Monsters Among Us – S20 Ep22: Moving Toys, Vampire Beasts, and an Elvish Attack (From the Archives)

Host: Derek Hayes | Date: December 25, 2025
Episode Theme:
This holiday special of "Monsters Among Us" is a re-release featuring chilling, true paranormal encounters told by the witnesses themselves. Listeners are treated to a cozy, atmospheric journey through stories of haunted toys, mysterious shadow figures, cryptid cats, UFOs, and even an encounter with an aggressive Christmas elf. Derek, as always, shepherds the audience through the darkness with his signature blend of warmth and spooky storytelling.

Festive Fear: Holiday Night and Moving Toys

[03:28] Derek Hayes:
Derek sets the stage with a poetic monologue on the darkness of the winter solstice—a time when, as he puts it, "monsters of all sorts slink in the shadows." He invites listeners to settle in for tales of Christmas-season chills, starting with stories of toys that seem to come alive.

1. KJ’s Haunted Furby

[06:10] KJ’s Call – Haunted Childhood Toy

• KJ describes moving out from a childhood home and taking an old Furby ("Domo") to a new place.
• While sleeping, KJ is awoken by the unmistakable mechanical whir of the Furby talking—despite believing it to be long-dead or without batteries.
• Investigating, KJ finds the toy silent, unresponsive, and with closed eyes. Even attempts to trigger its sensors fail.
• After that night, KJ removes the batteries and stashes the Furby in basement storage—too creeped out to keep it accessible.
  Quote – KJ [09:11]:
  "Could it be a haunted Furby? Who knows? Some folks might say that all Furbys are haunted or possessed.”
• Derek adds context with a 1998 Furby commercial and trivia: in 1999, Furbys were even banned from NSA buildings for fears of "learning government secrets."
  Quote – Derek [11:03]:
  "Terrifying. Well, thank the old gods that I was too old for this fad. Not only because they're creepy af, but…these things couldn't even be trusted."

2. Dee’s Possessed Christmas Reindeer (Canada)

[14:41] Dee’s Call – Moving Decor

• Dee recounts a series of events where a thrifted golden reindeer decoration mysteriously turns itself around on a shelf—always while unattended.
• Multiple incidents over two weeks, with the heavy, jingle-belled reindeer inexplicably positioned backwards.
• Dee consults a local Indigenous elder, who cleanses both the house and Dee—revealing the presence of a "harmless female spirit" apparently drawn to their home.
• After moving the reindeer and the cleansing ritual, the incidents cease, though Dee still gets chills each year when unpacking it. Quote – Dee [18:00]:
  "Maybe she just didn’t like that spot. I speculate that I may have accidentally brought a spirit or energy home in the reindeer decoration.”
• Derek suggests Dee should have tried filming the event, but admits "I completely understand why you wouldn't want to see what was responsible."

3. More Toy Terrors

[19:21] Stephen from New Jersey – Remote Control Message

• Stephen’s son tries to sneak in watching “Paranormal Caught on Camera” alone at bedtime.
• Out of nowhere, a toy remote in an adjacent room (buried in the toy chest) turns on, loudly repeating “please change the channel.”
• On checking, Stephen finds his son watching a Spanish-language documentary—on serial killers, with a creepy mugshot. Quote – Stephen [21:58]:
  "It was just really ironic...Was this a sign, like...it was just informing me to change the channel of what my son was watching?”

[22:59] James from Myrtle Beach – The Rocking Horse Clock

• Recounts a family tale of bringing home a Latin book and a rocking horse clock from a yard sale.
• Following their arrival, unsettling phenomena begin: ghostly voices, objects moving, and his brother sees the wooden horse’s eyes glowing red and its head moving.
• After repeated events, the family burns both objects (he recalls scorch marks remain).

Quote – James [25:00]:
“She’s not much of a tall tale type person, but I have a bunch of different stories...I just wanted to start with that.”

Shadow People and The Cabin in the Woods

4. Jeanette’s Shadow Man (Arizona Cabin)

[29:04] Jeanette’s Call – The Dark Entity

• Jeanette’s family’s forest cabin was once a joyful gathering place; after her father’s unexpected death, visits dwindle and the place feels “heavy, dark.”
• On multiple visits, Jeanette senses a palpable dread—especially in her parents' bedroom.
• Finally, she and others see a tall, thin shadow figure; her sister's friend is woken by an entity looming above her at night.
• Incidents continue: unexplained urine-like smells, dampness, and Jeanette’s dog refusing to enter certain rooms. Ultimately, the shadow man is seen inside and later outside, even invading her "safe" space on the patio. Quote – Jeanette [36:27]:
  “I’m looking down that hallway and 1, 2, there he is. Tall, dark energy. Finally showed himself to me. At this point it’s not out of my peripheral view. It’s straight ahead, right in front of me...and then gone.”
• Derek suggests a squatter could be to blame, but admits, “...they’re usually not described as looking like a shadow person. Maybe that little detail eliminates them as a suspect.”
  Quote – Derek [41:54]:
  "That validation suggests you should probably trust those feelings going forward if you believe in that sort of thing at all."

Winter Wonders: UFOs, Road Omens, and Cryptids

5. Mike’s Sledding UFO Encounter (Central Wisconsin)

[45:16] Mike – Flying Saucer Sighting

• 2009: Sledding at night, Mike and a friend see a brightly-lit, silent saucer-shaped craft hover about 100 yards away with vivid colored lights, “lit up like a Christmas tree.”
• They are awestruck. Years later, his friend affirms the sighting. Quote – Mike [48:31]:
  “It was a flying saucer and it was right there, you know...I don’t think it was from this planet.”
• Derek matches the sighting to a 2009 local CBS news clip, where a Wisconsin family caught a similar bright object on video, 90 miles away. Curiously, the footage is digitally corrupted.
  Quote – Derek [52:24]:
  "Telling you, that's some Men in Black stuff right there."

6. Tony’s “Green Light” Omen (Tennessee / North Carolina)

[55:49] Tony’s Call – Travel and the Mystery Green Glow

• Tony describes a treacherous, snowy drive after a Christmas party. Desperate for a sign of what to do, he suddenly notices every light in the city’s ambiance—streetlights, parking lots—turn an eerie, uniform green.
• Takes it as a signal ("green means go") and proceeds safely to a stop for the night, thankful for the mysterious guidance. Quote – Tony [59:48]:
  "For the ambient light in a city to just turn green all of a sudden, really bizarre. I have no idea what could have caused that."
• Derek inserts a scientific explanation: certain storms with heavy rain or hail can create a green sky due to light scattering, but leaves the omen angle open.

7. Rachel’s Mountain Lion Terror and the Vampire Beast of Bladenboro

[62:52] Rachel from NC – Mysterious Big Cat Sounds

• As Rachel and a friend winter-backpack in a remote North Carolina forest, they’re stalked after dark by a predator making unidentifiable calls—possibly a mountain lion, despite official claims that cougars are extinct in the region.
• Family members have also reported panther and big cat sightings. Quote – Rachel [65:19]:
  "It just reminds me of the large black panther sighting…you're finding evidence that it does (exist).”
• Derek segues into the 1954 Bladenboro “Vampire Beast” case—an infamous NC cryptid blamed for gruesome animal deaths and widespread panic. Locals felt the "bobcat" scapegoat did not match the true menace. Quote – Interviewee from documentary [68:05]:
  "For about two weeks, that was terror. Everybody was scared to death…"

An Unexpected Gift: Globetrotting Elves

8. Alex’s Duende (Canada)

[76:01] Alex from Windsor, Ontario – The Christmas Elf Entity

• Alex, as a child, vividly recalls a strange, elf-like being ("not a dream situation") appearing in his room on Christmas Eve, behaving mischievously but not directly attacking.
• Decades later, chatting with a stranger from the Philippines, he mentions the encounter. She instantly identifies it as a "duende"—a folkloric elf-spirit known in Hispanic and Filipino cultures for trickery.
• The description (and Wikipedia image) matches Alex’s memory exactly, stunning him. Quote – Alex [77:23]:
  "I was flabbergasted. It was a crazy experience...it wasn’t a dream. I was completely awake."
• Derek ties this to cross-cultural legends about "little people," noting the motif appears across traditions (Santa’s elves, moon-eyed people, duende).

Notable Quotes (With Timestamps)

• Derek Hayes, opening monologue [03:28]:
  “That darkness brings with it a menagerie of terrifying truths…monsters of all sorts slink in the shadows. But fear not, dear listener...those wintertime terrors are kept at bay this holiday season.”
• KJ [09:11]:
  “Could it be a haunted Furby? Who knows? Some folks might say that all Furbys are haunted or possessed.”
• Derek Hayes [11:03]:
  “Terrifying. Well, thank the old gods that I was too old for this fad...these things couldn't even be trusted.”
• Jeanette [36:27]:
  “It’s not out of my peripheral view. It’s straight ahead, right in front of me, two steps, and he disappeared right across the hallway.”
• Mike [48:31]:
  “It was a flying saucer and it was right there, you know...I don’t think it was from this planet.”
• Alex [77:23]:
  “...about 25 years later, this person that I don’t know, that I just met on a website, knew exactly what I was talking about. This weird elfish creature was messing with me.”

Important Segments & Timestamps

• [06:10] – KJ’s Haunted Furby
• [14:41] – Dee’s Moving Reindeer
• [19:21] – Stephen’s Warning Toy Remote & James’s Rocking Horse Clock
• [29:04] – Jeanette’s Cabin Shadow Man
• [45:16] – Mike’s UFO Sighting
• [55:49] – Tony’s Green Light Omen
• [62:52] – Rachel’s Big Cat Encounter & Vampire Beast of Bladenboro lore
• [76:01] – Alex’s Encounter with the Duende Elf

Episode Tone & Atmosphere

Derek Hayes keeps a gently unsettling but cozy vibe throughout, blending the nostalgia of holiday traditions with the eeriness of strange phenomena. His narrative style mixes encouragement and caution, with a strong inclination toward letting witnesses' voices speak for themselves. As always, he weaves humor and skepticism through the stories ("Well, it's the part where I go home...home is where my stuff is. I always say that.") yet welcomes the unexplained with genuine curiosity.

Concluding Thoughts

This holiday episode assembles a captivating anthology of first-hand accounts where Christmas cheer meets brushings with the uncanny. Whether rediscovering odd old toys, encountering shadowy presences, or coming across cryptids in snowy forests, "Monsters Among Us" delivers its signature blend of listener-submitted frights and community warmth. As Derek reminds us, sometimes the greatest gifts are truly unexpected—and often a little spooky.