A (3:23)

Manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why, hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift. And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. It's easy to say. I've said it myself. It's all in your head. It's just a projection. Born of grief, born of terror. That's all it is. Sure. Don't you get it? But then projections. Now, projections. They don't talk back. Get ready, dear listeners. Spook starts now. Today we travel to Mexico for a very special story. One that's dear to our hearts here at the Spoon. I'm honored to introduce you all to Maribel Plasencia spooked.

B (5:33)

My brother Santiago and I, we played a lot. We called Santiago Santi for short. And sometimes I like to mess with Santi. One time we played hide and seek and my mom had this old refrigerator and it occurred to me to stick him in the fridge. And boom. I closed the door. And that's when I start to hear my brother's cries and screams. Kitty.

A (6:02)

Kitty.

B (6:03)

Kitty, Kitty. I don't see you, kitty. I don't see you. When I open the door, he throws himself into my arms. And I said, but why are you crying? I couldn't see you. I couldn't see you. I mean, it was dark in there for my little brother. And that's the thing. 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. That day My mom was in a room and I was in the kitchen with my sisters. We were playing. I was 8 years old and my little brother was going to turn three. And a boy from the neighborhood comes by and asks me, my mom, if he could borrow a wheelbarrow. My mom says, I can't come out, but come inside and take it. So my little brother, when he hears a boy's voice, he runs to see him because that boy was always playful with him. And that boy, he picks up the wheelbarrow that's in the back patio, and it slips. The wheelbarrow hits a brick wall. And some of the bricks fall. And one of those bricks hits my little brother. It hits him on the back of the head and he fall. We all run over to see. My mom takes him in her arms. She picks him up and tries to wake him, but he doesn't respond. I start screaming, what's wrong with my little brother? My mom runs out with my little brother. She's barefoot even. And she gets in a taxi. They left. I remember my sister Rosie and I went outside. There was a big rock in the street. And we sat on the rock. And I go, but what happened to him? Did you see? We didn't know what had happened to my little brother. We see the taxi pull up to the house. And my mom looked like a. Like a zombie. My mom had my little brother in her arms. And I asked someone what happened? And they said, well, your little brother died. Back then, I didn't understand what death was. I mean, I didn't know what it meant to die. Relatives started arriving and people from the funeral home came. They said they were going to prepare the boy. And someone said, take the girls. So they take us to the neighbor's house. We were at the neighbor's house for a long time. When they finally said we could go back, I run out towards my house. The door to my mom's room was open. And so 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. It had velvet trimming all around it. White velvet. I got close. I couldn't see him entirely, but standing on my tippy toes, I was able to see him. He was dressed in white, with a little white button up shirt and white pants with suspenders. His little hands were crossed over his chest. I start crying right there. And I hug the coffin. Santi, you're not dead. You're just asleep. Get up, let's play. And the neighbors, one of them grabs me by the waist. Another one grabs me by my feet. I'm kicking, I'm screaming. I nearly toppled the coffin. It took three people to carry me out to the patio. They didn't let me back in. And then night came and everyone fell asleep. That's when I decide to go inside. I went and sat next to him and with my hands, I would try to open his eyes and I would say, wake up. You can't go. You have to be here because we have so many things to do. I kept waiting for him to get up. I was so tired, I fell asleep in the chair. The next day, my dad put us all in white dresses with little pockets in the front. And then my dad gives me a small bouquet of white roses. People start grabbing flowers and my dad tells me, honey, it's time to take your brother to the cemetery. We walked to the cemetery and he was in the middle and behind the coffin. My mom, my dad, and us kids. We walked to where there was a hole in the ground. We walked on top of these mounds of dirt and the dirt fell and would go into the hole. The shoes we had on were now black from all the dirt. That's when I start to scream, dad, no, you can't put him in there because he'll suffocate. He's gonna die. I still remember leaning over and seeing everything black, humid. And my dad said, your brother is already dead.

A (12:37)

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B (13:52)

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A (14:12)

Everything humming right along.

B (14:13)

Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. The priest did the sermon. I could only see his mouth moving, but I couldn't hear anything. Like nothing, nothing. I couldn't hear what he was saying. I mean, I just wanted to throw myself into the hole with my little brother. They filled his grave with flowers and they started to throw dirt on him. And my mom was screaming at God, you don't exist. If you existed, my son wouldn't be dead. It was getting dark by the time we left that night. I said to my sister, what if we go to the cemetery to keep him company? And she said, no, he's dead. All eyes were on my mom because she was in very bad shape. And as kids they sent us to school like nothing happened. But I kept wondering, where's my brother? In fact, I wouldn't let anyone else sleep in my bed because I believed my brother was going to come back. And one night I was asleep. And when I move my body, I feel something next to me. I feel my arms around someone. I thought, oh, one of my sisters came into bed with me. Their backside was up against my chest. But when I opened my eyes, it wasn't my sister. It was my little brother. So I lean over, but real quick, like a spring, and I go, santi, you're here. He was warm, soft. He was a person like any other person. I mean, he wasn't a ghost or a corpse that was cold and stiff. I mean, it was him. It was him with his white clothes. He was right there. And he turns his head and looks at me and he laughs. I got scared. We sit on the bed and talk. And I said, what are you doing here? And he said, I haven't left. I'm here. I go, but we took you in a coffin. And he said, no, I'm here. And I said, but you're here all the time in the morning, at night, you're always here. And he said, yes. I go, well, let's go tell my mom you're here. And he said, no, my mom can't see me. No one sees me. Only you can see me. But then my brother hugged me and said he was really scared. I go, why? And he says, because where I am, it's very cold. Then it's dark, and I'm all alone. In that moment, I was happy because I was looking at my little brother. I was hugging him. I could feel him. I was so happy he was there with me. And I said, I'm going to put a sweater on you. And he said, no, I'm always going to be cold. And I go, but why are you cold? And he said, my mom cries too much. He said that my mom wasn't letting him go because she cried so much. And I said, but where are you then? And he said that he was always next to my mom. It was the next day. I didn't go to school because I wanted to see if my brother was here. All my siblings left my mom. I could see her from my room. I focused on her movements. With my eyes. I scanned her bed to try to see where my little brother could be. I get out of bed. I go to her back and her head. And I start touching her with my hands. And I go to her feet. I sit on the bed and I stare at her. And she says, well, honey, are you crazy? What are you doing? Nothing. What are you looking for? Nothing. Nothing. And I stand up and I say, oh, I think I left something under your bed. I thought maybe because it was dark underneath the bed, he might be there. I go under the bed to look. I couldn't find him. I couldn't feel him. I didn't see him. During the day. I was always sad. At school, I stopped doing homework. I would fall asleep on my desk. I stopped playing with other kids. I didn't want to play with anybody, not even with my sisters. With nobody. I became quiet. But when night came, it's like I came to life again. Because I knew that at night my brother would come. My little brother would come and he would say, I'm here. Oh. When I would hear those words, I would get up so fast and I would say, let's play. What do you want to play? Patty cake. Patty cake. And we would play with his toys. And one time we started playing in my mom's room. And then my mom woke up. My brother runs behind me. I immediately put my arms up like Trying to cover my brother up so my mom wouldn't see him. What are you doing, honey? Are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you playing? And I go, no, no, no, no, no, I'm fine, I'm fine. But what are you doing? Nothing, nothing. Just go to sleep. When I see my mom close her eyes, I say, she's asleep. But when I turn around, my brother isn't there anymore. So then I wouldn't see him anymore. I never saw him walk away or anything. He'd just disappear. But I didn't tell anyone. I was scared that if anyone else found out, I wouldn't be able to see him anymore. And then one day, my family started to wonder why some of Santiago's toys kept popping up on the floor every morning. His little cars, his favorite three legged giraffe, or this little ball. My sister Rosie said, I know who plays with the toys. And my mom said, who? Kiti gets up in the middle of the day. She plays with someone. She talks with them and she laughs. Liar. Liar. That's not true. I don't play with anyone. I don't get up. I mean, I denied it. My mom said, honey, maybe you're dreaming or something. No, it's not true. It's not true. And my sister goes, yes, she does get up. They even had my sister keep an eye on me during the night to see who I played with. But she never did because she was so scared. And so I kept seeing my brother. I kept playing with him. And one night he came and he said that soon we were going to be together. I stopped eating. I would only take a couple of bites of food. And later I would stick my finger down my throat to get the food out. I had a dog. And the dog would go under the table. And sometimes I would give my food to him. And no one noticed. I was getting thinner and thinner. I had big bags under my eyes. I was letting myself die so I could be with him. And so here comes my grandma and she says, you know what? Something's happening here that's not normal. This girl isn't well. And so she says, we're going to take her to a temple. And I go, what's that? It's a place where they're going to cure you. I'm not sick. So that night I see my brother and I cry. And I tell him, my grandma says she's going to take me to a temple. And he said, don't go. You have to be with me. So when the day came to go to the temple. I made it so hard for them to get me out of the house. I threw myself on the ground and I said I'm not going, I'm not going. I'm not sick. They dragged me out of the house and they took me. When we got there I saw a room with candles and I said I don't want to. I don't want to see the witch. And they said she's not a witch. I don't want to. I screamed.

A (24:20)

Let me tell you about the online cannabis company that's revolutionizing how we deal with life's challenges. From sleepless nights to stress filled days, Mood.com has created an entire line of functional gummies that target specific concerns. With 100% federally legal THC blends delivered discreetly right to your doorstep, you can get 20% off your first order@mood.com with promo code Spooked from me, the Epic Euphoria gummies are perfect for those days when you want to chill and hit the reset button. What makes these different is how they've paired THC and other cannabinoids with herbs and adaptogens. You're just not going to find gummies like this anywhere else. No pesticides, no bs and they can ship to most states in the us. Best of all, not only does Mood stand behind everything with the industry leading 100 day satisfaction guarantee, but as I mentioned, listeners get 20% off their first order with code SPOOCH. So head to mood.com, browse their amazing selection of functional gummies and find the perfect gummy for whatever you're dealing with. And remember to use promo code spooked at checkout to save 20% on your first order. If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reward ordering with on time restocks. Your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

B (26:19)

They pushed me in and when I see this woman, she scared me. The woman was big, her hair was long, she was dressed in white, she was sitting in a chair and her eyes were closed. She looked ugly. I'm standing in front of her and she starts and like her whole body was shaking and her hands were shaking. And then my mom says ma', am, I'm here With my daughter. And the woman says, quiet, sister, quiet. I know why you're here. The woman says to my mom, you have a son that just died who was very close to this girl. My mom starts crying and says, yes, your son. She says, he's going to take your daughter. 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. And she said, you, son's frightened. He feels alone, and that's why he wants to take his sister. And he's going to take your daughter if you don't do something. I wasn't sure if the woman was telling the truth, but what she said was very similar to what my brother had told me. I didn't know what to feel. The woman said, you're going to do a novenaria. Every day we were going to pray in my mom's room where the vigil from my brother had been held. I would have to get on my knees and pray for nine days. And with that, my brother would find the light. The first days were hard. My mom, my dad and my grandma, they would have to drag me into my mom's room to pray. And when they would start to pray, I would cover my ears and lie down on the floor. I remember how they would force me. They would have to grab me by the shoulders and the knees to get me to kneel. I felt that 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. So I would cover my ears and go, no, no, no, I'm not going to pray. I'm not going to pray. And then my parents would start the prayer all over again.

A (28:55)

Santa Maria, Madre de Dios. Reva Senora Porno Soto los pecadore.

B (29:04)

And then one night, my mom started crying and screaming, God, I give you my son. And to my little brother, she'd say, baby, follow the light. That's when things started to change. We were halfway through the novenaria, and in the night, my brother comes and says, I'm here. So I get up. Guess what? It's not dark anymore. There's light. And I go, what do you mean? He says, I can see light. And I said, like from a light bulb or from a lamp or like a match. He tried pointing to where the light was coming from, but I couldn't see anything. And he said, there's so much light. There's so many kids, and there's a man who's very good. He said, look, this man is waiting for me. And I go, but how are you going to go with that man if you don't even know him? And he goes, he's good, he's good. And I said, but how do you know there are kids? You already went? And he said, yes, I'm already with them. And I go, but how, Santi, if you're here? And he goes, because there's light, and now I can see the path. But this man said I had to come and say bye to you. I started crying and I said, no. He goes, yes, my mom doesn't cry anymore. She doesn't cry anymore and she's better. I go, well, tell the man to take me with you. And my little brother said, you can't come with me. You're going to live a very long time. And I said, aren't you scared? He said, no. Aren't you cold? And I said, you're not cold at all? No. Are you happy? And he said, yes. You like to play with the kids? I mean, I interrogated him, and he said, yes. We hugged and we cried. I started to feel calm. It's like I was no longer afraid to let go of my brother. He smiled now. His face was so different. He looked happy. He got up and said, I have to go. He turned, he walked across the dining room and went out the patio. And this is something I never saw, right, how my brother left. But this time I did see. And from that moment, I never saw him again. When I woke up the next day, I looked around me. Everyone was sleeping. I see my mom in her bed. So I get out of bed, I go to her, I start moving her. And I said, mom. Mom. And she wakes up, surprised. Honey, what's wrong? And I said, I'm hungry. I want to eat. I was sitting at the table, and my mom gave me a glass of milk with bread. And I go, mom, Santiago's gone, honey. What do you mean? You saw him? And I go, yes, he came for the last time. He said goodbye to me. My mom falls to her knees, and she cries and cries. And my mom said, yes, baby, follow the light, my love. Follow the light. Little by little, I told my mom everything. I started to get better. I started playing with everyone. And I would tell my sisters, let's play patty cake. And every time we played patty cake, I thought of my little brother. But now it felt nice. And there is one thing. I was always looking up at the sky. And my mom would catch me and say, what are you looking for? And I would tell her it's just I want to see the light.

A (33:44)

Thank you, Muddy Battle from the bottom of our hearts for sharing your extraordinary story. Love to you and your family. A piece comes to us from Spook correspondent Eric Yanez. Original score by Renzo Gorio. Produced by our very own Nancy Lynn Lopez. And we're gonna have a Spanish language version of this story available. Now then, just because we've reached the end doesn't mean it's over, Spookster. It is never over. Never over. And if you want stories free of those things that bump in the night, check out our sister podcast, Snap Judgment. Real people, real stories that might just blow your mind. Cinema of sound. Snap Judgment. L O R G Spooked is brought to you by the team that steadfastly ignores any and all voices heard in the middle of the night. Please run away from Mark Ristich. From Anna Sussman, our chief spooksters, Eliza Smith, Marissa Dodge, Lorenzo Gorio, Leon Morimoto, Jacob Winick, Tiffany Deleza, Ann Ford, Eric Yanez, Senna Khan. Original score is by Lauren Newsom. My name is Ben Washington. Now if you find a nickel in the forest, ask yourself some serious questions. Have you prepared to be in this forest? And for what reason are you searching for nickels? When you know full well that your attention needs to be on remembering with laser like focus to never ever, no matter what. Never ever, never never never never ever turn out the light. Foreign. Deserves to be connected. That's why T Mobile and US Cellular are joining forces. Switch to T Mobile and save up to 20% versus Verizon by getting built in benefits they leave out. Check the math@t mobile.com switch and now T mobile is in US cellular store savings versus comparable Verizon plans plus the.

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