Spooked – “Santi – Classic”
Podcast: Spooked
Host: Glynn Washington
Episode Date: December 19, 2025
Episode Overview
In this classic Spooked episode, “Santi,” storyteller Maribel Plasencia recounts the deeply personal and supernatural experience she had after the tragic loss of her beloved little brother, Santiago ("Santi"), in Mexico. The episode explores themes of grief, sibling bonds, the mysterious boundary between life and death, and how a family copes with unbearable loss—culminating in supernatural encounters that challenge what we imagine about the afterlife.
Key Discussion Points & Story Sections
1. Introduction: Setting the Scene
- [03:23] Glynn Washington introduces the episode, pointing out how projections of grief or terror are “just projections … sure. But projections don’t talk back.”
- The story is framed as both a deeply personal loss and a supernatural event (the Spooked signature tone: a mix of empathy, mystery, and intensity).
2. Childhood & Sibling Bond
- [05:33] Maribel begins her story by describing her close relationship with her little brother, Santi.
- “He hated being alone. When I’d leave for school, he’d also cry because he didn’t follow anyone else the way he followed me. I took care of him. I gave him his bottle, I changed his diapers, we slept together. And we grew up like that.”
- Childhood anecdotes (like hiding her brother in an old refrigerator while playing hide-and-seek) highlight their bond and his fear of being alone.
3. The Accident
- [06:02]: Santi is accidentally struck by a falling brick when a neighbor retrieves a wheelbarrow, resulting in his death.
- The family’s frantic reaction, the rush to the hospital, and the confusion and innocence with which the child narrator processes events.
- Description of the wake: “That’s when I see the coffin for the first time. A little white coffin. And in the middle of her room, they made a cross out of sand. And on top of the cross, they placed my little brother’s coffin.”
- Maribel’s desperate denial:
- “Santi, you’re not dead. You’re just asleep. Get up, let’s play.” [~08:38]
- Overwhelming sorrow and shock culminate in her being physically removed from the coffin.
- At the burial:
- “Dad, no, you can’t put him in there because he’ll suffocate. He’s gonna die.” [~11:35]
- Her father tries to console her:
- “Your brother is already dead.” [~12:14]
4. Aftermath: Grief and the Beginning of the Supernatural
- The family tries to return to normalcy; Maribel’s grief is profound.
- She refuses to allow anyone else in her bed, convinced her brother will return.
The First Visitation
- [14:13]: Maribel awakens at night, convinced she’s hugging her sister—but it’s Santi, warm and full of life, dressed in his burial clothes.
- “He was warm, soft. He was a person like any other person... it was him.”
- Santi talks to her:
- “I haven’t left. I’m here.”
- He reveals that it is cold and dark where he is, and that their mother’s grief keeps him from moving on:
- “My mom cries too much … my mom wasn’t letting him go because she cried so much.” [~16:05]
Ongoing Visitations
- Night after night, Santi comes to play, while during the day Maribel is withdrawn and depressed. He warns that he’s cold and unhappy, tied to Maribel and their mother’s sorrow.
- Family witnesses signs (“Santiago’s toys kept popping up on the floor every morning”), but Maribel denies seeing her brother, fearing she'll never see him again if she tells.
A Turn Toward the Supernatural: The Temple
- [26:19]: Maribel’s worsening condition leads her grandmother to bring her to a “temple” for a cleansing.
- She resists furiously:
- “I screamed. They dragged me out of the house and they took me.”
- She resists furiously:
- At the temple, a woman in white, eyes closed, channels a message:
- “You have a son who just died who was very close to this girl... your son can’t find the light. Your son is in the darkness. But because you won’t let him go, you cry for him too much... he wants to take his sister.” [~27:20]
5. The Ritual of Release: The Novenaria
- The woman prescribes a novenaria (nine days of prayer) to help Santi find the light.
- Maribel fights the ritual, thinking, “If I prayed I was going to harm my brother, that my brother was going to be alone and trapped forever in that cold and dark place.”
- [29:04]: Maribel’s mother, in a moment of desperate faith, sobs and calls to God:
- “God, I give you my son. … Baby, follow the light!”
Santi’s Farewell
- [29:25]: During the novenaria, Santi visits Maribel with a new message:
- “Guess what? It's not dark anymore. There’s light. … There are so many kids, and there’s a man who’s very good. He said I had to come and say bye to you.”
- Maribel begs to go with him:
- Santi: “You can’t come with me. You’re going to live a very long time.”
- They hug and cry, but Santi appears happy and at peace.
- “He turned, he walked across the dining room and went out the patio… and from that moment, I never saw him again.” [~32:15]
6. Healing and Closure
- Maribel wakes with a new desire for life:
- “I’m hungry. I want to eat.” [~32:35]
- She recounts Santi’s final visit to her mother, who weeps and tells her son to “follow the light.”
- Gradually, Maribel recovers, plays with her siblings, and cherishes her brother’s memory in her heart, comforted by the thought of him at peace:
- “Every time we played patty cake, I thought of my little brother. … But now it felt nice.”
- “I would tell her it’s just—I want to see the light.” [~33:40]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Grief and Innocence:
“Back then, I didn’t understand what death was. … I didn’t know what it meant to die.” [~07:15] -
The Haunting Warmth of Visitation:
“He was warm, soft. He was a person like any other person. … It was him.” [14:18] – Maribel
“Where I am, it’s very cold. … My mom cries too much.” [16:20] – Santi to Maribel -
Confronting Loss through Ritual:
“You have a son that just died who was very close to this girl. … Your son can’t find the light. … He wants to take his sister.” [27:20] – Temple Woman -
Letting Go:
“God, I give you my son. … Baby, follow the light!” [29:04] – Maribel’s mother
“Guess what? It’s not dark anymore. There’s light. There’s so many kids, and there’s a man who’s very good. … because there’s light, and now I can see the path.” [29:25] – Santi
“Mom, Santiago’s gone.” [32:45] – Maribel, signaling her return to the living
Structural Timestamps of the Story
- [03:23]: Host’s introduction to Maribel Plasencia’s story
- [05:33]: Childhood and Santi’s accident
- [14:13]: The first supernatural visitation
- [26:19]: The healing intervention (temple visit)
- [29:04]: The turning point: mother’s surrender & Santi’s farewell
- [32:45]: Maribel starts her healing process
- [33:44]: Host’s closing remarks
Episode Tone
The episode weaves intense grief, sibling tenderness, and supernatural phenomena into a narrative that is both haunting and hopeful.
- The storytelling remains raw and childlike, as Maribel vacillates between denial and longing, terror and relief.
- Ultimately, “Santi” is both ghost story and catharsis—a story about learning to let go, and the rare, mysterious ways love and sorrow can transcend even death.