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Derek Hayes
And Doug, here we have the Limu emu in its natural habitat helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.
Doug Limu
Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.
Derek Hayes
Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty Liberty.
Caller/Listener
Liberty.
Derek Hayes
Liberty Savings vary unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates Excludes Massachusetts.
Caller/Listener
This is the story of the 1. As a custodial supervisor at a high school, he knows that during cold and flu season, germs spread fast. It's why he partners with Granger to stay fully stocked on the products and supplies he needs. From tissues to disinfectants to floor scrubbers. All so that he can help students, staff and teachers stay healthy and focused. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
Derek Hayes
Good evening and welcome to Monsters Among Us. I am your guide, Derek Hayes. Folks, it's great to have you aboard for another spine tingling episode. And I have something unusual lined up for you here this evening. Now, there's a tendency when discussing the paranormal or the supernatural to picture wide open spaces. Vast, impenetrable forests, the deepest, darkest oceans or the expanses of our Milky way. But not every spooky encounter happens in the vastness of the ether. Some of this phenomena takes place in rooms that we're so familiar with that we may even take them for granted. And for reasons no one's fully pinned down yet, a surprising number of encounters unfold in the bathroom. Voices in the sink drain, Entities in the mirrors. Shadow people in the showers. And a sense of being watched in a space where you assume you have nothing but privacy. So tonight we're taking a closer look at those stories from the busiest room in your house. The john, the loo, the restroom, the privy. Tonight's stories all take place in the bathroom. And to get us started here tonight, we begin in the state of North Carolina. Please welcome Adam to tonight's program.
Caller/Listener
Hey, what's up, Derek? This is Adam from North Carolina. So this happened to me, I was five years old. I mean, I still remember it, you know, clear as day. So I had one of those Ghostbusters toy sets, you know, had the backpack and the gun and the ghost trapper. I remember I used to go from room to room in my parents house, you know, pretending to shoot ghosts with a gun and trap them. I remember one day I went into a spare bathroom downstairs. My dad built this house. Nobody else had ever lived in it before. And I remember I walked into the bathroom, you know, I kind of creeped in real slow, you know, because I'm obviously trying to, you know, catch ghosts. And I turned the corner to where the toilet was and the toilet paper roll started spinning uncontrollably. I experienced it with two senses. I saw it and I heard it, you know, I heard the cardboard toilet paper roll, you know, spinning very, very fast. And I saw the toilet paper, you know, potting up on the ground. And so when I saw this, you know, it immediately freaked me out. I ran out of the bathroom and went to my mom and I told her what happened. At the time she was just like, oh yeah, you know, it's probably just the wind. You know, as a five year old kid, you know, your mom, she just gave me the anteater. Oh, it's the wind. Okay, got it. Cool. So I remember going back into the bathroom and then the toilet paper was back on the roll. I mean, it was like nothing had happened. And so I didn't think about it until years later. I mean, the incident just popped up in my mind and I was like, wait a minute, I was inside. There wasn't any wind inside, especially not the bathroom. So I mean, that's really the only paranormal experience that I've ever had. I'm 36 now. I can't shake it. It's always kind of in the back of my mind and, you know, it pops up from time to time, you know, just kind of wondering what that could have been if not paranormal. I do have, I guess you call it a theory. I think that most, if not everybody has an experience to kind of open them up to something paranormal. I believe that it's relatively early on and then the way that we react to that first experience either kind of opens the door for us for the rest of our lives, or if we reject it, then it kind of closes the door a little bit as far as experiencing anything else. Anyways, I'm a big fan of the podcast. Thanks, Derek. Alright, bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Adam. Now, anyone with a cat knows another explanation for these strange events. Our cats don't unroll the teepee. But I've certainly had cats over the years that have. But Adam, if you didn't have a cat, well, then your guess is as good as mine. Thank you again for taking the time to call. Now gang, I think I have time to slip one more story in before our first break of the night. So please welcome Josephine, all the way from Australia.
Caller/Listener
Hi, Josephine here from Queensland, Australia. One of the first real ghost encounters I've had. Living currently in a duplex unit. And I haven't had anything weird happen here before. The energy has always felt quite good, quite clear. But just recently, I had been noticing that there were handprints on my bathroom mirror. The first time this happened, I just, I don't know, shook it off and went, oh, I probably just lent on the mirror. But the second time this happened, I knew I hadn't lent on the mirror and I just cleaned it like a couple of days beforehand. And I remembered I had not leant on the mirror. I don't do that. And I put my hand up to the handprints on the mirror and they didn't match. They were way too small. So it creeped me out. And I was like, okay, I had better do something about this. So as I do, I got out my incense and I went around and cleansed the whole unit. And I'm like, okay, cool, that's done. No, it wasn't. Just the other night, I came out the shower and I have an aerosol can sitting in quite a deep basket. I walk out of the room, I hear a clatter. And the aerosol can had been thrown from the basket. There was no way that it could have fallen out of the basket. Like if there was a mouse or something that flipped it out of the basket, that mouse must have been the Hercules of all mice, because I just cannot figure out how that would have happened. Since then, I've had quite a few nightmares and stuff. So things are ramping up here a little bit and I need to get more incense. Anyway, have a great night. I love your podcast. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Josephine. Tiny handprints and moving objects. It may be the Hercules of all mice. Spooky stuff. Spooky enough that you might want to add some sage with those incense. Thank you again, Josephine, for the long distance entry. Now, folks, speaking of bathrooms, it's time for a little break. But be quick because I have plenty more in store right after this.
Caller/Listener
Proposals to change the law.
Derek Hayes
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Caller/Listener
The same goes for business they're going to get have a discussion about stuff.
Derek Hayes
They'Re already scheduled to discuss now on the list of items in your home you'd never expect to suddenly become haunted. I bet your toilet is pretty high up there. And I bet it was for James as well. That is, until his little experience Please welcome James to the show.
Caller/Listener
Hey there, my name is James. I'm calling from Lynchburg, Virginia, but my story takes place in Glendale, Arizona back in 2006 where I was living at the time. I was renting my dad's old house from him where he had lived at for most of my entire youth. I only rented the house from him for about six months, but for the first three months I had a friend living there with me and sharing the rent. I never really had any experiences for those first three months except for one night when I was home by myself. I was sitting on the couch in the living room watching tv, when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like three distinct footsteps that led from the wall where the TV was out to about where the ceiling fan was almost directly above me. I found it a bit creepy, but I quickly shrugged it off. Well, a few nights later when my roommate and I were both home together at the same time, we were both sitting in the living room watching TV and I made mention to him about the sound like footsteps that I had heard. Well, not long after, almost as if on cue, the exact same footsteps sound happened again, exactly as the last time. I looked up at the fan and then I looked at him. I said to him, you heard that, right? He looked eerily up at the ceiling fan and he said he did. Well, that was the only experience that I had in that house during those first three months while my friend was living there with me. But the following three months, while I was living there by myself, the activity definitely increased multiple times. I would find the light on in the back bathroom that was connected to the master bedroom when I was sure that I turned it off. You know those cloths that you drop into the tank on the toilet and it turns to water blue? Well, I used those in my toilets. And one day when I came home from work, I went to use the bathroom in the hallway, only to find the water in the toilet was completely turned red. Not purple, like as if red had been mixed with blue, a solid red, as if the blue had never been in the toilet to begin with. I was dumbfounded. I had no idea what could have caused this. I was even more perplexed when I flushed the toilet and the dark blue water came back into the bowl and the red water flushed down. Then the next day I came home from work only to find the water in the toilet bowl had turned red yet again. Well, just like the last time, when I flushed the toilet, the blue water came back into the bowl and the red water flushed. That only happened twice with the toilet two days in a row. I still to this day have no explanation for that one. What caused it. Then another time, I came home from work, and at the end of the hallway on the left, I found my bedroom door open, ajar. This was significant not only because I lived alone, but also because I also kept all of the bedroom doors down the hallway closed Whenever I wasn't home. I cautiously made my way down the hallway and took a peek into my bedroom. It was dark, but nothing looked out of place. I opened the door and turned on the light. Everything looked normal. Then I turned out the light and went to close the door. The door wouldn't close. It hit something hard and made a loud bang sound. I looked down at the floor. Nothing was blocking it. So I tried again. Bang. I looked behind the door and nothing was there. Then I noticed it. The strike plate on the door frame had been physically bent backwards. So somehow during the day, while I was gone at work, my bedroom door opened all by itself and the strike plate had been bent back all by itself. Well, those are the only instances I had while living in my dad's old house. I was visiting my dad at his current house one day, where he lived at the time. We were sitting out on the back patio and I asked him, I said, dad, in all your years living in your old house, did you ever experience anything you would consider to be weird or something you couldn't explain? He shot back right away over to Stern. That house is not haunted. He clearly didn't want to discuss it and I didn't press the matter. Anyways, that's my story. Thanks for the podcast Eric. I really enjoy listening to it. Keep up. Good works. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you James. Now, coincidentally, our editor Connor had a suggestion about James's entry. Apparently cleaners like 2000 flushes are known to dis color certain types of water other shades than just that vibrant blue that we've all grown accustomed to. So maybe that little tidbit will help you sleep at night. James, thank you again for bringing it. And folks, if you have a tale you would like to tell, call the hotline at 888-608-NIGHT. That's 888-608-NIGHT. Or record your story as a voice memo and email it to me at monsters among us podcastmail.com now while on the topic of toilets, in the span of a year, an individual typically uses the toilet approximately 2500 times, which equates to an average of six to nine times a day for most individuals. Now, we spend about three years of our lives on the toilet, and the average life expectancy of a toilet is about 50 years. And the average person uses about 57 sheets of toilet paper every day. And according to Liz, your toilet might be infested with spirits as well. Please welcome her from my state of California.
Caller/Listener
Hey Liz from California here I got an interesting story. First of all, I want to start out by saying our family, we tend to be more on the sensitive side. Specifically me. I happen to be able to hear things and sometimes see things if they allow me to be seen. Well, on this particular night as well as many other nights, I happen to tend to wake up at exactly 3:00am yeah, you're right. The witching hour. I don't know why, it just happens. On this particular night, I happened to get up and I had the sudden urge to walk down the hallway and check on my kids. I got up, walk down the hallway, but I'm still half asleep. When you walk down the hallway to the right, there's a bathroom and then further down is my children's room. Well, the bathroom light was on and the door was slightly open. And when I walked past, I happened to see a quick glance, a person sitting facing down with their head down and shoulders dropped, hands on the side. It was my dad had a quick stop and said, why is my dad sitting there? Nonetheless, using the bathroom, let the door open. I mean, who would do that? He wouldn't do that especially him. So I quickly checked the kids, close the door, turn around and look at him and go, hey, are you okay? In that instance, he still slumped over, and he just shakes his head yes. Didn't look at me, didn't talk to me, shoulders still slumped over, hands are still on his side and his head tinging low. In that instance, I got an overwhelming feeling of fear and just go away. Don't question it. That's exactly what I did. I said, okay. And I walked into my room, closed the door, and just turn on the light because I don't like the dark. I like to see what's in front of me. My lights were dimmed. Finally, I fall asleep. Morning comes. I'm in the bathroom getting ready for the date, and I bumped into my mother. So I asked her, hey, how's dad doing? She looks at me and goes, he's fine. Why? And I say, well, I happened to check on the kids last night, and he was here in the bathroom. And it's unusual what he was doing. So is he feeling sick? Quick fact, my dad's kind of on the sick side. So, you know, it was unusual pattern for him to do it if that was him. She says, yeah, turns around, goes into room, closed door behind her. A couple minutes pass. I'm like, okay, that's kind of weird. She comes out, she goes, yeah, he's fine. Completely okay. He's fine. He's good. I look at her and I said, okay. That response was weird. What's going on? And she just looks at me and says, nothing. I said, no, no, no, thumbs up. What's going on? Her response was, your dad was in bed the whole night. He didn't get up. I stopped and I think, what was that? That was sitting there and respond. Because I clearly seen it as day, the person sitting slumped over, but they never once looked at me. I don't question it because I don't want to know what it was in all actuality. I spoke to it, it responded back with a shake. I don't know. I kind of feel that if I ask what it is, I'll get a response I don't want. So I'm wondering if anybody else has had this happen to them. I would really like to know. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed my little creepy story.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Liz. Now, what's the best case scenario here? That maybe this was all simply a dream or perhaps a hallucination of some sort? Or maybe a doppelganger situation? That sounds innocent enough, because I don't Know that we want to think about worst case scenarios because every one of us will be thinking of that tonight in the wee hours of the morning when nature makes her call a creepy story. Indeed, Liz. And a huge thanks to you for calling it in.
Caller/Listener
Those of you who are watching so highly recommend that it gets hot.
Derek Hayes
Here we have the Limu emu in its natural habitat helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug Limu.
Doug Limu
Is that guy with the binoculars watching us.
Derek Hayes
Cut the camera. They see us. 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 this is the story of the one As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up, up and running is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger. Because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs. And next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. It's hard to have confidence in. All right, a show of hands. Which would be worse, a haunted toilet or a haunted shower? Please welcome Chloe, also from the state of California.
Caller/Listener
Hi Derek, this is Chloe from Northern California. So about in 2010 ish, we moved into a new house and you know, my brother was little at the time and we'd have brand new toys with brand new batteries that took a lot of effort to turn on or to make noise and they would just go off at random times throughout the day. And you know, you'd hear like footsteps upstairs. Like and it wasn't just house settling noises. It would sound like a man walking around upstairs, like heavy footfall. And you'd be home alone. So it was always just strange. And then, you know, things would just happen or fall or I remember multiple times I would, you know, get in the shower to take a shower and every single bottle that would be lined up on the shower, it wouldn't just be one that felt it would look like somebody just took their arm and swiped them all down at once. And all like four bottles would all fall at the same time. And we didn't have a shower curtain, it was a door. And it didn't matter, you know, which side they were on, away from the door, next to the door. Or you know, you'd always just Feel like somebody was there. It always felt very unsettling. Never felt threatening, though. It just felt, you know, somebody just was there. And then it turns out I end up talking to somebody who knew the people who lived in the house previously. And I found out that while they were living there, their son, teenage son, was killed in a car accident. And it just kind of clicked. Like, whether this was him coming home to look for his parents or, you know, his energy remaining, it just. It clicked and it almost felt sad. But I thought, you know, why not throw a call out there? I love the show so much and I love the community that has been built around it. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Dead on, Chloe. It is quite the community that's assembled around the show. The Facebook group, the Discord server, the beyond, and Instagram are just a couple of ways in which you can join us in that community. And a huge thanks to Sarah Dinsmore and John Poulos, our admins over at the Facebook group. And Sarah also keeps our Discord server afloat. A ton of appreciation to both them and all of our past volunteers, Eddie, Tony, Joe, whoever else I might be missing. And another big thanks to all those listeners that keep that community going. Now, as for Chloe's story, you know, that's not the kind of place where you want to feel some sort of presence. If you don't believe me, you can ask Chloe or you can ask Zach, because he's tonight's next willing participant.
Caller/Listener
Hey, Derek, this is Zach from Georgia. This time I have kind of a funny story. It happened in my house, but I wasn't there. It's my wife's story. My wife told me to call and tell it. This happened on two occasions where I believe we have a ghost in our house. I mean, I moved in this house in 2014. It was built in 2007. My wife, we got married a couple of years back. And she said the first time she was at the house by herself, I was at work. It was getting close to time for me to get off of work. And my wife said she jumped in the shower. And while she was in the shower, the shower curtain pulled back all the way by itself. And she said it scared the living crap out of her. At first she thought it was me trying to scare her. Well, when she turned around, I wasn't there. She said she grabbed one of my guns, walking around the house, seeing if there was anybody there. Well, doors were all locked. Nobody was in the house. She called me, asked me where I was at. I said, I'm on my way home. From work. Why? She told me what happened. Well, second time, the ghost in my house, or spirit or whatever it is, I really don't know. Don't get a bad feeling about. Just likes to prank people because we'd be in the living room and it just slammed the door, you know, just to get somebody scared. Well, the second story was my wife. Once again, she said she was in the shower. I was on my way home from work, and I'm a whiskey man, and I had just bought a couple of days before a bottle of whiskey, and I put it on top of my refrigerator. And that refrigerator, you know, I put my whiskey up there plenty of times, and nothing's ever happened to it. Well, it was a brand new bottle of whiskey. And my wife said she was in the shower once again and she heard a loud crash, so, of course, scared the crap out of her. She decided she was going to get out of the shower and go look around. Once again, she said she had my pistol walking around the house. Doors were locked, whatnot. She walked into the kitchen and saw that my whiskey was broken, laid out all over the floor, and she took a picture of it and sent it to me. It says, your ghost apparently don't like your whiskey. And of course, I got home and I could smell it. And I pretty much told the ghost and said, all right, you had your fun and games, but if you touch my whiskey again, you're no longer allowed in my house. And ever since then, he never touched my whiskey. And every time I bought a bottle of whiskey, it sits right there on top of the refrigerator and doesn't get knocked off or anything. So there's two little fun stories that I figured I'd give you. Love your podcast. Have a good one.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Zach. We've all been there. Soap on our faces, shampoo in our hair. And we hear a noise on the other end of the shower door, and you can't open your eyes, not only because they're caked in soap, but also because you're never really ready to see what might be standing there before you. But, you know, in this scenario, I'm not so sure that you or your wife should be concerned or frightened. Zach, from the sounds of things, the ghosts are the ones that should be concerned and frightened, frankly, because it's them that might end up in the after afterlife, after Zach's better half and her pistol is through with them. It's hard to blame her, though. That's a vulnerable spot to be in, especially when a ghost comes calling. So thank you again, Zach for taking the time to share this exciting entry.
Caller/Listener
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Derek Hayes
Packed.
Caller/Listener
In a tiny 2 ounce bottle now.
Derek Hayes
Before we fire up these next few entries, let's explore a few haunted bathrooms from around the world. Courtesy of Socology co Frodsham Street Public Toilets in Chester, England. There's a famous ghost that frequents these male toilets. He is said to have taken his life near the spot where they sit. The man, who has been nicknamed by locals as Tom is said to wear clothing from the 1950s or 60s and he suddenly appears in the corner of the room. The Bordhanagar Government Primary School in Pabna, Bangladesh. Both sad and spooky, this toilet could have been the cause of a child's death. In 2015, a student of the school used a toilet, became extremely ill and died the next day. Following her death, a further 10 children who used the toilet became ill. The school was then closed. Locals recalled that an evil spirit once possessed a palm tree nearby and they believed that the spirit had occupied the toilet and was causing the sickness. Believe it or not, since the residents organized a ritual to rid the spirit, no further incidents have occurred in the bathrooms in the theater. Real in Margate, England, this theater is full of spirits. However, the most interesting is the ghost of a little girl who reportedly causes chaos in the toilets. She's been said to open and shut cubicle doors, unwind toilet paper rolls and spread hand soap across the floor. There's also the Five Fishermen Restaurant in Halifax, Canada. This fancy eatery was once used as a funeral home and held as many as 2,000 bodies, including many from the wreck of the ill fated Titanic. But it's the ladies toilets that have the pleasure of hosting the ghost there. Diners report an angry male ghost and the ghost of a scared little girl girl in the restrooms. And finally, the York Arms Pub in York, England. You may have heard of the famous Gray lady that appears around York, but there is also said to be a ghostly nun that often appears in the gents bathroom at the York Arms Pub. She has been spotted in other pubs around the city as well, but this appears to be her favorite haunt. Or there's also the haunted women's bathroom at the Olive Garden in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Courtesy of Rebecca in the Badger State.
Caller/Listener
Hi, my name is Rebecca. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I think I'm going to share the most jarring experience I've ever had in my life. This happened about six years ago and I was with my husband at the time. He was my fiance. And we went out to eat at a local restaurant. It's a chain, the Olive Garden. It is, you know, standard American Italian cuisine. And you know, we had just had our first son who was only 2 years old. And then I was actually pregnant with our second son. We and you know, we didn't get a lot of time away that first two years. So we went out to eat. We had a babysitter. I was very excited. We go to eat and about halfway through the meal I had to use the restroom. So I go in the bathroom and the way the bathroom is set up, there is a door and then you walk in and it's a long like rectangle. There's the sinks on the left and the hand dryers on the right. And then there were three stalls and they're all on the left. There is only one entrance and exit like most bathrooms. So I go in the bathroom and I am a weirdo. I check all stalls before I choose which one I'm going to use. And I looked in all three. They were all empty. I chose to go in the first stall and I knew the other two were empty because I just looked in them. I go in the bathroom, do my business, and you can see through the cracks of the stall. You can kind of see out to the rest of the bathroom. And I'm going to the bathroom and I hear the handles jiggling on one of the stalls to my left. One of the stalls that I had already seen was empty. So that struck me as Odd. But I thought maybe the door was still swinging from me checking in there. So I finish up. I'm pulling my pants up, and as I'm spacing the door of the stall, a woman walks by. The bathroom door did not open. It did not open. And a woman walks by towards the other stall that I had just heard the jingling handles. She walks by. She had long dark hair and she was pale, very pale. I didn't hear the door open, but, you know, I. I thought that in combination with the skull door jingling, it just struck me as odd. But again, whatever. So I walk out of the stall and I look to my left. Both stalls are empty. There is nobody else in the restroom. I look in both stalls, the stall doors are open. There is nobody there. This woman walked past the stall. I could see her like she was a human, like a person. And there was nobody in the bathroom. I started freaking out. I went back out to the table and my husband's like, oh my gosh, you're really pale. What just happened in the bathroom? Are you okay? He thought I had morning sickness. You know, I was seven months pregnant and I was like, I think I.
Just saw a ghost.
And I relayed the whole story to him. I went back in the bathroom. Oh, and I forgot to mention that bathroom was ridiculously cold. But a lot of bathrooms are, you know. But yeah, that was strange. I remember when I saw her walk by, all the hairs on my entire body stood up. That was another thing that just struck me as weird. Yeah. So that is the time that I think I saw a ghost. And it didn't even look like a ghost, so that was crazy. But anyway, I love your podcast. It gives me something to look forward to. So thank you, Derek. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Rebecca. Unlimited soup, salads, and poltergeist at your local Olive Garden. When you're here, you're at risk of seeing a spirit. That's my last one, I promise. Now, Rebecca isn't the only one to have an unwanted visitor outside the stall. The following anonymous submission also details similar activity.
Caller/Listener
Hey, Dirk. So I have a story about a bathroom experience I had, which was pretty disturbing. And it was the most frightening experience of my life. It takes place in 2015 on a sunny afternoon in Vancouver, Canada. At this time, I was living alone in a first floor apartment. Out of habit, I always locked my front door. I'd also lock my washroom, even if I was home alone and nobody else was there, just out of habit. So one day, while I was using the washroom, I heard someone Try to come in. What I mean by this is my doorknob made the sound of somebody trying the door, realizing it was locked, and then stopping after a second. So, you know when you use like a public washroom, you go try the door, someone's in there. So you just. You stop immediately. So naturally I was pretty scared. I had a hard time moving. I was pretty spooked. But being a rational person at the time, after that moment of fear, I was able to brush it off as me just hearing things. So I finished my business and then I heard it again. So this was not in my head. I decided, I decided that somebody was trying to get in my washroom. And both the front door and bathroom doors were locked. So somebody must have come in through the window. Then I realized that there were no window sounds before this. I didn't hear anybody stepping around the apartment. I didn't hear any breathing or ruffling of jackets. So I came to the slightly ridiculous conclusion of two possibilities. One, I was either losing my mind, which, you know, it's fine, it happens, right? Or there was an incredibly skilled burglar or spy at my house. Obviously that second option is insane, but to a rational person, I guess it's more logical than a spooky ghost or something. So I heard it again. I was getting very frightened. Started messaging my friends on Skype about what can make that sound. That wasn't very helpful. I even googled doorknob sound. Of course, the only results were ghost related. Anyways, this went on for a solid 40 minutes. It happened a total of seven times. And I remember writing down the exact times of these sounds on my iPhone and the notepad. I also wrote, there is no way this is in your head. Years from now, you will be able to brush this story off, but it is actually happening. You're actually hearing this. So the rational side of me knew there was someone there or I was having a mental breakdown. In either case, I felt like it was appropriate to call the police. So I called them. Then I called my mom, and she came by with my brother. When the police arrived, I finally opened up my bathroom door. And not surprisingly, there was nobody there. I let the police in anyways. They did some checks to make sure I wasn't high. And after they left, my mom and brother arrived. They knew this was serious because there is no way I'm the kind of guy who would pull this kind of, especially since they lived over a half hour drive away. So my brother and I tinkered with the doorknob, trying to come up with an explanation. Maybe it was an insect in the knob or mild earthquakes or construction. It wasn't a loose knob by any means, so I don't know why it would be the only thing reacting to mild tremors. Maybe something to do with magnets. Who knows? Anyways, that was the most terrifying moment of my life and to this day I don't know what happened. If there are any doorknob experts out there, I'd love to hear your opinions. I know there was somebody that made toys that came on a while ago and gave some great advice to a lady that had a toy problem. So shout out to doorknob pupil. Please give me an explanation for this. That would be awesome. Thanks for the great podcast, Garruk. Keep up the great work and have a great day everyone. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you caller. Now, you know, our shower door does a weird thing. If it's not 100% closed, it latches with a magnet. Once it hits the metal stop. But sometimes if it's not closed all the way, the magnets don't get close enough to one another to pull it closed. So then hours later, with vibrations from us walking by and such, the door suddenly gets close enough to the magnet that it pulls it shut. So we hear the shower door close on its own in a dark and empty bathroom. I will admit the first couple of times it had me on edge, but we finally figured out what was going on there and we ignore it when it happens these days. So maybe it was something like that, caller, some sort of almost closed situation. Maybe there was an unusual draft that day. Someone opened too many windows on the other side of the building or wind from a rare direction. I'm just trying to help you sleep at night. Now, as our caller said, if you have any help for him, send it our way. We would love to share it. In the meantime, thank you again caller for sharing the story. Now folks, don't forget to visit our merch shop this holiday season. Monsters among us podcast.com and click that shop tab to get your hands on all sorts of gnarly MAU themed gear made by the most brilliant of paranormal themed artists. Again, that's monsters among us podcast.com and click that shop tab. Now for another haunted bathroom and another visit to the golden state of California. Emily, welcome to the show.
Caller/Listener
Hi, this is Emily and I live in the Bay Area in California. I moved here about a year ago and last September I encountered something that I don't quite know how to explain. So, you know, there was a lot of stress in my life going on. And I was talking to my partner about all of these stresses while I was in a diner after work and I needed to go use the restroom and so I went in there. And this diner is known for having some shady characters in it. And when I walked into the ladies bathroom, there are two stalls. And in the larger stall there was female. It looks like a couple of people occupying it. And I see these women like spring to each other and it looks like they're moving around the stall and I'm like, oh my God, there's like people doing drugs in here, like, whatever. I really go. So I get into the small stall and I, you know, just my business. But they continue whispering and it's very indistinct. I can't even tell like what they're saying or what they're talking about. I'm like, they don't even know what's going on because, you know, they can't even like coherent words. Like I was right next to them and couldn't understand what they were saying. And I could see like their pant legs at the bottom. It was kind of these like bell buttons, jeans for pants and like kind of sneakers. Kind of older looking sneakers. Yeah. And then, you know, this continual whispering the whole time, it just makes me really angry. And I'm not a particularly angry person and I'm not prone to anger, but this made me unbelievably mad and I wanted to confront them and tell them, like, look, if you want to do something like this, you need to go elsewhere and do stuff like this in a different place than here. And so, you know, I'm like trying to, you know, rush out to like, meet them, like where they're at. And as I open the door at the same time, you know, it looks and sounds like they're opening the door. I open it up and this large stall is open, but there's no one there. The door to the bathroom that you have to like get into to get to these stalls that was closed. It wasn't even like swinging closed. And you know, it had one of those stoppers on it, so there's a pressure gauge to keep it from like slamming automatically. And I like looked in the stall and there's just no one. And there, there was just no time for these people to leave at all. And so then my finger turns into terror and I can't explain it. And you know, I usually wash my hands. So I just like ran out of there and I told my boyfriend. I was like, we gotta Go. Because that really freaked me out. And it was very unnerving experience. The haunted bathroom is something that it seems kind of silly and odd. And there aren't really any stories of people like, you know, overdosing or anything like that in that bathroom, at least that I could find on the Internet. And there aren't any stories from that diner about anyone else having ghostly experiences. So I don't know what that was or if it was, you know, some people that were on drugs that were freakishly fast, you know, to a point of being superhuman. But, yeah, that's my story. Thank you so much for your show, and thanks. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Emily, meet Rebecca. Rebecca, meet Emily. I believe you two have an experience in common. Emily's story was quite similar to the tale Rebecca just told. And you know, Emily is right. There is something inherently funny about haunted bathrooms. And we're going to touch on some of that toilet humor right after these final advertisements. Zero prayers for a month and a half.
Caller/Listener
And they said, we're exactly here.
Derek Hayes
Exactly.
Caller/Listener
We thought we'd be all right.
Derek Hayes
Go, go on some more.
Caller/Listener
Give me some more.
Derek Hayes
Every now and then I rinse it.
Caller/Listener
Out and I need tonight and I need it more. My kid we so bad and the smell never leave. I don't know what to do.
Derek Hayes
I'm always in the dark.
Caller/Listener
The sweat and de sh smells like a dark.
Derek Hayes
Downy rinse her fight stubborn odors in just one wash. When impossible odors get stuck in.
Caller/Listener
What's that sound?
Derek Hayes
That's the sound of downy unstoppable scent beads going into your washing machine and giving your clothes freshness that lasts all day long. There it is again. It's like music to your ears. Or more like music to your nose.
Caller/Listener
That freshness is irresistible.
Derek Hayes
Let's get a downy unstoppables bottle. Sh shake. And now a sniff solo. Nice. With Downy unstoppable, you just toss wash. Wow. For all day freshness. Now this next one, too, is reminiscent of Rebecca and Emily's entries out of Scotland. Please welcome Sean to tonight's program.
Doug Limu
Hi, Derek. I love the show. My name's Sean and I'm from Scotland. A little town called Thurso, north of Scotland. Used to stay in Glasgow, but I couldn't handle the city. My experience happened when I was 10 or 11. I'm now 29. This was abroad in Ibiza. I went with my aunt and my gran. My other family members that were supposed to go couldn't go. Mom and dad, etc. So we were there for seven days and from the moment we got off the plane to the last day, it was absolutely pouring rain every single day, apart from the very last day where the sun was splitting the skies. But we couldn't do very much because of, of just waiting on the buses, getting my things all packed and the time you have to check out the room, etc, so it was pretty much a day at the hotel, soaking up as much sun as what we could. So it was getting towards kind of end of the time there. We came in, sat in the lobby for some lunch and drinks and I told my aunt and my gran that I was going to the toilet. So I went to the toilet and as you walk in you've got the sinks and the mirrors on the, as you walk in, they're on the right hand side, the urinals are at the very back wall and the cubicles Figure 4, but I'm pretty sure three were on the left hand side. And all the doors were opened ever so slightly, so I just assumed that they're all empty. So I looked in and just to make sure there was nobody in, so I went to the back one, opened the door, closed it and locked it. Total silence in the toilet. So just before I'm about to start what I assume was a little boy's moan, because that's what that was, that's what I heard, there was a moan and it sounded like a little boy and I see that just because obviously I'm in the boys toilets and what it sounded like to me was.
Derek Hayes
And.
Doug Limu
I knew it was in the toilet because it echoed. As soon as I heard that.
Derek Hayes
I.
Doug Limu
Froze on the spot, I couldn't move. Absolute fear. I had this feeling run through me that something's in here with me that's not meant to be because like I said, I checked the cubicles as I went and I just so happened to go to the, the very last one and again the doors were open, so I just assumed they were empty, you know. And I looked through from the gap the door was creating, they were empty. And it must have been what I thought was maybe 10 minutes. I was absolutely frozen on the spot. I could not move for fear of whatever was in with me knowing I was here. What must I knew I was there if it made the noise, you know, again, I'm only 10 or 11 at this point, so I actually physically had to wait for somebody coming through the door for their, for when they came in to do the toilet. And you know, people, you hear them, you make humming noises, whistling, whatever. And I waited till I Knew it was actually somebody there moving about. So I opened the door and I looked, there was somebody there. I was that scared. I never even washed my hands. I opened the door and I just went to my aunt, sat down where my auntie and my gran were and my aunt turned around, she says, you're as white as a ghost. She says, are you okay? And I told her, no, no, really. You know, someone made a noise in the toilet and I'm 100% certain there was nobody else in there. She says, yeah, you don't look too good. I says, what? I don't really feel good. I was as white, pardon the pun, as a ghost. And anytime that I needed the toilet for the, you know, the amount of time I had left in the hotel before we got transferred to the airport, anytime I needed a toilet, I actually made sure that I was watching the door for people going into the toilet. And as soon as I seen somebody going into the toilet, I pretty much raced to the door, done what I had to do, washed my hands and back out again as quick as I could. I did think of the possibility that the doors were ever opened ever so slightly and maybe somebody had put the toilet seat down and stood on the toilet and hid herself far back where nobody could see them. You know, if it was a little kid and you know, they waited for somebody to come in and it just so happened to be me, you know, and of made the noise to scare me, I don't know. But I never seen MD coming out after me cuz like I said, I was watching the door like a hawk cuz I was at this point desperate for the toilet, but I couldn't face going there until I knew there was actually somebody, you know, in the toilet. So yeah, that was my experience. I love the show. Please keep up the good Working Monsters among us as one of my favorite podcasts. Thank you, bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you Sean for the long distance entry. Now I guess the sequence of events happens a lot. Someone or something occupying a stall moments after the entire bathroom is checked for visitors. And I promise we're going to hear more of that theme on our next entry. So here with a bit of that humor that was alluded to, please welcome Anonymous from parts unknown.
Caller/Listener
Hey, so something super strange just happened to me. I'm going to keep it anonymous because it's so crazy and once I get started, you'll understand why I want to keep my name out of it. So this morning I stopped by the gas station, had to get some gas from our work truck and go to the bathroom. So I go inside, and I'm waiting to use the stall. Now, I came in, and it smelled, and I distinctly heard someone going to the bathroom. Like, I heard the toilet paper being ripped. I heard other various noises that sound like someone was in there going to the bathroom. I also heard some sniffling and just movement in the stall. And I was the only other person in there. So I'm waiting. Some people come in and out, and I decide to try and open the door so that they would know I was in there waiting to use it. I go to open the door, and it was unlocked. So I knock. Wait a second. Don't hear anything. So I open it, and there was no one there. And for a second, I thought, you know, am I going crazy or something? Because I distinctly heard someone in there going to the bathroom. I heard all the sounds. I even heard the toilet flush when I was the only one in there. So at first I thought, well, maybe it was the women's bathroom.
So once I get done and I.
Leave, I look to see where the women's bathroom is, and it's on the complete opposite side of the gas station. And I thought maybe somebody flipped out while I was just on my phone. But when I went to use the stall, the toilet seat was cold. Not like the stereotypical cold when there's a ghost or something. It was just cold. Like no one had been there. There was no, like, place for, like, workers, only around the men's room. It was just a bunch of, like, circuit breakers and stuff like that. So I don't know what happened. I don't know if I imagined hearing.
Everything I did, But I also, you.
Know, smelled, you know, like, that someone was in there using the bathroom. I don't know. This is the first time I've ever heard of someone having an encounter with a ghost using the bathroom. So, yeah, that's my story. Hope you can use it.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, caller, for that detailed entry. Yet another nearly identical tale. A ghostly occupant in a bathroom stall, A phantom flusher, if you will. And so far, all of these experiences have occurred in a public bathroom. So there's always a possibility that there was a human in there with you, and you either missed them or they purposely snuck out. It's really difficult to completely rule out that possibility, but it becomes much harder to dismiss the experience when it occurs in a private bathroom. And for more on that, please welcome Kathleen out of the state of Arkansas.
Caller/Listener
Hi, my name is Kathleen. I'm originally from Arkansas. And this is where my story Takes place when I was about 17 or 18 years old. My oldest sister was graduating college from the University of Arkansas, and my parents and I traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to celebrate with her. We came in on a Friday, and then my third sister was gonna come fly in that Saturday evening. So we got a hotel room. My parents got one room for themselves, and then they got a room for me and my sister, who hadn't come in yet. And we walked into my hotel room that afternoon and there was this putrid smell. We didn't know what it was. And my dad laughed and said, oh, it's just fresh paint or some cleaning material. And then I went into the restroom and in the toilet was a large. Someone had gone number two and they had neglected to flush it down the toilet. It had created this disgusting odor. So of course I flush it. And we give my dad a lot of for it, ha ha. No pun intended. And went about the rest of the day. Nothing weird happened. So that night we retired to our bedrooms, My parents in their room and I in another. Again, I was alone because my other sister hadn't flown in yet, fell asleep just fine. And sometime in the early morning, maybe 2am I'm woken up by this incredibly disturbing feeling as though I'm being watched. And I wake up, and at the end of the other bed that's just a few feet away is a man sitting. And he is in gray sweatpants and a gray hoodie pulled up to cover his face. And his face is like, just blacked out. And he's sitting and he's just staring at me. And he's resting one hand on one of his knees and then the other hand on the bed. And usually if I wake up from a dream at night, I very easily kind of blink, recognize I'm in a room and I was dreaming. And then I fall back asleep. And so that happened this time. I blinked, expecting him to go away, expecting it to be a figment of my imagination. And he didn't. And after a few seconds, I realized, oh, my God, there is somebody in the room. Maybe it was the person who had taken the dump and they'd been hiding in the closet the whole time. So I freak out, I scream, I turn on the light, I grab the phone to call the security desk, and I look back and he's gone. So I wasn't about to spend another second in there alone. I ran across the hall to my parents, banging on the door. You know, I'm 17, 18 years old. I'm not prone to, you know to anxiety or do anything like that. That was very abnormal. And my parents recognized that. So immediately my dad rushes into my room, checks the bathroom, checks the closet, checks the windows to make sure no one had broken in. There's no sign of forced entry. It was just such a weird, disturbing experience for me. We called the front desk, we told them, and you know, they didn't have any explanation for it. Needless to say, my dad slept in that room and I joined my mom in their room room that night. Still don't know what that was, but thinking about it now still brings up feelings of fear and knowing that was not a dream, that it stayed there. Whatever that figure was stayed there long enough for me to be fully awake and still see it. That's what creeps me out. Anyway, that's my story. Thanks a lot for the podcast. I really love it. Yeah, bye.
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Kathleen. Now, this is one of those super scary situations. Sure, it's scary because it could be a ghost of some sort, but super scary because it could be a living, breathing human being. The scariest and most dangerous of all monsters, if you want my opinion. And to be a young woman alone in a hotel room and to open your eyes and see a stranger in your space ways, well, that sort of experience is almost as bad as the little gift the intruder left behind. A phantom pooper in this situation. Now, it's an incredible tale, Kathleen, and we thank you again for taking the time to share it with us. I can promise you that stories like this will keep you on your toes and explain time you take a tinkle. All right, folks, that's gonna do it for tonight's bathroom special. I sure hope it didn't sound like crap, but I did have a lot of fun putting these stories together, so I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. 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 has done so under the protection of fair use. Give us a like and follow on our social media pages. Join us on YouTube and Discord and leave us a rate and review wherever you can. Don't forget, you can catch the show every Saturday evening at 10pm Eastern on the UNAX Digital Network Network. Just visit annexnetwork.com to tune in. And finally, tonight's score was provided by Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse Co AG Music and Carl Casey at Whitebat Audio. Now watch our movie. You know how borregotriangle.com and join us in the beyond at monsters among us podcast.com and by clicking on the Patreon tab. Or you can simply join us directly on Patreon or Apple subscriptions, which has been down a lot lately. We're aware of it, but our hands are tied. It's an Apple issue. I'm sorry. Anyway, you can get all kinds of content for only $5 a month and you can try it all absolutely ad free for a full week using their free trial. So come check us out if you dare. And come check us out on Thursday as well because I have a brand new episode in store for you. So I hope to see you then. But for now, thanks for swinging by. Keep it spooky out there and have yourselves a good night.
Caller/Listener
Sa.
Derek Hayes
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Caller/Listener
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Derek Hayes
These things are huge.
Caller/Listener
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Derek Hayes
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Caller/Listener
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Derek Hayes
Pay for clean.
Caller/Listener
If it's got to be clean, it's got to be Tide Pods. Water content based on the leading bargain liquid detergent.
Host: Derek Hayes
Date: November 11, 2025
In this inventive, nostalgia-rich episode, host Derek Hayes draws listeners into an unexpected paranormal hotspot: the bathroom. Through a series of first-person calls, Derek curates chilling tales of ghostly encounters, poltergeist pranks, and lingering spirits—all occurring in restrooms, showers, and toilets both private and public. Each story is presented in the witness’s own voice, with Derek providing commentary, humor, and context, enhancing the storytelling atmosphere for his devoted community of “Monsters Among Us” fans.
[03:26] – [06:09]
Story: At age 5, Adam’s Ghostbusters game turns real when he sees and hears a toilet paper roll spin uncontrollably in a bathroom of the family’s new, custom-built house.
Impact: He runs to his mother, who dismisses it as "just the wind." Upon returning, everything appears normal—but the experience remains inexplicable and unforgettable.
Insight: Adam speculates these early experiences may open—or close—the door to future paranormal encounters:
“I think...most, if not everybody, has an experience to kind of open them up to something paranormal.” — Adam [05:15]
Derek’s take: Jokes about cats as a normal explanation, but acknowledges the oddity if no pets were present.
[06:46] – [09:05]
Story: Josephine finds unfamiliar, child-sized handprints on her bathroom mirror (smaller than her own), then witnesses an aerosol can inexplicably thrown from a deep basket after cleansing the house with incense. Nightmares follow.
Atmosphere: No initial sense of malevolence, but escalating disturbances and nightmares heighten Josephine’s concern.
Memorable quote:
"That mouse must have been the Hercules of all mice, because I just cannot figure out how that would have happened." — Josephine [08:19]
Derek’s advice: Suggests spiritual cleansing ("add some sage"), acknowledges increased activity post-mitigation.
[11:44] – [15:56]
"You know those cloths you drop into the tank… turns the water blue? One day… the toilet was completely turned red. Not purple… a solid red." — James [13:00]
[17:29] – [21:29]
“If I ask what it is, I’ll get a response I don’t want.” — Liz [21:16]
[23:37] – [25:44]
[26:48] – [30:00]
"…if you touch my whiskey again, you're no longer allowed in my house." — Zach [29:25]
[32:17] – [35:04]
[35:04] – [38:42]
“I could see her like she was a human…there was nobody in the bathroom. I started freaking out.” — Rebecca [37:38]
“Unlimited soup, salads, and poltergeist at your local Olive Garden. When you're here, you're at risk of seeing a spirit.” [38:42]
[39:12] – [42:37]
“Years from now, you will be able to brush this story off, but it is actually happening. You're actually hearing this.” — Anonymous [41:05]
[44:31] – [48:47]
“I’m not a particularly angry person…but this made me unbelievably mad…” — Emily [45:27]
[50:43] – [55:52]
"I froze on the spot, I couldn't move…Absolute fear." — Sean [53:01]
[56:22] – [59:18]
Story: Waiting for a stall, this caller distinctly hears and smells someone using the bathroom, but finds the door unlocked and stall empty. All rational explanations are quickly ruled out.
Memorable quote:
“A ghost using the bathroom. So yeah, that's my story.” — Anonymous [58:58]
Derek’s take: Entertains the notion of a “phantom flusher,” highlighting how common these public-restroom encounters have been on the episode.
[60:08] – [63:40]
“…that was not a dream, that it stayed there… Whatever that figure was stayed there long enough for me to be fully awake and still see it. That's what creeps me out.” — Kathleen [63:24]
Derek wraps up the episode with a mix of light-hearted and sincere remarks, connecting the episode’s theme with the deeply personal vulnerability inherent to restrooms and the surprising frequency with which such places host the unexplainable.
"...stories like this will keep you on your toes and explain time you take a tinkle. All right, folks, that's gonna do it for tonight's bathroom special. I sure hope it didn't sound like crap, but I did have a lot of fun putting these stories together, so I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did." — Derek Hayes [63:40]
To hear more chilling tales—and perhaps question what really lurks behind your own bathroom door—visit Monsters Among Us at monstersamonguspodcast.com.
Episode Summary by [Your Podcast Summarizer] — Keep it spooky!