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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Welcome to Other World. I'm your host, Jack Wagner. This episode is about a person named Tatum who is from Pennsylvania and currently lives in Philadelphia. Tatum grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and in high school, she got a job at a small Italian restaurant that was in a very old pre Civil War building. As you might expect, she began to hear rumors and stories from co workers about strange things happening at this restaurant. I feel like so many old restaurants and especially theaters, have stories and rumors that you hear about from former staff, friends of friends, customers of the past. All of these seem to have ghost stories. Even if the current staff hasn't experienced anything themselves. I feel like that's very common. But as Tatum continued to work at this place, some very bizarre things began to happen that seemed to focus around a specific closet in this old restaurant. This episode is called the Restaurant Mimic, and you're listening to Otherworld.
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B
Hello, is this Bobby?
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Yes, it is, at its core, the
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B
science you can't argue with. I was worried about. All of a sudden, it is up in the sky. It's almost frustrating that it's happening.
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A
I'm gonna die.
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B
Its limbs were just, like, wrong. Everybody moves back into the light, even if it takes them a. My name is Tatum. I live in Philadelphia. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. I'm 28. I work in a restaurant I have since I was of working age. But I'm also an artist, play guitar, have cats, like to walk around, look at stuff, take pictures of things. I didn't have, like, really any religious background growing up. But, I mean, it is kind of interesting because both of my parents are, like, really not religious at all. And they never, like, were, like, really interested in, like, exploring any of that. But we, like, lived in a house that was haunted when I was little. And I was so little that, like, I don't really remember anything about it being haunted. But both of my parents had the same exact experience with a ghost, and they never told each other about it because they thought they were crazy. And my mom overheard my dad, like, telling a story about a ghost to, like, somebody when they had friends over, and she was like, when did I tell you about that? Like, I could have swore I didn't tell anyone about that. And he was like, I'm talking about something that happened to me. So they, like, never told each other these stories, but they found out, like, years later they had the same exact experience with a ghost that was in the house that I grew up. But they, like, they're so atheist. They were like, that's gotta Be fake. So they just never told each other. I've never been a religious person, but I've always been, like, definitely more spiritual than anyone else in my family is. And I've, like, always been interested in, like, what we can't see or explain, really. And, like, you can feel like when you walk in a room and, like, something's just off. I feel like I've always been a little bit more open to allowing room for those things to exist than my parents and my brothers, who are just, like, no way. And they just kind of, like, shut it down. The town I grew up in, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is, like, a really small town. Not a lot going on. It's like a sleepy college town. Job opportunities, especially if you're a minor, are, like, really limited. But I needed to work, and my dad would always go to this little Italian spot that, like, had a cute bar. And he was like, they might be hiring for a host. You might as well try, because it was, like, walking distance to my house. So I, like, applied, and I got the job. It was a really small staff, busiest night. Like, there was maybe six people in the front of house there and two chefs max. But on a really slow night, it could be, like, as few as, like, five people in the entire building that were working. The building itself was a pre Civil war home that had been converted into, like, a space that could be a restaurant. And it, like, hadn't like, housed anyone in probably decades, but it was an old house in, again, like, this very historic town. But it was, like, a pretty cool place to work. I mean, it was my introduction to, like, working in restaurants, and I've been working in restaurants ever since. And, you know, it was a sleepy town. Like, we were never really that busy. So, like, we had a lot of downtime to just kind of joke around and, like, talk amongst ourselves. I was the youngest person that worked there by, like, 10 years. And so, like, a lot of the people that worked there were people that were working their way through college or they were, like, the douchey guy that thinks being a bartender is, like, his entire personality. You know, those kind of people are funny, and they can be fun to spend time with. So we would, like, joke around and, like, you know, like, make fun of guests or whatever. But on the other hand, like, a lot of the people that, like, patronized the restaurant were regulars. So it was definitely, like, a socially, like, very open place. We would all kind of, like, hang out with each other outside of work. And I mean, like, it never got, like, terribly busy at Least as far as, like, service went there. So there was like a lot of, like, leaning around, just a lot of empty hours to fill, which I also think just like leaves more room for stuff to happen. Like, I've worked in so many restaurants after this that are like busy from start to finish. It's like blink of an eye. Service is over. I don't even remember anything that happened to me. But like, if you only serve three tables in a six hour time span, there's a lot of downtime in between to like, be paying attention to your surroundings and, I don't know, engaging with the environment more than you would if you were just like, working. My manager at the time had like made mention of the ghost a couple times and he was like a pretty troubled dude. He had described to me that like, he had had paranormal experiences of his own in his life outside of working there. And in the like, main hallway of the building, there was like a big portrait of the original owners of the building. And there was like five adults and like, I think three kids. Two of them looked like teenagers. And then there was like one little girl who appeared to be like six. And it's like an old faded photograph. I guess the restaurant owners thought it was like a cute little nod to like, the history of the building. And there was like this one hallway right by the portrait actually, where like, some like, weird stuff would happen sometimes. He seemed to think that the ghost was really interested in that closet, which was kind of a coat closet for guests, but it also had like our stereo system in it. And sometimes if you would like, make mention of the ghost, the music would cut out or it would like get really loud and then get really quiet. Or it would just kind of like get a little staticky. Even though it was playing off an ipod. Like it wasn't like a radio station was going in and out. There was just kind of an energy in that part of the hallway. I don't know, it wasn't like a place you wanted to hang out, obviously. Like a hallway spatially is like a transition between rooms, so you're not going to want to hang out there anyway. But it did feel like this portrait and the closet right across the hallway from that portrait were like, charged. It felt like someone was there more often than not. But it wasn't the only place in the building where I felt that similar energy. I would feel it in the dining rooms too. And I don't know why I felt this way because I never like, saw anything visually that took any form. But there Was in the one dining room, the parlor, which is part of the original building. There was a big mirror on the wall, and I really didn't like to look in that mirror. I would avoid looking in it if I was in that room. And I would kind of turn my face away. Even though I had never seen anything, I was just afraid that I might see something. And, like, the positioning of that mirror faced this staircase, which is also, like, kind of an area that felt creepy to me after working there for some time. And so, like, the reflection of the staircase leading to the dark upstairs Was what was visible in the mirror from where I would stand. Like, at my post most of the time at work, I would make a really concerted effort not to look in that mirror, like, as much as I could. But my first experience with the ghost, I was walking through that hallway, and, like, the floor is even, like, it wasn't like I had tripped over anything. And I felt myself, like, getting, like, physically shoved. I didn't, like, fall down, but it felt like two hands, like, were on my waist and just, like, propelling me forward. I know I didn't trip because there was nothing to trip over. And I wasn't even really walking that fast. And somebody else saw this happen. I think it was the manager at the time. And I, like, looked at him, like, did you see that? Kind of, like, wordlessly. And he was like, you got shoved. And I think that was when the subject of the ghost really got kind of broached, and, like, more stuff started happening, and we started talking about it a little bit more openly at that point. It wasn't just, like, some lore about the restaurant anymore. It was something that, like, someone other than him was experiencing in the building. When I got shoved, I didn't actually, like, feel any hands, like, touching me, but the force with which I was, like, shoved forward Felt as if somebody had put their hands on me and pushed me. The response was, like, really physical. There was one other time that I, like, physically felt something. I was also, like, walking kind of near the same area where I got shoved, and there was, like, a air conditioning vent in the floor, and it was flush with the carpet, and I stepped on it. It, like, whooshed up. Like, the grate in the carpet lifted up, and it, like, tripped me a little bit. And again, like, somebody saw this happen, and it was. It was almost as if a big gust of air from the air conditioning had lifted this grate off the ground. But there was no way the air conditioning was, like, forceful enough to actually lift A metal grate off the ground. That was crazy. When you're walking and you don't know there's a step right there and you kind of trip going down. It was like the opposite of that because it pushed up on my foot in a way that was unexpected. That's the best way I can describe the air conditioning thing. It was like not realizing there's a step there, and then all of a sudden your body is, like, compensating for losing your balance in that kind of way. I was a pretty willing believer, like, from the beginning. I didn't really take too much convincing to be like, yeah, that's gotta be a ghost. But I remember after the thing with the grate in the ground happened, the person that saw it happen and I got down on our hands and knees, and we were, like, inspecting the grate, and we were trying to see, like, how difficult it was for that to lift up from the ground. And, like, was it possible that, like, my shoe caught on the corner of it and just, like, lifted it as I was walking and it was, like, really flush against the ground. It wasn't like it could have been misaligned just by walking. And also, like, this was an area of the restaurant that I walked through all the time, and nothing of the sort had ever happened before. It wasn't like a threshold that you're constantly tripping on. This was the first time that anything like this had ever happened. I think we all thought it was the little girl in the picture. Somebody else on the staff had, like, suggested it, and then it just became an accepted theory among the staff. But he suggested it because the things that the ghost would do, I would characterize them more as, like, mischievous and attention seeking than evil or malevolent. I would get, like, scared and, like, spooked, but I was never fearing for my life in a way that, like, I've heard other people talk about ghosts, like, genuinely fearing for their safety. It was more just like she was playing pranks on us, trying to get our attention, trying to be noticed. Most of the times that I had some kind of experience with the ghost, it was when I was feeling more distressed than I had previously that day. Like, I feel like all the times that she would interact with me, I was in an emotionally heightened or, like, vulnerable state. When you work in a restaurant, it can get high energy sometimes, and customer service isn't always very fun. And so it's hard not to carry the feelings of mistreatment from a customer with you a little bit. But I think that When I was feeling moments of anger or stress that were work related is when that's when she would play a prank. I wonder if it was my emotional vulnerability created an opportunity for her or if it was a little girl. If she thought that maybe playing a prank on me would, like, cheer me up somehow. Or it could be like she was feeling forgotten. What's more important right now is what's happening in the real world of the restaurant. And how could you guys forget about me? I want to play too. Kind of. It definitely felt like she was trying to remind us that she was there.
- [14:42]
A
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B
After the times that I've been pushed or, like, I lost my balance because of something she had done, I was kind of, like, always ready for something to happen. After I started to notice a trend of things would happen when I was feeling, like, dysregulated somehow, I would, like, really try and, like, keep my head screwed on straight and, like, keep an even keel at work because I wasn't trying to create an opportunity for her to, like, interfere with my Workflow, you know, like, it freaked me out a little bit. As interesting as it was, like, I wasn't desperate for anything else to happen. But I remember this one night, I was feeling fine. I was, like, trying to keep it together. It was a little busy. And I was carrying a tray of probably four or five drinks to a table, which is something I had done hundreds of times at this job. And we had folding tray stands that you could set a tray of drinks down so that you could serve it. And so I unfolded the tray stand, and I set the tray down on it. Again, something I had done hundreds of times. And when I set it down, I paused and I kind of looked at it, and I just felt really unsure. And I don't know where it came from, but I had a thought in my head. I was like, that's gonna fall. And I had no reason to think it was gonna fall. It was very securely on the tray stand. And I even took an extra handful of seconds to, like, really jimmy it in there. And I was just like, yeah, I just. I don't know. I have nothing else I can do but just pretend everything's normal and just, like, serve these drinks. Cause I have no reason to believe it's gonna fall other than this, like, pit in my stomach. So I took the first two drinks off the tray, which, like, for the record, didn't even, like, throw off the balance of the tray. You, like, take the drinks off in such a way that the balance is maintained across the tray. And so, like, I took two drinks from either side, and the second I turned to serve them to the people at the table, I heard the tray crash and fall on the ground. And when I turned and looked, the tray stand was still standing upright. It was just the tray so that had fallen to the ground and all the drinks that were on it. And I was in, like, customer service mindset. And I started, like, apologizing to the table. I'm like, I'm so sorry. Like, replace your drinks. Like, blah, blah. And they were like, that wasn't you. I didn't even ask them. They were just like, that wasn't you. Like, that felt completely on its own and also worth mentioning. We were kind of the only people, at least in that vicinity. So it wasn't like we could say, like, oh, it was so and so walking by, and they accidentally bumped it. You know, I very much felt like it wasn't like, a random thing that happened. It felt like she was reminding me that she was there and ready to play. She played with the electricity a lot or things that were electrical, which is an interesting thing because, again, that hallway where the portrait was that I often felt a really charged presence was right by our stereo system, which is just, like, a lot of wires and stuff plugged into the wall. But she seemed to interact with, like, the lights and the music a lot. And so whether it would be me and some co workers talking about, like, something weird that had happened that week or even just, like, we would, like, joke about her sometimes, oh, I hope the ghost doesn't do anything today. You know, kind of, like, poking fun at her in, like, a way that, I don't know that I would have appreciated if I was a ghost trapped in a building, if we would be doing that in excess or, you know, just, like, if it's a day she's feeling, like, making herself known, maybe, like, the music would cut off and, like, somebody would have to go to the closet to, like, press play on the ipod and, like, get it going again. There was this time that we had these patrons there. They, like, closed the place down. They were the last table there, and we just let them hang out until, like, pretty late into the night. It was, like, maybe 2:00am and we ended up, like, sitting with them. They, like, bought a bottle of wine for, like, the staff that was still there. And we were, like, sitting and drinking and chatting with them. And my manager mentioned the ghost, and they were like, no way. The guests were, like, not believing him. They were like, no way. Like, you guys are lying. Like, they weren't buying it, but they were also, like, kind of eating it up. Because it was interesting the way we were sitting at the table. The guests had their backs to the rest of the dining room, and they were facing out the front windows. And me and my manager were sat facing them, facing the rest of the din. And as they were kind of, like, jeering and being like, there's no way. Like, you guys are lying. Blah, blah, blah. There were, like, pendulum lights that hung above each table. They started to, like. I just got the chills. They started to, like, sway a little bit. Like, ever so slightly. They were swaying, and they, like, got really, really dim. And then they, like, just got risen back to, like, the normal restaurant level. They weren't shining super bright. It was just, like, back at the normal setting. But, like, he and I looked at each other wordlessly, confirming, like, you saw that too, right? Shortly after that happened, he, my manager, like, wrapped it up, and he was like, all right, guys. Like, this has been fun. Like, thanks for the wine. Like, it's time for you to go. And we, like, we left. Cause I think the feeling between the two of us was, like, sure, like, maybe we can laugh and joke around about the ghost because we kind of have a relationship with her, but it doesn't seem like she appreciates these other people saying that she's not real or, like, making fun or, like, I don't know, putting disrespect on her name, you know, There was one night that I was in a bad mood. I was hosting that night, and we were, like, getting a lot of phone calls for reservations because it was, like, our busiest time of the year. And, like, reservations were, like, kind of hard to get that time of year. And so people would get really frustrated and be unkind on the phone. And so I was, like, dealing with a lot of that that day. And I was feeling, like, really just exasperated and just kind of, like, over it. And we were also in service at the time, so, like, there were people dining in the restaurant. And I remember I got off the phone with a woman who had been particularly rude to me. I, like, kind of sighed, and I'm, like, centering myself before, like, taking the next call or whatever. And I heard my manager say right behind me, and he's the person that, like, I would, like, joke around with the most. And it was his voice coming from right behind me as if he was standing on the staircase that went right behind the host stand. But it felt like he was right behind me, talking in my ear. Like, almost not speaking in a whisper, but like, the positioning, as if you were whispering. And he said, do you want to hear a joke? And this was, like, a common thing. Like, we would tell each other jokes, and I was in a bad mood, so I was like, yeah, tell me a joke. And then he didn't say anything. And I turned around, and no one was there. And I looked across the restaurant, and I saw my manager behind the bar in the middle of a conversation with two of the bar guests. And, like, worth mentioning, like, the bar is probably, like, 50ft away from where I was standing. And he was in the middle of a conversation. And I asked him about it later, and I asked him, you know, like, did you ask me if I wanted to hear a joke later? Like, knowing there was no way he could have. And I told him what happened, and he said he had never experienced anything like that with the ghost before, and he had had experiences of his own with her, but he had never had her mimic somebody's voice. It sounded exactly like him. It sounded so much like him that I really thought he was about to tell me a joke. And I was, like, kind of disappointed at first when there wasn't a joke. It was just so freaky. It felt like somebody was standing behind me. And it wasn't until after it happened that I, like, went looking for him that I saw he was in a completely different room. And, I mean, it wasn't just that one time. There were a couple times I would just hear my name, and it would be, like, whispered, like, right in my ear. It'd just be, like, Tatum enough that I would, like, kind of turn my head and be like, whoa. Like, I first half second think somebody's actually calling me. And then, like, the sobering realization that, like, it was, like, a whisper in my ear just for me, you know? But, like, the times that I, like, heard my name whispered, it wasn't like anyone's voice in particular. It was just, like, somebody saying my name. It seemed feminine, and it seemed adult, which is, like, contrary to, like, what our beliefs were about who the spirit was, but it sounded like an adult woman saying my name. And, like, there were, like, some people in the restaurant that thought maybe there was more than one ghost in that portrait of the original owners. Like, there were, like, five or seven people pictured there. So, like, who's to say there aren't maybe more spirits kind of, like, hanging out around there? But it wasn't a little girl. It was a woman. But it wasn't a familiar voice. I wouldn't feel, like, any actual, like, puff of breath in my ear or anything, but it did feel like somebody was, like, leaning over my shoulder, saying my name quietly, like, really close to my ear. Just like, again, like. Just like that charged feeling. Like, you know how it feels like when somebody's standing behind you? Like, it was that feeling, but nobody was there. And it would happen at the most random times. Like, it would happen sometimes I would be standing by myself at the host stand, and I would hear it. But there was another time I was at a table taking their order, and. And I heard it in the middle of, like, writing something down. I heard my name, and I, like, looked behind me, and the only people that were there were, like, people sitting in their seats having their conversations over dinner. You know, it wasn't like somebody walking through the dining room, tapping me on the shoulder or anything like that. It wasn't just, like, when I was alone that it would do it. Like, it would do it when I was in the middle of a conversation. Even the times that it would happen where I was surrounded by other people. There was, like, a way I could, like, rationalize myself out of that. It was. Was the ghost, like, maybe. Maybe I just overheard something in a nearby conversation that sounded kind of like my name. Like, there were ways for me to kind of, like, explain it away. But the times where I was, like, on my lonesome, nobody nearby, and I heard it, like, it really freaked me out. And it felt like it had, like, really developed an interest in me because, like I said, nobody else had heard anything audibly. And now it was, like, saying my name. It was trying to get my attention. That freaked me out a lot. It made me feel really scared after, like, these things started happening. I really didn't like to be there by myself. And when you're opening the restaurant or closing the restaurant, you're the only person there at that point. And I really did not like to be the person that was opening or closing. There was kind of a feeling if I was there by myself, like, is this. Is today the day that I have another story? You know, as time went on, I was definitely more of a live wire in that restaurant. I was always kind of on edge and, like, waiting for it. I started as a host there, and then whenever I turned 18, I started serving. And it was like, right around then, I hadn't been serving for very long. And one of, if not my very first time opening the restaurant, which is a solitary task, I got there at 3pm and I was doing the opening duties, just kind of, like, getting the dining room set up for service, getting us ready to go. The chef wasn't even there yet. And I had to, like, start up, like, the point of service computer system. And it wasn't turning on. I couldn't get it to work. It was like a dinosaur of a computer. And so I called my manager. He lived across the street. And so I called him. I was like, hey, I can't figure this out. Can you just, like, run by and, like, help me start it up? And he was like, yeah, I'll be there in, like, five minutes. And so I just continued doing my opening duties. And I was upstairs in the staff area. I think I was, like, putting my apron on or something, like, getting ready. And I heard him come in the back door. I heard the door open, and I heard him come in, and he called for me. He said, like, hey, Tatum, I'm here, or something like that. And I called back down to him, and I told him I was upstairs and I'd be right down and I heard his voice coming from the parlor, and he said, okay, I'll be in the parlor. And so I come down the stairs, and from the staircase you can see into the parlor, which is the dining room. He said he was in. I went in there and he was not there. And I was like, where are you? Like, I'm in the parlor. And he goes, oh, sorry, I'm on the porch now. And so I walked out of the parlor, past the host stand, and into the porch, and he wasn't there. And at this point, I thought he was playing a prank on me because, like, this is the person that, like, I would joke around with most on the shift. And I thought, like, maybe he was joking with me. Like, we would joke about the ghosts sometimes and, like, I don't know, just, like, mess around. But I was, like, getting kind of annoyed because I thought that was the case. And then I looked out the window and I saw him across the street walking out of his apartment building and locking the door and crossing the street. And he, like, waved at me as he was crossing the street. And that's when I realized that when I had heard his voice for this little conversation that we had, I had been alone in the building that entire time. He hadn't even left his house yet. And when he got there, I told him about it and, like, it freaked him out. And I confirmed with him. I was like, you didn't come in and go and like, pretend? And he was like, no, like, when you saw me coming in, like, that was when I came in. And I believe him. But after that, I really. If I was the last person in the restaurant at the end of the night, I was getting out of there as fast as I could after that happened, because I was just like, she's just kind of doing whatever she wants with me now. And I. I don't want to create any extra opportunity for her to, like, kind of open that vault, you know? And for me, like, knowing the ghost knew my name and it knew how to trick me and that it had done the same mimicry to me two different instances. And I fell for it both times. And I really believed that it was my co worker and it wasn't. It seems like maybe she was trying to, like, point my attention to something, but, like, she wasn't, I believe, like, she was just giving me the runaround just because she could. And, like, she was bored and wanted attention or, like, wanted to play, even seeing if she could, like, get me to play along with her and, like, go into these rooms. Seeing almost like what she could get away with. It wasn't like she was like trying to direct my attention to anything other than the fact that she was there and did I notice that she was there, that it was like a little girl that was bored and looking for something to entertain her. It did become evident, at least to me, that talking about her so much, like in that building maybe wasn't the best idea. And like, was kind of like feeding into her, like, hunger for attention in a way that was like making her act out even more. As time went on, me and my coworkers kind of talked about it a little less. Like we would still occasionally be like, oh, like maybe that was the ghost, you know, but like I wouldn't tell like a full fledged story about something that actually scared me in the building because I didn't want the ghost to hear me. I didn't want her to know that she had really rattled me. So I definitely, like told people about it. But if I said anything about this particular instance to my co workers in the building, I kept it really, really brief because I wasn't trying to like, give her more to work with, you know, I worked there for like three years. And then when it was like time for me to go to college, I was like moving away in a couple weeks. And so it was one of my last, last shifts there. It wasn't my very last one, but it was one of. And I was closing that night. I was the last person there. The chef had left before me because I had like, some people that were like camping out at one of the tables. I wouldn't. So I just stayed, waited for them to go, did my closing stuff. The last things that you have to do before leaving for the night, you turn off the music, turn the lights off, and you lock the door. And I did those things and you like, exit through the garden. And the second I lock the door and I shut it behind me, the music turned on so loud. Like it was so loud, not like restaurant volume, but like blaring. And the lights went all the way up, not like the restaurant dim setting, like all the way up. Really, really bright. And for some reason maybe it didn't scare me as much because I, I was like, not in the building and I was like done for the night. It wasn't like I had to like go back in for three more hours, you know. And it kind of made me laugh. I was like exasperated. It had been a long night and I'm like, she just had to, you know, like, I couldn't I couldn't get off the hook this easy. And I, I go to, you know, just like clean up the mess she's made and I, I start unlocking the door and I think I said something like, nice one or like, good one under my breath. And the second I unlocked the door, the music shut off and the lights turned off and that was it. I locked the door and I left. And I like kind of stood out on the, on the side of the road like for a minute or two, just like waiting to see if she was gonna do it one more time. But it almost makes me think like she just wanted to hear me, hear me acknowledge. Like, oh, good one. Like you got me there, you know, Going home after that, I'm just like, all right, here I, here I go. And I like, I would walk home because it's a pretty small town and so like, I'd be like walking home, it's like 11:30 or midnight. I'm like a young girl, you know. I did feel like kind of scared, but like by the time I got home, I think I'm like, I would just go home and my dog would say hello and just like watch a little TV and try and think about literally anything else and just kind of get on with it. But I had to like make like a pretty concerted effort to distract myself. I didn't want to like ruminate on it too hard. At least not like immediately after it happened. It always provoked such like an emotional response from me. I didn't want to carry it with me. Like I wanted to let the dust settle before I like, talk about it with somebody else, you know, Like, I at least want to try and sleep first, you know. Even before this happened, I was like a pretty open minded person to like the idea that there's more to the world than we can like understand or even perceive. And like, growing up, like, I always had an interest in the paranormal. Like we had this book when I was little called Weird Pennsylvania. And it was just like, I don't even know if it was true stories. It's just like creepy stuff in Pennsylvania. That stuff has always been of interest to me. And I think this experience and also just like listening to otherworld and hearing other people's experiences with paranormal things has definitely opened up my mind more. So much so that like when I was younger, like I would have called myself an atheist because my parents raised us as atheists. But if I were asked now, I don't know how I would describe it, but probably something a lot closer to agnostic because the cold hard atheist approach doesn't allow room for the things that happened to me to be true. And I know what I experienced did happen and I know that the things that my co workers experienced happened. So I think if anything it's just made me a little more open minded to like, what's out there that we can't really see or explain. And I'm not like dying to have another encounter with a ghost, but I don't think I would be surprised if I experienced something else in my lifetime that can't be explained. And I would hope that, like, if that were to happen to me ever again, that I would feel a little less scared and like a little more willing to take the experience as it comes.
- [37:23]
A
All right, that brings us to the end. Thank you to Tatum for sharing their story. Actually, Tatum had another story that didn't really have much to do with the restaurant experiences, but we thought it was really interesting. This is about something that happened to both of her parents. I thought it would be worth it to throw it in the episode. We're gonna put it after the credits. So if you want to hear one more story from Tatum, keep listening after the credits of the show. This episode was called the Restaurant Mimic 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. 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 Rhys Dennis, Maura Curran, Josefina 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. And finally, if you or somebody you know has experienced something paranormal, supernatural or unexplained, you could send us your stories@storiesotherworldpod.com.
- [39:03]
B
So I actually texted my mom about it the other day because I wanted to make sure I get her story right if it came up in the interview. I can read you what she sent me. Let me find it. She said this must have been in like probably like 2002, but it was in the same town that the story that I wrote in took place in. Steeped in like a lot of Civil War history, like early, like settlement kind of vibe. And we lived in like this old, like, kind of like Victorian style house. So this is what my mom said happened. She said that she was awake by herself, everybody else was asleep, and she was downstairs in the living room and she thought she heard people laughing. She looked around and didn't see anything and thought maybe it was someone in the family had come downstairs from bed. She was watching tv and then she heard a piano playing. We had a piano, like in the back corner of the living room. And she looked over to the piano and when she looked over there, there was a little girl with her nose in the corner, almost like she was in timeout. She was wearing an old fashioned nightgown. She had blonde hair and some of it was pulled back in a velvet ribbon. She definitely looked like a girl from, I don't know, the 1800s. And she appeared to be crying. It sounded like there was a party going on. And she was like, what's going on? So she stood up to go over and check. And when she stood up, the girl disappeared. And then she says, like, the strange part is like two or three years later. Yeah, we had a Christmas party at our house. And she saw my dad talking to a couple who lived down the street. And he was telling them a story about a time that he was watching TV alone in the living room at night on his own, and he saw a little girl with blonde hair and a nightgown standing in the corner, and she looked like she was crying. He also heard the piano and what sounded like a party in the background. Neither of us had ever told the other one the story because we both were just thinking it was weird and didn't know if we should believe it or not. My mom says she still doesn't believe in ghosts, and that was the first and only thing that ever happened to her. But knowing that my dad had seen it too makes her feel really crazy.