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- [00:00]
Amanda
Ch, ch. Ch.
- [00:01]
Shane
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- [00:24]
Amanda
Live the chumba life@chumbacasino.com.
- [00:27]
Shane
No purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited by law 21 terms and cond. Welcome to Smoshmouth. I'm Shane. And I'm Amanda, and this is our spooky Halloween episode. As of airing this, it is October 30th.
- [00:48]
Amanda
Oh, my God.
- [00:49]
Shane
The night before All Hallows Eve, the most evil day of the year.
- [00:54]
Amanda
It's so evil.
- [00:58]
Shane
But today, we are going to be doing something that a lot of you asked for a while ago, which is we're going to read creepy stories from the Internet. Some of my favorites. These are known as creepypastas. Have you heard of creepypasta?
- [01:14]
Amanda
Only because of you guys. You and Damian.
- [01:17]
Shane
So, first off, Damian was supposed to be here. He is sick.
- [01:22]
Amanda
He got taken by a ghost.
- [01:23]
Shane
Yes, the devil's got him. No, he's a sick little baby, and he's at home, but he's all right. But creepypastas. Creepypastas are something that I've been a fan of for a long time. The name, I believe, comes from copy and pasting a story over and over again all over the Internet. Okay, so these are stories that they were written by someone, but a lot of times people don't know who they were written by because they've been copy and pasted to different websites. So at a certain point, you're like, who wrote this? Now I know who wrote all of these that I brought today because over time, they. It gets traced back. But it's what makes them so scary in the first place is, like, people start to go, was this real? You've probably heard of, like, Slenderman. Of course, Slender man was a creepypasta. At least I'm pretty certain was a creepypasta. And that story was all over the place. There's one that is my personal favorite that we'll be reading later called Candle Cove, which I love. Very scary. I've got several here, and we'll be getting into them. But first, I wanted to talk. I want to also talk on this episode about creepy stuff. And I first Question I have right off the bat is, do you believe in ghosts?
- [02:39]
Amanda
100%.
- [02:40]
Shane
Yeah.
- [02:40]
Amanda
I'm from Massachusetts.
- [02:42]
Shane
I feel like, required.
- [02:44]
Amanda
Massachusetts is spooky. Like, it's got very, very old homes, old structures that have, like, never been touched. Families of generations have lived there. Never, like, knocked them down or anything. So I just feel like Massachusetts also, it's near Salem, but, like, we have, like, witchy kind of like, look at. Look at all these, like, old school horror movies or movies from the 1600s. I mean, Stephen King lives in Maine, east coast. So I just feel like they have all of this, like, spookiness also. You're talking about creepypasta. I was just thinking that me and my sisters read probably original creepypastas when they weren't even a thing. We used to read, like, books of horror stories growing up. Have you ever heard of the Golden Arm?
- [03:30]
Shane
Yes.
- [03:30]
Amanda
You have?
- [03:31]
Shane
I have heard of the Golden Arm. I don't know.
- [03:33]
Amanda
I don't either. It's from, like, a book that I had going, like, give me back my golden arm.
- [03:39]
Shane
So.
- [03:40]
Amanda
So I feel like those were creepypastas. Maybe before that was a thing.
- [03:44]
Shane
I mean, there's scary stories.
- [03:47]
Amanda
So. Yes, I believe in ghosts.
- [03:48]
Shane
Okay.
- [03:49]
Amanda
100%.
- [03:50]
Shane
Have you seen a ghost?
- [03:51]
Amanda
I think at night I have, but I don't have, like, a ghost story that people are like, oh, I have actually been awake. It was early night, and I saw a ghost. But I have really bad night terrors, so it's hard to decipher if those are ghosts a part of my imagination or, like, other worldly things.
- [04:14]
Shane
Right. I don't know where I stand on ghosts. I don't not believe in them. But I'm also not an active. Like, ghosts are real. And I've said this before, that whenever I hear about any sort of creepy things happening or people saying, oh, I saw this thing and it was a ghost. My thought is also, well, there might be a million explanations for it, and some of them might be paranormal. I'm not saying there's a scientific reason for that. You're not seeing anything that's beyond our understanding. I just mean, who knows what that is? That doesn't mean it's a person who died. It could be a lot of things.
- [04:53]
Amanda
So define ghost. Do you think a ghost is, like, someone that has unfinished business coming to scare you, or do you think it's just, like, a person trapped in, like, a thin place and they don't know? They're trying to still, like, live in their home, but they're trying to get somewhere else.
- [05:10]
Shane
Yeah, I think I, my. I mean, like I said, I'm not an active believer, but I could see a ghost. Any sort of version of a ghost is energy or something that is beyond the physical. Right? Any sort of consciousness that's beyond the physical realm is what I would say. Oh, that's, that's something ghost or spirit or what have you.
- [05:36]
Amanda
So ghost to you is like an energy?
- [05:39]
Shane
Yeah, it could be that. But I don't, like I said, I don't have. I'm not walking around going, yep, there's definitely ghosts here. At the same time I am. I always say that. I'm always hedging my bets where even though I'm not like, yes, ghosts are real, I'm not gonna go to a graveyard and be disrespectful. Also, just out of respect for people.
- [06:02]
Amanda
You'Re not gonna do a seance in the graveyard.
- [06:04]
Shane
But I'm also not trying to like piss anything off. I'm not gonna go to a place where they say this house is haunted. And I'm gonna go in there and be like, come on, ghost, come and find me. I'm not gonna do that because I'm also actively thinking, hey, maybe it exists and I'm not gonna mess around with it.
- [06:23]
Amanda
So ghosts are energy and you also respect them.
- [06:29]
Shane
I respect people's beliefs and I respect that. I don't know most stuff. I respect that there is absolutely stuff beyond my understanding and things that exist that if I heard about it, I. It would change my entire perspective on reality. I do believe that, but I'm not, I don't know, I'm not. I'm not going like, that was definitely a ghost. Oh yeah, there's ghosts there. I. Cuz I think a tough thing is there's what you believe and there is also what you want to believe.
- [07:04]
Amanda
Right.
- [07:04]
Shane
What do you want the reality to be? Do you want ghosts to exist? Because in my mind, yes. Because that means, oh, this isn't the end. Yes, there's. There's something beyond, to the point that almost. If there was proof of. This is gonna sound crazy. If there was proof of like devils or demons, I would almost feel like not horrible about that. Cause I'd be like, oh, that means there is stuff beyond. And that means maybe the flip side of that also exists. And. But don't I approve of that in.
- [07:40]
Amanda
My mind, I agree with you completely. Cause growing up in a Catholic church, it was like, if you believe in the devil, he's real. But I like this idea of like Bad versus, you know, evil versus good. And like, there's, you know, there's karma and if you make a mistake and if you make the deal with the devil. I also think a devil can be like your inner, like, nasty thoughts.
- [08:03]
Shane
Yeah. Do you know what I mean? I don't believe in it. I don't believe in the devil or demons. I do believe that is all representation for our own interior.
- [08:14]
Amanda
I think. I think I go both ways. I think I can't be easily convinced. But when someone tells me a story and I feel something, or if I walk into a house and I feel something, like I've walked into people's houses and been like, hmm, I don't really feel that good. And a lot of it for me is like, if people get stuff from estate sales that are like really old school mirrors or like vintage stuff, I'll.
- [08:40]
Shane
Be like, ugh, interesting.
- [08:42]
Amanda
I don't. And it's been like that since I was little, and I've always been kind of like, shoved it away. And as I get older, I'm like, okay, what does that mean? And I'll just simply ask. I'll be like, oh, where'd you get this stuff? It's like, oh, yeah, a dead woman died and I got all of her furniture and it's like, oh, good to know.
- [09:01]
Shane
Interesting. Maybe you're feeling creeped out cause your friend is a creepy person. Maybe that's like, I got all these.
- [09:07]
Amanda
Mirrors and I'm like, I got all.
- [09:08]
Shane
These things from a dead person.
- [09:09]
Amanda
It's not my friend. It's the stuff.
- [09:11]
Shane
Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely not my weird friend.
- [09:14]
Amanda
But yeah, I feel like ghosts and creepy stuff is definitely energy. Like, whether we describe it as a ghost, there is something otherworldly going on.
- [09:26]
Shane
Do you think ghosts can be. Do you view ghosts overall as just a neutral presence or as evil or good? Because in my mind I'm like, ghosts are just people without sweaters on. I will be a ghost someday when I die. If ghosts are real and I die. But I'll just be. I'll be myself, but without my armor, without my body armor. Like, I mean, really, that's all a ghost is. So I'm not. If ghosts are real, I'm not as scared of ghosts as I am of people. Well, yeah, when you are scary, when.
- [10:00]
Amanda
You say the sweater thing, that makes me way less scared.
- [10:03]
Shane
Yeah. Because, look, I don't know of any proven people getting murdered by ghosts stories, but I know of a lot of people getting murdered by people stories. Yeah, there's A lot of those. So at the end of the day, ghosts. Not high up on my priority list of being scared.
- [10:17]
Amanda
But those scary people, when they die, they become ghosts.
- [10:20]
Shane
Do you think they. Yeah, I think. And you think they continue on with their ways, or do you think they change?
- [10:25]
Amanda
I think that they are, like, they have to do work, and they're forced to, like, either, you know, figure out if they made a mistake. I. I do think that things follow you. Like, I do think that things follow you into whatever, the afterlife. Like, karma follows you. I don't think, like, people always like, oh, when you die, you're. You're. You're cleaned. You're cleansed. But I do think that ghosts are people who feel like they have regrets or they have unfinished business or they still have the obstacles that they face. I also think that people have. People live multiple lives.
- [11:02]
Shane
Okay.
- [11:03]
Amanda
I think that people get to be reborn and live, whether they're like, you know, when you see someone and you're like, wow, I have deja vu, you so remind me of this person. I think that that is connected into people living other lives. But I get scared.
- [11:19]
Shane
But I am scared.
- [11:20]
Amanda
I get scared. So whether ghosts are real or not, there's definitely energies that. Some are scary, some are cool.
- [11:27]
Shane
Okay. Okay, let's get into our first story here.
- [11:30]
Amanda
I'm excited.
- [11:31]
Shane
This one I had not read. I found this this past week when I was just searching for good stories, and I read this one, and it's. I love this kind of story. Okay, All. I love all these kinds of stories, but. All right, so this one is called Mr. Wide Mouth.
- [11:46]
Amanda
Okay.
- [11:48]
Shane
It's. It's an old one. I want to say It's. I forget what year it came out, but it's been out for. It's been on the Internet for over 10 years. Or no, roughly, maybe.
- [11:56]
Amanda
Okay.
- [11:58]
Shane
But I could. I traced it back to a user named Perfect Circle 35. So not a name, but. But a username. But here's the story. During my childhood, my family was like a drop of water in a vast river, never remaining in one location for long. We settled in Rhode island when I was 8, and there we remained until I went to college in Colorado Springs. Most of my memories are rooted in Rhode island, but there are fragments in the attic of my brain which belong to various homes we had lived in when I was much younger. Most of these memories are unclear and pointless. Chasing after another boy in the backyard of a house in North Carolina, trying to build a raft to float on the creek behind the apartment we rented in Pennsylvania and so on. But. But there is one set of memories which remains as clear as glass, as though they were just made yesterday. I often wonder whether these memories are simply lucid dreams produced by the long sickness I experienced that spring, but in my heart I know they are real. We were living in a house just outside the bustling metropolis of New vineyard, Maine, population 643. It was a large structure, especially for a family of three. There were a number of rooms that I didn't see in the five months we resided there, and in some ways it was a waste of space. But it was the only house on the market at the time, at least within an hour's commute to my father's place of work. The day after my fifth birthday, attended by my parents alone, I came down with a fever. The doctor said I had mononucleosis, which meant no rough play and more fever for at least another three weeks. It was horrible timing to be bedridden. We were in the process of packing our things to move to Pennsylvania, and most of my things were already packed away in boxes, leaving my room barren. My mother brought me ginger ale and books several times a served the function of being my primary form of entertainment for the next few weeks. Boredom always loomed just around the corner, waiting to rear its ugly head and compound my misery. I don't exactly recall how I met Mr. Widemouth. I think it was about a week after I was diagnosed with mono. My first memory of the small creature was asking him if he had a name. He told me to call him Mr. Widemouth because his mouth was large. In fact, everything about him was large in comparison to his body, his head, his eyes, his crooked ears. But his mouth was by far the largest. You look kind of like a Furby, I said as he flipped through one of my books. Mr. Widemouth stopped and gave me a puzzled look. Furby? What's a Furby? He asked. I shrugged. You know, the toy. The little robot with big ears you can pet and feed them. Almost like a real pet. Oh. Mr. Widemouth resumed his activity. You don't need one of those. They aren't the same as having a real friend. I remember Mr. Widemouth disappearing every time my mother stopped by to check. Check in on me. I lay under your bed, he later explained. I don't want your parents to see me because I'm afraid they won't let us play anymore. We didn't do much during those first few days. Mr. Widemouth just looked at my books, fascinated by the stories and pictures they contained the third or fourth morning after I met him. He greeted me with a large smile on his face. I have a new game we can play, he said. We have to wait until after your mother comes back to comes on. Comes to check. Check on you because she can't see us play it. It's a secret game. After my mother delivered more books and soda at the usual time, Mr. Wide Mouse slipped out from under the bed and tugged my hand. We have to go to the room at the end of this hallway, he said. I objected at first, as my parents had forbidden me to leave my bed without their permission, but Mr. Widemouth persisted until I gave in. The room in question had no furniture or wallpaper. Its only distinguishing feature was a window opposite the doorway. Mr. Widemouth darted across the room and gave the window a firm push, flinging it open. He then beckoned me to look out at the ground below. We were on the second story of the house, but it was on a hill, and from this angle the drop was farther than two stories due to the incline. I like to play pretend up here, Mr. Widemouth explained. I pretend that there is a big, soft trampoline below this window, and I jump. If you pretend hard enough, you bounce back up like a feather. I want you to try. I was a five year old with a fever, so only a hint of skepticism darted through my thoughts as I looked down and considered the possibility. It's a long drop, I said. But that's all part of the fun. It wouldn't be fun if it was only a short drop. If it were that way, you may as well just bounce on a real trampoline. I toyed with the idea, picturing myself falling through the thin air, only to bounce back to the window on something unseen by human eyes. But the realist in me prevailed. Maybe some other time, I said. I don't know if I have enough imagination. I could get hurt. Mr. Widemouth's face contorted into a snarl, but only for a moment. Anger gave way to disappointment. If you say so, he said. He spent the rest of the day under my bed, quiet as a mouse. The following morning, Mr. Widemouth arrived holding a small box. I want to teach you how to juggle, he said. Here are some things you can use to practice before I start giving you lessons. I looked in the box. It was full of knives. My parents will kill me. I shouted, horrified that Mr. Widemouth had brought knives into my room, objects that my parents would never allow me to touch. I'll be spanked and grounded for a year. Mr. Widemouth frowned. It's fun to juggle with these. I want you to try it. I pushed the box away. I can't. I'll get in trouble. Knives aren't safe to just throw in the air. Mr. Wide Mouth's Frown deepened into a scowl. He took the box of knives and slid under my bed, remaining there the rest of the day. I began to wonder how often he was under me. I started having trouble sleeping after that. Mr. Widemouth often woke me up at night, saying he put a real trampoline under the window. A big one, one that I couldn't see in the dark. I always declined and tried to go back to sleep, but Mr. Widemouth persisted. Sometimes he stayed by my side until early morning, encouraging me to jump. He wasn't so fun to play with anymore. My mother came to me one morning and told me I had her permission to walk around outside. She thought the fresh air would be good for me, especially after being confined to my room for so long. Ecstatic, I put on my sneakers and trotted out to the back porch, yearning for the feeling of sun on my face. Mr. Widemouth was waiting for me. I have something I want I want you to see, he said. I must have given him a weird look because he then said, it's safe. I promise. I followed him to the beginning of a deer trail which ran through the woods behind the house. This is an important path, he explained. I've had a lot of friends about your age. When they were ready, I took them down this path to a special place. You aren't ready yet, but one day I hope to take you there. I returned to the house, wondering what kind of place lay beyond that trail. Two weeks after I met Mr. Widemouth, the last load of our things had been packed into a morning moving truck. I would be in the cab of that truck, sitting next to my father for the long drive to Pennsylvania. I considered telling Mr. Widemouth that I would be leaving, but even at five years old I was beginning to suspect that perhaps the creatures intentions were not to my benefit. Despite that, he said otherwise. For this reason I decided to keep my departure a secret. My father and I were in the truck at 4am he was hoping to make it to Pennsylvania by lunchtime tomorrow with the help of an endless supply of coffee and a six pack of energy drinks. He seemed more like a man who was about to run a marathon rather than one who was about to spend two days sitting still. Early enough for you? He asked. I nodded and he placed my head against the window Hoping for some sleep before the sun came up. I felt my father's hand on my shoulder. This is the last move, son. I promise. I know it's hard for you, as sick as you've been. Once Daddy gets promoted, we can settle down and you can make friends. I opened my eyes. As we backed out of the driveway, I saw Mr. Wide Mouth silhouette in my bedroom window. He stood motionless until the truck was about to turn onto the main road. He gave a pitiful little wave goodbye, steak knife in hand. I didn't wave back. Years later, I returned to New Vineyard. The piece of land our house stood upon was empty except for the foundation as the house burned down. A few years after my family left. Out of curiosity, I followed the deer trail that Mr. Widemouth had shown me. Part of me expected him to jump out from behind a tree and scare the living bejesus out of me. But I felt that Mr. Widemouth was gone somehow, tied to the house that no longer existed. The trail ended at the New Vineyard Memorial Cemetery. I noticed that many of the tombstones belong to children.
- [19:44]
Amanda
Fuck.
- [19:44]
Shane
I know. I love that one. It's like. It's just spooky enough.
- [19:49]
Amanda
I love it because I feel like when you were talking about the deer trail, I was like, oh, there's something not right there. It feels very like pet cemetery. And I feel like because Stephen King is from Maine, there's so many. This is what I'm talking about. The East Coast. There's so many woods and, like, old houses that you can create all these.
- [20:13]
Shane
Things in your mind because there's so much history there, but also so much untamed land that it's kind of. That perfect combination. Exactly.
- [20:22]
Amanda
Also, why is the mom giving him.
- [20:23]
Shane
Soda like every mom is giving him so much ginger ale? We should talk about how that's the real problem. I'm kind of waiting for Mr. Widemouth to be like, hey, man, I got some cigarettes. You want to hear smoke these. These are. These are cool.
- [20:34]
Amanda
Also, this five year old, you know, he's. He was pretty aware.
- [20:38]
Shane
He's pretty smart. Five year old knives are. Oh, I'd have. I'd be dead. Oh, what Mr. Widemouth would have killed.
- [20:44]
Amanda
Trampoline.
- [20:45]
Shane
Yay.
- [20:49]
Amanda
That's really scary to me because I do think that our imagination is so strong that. Especially when you're sick. Yeah, when you're sick, you're like. It makes you do crazy things.
- [21:01]
Shane
I. I like that story for that reason of, you know, you have imaginary friends. You have all these things that you imagine when you're five. And theoretically, or just like, just fun playing around thinking about it. If a monster existed and showed up when you were five, and then in your memories you're going, that wasn't real, though. Yeah. That didn't exist. But that's. I love this story for that reason.
- [21:24]
Amanda
Me too. Because then I'm glad that he went back and was like, oh, the house burned down. Let me just check out this trail. And it's a fucking cemetery full of dead children.
- [21:33]
Shane
Yeah.
- [21:33]
Amanda
Like what?
- [21:34]
Shane
I know. But I like that there's an element of mystery about it. It's not like I'm certain that Mr. Widemouth was real. It's kind of just. Huh. And I, I, I love, I always love scary stories that have an element of, maybe it's true, maybe it's not.
- [21:48]
Amanda
Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. Maybe it's. Maybe it was just. I also think, like, the movie Pan's Labyrinth, like, when we are sick or going through a tough time, our little kid brain naturally creates like, a friend.
- [22:01]
Shane
Yeah.
- [22:02]
Amanda
Whether they are good or not. But I think that the friend reflects a little bit what's going on. And when you're sick, you're like, you're scared. So it's a friend who's like, I'm a little scary, but I'm also your friend.
- [22:13]
Shane
That's true.
- [22:14]
Amanda
Do you know what I mean? I think whenever I was sick, I would always imagine I did grow up in the Catholic Church, so guardian angels were a thing. So I would always imagine, like, a guardian angel person near me. Like, I would buckle the seatbelt next to me. But I do think at night when I was scared, that's when the night terrors would come in. And I still, like, there are some people like, oh, you should be a medium. And I'm like, absolutely not. But I do think, are those just my imagination? Are they just my anxious thoughts turned into beings? Or are they really, like, ghosts from the dead? Like, help me. Do you know what I mean?
- [22:52]
Shane
Yeah. I've told this story before, but when I was scared as a kid, especially in the dark, I would. What I would tell myself is the opposite of there being something good around. I would be like, I am the darkness. I'd be like, I'm the scariest thing here. Like, I would try to convince myself that I'm like, demons would be scared of me. And I'm just like, no, they wouldn't.
- [23:14]
Amanda
You are literally the chosen.
- [23:16]
Shane
Yeah. It's a very chosen thought of just, I am the darkness.
- [23:19]
Amanda
That's so funny. I would never do that. I'd be like, they're all around me. And you know what else? Kids are so wild. When I was what, My niece and nephew when they were little, I remember my niece was like 4 years old and I. I was living with my sister and I put her to bed and she'd be like, can you shut the closet door? And I'd be like, why? And she was like, the witch is in there.
- [23:40]
Shane
Okay. And I'd be like, oh my God, now I can. Now let me, let me.
- [23:45]
Amanda
And I would be very scared. But then also later on, there was a donkey that you'd have to take the donkey out of the room and be like, can you please take the donkey out of the room?
- [23:55]
Shane
Okay.
- [23:55]
Amanda
And I finally was like, okay, what's the deal with the donkey? My. My brother in law is from Ireland, so he was like, if you guys leave the room, the donkey will bite you. That was like his thing. So finally my mom, who was their grandmother, was like, okay, I'm taking the donkey out. And it was like, okay. You have to think about like, what the parents.
- [24:14]
Shane
A donkey?
- [24:15]
Amanda
Yeah, he's fucking Irish. I don't know.
- [24:20]
Shane
They're scared of donkeys over there. What I also love about the story is I am a big fan of monsters. I love what scares me in a movie or anything is something that it doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before. That's what scares me. And Mr. Widemouth, the way he explains them, I. My brain creates a really horrific looking thing.
- [24:40]
Amanda
Don't you picture him, though? I picture.
- [24:41]
Shane
Oh. And I'm sure there's artwork online, but I like to just imagine what this thing looks like. And also, for some reason, I'm far more scared of little things than big monsters. A big, like if a monster's over 8ft tall, I kind of am like, okay, cool. But little, little things that can scurry and hide that little things are scary.
- [25:03]
Amanda
But also big things like when they are on the wall or on the ceiling.
- [25:08]
Shane
Yeah.
- [25:08]
Amanda
I don't like.
- [25:09]
Shane
But a little thing. A little thing on the wall or ceiling probably scares me more in a way that's true.
- [25:14]
Amanda
Because you get anywhere.
- [25:16]
Shane
Yeah. And if it has a face. If it has a face, like eyes and a mouth, that always gets me far more than any sort of like thing that looks more like an animal or.
- [25:26]
Amanda
Yeah, faceless is.
- [25:27]
Shane
And faceless doesn't really get me too much.
- [25:29]
Amanda
But I can't see you.
- [25:31]
Shane
No. Well, yeah, you can't see slender man, you don't scare me.
- [25:37]
Amanda
Okay, so little things scare you the most.
- [25:39]
Shane
Do you have monsters that scare you?
- [25:41]
Amanda
Like definitely.
- [25:42]
Shane
Even classic monsters. Because a lot of classic stuff, zombies don't necessarily scare. Zombies can be scary.
- [25:47]
Amanda
Zombies are whatever.
- [25:48]
Shane
Yeah, fine.
- [25:51]
Amanda
I'm really scared of like the boogeyman, right? Like under the bed. Like something that is in dark places like the closet, the boogeyman that can like morph on the wall. So I get scared of like going into a place and not looking in the right spot and then like looking up and they're. That's what I get scared about. And they can like crawl on the ceiling. Like the movie don't look under the Bed. Newer movie. Everyone's like, eh, whatever. I thought it was really scary also. Are you talking about the Disney movie?
- [26:21]
Shane
I was thinking of the Disney movie.
- [26:22]
Amanda
That movie scared me too.
- [26:23]
Shane
It was a scary. When you're, when you're young.
- [26:25]
Amanda
That movie was so scary. But they like had a love relationship.
- [26:30]
Shane
What haunted me as a kid was the Goosebumps episode of the Living Dummy. And dolls really scared me. And it was that uncanny valley thing of something that looks like it should talk and should be alive, but isn't. I don't like dolls. They still unsettle me. They don't scare me like they used to. When I was a kid I actually could not. At my grandparents house they had dolls. Just like some very classic looking dolls. And I would tell them I'd be like, I can't sleep if they're in the room with me.
- [26:58]
Amanda
My grandparents had a doll room.
- [27:00]
Shane
I hate that.
- [27:00]
Amanda
I do not like dolls either.
- [27:02]
Shane
Hate it, hate it. I just don't like that at all.
- [27:05]
Amanda
Because I think we grew up with really up horror movies like Chucky.
- [27:09]
Shane
My God, Chucky. Chucky. I was very scared of. I don't. Yeah, that. And once again, little things. Something about them being smaller scares me and I don't know why.
- [27:21]
Amanda
I think because they can get into any place. Like they can get up right next to you and you probably feel it until.
- [27:27]
Shane
That's true. That's true. Yeah. Because like big things like Godzilla and King Kong or. Or just big monsters even like Cloverfield. I'm like, yeah, we all see it coming. It's over there.
- [27:38]
Amanda
But what was scary about Cloverfield is that you didn't see it until later. So that's all like.
- [27:42]
Shane
That's true. They did a great job of that.
- [27:45]
Amanda
Wow. This is reminding me of really the old school stories that I grew up reading. Like the, the. I think maybe they are connected to Edgar Allan Poe, too. Stories. But, like, the one story where the girl had her hand over her bed. Stories that stick with me. And it was licking her hand and she thought dog, but it was a person.
- [28:02]
Shane
Yeah.
- [28:03]
Amanda
Okay. We read the same.
- [28:04]
Shane
I know that. I know that story. That one was passed around a lot. People would tell that story.
- [28:08]
Amanda
Would tell that story.
- [28:10]
Shane
Yeah. That stuff scares me. And just. Yeah. Anything that I can't recognize what it is, if I'm just like, what is that? That scares me. And I would say a setting that scares me the most is the woods. The woods are the scariest fucking place.
- [28:26]
Amanda
You grew up with woods, right?
- [28:28]
Shane
Yeah. So actually, I grew up from the ages of 2 to 6. I lived in Virginia, and we lived on a cul de sac.
- [28:36]
Amanda
Yeah.
- [28:36]
Shane
And behind our house was an endless forest. And my brothers. I never got to explore it too much because I was too young for them to let me. But my brothers talked about going deep into the woods and finding, like, an abandoned house.
- [28:47]
Amanda
Oh, yeah.
- [28:48]
Shane
In the middle of the woods. We're gonna get into not our next story, but later on we have stories that involve woods.
- [28:54]
Amanda
Great. Let's save our woods stories.
- [28:57]
Shane
It's probably my favorite of these three, but I saved it for last. It's a little less of a story, but I love the.
- [29:05]
Amanda
I grew up in the woods, too.
- [29:06]
Shane
Yeah. But I. And I. So much of my imagination, I think, comes from these kind of faded memories of those woods.
- [29:13]
Amanda
Yeah.
- [29:14]
Shane
Cause I can't accurately picture the woods. I just remember it being a very wild, like, so dense. Yeah. Very dense. And. Yeah. There was a creek, and then it just. But it's just. I don't know. There's something creepy about it. And then going camping in Colorado, those would scare me a little less because I don't know why. I don't know.
- [29:40]
Amanda
Because people are in there.
- [29:42]
Shane
No, I don't. There's something about, like, the nature of the trees and the way that the Rockies look that feel less haunted. Then east coast woods feel haunted, because they are. Yeah. West coast woods have Bigfoot. East coast woods have, like, ghosts.
- [29:59]
Amanda
Ghosts and murderers. Okay, guys, we need to take a breather from Creepypastas because I need to let you know that this podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Shane, do you like therapy? Especially after those creepy stories?
- [30:12]
Shane
Yeah, no. I'll be talking to my therapist about this stuff. I've been seeing a therapist for years now. Nice. And it's so great. Every week I talk to him for an hour, and it really Helps me organize my thoughts. It's super beneficial. I cannot recommend it enough. And so if you're thinking about trying therapy, you can give better help a try. It's convenient, it's flexible, it's suited to your schedule. All you have to do is fill out a quick questionnaire, and you'll get matched with a licensed therapist. And you can switch therapists at any time for no extra charge.
- [30:42]
Amanda
Ooh, I love that. So make your brain your friend with better help. Visit betterhelp.com smoshmouth today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H E-L-P.com smoshmouth all right, back to creepy stories. I'm ready.
- [31:00]
Shane
I think I'm not.
- [31:01]
Amanda
Okay.
- [31:01]
Shane
All right, let's get into our next story.
- [31:03]
Amanda
I'm ready.
- [31:03]
Shane
This one is arguably my favorite story. Okay. And so this was also one that Damian wanted us to read, so reading in his honor as well. We both love this one. We've talked about it over the years. I have not reread this one in years.
- [31:19]
Amanda
Ooh. Okay.
- [31:20]
Shane
But it's incredible. It's called Candle Cove, and I think it's even been made into a TV show. But it was Pirates. It was written by Chris Straub. And the way it's written is really cool because it's written out like it's on a forum online, like, where people are just kind of commenting. It's not like a consecutive story. So this is from the net. Nostalgia forum. Television. Local. Like, where people talk about local television shows.
- [31:47]
Amanda
Okay.
- [31:48]
Shane
So someone, this person named Skyshale posts on their subject. Candle Cove, local kids show. Does anyone remember this kids show? It was called Candle Cove, and I must have been six or seven. I never found reference to it anywhere. So I think it was on a local station around 1971 or 1972. I lived in Ironton at the time. I don't remember which station, but I do remember it was at on at a weird time, like 4pm Someone named Mike Painter, 65, responds, saying, it seems really familiar to me. I grew up outside of Ashland and was 9 years old in 72. Candle Cove. Was it about pirates? I remember a pirate marionette at the mouth of a cave talking to a little girl. Sky Shell responds, yes. Okay, I'm not crazy. I remember Pirate Percy. I was always kind of scared of him. He looked like he was built parts of other dolls. Real low budget. His head was an old porcelain baby doll. Looked like an antique that didn't belong on the body. I don't remember what station this was. I think it was WTSF though. Someone named Jaron to 2005 chimes in sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I know exactly what you mean. Sky Shale I think Candle Cove ran for only a couple months in 71, not 72. I was 12 and I watched it a few times with my brother. It was channel 58. Whatever station that was, my mom would let me switch to it after the news. Let me see what I remember it. It took place in Candle Cove and it was about a little girl who imagined herself to be friends with pirates. The pirate ship was called the Laughingstock and Pirate Percy wasn't a very good pirate because he got scared too easily. And there was a calliope. There was calliope music constantly playing. Don't remember the girl's name. Janice or Jade or something. Think it was Janice. Sky Shale responds thank you Jaron. Memories flooded back when you mentioned the Laughingstock and Channel 58. I remember the bow of the ship was a wooden smiling face with the lower jaw submerged. It looked like it was swallowing the sea and it had the that awful Edwin voice and laugh. I especially remember how jarring it was when they switched from the wooden plastic model to the foam puppet version of the head that talked. Mike Painter Response Haha. I remember now too. Do you remember that this part? Sky Shale you have to go inside. Skyshale Response Mike I got a chill reading that. Yes I remember. That's what the ship was always told Percy when there was a spooky place he had to go in like a cave or a dark room where the treasure was and the camera would push in on Laughingstock's face with each pause. You have to go inside with his two eyes askew and that flopping foam jaw and the fishing line that opened and closed it. It looks so cheap and awful. You guys remember the villain? He had a face that was just a handlebar mustache above really tall narrow teeth. Someone. Someone just there. Hello, it is Ryan and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on jumbaccasino.com I looked over the person sitting next to me and you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chumba Casino. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chumba Casino is home to hundreds of casino style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere. So sign up now@chumbacasino.com to claim your free welcome bonus. That's chumbacasino.com and live the Chumba Life. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW group Void where prohibited by law 21 + terms and conditions apply. Their username is called Kevin Hart says, I honestly, honestly thought the villain was Pirate Percy. I was about five when this show was on. Nightmare Fuel. Jaron chimes in again, that wasn't the villain, the puppet with the mustache. That was the villain sidekick, Horace. Horrible. He had a monocle too, but it was on top of the mustache. I used to think that meant he had only one eye. But yeah, the villain was another marionette, the skin taker. I can't believe that they let us watch that back then. Kevin responds, jesus H. Christ. The skin taker. What kind of kids show were we watching? I seriously could not look at the screen when the skin taker showed up. He just descended out of nowhere on his strings. Just a dirty skeleton wearing that brown top hat and cape and his glass eyes that were too big for his skull. Christ almighty. Skyshale says, wasn't his top hat and cloak all sewn up crazily? Was that supposed to be children's skin? Mike Painter says, yeah, I think so. Remember, his mouth didn't open and close. His jaw just slid back and forth. I remember the little girl said, why does your mouth move like that? And the skin taker didn't look at the girl but at the camera and said to grind your skin. Skyshale goes, I'm so relieved that other people remember this terrible show. I used to have this awful memory, a bad dream I had where the opening jingle ended, the show faded in from black and all of the characters were there, but the camera was just cutting to each of their faces and they were just screaming. And the puppets and marionettes were flailing spastically and just all screaming, screaming. The girl was just moaning and crying like she had been there for been through hours of this. I woke up many times from that nightmare. I used to wet the bed when I had it. Kevin goes, I don't think that was a dream. I remember that. I remember that was an episode. Sky Shale says, no, no, no, no, no, not, not possible. There was no plot or anything. I mean, literally just standing in place, crying and screaming for the whole show. Kevin says, maybe I'm manufacturing the memory because you said that, but I swear to God, I remember seeing what you described. They just screamed. Jaren goes, oh, God, yes. The. The little girl, Janice. I remember seeing her shake. And the skin taker screaming through his gnashing teeth, his jaw careening so wildly. I thought it would Come off his wire hinges. I turned it off, and it was the last time I watched. I ran to tell my brother, and we didn't have the courage to turn it back on. And I think time passes. This next post is like, later on. And Mike Painter posts again on this forum, and he goes, I visited my mom today at the nursing home. I asked her when I was little, in the early 70s, when I was 8 or 9, and if she remembered a kid's show, Candle Cove. She said she was surprised I could remember that. And I asked why? And she said, because I used to think it was so strange that you said, I'm gonna go watch Candle Cove now, Mom. And then you would tune the TV to static and just watch dead air for 30 minutes. You had such a big imagination with your little pirate show.
- [38:06]
Amanda
What the hell is going on?
- [38:09]
Shane
It's so good. I love how that's written. It's written so well. Like a forum, like, all these people. And what's really scary.
- [38:17]
Amanda
I thought it was a forum.
- [38:19]
Shane
No. Well, it's written like it. So when it was copy and pasted all over the Internet, people were like, wait, was this real?
- [38:25]
Amanda
It feels so.
- [38:26]
Shane
It's written so well.
- [38:28]
Amanda
It feels so real. Literally, while you were reading it, I was like, oh, wow, all these people, this is so fun. They're just reminiscing. Seriously. But.
- [38:36]
Shane
But it's such a relatable thing because how often are you talking about an old show when you were a kid and you're like, wasn't there a weird episode? And then when someone's like, yes, yes. And you're like, oh, my God, I thought it was crazy. That is real.
- [38:48]
Amanda
I do. I do that all the time with, like, are you afraid of the dark episodes where it's like, wait, you remember the mirror one, right? And people are like, yes.
- [38:55]
Shane
Yeah.
- [38:56]
Amanda
Wait. I truly, this whole time was like, oh, this is like a cool forum.
- [39:00]
Shane
It feels real. That's what makes these types of stories so scary is. Cause when I. When I would read them back in the day, when you're a teenager and stuff, and also people would amp it up like, it's real. It's like, did you read Candle Cove? You know it's real, right? We don't know if it's not real.
- [39:15]
Amanda
Well, the weird thing is, I feel like shows back in the 70s that somehow I, like, watched because, I don't know, my parents put it on or whatever that is. Like, it's very believable because you sit back and you go, wait, remember that show that we watched and was like, yeah, it was old school marionettes, like, creepy.
- [39:36]
Shane
It's so, so scary. Yeah, a 70s kids show already sounds scary, but I love that it doesn't go overboard. This story is. Is. This story is exactly what scares the. This scares me because it doesn't get to the point where it's like, and then they tried to kill me. It's like, no, I watched this kid show where they're screaming and then that's it. I'm like, that's just so unsettling.
- [39:58]
Amanda
It's very unsettling, I think, because if it went to the point where they were like, oh, they killed everyone, you'd be like, all right. I feel like being suspended in will they, won't they? Is what's the scariest thing? Do you know what I mean? Like, I think. And also seeing it through the eyes of this little girl, like, why. Why does your jaw do that?
- [40:19]
Shane
I know.
- [40:20]
Amanda
Like the back and forth jaw to grind your. Ugh.
- [40:25]
Shane
I know. It's so perfect. It's really well done.
- [40:29]
Amanda
It's so well done because I do think that, like, 70s. I remember that there was this movie about the Ice Queen back in the day, and it was this old 70s movie about, like, the Ice Queen and she would, like, come down from the sky. And it was like these little. And they were like, these kids were getting stolen. And I was like, I don't think that was real. And I talked to my sisters about it, although, like, oh, yeah, it was real. I also think, like, that generation and our generation, we watched some pretty dark shit. That's why this whole time I was sitting there like, oh, yeah, this is a forum. Completely forgot that it wasn't.
- [41:03]
Shane
It reminds me of Courage the Cowardly Dog. Did you ever watch that show?
- [41:07]
Amanda
No.
- [41:07]
Shane
Oh, my God. So Courage the Cowardly Dog was an incredible show. But I remember I would watch it and I didn't have many friends who at least talked about it, so it was kind of my own little experience. Courage the Cowardly Dog is about a. A dog that lives with two super old people in the middle of nowhere, Kansas. And it's literally. It's a joke. It's like middle of nowhere, Kansas, where it's this house and there's nothing. It's just plain desert around them. But every episode, something super creepy is coming to harm the old couple. And the dog is the only one who can save the day. But he's like, he's Courage the Cowardly Dog. So he's really scared, but he's always actually brave and handles it. But there's an episode. There's an episode that haunts me, and it haunts everyone who's watched the show, where somehow the old. The old man is like a piece of shit, right? He kind of hates the dog. He just is mad old. He gets this ancient slab, and he loves it. And he's like, I got my ancient slab. No way. But he keeps it. And then suddenly this, like, creepy spirit thing appears in the distance. And the shot is so scary. Cause it's like they open up the door and you just see this faint, like, outline of this thing. And it just goes, return the slab or suffer my curse. And they start dealing with plagues. And the dog is trying to get the slab back to the thing, but the old man doesn't. He just refuses. It's funny, but as a kid, No, I was destroyed. No, I was destroyed. And still, the vision of it. I'm like, okay, I recognize it's not scary, but it really scared me. The show, I think, eventually got canceled because they had an episode that was straight up too scary. And they were like, we need to stop this show. But they would do. They would do unsettling things. They would have things that don't look right.
- [42:54]
Amanda
And that's what's scary, when things don't look right. That's why this. This. This story scared me. Because it was, like, the thought of, like, things not looking right. And I do think it was, like, back in the day, like, budgets and not knowing. Like, claymation.
- [43:08]
Shane
Hot take, hot take. Practical effects will always scare me more than cgi. CGI stuff never scares me. Practical effect monsters really creep me out. And it's because they look cheap and janky.
- [43:22]
Amanda
Coraline. Coraline.
- [43:23]
Shane
It's the janky element. There's like in. In Hellraiser. Have you ever seen Hellraiser?
- [43:31]
Amanda
Maybe. Oh, yeah, yeah. The old school movie.
- [43:33]
Shane
I think it's okay as a movie. But there's the part where she suddenly enters this big, long, dark hallway. And then there's this practical effect monster that. That has, like, legs that just touch the sides of the wall and it starts running down the hallway. But it's this practical effect monster that looks. You're like. That's. You can tell it's fake, but that's kind of why it scared me.
- [43:58]
Amanda
Yes.
- [43:59]
Shane
I love that stuff.
- [44:00]
Amanda
I love that stuff. I would rather have practical effects. That's why Sixth Sense. Sorry. It's still one of the scariest movies ever, because it's just.
- [44:09]
Shane
Oh, true.
- [44:09]
Amanda
It's Just like ghosts. It's people. And they might have, like, a gunshot wound in the back of their head. Cgi.
- [44:16]
Shane
That movie's so good.
- [44:17]
Amanda
So good.
- [44:18]
Shane
Did you have a movie as a kid that ruined you? Because for me, it was, like I said, that Goosebumps episode. Did you have any movie that you watched that you were doomed for a while after?
- [44:30]
Amanda
I was really scared of the witches. Like the original, like Angelica Houston.
- [44:36]
Shane
I was never scared of witches. Witches have never scared me.
- [44:39]
Amanda
No, I was definitely scared of witches as you're talking. I know that there's something, but I can't quite think of it right now. I would say, are you afraid of the dark? There was a lot of episodes. There was also. This is really dumb, but I was very into Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, okay. Like, that was my time. And they had a double toil in Trouble movie. Do you remember that?
- [45:00]
Shane
I never watched any Mary.
- [45:01]
Amanda
It was called. Okay, well, you missed out.
- [45:04]
Shane
Okay.
- [45:05]
Amanda
They were. They were every career. They were spies, there were detectives, they were cowgirls, whatever. So it was. I think it was called Double Trouble. And they had, like, a deal with a witch in a mirror. I also am very scared of mirrors. Very scared of mirrors. Like, old mirrors.
- [45:20]
Shane
Oh, do you avoid them?
- [45:22]
Amanda
Well, I've had, like, a couple of weird things happen to me with mirrors.
- [45:25]
Shane
Okay. Do you wanna. Sure.
- [45:28]
Amanda
So remember how I talked about, like, estate sales things? Well, like when I was first dating H and I was living with my sister in an apartment, and my sister is a hypnotherapist. I. My friend Evan gave me this mirror, and it was like this long mirror with, like, old school paintings on it, whatever. And he's like, oh, it's from my apartment. Someone was selling their stuff. That's all he told me. I put the mirror in our apartment. And my sister was like, I don't fucking like that mirror. Get rid of that mirror. Like, it's got weird fucking juju. And I was like, oh, okay. And I felt that it was weird, but I, like, ignored it. Cause I was like, okay, Amanda, that's not real. So I put it in my bedroom. I had the same nightmare for one whole month. It was the same terrifying nightmare every night. An old woman would be below. So my door would creep open. The old woman would be below and a man would be above her, and she had this old school bun. And they would be looking in at me and I'd be like. And I would just sit there. And then onto my left, two heads popped out of my computer chair towards Me, like. And I would wake up, and I was first dating H, so he would sleep over all the time. And I would wake up in screams and tears to the point where I was like, just let it. Just, like, bear it. Let it happen. And I told my sister, and she was like, it's the fucking mirror. Where'd you get the mirror? And I was like, okay. You know? She was like, where did you get the mirror? So I was like, okay. So for a couple nights, I would, like, leave it outside the door and shut the door. The nightmares would, like, it would be, like, half the door would creep open, and then it would be the two old people, but they wouldn't be on the chair. So I was like, okay, maybe the mirror outside the door is fine.
- [47:15]
Shane
Okay.
- [47:16]
Amanda
I finally called Evan to investigate. I was like, okay, let me just investigate. Cause my sister's like, I don't want this fucking mirror in this house. You're having nightmares. You've had the same nightmare. You wake. You wake everyone up every night with a scream. And I was like, yeah, it's been really scary. I called Evan. I'm like, where'd you get this mirror? He's like, oh, this old woman died in my apartment. And they. The apartment was just selling her stuff. I was like, what? So the old woman just died in her apartment and the apartment. She had no family, so they just sold. Gave away her stuff. I was like, don't you see how fucked up that is? He's like, I don't believe in ghosts. I was like, well, buddy, me and mirrors are not friends. So I finally was like, this is this woman, this old woman who's been visiting me. It must be her. She must want her fucking mirror back. So, no lie. I was like, all right, I'm getting rid of the mirror. It's like an old memory. But we went outside, I put the mirror down for one second on the grass. A Prius, out of fucking nowhere, I swear to God, pulls up, this woman comes out, grabs the mirror, opens thing, doesn't even say hi, puts it in her car. And I was like, you might want to sage it. Didn't even hear me. Drove off. Never had the nightmare ever again.
- [48:36]
Shane
What the.
- [48:37]
Amanda
Yeah. Yeah.
- [48:40]
Shane
Okay. So, I mean, so you've been buying your mirrors from Target ever since.
- [48:44]
Amanda
Me and my friend Evan, we joke about it because he's like, come on a minute. I'm like, and now I have my sister and Garde to back me up.
- [48:50]
Shane
That.
- [48:51]
Amanda
That was a thing that happened. So now when I go to that friend's houses when they have weird mirrors. I'm like, where'd you get this fucking mirror? Estate sale. Mirrors. So Double Trouble.
- [49:03]
Shane
So you don't have ghost. You don't have ghost stories, but you have mirror stories.
- [49:06]
Amanda
Mirror stories.
- [49:07]
Shane
That's.
- [49:08]
Amanda
And Double Trouble was all about a witch coming through a mirror with Mary Kay and Ashley Olsen. If I watch it now, I'd probably be like, this movie's so stupid.
- [49:19]
Shane
So it was the exact same dream every single night. Like, not even. Slight differentiation. Wow.
- [49:26]
Amanda
Old woman. Man.
- [49:27]
Shane
And it was your room.
- [49:28]
Amanda
My room.
- [49:28]
Shane
I never have dreams where I'm, like, in my actual place.
- [49:31]
Amanda
That's always where my dream. My night terrors. My night terrors are when I wake up and I see what I've been dreaming about in my room. But the thing is, I don't know if I'm sleepwalking or if I'm actually awake. I haven't quite figured it out, but it's very scary. So I have to, like, shut closet doors because if there's, like, a little bit of darkness through a doorway. Yeah. And I don't have a mirror in my room.
- [49:54]
Shane
Sure, sure. Yeah, I wouldn't either. Yeah. Not gonna have mirrors anytime soon.
- [50:01]
Amanda
Yeah, it's weird. It's not like a party conversation that I normally have. You guys have mirrors in your room.
- [50:07]
Shane
You guys want to hear some fucking scary.
- [50:10]
Amanda
Oh, my God.
- [50:12]
Shane
All right, here's our last.
- [50:13]
Amanda
I can't wait.
- [50:14]
Shane
This is. This is not about mirrors. Now we're getting into the woods.
- [50:19]
Amanda
Oh.
- [50:20]
Shane
I read this one a long time ago, and this is one that I read where I didn't know if it was real or not. And so when I read it, I kind of took it as real, and it scared the crap out of me. There's one aspect of this that's, like, my favorite. I have thought about it so much, but I read this a long time ago. This is definitely 10 years old. This I found on Reddit.
- [50:40]
Amanda
Is it real?
- [50:41]
Shane
I don't think so.
- [50:42]
Amanda
Okay.
- [50:43]
Shane
I don't think so. I'm going to say no.
- [50:45]
Amanda
Okay.
- [50:45]
Shane
But we'll see. So this comes from a user named Search and Rescue Woods. And the post is. I'm a Search and Rescue officer for the U.S. forest Service. I have some stories to tell. Oh. I wasn't sure where else to post these stories, so I figured I'd share them here. I've been an SAR officer for a few years now, and along the way, I've seen some things I think you guys will be interested in. I have a Pretty good track record for finding missing people. Most of the time they just wander off the path or slip down a small cliff and they can't find their way back. The majority of them have heard the old stay where you are thing and they don't wander far. But I've had two cases where that didn't happen. Both bother me a lot, and I use them as motivation to search even harder. On the missing person cases I get called on. The first was a little boy who was out berry picking with his parents. He and his sister were together and both of them went missing around the same time. The parents lost sight of them for a few seconds, and in that time, both kids apparently wandered off. When the parents couldn't find them, they called us and we came out to search the area. We found the daughter pretty quickly, and when we asked her where her brother was, she told us that he'd been taken away by the bear man. She said he gave her berries and told her to stay quiet and he wanted to play with her brother for a while. The last she saw of her brother, he was riding on the shoulders of the bear man and seemed calm. Of course, our first thought was abduction, but we never found a trace of another human being in that area. The little girl was also insistent that he wasn't a normal man, but that he was tall and covered in hair like a bear and that he had a weird face. We searched the area for weeks, and it was. And it was one of the longest calls I've ever been on, but we never found a single trace of that kid. The other was a young woman who was out hiking with her mom and grandpa. According to the mother, her daughter had climbed up a tree to get a better view of the forest and she'd never come back down. They waited at the base of the tree for hours, calling her name before they called for help again. We searched everywhere and we never found a trace of her. I have no idea where she possibly could have gone because neither her mother nor her grandpa saw her come down. A few times. I've been out on my own searching with a canine, and they've tried to lead me straight up cliffs, not hills, not even rock faces. Straight, sheer cliffs with no possible handholds. It's always baffling, and in those cases, we usually find the person on the other side of the cliff or miles away from where the canine has led us. I'm sure there's an explanation, but it's sort of strange. I was teamed up with another SAR officer because we'd received reports of bears in the area. We were looking for a guy who hadn't come home from climbing from a climbing trip when he was supposed to. And we ended up having to do some serious climbing to get where we figured he'd be. We found him trapped in a small crevasse with a broken leg. It was not pleasant. He'd been there for almost two days, and his leg was very obviously infected. We were able to get him into a chopper, and I heard from one of the EMTs that the guy was absolutely inconsolable. He kept talking about how he'd been doing fine, and when he'd gotten to the top, a man had been there. He said the guy had no climbing equipment and he was wearing a parka and ski pants. He walked up to the guy, and when the guy turned around, he said he had no face, it was just blank. He freaked out and ended up trying to get off the mountain too fast, which is why he'd fallen. He said he could hear the guy all night, climbing down the mountain and letting out these horrible, muffled screams. That story bothered the hell out of me. I'm glad I wasn't there to hear it. One of the scariest things I've had happen to me involved the search for a young woman who'd gotten separated from her hiking group. We were out until late night because the dogs had picked up her scent. When we found her, she was curled up under a large rotted log. She was missing her shoes and pack, and she was clearly in shock. She didn't have any injuries, and we were able to get her to walk with us to the base ops. Along the way, she kept looking back behind us and asking why that big man with black eyes was following us. We couldn't see anyone, so we just wrote it off as some weird symptom of shock. But the closer we got to base, the more agitated this woman got. She kept asking me to tell him to stop making faces at her. At one point, she stopped and turned around and started yelling into the forest, saying that she wanted him to leave her alone. She wasn't going to go with him, she said, and she wouldn't give it give us to him. We finally got her to keep moving, but we started hearing these weird noises coming from all around us. It was almost like coughing, but more rhythmic and deeper. It was almost insect like. I don't really know how else to describe it. When we were within sight of base ops, the woman turns to me, and her eyes are about as wide as I can imagine. A human could open them. She touches my shoulder and says, he says to tell you to speed up. He doesn't like looking at the scar on your neck. I have a very small scar on the base of my neck, but it's mostly hidden under my collar, and I have no idea how this woman saw it. Right after she says it, I hear that weird coughing right in my ear, and I just about jumped out of my skin. I hustled her to ops, trying not to show how freaked out I was. But I have to say I was really happy when we left the area that night. This last one I'll tell, and it's probably the weirdest story I have. Now, I don't know if this is true in every SAR unit, but in mine, it's sort of an unspoken, regular thing we run into. You can try asking about it with other SAR officers, but even if they know what you're talking about, they probably won't say anything about it. We've been told not to talk about it by our superiors, and at this point, we've all gotten so used to it that doesn't even seem weird anymore. On just about every case where we're really far into the wilderness, I'm talking 30 or 40 miles. At some point we'll find a staircase in the middle of the woods. It's almost like if you took the stairs in your house, cut them out, and put them in the forest. I asked about it the first time I saw some and the other officer just told me not to worry about it, that it was normal. Everyone I asked said the same thing. I wanted to go check them out, but I was told very emphatically that I should never go near any of them. I just sort of ignore them now when I run into them because it happens so frequently. I have a lot more stories, and I suppose if anyone's interested, I'll tell them some of them tomorrow. If anyone has any theories about the stairs, or if you've seen them too, let me know. What the staircase. The staircase one sticks with me.
- [56:38]
Amanda
Sure this isn't real?
- [56:39]
Shane
I don't think it's real. That's my theory. I don't think it's real.
- [56:42]
Amanda
What happened?
- [56:43]
Shane
Posted this. This user posted a bunch more parts.
- [56:46]
Amanda
Did he find the boy?
- [56:47]
Shane
I don't. According to him, no. This is. This is like the.
- [56:52]
Amanda
So do you think that this guy is not a real search and rescue person?
- [56:55]
Shane
I don't. I think this is someone who writes really good stories and creates this lore.
- [57:00]
Amanda
That'S kind of amazing.
- [57:01]
Shane
It's really well done. No, I have a lot of respect for this writer. I mean, these are really cool. I read like Part two and there's some cool ones. There's one where this. They were searching for this guy and this old man who had gone hiking on a trail and they found his cane way up in a tree. Like so far up in a tree that they're like, nobody could even throw it up there. But this old man, there's no way he got up there. But there. There was no other, like evidence of him. There's there. I love stories like that. I mean, like, in a scary way where I'm like just pure mystery. And what's going on the staircase one? Absolutely. I picture it all the time. Oh, just being out 30 miles out into the woods in the middle of nowhere and seeing a staircase. Terrifying.
- [57:48]
Amanda
Really. I actually think it's like mystical.
- [57:50]
Shane
Like it's mystical, but it's also scary. It's scary to me. Cause I'm like. That is so unknown.
- [57:55]
Amanda
Yes.
- [57:56]
Shane
You're treading into complete mystery. And that's that. It's a different type of scary. That's my favorite. That's like. I get like a rush of like where my. All of my. You know, when your eyes water and your skin stands up, that's where I get that.
- [58:11]
Amanda
I love. I feel like I grew up in the woods too. And we literally live on a state park. I think I told you this. And where I grew up. And so there's so many. There's so much woods. And I don't know if I told you this, but I grew up with a bunch of Norwegian like 19 year old Au pair vibe. Maybe people who wanted to like live in America. My mom, I four sisters. So my mom and dad worked all the time. So people wanted to live in America, would live with us.
- [58:44]
Shane
Okay.
- [58:45]
Amanda
And they were also like. We would call them our nannies or au pairs or whatever. So they would just like hang out with us, take us to school and stuff like that. And we had all different types. We had two sisters who lived with us the most. And gradstal. They're from Norway.
- [59:00]
Shane
Okay.
- [59:00]
Amanda
So every time we were in the woods all the time to like walk and I had camp there, they would tell us about the Norwegian trolls.
- [59:08]
Shane
Cool, right? I love that. Trolls is their thing.
- [59:12]
Amanda
We had them all throughout our room. We had the old creepy trolls with the jewels in their belly button and the crazy old hair. So they would tell us that these trolls would hide behind trees all around.
- [59:24]
Shane
The trees in Norway.
- [59:26]
Amanda
No, where we were.
- [59:28]
Shane
Okay.
- [59:28]
Amanda
This was like their thing, like, in the woods. This was what they would tell us, that trolls would be following us just to make sure that we were doing good things. Like, we were being good, we were on our best behavior, and if we turned around quick enough, we could catch the little troll, like, hiding behind. Cause they had big, big crazy hair. And I'm not kidding. Like, you know, you just, like, treat that as normal. But I think my sister was like, hey, should I buy this troll and send it to you? And I was like, oh, my God. And it opened up this whole world. And then on Netflix, that movie called Troll, I was like, mom, do you remember Troll? And she was like, oh, yeah. Tova and Monica just had you guys believing that there were trolls all around the woods. I was like, no, I still believe that they're out there thing. So I feel, like, weird, mystical. See, I attach it to, like, mystical creatures rather than, like, creepy, like, guys with black eyes, I guess. Yeah. I don't see the woods like that.
- [60:29]
Shane
But I'm the same way, where I just think of, like, the woods feel so mysterious. And I love Bigfoot stories. I love the idea of cryptids. I love the idea of there being creatures out there that we don't know. And I also love that every single place has their own thing. Right? Yes, you can see. Have you ever seen the map of Cryptids of, like, I don't know what a cryptid is. A cryptid is a creature that has not been identified and. Or it's, you know, it's kind of, like, mythical. Like, Bigfoot is a cryptid because it's. They. People say there is a giant ape in the US but they don't know where it is.
- [61:09]
Amanda
There's a recent video of Bigfoot I saw.
- [61:12]
Shane
I don't know if that's. I. I don't buy it, but I. I want to believe in it. But there's also talk of. There's a. There's a clip that constantly goes viral on Tick Tock of this guy talking about how in the Congo, in Africa, there was apparently a sighting of, like, a massive snake. And. And then you also have, like, the Jersey Devil. You have. I've heard Mothman. You have all these things.
- [61:36]
Amanda
There's something on the east coast that my dad was just telling me about. It's by the Bridgewater Triangle. It's like, it has, like, spikes and it's. I forget what it's called. Oh, pudgy pudgy wudgy wudgy pudgy Pudgy. My dad told.
- [61:49]
Shane
Talk about a not scary name.
- [61:50]
Amanda
You know, my dad believes in all this shit. He picked me up and told me about Pudgy Wudgies. He's like, yeah, Pudgy Wedgies.
- [61:55]
Shane
Look at the tales of Pudgy Wudgy. He's coming for you.
- [62:00]
Amanda
It's really creepy.
- [62:01]
Shane
I. Do you believe. Do you believe in any, like, Pudgy Wudgy?
- [62:05]
Amanda
When I looked it up, I was like, all right, dad.
- [62:06]
Shane
Not. Not Pudgy Wudgy.
- [62:08]
Amanda
Do I believe in Bigfoot? I.
- [62:10]
Shane
Or just. Or just any sort of.
- [62:12]
Amanda
I believe in like. Like mystical, like fairy. Like.
- [62:15]
Shane
You believe in fairies?
- [62:16]
Amanda
Yes.
- [62:17]
Shane
Okay, I know. What are they? What do they. In what way? What do they look like? Not. Not like little people with butterfly wings.
- [62:25]
Amanda
Depends. I do believe because. Because also in the woods in Massachusetts, some people would just build fairy houses and leave them. Like, my mom builds fairy houses for fun.
- [62:35]
Shane
Oh, what does a fairy house look like?
- [62:36]
Amanda
Oh, my God. It can look like anything. It. But right by our house, there's this, like, old school mansion. And there's all these fairy houses everywhere that artists build. And they look totally. They look whatever you want them to look like.
- [62:49]
Shane
Like a birdhouse?
- [62:50]
Amanda
No, like they're on the ground.
- [62:52]
Shane
Oh.
- [62:52]
Amanda
Like, you know those little champagne. Champagne caps that you roll off? That's a table. That's a fairy table. So they look really. Oh, my God, you would love it.
- [63:01]
Shane
That's so cool.
- [63:02]
Amanda
There's some that are made out of stone, out of wood. There's like little stairs. Some of them have like a whole reading nook.
- [63:08]
Shane
And you believe that there's fairies living in those? I'm not judging you. I'm asking you.
- [63:14]
Amanda
My magical brain is like, hell, yeah, there's fairies. I believe that there's like, little.
- [63:20]
Shane
I think.
- [63:20]
Amanda
Cause I grew up with the trolls that it attached to, like a mystical belief rather than like Bigfoot and these, like, big creatures. I believe in, like these little, like fairy creatures that live around here. I don't know if they necessarily have wings. I don't know. I haven't fully been asked that question yet.
- [63:39]
Shane
I mean, hey, I respect it.
- [63:41]
Amanda
I think I do believe.
- [63:41]
Shane
That's a new one for me.
- [63:43]
Amanda
I think I do believe in fairies. Cause I think I love. I love little tiny things. Like little tiny, like cups and stuff. I would love to take you to these fairy houses. You would be astonished or unbelievable.
- [63:57]
Shane
It sounds great. I'll look it up. Stuart Little could also live in them.
- [64:02]
Amanda
I remember Stuart Little. So, yeah, I believe in fairies.
- [64:05]
Shane
Okay.
- [64:06]
Amanda
Fuck. Yeah.
- [64:08]
Shane
I almost thought about doing our segment again where we make up a lie. And for. Let's do it where we. Where we say something about, like, seeing Bigfoot or seeing fairies or something, but. Okay. Should I say I've seen Bigfoot?
- [64:21]
Amanda
Yeah.
- [64:22]
Shane
Okay.
- [64:22]
Amanda
Because you live it. Doesn't Bigfoot live in Colorado?
- [64:25]
Shane
He's more like. He's more Seattle and Oregon. Okay, okay. Let me try to think.
- [64:32]
Amanda
I think it's like.
- [64:33]
Shane
Okay, I have. Let me. Let me tell this story. Okay. All right. So for those who are watching this podcast. This is a lie. This is not true. I've never seen Bigfoot. Never at all. I've never actually. I know. Never mind. I have seen bears, but I'm gonna tell. I have an idea of how to tell this story. So I've. I have seen Bigfoot or I've seen what. What I can only describe as Bigfoot. I don't talk about it much because people would think I'm crazy. I was camping in Colorado, and we were way out on this. In this campsite that's pretty far out from. From anywhere, from any main roads or anything. And we're hiking. And we're hiking in the evening, not too far from camp. And we're hiking along one side of a valley. And I can see across the valley down. And there's a river down below, small river. And I see the faint outline of a bear. And I've seen bears before in Colorado, black bears. This one was more brown, like a dark brown. And that scared me because I thought, oh, it's a. It's a grizzly bear. And I. I thought it was on all fours, and I think it was. And then I noticed I. As I pass by a tree, I come back around, and it's standing on its. On its haunches.
- [65:50]
Amanda
Stop it now.
- [65:52]
Shane
And I. And I think maybe. Oh, is it. Is it. Look, is this bear looking over at us? But then I noticed that it's. It's just fully standing and it's. It's looking at me, and I'm like, this structure of this thing is not a bear. And it's way too tall to be a black bear standing on its haunches. And it's standing there looking at me. And then it steps to the side, which a bear would never be able to do. And then it's gone. And it's just gone. And my brothers didn't see it. It's so well blended in.
- [66:22]
Amanda
Gone.
- [66:22]
Shane
It just. Well, it just, like, stood. It went behind a tree into the brush and then it's just so blended in. But I know what I saw, and it was looking directly at me. And I mean, it's far away, but I know that, that I know what that was.
- [66:38]
Amanda
Shane, did you see Bigfoot?
- [66:40]
Shane
I, I, I, I guess so.
- [66:43]
Amanda
Holy cut.
- [66:49]
Shane
Cut. Boom. People are not, people are not gonna believe that one.
- [66:54]
Amanda
Oh my God.
- [66:55]
Shane
They're gonna, that's gonna end up like those Joe Rogan clips with like the, it's like, it's like I saw Bigfoot.
- [67:02]
Amanda
You showed. Yeah.
- [67:03]
Shane
Do you want to try to do one?
- [67:05]
Amanda
I feel like, I feel like the mirror ones.
- [67:07]
Shane
Mirror ones are. Yeah, that might actually be.
- [67:10]
Amanda
Mirror one's just actually real.
- [67:12]
Shane
My lie is probably not gonna get as many clicks as that real story, which is awful. All right. Okay. I think we've run out of time.
- [67:21]
Amanda
Yeah, we have. We have run out of time, which we always do.
- [67:23]
Shane
Yeah. Happy Halloween to everyone. Before we go, what's the best Halloween candy?
- [67:28]
Amanda
Oh, Reese's Cup.
- [67:30]
Shane
Yeah, I was gonna say Reese's Cup. I was gonna say Reese's Cup.
- [67:33]
Amanda
What did you say? Did you trade your Halloween candy when you were little?
- [67:37]
Shane
I mean, not because nobody's going to trade a Reese's Cup.
- [67:41]
Amanda
Oh, my sisters did.
- [67:42]
Shane
But I would trade all the like, shitty, like the fruity like ones that are shaped like fast food.
- [67:47]
Amanda
Awful, Nasty.
- [67:48]
Shane
Get it out of my.
- [67:48]
Amanda
Reese's cup is the bomb.
- [67:50]
Shane
It's the absolute best. I do think Milky Ways are a waste of time.
- [67:54]
Amanda
Okay, I kind of disagree because three Musketeers are bomb.
- [67:57]
Shane
Oh, those are incredible.
- [67:58]
Amanda
Okay, but Milky Way, three Musketeers, Reese's.
- [68:00]
Shane
Top two, Butterfinger also, I, I've. Those have grown on me. I wasn't a fan as a kid. I rarely got them.
- [68:06]
Amanda
Yeah, cuz they're special.
- [68:07]
Shane
Anyways, anyways. Happy Halloween, you freaks.
- [68:11]
Amanda
Happy Halloween. Get spooky.
- [68:15]
Shane
Be creepy.
- [68:17]
Amanda
Be creepy to your neighbors.
- [68:18]
Shane
We'll see you later. Happy Halloween, Bigfoot.
- [68:21]
Amanda
Bye, Bigfoot.
- [68:22]
Shane
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