fine. He calls me and his voice is just trembling on the phone. I'm like, dude, what's going on? He says, well, I was taking my dog out for a walk. His dog's puka, little black short Labrador mix. She's very, very cute, completely deaf, but her nose works well and she loves her walks. He was taking her out for a walk around 11:30 at night and she was sniffing around the storm drains like she always does because she likes to.

[Caller from Arizona]

Smell the raccoons and possums and different things.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

And she starts pulling really hard towards one of the storm drains and she.

[Caller from Arizona]

Just gets enamored by it.

[Various Callers (John, Travis, Andrew, Chris, CJ, Randy, etc.)]

She's just sniffing, sniffing, sniffing. And she's acting in a way that my buddy has never seen her act before. She's just like enthralled with whatever smell is coming out of the storm drain. So he's standing there just letting her be for a minute, and all of a sudden he starts hearing this loud huffing sound coming from the storm drain. And he's like, what the heck is that? That sounds too big big to be a raccoon. So he has his headlamp on and he crouches down, he looks in the storm drain. He doesn't see anything down there. And he has this white light on and he sits there and every once in a while he can just hear kind of like a big huffing noise. And he keeps trying to figure out what's going on and.