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- [00:00]
Jack Wagner
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- [01:36]
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- [02:21]
Jack Wagner
Welcome to Otherworld. I'm your host Jack Wagner. This episode is about a guy named Mitch who grew up in rural Oregon in a Mormon household. Back then, Mitch and his younger brother's bedrooms were both in the basement of their childhood house. And during Mitch's senior year of high school, they started finding unexplained child sized handprints down there in the basement. Eventually, Mitch begins having strange dreams and then waking experiences that seemed to center around a yellow eyed boy. Around this time, Mitch was starting to have doubts about his Mormon faith. And these events with the yellow eyed boy sort of coincided with that period of his life. And for that reason, Mitch was trying hard to keep both these doubts and his paranormal experiences secret from his brother, who also slept in that same basement. But eventually his brother became involved as well. I really enjoyed this story. I thought it had quite a few similarities to one of our very early episodes. And also I just love any story where a teenager or adult is so scared that they have to go sleep in their parents bedroom. This episode is called the Yellow Eyed Boy and you're listening to Otherworld.
- [03:57]
Mitch
Hello, is this Bobby? Yes, it is at its core the science you can't argue with. I'm sorry about all of a sudden.
- [04:03]
Austin
It is up in the sky.
- [04:04]
Mitch
It's almost frustrating that it's happening. I'm literally, I'm gonna die. Its limbs were just like wrong. Everybody moves back into the light, even.
- [04:13]
Jack Wagner
If it takes them a.
- [04:43]
Mitch
My name is Mitch. I live in Portland, Oregon. I've been in Portland since leaving high school. I love it in Portland. I don't ever see myself leaving. I grew up in eastern Oregon in a small rural town. Farming economy, you know, railroad economy. And that's where I spent my time growing up, you know, primarily in the same house, just a little ways out of town with my religious Mormon family. So growing up was, you know, really intense. Mormonism has its pros and cons for sure. Not for me now, but I'm a much different person than I was growing up. You know, I'm much older now. Obviously I'm gay, not religious, practicing at all. And so it is a stark contrast to, you know, how I was growing up as a kid. You know, every Mormon kid, when they're eight years old, they get baptized and it's like a big commitment because the bishop sits you down and he's like, you know, every mistake that you make now it's your fault. And if you don't repent for it, you know, God's going to remember that. I was a pretty like precocious little kid and I Remember taking that so seriously. But, you know, you just don't have the language for that growing up, you know, especially where, you know, your whole community is Mormon, your family's Mormon. You know, through my parents, you know, I have roots back to Joseph Smith. Like, one of the many wives was my, like, was my ancestors. So, like, my family's deeply rooted in Mormonism. So I just didn't have the language to say no. So, like, growing up, I was like, well, I made a promise. I have to be a good kid. So, you know, I was very, very focused on not making mistakes. So I was a very high strung little kid, you know, really, really did my best to kind of do the squeaky clean Mormon boy. And that's what I did through most of high school. I tried to come out to my family when I was 14. That didn't really work out. So I just kind of like sucked it in. And I was like, well, just keep on carrying on. When you're out of the house, you can go and live your life. And I think it was the end of my junior year, beginning of my senior year, when being able to pretend and live my life created a big internal conflict. That's where I really did kind of start stepping away from Mormonism and kind of leaving that armor of God, so to speak, that just kind of protection you have, you know, where you're following the rules, there's really nothing bad that can happen to you because you're, you know, in line with God's plan. So I think it was that kind of like, misalignment that really kind of did cause like, just a lot of emotional strife and like, I think, you know, opened me up to. I was just really vulnerable at that time, I think is what it all comes down to. I was really vulnerable. The summer before my senior year of high school, I moved to Georgia and I was working with a pest control company, selling pest control door to door. And it was really cool to live in Georgia, really be on my own, you know, I don't know how I got my parents to agree to let me do this, but I did. And I think that was like, I think really stepping outside of just the insular world that I grew up in, you know, inside of the church, where I really was able to kind of step out of myself a little bit and kind of see the person I wanted to be and how it really wasn't in line with the strict teachings that I grew up with. Coming back to Oregon, you know, my parents were like, it's gonna be Strict, you know, you've got a bedtime again, blah blah, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what I signed up for. But that fall I moved down to the creepy basement of the house. Both my brother and I did. We had two rooms side by side. And my brother, he's. He's two years younger than me. We were really close growing up, but I can't remember exactly when I started seeing these handprints, these child sized handprints on the sliding glass door of our basement. It's just to the right outside of my, my basement room. And I thought it was really weird, but my mom, she was always doing, you know, stuff with the church ladies, had friends that had small kids. And I remember asking her, I was like, mom, did you have like, you know, sister so and so over with her kids, over? And she's like, I don't know what you're talking about. I was like, well, there's these handprints on the window. She goes, oh, that's weird. I don't know what those are. And so I like, I would clean them off and I remember showing them to my brother and I was like, Austin, like, what are these handprints for? You know? And he's like, I don't know, I don't care. You know, he. We were both kind of like ambivalent about it. And I think this went on, I think for a few weeks, maybe like a month. But I ended up finding out, I think, where these handprints came from. I was sleeping one night. I've always been a really active dreamer. I remember like being able to lucid dream at a young age too. And I just thought that was really wild. I've always had a very like vivid dream life, both my brother and I have. And we would always share our dreams back and forth, you know, in the morning, like, oh, what did you dream? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But I remember this one night, my brother and I, in the dream, we were in our parents room, which was upstairs on their big bed. And we were just sitting on the bed, like playing or hanging out. And I remember turning and seeing this small boy. And he was maybe five or six, short, pale dark hair. I think he was wearing a white, like a loose white shirt. And he walked towards the bed. There was no like facial expressions that I remember, but he had these intense golden yellow, ambery eyes, like glowing jaundice eyes. And I felt immediately protective of my brother. And I positioned myself on the bed between my brother and the strange small boy. And all he did was stare at me and was just walking up towards the bed. And he went to get onto the bed and I pushed him off and I said, no, you can't be here. It was really weird, like this, like, protective feeling I had and just knowing that this boy should not be here. He came out the bed again, you know, not saying anything, but staring at me with these very unsettling yellow eyes. And he walked towards the bed again to climb up on the bed. I pushed him back again and I said, no, you can't be here. But the boy didn't go away. And he stood in the room and he would just stand and stare and I was filled with dread. And he stood in the middle of the room and then just looked at me and then ran out down the hallway. And I knew I had to get him out of the house. So I turned to my brother and I was like, I need to go find that boy. He's not supposed to be here. I need to get him out of the house. So I climb off the bed and I walk down the hallway, like, looking for this boy. I didn't see him, but I heard a thudding noise that was coming from the bathroom. And so I turned to the left into the bathroom and I walk in and I look in the mirror and in the reflection I see this body hanging from the bathroom ceiling that was thudding against the shower door. And I turn around and all I see is the yellow eyed boy who's just standing in the bathtub just staring at me. I just felt cold. My heart started racing and I remember like finally waking up, leaving the dream, you know, feeling relieved that, oh good, you know, this was a dream, albeit really freaky. I roll over in my bed, open my eyes, and there he is.
- [13:57]
Austin
This.
- [13:58]
Mitch
Shadowed silhouette of the small boy with his glowing yellow eyes standing right at the side of my bed. And all of that terror came back times ten. I really can't. I can think of maybe a few times I've been this scared. I did not know what to do. I throw the covers over my head and I just remember saying, like, go away, you can't be here. Just kind of like that mantra I had. I just kept saying it, just underneath the covers, absolutely terrified. Go away, you can't be here. Go away, you can't be here. And I don't know how long I stayed under the covers until I finally worked up the meager courage to look out from under the covers and he was gone. I still feel sheepish about it to this Day. But I ran right out of my room, up the stairs, snuck into my parents room and slept at the foot of their bed. I just went into like, just brainstem, like get to mom and dad asap. I just remember lying at the foot of my parents bed, just staring at the ceiling, heart still racing, I'm in a cold sweat. And I stayed there. In the morning. I think my dad was the first one that got up. You know, my dad was like, oh, what the heck are you doing here? And all I said is, dad, I had a nightmare. But you know, at this point, like too, like I, you know, as I, you know, had a few hours to just kind of sit and spin about this, I was like, that was like, that was demonic. Something was trying to get onto the bed, you know, to be with me and my brother, to like wanted closeness, like, wanted, wanted to be with us. I was like, this is like, this is demonic. I've seen enough scary movies to know that this is bad, you know. And again, like I have nearly both feet out of Mormonism at this point. But I remember asking my dad for a priesthood blessing. If you don't know, that's like a super prayer that only men can do in the Mormon Church. And it's, you know, to be done in times of need. But like I was in a time of need. I was horrified. I mean, it makes sense to go back to what I know, despite being a teenager and also thinking it's. But I was really vulnerable and I needed, I needed what he knew and what I grew up with, knowing that like, this is, this is what I need, you know, a Mormon Catholic priest moment. I remember asking my dad that, you know, well, I need to go talk to the Bishop because there's something in the basement that came for me. It's absurd, but I really did not know what else to do or who to go to. I was so, I was so scared. But my dad brushed me off. You know, he said I was being, you know, that I was being dramatic. And you know, both my mom and my dad just didn't believe me.
- [17:34]
Jack Wagner
See, that's actually really interesting to me because unbeknownst to them, you were struggling with your faith on your way out of the church. And if they wanted to, this could have been an opportunity for them to take advantage of that and kind of pull you back in by helping you. Like, yes, come with us. There is only one way out of this. We can help you.
- [17:58]
Mitch
Totally. And like, I don't know what would have happened, truly. I think if my Parents did intervene. Yeah, in the religious, like, way that I needed. I mean, I don't know if I. I don't know if I would have left the faith, but. Yeah. And I, I didn't tell my. I made sure not to talk to my brother about it because, I mean, that it was really scary. I didn't want to freak him out. This was, this was one that I didn't share. But, yeah, I tried to get support from my mom and my dad, you know, brick wall there. So I thought it was just over and I wished it was over. But as the weeks continued, I started being woken up at night. You know, I would be sleeping and I would. I would hear something in my room and I would open my eyes and I would see these shadow people just walking around my bed. They looked like pilgrims, like pioneer people, which I thought was really weird. You know, the men had farmers hats on, the women had, like bonnets on. What's wild is that I think just because of this, like, time in my life, leaving a religion that is so involved in everything you do in your life, you know, I did feel a tremendous amount of guilt for that. But these shadow people, I didn't know if they were like, and this sounds crazy, but like angry Mormon ancestors that were showing up because they looked like pioneer people, but they were so malevolent and so menacing. They didn't say anything, but they would just walk around my room and then I turn and I would see the silhouette of the small boy with the yellow eyes. And he would be standing at my doorway. He never came into my room again, but he would stand outside my door and I was absolutely terrified. And I would, you know, just close my eyes and say, you can't be here. Go away. You can't be here. And really just hope for the best. Until I fell asleep. But it continued to escalate to where I felt like my mouth was being held open and my mouth was gaping open and all I see are these shadow hands just holding me, opening my mouth and looking around the room. I see this very large figure with a large hat and the yellow eyed boy standing next to him right outside of my bedroom door. And all I could do was scream. And I, you know, let out a guttural scream and just passed out and then woke up in the morning like nothing happened. It was, it was terrifying. It's. It's all so unexplainable. And I just, I just didn't know what was going on. I didn't know about the hat man. I think until Maybe I think the Benadryl hatman trend, I think I really sincerely did not know people would see this menacing hat man. I don't remember the order of all of these, but I do remember there was one character that really did not fit the mix. I remember one night I was sleeping in bed, and I felt like something was sitting on my chest. And, you know, I woke up, there was this wet gray, like, goblin is really what it looked like. It couldn't have been more than three and a half feet tall. Had, like this large mouth with these, you know, sharp teeth and just these giant buggy. Just wet black eyes that were probably 3/4 the size of its head. But it was really thin, just dark, motley gray skin. Its appendages were all very long and its fingers were very long. If you imagine, like the. The Silent Hill version of Dobby the house elf, if that means anything to you. And I called him the bed goblin, but the bed goblin was on my chest staring at me. And we just locked eyes. And then I fell asleep. And it was terrifying. I thought I was like. I thought my mind was unraveling. Like, it just. None of it was making any sense. My mental health was really kind of starting to unravel. My, you know, school relationships were kind of starting to unravel. My friendships were kind of starting to unravel. There was no one that I was really, like, getting help from. I mean, I didn't really talk to my friends about this. You know, I tried to go to my parents, but they, you know, my parents tried to, you know, soothe me as much, as much as I could, but they thought I was. They thought I was nuts. I was just. I was really alone. Like, the last half of my senior year of high school, I was. I was really just kind of, like, pretending to get through the rest of the year before I could just leave, you know, and this is, you know, maybe a bonus, you know, growing up Mormon. But there's not a lot of lore around demons or, you know, handling demons or ghosts. Like, it's not a big part of the religion. But I do, like, remember growing up being told that, like, you know, when these entities do come, if they come, you know, Satan's forces, whatever you want to call them, that they really ultimately have no power over you. And that is something that I really, really held onto at that time. You know, as. As menacing and scary as the things that I was experiencing were, it ultimately did not have power over me. That is something that I still believe to this day. And it's it's something that, that really did save me at that time, holding onto that truth that these entities could not hurt me. Eventually, these experiences that I was having at night did stop. I don't really remember, like, what made it stop. I eventually just kept them out and they just kind of slowly started leaving me alone, you know, the handprints eventually went away and I just kind of finished the last part of my senior year like it never happened. Then I graduated and I moved to Portland, started going to school here, and I was like, yeah, I thought that was going to be like, oh, I just had a really weird few months in, in high school. But a couple years later, that changed and the yellow eyed boy came back. But this time it wasn't to me. It was to my brother.
- [26:21]
Jack Wagner
All right, we'll be right back after this quick break. This show is sponsored by Better Help. As the days start getting shorter, things can start to feel heavier. It's darker earlier, everyone's busy, and it's easy to drift into your own little world. But this season, Better Help is encouraging everyone to reach out. Check in on your friends. Text somebody you haven't seen in a while. For me, that was an old friend I used to see every week. I finally reached out, and after we talked, I caught myself thinking, why didn't I do that sooner? It's the same feeling people describe when they finally try therapy. Sometimes that first step is the hardest part, but it's worth it. BetterHelp makes that step a little easier. They'll match you with a licensed therapist based on your needs, so you could focus on what actually matters, finding support. And if your first match isn't the right fit, you could switch at any time. 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- [32:46]
Mitch
So fast forward like two years. I was walking around Portland and I got a call or I ended up talking to my brother. I can't remember if I called him or he called me at this point. My brother was a senior in high school, were talking, you know, shooting the shit. I was just kind of walking around downtown and my brother, he just kind of goes quiet and he Goes, mitch, I had this dream. And I was like, ooh, we haven't talked about dreams in ages. And I was like, oh, what did you dream? And he goes, there was this boy in the basement. My heart stopped. And I was just like, what? And he goes, yeah, there was this boy trying to get into my room. My head, like, started spinning. I was shocked that this yellow eyed boy had come back. And I was like, austin, that's insane. You know, I had the same experience two years ago. And he. We're like, what? What's going on? And I don't know why I suggested this, but I was like, maybe he's just a lost little boy and maybe he just wants someone to play with, you know, unfinished business. Maybe he. It's a good Casper the Friendly Ghost situation. I don't know why I said this. I. Like, I look back, I was being such a dick. But, like, in my head, like, I was just like, oh, maybe this boy is looking for companionship or just needs a friend so he could pass on. And so I don't know why I was playing devil's advocate this way. But, you know, I told my brother that, you know, maybe if he shows up again, offer to maybe play with him. And my brother was like, I don't know, the vibe was really weird. And I was like, I don't know, I was like, it's really up to you, but maybe just something to think about. And my brother was like, okay, whatever. I didn't go into any detail about how scary the boy was in my dream. I really thought if, like, Austin had, like, a fresh perspective, that it might be different. I don't know. But, you know, we chat a little bit more, hang up, you know, I'm going on my way, and I end up by. They're right around Pioneer Square. And so I'm hanging out by the courthouse, and I, you know, light up a cigarette I was smoking at the time. Don't tell my mom, but, you know, I was just thinking about the conversation we had. And this houseless woman kind of shuffles by me, you know, and she's, you know, shorter, gray, wiry hair, you know, wrapped in, like seven different blankets. And she just stands next to me, you know, just babbling, you know, loosely talking to me that the water fountains are poison, don't drink them. You know, she was. She was having a moment, but she was benign. And so I was, you know, kind of chatting with her, loosely humoring her, and her voice stopped. She got quiet. And she looked at me, her voice lowered. And she grabbed my arm and said, the yellow eyed boy is trying to get in. Don't let him in. Don't let him in. I was speechless. Like, I have, like, goosebumps just, like, talking about this right now. And I looked at her, I said, what? And then she looked at me and she. Everything changed again. And she goes, you've got cat teeth, but don't drink the water fountain. It's poisonous. And then she just kind of twirled off.
- [36:54]
Jack Wagner
That is so weird. Even if it is just like a crazy coincidence. What did you. What did you end up doing?
- [37:01]
Mitch
Well, I immediately called my brother back. You know, I said, austin, this homeless woman out of the blue told me not to let the yellow eyed boy in. Don't play with him. I was wrong.
- [37:21]
Austin
My name is Austin. I'm Mitch's brother. We're just a couple years apart. He didn't tell me a lot of stuff that we have since, like, kind of talked about. What was horrible was, like, I had never heard that he was having strange dreams with this little, little kid in there. Before we'd even, like, talk to each other. We had, like, the small handprints on the. The basement. Like, walk down basement glass doors. We live in the middle of nowhere. There's nobody around us that has kids, even. So that added to how horrible that was. And then after the handprints, I had this dream of. In the doorway of my bedroom. I could just, like, turn my head and see a tall figure in the background wearing a hat. Just kind of a big dark shadow figure. And then in front of him, next to him was this small kid with bright yellow eyes. And then after that, I woke up and I felt like something was sitting on my chest. Hand over my mouth, hand over my eyes, making it so I couldn't see, holding my mouth shut. I just remember, like, being frozen in terror of. I don't know, just afraid I was going to be possessed or whatever. And I remember, like, the one thought that I had was like, oh, it just wants, like, a little piece of your soul, that's all. And so I took, like, a really deep breath and just kind of like, exhaled. And then it ended. And I was like, okay. And then sometime later, I was talking to my brother. He. When he moved to Portland, we started to talk more and share some of those experiences, realize that we both had a dream of, like, some small child with bright yellow eyes. And he's kind of a dick to me sometimes, and he likes to play devil's advocate. And so I remember him saying, like, oh, yeah, no, maybe it's like. It's just something that like, wants to play with you. You should invite it in. And that scared the shit out of me. I was so mad at him. Yeah, he likes to do that to me. And then for me, the thing that like, hit me the hardest was that there was that third person that came in the mix, that woman on the street in Portland that was just like, please don't invite that kid in. And that was. That like, was so strange. And we started. Yeah, to like, build up more of the lore of whatever that was. It really freaked me out. I was really scared of honestly being possessed. I was still pretty religious, so the darkness was something like very real. And that I was very scared of. And my only recourse at that time was just to pray a lot. So I was trying to get Jesus to help me with that. Which makes it even more weird that the thought that I had that was the most rational thing was like, oh, I just need to offer it something, something, and then it will leave me alone. Which doesn't seem very godly. I was terrified because, like, this thing was trying to take something from me. And then as soon as I decided to let something go, it vanished.
- [40:55]
Jack Wagner
Do you think you gave it something?
- [40:57]
Austin
I am scared about that, yeah. I don't know. I really wonder about that. I really tend to, like, put things out of my mind. And just because of how I grew up, I really tried to like, put distance between myself and things that I thought were more evil. So it was so strange to like, talk about this again. It was weird to have a fear that old kind of reawakened. I just didn't realize that I was still scared of that. And it's left me kind of wondering if I did, like, give something up.
- [41:43]
Mitch
Fast forward, years later, I talked to my brother about it. I was like, Austin, I was like, I kind of want to share this story because we both, you know, two years apart without ever talking about it, experience the same thing. I don't know why, like, both of us are trying to protect each other from how scary this, these experiences were. But my brother, you know, he said, really, I. I felt a child's hand on my mouth. That woke me up. And he's like. And then I. I woke up and was like, I was aware that there was a little boy trying to get into my room. And so it's just wild that, like, the two of us, like, trying to protect each other from like, all of this, like, craziness that was happening. You know, in the basement that, like, despite my best efforts of, like, trying to keep my brother out of it, like, if he didn't know about these entities that plagued me, that he wouldn't experience what I experienced. And so it was really devastating that, like, despite, like, my best efforts, like, my brothers still experienced these things. To me, it just, like, I was so vulnerable at that time. I do remember having a conversation with my mom where I remember her apologizing that, like, my dad and her didn't. Didn't believe me or support me, like, when I really needed them, which I thought was really weird to do 10 years later. I think ultimately, like, if there is, like, a positive to take away from it, things that go, like, bump in the night, things that scare you, things that do seem insurmountable, I think are within, like, your ability to, like, control the narrative, you know, that these things can't hurt you. It's gotten easier as I've gotten older. I do remember I lived in this really old kind of boarding house just in Goose Hollow. And I remember the first week I was there, I was woken up by these two. They felt like younger entities or spirits that were, like, running around my room. And I remember, like, I was like, I'm not doing this. I was like, you guys can't play in my room. You can play outside, but you have to leave me alone. And I went back to sleep. But every once in a while I would hear, like, pitter patter down the hallway. So, like, things like this have happened to me, but I, like, yeah, I don't think I've been, like, called to be any sort of, like, exorcist or, like, you know, helping anything move on. I just think, like, these things, like, can pop up, you know, in moments when you are vulnerable. And it's scary, but you don't have to put up with it. And it gets easier the more you don't put up with it. Like, in my experience, like, it was kind of this, like, slow whittling down of, you know, you can't be here. Leave me alone. It sounds so crazy, but that, like, really is my takeaway.
- [45:08]
Jack Wagner
Thank you to Mitch and his brother Austin for sharing their experiences. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought this, but various aspects of this story reminded me of our man in the Hat episodes, which were some of the first ever to appear on the show, mainly in terms of just two brothers having these shared experiences in their childhood home and only piecing it together later on. But also, even though the Yellow Eyed Boy is the main focus of this story. There is mention of this tall man in a hat that kept popping up in this story, so that's another obvious parallel. I thought this was such an interesting story on top of being sort of a classic scary one. I know you heard me mention this in the interview, but I was amused by that moment when Mitch's parents probably could have used his fear to their advantage and kind of pull him back into the church, but instead they didn't believe him when he came and talked to them about these things that were going on. Who knows how aware they were of his drift from Mormonism. But either way, you can easily imagine another version of this where things go in that direction. In terms of the woman at the very end, I have no idea about that one. Maybe it was purely coincidence that her ramblings contained one highly specific part that stood out to Mitch because he was just thinking about it and talking to his brother about it. Or maybe she was some sort of messenger. Either way, it caused Mitch to tell his brother not to engage with the Yellow Eyed Boy. And I think that's generally a good idea no matter what you believe about any of this. So thank you once again to Mitch and his brother for speaking to me. This episode was called the Yellow Eyed Boy and you've been listening to Otherworld. Otherworld is executive produced and hosted by myself, Jack Wagner. Our producers are Theo Schaeffer, Theo Krantz, Haley Pearson and Nikki Kate Delgado. Our theme song is by Cobra Man. The soundtrack of this episode is by North Americans and Juice Jackal. Our artwork is by Cul de Sac Studios. This episode was edited by Dan Colenduno. Please show us your support by subscribing, leaving a five star review, and telling your friends about the show. If you want to hear bonus episodes of Otherworld, you can become a patron@patreon.com otherworld. Our social media is otherworldpod. Thank you to the team at Odysee. Leah Reese, Dennis Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Eric Donnelly, Kate Rose, Colin Gaynor and Hilary Schuff. Follow and listen to Otherworld now for free on the Odysee app or wherever you get your podcasts. Also, if you or somebody you know, and finally, if you or somebody you know has experienced something paranormal, supernatural or unexplained, you could send us your stories@storiesotherworldpod.com.