Two Girls One Ghost – Encounters x316: Paranormal Stories from Asia
Sony Music Entertainment
January 29, 2026

Overview

In this spine-chilling Encounters episode, hosts Corinne Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga delve into listener-submitted paranormal tales from across Asia. With a focus on haunting legends, family lore, and eerie firsthand experiences, the stories spotlight the unique supernatural traditions of Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Listeners are warned: these encounters are among the creepiest the hosts have ever shared, so prepare for tales of djinn, mimics, ancestral spirits, and chilling prophetic dreams.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Opening Banter and Episode Introduction

• Corinne and Sabrina set a casual, cozy mood, joking about out-of-season Christmas decorations and their lack of festivity.
• Corinne expresses excitement about finally covering Asian paranormal stories, connecting with her own heritage:
  “It is a topic I have wanted to cover for so long because it’s getting in touch with my roots, my heritage a bit. And it’s also a topic about maybe possibly one of the creepiest areas of the world.” (01:18)

2. Possession by Djinn in Pakistan (Story from Zayneb)

[04:25]

• Corinne shares a listener story about Zayneb’s visit to her stepmother’s village in Pakistan, where Islamic beliefs in djinn (beings of smokeless fire) shape daily rituals.
• Rules to avoid djinn:
  • Don’t walk under trees at night (esp. banyan trees)
  • Don’t go out after midnight
  • Protect against the evil eye (Nazar)
• The haunting begins when a neighbor’s daughter, Jay, becomes inexplicably ill and then violently possessed:
  • Disturbing poltergeist activity: dead cattle, the scent of rot, blood dripping from ceilings.
  • Jay, one day, turns to Zayneb and, in a chilling voice, reveals knowledge about Zayneb’s sick grandmother in the U.S., predicting her death.
  • Repeated phrases and blackened eyes convey an overwhelming supernatural presence:
    "She’s going to die from a brain tumor." (08:20)
• After returning to the States, the prophecy seemingly comes true; Zayneb’s grandmother is diagnosed with a brain tumor but survives following treatment.
• Both hosts are deeply unsettled, empathizing with the horrors of possession and cultural specificity of djinn lore.

Notable Quotes:

• “There are things in this world that are unexplainable, that are dangerous and dark, things that can see straight through you and tell you exactly what’s coming.” – Zayneb (10:17)
• Sabrina: “That is horrifying. What do you even do? Run. Run?” (09:40)

3. Premonitions and Death in the Philippines (Story from Rain)

[15:32]

• Listener Rain from the Philippines shares their lifelong exposure to the supernatural, culminating in a disturbing premonition:
  • During creative writing class, Rain is suddenly struck by the thought that someone at school—perhaps their teacher—might die.
  • Days later, Rain’s beloved teacher unexpectedly dies of cardiac arrest.
  • Rain’s father reprimands them, fearing that voicing such thoughts may have caused harm, reflecting the Philippines’ ingrained paranormal beliefs.
  • The death leaves Rain wracked with guilt, isolation, and an eerie sense of responsibility.

Notable Quotes:

• Rain: “I just really hated the feeling of sensing that someone close to me was near to their expiration.” (19:38)
• Corinne: “That’s unsettling because… you can’t even really do anything.” (19:46)

4. Mimic Spirits in Cebu, Philippines (Story from Iris)

[21:45]

• Iris narrates multiple chilling episodes from her aunt’s house, where entities assumed the identities of family members:
  • Her uncle has a full 20-minute conversation with someone he thinks is his daughter, only to discover she was never home.
  • On another occasion, a different uncle showers and chats with his wife, only to realize she never entered the bathroom; she was in the kitchen the whole time.
  • The house also features a spirit proficient in mimicking laughter, particularly that of children.
• Sabrina and Corinne discuss the terror of long, seemingly normal conversations with mimics and the profound uncertainty it seeds within families.

Notable Quotes:

• Sabrina: “Why are there so many mimics in Asia? I don’t know.” (48:04)
• Corinne: “For whoever my uncle had a full blown conversation with was definitely not my cousin.” (23:52)

5. The Crying Woman in the Vietnamese Church (Story and Follow-Up from Cindy)

[30:48, 38:53]

• An anonymous UK listener (“Cindy”) recalls a childhood trip to Vietnam and an encounter with a sobbing woman in a church after dark.
  • The entity repeats the warning, “Don’t go,” growing increasingly panicked.
  • Cindy’s cousin emerges, insists she cross the bridge, and flees—but later denies ever attending the church.
  • Following the encounter, Cindy suffers terrifying dreams in which the woman warns her, then suffers a gruesome death. Cindy falls gravely ill, and only years later learns her mother was planning to marry her off as a child that very night; the woman’s warning may have been an act of protection.
• In a new revelation (an update), Cindy’s father shares that, upon returning to the UK, Cindy was afflicted by a large, mysterious blister on her thigh—right where the entity grabbed her in her dream. The blister later burst, leaving a wound “down to the bone,” remembered as a dog bite until this conversation with her father unearthed the truth.

Notable Quotes:

• Cindy: “All I know is I won’t ever be going back to that place, especially on my own.” (38:44)
• Sabrina: “This is taking…the wildest part that I’ve ever gotten expected.” (41:07)

6. Ancestral Guardian Spirits in Malaysia (Stories from Aaliyah)

[43:33]

• Listener Aaliyah from Malaysia shares two interrelated stories:
  • The Spirit in the Sketchbook: Aaliyah’s father, bullied at school in Australia, communicates with an inherited protective spirit through drawings. When he uses blood to draw after an attack, the spirit violently assaults the bully. Later, his young daughter (the listener) interacts with the spirit, manifesting as a “bald boy,” forcing the father to ritually banish it via burning the sketchbook—though the spirit’s presence occasionally returns.
  • The Dagger that Comes and Goes: The spirit is tied to a family heirloom—a traditional dagger (keris). The dagger mysteriously appears and disappears. At one family wedding, a cousin claims Aaliyah’s father gave him the keris when he had not; after the celebration, the object vanishes again.
  • The spirit appears to choose/select family members, always returning to Aaliyah.

Notable Quotes:

• Aaliyah: “My dad said that when he passes, he believes the spirit will choose a new owner from among his children… It has only ever interacted with me.” (49:58)
• Sabrina: “I feel like you could harness the spirit for good…if you’re really clear with how you want it to enact revenge.” (50:23)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• [01:18] Corinne: “It is a topic I have wanted to cover for so long because it’s getting in touch with my roots, my heritage a bit. And it’s also a topic about maybe possibly one of the creepiest areas of the world.”
• [08:20] Jay (possessed): “She’s going to die from a brain tumor.”
• [10:17] Zayneb: “There are things in this world that are unexplainable, that are dangerous and dark, things that can see straight through you and tell you exactly what’s coming.”
• [19:38] Rain: “I just really hated the feeling of sensing that someone close to me was near to their expiration.”
• [23:52] Corinne: “For whoever my uncle had a full blown conversation with was definitely not my cousin.”
• [30:48 & 38:53] Cindy: (Vietnam church story and update)
• [46:05] Corinne: “But this is wild, my father said. The next morning, he woke up to find out that something broke the boy’s bones in the night…He instantly knew it was his spirit.”

Episode Structure and Tone

• The hosts maintain their characteristic mix of playful banter, gentle empathy, and genuine horror, providing cultural context and personal reactions.
• The episode weaves multiple story genres—possession, premonition, mimicry, protective ancestor spirits—each receiving thoughtful attention, cultural framing, and emotional support from the hosts.
• Sabrina and Corinne repeatedly underscore the universal nature of supernatural fear, regardless of regional origin.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:23 – 01:18: Episode intro, setting the scene, lighthearted host banter.
• 04:25 – 12:35: Djinn story and analysis.
• 15:32 – 20:27: Premonition and teacher’s death.
• 21:45 – 27:17: Mimic hauntings in Cebu, Philippines.
• 30:48 – 42:19: Vietnamese crying woman story and medical aftermath.
• 43:33 – 50:41: Malaysian spirit stories, sketchbook and keris.

Closing Thoughts

• The hosts reiterate their gratitude for listener stories and encourage global submissions.
• The episode concludes with a reminder about additional stories on Patreon and heartfelt thanks to the production team and listeners.

For Listeners:

If you’re fascinated by supernatural lore from distant corners of the world, appreciate personal and cultural twists on ghost stories, or want a chilling dose of haunted history, this is a must-listen. But, as Sabrina warns: “We promised that this one was gonna be… scary because the place that we’re talking about. But I can’t promise that the rest of the stories are going to be uplifting in any way.” (12:35)