Cursed

Summary

Sightings Podcast: "Cursed"

Hosts: McLeod Andrews & Brian Sigley
Date: March 16, 2026

Episode Overview

The "Cursed" episode of Sightings centers around chilling accounts of locations that seem to harbor more than just memories—they carry curses. In this listener-driven installment, McLeod and Brian guide you through three personal stories submitted by the community, each involving a place that has left its visitors or residents convinced that something supernatural—often sinister—lingers there. From haunted hospitals in Texas, to a possessed bowling alley in New York, to uneasy Tennessee farmland, the episode explores the difference between mere haunting and a deeper, all-encompassing curse. The hosts bring their trademark blend of skepticism and empathy, sparking both nerves and nostalgia.

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1. Story One: “It Followed Me Home” (Jamie from Texas)

[02:56–11:06]

Summary

Jamie, an oil field electrician in west Texas, recounts a series of events after illegally entering and removing items from a famously haunted hospital in Yorktown, TX. The story unfolds with a blend of bravado and regret, as Jamie’s skepticism leads to supernatural occurrences that threaten his family’s peace.

Key Points

• Background: Jamie and his crew discover an abandoned hospital certified as haunted by the TV show Ghost Hunters. Despite warnings, Jamie’s curiosity leads him inside with a few reluctant coworkers.
• The Exploration: Guided by a wary groundskeeper who refuses to enter after dark—"I don't go in there after dark" ([06:16], Groundskeeper)—Jamie taunts spirits and removes objects (an old cowboy hat and a small gargoyle statue).
• Strange Events: After returning home, his family starts to experience deeply unnerving phenomena:
  • Persistent feelings of being watched.
  • Children screaming about unseen entities—“They’re coming for us!” ([08:22], Jamie’s son).
  • Household objects and lights behaving erratically.
  • Parental disagreements about whether the curse is real or coincidence.
• Resolution: Jamie discards all stolen items; the disturbances cease, but the family is so unsettled they move away. Jamie remains unsure if something truly followed him or if it was all happenstance.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “But being the skeptic I was, I began to taunt the spirits…” ([07:26], Jamie, via Brian)
• “We saw a metal cage with restraints in the basement...” ([07:54])
• “As soon as Shiloh… took a picture of me… I felt a knot form in my stomach. As I stood up… I began to choke and vomit.” ([07:49])
• “My wife ran in, scared and upset, saying this was my fault. Ever since you brought all that stuff from the hospital, this house has become a nightmare.” ([09:24])
• “But every few months I still sit back and think—did something follow me home from that hospital? Or was it all just a coincidence?” ([10:40])

Host Reactions & Analysis

• McLeod draws parallels to notorious haunted sites, referencing Louisville’s Waverly Hills Sanatorium’s similar oppressive atmosphere ([11:13]).
• Both hosts agree that Jamie is "braver than I, and probably McLeod" ([11:56]).

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2. Story Two: The Haunted Bowling Alley (Lacy from New York)

[14:17–30:07]

Summary

Lacy, a young woman in New York, describes her unnerving experiences during four months working at an old, rundown bowling alley. The legendary “Lane 7”—perpetually out of order—becomes the stage for escalating supernatural phenomena.

Key Points

• Initial Oddities: Lane 7 is always broken; on a late-night shift, Lacy hears bowling sounds, sees game scores flash on dormant monitors—usually with the name "Mike."
• Escalation:
  • Lane 7 seems to “play” by itself, with balls rolling, pins falling, and screens lighting up—sometimes with different names each night ("Robert," "Jenny," "Susan").
  • Pins start arranging themselves into words (“hi”), shapes (arrows, circles), and abstract patterns seemingly directed at Lacy. Host Brian jokes about “Mike the strike” ([17:58]).
  • The phenomena intensify—music and invisible crowds fill the alley, voices are heard, culminating in a chilling yet oddly poignant group “game” among the ghosts.
• Emotional Impact: Instead of terror, Lacy breaks down in tears at the sadness and longing she perceives from the spirits—“Like if they were ghosts, they just wanted to keep playing with their friends, but they were stuck in this one stupid broken lane.” ([24:33])
• Aftermath: The experiences force Lacy to quit without explanation. She finds no resolution, only ambiguity: “So either I was having a breakdown that year or the place really was haunted. I don't know which I prefer. But I do know I'll never work at another bowling alley as long as I live.” ([25:47])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “This is my type of ghost story. That’s just what he does. He’s just like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m dead, but I loved bowling.’” ([17:18], McLeod)
• “The pins would be in a perfect circle. Once, they formed what looked like an arrow pointing toward where I was standing.” ([22:46], Lacy via hosts)
• “There was just something so sad about this…” ([24:37], Lacy)
• Lacy’s emotional exit: “I left my uniform shirt on the counter and walked out. Never went back. Never even picked up my final paycheck.” ([25:36])

Host Reactions & Analysis

• Brian compares the setting to “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and wonders how he would have handled the situation ([25:54]).
• McLeod is struck by the story's “sweet and sad” overtones, seeing the ghosts as a group of friends from a bygone era trying to be noticed ([26:41], [29:14]).

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3. Story Three: Cursed Tennessee Land (Susie from Tennessee)

[32:07–39:47]

Summary

Susie details the string of misfortunes and paranormal disturbances that have haunted her family for over 15 years on a rural Tennessee property, located along the historic Trail of Tears and near a cemetery (possibly linked to a dark past).

Key Points

• History of Tragedy:
  • Unexplained deaths of numerous animals (dogs, cows, horses) on the land.
  • A creepy house with physical sensations of pressure changes, unexplained footsteps, and waking to shadowy figures (“We woke up once to what looked like a six foot tall man standing at the end of our bed…” [33:17]).
  • Haunted attic: toys activate on their own, especially a Peek-a-Boo doll—“I took the batteries out… A week later, we heard ‘Peekaboo’ again. That baby went to the dump ASAP.” ([34:00], Susie)
• Ongoing Disturbances:
  • A doorbell rings during conversations about deceased relatives, photos fall as if pushed, TV powers off during home movie nights.
  • Child sees a man peeking from the bathroom; dog growls at unseen presences.
  • Susie frequently hears voices calling her name.
• The Land Itself:
  • "Nothing will grow here… We have one tree, and it’s gnarled and barely thriving." ([35:27])
  • The ground is solid limestone, and Susie speculates about the area’s history and the possible influence of surrounding rock quarries.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Let me preface this story by saying my town is smack dab in the middle of the Trail of Tears, and the Manson family has ties to the area.” ([32:13], Susie)
• “While I was pregnant with my daughter, our trailer burned down…” ([34:18])
• “I often hear people calling my name, so often that my husband and daughter get annoyed at me. I don’t know for sure if the land is cursed, but it sure feels like.” ([36:45], Susie)

Host Reactions & Analysis

• Brian speculates about quartz or other minerals amplifying paranormal phenomena ([38:09]).
• Both hosts are astounded by the perseverance of Susie’s family, remarking on how it must feel to live under such a cloud of constant unease: “You are braver people than I would be, for sure.” ([38:34], Brian)
• McLeod notes a sense of “uneasy peace,” suggesting it may be more the accumulation of minor things over time than a relentless haunting ([39:05], [39:38]).

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Memorable Quotes

• “Jamie, you are a braver man than I…” ([11:56], Brian)
• “Mike the strike. The ghost.” ([18:02], McLeod)
• “There’s something sweet and sad about this story…” ([29:14], McLeod)
• “I don't know for sure if the land is cursed, but it sure feels like.” ([36:45], Susie)

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Timestamps & Segment Highlights

• [03:13] – Jamie’s hospital exploration begins.
• [07:54] – Jamie removes items from the hospital.
• [09:15] – Disturbances escalate at home.
• [14:23] – Lacy introduces the haunted bowling alley.
• [19:02] – The "bowling ghost" phenomenon intensifies.
• [24:33] – Lacy’s emotional climax.
• [32:07] – Susie introduces her haunted and cursed land.
• [34:00] – The Peek-a-Boo doll incident.
• [35:27] – Description of barren, gnarled land.

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Concluding Thoughts

In “Cursed,” Sightings deftly combines eerie first-person tales with thoughtful, often lighthearted analysis, blending chills with moments of empathy and nostalgia. The hosts’ approach—alternating between skeptical musings and emotional resonance—draws out the humanity behind each haunting. Whether you believe in curses or not, you’ll find something hauntingly memorable in each listener’s story, and perhaps be left wondering about the secrets your own familiar places might hold.

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Listener Submission Info:
If you have your own haunting tale, Sightings wants to hear it—submit via storiesightingspodcast.com or Instagram @sightingspod.

Next episode preview: Expect more dramatic storytelling and listener stories in future Sightings releases.

Transcript

[Brian Sigley]

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[McLeod Andrews]

We like to believe that the places we visit or occupy are just that, places. Four walls, a stretch of land, somewhere to pass through or stay a while. But some locations carry something invisible within them. You may not notice it when you first arrive, but it's there, woven into the ground beneath your feet. And once that cursed place finds you, leaving is never quite as simple as walking out the door. Welcome to sightings. I'm McLeod.

[Brian Sigley]

And I'm Brian. And we are excited to back with you for yet another month of eerie listener stories.

[McLeod Andrews]

Tonight, we're exploring places that turn out to be much more than they first seem. And while some are simply haunted, others are cursed. See if you'll escape alive on this episode of Sightings.

[Brian Sigley]

All right, McLeod, we are back with three listener stories about terrifying places. Cursed places. Maybe we'll see.

[McLeod Andrews]

My head.

[Brian Sigley]

So we're going to dive right into the first one. This comes from Jamie from Texas. This one actually has a title. McLeod.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, no way. A title. That's awesome.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. All right, well, this title is. It Followed me Home.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, I'm already uncomfortable. Good title.

[Brian Sigley]

I know. So let's get some music going. And here we go.

[McLeod Andrews]

I'm from a small west Texas town, and as an oil field electrician, I've had to travel for work all over Texas in 2012. My travels took me to Yorktown, a small place with nothing fascinating in sight other than the saltwater disposal we were building. We slept in a trailer on location about 15 miles west of the town with nothing but tall trees and pastures around us. After a few weeks, the crews I was in charge of were getting bored and it really took a toll on the morale of work. One Friday afternoon we decided to take the weekend off and I'll head home. On our way out of town, we saw an old, creepy abandoned hospital. You're gonna go in there, aren't you? I pulled over in the parking lot Jamie and walked around checking it out. I've always been infatuated with the paranormal and have enjoyed being creeped out. Alright, fair enough. My friend even pulled his phone out and recorded us in the eerie building as I narrated a completely made up story of the history and spirits in the hospital. Please send us this video. Though I had no knowledge of this place, I proved to be prophetic with some of my story. This is amazing. The following week when we all returned, I couldn't help but to think of exploring the hospital and talk to a few of my fellow crew members about it. Everyone, and I mean everyone, told me to stay clear. That only intrigued me more. The following weekend I drove to the hospital after work. A groundskeeper offered me a tour after finding me trying to jump the fence meant to keep me out. Without hesitation, I accepted his offer. That was one of many mistakes I would make. The groundskeeper asked me to return later in the evening. I agreed and immediately returned to the location we were staying at and tried to talk some of the crew to join me. Out of 15 men, three agreed and we were off to the hospital shortly thereafter. Once we arrived the grounds. Creeper, creeper, little Freudian slip there. Once we arrived, the groundskeeper explained how this hospital had been certified haunted by the show ghost hunters. He explained the most active areas in the hospital and said that if we suddenly had trouble breathing, we should get 10 to 15ft away from the area we were at and to not take anything out of the hospital. He then pointed to the back door and stated, good luck and be safe. He refused to go in with us. I don't go in there after dark, he stated as he jumped on his motorcycle and drove away. This is so bonkers. I immediately walked to the back door and set off exploring. The three others not too far behind me were a tad bit more reluctant. Knowing what I know now, I wish I would have been as reluctant as them. And maybe what happened next wouldn't have happened. Oh no, now I'm legitimately concerned. But being the skeptic I was, I began to taunt the Come on, Jamie. But being the skeptic I was, I began to taunt the spirits the groundskeeper described to us first, an older gentleman who had passed away on the second floor of the hospital. He was very mean and abusive and never had any visitors. Then there was a little girl, Annie, I believe, on the first floor, who always wanted to play. I grabbed an old cowboy hat out of one of the rooms, put it on, and sat on a couch in one of the waiting rooms. But as soon as Shiloh, one of the crew members took a picture of me on the couch, I felt a knot form in my stomach. As I stood up off the couch, I felt a cold chill down my back and began to choke and vomit. Shiloh and the rest of the crew members then grabbed me and pulled me down the hall. Once at the end of the hall, the knot was gone and I began to breathe normal again. I was shocked. Did that really happen? Confused, but still trying to play the tough guy, I kept going. We saw a metal cage with restraints in the basement. We explored the roof, chapel, and lobby. Once we got back to the first floor, I kicked a random ball in the hallway down into another room. When I looked back, the ball was rolling back towards us. Then another crew member swore he heard a young girl giggle. Scared as could be, we were all ready to get out of there, but I still decided to grab a small gargoyle off a mantle on the way out and took it with me. Jamie A few days later, we completed our job in Yorktown and headed back to West Texas, excited to tell my wife and kids about our why'd you bring it home to your wife and kids? Jamie so upset with you. Excited to tell my wife and kids about our experience at the hospital, I began to unpack and show them the cowboy hat, the few small trinkets that I took, and the gargoyle. The kids were excited about the gargoyle and wanted to leave it on the porch to protect us. They even named it Elvis. A few weeks went by with no major incidents, just a few minor nightmares here and there. Then things started to happen. One day while home alone, I had this strong feeling I was being watched. I got up and walked around the house just to make myself feel better. Figured if I showed myself, I was alone, I could rest easy. Foolish, I know, but I just couldn't shake the Feeling of being watched. Later at dinner, I told my wife about this feeling and she just stared at me and said she had the same feeling I had ever since I'd gotten back. Later that night, my then 8 year old son was taking a shower when suddenly he screamed as if being attacked. I ran into the bathroom to find my son curled up in the shower crying in fear. They're coming for us. He screamed as I grabbed him. I asked who was coming for us and all he could say was they were coming. I picked him up and took him to my room. I explained his imagination got the best of him tonight, but in my own mind, I questioned what would make him say that and act as he was. The next morning, as we headed out to take the kids to school, all the kids tapped Elvis on the head as they usually did. But as we got in the car and began to reverse, my oldest, then 10 years old, screamed, watch out for that man. I slammed on the brakes and turned around, but there was no man. What man? I asked my son, semi upset and worried. Never mind, he flew away worried. I stared at my son a moment before pulling out of the driveway. Things continued like this for a while. Then one night while out on the porch, I heard the kids arguing and ran in to see what the problem was. He keeps kicking my chair, my oldest explained. My other pleaded, I've been in my room, dad. He's just lying. Just as I was about to tell them both to calm down and behave, the table banged against the wall. We all stood there in silence, as if trying to all come up with a way to explain what just happened. I grabbed the kids and began to walk towards the bedrooms when it happened again and this time the lights flickered. Then my wife ran in, scared and upset, saying this was my fault. Ever since you brought all that stuff from the hospital, this house has become a nightmare. The next morning, I grabbed all the items I had taken from the hospital and threw them into the dumpster. Personally, I didn't believe it was the items, but if it made mama happy, I wasn't going to debate it. After that, there were no more incidents, but we ended up selling the house anyway because my wife said she never felt the same there again. We moved clear across town and forgot all about the craziness there. But every few months I still sit back and think, did something follow me home from that hospital? Or was it all just a coincidence? Hmm? Jamie, you know what you did. See, here's the thing. I'm a. I'm a skeptical gecko. I still wouldn't do that.

[Brian Sigley]

Mm. Mm. I really want to know what this hospital was. I mean, I. I'm sure I can look through the archives of. What show did he say it was?

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. In Louisville, Kentucky. It kind of reminded me of in Louisville, Kentucky. There's this, like, old sanatorium, famously haunted place. And it has the whole, like, tunnel underneath where they would, like, cart the bodies out to the morgue kind of thing. And they always do a haunted house there every year.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah.

[McLeod Andrews]

And I remember going there and just like looking down a hallway while we were waiting in line. It's one of those things where it's like my brain just filled that hallway up. It's just like you just imagine something suddenly stepping out of a door and running at you. Hallways are the worst.

[Brian Sigley]

Dark hallways in a hospital are the worst.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. Not good vibes.

[Brian Sigley]

And especially when they're derelict and, you know, abandoned. I would be reluctant to go in one for sure.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

Jamie, you are a braver man than I, and probably McLeod. Yes. But thank you for sharing that story, Jamie. That was a cool one. We are going to be back with two more stories right after this.

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[Brian Sigley]

All right, McLeod, we are back with another story. Are you ready for this one after

[McLeod Andrews]

the last one, know it.

[Brian Sigley]

This one comes from Lacy from New York, and it happens to occur in a bowling alley.

[McLeod Andrews]

I'm so on board. All right, here we go. I'm Lacy and I'm so excited and actually a bit creeped out to share my story with you all. I worked at this bowling alley, but I don't want to say the name because reasons. But I ended up working there for almost four months and then I just quit one day without notice. Which I know sounds bad, but again, reasons backstory. I got this job through my friend's cousin. It was just basic stuff, you know, like helping customers with shoes, running the snack bar, cleaning up. The place has been around forever, probably since the 70s and it shows. Everything's kind of old and beat up, but in a charming way, I guess. I love the non committal. I feel like I'm getting an age 24 lanes and it gets pretty busy, especially on weekends with all the leagues and birthday parties. So during my training, this guy I'll call Gary. I'm just really liking this point of view. I am finding it quite charming. So during my training, this guy I'll call Gary, who is my supervisor. He tells me also just the name choice, Gary. So during my training, this guy I'll call Gary. Gary, who is my supervisor, he tells me that lane 7 is basically broken and always having problems. The pin thing would jam up or the ball return wouldn't work right or the computer screen would freeze. He said they just tell customers it's out of order because it's easier than dealing with it. Which made sense to me because the whole place looked like it was running on a shoestring budget. Some of the chairs even had duct tape on them. I feel like I've seen plenty of duct tape chairs at a bowling alley.

[Brian Sigley]

I think a bowling alley has to be slightly run down in order to be, you know, it's a legit bowling alley.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. For the first couple weeks, everything was totally normal. Lane 7 just sat there dark while all the other lanes stayed busy. Sometimes I'd walk by to clean and notice the pins looked weird or not lined up right, but I figured that's just because it was broken. Then one night I was working the closing shift, which meant staying until midnight to clean everything up. It was a Tuesday, so completely dead. And I was emptying trash and wiping tables when I heard this sound. Like that sound of a bowling ball rolling down the lane and hitting pins. A pretty distinctive sound. So I checked and all the lanes were empty except lane seven, which of course was supposed to be broken. But this was weird. The screen was lit up showing a score. It said the player was Mike and he just got a strike. Please tell me the rest of this ends up rhyming and we're in for a Dr. Seuss story. I looked around thinking maybe someone was messing with me. But again, the place was completely empty. I called out hello a few times. Nothing. The screen stayed on for maybe a minute, then went black. And I figured, okay, old equipment does weird stuff sometimes. Maybe it's just shorting out or whatever. I mentioned it to Gary the next day and I gotta pause for a second because the idea of a bowling ghost like this is my type of ghost story. That's just what he does. He's just like, oh yeah, you know, I'm dead. But I loved bowling and so like keep chasing that perfect game. Or maybe he died chasing the perfect game.

[Brian Sigley]

I think we'd have to look at have people died in bowling alleys. I'm sure someone has died in a bowling alley before.

[McLeod Andrews]

Someone. I'm sure someone's had a heart attack, like getting frustrated with their 270 or whatever. So anyway, I'm all on board for this bowling ghost. Mike the strike.

[Brian Sigley]

Mike the strike. There you go. Mike the strike. The ghost.

[McLeod Andrews]

Mike the strike. The ghost. I mentioned it to Gary the next day and he said, yeah, the electrical system here is ancient. Sometimes machines turn on by themselves. Don't worry about it. Just keep lane seven blocked off so customers don't try to use it. But it kept happening. Not every night, but maybe two or three times a week. I'd be closing and lane seven would just fire up by itself. Always the same thing. Sound of a ball rolling and hitting pins. Then the screen lit up with scores. Sometimes it was Mike, but other times different names. Robert or Jenny or Susan. It's like a haunted bowling party.

[Brian Sigley]

It kind of is. And they all seem like slightly old fashioned Y names I feel like.

[McLeod Andrews]

I don't know. Robert, Jenny, Susan.

[Brian Sigley]

Is Susan the common name now? I don't know.

[McLeod Andrews]

I don't know. Common. But it's not uncommon, I don't think. Yeah, I mean, I guess I could say just to skeptical gecko theory, it could be if this is an ancient device, like it's just kind of cycling through memory, like things that it has in its electric electronic memory or whatever.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, Robert.

[McLeod Andrews]

Or a play to Jenny, Susan. I don't know. I don't know how technology works. I asked Gary about it again, and he said the computer probably had some default high scores programmed in from when they first installed it. I started paying more attention to lane seven during my shifts. During busy times, it would look normal, pins down, screen dark, everything quiet. But I swear sometimes I'd see movement out of the corner of my eye, like someone walking over there. But when I looked directly, nothing. Then things got weirder. This was late October, I think, and I was doing my usual closing thing when lane seven started up again. But this time, instead of just hearing the ball, I actually saw it. Whoa. Just a regular black bowling ball rolling by itself down the lane like an invisible person through it. Now I'm getting a little creeped out. It hit the pins, knocks down all of them. The pin machine lowered and reset, but when it came back up, the pins weren't reset like normal. This is going to sound crazy, but they were arranged to spell hi. Can pins do that? Can you spell high with pins?

[Brian Sigley]

I had to look, and it can't. Yes.

[McLeod Andrews]

All right. But this. See you here. Now I'm feeling good again. They're so friendly. Mike and Jenna. Like, hi. Yeah, we're Mike and Jin. What do you think their bowling team name was?

[Brian Sigley]

The.

[McLeod Andrews]

They're probably the spooks.

[Brian Sigley]

The Spooks.

[McLeod Andrews]

I don't know. I just stood there staring at it for probably five minutes. The screen was showing. Mike got the strike, but all I could focus on were these pins standing there, like someone carefully put them there to say hi to me. I thought about calling Gary, but what would I say? Hey, boss, I think Lane 7 is trying to talk to me. So I just finished cleaning and got out of there as fast as I could. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. And my next few shifts. I keep looking at lane seven, wondering if I imagined the whole thing, but I know I didn't. Those pins definitely spelled something. The next time it happened was the following Tuesday. Same thing. Ball rolling by itself, pins getting knocked down. But when the machine reset them the leftover pins spelled high again. That's when I really started freaking out. Because either I was losing my mind or something supernatural was happening, and I don't know which is worse. Then the messages in the pins changed. They were always really simple. Sometimes it looked like an L, other times, the pins would be in a straight line. Once they made what looked like an X, I started dreading closing shifts. Lane 7 would stay quiet during busy times, but as soon as I was alone, it would start up. And the pin arrangements were getting more frequent, like, more urgent, if that makes sense. One night in November, I was working late because we had this birthday party that ran forever and there was tons of cleanup. It was almost 1am and I was exhausted just grabbing my jacket when lane seven lit up again. But this time was different. Instead of one ball, I heard multiple balls, like someone was playing rapid fire. The screen was going crazy, showing strike after strike, and the pins kept resetting into different shapes. I backed toward the exit because this. This is way more intense than before. It seriously sounded like 10 people bowling at once. Then everything stopped and the place went silent. The screen went black, and I couldn't even see the pens because the lights over the lane went out. Then they turned back on, and I walked over to look, even though every instinct told me not to. The pens were still standing, but not arranged in any pattern. Just scattered around randomly, like someone threw them in frustration. I got out of there and drove straight home. I don't think I even locked up right. The next few days, I called in sick. When I finally did go back, gary said Lane 7 had been acting up more than usual. Even during day shift, it was turning on and off randomly. Customers were complaining about weird noises. He said he was going to call a repair service. I thought maybe professionals looking at it would fix whatever was happening. But the next time I worked, closing lane 7 was worse than ever. Word pin arrangements happened multiple times per night. Sometimes all the pins would be pushed to one side. Other times, they'd be in a perfect circle. Once, they formed what looked like an arrow pointing toward where I was standing. I'm wondering if Lacy, if you ever, like, grabbed a pen and pencil and started doing, like, a letter at a time to just see if they were spelling something.

[Brian Sigley]

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[McLeod Andrews]

The final thing happened on a Saturday night in December. It was a busy day with league play, and I was looking forward to a quiet closing shift. But again, as soon as the last customer leaves, lane seven started up. This time, though, it wasn't just Balls and pins. I heard music. Faint, but definitely there, like old bowling alley music. And again, lane seven was fully lit up, like someone was playing. The screen showed a full game in progress with multiple players. Mike and Robert and Jenny and Susan. All the names I'd seen before, but their scores were changing in real time, like they were actually playing. And I'm pretty sure I heard voices, too. Quiet and muffled, even though I know I was alone in there. It sounded like people bowling, having fun. Then I realized I was crying. Not because I was scared, because this had happened on lane seven before, but there was just something so sad about this. Like if they were ghosts, they just wanted to keep playing with their friends, but they were stuck in this one stupid broken lane. Then all the pins fell down at once, even though no ball was thrown. And when they reset, they were in a perfect straight line right down the middle, like someone carefully placed each one. Then the music stopped. And I stood there in the silence forever. I left my uniform shirt on the counter and walked out. Never went back. Never called. Never even picked up my final paycheck. Gary called me a few times, but I didn't answer. I heard from my friend that they ended up replacing all of lane seven. The repair service said the equipment was so old it would be cheaper to install a whole new lane, but I don't know if that fixed it or if whoever was there moved on. I drive past the place sometimes and it looks normal. Busy on weekends like always. But I never stopped. Part of me feels bad about leaving without explanation, and part of me feels bad about those voices. But I was 22 and scared out of my mind, and I couldn't handle it. I've worked three different jobs since then and nothing weird has happened. So either I was having a breakdown that year or the place really was haunted. I don't know which I prefer. But I do know I'll never work at another bowling alley as long as I live. Oh, wow.

[Brian Sigley]

Thought this was a fun one. Yeah, that was very different than there's a something in my basement kind of story, or I saw a weird shape in the corner of my bedroom kind of thing. I just. I. I grew up going to old bowling alleys and, you know, I was in a little bowling league and stuff. I was a dorky kid, but it just brought back all those memories for me. And I was trying to imagine how I would react if I was stuck working at midnight in a place like this and all those things were happening. It kind of reminded me in a weird way of like, Five nights at Freddy's, which is about this Chuck E. Cheese style restaurant that's abandoned that has all these animatronic creature things that come to life at night. Like, the mascots all come to life. And I'm just trying to imagine what would. What it would be like being in this bowling alley. But, yeah, I don't know.

[McLeod Andrews]

The vibes I got from this are, like, kind of, like, maudlin, sort of like her reaction where she was just kind of, like, crying because just something there feels like there's a story there. The fact that it's a bowling alley that's a bunch of friends together, and they just keep playing, but they're trying to reach out, like. Or they're aware of her probably because they're like, hey, we don't want to bother you or scare you. We're just here bowling. But maybe not. There's, like, an urgency there. I wonder if the story is exaggerated a little bit, like, because I definitely believe something like this happening down to the detail. It's just very specific. But, like, I want to jump back

[Brian Sigley]

to something you said in the middle of the story about how when it was making all of these shapes or, like, making an L or, like, an

[McLeod Andrews]

O kind of thing, they would be very abstract. Whatever shape you're trying to make with bowling pins, unless they were being placed kind of outside of that triangle.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, I think they were. Yeah. So that's how in order to make a high, you have to. Or to make a circle, you have to leave the shape of the machine.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, okay. So it's not like I was imagining it was within the shape of the triangle. And, like, certain, like, pins would be knocked down and leave a letter spelled.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, no, no. You can't spell the word high without using all 10 pins. Basically, convincingly spell that. It sounds to me like what would happen is, you know, the pins would get knocked down by some invisible force, get sucked up into the thing, and then they drop down and like.

[McLeod Andrews]

But then. So how would it. How would she see it from the top down? Like, it was on a screen or something. Like, is it.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, I have to imagine that she walked down to the end of the lane and looked at it.

[McLeod Andrews]

Really? Oh, my gosh. Lacy, will you let us know if that's what you did? Like, you are. You are brave.

[Brian Sigley]

I'm surprised they haven't done, like, a Final Destination movie or something in a bowling alley, because it seems like the kind of those gaping.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, no, it's just cruel. Why ruin bowling alley for people?

[Brian Sigley]

I know, well, they've ruined most other things for people. Fair.

[McLeod Andrews]

I won't watch those movies anymore. I think I saw one and was just like, oh, gosh, it's everywhere.

[Brian Sigley]

The new one's actually pretty good.

[McLeod Andrews]

I believe it's good. I just don't need that in my imagination.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. But I don't know, it's kind of mouth like, you know, and the machines and like they eat people and, you know, I'm just glad it didn't take a really, really dark turn.

[McLeod Andrews]

Me, too.

[Brian Sigley]

There's so many bad things that could happen in a bowling alley.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. There's something sweet and sad about this story. Especially like, I don't know, I'm imagining them this being like a. I don't know, like a group from the 50s or something. And I'm hearing like 50s music playing.

[Brian Sigley]

That's what I was imagining too. And it does not seem like a stretch at all. In New York, which is where Lacy lives, I have to assume that this bowling alley was in New York where she said she's, but that the bowling alleys have been around forever and most of the bowling alleys still standing have been around forever. So it just seemed like such a unique setting for a story and kind of had that poignancy a little bit to it that I really appreciated.

[McLeod Andrews]

Absolutely. It gives me the feels for real. Thank you, Lacy, for this incredible story. Yeah, this is a very unique and cool one.

[Brian Sigley]

It certainly was. And we've got one more story coming right after this.

[McLeod Andrews]

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[Brian Sigley]

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[McLeod Andrews]

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[Brian Sigley]

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[McLeod Andrews]

Hello everyone. Sorry, story.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, don't UpStage Susie's story McLeod with your Gollum, but this story's coming from Tennessee, okay? And it is our last. This one's a pretty cursed sounding story. So let's see what this place is. We're going to Tennessee from Susie. Let's get some music.

[McLeod Andrews]

My name is Susie and I'd like to tell you about the land I've been living on for the past 15 years or so. I live in a small town in Tennessee about an hour east of Nashville. For privacy reasons, I don't want to disclose the actual town name. People are crazy these days, and with it being a small town, it wouldn't be hard to figure out who I am. Let me preface this story by saying my town is smack dab in the middle of the Trail of Tears and the Manson family has ties to the area. I'm not sure if the Manson family has anything to do with this story, but it's still a cool fact. I don't know much about the history of my land other than that. Oh, and there's a cemetery across the street. You're really stacking it up, Susie. Holy cow. Okay. I moved here when I was a senior in high school to live with my then boyfriend, now husband, and his grandparents. They live in an oddly constructed house that was built in the 60s or 70s. While living in that house, there were a lot of odd occurrences. Many of our animals passed away unexplainably. Dogs, cows, and we even had one horse that got very ill and almost died. My husband's grandfather stayed in the downstairs bedroom and he would often hear people walking around and moving upstairs while no one was home. My husband and I stayed in an upstairs bedroom right next to the attic. There was always an eerie vibe in the house, but upstairs you could feel the pressure change. The attic door always rattled almost every night throughout the night. My husband and I woke up once to what looked like a six foot tall man standing at the end of our bed, when we rolled over to turn the lamp on, no one was there and the door was closed. Mind you, this is an old house and every door makes a lot of noise. Also, there's no one 6ft tall living with us. Once my husband was sitting on the bed reading a magazine and thought his grandmother kept peeking in the door at him. She was an ornery old woman who liked to cause trouble, so he assumed it was her. He asked her twice what she was doing and if she needed something. No response. So he decided the next time he saw her peeking, he was going to jump up and catch her in the actual. He waited, and sure enough, he saw her again. He jumped out of bed, slid the door open and said, what are you doing? No one was there, no one else upstairs. He rushed downstairs thinking maybe she somehow, with her frail, elderly body, had sped down the stairs before he could catch her. She was outside watering the flowers. My husband is an extremely skeptical guy, but these two instances really freaked him out. We lived at this house with our daughter until she was two years old. We stored her extra toys in the attic and we would often hear the toys going off at random times. It's an old house out in the country, so we assumed it was mice causing the motion detectors in the toys to trigger. There was one baby doll that really freaked my kid out. It played Peek a Boo. When you got close to it and started giggling, it scared her, so we put it in the attic. Of course, we started hearing Peek a Boo at night. I worked the night shift and got annoyed with hearing the doll, so I took the batteries out. Yep, alright, I know what's about to happen. A week later, we heard Peekaboo again. That baby went to the dump asap. While I was pregnant with my daughter, we lived in a mobile home on the same property, but next door to this house. We didn't live there long, so nothing strange happened there that I can remember. We did have cows while we lived in that trailer. They all died before they reached a year old. I still don't know what happened with that. My husband's aunt lived in the mobile home before we moved in, and she had multiple dogs who also all died while living there. When I was six months pregnant, our trailer burned down. The fire investigators said it started in the area of our air conditioner, but a few days before the fire, we'd had maintenance done on it and everything was fine. Not sure if the fire had anything to do with it, but it's still another terrible event on this Land. Nothing will grow here. We have one tree, and it's gnarled and barely thriving. We're surrounded by three rock quarries, and we're sitting on a solid piece of limestone rock. About three years after that trailer burned down, we were able to get the area cleaned off and another one put in its place where I'm currently living. We still have odd occurrences here from time to time. My daughter had a doorbell on the outside of her bedroom door that would go off at random times. It seemed like it would go off when we were talking about past loved ones. Once, while grieving my father's recent death, my husband and I were reminiscing about him. A photo of him in a china cabinet fell forward. Not backwards, like it collapsed, but forward, like something had pushed it over. Another time, my daughter and I were watching home movies from when he took me to the lake as a child, the TV powered off by itself. When my daughter was younger, she used to say she was scared to go into our hallway because she saw a man peeking out of the bathroom door at her. She likes to sit in our rocking chair that faces down the hallway. I have often felt like I see things out of the corner of my eye in that hallway, or a small child walking across my living room or standing beside the rocking chair. Our dog will look in that direction and growl at nothing in the middle of the night, which really freaks us out. I often hear people calling my name, so often that my husband and daughter get annoyed at me. I don't know for sure if the land is cursed, but it sure feels like. Sure does feel like it. That's interesting. Like, it's solid. You're on a solid limestone slab. Like, I mean, that kind of seems to indicate why things won't grow. Like, the other stuff, though. Like, it seems like there's a lot of, like, electrical things going on where it's, like, the doorbell and, like, the toys going off.

[Brian Sigley]

I wonder if there might be, like, some other material mixed in or beneath the limestone, like quartz or something. Like, quartz kind of messes stuff up sometimes.

[McLeod Andrews]

Like, does it, like, attract radio?

[Brian Sigley]

I don't know if it does, like, electrical stuff, but quartz seems to be kind of. If there's quartz underground somewhere tends to be, like, a supernatural hot spot.

[McLeod Andrews]

Interesting. Okay, so you don't mean scientific, like, electromagnetism. You mean like a spiritual magnet?

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, but this. This does not seem like a very happy piece of land. And I am amazed that you guys still live there, to be honest.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, like, I don't know. It's moving is hard and expensive.

[Brian Sigley]

It is like, especially after you have all this weird stuff and then your house burns down.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. That one is like, you stick around.

[Brian Sigley]

I mean, I can understand, though, if you're in a small town, this is where you grew up. This is the land you own. It's a lot to move. You're right. But my goodness, you. You are braver people than I would be, for sure.

[McLeod Andrews]

I don't know, I feel like a lot of times, like, these stories that recount a lot of, like, odd happenings. It's like I try to remind myself it's like probably it's like little things over long periods of time, like, where it's just. And it's like, just feelings. And it's not like every night, multip.

[Brian Sigley]

It's not like your house is possessed.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like there's just like kind of a buildup of kind of strange vibes over the course of, like, 10 years, and it kind of builds up to this.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. A lot of unfortunate things there.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. It seems like. It seems like Susie has a kind of, like, uneasy peace with it.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, it kind of does, doesn't it?

[McLeod Andrews]

It's like, well, you know, it's my home.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Wow.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, thank you for sharing that, Susie. And we are going to be back next month with more listener stories, but we've gotten some feedback from you guys that even though we plan on coming back in September or spooky season with our normal fully produced weekly episodes, some of you are missing that dramatic storytelling that McCloud did on Stuff that I wrote. So we're gonna kind of start bringing, you know, some. Some little stuff that we couldn't quite fit into an entire episode.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

So really excited about that. Look for that next month and some more terrifying listener stories. As a reminder, we still want your listeners stories. So if you've had something that's been kind of rattling around in the back of your head that happened to you five years ago, 10 years ago, when you were a kid, let us know. Send us that story. Hit [e-mail] or find us on Instagram itingspod. I think that's it. You survived another month of listener stories, McLeod. I applaud you for your resilience.

[McLeod Andrews]

I made it. I made it.

[Brian Sigley]

You did. And we will see all of you next month, same time, same place, right here on Sightings. Sightings is hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley. Produced by Brian Sigley, chase Kinzer McLeod Andrews. Series. Music by Mitch Bain. Mixing and mastering by Pat Kicklater of Sundial Media. Artwork by Nuno Cernatos. Sightings is presented by Reverb and Q Code. If you like the show, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you're first to hear new episodes every week. And if you know other Supernatural fans, tell them about us. We'd really appreciate it.

[McLeod Andrews]

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[Brian Sigley]

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