International Incidents: France, 2003

Summary

Podcast Summary: Sightings – International Incidents: France, 2003

Podcast Information:

• Title: Sightings
• Host/Author: REVERB | QCODE
• Episode: International Incidents: France, 2003
• Release Date: April 28, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "International Incidents: France, 2003," hosts McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley delve into some of the world's most mysterious supernatural events. This episode features gripping listener-submitted stories from around the globe, accompanied by insightful discussions that challenge the boundaries between the real and the impossible.

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Story 1: The Enigmatic Owl of Burgundy, France [03:40 - 10:01]

Narrative: The first story takes listeners to rural Burgundy, France, where a young boy named Hugo recounts his chilling encounters with a seemingly ordinary owl that transforms into something far more sinister. Hugo describes how the owl, affectionately named Zeus, perched outside his bedroom window, watching him with an intense, almost human-like gaze. Over several nights, Zeus's presence became a comforting guardian until one fateful night when the owl's appearance took a horrifying turn. As detailed by Hugo:

"Its wings didn't look like wings at all. They were bent in the middle like elbows... His massive body pressed right against the glass. [He] realized Zeus didn't look like an owl anymore. It was something else. And it was all wrong." [06:13]

Discussion: After Hugo's story, McLeod and Brian reflect on the mystical nature of owls in folklore, often associated with wisdom and magic. However, Brian humorously notes:

"I think they're magical and awesome." [06:10]

But the story's twist prompts a deeper conversation about owls' portrayal in supernatural tales. Brian adds:

"They pop up everywhere in supernatural stories, especially involving aliens." [10:01]

McLeod shares his thoughts on sleep paralysis, comparing it to Hugo's experience, and muses on the allure of supernatural narratives in human psychology.

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Story 2: Haunted House in Krugersdorp, South Africa [13:40 - 18:50]

Narrative: The second tale originates from Clavin in Krugersdorp, South Africa. Clavin describes his family's house situated near a graveyard and their unsettling experiences with spectral apparitions. During a weekend house-sitting trip, Clavin experiences sleep paralysis accompanied by the sound of footsteps approaching his bedroom. Upon awakening, he finds Zeus, an owl, transformed into a menacing entity. Additionally, his father shares parallel supernatural encounters, suggesting an intergenerational haunting.

Clavin elaborates:

"There was a death cult which operated out of here a few years back... When I was younger, my family moved into a house about 500 meters away from a graveyard." [13:40]

Discussion: McLeod and Brian explore the psychological aspects of sleep paralysis and its potential links to supernatural experiences. McLeod posits:

"Our brain starts trying to make sense of it and grabs a story like a haunting... to try and snap us out of it." [20:20]

Brian highlights the significance of animals' reactions in supernatural events, noting:

"It's not a coincidence that of all the animals that could have done this... it was an owl." [20:52]

The hosts also discuss the role of graveyards in enhancing the eerie atmosphere of haunted locations and the cultural implications of such proximities.

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Story 3: The Return of Oreo, the Ohio Dog [24:45 - 32:25]

Narrative: An uplifting yet eerie story comes from Adam in Ohio. After his beloved dog Oreo dies unexpectedly, Adam is devastated and buries him under an oak tree. On the fourth day post-burial, Adam encounters a dog identical to Oreo in every way, from physical markings to behavioral quirks. This apparition of Oreo brings comfort during his mourning process, displaying familiar habits until mysteriously disappearing one morning.

Adam shares:

"On the fourth day after Oreo died, I was making coffee and looked out my kitchen window... there was this dog." [24:26]

Discussion: The hosts discuss the emotional impact of Adam's experience, balancing fear with the comforting presence of what might be considered a spiritual visit from a departed pet. Brian remarks:

"It warmed my heart like that he got that extra time with whatever it was." [31:01]

McLeod empathizes, relating it to personal loss and the wish for loved ones to return:

"I would wish you were Luna... but you are a cat. A new, strange cat that we don't know in my house." [31:22]

Their conversation touches on the universal desire for closure and the hope that remnants of lost loved ones might still linger in some form.

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Conclusion

"International Incidents: France, 2003" offers listeners a captivating journey through diverse supernatural experiences. From the transformation of a guardian owl in France to the haunted echoes in a South African home, and finally, the heartwarming yet mysterious return of a cherished pet in Ohio, the episode provides a compelling exploration of the unknown. McLeod and Brian's thoughtful discussions enrich each narrative, encouraging listeners to ponder the thin veil between reality and the supernatural.

Notable Quotes:

• Hugo on the transformation of Zeus:

  "It was something else. And it was all wrong." [06:13]

• Brian on owls in supernatural stories:

  "They pop up everywhere in supernatural stories, especially involving aliens." [10:01]

• McLeod on the brain's interpretation during sleep paralysis:

  "Our brain starts trying to make sense of it and grabs a story like a haunting... to try and snap us out of it." [20:20]

• Adam on the appearance of Oreo:

  "It was like Oreo had never left." [27:35]

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Connecting with Sightings

If you have your own supernatural encounters or mysterious sightings, "Sightings" encourages you to share your stories. You can reach out via email at storiesightingspodcast.com, on Instagram @sightingspod, or leave a comment on Spotify. Join McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley as they continue to explore the enigmatic and the extraordinary each week.

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Subscribe and Share

Enjoyed this summary? Subscribe to "Sightings" on your favorite podcast platform to stay updated with the latest episodes. Share your favorite supernatural stories and invite friends to experience the thrill of uncovering the world's most mysterious events.

Transcript

[McLeod Andrews]

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[Brian Sigley]

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[McLeod Andrews]

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[Brian Sigley]

Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] this episode is brought.

[McLeod Andrews]

To you by Temptations Cat Treats. Your cat will come running for the perfectly irresistible Temptations Creamy Puree and Temptations Lickable Spoon Cat Treats. The best time to feed Lickable Cat Treats to your cat is anytime. Feed by hand for a playful moment in a bowl, for a creamy treat or as a topper to make mealtime fun. Visit temptationstreats.com to learn more. The supernatural doesn't discriminate from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern. Men, women, children, and occasionally their favorite pets all catch a glimpse behind the veil of the unknown. For some, this is just a fleeting chill or eerie instinct, but for others, it's an experience that will change their lives entirely. Welcome to Sightings, the series that takes you inside the world's most mysterious supernatural events. Each week we bring you a thrilling story that puts you at the center of the action, followed by a discussion that dives into the accounts that inspired the story and our takes on them. I'm McLeod.

[Brian Sigley]

And I'm Brian. And it's the last Monday of the month, so we've got some juicy, creepy and even surprisingly uplifting listener stories.

[McLeod Andrews]

Uplifting? This should be interesting.

[Brian Sigley]

It is. But McLeod, you're supposed to do the voice now.

[McLeod Andrews]

Right, Sorry, sorry. So, journey with us. Journey with us as we explore bumps in the night from around the world, from France to South Africa to the US all on this episode of Sightings. Okay, it's that time again, where I've got no idea what's gonna happen.

[Brian Sigley]

It's your favorite time of the month.

[McLeod Andrews]

It is.

[Brian Sigley]

You get scared. You don't know what's going on.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, wait, I wanna interrupt. Sorry. Because I was talking with a friend who's been listening to the show, which is always kind of weird to be like, yeah, but I'm just me. And they're like, yeah, but I listen to you. And I'm like, oh, okay, friend. But they were. They. They mentioned specifically the last listener story that they were. They were specifically freaked out by the attic one. Oh, I think that was Angel.

[Brian Sigley]

Angel, yeah.

[McLeod Andrews]

Angel wrote it. Right? Creeped me out. I was like, yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

Yep, that was a good one.

[McLeod Andrews]

So that was a good one.

[Brian Sigley]

We've gotten a lot of Instagram comments about that one too. That one freaked a lot of people out.

[McLeod Andrews]

So I think it's because everybody's had, like, weird sounds in their house before that they can't place and then seen something scuttle.

[Brian Sigley]

We've got a good scuttle y1 this episode too. So our first story. We're heading to France. Actually, this is our first time going to France. From Hugo.

[McLeod Andrews]

Hugo. Hugo.

[Brian Sigley]

Hugo.

[McLeod Andrews]

Because you dropped the H. You dropped the H. Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

I've not spent much time in France, but this is a good one. And he did not say you had to do a French accent.

[McLeod Andrews]

So good. Nobody wants to hear my throaty R's.

[Brian Sigley]

So if you're ready, let's get some music going.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay. Okay. I grew up in rural Burgundy, about 40 km outside of Dijon. My parents inherited this old stone farmhouse and the property backed up against a dense forest that was a magical place to a young boy like me. It made me become obsessed with wildlife around our house, and I'd seen lots of it, from squirrels to deer to fox and more. But the encounter I want to share didn't involve any of those animals. To set the scene more, it's helpful to know there was a huge oak tree right outside my bedroom window. So in autumn and winter, after the leaves fell, I could see anything that perched there. It was late October when I first noticed the owl perched there. It was the biggest owl I'd ever seen. And at first I thought it had to be some decoration my father put up. But then it turned its head ever so slightly and I realized it was alive. What struck me immediately was how it seemed to be staring directly at me. Not just in my general direction, but right at me. And I remember not being scared. Instead, I was completely fascinated. So we stared at each Other for a while before I finally fell asleep, just to jump in real quick. Because I agree, owls have this magical power. My wife and I, we were. We were on a vacation. We were just driving in the middle of the road, and there was just sitting in the middle of the road, the biggest owl that we've ever seen. No idea what kind of owl it was. And also, it just looked right at us. It looked because. And I think it's because they hunt through sight. And so it's. They. When they see something moving or someone moving, they look at it and they're like, what are you? But again, it's interesting that we don't innately feel fear around owls. There's not a lot of legends or lore around owls attacking.

[Brian Sigley]

I think they're magical.

[McLeod Andrews]

I think they're magical and awesome.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, until I read the story, okay.

[McLeod Andrews]

Darn it. Because usually they're associated with, you know, wisdom and magic, but here we go. All right, I'll find out. Unless they swallow you whole and cough you out as a hairball. Oh, gosh. The next night, I half expected the owl to be gone. But when I looked out my window again, there it was, in the exact same spot, exact same position. After about a week of these visits, I started calling it Zeus. That's adorable. It seemed fitting for such a magnificent creature. I'd sit at my window and even talk to it sometimes. And though he barely ever seemed to move, his eyes would track me as I moved around my room. It even reached the point where I. I started looking forward to seeing him each night, since it was like I had my own silent guardian. I even started leaving my window cracked open just a bit so he could hear me when I talked to him. But that stopped on the night that everything changed. I remember it was Friday because I'd stayed up late watching a movie. And when I got to my room, Zeus was in his usual spot. When I went to bed, I remember it was a chilly night and there was barely any moon, so I fell asleep watching his silhouette against the dark sky. But I woke up in the middle of the night to a sound I'll never forget. It wasn't a hoot or any normal owl sound. It was a dry, scraping noise, like fingernails on wood. And it was coming from my window. At first, I just lay frozen in bed, listening, afraid to look. The scratching continued. And then I heard something else. A weird breath that sounded almost human, honestly. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. So I looked toward the window, and there was Zeus. But he wasn't on the branch anymore. He was perched right on my windowsill. His massive body pressed right against the glass. And I realized he didn't look like the Zeus I'd come to know. First, his wings didn't look like wings should. They were bent in the middle like elbows. And I realized that they weren't wings at all. They were arms. And it looked like they were trying to reach into the crack in the window or lift the window up. This is so spooky. And now I've ruined it. I have to. I'm sorry, I have to cut the mood for my own good. Then its eyes locked on mine, and I'm not sure how to describe it, but it looked genuinely surprised. And then all of a sudden, its body started to elongate, growing taller as legs, actual legs, grew beneath its feathers. The whole transformation probably took only a second or two, but it felt a lot longer to me. And by the end of it, Zeus didn't really look like an owl anymore. It was something else. And it was all wrong. Before I could scream, it leapt backwards onto the tree branch, then used those weird arms and legs to climb headfirst down the trunk of the oak tree. I sat in bed until morning, too terrified to move or call for my parents. And what would I say? That my owl friend was actually some kind of monster? That was the last time I ever saw Zeus. And even now, more than 20 years later, I still remember what happened outside that window. And I'm sure some might just write it off as childish imagination, but I know what I saw. I did a lot of research on owls trying to figure out what it was. And the best match seems to be a Eurasian eagle owl. Except I'm pretty sure Zeus wasn't that at all.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, you still like owls?

[McLeod Andrews]

No.

[Brian Sigley]

I mean, the show ruins everything, doesn't it?

[McLeod Andrews]

It does.

[Brian Sigley]

When this story came in, I was just jaw on the table.

[McLeod Andrews]

Are you aware, Brian, of any kind of, like, owl changeling story?

[Brian Sigley]

I don't know about changelings folklore, but owls pop up everywhere in supernatural stories, especially involving aliens.

[McLeod Andrews]

Really? Oh, well, yes. Okay. The big owl, the big eyes and the heads and the.

[Brian Sigley]

The eeriness with which they watch people. Things like that. So to see this story where the owl literally became alien in front of someone's eyes was.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

Awesome and terrifying.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yes.

[Brian Sigley]

And, man, I. That ruined owls for me for a little bit. But they're still. They're still super cute. They are.

[McLeod Andrews]

They are. I mean, I gotta say, like my. My skeptical gecko was gonna kind of say something like, yeah, okay, I'm gonna write it off to childish imagination and being in a half dream state. But he says don't you dare. So sorry, Ugo. I won't.

[Brian Sigley]

It doesn't seem to be coincidence that of all the animals that could have done this or all the birds that could have sprouted arms and legs, it was an owl.

[McLeod Andrews]

Sure, I guess I could see a crow.

[Brian Sigley]

But crows don't look like aliens.

[McLeod Andrews]

No, they don't. They just look like birds. An emu.

[Brian Sigley]

Emus already sprout legs. I would love to see emus with arms though. Just like imagine like giant, giant muscular arms on the size of these emus. Just like. Oh, man. Thank you, Ugo, for sending this in.

[McLeod Andrews]

For ruining the beauty of birding for all of us.

[Brian Sigley]

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[McLeod Andrews]

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[Brian Sigley]

I have to tell you, all these supernatural stories are making me realize I would be an absolutely miserable ghost.

[McLeod Andrews]

Because you'd be stuck in eternal purgatory?

[Brian Sigley]

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[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]

Lifesavers. Sounds like the ghosts needed those.

[Brian Sigley]

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[McLeod Andrews]

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[Brian Sigley]

Thanks, Marley Spoon for sponsoring this episode. All right. Welcome back. McLeod, are you ready for story number two?

[McLeod Andrews]

I am.

[Brian Sigley]

All right. This one also international loving these international stories, guys, please keep sending them. It comes from Clavin from South Africa.

[McLeod Andrews]

Cool name. Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

I'm not gonna tell you anything else, but let's get the music rolling. Here we go.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay. My name is Claven, and what I'm about to tell you I have only ever shared with my who experienced the events with me. I live in a small town in Gauteng, South Africa called Krugersdorp, which is about 30 kilometers away from Johannesburg. And its biggest claim to fame with regards to the unsettling is that there was a death cult which operated out of here a few years back. Netflix made a whole documentary on it. But that is unrelated to what I'm about to tell you. When I was younger, my family moved into a house about 500 meters away from a graveyard. Awesome. It was the family home, and though I never suspected the supernatural, things definitely felt off. There were certain rooms where it felt like someone was looking at you or there with you. In the evenings, I would often catch glimpses of shadows darting around the house just out of sight. And though nothing physical actually happened there during my childhood, it definitely left me uneasy. After I moved away for university, my parents asked me to return home to house sit for a weekend. By then, my old bedroom had been converted into a storeroom and I had to stay in the guest room. In addition to the house that functioned as a small flatbed, the main living space was on the ground floor with a timber staircase leading up to a bedroom. My first night back seemed perfectly normal, and I fell asleep in my childhood home like I'd done a thousand times before. But in the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up, and to my horror, I was completely paralyzed. All I could do was stare out into the black room. And as I lay there trying to move, I heard footsteps from downstairs. At first I thought someone had broken in, but the dogs weren't barking, which made me think it might be one of them. But no, the sound of very human footsteps on the wooden staircase soon followed. Step by step, the sound grew louder. Someone was definitely coming up the stairs, and I was still paralyzed and terrified. Then, as the final step creaked, the moment the unseen presence should have reached my bedroom, the paralysis broke and I jolted up. With a deep breath. Still freaking out, I turned on the bedside light and saw the dog staring at me, confused, as if nothing unusual had happened at all. Still, I got up and checked the whole house, but everything was as it should be. Then I eventually fell back asleep. And nothing else strange occurred that night. Or ever again. Or so I thought. I didn't speak about this experience until years later, long after my parents had moved to a different house. I assumed it had all been in my head. But then one night, I told my dad about the strange encounter, half expecting him to disregard my story as me seeing things. But to my surprise, he decided to share his own encounter. One night, he had stayed up late watching TV and said that just after midnight, he heard movement or sounds coming from the other side of the house. Curious, he got up to check it out. And there, outside the sliding doors in the family room, he saw a spectral figure of a woman. My father is not one for storytelling, which made it even worse. He described how the figure slowly floated toward the door.

[Brian Sigley]

Ah.

[McLeod Andrews]

Then phased through it and started moving towards him. Frozen with fear, he watched as the apparition drifted past him without acknowledging him. After finding his nerve, he followed it down the hallway towards the kids bedrooms. But as soon as the figure turned a corner, it vanished. My dad admitted that if I had not shared my own experience, he would have taken his story to the to the grave. But wait. Oh no. There is one final thing to tie everything together. During that same conversation, my father recalled another incident from years prior. My parents had hosted a party at the house, and my aunt had brought along a plus one named Reynal. @ the end of the gathering, completely unprompted, Reynald pulled my mother and dad aside and told them that a spirit resided in the house, but reassured them that it was friendly and meant no harm. I still live in the same rough area all these years later and and walk my dog past the house from time to time. The new owners went all out on renovations once we left and really made the place nice. And though I've never spoken to them, I'd love to maybe ask one day if they too have experienced anything weird. Because I would bet money that they have. So yes, I once lived in a haunted house and I lived to tell the tale. That was spooky.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, I love these stories of intergenerational experiences where you mention offhand and then like your sister or your brother or your mom or your grandchild are like, wait, that same thing happened to me? It's really interesting.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah, I love the fact that there's like a graveyard near the house. I'd be really interested to hear from Claven whether, you know, if he ever looked into the history of the graveyard or like, what family it Was Cause like, I know going to old houses from great grandparents, like in the south or whatever, like it's not entirely uncommon for there to be kind of like a small plot, like a kind of local or family graveyard. And I don't necessarily always associate it with being spooky or scary. I kind of sometimes view it just as like nostalgic and like sort of an interesting connection to the past kind of. That makes my imagination like, who were these people? What lives did they lead? But back to the specifics of this story. The paralysis, I think is very interesting. I've definitely had sleep paralysis where I've woken up mentally, more or less. My eyes haven't opened. That's one thing that's very different. It seems like his eyes opened and he was looking around. Maybe. When I've had it happen, I can hear everything. I can hear people moving around me and I'm like, wake up. But my body won't respond. It hasn't happened in a long time.

[Brian Sigley]

I've never had that happen to me.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah, it's very strange.

[Brian Sigley]

I can see that being incredibly unsettling.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. But obviously the footsteps, it's kind of that. I love that element. Cause it's hard to say whether they were kind of a half dreamed sound, like if it was sort of bred out of the kind of panic of not being able to wake up. And then the like your brain starts trying to fill in the gaps and even sometimes scare yourself. Because we're so filled with stories that when something uncommon happens, like our body won't respond to us, our brain starts trying to make sense of it and grabs a story like a haunting or someone coming or to try and snap us out of it.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, one thing that I found interesting in the story was that the dog was sitting right there.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

And it didn't seem bothered by it. Which is unusual.

[McLeod Andrews]

Which is unusual. I feel like animals are usually very attuned to the supernatural. But also if it's a friendly ghost, maybe. Maybe the dog is like, oh, yeah, that's Carol. Maybe I've been hanging out with Carol since we came here. But then the dad story, that is like full on, full on spook factor. Like that is just. That is the thing I imagine. Well, actually, when I'm trying to spook myself out going down the stairs or just being in my house and looking across the room to. In a dark room through the window where it's lit more out there, I usually imagine far more sinister things happening. I don't know why we do that. Why do we do that, Brian. I think that's one of the big questions of this show for me. Why do we do this to ourselves?

[Brian Sigley]

Well, I don't know why we do this to ourselves. I just think it's part of the human condition to expect the unexpected or believe in the unexpected.

[McLeod Andrews]

Right into trying to anticipate.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. And that's, I think that's why these kind of stories all resonate with us over and over and over again, and they're so fascinating to us.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

We do have one more story, though, so we're going to jump to a quick break and be right back.

[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]

Keeps you coming back.

[Brian Sigley]

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[McLeod Andrews]

We hope you enjoyed hearing all about blankets.

[Brian Sigley]

Please, if there wasn't a blanket sponsor in there, come at me.

[McLeod Andrews]

I would love to sponsor some blankets. Story, Tell me about this story.

[Brian Sigley]

This is the uplifting one.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yay.

[Brian Sigley]

I mean, it's still a spooky story.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay.

[Brian Sigley]

But it warmed my heart. All right, so this comes from Adam from Ohio.

[McLeod Andrews]

From Ohio. One of my good friends and collaborators in movie world is Adam from Ohio.

[Brian Sigley]

He might be the only Adam who lives in Ohio.

[McLeod Andrews]

He's probably the only Adam who lives in Ohio.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, maybe it's him.

[McLeod Andrews]

And I can see him and there's a dog and he likes dogs. And I can see him wanting to send me an.

[Brian Sigley]

Stop reading the story.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay, sorry.

[Brian Sigley]

Okay, let's get the music going. And now you can read the story.

[McLeod Andrews]

Alright. I never really believed in the supernatural or anything like that. Sure, I enjoyed a good ghost story around a campfire, but that was about it. Then something happened to me that involved my dog, Oreo that I wanted to share with you. I got Oreo from a shelter six years ago. He was this goofy black and white mixed breed with eyes that just. Just melted your heart. Living alone. He was basically my everything. My roommate, my best friend. My reason to get up in the morning. You know how it is with dogs. They just become your whole world. Everything was fine until all of a sudden one day I woke up and found him lying. Oh, okay. Everything was fine until all of a sudden one day I woke up and found him lying still at the foot of my bed. I'm sorry, Adam. That would be very, very hard. I tried to wake him to resuscitate him, but he was already gone. The vet said it was probably a heart condition that we never knew about. Just one of those terrible things that happens sometimes. Of course, I was completely devastated. I wrapped him in his favorite blanket and buried him in the backyard under the big oak tree where he used to love chasing squirrels. Another oak tree. Interesting. I even made a little marker with his name on it. Then for three days, I just moped around the house. The silence was killing me. No clicking of nails on the hardwood floors. No jingling collar. No happy barking when the mailman came. The house felt so empty and I felt so empty. Then something happened that I still can't explain. On the fourth day after Oreo died, I was making coffee and happened to look out my kitchen window into the backyard. And I literally dropped my mug because there was a dog sitting there staring at the house. A black and white dog that looked exactly like Oreo. Exactly. Same markings, same size, everything. I ran outside and saw that the grave under the oak tree was undisturbed. But there was this dog. And when it saw me, it wagged its tail in that same happy way Oreo always did with his whole body getting into it. I know how crazy this sounds, but it wasn't just that the dog looked like Oreo. It had this little scar above its right eye from where Oreo had scratched himself on a bush last year. It had the same weird habit of sneezing. 3. This dog is the cutest thing. It had the same weird habit of sneezing three times in a row whenever it got excited. Even the way it sat slightly crooked because of that time Oreo pulled a muscle chasing a ball. Oh, my God. You know, barring the fact that this.

[Brian Sigley]

Is a zombie, it's an adorable zombie.

[McLeod Andrews]

It's very, very cute. But it didn't have a collar. And I knew. I knew that Oreo was dead and buried. I'd seen his body. I'd buried him myself. This couldn't be happening. So at first, I was honestly scared to let this, whatever it was, into my house. I mean, what if it wasn't really a dog at all? What if it was something else, just pretending to be Oreo? I know that sounds paranoid, but in that moment, all sorts of crazy thoughts were going through my head. But then night came and the dog started whining outside my door. That same specific whine that Oreo always did when he wanted attention. Starting low and then going up at the end, like a question. I'd never heard another dog make that exact sound before. And I couldn't take it it that wine. So I let the dog in. Maybe that was stupid, but I did it. And this dog, this Oreo that couldn't be Oreo, walked right in like he owned the place. Went straight to his old water bowl in the kitchen, curled up in his favorite spot on the couch. Even did that weird thing Oreo always did where he had to walk in three circles before lying down. For the next few days, everything was normal. Wonderfully, impossibly normal. He ate the same amount of food Oreo always ate. He got excited about the same toys. He even barked at the neighbor's cat in that same Frustrated way. It was like Oreo had never left. And honestly, I thought of him not as a thing anymore, but as Oreo, but back somehow. About a week after he came back, we were watching TV together on the couch. He was pressed up against my leg like he always used to do, and I was just absent mindedly petting him. Then when bedtime came around, he followed me upstairs and took his usual spot at the foot of my bed. But then he looked at me and I saw that his eyes. I can't really explain it, but they seemed older somehow. Wiser. Like he knew something I didn't. It wasn't scary exactly, just strange. I leaned down and kissed his head like I always used to do, told him I loved him and went to sleep. The next morning, he was gone. No trace of him anywhere. I looked all over the neighborhood, but deep down I knew I wouldn't find him. And I didn't. To this day, his grave under the oak tree is still undisturbed. And I'm not sure if it was Oreo or something else that visited me that week, but it happened when I needed it most and I got to spend a few more days with my best friend. For that, I'm grateful. Um, wow. It's like I have very complicated feelings because it is kind of terrifying. Nevertheless, it is.

[Brian Sigley]

It is creepy.

[McLeod Andrews]

But despite the fact that it's an adorable dog and everything's okay and it's.

[Brian Sigley]

It warmed my heart like that he got that extra time with whatever it was.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. And it's, you know, it's kind of. It reminds me of the valiant Thor story in that it's a reminder that not all paranormal stories are about, like, being chased or being scared or jump scares. Jump scares or being threatened or about some. That there's kind of more to it. There's another side to it.

[Brian Sigley]

There's the magic in the unknown.

[McLeod Andrews]

There's the magic in the unknown.

[Brian Sigley]

As long as they don't involve owls, right?

[McLeod Andrews]

Right.

[Brian Sigley]

But yeah, when this story came in, I. I liked that it was about a dog number one, let alone that I was so moved by the story. By the end of it, you know.

[McLeod Andrews]

You can tell how much Adam loved Oreo just by he's so aware, these little idiosyncrasies that he's aware of.

[Brian Sigley]

Have you had dogs, McCloud?

[McLeod Andrews]

I have. I grew up with two large dogs.

[Brian Sigley]

So you know what it's like to have and lose a dog.

[McLeod Andrews]

And we had a cat that, I guess was it last Christmas or two Christmases ago, passed away which was very sad.

[Brian Sigley]

But how would you react if. I mean, not to bring your cat into the story, but, like, if you saw it, just showed up at your.

[McLeod Andrews]

House again, I think kind of like, Adam, I would be weirded out, but I would, like, accept it because. And it would be. It would feel. I mean, how do you not when it's something that you know so well that is behaving exactly. Like the idea of, like, Luna, our cat. Like, very weird, idiosyncratic cat who was very scared of most things. But the idea of her waiting for me to get on the bed and lay down so that she could jump up and get on my chest would be a welcome return to a meaningful feeling.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, I think in my head, though, I'd always in the back of my mind be like, what?

[McLeod Andrews]

You're a ghost? What is happening? What is happening? Yes, it would be very, very strange. It would be very strange. I mean, honestly, just because I have kids, I'd probably view it a little bit more like, I wish you were Luna, but you are a cat. A new, strange cat that we don't know in my house. And I need to get you out of my house because I don't know if you've had your shots. I don't know. Yeah, I've been. I don't know why. I've just been a chatterbox. I've just been a regular chatterbox this time around.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, these have been some really provocative stories. They are rather than just like, oh, that was scary and cool, you know, like, I think I really enjoyed the variety and how they take the normal in our lives. And that's what a lot of these listener stories do. Which is why I love doing the listener stories against, you know, aliens are attacking or whatever it might be, is that it takes what is so close to home for most of us, like having a pet, like seeing a bird outside your window, like falling asleep and hearing something on the stairs and. And. And bringing it to life in a way that is strange, unsettling, unnerving, or ultimately empowering in a cool way, you know, kind of. So, yeah, but listeners keep these great stor. We love them. We love bringing them to you every week. The best place to send these to us is via [e-mail] Alternately, you can find us on Instagram itingspod, shoot us a message on there, or leave us a comment on Spotify. That's a great way to reach us as well.

[McLeod Andrews]

Cool. And, Brian, quick question. Have we ever kind of said to our listeners, like, the format we need, like the kind of how. How many the word count or anything like that.

[Brian Sigley]

No, I would prefer. We're really flexible. If your story is too short and it's a really awesome story, I will email you and we will find out how to, you know, what other memories you have that we can kind of pad it out. Okay. Or if it's too long, I will ask you. Generally, we're looking for something about a thousand words, give or take, that takes about 10 minutes to read. So that's kind of the ideal marker. But yeah, just, you know, whatever it is. I do prefer, though that it is not one long thousand word run on sentence. We have gotten a few of those.

[McLeod Andrews]

Punctuation.

[Brian Sigley]

Punctuation. But yeah, please keep sending them us. We love these and it's a really great way to, you know, have those interactions. Like, you know, we got email from angel after we sent his story and he was so thrilled to have his story featured on the show and clearly it resonated with lots of people. So if you want your cool story to resonate with. With thousands and thousands and thousands of people all over the world, please send them our way.

[McLeod Andrews]

All right, well, I guess we'll see you next week. Brian, where are we going next week?

[Brian Sigley]

We're actually staying international with this one, though. Okay. In our international theme that's going to be in this episode a little bit. We are going to Germany. Germany for a spooky tale that I think is.

[McLeod Andrews]

You're trying not to give us too many hints, aren't you?

[Brian Sigley]

I'm trying really hard.

[McLeod Andrews]

You're trying to keep broad.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. It happens in Germany and it's spooky.

[McLeod Andrews]

It's about Black Forest cake.

[Brian Sigley]

It's about the cake. Yep, it's about the cake. You got it. Killer cake.

[McLeod Andrews]

Man eating cake. It will have its revenge.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, it's a good one. And I can say that this thing has. The thing that is in this story has been in a lot of movies, but trust me, you've never heard this one before, so.

[McLeod Andrews]

Aha. I got a chase.

[Brian Sigley]

You got a clue out of me. There you go. All right, so see us next week, same time, same place, right here on Sightings.

[McLeod Andrews]

Alfida Zehn.

[Brian Sigley]

Sightings is hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley. Produced by Brian Sigley, chase Kinzer and McLeod Andrews. Series music by Mitch Bain. Mixing and mastering by Pat Kickliter 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.