Sightings Podcast Episode Summary: "Possessed Teddy Bear: Illinois, 2024"
Hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley
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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.