Possessed Teddy Bear: Illinois, 2024

Summary

Sightings Podcast Episode Summary: "Possessed Teddy Bear: Illinois, 2024"

Hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley

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Introduction

In the January 27, 2025 release of Sightings, hosts McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley delve into three spine-chilling supernatural stories submitted by listeners. The episode, titled "Possessed Teddy Bear: Illinois, 2024," promises an immersive exploration of eerie encounters ranging from ghostly apparitions to unexplained phenomena in everyday settings. Skipping the introductory advertisements, the hosts quickly transition into the heart of the episode, setting the stage for their audience to journey into the unknown.

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Story 1: The Ghostly Passenger in a Toronto Taxi

Listener: Fred from Toronto

Summary: Fred, a seasoned taxi driver in Toronto, shares a haunting experience from January 1992. While on a routine night shift, Fred encounters a woman standing eerily still across from his cab near Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Initially dismissing her as a potential passenger, Fred decides to take a break, only to find the woman silently board his taxi moments later. The woman remains unresponsive, her presence unsettling, until the ride reaches downtown where she mysteriously vanishes without a trace.

Notable Quotes:

• Fred (Narrated by McLeod): "She was facing straight ahead, looking out into the darkness, and she wasn't moving at all. It's like our elk from the Other Side Story." [04:00]
• McLeod Andrews: "You remember how I said she picked her up in Moore Park? Well, the spot where she was standing was right across from Mount Pleasant Cemetery." [10:00]
• Brian Sigley: "That really kind of stuck with me. It's such a weird thing for a ghost to say. Rather than you would think they'd say something like, oh, I miss this." [09:08]

Discussion: The hosts analyze Fred's experience, highlighting the sentimental yet eerie interaction with the ghostly passenger. They ponder the woman's purpose and her final disappearance, emphasizing the lack of tangible evidence due to the absence of a recording device in Fred's taxi at the time.

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Story 2: Unusual Sighting in a Kansas Cornfield

Listener: Henry from Kansas

Summary: Henry recounts a mysterious event from 2004 on his expansive Kansas farm. One spring evening, Henry and his son Kyle witness a bright orange light hovering unnaturally low over their cornfield. The light remains stationary before making an abrupt, erratic movement that defies conventional aircraft behavior. Pursuing the light leads them on a frantic chase across their farmland, culminating in the formation of a perfect crop circle with a warm depression in the soil—an anomaly not attributed to typical crop circle phenomena.

Notable Quotes:

• Henry (Narrated by McLeod): "There was this bright orange light hanging maybe a hundred feet up in the air... and it was incredibly bright, like someone had stuck a massive spotlight up there." [16:00]
• McLeod Andrews: "Henry, really cool story. Thank you for sending it to us and giving us something that was potentially alien related." [19:08]
• Brian Sigley: "I find this really plausible because it's just a depression in the ground, basically." [18:36]

Discussion: McLeod and Brian explore the plausibility of Henry's encounter, distinguishing it from the typical human-made crop circles. They discuss the physical evidence, such as the warm depression and rapid movements of the light, suggesting a possible extraterrestrial origin. The story's setting near Mount Pleasant Cemetery in the first story and the vast Kansas farmland in this second tale underline the diverse locations where supernatural phenomena can occur.

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Story 3: Possessed Teddy Bear in Chicago

Listener: Jamie from Chicago

Summary: Jamie shares a deeply personal and unsettling experience involving a family heirloom—a worn teddy bear passed down through generations. After his mother's passing, Jamie discovers the bear amidst his mother's belongings. Despite initial unease from childhood, Jamie places the bear in his bedroom closet. Shortly after, unexplained noises and the bear's erratic movements escalate. The bear is found moving on its own, culminating in an eerie moment where its head turns to face him directly. Desperate, Jamie disposes of the bear, only to be left with lingering questions about its origins and his mother's possible awareness of its supernatural nature.

Notable Quotes:

• Jamie (Narrated by McLeod): "I swear to God... that bear's head completely turned around to look at me. Not like it fell over or something. It straight up rotated to stare at me with those black button eyes." [28:30]
• McLeod Andrews: "That's where I stand on this. I swear to God. Swear on my mother." [28:47]
• Brian Sigley: "I gave it that title because they didn't write a title. They just..." [20:14]

Discussion: The hosts express empathy towards Jamie's ordeal, delving into the psychological and emotional turmoil triggered by the possessed teddy bear. They question the bear's history and its continued presence in Jamie's family, pondering whether his mother had prior knowledge of its malevolent nature. The discussion touches on themes of inherited curses and the impact of supernatural objects within domestic spaces.

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Conclusion and Teasers for Future Episodes

As the episode nears its end, McLeod and Brian reflect on the harrowing stories shared by Fred, Henry, and Jamie. They emphasize the pervasive nature of the supernatural, capable of infiltrating the most mundane aspects of daily life. The hosts announce upcoming stories, including a heartwarming yet alien-involving tale set in Washington, D.C., promising a blend of emotion and the unexplained.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Sigley: "Where are we going next week? You will be pleased to know that we are actually going to do what I think is actually a little bit of a heartwarming story. But it does involve aliens and it does happen in Washington, D.C. so that's where we're going." [32:07]
• McLeod Andrews: "But I'm intrigued and excited." [32:26]

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Final Remarks

The episode wraps up with the hosts encouraging listeners to submit their own supernatural experiences and engage with the show's community on social media. Produced by Brian Sigley, Chase Kinzer, and McLeod Andrews, with music by Mitch Bayne and mixing by Pat Kicklater of Sundial Media, Sightings continues to offer a captivating exploration of the unknown, inviting audiences to question the boundaries between reality and the supernatural.

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Key Takeaways:

• Supernatural events can occur in both extraordinary and ordinary settings.
• Personal connections and emotional attachments can intensify encounters with the paranormal.
• Listener-submitted stories enrich the podcast's diverse exploration of mysterious phenomena.

For those intrigued by ghostly apparitions, unexplained lights, and haunted objects, this episode of Sightings delivers a compelling blend of fear, mystery, and the unexplainable, perfectly capturing the essence of what makes the supernatural so endlessly fascinating.

Transcript

[Brian Sigley]

Coming to ABC and Hulu, Amanda Riley was a mother, wife speaker at her church.

[McLeod Andrews]

And then she got diagnosed with cancer.

[Brian Sigley]

A beloved young Christian woman fighting a battle undeserved. We thought she was God's gift, but she was a liar.

[McLeod Andrews]

Why would somebody fake cancer?

[Brian Sigley]

From the number one smash hit podcast.

[McLeod Andrews]

It was only a matter of time until Amanda's whole world came tumbling down. You're not gonna believe this.

[Brian Sigley]

Scamanda premieres Thursday night, January 30th on ABC and stream on Hulu.

[McLeod Andrews]

Every day, all around the world, people go about their normal routines. They drive their taxis, they tend their farms, they clean out old closets. And most of the time, nothing extraordinary happens at all. But sometimes the ordinary gives way to something impossible. Something that can't be explained by logic or reason. Something that leaves them forever changed. Welcome to Sightings, the series that takes you inside the world's most mysterious supernatural events. I'm McLeod.

[Brian Sigley]

And I'm Brian. And today's episode, we're bringing you three remarkable stories from you, our listeners.

[McLeod Andrews]

We've got a ghostly passenger in a Toronto taxi, an unusual sighting in a Kansas cornfield, and a teddy bear that will give you nightmares.

[Brian Sigley]

These stories remind us that the supernatural isn't just found in famous cases or remote locations. It can find us anywhere, even in the most ordinary moments of our lives.

[McLeod Andrews]

So pull up those covers, maybe check that your closet door is firmly closed, and dive into these fantastic listener stories on this episode of Sightings.

[Brian Sigley]

All right, welcome back from our theme music. We are excited to dig into these stories. McLeod, are you ready to go? I know you were pretty traumatized last month.

[McLeod Andrews]

I am ready to go. I love how I love telling these stories from the edge of my seat.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, this first one is gonna be a little bit spooky for sure. We are heading to Toronto. I don' what people talk like in Toronto.

[McLeod Andrews]

I'm pretty sure they talk like this. Hi, I'm from Toronto. I'm Canadian.

[Brian Sigley]

Done.

[McLeod Andrews]

Perfect. Nailed it.

[Brian Sigley]

So this story was sent in by Fred and he said that he is a taxi driver in Toronto and this is the one passenger that he has never, ever forgotten.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, man.

[Brian Sigley]

So, McLeod, do you happen to have a voice in mind or for Fred from Toronto?

[McLeod Andrews]

I don't. I think I'll just keep him close to self. You know, the only real Canadianism that I'm aware of is saying project instead of project.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, interesting. I don't know if that's in the story, but if it is, if he.

[McLeod Andrews]

Says project, then, man, we are going to be authenticity There you go.

[Brian Sigley]

All right, let's get some music going, a little bit of atmosphere, spook us out.

[McLeod Andrews]

I've been driving taxis in Toronto for over 30 years now, and let me tell you, you see some weird stuff in this job. I've had drunk businessmen cry in my backseat about their divorces at 3am I've had to kick out people who were getting way too friendly back there. I've even had a guy in a full on clown costume get in my car. But that's not the scary story. Sorry, that was my ad lib, folks. That was not from our friend Fred. I even had a guy in a full on clown costume get in my car and only communicate with his squeaky nose to answer yes or no questions.

[Brian Sigley]

That is kind of terrifying though.

[McLeod Andrews]

That is terrifying, right? Oh man, I would love to sit in a bar with you, Fred, and just like share a beer. But there's one fair I picked up back in 92 that I still can't explain. It was a really cold night in January and I just dropped off some college kids in Moore Park. They were pretty drunk, but decent tippers at least. It was around 11:30 and I decided to take my dinner break. I always packed my own dinner because restaurant food gets expensive when you're doing this job. So that night it was just a simple tuna sandwich and carrot sticks. So I pulled over to the curb, turned down the dispatch radio and put on some music. But as I'm unwrapping my sandwich, I notice this woman standing on the sidewalk maybe 30ft ahead of my cab. And she's just standing there. Completely still. At first I figured she was waiting for someone, but something about the way she was standing just didn't seem right. She was facing straight ahead, looking out into the darkness, and she wasn't moving at all. It's like our elk from the Other side Story. Same spirit, maybe. Not shifting her weight, not looking around, nothing. Just standing there like a statue. I didn't think too much of it though, since I try not to get too wrapped up in what other people are doing. So I ate my sandwich, closed my eyes, and just let myself relax for a few minutes. Trust me when I say these little breaks are necessary on 12 hour shifts. But when I opened my eyes again, maybe 10 minutes later, she was still there. Same position, same everything really. She hadn't moved an inch. So then I started getting a bit concerned. It was freezing out there and she didn't even have a heavy coat on. Just this faded dress that looked way too thin for the Weather. So I figured I should at least check if she needed help. I got out of my cab and walked over to her. Miss, I called out, are you alright? Do you need a ride somewhere? And it was like she didn't even hear me. She didn't respond at all. So I tried again and asked her if she needed help or anything, but still nothing. And it was starting to creep me out, if I'm being honest. So I gave up and went back to my cab. So I got inside and turned the ignition, and the moment I flipped on my light, the back door opened and someone got in. I asked where to? Without looking up. And when no reply came, I checked my rear view mirror. And there she was. That woman from the sidewalk, sitting right in the middle of the backseat. Now I could get a better look at her. She was young, probably late twenties, and pretty even without makeup. But her eyes. Man, her eyes were what really got to me. They were this flat gray color, like the color had been sucked right out of them. And she just sat there, staring at me in the rearview mirror, not blinking. So I asked where she wanted to go. Restaurant. Hospital. I started listing places, hoping she'd react to something. Train station. Finally, after what felt like forever, she spoke. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and all she said was downtown. So I started driving. I tried making conversation at first, you know, the usual small talk about the weather, how cold it was, that sort of thing. But she didn't respond. So eventually I gave up and just drove in silence. But eventually, after we crossed over into downtown, she finally spoke again. I noticed she'd been looking out the window, watching the night go by. And she suddenly said, isn't it so pretty? And I chuckled and kept driving till we were in the heart of the city. Then I looked up to ask her exactly where she wanted to be dropped off. But the backseat was empty, by which I mean the woman had vanished and the door hadn't opened. I would have heard it. There was no sound, no movement, nothing. She was just gone. I pulled over right there and checked the backseat. No purse or anything else to show that anyone had been there at all. I even checked the door to make sure it was properly closed. It was. For a long time, I tried to convince myself that I'd imagined the whole thing. Maybe I was more tired than I thought. Maybe there was something wrong with that tuna sandwich. I don't think gas can do that, Fred. But here's the thing that really gets me. You remember how I said I picked her up in Moore Park? Well, the spot where she was standing was right across from Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Right across from it. Also, she never paid for the ride, but I guess that's what you should expect when you pick up a ghost. Oh, you know what this reminds me of? Did you ever read scary stories when you were a kid? It was a book that was literally just called scary stories 3.

[Brian Sigley]

Like, scary stories to Tell in the Dark or something like that.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. It reminds me of one of those. Ooh, that's a great story.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. What I loved about this story was, number one, how familiar it seemed in a weird way, but also it seemed weirdly sentimental.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. I could hear a saxophone playing in the background.

[Brian Sigley]

You know, the ghost presumably had unfinished business, maybe that she needed to go and do that line in the middle of when they're in the car and.

[McLeod Andrews]

She says, it's so pretty.

[Brian Sigley]

That really kind of stuck with me. It's such a weird thing for a ghost to say. Rather than you would think they'd say something like, oh, I miss this.

[McLeod Andrews]

No, no, that tracks with me. That tracks with me with ghost emotional state of just kind of appreciating a night out on the town.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, it's kind of just a wistful quality to the whole thing.

[McLeod Andrews]

It's very wistful. Exactly.

[Brian Sigley]

What stuck with me, though, is, like, this happened in 1992, it said. So I have to assume that the cab did not have a camera in its.

[McLeod Andrews]

Right. No, I think in 92, they wouldn't.

[Brian Sigley]

Have cameras, which is unfortunate because he could have gotten really quick evidence as to whether or not.

[McLeod Andrews]

But then that's. If a camera would have picked up this lady.

[Brian Sigley]

I think that would have said something, though, if he's having a conversation on video with nothing.

[McLeod Andrews]

Right.

[Brian Sigley]

And then I think the real kicker for me was that revelation at the end that he didn't just pick her up on a random street, he picked her up at the cemetery.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

So, Fred, thanks again for sending us this really compelling story, presumably a ghost story, because I can't imagine what else it would be.

[McLeod Andrews]

Right. And speaking of stories, this episode is sponsored by Better Help, and they want us to ask you what you want your 2025 story to be. It's a new year, new adventures, new challenges, new sightings, episodes. And even though we bring you some pretty incredible stories each week, the most important story of all is your own. That's right. You. Maybe you're ready for a plot twist or maybe there's a part of your story that you've been wanting to revise or revisit. So if you want to pick up the pen and become the author of your own life, there's no better partner than the therapists at BetterHelp.

[Brian Sigley]

BetterHelp is fully online making therapy affordable and convenient. And look, you don't have to have been abduct by aliens or terrorized by a creature or pick up a ghost in your cab or Uber, you know, to benefit from talking to someone.

[McLeod Andrews]

And maybe you just want to learn positive coping skills like I need when I read these stories, because I know there's a lot going on right now.

[Brian Sigley]

Whatever your goal, BetterHelp has a diverse network of over 30,000 credentialed therapists with a wide range of specialties. And you can easily switch therapists anytime at no extra cost.

[McLeod Andrews]

So write your story with Better help. Visit betterhelp.com sightings to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H E L p.com sightings thanks, BetterHelp.

[Brian Sigley]

For sponsoring this episode. And now on to story number two. Let's take a look at where we're heading. McCloud, I think we got another spooky one coming.

[McLeod Andrews]

You guys live to torment me, so.

[Brian Sigley]

This one is not necessarily spooky. It's definitely weird. We got a UFO type story from Henry from Kansas.

[McLeod Andrews]

All right, awesome. I'm down. That feels right. Kansas UFO story, crop circles and whatnot.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, I think we're gonna get pretty darn close to that.

[McLeod Andrews]

So cool. All right.

[Brian Sigley]

So I don't think there's any Kansas accents, really, so.

[McLeod Andrews]

Not really. It's kind of Midwest.

[Brian Sigley]

A gentleman's a little bit older, though. I'd expect he's at least in his early 60s.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay, well, voice print generally doesn't change that much in the early 60s.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, interesting. So let's get the music going.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay. Hit me.

[Brian Sigley]

And whenever you're ready. McLeod.

[McLeod Andrews]

Hello. Oh, very formal. That's very. Just polite. Very Kansas hello. Hi, Henry. Hello. I've been seeing on the news and Internet all the reports of these drones or lights in New Jersey. Oh, whoa. It's super recent. Okay. Okay. Oh. And it's okay. I see. And this is what prompted him to send us the story, I think, where we're going. Okay, awesome. Cool. I've been seeing on the news and Internet all the reports of these drones or lights in New Jersey and other places around the world. And it's gotten me thinking about something that happened to me 20 years ago involving a light that I just couldn't Explain. I'm a farmer and have had my land over 30 years now. More than 1,000 acres, mostly corn and soybeans. Northwest, Northwest Kansas. I don't want people trying to find it or anything. So all I'll say is it's a typical setup. Big barn, simple house, couple silos. And my wife and I raised both our kids here. Our daughter was off at college then, but our son Kyle was still in high school when this happened. It was spring and unseasonably warm, and I'd spent most of the day working our irrigation system. And by the time it got dark, I was in the barn working on the tractor. I remember there was a problem with the hydraulics that needed fixing pronto. Kyle was supposed to be doing his homework. But around 9:30 he came running into the barn. And now Kyle wasn't the type to get excited over anything. He was always pretty level headed. But that night his eyes were wide and he was talking so fast I could barely understand him. At first he kept telling me I had to come see a weird light out over the fields. I figured it was probably just lights from a plane, and I told him as much. But Kyle insisted. This wasn't a plane. He said it was too low and it was moving wrong. And the way he said that word wrong, that's what got me. So when he said something was off, I figured I better take a look. As soon as we cleared the barn doors, I saw exactly what Kyle was talking about. There was this bright orange light hanging maybe a hundred feet up in the air, maybe a quarter mile west of the barn. And even from that distance, it was incredibly bright, like someone had stuck a massive spotlight up there. But the strangest thing was how it just sat there, completely still, not making a sound. So basically, it seemed a lot like those drones people are seeing these days. Except this was well before anyone, especially in Kansas, had anything like that. So we kept watching it when suddenly it shot sideways, and I mean fast. It covered maybe 500 yards in less than a second, then just stopped dead again. And at that, Kyle grabbed my arm and pointed out what he meant about the movement being wrong. So we jumped in my pickup and started after the thing. I've got more than a mile of fields in that direction. And the thing led us all over the place. At one point it crossed over onto the Petersons property. Sorry. By the way, I made that name up for privacy. Oh, okay. Wow, Henry, you are so thoughtful. But then it came right back over our land and we must have chased for five or ten Minutes at least. And of course, Kyle tried to film it, but this was 2004, and those phones barely had cameras, so of course, he didn't get anything good. And we even lost sight of it for a minute when it went behind some trees near the property line. But then we spotted it again, just hovering out there in the distance. So we stopped the truck right there in the middle of the road and watched as the light just hung there for maybe 30 seconds, then started slowly dropping down into the cornfield like a balloon losing air until we couldn't see it anymore. After thinking a few minutes about what we were going to do, we drove out to the spot we thought it went down. I grabbed the flashlight from under the seat, and we started looking around. But it was strange. There were no more lights, no strange objects, nothing burning or glowing or anything. But then Kyle spotted something in the ground. There was this weird depression, maybe five feet across, perfectly round, like someone had pressed a giant bowl into the soil. It is a crop circle. It's just straight up, a crop circle. The corn stalks around it were bent outward, like something had pushed them down from above. Or Terminator. Oh, right.

[Brian Sigley]

Yep. Yep.

[McLeod Andrews]

The really strange thing was how warm the ground felt in that spot. It was a cool night, probably in the low 50s. But when I put my hand down in that depression, the soil was warm to the touch, almost like it had been baked. I took pictures the next morning with my digital camera, but by then, the depression wasn't nearly as clear. Within a week, you couldn't really tell anything had happened there at all. I even called the sheriff, who's a friend of mine, and he stopped by for a look, but said he hadn't gotten any reports of anything strange at all. But I know what we saw. I've been farming that land my whole life, and I've never seen anything else like it. Kyle's got his own farm now, and neither of us has any idea what it was, but we both know it wasn't anything normal.

[Brian Sigley]

Hit the nail on the head with the crop circle thing. Literally a circle. But what was kind of cool about this was when I think of crop circles, and maybe this is just because of the movie signs, but you think of the corn just kind of being bent over, and there's nothing actually touching the ground, so to speak, in this case, it sounds like there was a depression in the ground, right?

[McLeod Andrews]

Like a crater. Like a little crater, almost.

[Brian Sigley]

Yep, absolutely. And he said in the story, he took a picture of it. He didn't send us the picture. Please Send us a picture, Henry.

[McLeod Andrews]

I mean, I guess it may be from back in the day. It was a while ago. It might not be a digital camera.

[Brian Sigley]

I'm trying to remember.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, no, wait, it was 2004, right?

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. So there's digital camera, but those were garbage. Yeah, it was like 300, you know, 300 pixels.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. And usually when I think of crop circles, too, I think those intricate designs that I think are widely verified as hoaxes. That's people with a plank of wood out there.

[Brian Sigley]

But I find this really plausible because it's just a depression in the ground, basically.

[McLeod Andrews]

And I like Henry. I gotta say, just from. He had me at hello.

[Brian Sigley]

So, Henry, really cool story. Thank you for sending it to us and giving us something that was potentially alien related. That's really awesome.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah.

[Brian Sigley]

Sightings will be back just after this.

[C]

Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. Recently I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation. They said yes. And then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous two year contracts, they said. What the are you talking about? You insane Hollywood. So, to recap, we're cutting the price of mint unlimited from $30 a month to just 15amonth. Give it a [e-mail] Switch 45 upfront.

[Brian Sigley]

Payment equivalent to 15 per month. New customers on first 3 month plan only. Taxes and fees. Extra speed slower above 40 gigabytes.

[McLeod Andrews]

Details.

[Brian Sigley]

So we got one more. McLeod, are you ready for this one? Because it's. It's a. This one's a scary one. I'm not going to lie. This one. This one spooked the hell out of me.

[McLeod Andrews]

Can I share the title that I'm looking at?

[Brian Sigley]

Yes.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay. Possessed Teddy Bear.

[Brian Sigley]

That is the title.

[McLeod Andrews]

I'm so upset right now.

[Brian Sigley]

I gave it that title because they didn't write a title. They just.

[McLeod Andrews]

Sure, sure. Well, I'm upset with you. I'm upset with what's about to happen. Do you understand how many teddy bears and stuffed animals are around my house? Like with three young kids now? Every single one.

[Brian Sigley]

You're never gonna look at any of them the same ever again. I guarantee it. So let me give credit where credit is. Due this to us by Jamie, who said they're from Chicago. I don't know if that means they live in Chicago now or what. And MacLeod, because I know Jamie could be a guy's name or a girl's name. Jamie is a guy.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, Jamie is a guy. Okay. No. One of my best friends growing up was Named Jamie, so that tracks. Although I do know a lot of Jamies that are girls, too, so it's a good name.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. So I expect that we're early 30s on this, so just you can play totally straight, I think.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay, cool. So this weird thing happened to me a few months back, and I've been trying to make sense of it ever since. I guess I should start. Well, see, now I know where we're going, and so I'm already just uncomfortable.

[Brian Sigley]

I need to stop putting titles on these stories.

[McLeod Andrews]

You should. You should just let me find out, because now I'm like. I just feel like there's a weight on my chest with every sentence. I guess I should start by saying that my mom passed away earlier this year. I'm sorry, Jamie. Um, it wasn't unexpected or anything. She'd been sick for a while, but I guess you're never really prepared for that kind of thing. No. Anyway, about a month after the funeral, I finally worked. Sorry. The Inoue is Jamie's words, not mine. I'm not being callous here. Anyway, about a month after the funeral, I finally worked up the energy to start going through her stuff. My mom wasn't exactly a hoarder, but she definitely held onto things. The lawyer handed me, like, six boxes of my old stuff that she had apparently specifically wanted me to have. And honestly, most of it was just random junk from when I was a kid. Old report cards, Little league trophies, all those terrible crafts I made her in school. That kind of stuff. Yeah, it is wild going back home to where you grew up and, like, seeing the artifacts of your youth.

[Brian Sigley]

Artifacts is a great word.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah, it always makes me feel like an emotional archaeologist, but for myself, who was this young woman?

[Brian Sigley]

Well, we're gonna go digging into some terror.

[McLeod Andrews]

I'm just procrastinating. But yep. And here we go. But there was this one thing that was definitely odd man out. This old teddy bear that used to sit in the top corner of this glass cabinet in the office when I was growing up. The bear itself wasn't anything special to look at. It really was just your typical teddy bear, maybe about a foot tall with this super matted fur that had definitely seen better days. It had these black button eyes and a slightly crooked nose that looked like it had been sewn back on at some point. It wasn't dirty or gross, really, just ancient, like something you'd see in an antique shop. I hadn't thought about that bear in years. But seeing it brought back this really specific memory from when I was maybe 7 or 8. I remember one night when I was a kid, my mom accidentally left the cabinet unlocked. I'd always wondered about that bear because mom never let me play with it. Weird. That's me talking. Okay. Which, of course, just made me want it more. So that night, I snuck downstairs after bedtime, thinking I'd just take it to my room for a while. But when I got close to the cabinet, I swear I heard this weird. I don't know, like mumbling or whispering coming from inside. And I don't have any idea what it said. Like I said, it was so mumbly, but it freaked me out so bad, I turned to run and crashed right into my mom. That's spooky. She'd followed me downstairs, and, man, she was mad. Not like regular mom mad, either. She seemed actually scared. Mom, why do you still have this teddy bear that if you're so scared of it?

[Brian Sigley]

I have questions.

[McLeod Andrews]

I have so many questions. She just grabbed me, slammed the cabinet shut, and told me never to touch it, ever. The cabinet was off limits, and the bear was a family heirloom that belonged to her mother and her grandmother before that. Fast forward to me going through these boxes, and there it was. I mean, I didn't even know if the thing had a name or anything. And I seriously thought about just giving it to Goodwill with the other stuff, but something about knowing how old it was and how many generations it had been in the family. It just didn't seem right, I guess. Though I gotta admit, I didn't exactly want it sitting out in my apartment either. Yeah, you're darn tootin'I. Mean, I occasionally have dates over. I'm sorry. Before. Before I find out where we're going and if it's someplace serious, I just have this vision of the, like, most ruined. Like, blind date or, like, ruined. Oh, that's just my. Don't worry about that.

[Brian Sigley]

Don't look that way.

[McLeod Andrews]

I occasionally have dates over, and having an old teddy bear on display kind of kills the mood. There you go. There you go. So I stuck. So I stuck it in a box and shoved it on the top shelf of my bedroom closet. And since I'm sending you guys this story, I'm sure you figured out that things don't end there.

[Brian Sigley]

You know us all too well.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yes. So about a week later, I woke up in the middle of the night to this weird sound coming from my closet. I was joking. I was joking. It was. It was almost like a faint scratching noise. And my first thought was mice, which was definitely not Something I wanted to deal with at 3am but when I checked the closet, there was nothing there. Just boxes. Including the one with the bear, right where it was supposed to be. So I convinced myself it was just the building settling or something and went back to bed. That's relatable. I think we've all woken up in the middle of the night thinking we've heard something, especially, like a scratching sound and been like, oh, no. Is there a rat in my pantry?

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, my God. What is happening in your house, McCloud? Do you have rats? What do you mean?

[McLeod Andrews]

That's. Like, you've never just woken up thinking, like, oh, no, do we have mice?

[Brian Sigley]

But my mind doesn't go to a rat.

[McLeod Andrews]

Well, I lived in New York for a while, so.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, ask yourself this. Would you rather have a rat in your house or a possessed teddy bear?

[McLeod Andrews]

Rat.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. Yeah.

[McLeod Andrews]

Rat. Yeah, I mean, I think.

[Brian Sigley]

Keep reading.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay. All right. Here we go. A few days after that, I came home from work and noticed my closet door was open. And I never leave it open because it blocks the path to the bathroom. But what was even weirder was that the box with the bear in it seemed different, like it had been moved or something. But I figured maybe I'd bumped it when I was getting dressed that morning and just didn't remember it. And also that I'd somehow forgotten to close the door. Then one night, I was in my living room watching Netflix when I heard this crash from my bedroom. And when I went to check, the closet door was open again, and there were a couple of boxes knocked over on the floor, including the one with the bear. But here's the thing. The bear wasn't in the box anymore. It was sitting in the middle of my floor, facing the wall, just sitting there. And, I mean, boxes fall sometimes, but how does a teddy bear end up perfectly positioned like that? So I put it back in the box.

[Brian Sigley]

Pause.

[McLeod Andrews]

What?

[Brian Sigley]

McLeod, breathe. You're getting loud.

[McLeod Andrews]

I didn't notice. So I put it back in the box, trying to tell myself I was being ridiculous. But then the last straw came. And I swear to God I'm not crazy when I say this really happened. So I woke up around 2am and that bear was in the exact same spot again, right in the middle of my floor, facing the wall. And I was lying there in bed, totally frozen, trying to figure out what to do when the bear's head, it just turned. Oh, my goodness. I don't. This. No, this did not happen to you. You're. You're a good Storyteller. That's. That's my. That's where I stand on this. I swear to God. Swear on. And then he hits me with this. I swear to God. Swear on my mother. That bear's head completely turned around to look at me. Not like it fell over or something. It straight up rotated to stare at me with those black button eyes. Can I stop? Brian, what's wrong?

[Brian Sigley]

This is a pleasant story of a.

[McLeod Andrews]

Boy and his bear.

[Brian Sigley]

It's basically Winnie the Pooh going on right now.

[McLeod Andrews]

So it's just Winnie the Pooh.

[Brian Sigley]

It's just Winnie the Pooh.

[McLeod Andrews]

And. Yeah, hell no. So I grabbed the biggest box I could find, threw it over the bear, duct taped the hell out of it, stuffed it in a garbage bag, and drove it across town and dumped it in a random dumpster. I know that sounds extreme, but, man, you weren't there. You didn't see it. That doesn't sound extreme to me, Jamie.

[Brian Sigley]

I think you should have lit it on fire, Jaime.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah, but then you would have had to hear its screams.

[Brian Sigley]

That's horrifying.

[McLeod Andrews]

Well, here we are, right? The thing that keeps bugging me, though, is what? Did my mom actually know about this thing? Is that why she kept it locked up? Why didn't she just get rid of it? Was she protecting it or protecting us from it? I've thought about calling my aunt to ask if she knows anything about it, but honestly, I'm not sure I want to know. I still feel kind of guilty about throwing it away, though. Like, what if it finds its way to some kid or something? But then I think about those button eyes turning to look at me, and I know I made the right choice.

[Brian Sigley]

Can you imagine someone dumpster diving, though, finding that it ends up at a Goodwill or something, and this poor child ends up with that bear?

[McLeod Andrews]

I refuse to. I refuse to imagine it.

[Brian Sigley]

Are you going to survive in your house tonight, McCloud, with all the. How many stuffed animals?

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah, because I know them all. We've had them for a long time. I trust them.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, you trust them?

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. We've got some old ones, too, and they're great. I love them. I am emotionally attached to them, and I know they wouldn't do something like this to me.

[Brian Sigley]

They wouldn't turn their heads and glare at you?

[McLeod Andrews]

No.

[Brian Sigley]

That's horrifying, though.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. I don't want to talk about this one anymore, Jamie.

[Brian Sigley]

You've rendered McCloud speechless, which is hard to do. Thank you for sending the most horrifying toy story that I've Ever heard.

[McLeod Andrews]

I mean, I guess it could get worse.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, but the fact that all it did was looked at him.

[McLeod Andrews]

Right.

[Brian Sigley]

I think there's something way scarier about that in my mind.

[McLeod Andrews]

Yeah. Yep. The subtle stories sometimes are the scariest. Because, I mean, not that this is that subtle, if I'm being honest.

[Brian Sigley]

So, McCloud, you've survived three more stories.

[McLeod Andrews]

Don't you mean two more? I only remember two stories. There was that one about the taxi and the ghost, which was very creepy. And then there was that one in Kansas about the. And then that's all I remember. And I remember asking myself, why didn't Brian do three stories?

[Brian Sigley]

You already have post traumatic stress disorder.

[McLeod Andrews]

I've already blocked it out.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, you guys, like we said, we are going to be doing these listener story episodes every month. Or at least as long as you keep sending amazing and terrifying and really fun stories our way. Again, our inbox is always [e-mail] youm can also find us on Instagram itingspod. Hit us up there anytime.

[McLeod Andrews]

But not with stories like this one about bears with their heads turning around.

[Brian Sigley]

No, I think you should. The scarier the better. Please. I love seeing McCloud creeped out. McCloud, this is the part where you ask where we're going next time.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, right, right, right, right. That's right. That's right. Okay. Okay, Brian, I am ecstatic to move on and ask you, where are we going next week?

[Brian Sigley]

You will be pleased to know that we are actually going to do what I think is actually a little bit of a heartwarming story. But it does involve aliens and it does happen in Washington, D.C. so that's where we're going. I'm not gonna tell you what it is, though.

[McLeod Andrews]

Hmm. Heartwarming and DC don't often go together, but valid.

[Brian Sigley]

Valid.

[McLeod Andrews]

But I'm intrigued and excited.

[Brian Sigley]

So come back and see us next week, same time, same place, for another. Honestly, I think maybe the coolest story we're gonna have done so far on the show.

[McLeod Andrews]

Whoa. That's bold words. Gauntlet Throne, Brian.

[Brian Sigley]

Gauntlet throne. You gotta stick around to find out. See you then.

[McLeod Andrews]

All right, bye, everybody. I'm so mad at you all.

[Brian Sigley]

Sightings is hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley. Produced by Brian Sigley, chase Kinzer and McLeod Andrews. Series music by Mitch Bayne. Mixing and mastering by Pat Kicklater of Sundial Media. Artwork by Nuno Sarnatos. Sightings is presented by Reverb and Q Code. If you like the show, be sure to subscribe 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.