Snap Judgment: “Knock Knock” (October 30, 2025)

Podcast: Snap Judgment (PRX)
Host: Glynn Washington et al.
Episode Theme:
The “Knock Knock” episode blends raw, immersive storytelling with music to delve into tales of supernatural encounters and ancestral mysteries. Focused on stories “from the edge,” the episode invites listeners to consider the boundaries between past and present, the seen and the unseen, through first-person narratives of ghostly happenings and mythic encounters—from post-war Chicago to the hills of India.

1. Main Theme & Purpose

Snap Judgment’s “Knock Knock” episode, part of the Spooked series, explores how brushes with the supernatural shape identities, families, and communities. The episode weaves together personal stories where knocking, spirits, and mysterious lights serve as portals between worlds—reminding us that the past and the unknown often remain just a heartbeat away.

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

Story 1: “Knock Knock Ghost” (Connie Shirakawa)

• [03:28–20:37]

Setting:

• Post-WWII Chicago, Japanese American community navigating life after internment.
• Connie’s family runs a boarding house for men just released from the camps.

Childhood in the Boarding House:

• Connie describes her early freedom and oddities of her home: “I was like Eloise at the Plaza Hotel...I had a little key so I could run up and down the stairs.” (05:30)
• The family uses post-war army issue items (“army issue blanket, knives and forks that said US on them.”)

The Enigmatic Wall & The Knock:

• Connie discovers a mysterious communicative knocking in her childhood bedroom wall during a moment of anxiety about a school exam.
  • “For no particular reason, I just hit it. I instantly heard—” (09:00)
  • Learns one knock = “yes,” two knocks = “no.” The knocks answer her questions, some important, some childlike.
• Realization: There’s no one on the other side of the wall, and neighbors confirm the room next door is empty.
• The knocks become a private companion, linked to comfort and truth during formative years:
  • “It was kind of like a reassuring friend that would soothe me and tell me what I wanted to know.” (11:45)

Family History—A Haunting Legacy:

• A found Ouija board triggers her mother’s trauma from internment camp:
  • The same YES/NO knocking once helped internees make sense of bleak futures. (14:55)
  • “That’s when I realized it must be the same ghost. Because the table knocked on the floor.” (16:30)
• The ghost seems tied to the family’s survival and searching for answers amidst chaos.

Loss & Growing Up:

• Father’s sudden death; Connie desperately knocks for supernatural reassurance—which the ghost gives, confirming his death.
  • “I was sobbing. I was banging on the wall, hurting my hand… The knock knock ghost answered me. He was dead.” (18:17)
• The knocking stops as Connie takes on adult responsibilities—a symbolic end to childhood.
• Long after, the old house is torn down, but a TV news segment shows the wall resisting demolition.
  • “The newscaster said the wreckers have been trying to bring down this wall all week. The wall would not fall.” (19:40)
• Reflection on the permanence of trauma, memory, and unseen presences.

Lingering Mysteries:

• In adulthood, the knock returns during hard times:
  • “Recently, I was sleeping. It was early in the morning and I heard this knock. And it woke me up. It wasn’t that it was loud. It was that I knew that knock. It was so clear, just like the old days.” (20:17)

Notable Quotes:

• “It was the same signal. That’s when I realized it must be the same ghost. Because the knocks. Because the table knocked on the floor.” (16:24 – Connie Shirakawa)
• “After my father died, I didn’t knock on the wall again. I was in charge of the house and I didn’t have time…I didn’t have time to knock on the wall anymore.” (19:12 – Connie Shirakawa)
• “There were other walls that were just as thick, but it was that wall with the knock knock ghost that didn’t come down.” (19:50 – Connie Shirakawa)

Story 2: “The Dancing Lights” (Chaitanu Razdan)

• [22:34–40:37]

Setting:

• Jammu, India—foothills of the Himalayas.
• Grandfather narrates a decades-old experience of supernatural danger to his grandson.

The Grandfather’s Tale:

• In the early 1950s, while traveling to inspect food supplies, grandfather is stranded at night in the forest due to a broken-down bus.
• Begins a journey alone through the dark—describes natural fears: “He could hear crows, wild dogs barking… He was not afraid. He was used to places like these.” (25:30)
• Encounters multiple flickering lights—balls of fire that appear, disappear, and seem to circle around him.
• Fear mounts as the lights multiply and close in:
  • “In the horizon in front of him, there were 50, 60 lights…crisscrossing, jumping 50ft in irregular patterns…It was like a dance of those lights.” (31:18)
• Culturally, these are regarded as supernatural spirits or beings called “Ra chok” or “Brahma Ra chok”—trickster entities that prey on travelers.

Survival—Faith, Ritual, and Iron:

• Grandfather follows folk wisdom:
  • Sits cross-legged, places iron objects before him, chants the Hanuman Chalisa (a Hindu prayer) for protection.
  • When he opens his eyes, the lights are gone.
• When he arrives, local villagers confirm the phenomenon’s danger:
  • “You should consider yourself very lucky that you made it to my place tonight. Not everybody’s been so lucky.” (36:42)
• The village head explains: people who chase these dancing lights often disappear forever.

Lasting Legacy:

• The storyteller, now an adult, continues to wear an iron ring—a protective practice inspired by family tradition.
  • “Just keeps me safe, let’s put it that way.” (40:25)

Notable Quotes:

• “If you ever see a light in the forest at a far off distance, never approach it or go towards it. Just make sure you follow your path.” (24:17 – Grandfather)
• “It was like a dance of those lights.” (31:18 – Grandfather’s narrative)
• “There have been people we never found again…you are lucky that you did not leave the trail and start following those lights.” (38:00 – Village Head)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Connie Shirakawa:

• “It was kind of like a reassuring friend that would soothe me and tell me what I wanted to know.” (11:45)
• “After my father died, I didn’t knock on the wall again.” (19:12)
• “Every couple years I knock just to see, just to check if the ghost will answer me—and never answered.” (20:00)

Chaitanu Razdan’s Grandfather:

• “Some people also call it Brahma Raa chok. They say that ra chok is a human-like creature on two legs and it has a fire on its head. It creates an illusion, makes you take the wrong road…” (37:03)

Host Glynn Washington:

• “When you think, you feel that whisper of rain on your skin…You may be standing exactly where the ancients would have built a temple … where the mystery still dwells, still watches, still waits.” (44:30)

4. Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment/Content | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:28 | Beginning of Connie Shirakawa’s “Knock Knock Ghost” story | | 11:45 | Connie describes the “reassuring friend” of the knocking ghost | | 16:24 | Realization the knock ghost matches her mother's internment story | | 18:17 | Father’s death and seeking confirmation from the ghost | | 19:40 | The wall resists demolition—symbolic and literal resilience | | 20:17 | Ghost’s return in adulthood | | 22:34 | Introduction of Chaitanu Razdan and grandfather’s light encounter | | 25:30 | Grandfather’s journey into the forest begins | | 31:18 | Terrifying dance of supernatural lights described | | 36:42 | Village head explains dangers of the “Ra chok” | | 40:25 | Adult storyteller’s continuation of the safety ritual | | 44:30 | Glynn Washington reflects on places, mystery, and ancient wisdom |

5. Tone & Style

The narratives are intimate, deeply personal, and often poetic. The music and pacing build atmosphere and resonance, evoking both wonder and unease. The hosts and storytellers use vivid, nostalgic language, remaining true to the voices and lived experiences of those featured.

6. Summary Table of Stories

| Story & Speaker | Setting | Supernatural Element | Core Message/Insight | |-----------------------|----------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------------| | Connie Shirakawa | Chicago (post-WWII) | “Knock Knock Ghost” – a guiding, ancestral presence | Trauma, resilience, unseen connections to family history | | Chaitanu Razdan | Jammu, India | “Dancing Lights”/Ra chok trickster spirits, and protective folk rituals | Power of tradition and faith in the face of the unknown |

7. Conclusion

“Knock Knock” invites us to listen for echoes—the knock on the wall, flickering lights in the dark, the stories families carry, and the signs that the past (and the inexplicable) are never too far away. Both tales underscore the need for guidance, protection, and connection, whether to a familial spirit or a ritual passed across generations.

Memorable Sign-Off:
“Never, ever, never, never ever turn out the lights.” (Glynn Washington, 45:00)