SPOKED — "Flora and the Fox" (Classic) March 13, 2026 | Hosted by Glynn Washington | Produced by KQED & Snap Studios

Episode Overview

This classic episode of Spooked centers on a chilling true story shared by listener Flora. At 16, Flora returns to her family in Macau for summer, only to encounter an inexplicable and terrifying series of events involving her young cousin—behavioral disturbances, unsettling supernatural symptoms, and a dramatic spiritual intervention. The episode explores the collision of family, folklore, and the unseen forces that sometimes shape our lives.

Main Themes

• Supernatural Possession: The main story investigates the possibility of a child being overtaken by a fox spirit, rooted in Chinese/Indonesian folklore.
• Family and Vulnerability: Flora and her relatives struggle to understand and protect a child caught in something beyond their comprehension.
• Intersection of Tradition and Modern Life: The role of healers, Buddhist icons, and folk beliefs in a contemporary, multicultural family experience.

Detailed Story Breakdown

Host’s Introduction: "The Stories We Write and Live"

[00:02–04:16 | Glynn Washington]

• Glynn shares a personal anecdote about discovering a long-forgotten screenplay eerily mirroring his own son's character and life.
• The story sets a tone of fate and unseen forces shaping our realities.
• Memorable Quote:

  “We imagine that we're in control of things, but we never see our puppet strings.”
  — Glynn Washington [00:02]

Flora’s Story Begins: "An Unsettling Summer"

[05:07–11:00 | Flora]

• Flora (16, from Montreal) spends a summer in Macau.
• Her uncle arrives with his son—a boy around 7–8, sluggish, withdrawn, and disturbingly intrusive in his behavior (“Can I see your bra?” “Slapped my mom’s butt”).
• Family dismisses his actions as childish, but Flora and the other women feel unsafe.
• Behind closed doors, Flora overhears adults acknowledge the abnormality—he’s exhibited the same behavior in Indonesia and came to Macau for a healer.
• Notable Moment:

  “There was something that felt unsafe when I was with him. It just didn’t feel comfortable.”
  — Flora [08:20]

The Fox and the Goddess: "Signs and Omens at Home"

[11:00–17:00 | Flora]

• The cousin becomes obsessed with a statue of Guanyin (Buddhist Goddess of Mercy), calling her “a killer” and asking Flora to turn the statue around.
• Flora discovers the cousin avoids the nook where Guanyin sits—she begins spending most of her time there as a shield.
• Family tradition includes visiting a well-known local healer in mainland China.

The Exorcism: "Meeting the Healer"

[17:00–27:00 | Flora]

• Flora, her father, uncle, and cousin visit the healer.
• The healer skips her usual order and insists on seeing the cousin first.
• In the healing room, the cousin resists violently, his body contorting, his voice changing and speaking in an ancient dialect even his father barely understands.
• Translated, he says things like, “She smells like a killer,” and expresses fear of Guanyin’s image.
• Memorable Quote:

  “It was like...my cousin's not there anymore. It was an animal just clawing and just kept saying, get her away from me. Who are you? What is your name?”
  — Flora [22:14]

• The room fills with a foul, "putrid" odor as the cousin coughs up mucus, the healer commanding, “Get out. You don’t belong here.”
• The healer calls on Guanyin for help; a violent rainstorm erupts outside despite clear skies moments earlier.
• The healer identifies the entity: “Hu Li Chu Lai” (Fox, come out).
• After a final fit, the boy collapses—and then, as the air clears and the storm stops, emerges totally changed: lively, social, and entirely himself again.
• Notable Moment:

  “Then a different kid came out of the room. He was bouncing up and down, he’s smiling, he’s talking. He was skipping like—you know, he came out and talked to me like a normal kid.”
  — Flora [28:00]

Aftermath and Reflection: "Reckoning with the Unseen"

[28:00–30:16 | Flora]

• The cousin has no memory of prior events, is unbothered by the Guanyin statue, and acts like any other child.
• Flora contemplates the legend of the fox—Wu Lei Jing—and wonders how the spirit took hold (the family home in Indonesia was reputedly built on a “foxhole”).
• Flora interprets the entity’s actions as attempts to isolate her cousin from protective, positive family energy, thus making him easier prey.
• Memorable Quote:

  “I can't even describe it. It was like a different person was in the house. A child was back.”
  — Flora [30:10]

Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Unseen Influence:
  “We imagine that we're in control of things, but we never see our puppet strings.”
  — Glynn Washington [00:02]

• On Discomfort:
  “There was something that felt unsafe when I was with him. It just didn’t feel comfortable.”
  — Flora [08:20]

• During the Exorcism:
  “It was like...my cousin's not there anymore. It was an animal just clawing and just kept saying, get her away from me. Who are you? What is your name?”
  — Flora [22:14]

• Transformation:
  “Then a different kid came out of the room. He was bouncing up and down, he’s smiling, he’s talking. He was skipping like—you know, he came out and talked to me like a normal kid.”
  — Flora [28:00]

• Fox Spirit Revealed:
  "The healer finally said, hu li chu lai. Hu li is fox. Chu lai is come out."
  — Flora [26:30]

• Reflection:
  “I can't even describe it. It was like a different person was in the house. A child was back.”
  — Flora [30:10]

Key Takeaways and Folklore Insights

• The story echoes classic East Asian folklore of fox spirits (hu li jing), often known for possessing, seducing, or manipulating humans.
• The household rituals (incense, Guanyin) play a crucial role in the story's resolution, melding Buddhist iconography with folk belief.
• The possession isolated the cousin by making him act in alienating ways; the healer recognized and reversed this, restoring his social connection and "brightness."
• The atmospheric transformation—thunderstorm, smells, the abrupt calm—adds eerie validation to the spiritual cause.

Final Thoughts

Flora's account is a gripping, firsthand intersection of family anxiety, folklore, and the uncanny. It’s an intimate look at how communities interpret and confront the inexplicable, and how healing isn't just about the body, but about bringing someone back into the fold of family and light.

Produced by: Annie Nguyen
Score by: Doug Stewart
Host: Glynn Washington

“Let the record reflect real people telling you their real truth. Spooked.”
— Glynn Washington [30:16]