“HOW I CAME TO BELIEVE IN THE PARANORMAL” #WeirdDarknessRadio WEEK OF JUNE 08, 2025
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For most people to believe in the supernatural, they need to live through a convincing ghost story. Plenty of people experience supernatural phenomena and become believers in the paranormal, and their tales might even make a believer of you. Believers and undead spirits share all sorts of real ghost stories that might convince people that the supernatural is real.

Though most spectre and poltergeist experiences tend to land somewhere between unsettling and utterly terrifying, a few people have ghost stories of benign spirits. It appears even the intentions of spirits, much like the entities themselves, remain outside the realm of human understanding. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness.

Welcome, Weirdos! I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness Radio, where every week you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. Coming up this hour, people share their own personal tales of how they became believers in ghosts and the paranormal.

If you're new here, welcome to the show! And if you're already a member of this weirdo family, please take a moment and invite someone else to listen. Recommending Weird Darkness to others helps make it possible for me to keep doing the show. And while you're listening, be sure to visit WeirdDarkness.com where you can follow me on social media, listen to free audiobooks I've narrated, and more! That's WeirdDarkness.com.

Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness! Not me, but my mom had one. She's been a believer ever since. My grandpa passed away on Christmas, his favorite holiday, and after dealing with the shock we started to figure out what to do with his things.

He was a hardcore hoarder and had barns filled with crap that nobody had gone in for probably 15 years. So one night my mom is sleeping and dreams that she woke up to a knock at our back door. She goes out and sees my grandpa standing there. Shocked, she yells at him that it's 2.30 in the morning. He tells her that he loves her and that she needs to tell my grandma where the money is because, quote, you always gotta tell mama where the money is, she worries, unquote.

My mom stands there in her dream, confused, and asks what he's talking about. He goes on to say that it's in the barn, under all this crap on the left-hand side. My mom then wakes up, thinks it's really strange, but goes and looks in the barn anyway. And there it is, right where grandpa said it was. Dozens of coffee cans filled with quarters and dollar bills. So weird. I like to think he was looking out for my grandma.

My friend's aunt and uncle live in a 100+ year old house in a little German neighborhood in our city. They have always sworn that they have an elderly female ghost living in their home, but most of the family has never seen her so they kind of half believed them. But never completely until last summer

They were having their kitchen remodeled and had some guys doing the floors. While I'm hanging with my friend, she gets a call from her aunt. Her aunt, who's at work, asks my friend if she can go over to the house and check on them because the guys called and said something happened in the house and they will not go back in. My friend lives close and says, "Sure, she'll go over and check on them." So I go with her because it sounds odd or interesting.

We go over there and these two redneck guys, one older and one young guy, are sitting on the front porch, both smoking cigarettes and looking a little shaky. My friend walks up, introduces herself, and asks them what's up, and the old guy nervously says that they were in the kitchen ripping up the floor and it got freezing cold, middle of the summer, mind you, and they both looked up to see this old woman standing in the kitchen staring at them very disapprovingly.

They say she was kind of see-through and didn't have the bottom half of her legs. That's when they freaked out and ran out of the house. They tell my friend they will not go back in unless somebody from the family is with them. The description they gave of the woman was exactly the way her aunt and uncle had always described the ghost. Crazy. Significant Other and I own an old farm for retirement. It's three miles off the blacktop down a winding, tree-lined dirt road.

After rounding a curve, you cross a small creek. And there, just above the flood line, sits the tiny house, barn, and outbuildings. The house was built before 1900, and the original owners raised 11 children there without running water or electricity. There is a spring out back. The family owned the property up until the 1970s. I was staying there alone shortly after we purchased the place because my mother, who lived nearby, was fresh out of the hospital and I was helping her get back on her feet.

One afternoon, I rushed into the house to get something before running back to Mom's. I was in a terrific hurry and not thinking about anything but the task at hand. I rounded a corner into the bedroom and was hit with a feeling of presence. I instantly knew someone or something wanted my attention. My heart pounded in my ears. I finally said, "Whoever you are, as long as you aren't evil, please show me what you have to tell me, but don't scare me. I gotta stay here alone. I'll try to help you if I can."

The image of the back porch step came to mind. I noticed it right after we closed on the property. It was a plain square stone with beveled edges, identical to the turn-of-the-century headstones in the lonesome graveyard a mile down the road. Fast forward one week. The previous owner stopped by. Before he could sit down, I blurted out, ''Is that a tombstone by the back porch?'' The color drained from the previous owner's face, and he collapsed onto the chair, responding, ''It's

Well, I don't know the exact spot, but there is a baby buried in the backyard. Seemed the youngest child of the original family, the 12th, died at birth or shortly after, and as was the tradition in the rural South, the child was placed close to the home. The tombstone had always been there, nothing carved on it, just flat, and the then-owner decided it would make a great step and built a second door for the tiny back porch. He swore to me he had never moved it.

We removed the second door and are making plans to have the family's name and dates that lived here carved on the stone so that when we leave, no one makes this mistake again. Next to it, I planted daffodils to come up every year. The lights coming on and off in the house and at the same time in my truck parked outside had stopped, and I no longer feel that presence that I believe was the baby's mother.

She died in a nursing home many miles away, and I fear she worried about her baby's unmarked grave. More stories of how people came to believe in the supernatural and paranormal when Weird Darkness returns. My guess is that you've heard a lot of people talking about Factor, the two-minute meals packed with nutrition. Up until recently, though, I didn't really care much about nutrition. I was into convenience – burgers, pizza, you get the drift.

But the older you get, the more you realize nutrition is kind of important. At the same time, convenience is still crucial for me. I am busier now than I've ever been in my life. So eating food fast without eating fast food is a bit of a challenge. Was a bit of a challenge. With Factor, I get to check both of those off my list. I just heat it up and two minutes later, I'm sticking a fork in it.

Factor is more than convenient though. I don't even have to jump into my car to go through a drive-thru or pay a bunch of extra money so I can wait 30 minutes to an hour for a delivery app to come through for me. Factor meals arrive directly at my door, fresh and ready to eat. And with my new weight loss goals, the menu options are a real bonus. They have gourmet meals if I want to be calorie smart or pack on the protein, go keto and more. They have 45 weekly menu options.

How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, that's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen. And Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I got to admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. Hey everyone, this is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground. And you'd be right.

because this unshakable fortress of a vehicle is built to take you on your next adventure. With the twin-turbo V6 engine, the all-new Armada is powerful enough to take you anywhere. With its 8,500 pounds of toying capacity, it will let you bring all your toys along. And with seating for eight, your whole crew can join you.

Nissan created a truly capable vehicle in the all-new Armada. In fact, it's the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge, which Nissan reserves for its most adventure-ready vehicles.

The Armada is a big SUV designed and built for big adventures and must be experienced to be appreciated. Drive the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada today. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.

I'm Darren Marlar, welcome back to Weird Darkness. Do you have a true paranormal story that has happened to you or someone you know? You can share it by clicking on "Tell Your Story" at WeirdDarkness.com – and I might use it in a future episode. That's WeirdDarkness.com and then click on "Tell Your Story." We continue now with true stories of how people came to believe in ghosts, goblins, and all things strange and macabre.

I moved into a place where the family next door and the last tenant of my apartment both died in their homes. One night I was in bed and looking at my phone. It suddenly got really cold, like walk-in freezer cold. I thought that was weird for a hot summer night with a subpar air conditioner, but I just pulled on some covers and kept reading. My phone then died. "Alright, that's weird," I thought. I went to check my computer and shortly after browsing there, it died too.

What the hell? So I was sitting there, suddenly aware that I didn't feel alone anymore. With covers pulled up to my eyeballs and no phone, I was just looking around my room waiting for something to happen. The light turned on. Nope, I frantically fumbled from my phone and grabbed a bat under my bed because I was going to beat the ghost up, I guess. I eventually calmed down enough to remember that people who believe in ghosts say that you can ask them to leave.

"Worth a shot," I thought. "Hey, uh, so, um, I work really early in the morning and I need to sleep. You're scaring me, and I'd prefer it if you left. Sorry, no hard feelings." No more than five seconds later, the light went off. I slept in the living room with my dog that night. When I was around 12, my family and I moved into a new house. Money was tight, so we were renting it. It was a fairly nice place and newly built, so I liked the sound of it.

We arrive to start unpacking. I step inside to check the place out, but it just seems off. I tell my mom, and she tells me it's because it's a fairly new place and to get over it, so I do. On the first night, I'm sitting in what was supposed to be the dining room, playing games on my DS. I heard my little brother, who's around six, say, "Hey guys, when I look over I see all of the cupboards are open." None of us could have reached the ones on top, because they were way too high.

My dad was the tallest at the time, and he was 5'6". Somehow my sister manages to convince everyone that I'm playing a prank, but I'm freaking out. But I somehow manage to convince myself it was just my sister trying to get me into trouble. After a few days, we all begin to notice other weird things like shadows moving past windows, and our puppy barking at one specific corner of the house. The shed in the backyard is a no-go zone for everyone, even our puppy hates it,

One Saturday morning we wake up early while our mom is taking our dad to work. He didn't drive. He got into an accident when he was 18 and refused to ever drive after that. My sister and I are watching cartoons. Our little brother screams and runs to us crying saying that he saw a witch. We hide in our rooms and tell mom when she gets back. She asks my brother what he saw and he describes a black, shadowy figure, even though it was broad daylight.

She obviously thinks that it was his imagination, just a kid, and she dismisses it. I'm scared to death by all these weird things and I ask my sister if I can sleep by her that night. She was doing karate so I felt safe by her, and she agrees. But that night I wake up early. I look into the corner of the room and there it is, just standing and staring. It scares the hell out of me and I run to my dad and he lets me sleep by him and my mom.

After three months, we move out. Just a few months ago, Mom and I got to talking about that house and she told me that she thinks it was haunted. I asked her why, and she said something that scared her. She said, "I saw a black shadow in the corner of your room when you were a kid. It was just staring at you. I used to hide crosses in your room thinking it would scare it off." After doing some research, Mom found out that the owner's husband had died in that house. I was about 9 or 10.

My father had just died a few months prior. My mom had left to go to work and I was home with my older sisters. I was feeling particularly happy that day and raced around the house laughing and playing. All of a sudden I heard my mom call my name so I went looking for her. When I got to one side of the house I heard her voice on the opposite end of the house so I ran back. This went on for a few minutes until I remembered seeing her leave for work.

Suddenly, the voice that was calling me became very nasty and creepy sounding. It still resembled my mom's voice, but it was different. Like two people saying my name simultaneously. Then the voice sounded like it was in one of the back bedrooms. So I ran to it and looked around. Then it called me again, but this time it was coming from the closet. As I stood in front of the closet, I again remembered seeing my mom leave, and I started to get scared.

That was when the voice stopped sounding like my mom and sounded downright evil. I don't know why I thought about opening the closet door, but I had to see if my mom was in there or not. Right when I was reaching for the door, another voice told me to leave the door alone and go back to the living room. I took off running and crying and told my sisters what just happened.

They told my mom, and a few days later a woman and a man came and put something under our house and around the doorways and told me to never answer or listen for that voice again. This past summer, my grandmother suddenly passed away from a stroke. The day after I was sitting in my living room with my mother when the TV suddenly turned on and started blaring Japanese music on YouTube. We checked the source and it turned out that it was the laptop connected to the television.

It was turned off. We were all freaked out, so we checked all of our YouTube account histories and nothing came up. A few days later, my brother was looking for videos of her to play at the funeral, and he found a video of her looking back and waving. The date stamp on the video was the exact date and time as when she passed away, just a few years earlier. After the funeral, all of my house's appliances started breaking down – fire alarm, washer, fridge, microwave – all within a few days.

We got everything fixed up except the microwave, which had to be taken to a specific factory for repairs. When my dad drove out there, he realized that the factory was right beside my grandmother's grave. Around the same time, my mom, who always drove my grandmother around, started noticing that her car's seatbelt alarm – the one that goes off when you sit on the passenger seat without a seatbelt – started going off, even though my mom was driving alone.

I've never been a believer in ghosts before, but it oddly gives me a sense of comfort knowing my grandmother could still be with me. When I was a child, I always had bizarre dreams where I had a friend named Michael. He was a young boy, a few years older than me, and we always played games and had fun. When I told my parents, they didn't seem to care too much until I described Michael.

Unbeknownst to me, he had the same name and appearance as my uncle who died in a boating accident as a child. His death devastated my grandparents and so my family never displayed photos of him. That freaked my mom out. How did I know what he looked like or acted like if I'd never met him or even seen a picture of him? After a couple of weeks, my family decided to light some candles and prayed in an attempt to exorcise him.

When I went to bed that night, I had a dream where a very serious Michael offered me some candy. It looked like a red jawbreaker. He kept insisting over and over that I eat a piece of the candy. Seeing him so serious scared me after he'd always been so happy and playful, so I declined his offers. The last thing I remember before waking up was seeing how sad he was. That was the last time I saw Michael in my dreams.

When I told my mom, she looked relieved and told me that was him trying to take over your body. No one has talked about it in about 15 years, so I'd have to ask my mom about the story again. I was probably 7 or 8, and my parents were throwing a big summer party for my dad's birthday. All the adults were on the deck or inside, so us kids – maybe 8 or so of us between the ages of 5 and 12 – decided to play ghost in the graveyard.

Our yard was narrow but very long with a lot of grass on the left and a raised deck that spanned the whole right side of the yard. For a short kid you could easily crouch under and walk around the deck, so it made for some awesome hiding spots. I was at the very back of the yard and hiding next to the shed in the pitch dark. I had a little flashlight but this was my yard so I knew every inch of it and was comfortable even in the dark.

I could hear the other kids on the side of the yard that was all grass, but from where I was, I was looking directly at the underside of the deck that went around our above-ground pool. I heard a noise and looked over to see if anybody was coming from under the deck, and I remember suddenly freezing in place.

From under the deck, this thing came forward. It was all black. Just this dense, black shadow, the size of a huge man, definitely not a kid. And there was no way an adult could have crawled the whole length of the deck to the back of the yard with so little noise. It looked like it was made of smoke. And it moved weirdly, like it was unfolding. I was terrified. All I could do was stare and hear my blood pounding in my ears.

I stood up all the way and it looked massive. The only way I could describe it was like a silhouette of the Hulk. I swear, it stood for a moment and then walked through the chain link fence into my neighbor's yard and then blended into the trees. I started crying, ran for it, found my best friend Adam and just wailed. He was so confused and just brought me inside to my mom. I was so scared to go outside for a few months after that, and I never went back under the deck again.

We moved from that house when I was 11. I'm 28 now, but I can still clearly see that thing in my mind. I've seen other things a few times since, but that was the first time and that was the scariest. We'll continue with our true stories of people finding the paranormal when Weird Darkness returns.

I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, that's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen, and Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I gotta admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. My guess is that you've heard a lot of people talking about Factor, the two-minute meals packed with nutrition. Up until recently, though, I didn't really care much about nutrition. I was into convenience. Burgers, pizza, you get the drift. But, well, the older you get, the more you realize nutrition is kind of important.

At the same time, convenience is still crucial for me. I am busier now than I've ever been in my life, so eating food fast without eating fast food is a bit of a challenge. Was a bit of a challenge. With Factor, I get to check both of those off my list. I just heat it up, and two minutes later, I'm sticking a fork in it.

Factor is more than convenient though. I don't even have to jump into my car to go through a drive-thru or pay a bunch of extra money so I can wait 30 minutes to an hour for a delivery app to come through for me. Factor meals arrive directly at my door, fresh and ready to eat. And with my new weight loss goals, the menu options are a real bonus. They have gourmet meals if I want to be calorie smart or pack on the protein, go keto and more. They have 45 weekly menu options.

How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off. Then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. Hey, everyone. This is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground. And you'd be right.

because this unshakable fortress of a vehicle is built to take you on your next adventure. With the twin-turbo V6 engine, the all-new Armada is powerful enough to take you anywhere. With its 8,500 pounds of toying capacity, it will let you bring all your toys along. And with seating for eight, your whole crew can join you.

Nissan created a truly capable vehicle in the all-new Armada. In fact, it's the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge, which Nissan reserves for its most adventure-ready vehicles.

The Armada is a big SUV designed and built for big adventures and must be experienced to be appreciated. Drive the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada today. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.

I'm Darren Marlar. Welcome back to Weird Darkness. You can stay up to date on everything about the show, you can read my weekly horror comedy column, Mind of Marlar, you can find out where I'll be traveling in the Weird Darkness SUV and more by signing up for the Weird Darkness email newsletter. You can sign up for free at WeirdDarkness.com slash newsletter. And every month I choose one subscriber at random to win Weird Darkness merchandise, like a t-shirt, hoodie, or hat. That's WeirdDarkness.com slash newsletter.

We continue now with people telling why they finally came around to believing in the paranormal. I work in a house built in the 18th century, owned by a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and I've had plenty of encounters there. Just yesterday as I was walking up to the second floor to turn out lights, I heard someone sigh really loud and could feel the breath on my shoulder. I've heard conversations occurring and footsteps while I've been the only one in the house.

Doors that are completely shut will open by themselves. Thankfully, everything that I've experienced has been benign, but it's still weird. I've always believed. But living in my first one-bedroom apartment confirmed there is paranormal stuff in this world that defies explanation. This is one of many events that took place there. My boyfriend, now husband, was sleeping beside me.

My bare feet were sticking out of the blankets and something had a hold of my right foot just under my big toe. Not painfully, just gently holding on. I did not look down. I pulled the covers over my head. Freaked me all the hell out and lasted a good five minutes before whatever it was let go. I didn't say anything to my boyfriend. Two nights later, it happened again. This time I was dead asleep and the feeling woke me up.

Again, I freaked out but I looked down to my feet and nothing was there. It was still gripping my foot though so I whispered, "Hey, let go of that please!" A few seconds later it let go. The next day I told my boyfriend who kind of laughed it off. He said if it grabs my foot again, wake him up. So a week later when it got hold of my foot again I woke him up. He looked down and shrugged because he didn't see anything but I could tell that he was bugged out a little.

A few days later, he woke me up in the middle of the night shaking like a leaf. He whispered, "Honey, it's got my foot." Someone allegedly killed themselves in our parking lot at work. Ever since they did some major reconstruction around five years ago, plenty of employees have told stories about odd or weird things happening to them.

We also believe that the ghost only really messes with or picks on the girls and the men who allegedly killed himself in the parking lot did so because of a woman, and he seems to really enjoy picking on me. Very few of the guys believe any of it, because only one or two of the guys have experienced anything. Personally, I've had things fall right in front of me when they were hanging up and that are heavy or difficult to move in the first place.

We constantly hear footsteps and knocking. And sometimes when we're cleaning our cleaning supplies get knocked over or broken when we're not even near them. One night I finally proved it to my manager. As I closed, the door behind me kept popping open. It was terrifying and my manager, who had a background in construction, couldn't find anything wrong with the hinges or closures. Furthermore, when you would touch the door it felt like somebody was pushing back.

"Little kids have come out asking about the man who was in there with them while they played or asked me to tell the man to stop pushing them around. A little girl insisted you could see the man standing on the ramp, but no one was there that I could see. My best friend at work and I finally decided to go into the room with the most activity when it was dark and turned off all the extra noises and things that could interfere."

We recorded audio, and in the first one we silently walked through the room while recording and heard nothing. When you play it back, in the first three seconds it sounds like someone whispers, "The camera!" In another recording, my coworker asked if somebody was in there to make a knocking noise. It was dead silent for almost 30 seconds, and then a clear knock came through one of the walls.

For the last recording we did, my co-worker and I stayed together and left her phone upstairs recording while we went downstairs with my phone. She asked if it was the ghost of the man who killed himself, and there were loud noises from one side of the room, and we hauled ass, leaving her phone in the empty room recording. We left it there. 20 minutes later we retrieved it,

We listened back to it and there were noises like footsteps, feet shuffling, knocking, and at one point it even sounds like something falling all during the time when nobody had been in the room. My father's dad committed suicide in 1988. I never got to know my grandpa since I was born years later. There was a dream I had that I'll never forget though. Me and my grandfather were hanging out getting to know one another

talking, laughing, and I was so happy to see him. I woke up in tears and feeling like I was missing something. And the weird part is, I look just like him, even down to the fact that we are both, or were both, left-handed. My whole life I have been longing for him and that relationship because I feel like I embody him in some way, and I feel like I'm living the life he wanted but never had. I felt like he's the best friend that I never got to know. And I love him,

even though we never met in real life. I feel him in me, though, and from what my dad has told me about him, which wasn't a lot, he could have been somebody I would relate to the most out of my entire small family. When I was younger, I had an invisible friend that my family and people knew about, and I called him Tom. For some reason, between the ages of 6 and 10, I could just imagine what future events might be like for people I knew – my mom, dad, siblings,

Pretty soon I could tell people exactly where they would be standing at the same time the next day. All of this occurred while I played with my friend Tom, who was always smarter and a step or two ahead of me. It's hard to explain. Looking back on those years now, though, I know that there was something unnatural about what was happening. My downstairs neighbor passed away a year or two ago. Freaky detail is that he and my goldfish had the same name, Cor, a classic Dutch name.

The morning I woke up to find Cor the fish floating belly up was the same day my neighbor, Cor, passed away. Cor had this decorative longsword on his wall. After his passing, his wife moved out and put the sword in the trash, so I took it out and hung it on my wall. From then onward, doors have been opening or closing, and I hear footsteps at night. I'd always say, "Thanks, Cor," if an open door was closed, which always freaked out my friends and family.

Anyway, weirdest thing is that Cor liked to turn on the tap in the bathroom sink. Really annoying because I would hear the water, have to get up, turn the water off and then go back to sleep. One night it happened twice. The second time I had to get out of bed I was pissed at Cor and while walking to the bathroom I said, "Dammit Cor, I'm cool with you messing with the doors but this water crap is really annoying. Please cut it out or I'm going to have to start charging your rent."

Me, talking in the middle of the night, I woke up my stoner roommate who asked what was up. I told him about Kour, the BroGhost, or "Broast" as I called him, and he just looked at me and said that when he smoked weed and goes to sleep stoned, he sleepwalks a lot and is probably the one leaving the tap open and getting a glass of water in the night. When I was about six or seven, I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of class.

I went to a really old elementary school, and the bathrooms were in the corner of the basement, which was terrifying already as a small child. I walked into the bathroom, and the first stall wouldn't open. I peeked under, and there weren't any feet, so I knew nobody was in there. I went into one a few stalls down, went to the bathroom, and left the stall to wash my hands. When I was washing my hands, I heard the first stall door rattling behind me. I looked up in the mirror, and there was a really pale girl behind me,

She was probably 9 or 10, all in white, and she said softly, "Help me." I turned around instantly, but no one was there. I went over to the stall door and tried to push it open. It opened easily, and a bracelet fell to the floor. I ran out of that bathroom and never went back in again. Multiple reports of an elderly female around the house. Serious skeptics were turned into believers.

One night we began discussing it around the kitchen table. My grandfather, who had been drinking all night, had a tumbler of vodka in front of him with some ice cubes in it. He has not filled it or taken a drink for a few minutes. When we begin speaking of Francis the Ghost, he proclaims it all to be a bunch of bull, loudly. "There's no ghost named Francis here!" He didn't quite yell, just said it with conviction.

His glass shattered. Not broke, not cracked. Shattered. As if it had been slammed down on something. That was the last weird occurrence, and no sighting since then. I'm convinced Frances was unaware of her purgatory-like state, and his yell in her presence shook her from that fog, and she was able to move on. For as long as I can remember, I've had hypnagogic hallucinations.

That being said, I can distinctly tell where they end and reality begins, so I've never truly been frightened or disturbed by them, as I know they are merely hallucinations. A few years ago, my sister and I were spending the weekend at my uncle's house in Idaho. While my sister slept in the living room, I slept in the guest bedroom. I woke up with my eyes still closed, and I opened them, looking up at the ceiling.

I looked towards the door beyond my feet, and I saw a man in his 60s with long gray hair and a bushy beard dressed in plaid, overalls and a straw cowboy hat. He simply stood there with a hand on the door handle, staring at me sideways, wide-eyed with a tight-lipped grin. Terrified like never before, I closed my eyes and hollered for my sister at the top of my lungs. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes, and the man was gone.

I know when I have hypnagogic hallucinations, and this was nothing of the sort. I was 12 and woke up in the middle of the night. My door, which was usually closed at night, was wide open and I could feel somebody glaring at me. I looked up to see a tall man right outside my room looking in towards me. He seemed really angry and would just keep staring.

Although my dad was short, I just assumed it was him because he was the only other male in our house. I called out and asked him what was wrong, but there was no response. It only took me a while to notice that something was seriously wrong, and I got so scared I hid under the covers, praying that the figure would go away. I was crying and shaking under my blankets when I started to feel as if he wasn't looking at me anymore. I looked out from my covers, and he was right in my face!

Just kidding, the figure was nowhere to be found. So I ran out of bed, locked the door, and shoved my chair under the handle. I guess I fell asleep somehow after that terrifying incident because I woke up to my mom pounding on my door, screaming for me to let her in. I was scolded for locking the door like that. Just to check, I asked my dad why he was staring at me in the middle of the night. He had no idea what I was talking about.

So, I tried to chalk it up as either my dad sleepwalking, which he had never done in his life, or I was dreaming and somehow locked the door and shoved the chair up in my sleep, or someone else came into our house but didn't steal anything. Yet something just told me that it wasn't any of the above, and I had an encounter with a ghost. I walked past my bedroom door once and the thing slammed shut. No air conditioning was on, and the doors and windows were closed, so it wasn't wind.

I've walked past it plenty of times, and my movement never closed it. I was only wearing socks, so I'm pretty sure I'd know if I accidentally kicked it. Plus, it closed from the inside. Up next: True stories of people being buried alive and living to tell about it. The truth behind the movie "The Foxcatcher." And a story from a weirdo family member. All of this and more when Weird Darkness returns.

My guess is that you've heard a lot of people talking about Factor, the two-minute meals packed with nutrition. Up until recently, though, I didn't really care much about nutrition. I was into convenience. Burgers, pizza, you get the drift. But the older you get, the more you realize nutrition is kind of important.

At the same time, convenience is still crucial for me. I am busier now than I've ever been in my life, so eating food fast without eating fast food is a bit of a challenge. Was a bit of a challenge. With Factor, I get to check both of those off my list. I just heat it up, and two minutes later, I'm sticking a fork in it.

Factor is more than convenient though. I don't even have to jump into my car to go through a drive-thru or pay a bunch of extra money so I can wait 30 minutes to an hour for a delivery app to come through for me. Factor meals arrive directly at my door, fresh and ready to eat. And with my new weight loss goals, the menu options are a real bonus. They have gourmet meals if I want to be calorie smart or pack on the protein, go keto and more. They have 45 weekly menu options.

How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, that's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen. And Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I got to admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. Hey everyone, this is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground. And you'd be right.

because this unshakable fortress of a vehicle is built to take you on your next adventure. With the twin-turbo V6 engine, the all-new Armada is powerful enough to take you anywhere. With its 8,500 pounds of toying capacity, it will let you bring all your toys along. And with seating for eight, your whole crew can join you.

Nissan created a truly capable vehicle in the all-new Armada. In fact, it's the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge, which Nissan reserves for its most adventure-ready vehicles.

The Armada is a big SUV designed and built for big adventures and must be experienced to be appreciated. Drive the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada today. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.

Welcome back to Weird Darkness, I'm Darren Marlar! Have you seen the Monster Channel? It has horror hosts, B-horror movies, retro television commercials and a whole lot more! You can watch it anytime, absolutely free, 24/7/365 on the Monster Channel page at WeirdDarkness.com. That's the Monster Channel page at WeirdDarkness.com! Fair warning: Even if you're not claustrophobic or taphophobic, what follows might have you squirming.

Mistaken for dead, many people have been entombed prematurely, only to awaken to a horrifying reality. There are many tales of people being accidentally buried alive who are discovered all too late, but fortunately a few did survive the horrifying ordeal and can now tell us their experience of how they made it through and found themselves back in the world of the living, although in some cases, just barely.

19-year-old Angelo Hayes was believed to have died in a motorcycle accident in 1937 in France. Hayes was thrown from his bike into a brick wall, head first. After a suspicious insurance agent came to inquire about the policy Hayes' father had taken out on his son, the teenager was exhumed two days after his burial. He was still alive, having slipped into a coma.

As his body required less oxygen in this state, Hayes managed to survive the ordeal. After rehabilitation, Hayes lived to tell the tale of his live burial. He became a celebrity throughout France and also invented a security coffin complete with a radio transmitter, food locker, library, and chemical toilet, just in case anyone found themselves in his same predicament.

In 2015, Natalia Pasternak and a friend were walking in the woods of Siberia when they were attacked by a bear. She and her friend fought back, but the huge bear got the best of Pasternak, mauling her and knocking her unconscious. Her friend went for help and flagged down police. The bear, thinking she was dead, buried Pasternak with leaves and dirt. He apparently planned on eating her later. The bear was killed, and Pasternak went through a long recovery.

The attack gave her a new lease on life. She captioned a picture on social media, "How beautiful life is." British magician Anthony Britten was hoping to pull off an amazing feat like the great Harry Houdini, but instead nearly died after being buried alive. Britten wore handcuffs and was buried under loose dirt with the intent of freeing himself from the six-foot grave

Although he spent 14 months preparing for the stunt, Britton wasn't prepared for the actual weight of the dirt, nor the fact that his arm would become trapped. As the time ticked by, his crew became alarmed and quickly unearthed the magician. "I almost died," he said. "I was just seconds away from death. It was scary. The pressure of the soil was crushing around me. Even when I found an air pocket, when I exhaled, the soil around me was crushing me even more.

I could feel myself losing consciousness, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was pretty much dying," Britton said. A woman was visiting the family plot in 2013 in a small town in Brazil when she saw a man clawing his way out of a grave. His head and hands were free, but he was struggling to pull himself out. The woman brought rescue workers to free the man, who turned out to be an employee at City Hall.

The man has no memory of being buried alive, though authorities said he was badly beaten before being buried. The theory is that the man's attackers, believing him to be dead, buried him in the cemetery to expose his body. In 1968, Mike Meany set out to break the world record for entombment 45 days, set by American Digger O'Dell,

Meany allowed himself to be buried in a coffin with holes for air, access to food and water, and a telephone. The barman talked to boxer Joe Lewis while he was underground. After 61 days, Meany emerged weakened but in good health otherwise, sporting sunglasses as the coffin lid was pulled away. There were many sick and dying among the Irish during the Potato Famine of 1845-1852.

Tom Guerin was mistaken for dead and was buried in a mass grave. There are varying reports of what actually happened to Guerin, but one account states that when the gravedigger hit his legs with a spade, the boy cried out in pain. Although the boy survived, he was handicapped for life. Guerin struggled financially as an adult but was a cheerful person and somewhat of a poet. He even wrote a poem to the Irish government asking for new shoes.

A young woman, Philomela Zonetri, was taken ill with cholera in 1867. She was believed to have died, was given her last rites, and buried six hours later. As the gravediggers were finishing up, they heard faint knocking from inside. They quickly dug her up and could see that Zonetri was still alive. She stayed alive for a day, but then passed away, either due to her illness or the damage caused by being buried alive.

Her ordeal inspired the poem "The Ceiling" by A. Long, written in March 2016. The view swallows me whole From down here it's cold I look up into the light Outlining my hands with darkness As I reach past my station And my level and my class And my knowing into tomorrow Pushing a little further The sticky bits of yesterday's dreams Clung to my skin

Broken stems of possibilities Scrape and bleed past more dusty realities Ineffable, straining my arms until they were sore further still. Thanks for listening! If you like the show, please tell somebody about it who loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do, and tell them where they can listen to the show so they can tune in next time.

If you missed any part of tonight's show, or if you'd like to hear it again, you can subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast app by searching for Weird Darkness. By doing that, you'll get a copy of tonight's show, the Sudden Death Overtime content that I planned to use tonight but didn't have time for, plus daily podcast episodes that come out seven days per week. Visit WeirdDarkness.com. You can also follow me on social media – drop me an email, send me your own true paranormal story, listen to other podcasts that I host, and more!

All stories used tonight are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can find links to the stories of the authors in the show notes, which I've already posted at WeirdDarkness.com. Weird Darkness is a registered trademark. Copyright Weird Darkness. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Mark 8, verse 36. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? And a final thought...

Don't worry about failures – worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try. Jack Canfield, I'm Darren Marlar, thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness.

My guess is that you've heard a lot of people talking about Factor, the two-minute meals packed with nutrition. Up until recently, though, I didn't really care much about nutrition. I was into convenience. Burgers, pizza, you get the drift. But the older you get, the more you realize nutrition is kind of important.

At the same time, convenience is still crucial for me. I am busier now than I've ever been in my life, so eating food fast without eating fast food is a bit of a challenge. Was a bit of a challenge. With Factor, I get to check both of those off my list. I just heat it up, and two minutes later, I'm sticking a fork in it.

Factor is more than convenient though. I don't even have to jump into my car to go through a drive-thru or pay a bunch of extra money so I can wait 30 minutes to an hour for a delivery app to come through for me. Factor meals arrive directly at my door, fresh and ready to eat. And with my new weight loss goals, the menu options are a real bonus. They have gourmet meals if I want to be calorie smart or pack on the protein, go keto and more. They have 45 weekly menu options.

How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, that's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen, and Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I got to admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. Hey everyone, this is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground. And you'd be right.

because this unshakable fortress of a vehicle is built to take you on your next adventure. With the twin-turbo V6 engine, the all-new Armada is powerful enough to take you anywhere. With its 8,500 pounds of toying capacity, it will let you bring all your toys along. And with seating for eight, your whole crew can join you.

Nissan created a truly capable vehicle in the all-new Armada. In fact, it's the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge, which Nissan reserves for its most adventure-ready vehicles.

The Armada is a big SUV designed and built for big adventures and must be experienced to be appreciated. Drive the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada today. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.

Located near Siler City in the forest of Chatham County, North Carolina, the notorious Devil's Tramping Ground is a circle of barren earth that has inspired fearful myths and frightening legends spanning generations. Believed to be the preferred place for the Lord of Darkness to walk alone and contemplate humanity's demise, stories of the evil energies surrounding the lifeless clearing reach back hundreds of years.

While rumors of the devil's role in the location's origin have persisted for generations, modern times have brought more modern theories to the table. Some believe the ground was cursed by the bloodshed of a Native American conflict. Others think the patch is the result of extraterrestrial UFO radiation. More grounded theories propose the Earth remains barren as the result of unusually high levels of salt in the soil.

Whatever the theory, plenty of people have added to the area's mythology in recent years. We'll take a look at some creepy stories and legends about the Devil's Tramping Ground that might have you rethinking your late summer camping plans. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness.

Welcome, Weirdos! I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness Radio, where every week you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained – coming up this hour!

John George Haig took the plunge into murder when he knocked out his old boss and dumped the body into acid, then set out to kill again. Only 2% of the population can hear it – a persistent, maddening sound that science has no explanation for, and the hearers have dubbed it "the hum." The Tromp family fled their farm in 2016, and there's still no explanation as to why.

One police officer calls it the most bizarre case he has ever seen. But first… In Chatham County, North Carolina, there is a 40-foot-wide circle in the wilderness where absolutely nothing grows. Some believe Satan himself is responsible. We begin there…

If you're new here, welcome to the show! And if you're already a member of this weirdo family, please take a moment and invite someone else to listen in with you. Recommending Weird Darkness to others helps make it possible for me to keep doing the show. While you're listening, be sure to visit WeirdDarkness.com, where you can follow me on social media, listen to free audiobooks that I've narrated, and more! That's WeirdDarkness.com.

Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the weird darkness. The Devil's Tramping Ground got its name from its lack of living vegetation within a clearly defined circle.

According to the Encyclopedia of North Carolina, normal vegetation surrounds the circle but only a wiry grass grows inside it, and no plant life of any kind can be found on the path itself. Additionally, locals have been unsuccessful in trying to transplant that wiry grass to other soils, and any living vegetation intentionally planted within the Devil's Tramping Ground withers soon after.

As dictated by local legend, any foreign object placed inside the circle, and especially within the barren, foot-wide path that encompasses it, will disappear from the area by the next day. A similar claim is presented by the website North Carolina Ghosts. If an object is left in the circle before dusk, it will be aggressively moved outside of the circle by dawn. Even people are allegedly ejected from the clearing in the night.

According to a legend shared by Tumblr user AllTheStuffILike, Boy Scout troops have tried camping in the circle and have woken up in their tents a few miles away. Some guys tried to stay up all night in a tent on that spot and later reported that a soft, soothing, melodic voice lulled them to sleep, and then they too woke up a few miles away.

The barren circle and the desolate path that surround it are often attributed to the devil himself, who allegedly walks the circle at night, plotting and scheming.

The Coloradan interviewed locals for insight into the infamous area, explaining legend has it the circle is the Devil's playground. Believers say every night when the clock strikes 12, he comes up one path and stomps around in a circle, eliminating all growth and life before going back down a second path.

NorthCarolinaGhosts.com, a website devoted to all the local legends of the Tar Heel State, shares, "...in his tramping ground, the devil spends his nights pacing around and around in a circle and turning his bitter mind towards ways to bring human souls to damnation. It's the scorching heat of his cloven hoofprints that wither the vegetation and has rendered the soil barren."

He angrily brushes aside anything left in his path, his great strength easily able to toss aside even the heaviest objects. According to locals, hunting dogs and pets refuse to cross the circle's path, and many reportedly bark, growl, snarl, and bare their teeth in the direction of the clearing. According to North Carolina ghosts, dogs whimper when they near the circle.

Other animals will dig their heels into the sand and refuse to be brought into the circle's bounds. Many supernatural explanations for the tramping ground have been suggested, and many of them involve the land's rumored importance to Native American tribes in the area. In Kayla Ambrose's book, Ghost Hunting North Carolina, she recounts local legends claiming that early settlers believed the Barren Circle was a sacred area belonging to the local tribes.

These tribes allegedly used the site for ceremonies and rituals. Local lore collected by the website North Carolina Ghosts presents a similar yet more unfortunate tale, claiming that the place was the site of a battle between two rival tribes, and the blood of the victims soaked the ground so thoroughly that nothing would ever grow there again.

The lost colony of Roanoke has sparked some of the most famous, outlandish, and frightening supernatural theories in the history of the U.S., and some believe that all of these can be tied to the Devil's Tramping Ground. The entire colony of Roanoke Island seemingly disappeared from what is now North Carolina when the colony's leader, John White, returned to England for supplies. The only remaining clue was the word "Croa," or possibly "Croatoan."

carved into a tree. Some local legends suggest that a battle fought by two Native American tribes at the site of the Devil's Tramping Ground scarred the land, and the losing tribe eventually fled to the Outer Banks. There, they formed the Croatoan tribe and befriended the Roanoke Island colonists who intermarried into the Croatan tribe to avoid total starvation. In essence, the legend claims the tramping ground is cursed by the blood of the tribe's fallen warriors.

Given the perfectly circular and lifeless patch of earth that makes up the Devil's Tramping Ground and the clearing's supposed similarity to crop circles, modern local legends have begun suggesting the site could be the result of visitors from another world. One of the most prominent theories linking the locale to extraterrestrials addresses the unusual circular pattern of the barren patch.

According to more recent lore, the location was possibly the site of a super-advanced UFO which radiated the land and exterminated the grass. One of the most remarkable and unusual aspects of the Devil's Tramping Ground is its unusual geometric shape. The area isn't just a broad path of barren earth; it's nearly a perfect circle, measuring between 30 and 40 feet in diameter.

Perfect circles, rarely seen in natural formations, are often folklorically connected to supernatural occurrences. For example, circles of mushrooms are widely known as "fairy rings." Perhaps stranger than the desolate circle itself is the utterly barren footpath, the one supposedly paced by the devil himself, that surrounds a slightly less scorched central circle.

One geometrically perfect circle in the middle of the forest is uncommon, but two occurring naturally is extremely rare. Those who originally settled in Chatham County were largely of Scottish, Irish, and German descent. They came from an age in Europe in which beliefs in the devil and other supernatural phenomena were very popular. In general, these entities were widely feared.

King James IV, also known as King James I, even wrote a book in 1603 about black magic, witches, demons, and the Prince of Darkness, entitled Daemonology. When the devil-fearing Scotch-Irish immigrants began settling in the U.S., especially in North Carolina, they brought their devout old-world beliefs with them.

This may be one reason why many geographical oddities and unusual locales, including the tramping ground, soon became associated with the Dark Lord.

As North Carolina Ghosts points out, North Carolina has a Devil's Rock, a Devil's Courthouse, seven Devils, Kill Devil Hills, Devil's Branch, Devil's Chimney, Devil's Nest, four Devil's Elbows, two Devil's Forks, a Devil's Knob, and even the Devil's Tater Patch. The Devil's Tramping Ground is said to be as old as Chatham County itself, which was founded in 1771.

The legend of the Devil himself pacing Chatham County's forests was allegedly brought over by the Scotch-Irish settlers in the 18th century, when fear of the Devil was extremely widespread. Stories, urban legends, and local lore surrounding the strange appearance and unsettling energy of the Devil's tramping ground have been recorded for nearly three centuries, and have been reported by Chatham locals, visitors, and passersby.

The mystery of the Devil's Tramping Ground has been known since Chatham County was founded shortly before the War for Independence, according to North Carolina Ghosts. From generation to generation, the story has been passed down. When the location is linked to the actual Devil, one recurring suggestion claims that no one can ever spend the night without losing their sanity.

This is perhaps due to the rumor that the devil, when pacing the circle, drops the illusions with which he disguises himself when he appears to men. In his natural state, the face of this fallen angel is so horrible that no man can see it and remain sane.

The lore surrounding the area stresses that when people have tried to spend the night in the circle, possibly to disprove the rumor of the devil's pacing or, alternatively, to meet the devil himself, something they see on their vigils drives them out of their wits, never to recover. Reporter Ethan Feinsilver took two dogs and a brave female companion along for a camping trip to the devil's tramping ground. They set up their tent in the middle of the circle and spent the night there.

"None of us woke up outside the circle," Feinsilver wrote. "My 1988 Nissan Sentra didn't stall when I drove it over the circle. The dogs roamed happily, no cowering." However, Feinsilver admitted that, likely due to power of suggestion and the prominence of the legend, his adventure wasn't entirely uneventful.

"I thought I heard footfalls," he said. They weren't nearly loud enough to be someone walking around the tent. They were muffled, sort of ghostly. One of the dogs was staring out the screen window with a dreamy look. North Carolina soil scientist Richard Hayes told The Coloradoan that he began testing the soil of the Devil's Tramping Ground in the mid-2000s. He studied the area under the hypothesis that there was something inhibiting plant growth.

One of the natural things we find in Chatham County is copper. According to the report, the results didn't show any copper. And they didn't prove another of Hayes' theories about high salt concentration either. Hayes concluded that he couldn't explain what was happening at the site scientifically. Hayes later said that despite higher concentrations of certain minerals inside the circle than outside of it, none of the readings, none of the data showed that plants couldn't live there.

According to a sign posted along the path leading up to the circle, the area is now additionally known as the Chatham County Vortex, and it's described as a "famous energy vortex." A magdalen crystal column of energy is anchored to this site, the sign declares. This very high vibrating energy helps to balance feminine and masculine energies, strengthens harmony, and expands human consciousness.

The philosophy of Magdalen crystal columns is rooted in the New Age belief of an invisible network of divine, feminine, "ma-re" energy surrounding the planet based on the spiritual power of Mary Magdalene. Personally, I think there's a better chance of the devil doing it than some weird energy force. Up next: John George Haig took the plunge into murder when he knocked out his old boss and dumped the body into acid.

and then set out to kill again. But first, only 2% of the population can hear it — a persistent, maddening sound that science has no explanation for — and the hearers have dubbed it "The Hum." That story is up next on Weird Darkness. My guess is that you've heard a lot of people talking about Factor, the two-minute meals packed with nutrition,

Up until recently, though, I didn't really care much about nutrition. I was into convenience. Burgers, pizza, you get the drift. But the older you get, the more you realize nutrition is kind of important.

At the same time, convenience is still crucial for me. I am busier now than I've ever been in my life, so eating food fast without eating fast food is a bit of a challenge. Was a bit of a challenge. With Factor, I get to check both of those off my list. I just heat it up, and two minutes later, I'm sticking a fork in it.

Factor is more than convenient though. I don't even have to jump into my car to go through a drive-thru or pay a bunch of extra money so I can wait 30 minutes to an hour for a delivery app to come through for me. Factor meals arrive directly at my door, fresh and ready to eat. And with my new weight loss goals, the menu options are a real bonus. They have gourmet meals if I want to be calorie smart or pack on the protein, go keto and more. They have 45 weekly menu options.

How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, that's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen, and Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I got to admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. Hey everyone, this is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground. And you'd be right.

because this unshakable fortress of a vehicle is built to take you on your next adventure. With the twin-turbo V6 engine, the all-new Armada is powerful enough to take you anywhere. With its 8,500 pounds of toying capacity, it will let you bring all your toys along. And with seating for eight, your whole crew can join you.

Nissan created a truly capable vehicle in the all-new Armada. In fact, it's the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge, which Nissan reserves for its most adventure-ready vehicles.

The Armada is a big SUV designed and built for big adventures and must be experienced to be appreciated. Drive the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada today. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions. Some describe it as sounding like an engine idling just outside the house.

Others report hearing a low-frequency rumble, but almost everyone who can hear it — 2% of the population by some estimates — agrees on one thing: the "hum," as it has been called, is a persistent, maddening noise for which the scientific world has no known explanation. Since it was first reported in Bristol, England in 1970, this elusive phenomenon has plagued thousands of people across the globe, slowly eroding their sanity.

One of them is Steve Kohlhase, an industrial facilities mechanical engineer living in Brookfield, Connecticut. In Garrett Harkowicz's short documentary "Doom Vibrations," Kohlhase describes the noise as, "Your ears are ringing real bad. If it's a bad day, it feels like your brain is being squeezed. It's nauseating." Kohlhase says his dog, too, seems to suffer from the noise. Once he started hearing it, the canine became lethargic and has never recovered.

In the film, Colhase lays out the extensive evidence he has collected on the unexplained noise pollution. The quest for answers has consumed him. He estimates that he has spent $30,000 on legal fees and equipment related to his independent investigation. The single through-line in all reported cases Colhase has studied is that the locations are along high-pressure gas pipelines, or at least in close proximity to them.

The phenomenon has spawned many conspiracy theories. Sufferers known as "hummers" have pointed fingers at sources such as electrical power lines, wireless communication devices, and low-frequency electromagnetic radiation. For decades, doctors dismissed patients' complaints as tinnitus, an auditory problem that affects 15% of people.

But the latest research suggests that the noise is not a hallucination, and that many hummers do not suffer from impaired hearing. Dr. David Bogley, an audiologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, estimates that about a third of cases can be attributed to environmental causes, such as industrial machinery at a nearby factory. But the majority of the cases still remain unexplained.

"Bugley himself believes that many of his patients suffer from extreme sensitivity to signals outside the normal range of human hearing. I think most people view the hum as a fringe belief," Harkowicz says, "because it's so subjective. People say they hear something that most people can't hear. But when you look at the vast number of people who say they hear it, it's obvious that there is something going on." So does the filmmaker subscribe to Colhase's gas pipeline theory?

"Some parts are definitely believable, others less so," Harkowicz said. He admits that some of Colhase's wilder extrapolations veer into conspiracy theory territory. "I don't think we'll ever know for sure, though," he says, "since it would require an extraordinary amount of coordination and work to prove it." But Harkowicz was drawn to Colhase's story regardless of the relative plausibility of his claims.

"When I make something about a person with unusual beliefs, I no longer go into it thinking, 'What will it be like if they realize they're wrong?'" he says. "I spend more time on how they arrived at their beliefs and what of myself I see in them." In this case, the filmmaker identified with Colhase's obsessive devotion to his project, despite the fact that it had very little broad appeal. The response to his research was underwhelming to him, but the people he has positively impacted keeps him going.

Harkowicz said, "I often feel the same way about documentary film. I spend years on a project, inevitably feel underwhelmed by the response, but ultimately keep working because one or two people email me to say it meant something to them. I think most creative people would identify with Steve's story." My guess is that you've heard a lot of people talking about Factor, the two-minute meals packed with nutrition,

Up until recently, though, I didn't really care much about nutrition. I was into convenience. Burgers, pizza, you get the drift. But the older you get, the more you realize nutrition is kind of important.

At the same time, convenience is still crucial for me. I am busier now than I've ever been in my life, so eating food fast without eating fast food is a bit of a challenge. Was a bit of a challenge. With Factor, I get to check both of those off my list. I just heat it up, and two minutes later, I'm sticking a fork in it.

Factor is more than convenient though. I don't even have to jump into my car to go through a drive-thru or pay a bunch of extra money so I can wait 30 minutes to an hour for a delivery app to come through for me. Factor meals arrive directly at my door, fresh and ready to eat. And with my new weight loss goals, the menu options are a real bonus. They have gourmet meals if I want to be calorie smart or pack on the protein, go keto and more. They have 45 weekly menu options.

How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, that's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen. And Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I got to admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. Hey everyone, this is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground, and you'd be right.

Because this unshakable fortress of a vehicle is built to take you on your next adventure. With the twin-turbo V6 engine, the all-new Armada is powerful enough to take you anywhere. With its 8,500 pounds of toying capacity, it will let you bring all your toys along. And with seating for eight, your whole crew can join you. Nissan created a truly capable vehicle in the all-new Armada. In fact, it's the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge, which Nissan reserves for its most adventure-ready vehicles.

The Armada is a big SUV designed and built for big adventures and must be experienced to be appreciated. Drive the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada today. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.

Welcome back to Weird Darkness, I'm Darren Marlar. If you'd like to display your dark weirdness wherever you go, you can find Weird Darkness t-shirts, buttons, hoodies, office supplies, clothes for your kids, stickers, magnets, coffee mugs, hats, and more in the Weird Darkness store, with dozens of designs to choose from and a variety of colors to match your style. Grab some weirdo merchandise for yourself, or maybe as a gift for the weirdo in your life, by clicking on Store at WeirdDarkness.com.

red wine, ice cream, a warm bath. These are wonderful ways to unwind after a long day at work. But as we've seen time and time again, even the most soothing of activities can be twisted into terror by a madman's dark imagination. Such is the grisly case of John George Hay, a serial killer from England who used bubble baths of acid to dispose of his victims.

Born in 1909 to an ultra-religious Plymouth Brethren family, John George Hay was raised in Yorkshire, England. His upbringing was strict, to say the least. His father reportedly constructed a 10-foot fence around their yard as a means of blocking out the neighbors. With no playmates, young John grew up alone. At night, he was haunted by nightmares. The first signs of trouble appeared in his early 20s,

After a series of odd office jobs, John was canned on the suspicion that he had stolen company money. His life took a brief turn for the better in 1934 when he married a woman named Betty Hamer, but the marriage fell apart. Soon after, John landed himself in jail for fraud. While behind bars, Betty gave birth to a baby girl, whom she put up for adoption.

John's conservative parents refused to accept the decision and forever shunned their son from the family. Alone, when released from prison, John moved south to London, where he picked up work as a chauffeur for a wealthy businessman named William McSwan in 1936. Yet his criminal ways bubbled back up. For the next seven years, John was in and out of jail for various crimes. It was during this time that he dreamed up the perfect murder.

How can one kill and then truly get rid of the body? Sulfuric acid, of course. To test his plan, John caught mice and submerged their helpless bodies in acid. There he saw it. The critters were gone within 30 minutes. In 1943, John was freshly released from prison and reconnected with his old boss, William McSwan. William invited the freed convict to dinner at his parents' home in celebration.

Shortly thereafter, William disappeared. John told William's parents that he'd gone into hiding to avoid being drafted into World War II, but the truth was far grislier. John had lured William into his basement, where he cracked him on the head, then dumped him into a 40-gallon barrel of sulfuric acid. Within a couple of days, William went from grown man to goop.

Afterward, John moved into William's estate, claiming the businessman had asked him to do so. But with World War II drawing to a close, William's parents wondered why their son remained in hiding. They soon voiced their suspicions to John. He knew of one way to quiet the fussy couple, though: give them an acid bath. With the entire McSwan family now out of the picture, John began cashing William's pension checks,

He sold off their belongings for around £8,000 or £300,000 in today's pounds. With money in hand, the killer moved into the Onslow Court Hotel in London's posh Kensington district. Eventually, however, the funds ran out, especially after John gambled much of it away. While on the hunt for more cash, the killer spotted a promising real estate ad in the local paper. He traveled to the home of Dr Archibald Henderson and his wife Rose,

Pretending to be an interested buyer, John soon struck up a relationship with the affluent couple. In February of 1948, John convinced his newfound friends to take a drive into the country and visit his new workshop in West Sussex. Upon arrival, John gunned down the Hendersons and dumped their bodies in the baths. He then collected their belongings and pawned it off for money. Yes, the acid bath murderer had cooked up quite the chilling racket.

lure wealthy acquaintances out to his workshop of horrors, send them to the vats, then sell off their possessions for cold, hard cash. John's next and final victim was Olive Duran Deacon, a wealthy widow living at the Onslow Court Hotel. Of all possible things, Ms. Duran Deacon wanted to meet with John to discuss a brilliant new idea – artificial fingernails.

John happily invited her to his West Sussex workshop, where he shot her dead and then submerged her body into the acid. This time, however, the acid bath murderer failed to cover his tracks. Detectives soon connected the missing woman to John and began looking into his lengthy record of prior arrests. When authorities searched his West Sussex workshop, they found evidence of Mrs. Durand's deacon, plus some papers referring to his earlier victims.

As for the body-erasing acid baths? The plan was not as foolproof as John thought. A pathologist identified three gallstones and a piece of a denture amongst the remaining sludge, an object that could withstand a slathering of sulfuric acid. Authorities arrested John and charged him with murder. He soon confessed to the killings. The man pled insanity, claiming he'd been driven mad by a childhood nightmare that returned to him as an adult.

"I saw before me a forest of crucifixes which gradually turned into trees," he recounted of the dream. "At first there appeared to be dew or rain dripping from the branches, but as I approached I realized it was blood. The whole forest began to writhe and the trees, dark and erect, to ooze blood. A man went from each tree, catching the blood. When the cup was full he approached me. 'Drink,' he said, but I was unable to move."

The courtroom had little interest in John's strange vision. A guilty verdict was handed down on all counts. In August 1949, John George Hay was put to death by one of England's longest-serving executioners, Albert Pierpont. Up next: The Trump family fled their farm in 2016. There's still no explanation as to why. And one police officer calls it the most bizarre case he has ever seen.

That story, when Weird Darkness returns.

At the same time, convenience is still crucial for me. I am busier now than I've ever been in my life, so eating food fast without eating fast food is a bit of a challenge. Was a bit of a challenge. With Factor, I get to check both of those off my list. I just heat it up, and two minutes later, I'm sticking a fork in it.

Factor is more than convenient though. I don't even have to jump into my car to go through a drive-thru or pay a bunch of extra money so I can wait 30 minutes to an hour for a delivery app to come through for me. Factor meals arrive directly at my door, fresh and ready to eat. And with my new weight loss goals, the menu options are a real bonus. They have gourmet meals if I want to be calorie smart or pack on the protein, go keto and more. They have 45 weekly menu options.

How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, that's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen. And Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I got to admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. Hey everyone, this is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground, and you'd be right.

Because this unshakable fortress of a vehicle is built to take you on your next adventure. With the twin-turbo V6 engine, the all-new Armada is powerful enough to take you anywhere. With its 8,500 pounds of toying capacity, it will let you bring all your toys along. And with seating for eight, your whole crew can join you.

Nissan created a truly capable vehicle in the all-new Armada. In fact, it's the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge, which Nissan reserves for its most adventure-ready vehicles.

The Armada is a big SUV designed and built for big adventures and must be experienced to be appreciated. Drive the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada today. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.

I'm Darren Marlar, welcome back to Weird Darkness. If you like what you're hearing and you'd like to hear even more, you can check out the free audiobooks I've narrated at WeirdDarkness.com. I've got free audiobooks there by Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Charles Dickens, and more.

In fact, my latest one is from Robert Louis Stevenson, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" – the entire audiobook, absolutely free. You can find it on the audiobooks page at WeirdDarkness.com. In late August of 2016, the Tromp family of Sylvan, Australia abandoned the family berry farm and successful earth-moving business and went off the grid – albeit briefly.

The members of the family left their cell phones, passports, and credit cards behind with no explanation or warning that they were leaving town. The family, Mark and Jacoba, and their adult children, Brianna, Mitchell, and Ella, drove north. Why did the Trump family leave behind all their possessions? And why would they put on such a bizarre act with everyone they came across?

Even after the family returned home after nearly a week, there were no answers. The media and amateur sleuths have speculated about possible reasons, but the speculation remains just that, and the family's temporary exodus remains an enigma. On August 29, 2016, members of the Trump family piled into the family car and drove away from their berry farm.

and their successful business, without so much as a word to their friends or extended family. The family drove nearly a thousand miles across Australia. No one realized the family was missing at first, but it wasn't long before the family of five splintered into individual groups, their erratic behavior finally drawing attention to the situation at hand.

When the police were alerted to the family's bizarre disappearance by Rihanna and Ella, the first thing they did was pay a visit to the Tromps' abandoned berry farm. Inside the house, the doors were unlocked. Authorities discovered personal possessions left conspicuously out in the open: passports, cell phones, and credit cards. The kinds of items most people in the modern world would take with them on a road trip. They were all left sitting on the table.

The abandoned items suggested the Tromps didn't want to be followed. The one member of the family who realized something was off about his parents was their son Mitchell, who brought along his phone on this impromptu excursion. He realized the family was being delusional and that his phone would be the one lifeline to civilization if things were to go south. When his parents found out about the phone, they made Mitchell throw it out the car window to keep them from being electronically tracked

Once that was out of the equation, the family was truly cut off from civilization. Five hundred miles into the family's thousand-mile road trip, Mitchell Tromp had had enough of the family's shenanigans and left them to their own devices. At 7 a.m. in Bathurst, west of Sydney, he left the group and took a series of trains back home. After everyone returned home safe and sound, Mitchell expressed regret at leaving his family when he did.

He told the press he should have helped his family as things spiraled out of control, but at the time his decision made sense. "I thought getting out was the best idea for me at the time. In hindsight, I should have tried to stay with them and try to help them bring them back around and talk to them more, but I got out of the car." No one knew the family was missing until Rihanna and Ella Tromp cut away from their parents while at the Geniland Caves, a popular tourist destination.

The two sisters took possession of a car and drove to Goulburn, about two hours south of their departure point. Once they arrived, the girls reported their parents missing, a call that sent the county's authorities on a scramble to find the couple. After regrouping at home, Mitchell and Ella spoke to the press about their parents' odd behavior, saying that they had never acted this way before but insisting that they weren't dangerous.

After Ella and Rihanna escaped to Goulbourne, they went their separate ways. Ella drove the rest of the way home, while Rihanna, still apparently suffering from some form of psychosis, slipped into the back of a truck. The driver didn't realize Rihanna was hiding in his truck bed until he'd been on the road for about an hour. When he tried to speak to her, she was in a catatonic state and claimed she didn't know who or where she was.

It was only after she was taken to a psychiatric hospital that she was identified as Rihanna Trump. After taking a car in Goulburn, Ella had the wheels to make it back home before the rest of her siblings. After her arrival, Mitchell got back as well, having hopped a few trains in order to make it back to the family farm. The police were already waiting for the siblings. Ella was charged with taking the vehicle while the police continued their search for the parents.

However, under Section 33 of the Mental Health Act of New South Wales, the charges were later dropped. Once their children parted ways, the parents didn't stick together for long either. While Jacoba tried to take a bus back home, Mark continued his streak of unsettling behavior. He began tailgating a young couple who eventually stopped their car. Mark responded by getting out of his vehicle, but after standing in the middle of the road and staring at the couple for a brief time, he suddenly ran into the woods.

Following his disappearance, Mark was connected with break-ins at Miller's Cottage, a hotel in Wangaratta, and the Millawa General Store. Nothing was taken or damaged, so the Wangaratta authorities didn't press charges. As Mark Trump was causing small-scale havoc across the Wangaratta area, his wife was attempting to travel home. However, she was in too much of a state of shock to get further than Yass, a little over three hours away from Wangaratta.

Once she arrived in Yas, she tried to book a hotel room but didn't have any way of paying. After exhibiting various signs of confusion, she was transported to a hospital by one of the locals. The staff immediately recognized who she was and called the police. She was checked into a psychiatric hospital and placed under observation.

One of the strangest details about the Trumps' family's disappearance, and one that lends itself to many conspiracy theories, is the surplus of financial documents the police found when they searched the family's home. In addition to the credit cards, cell phones, and passports found lying around, authorities discovered stacks of the Trumps' financial records. From the looks of it, the family had gone through their personal records and placed them all around the house before taking off.

When asked to explain the odd behavior, including but not limited to their sudden departure, the Trump family didn't have an answer. The family wasn't on drugs, and nobody was diagnosed with any mental health issues. A police officer who knows the family personally said the Trumps weren't in debt, nor were they part of any fringe religious groups.

After leaving the hospital, Rihanna Tromp said stress had been building up in the family for years and suggested the incident was simply how the tension finally let itself out. While the Tromps chalk up their inexplicable, if temporary, behavior to a buildup of stress, online observers and other amateur sleuths have come up with other theories to explain the family's disappearance.

Some people believe the mob was in pursuit, primarily owing to the financial statements stacked up in the Trump's home, but there is no evidence of any involvement with organized crime. Among other suggested possibilities are environmental toxins from the family's farm, although once again the details about what those toxins are and what effect they may have had remain vague. The Australian media has questioned whether carbon monoxide might have been the culprit.

The BBC reports Mark was increasingly stressed out and growing paranoid that someone was after his money. The report went on to suggest that his paranoia may have inflicted members of his family, leading to a psychiatric condition known as the "folie a deux" or "the madness of two." After six days, the family was finally brought back together when Mark Tromp was found walking near the Wangaratta Airport.

Police determined he was not a threat and released him into the care of his brother, a police officer. Mark's strange behavior initially continued on the drive home, but he later settled down and even released a statement, thanking the authorities who found him and apologized for his actions. An officer in the Sylvan district of Victoria called the Trump disappearance "the most bizarre case I've seen in 30 years." After being reunited, the family said they wanted time to process what they had been

and the inherent weirdness of their disappearance. The family members who spoke to the media, especially Mark and his son Mitchell, were quick to apologize for the money spent on the search and the panic they caused. Mark Tromp told the Sydney Morning Herald, "I'm conscious of the burden these events have placed upon our extended family, friends and the community resources devoted to our aid. Without reservation, I apologize for the hurt and concern caused by these events."

but he never did explain what on earth actually happened. This is actually a story my dad told me. It happened to him when he was a kid. My dad lived in a small town in Mexico. He was nine years old at the time and because my grandfather was up here in Arizona, he had to get a job to help put food on the table. The year was 1957. He was walking back home. The distance from the market he helped at and his house were approximately about three miles.

He had to walk through an avocado grove and then cross a dirt road to get to his house. It was late fall, and it got dark pretty early, so he was heading home around 8 p.m. and it was already very dark. As he made his way through the grove, he started feeling pretty uneasy. It was like someone was watching him. He felt a bit better when he came to the halfway point of the avocado grove. It was marked with a post that was lit up with a light bulb. It was a dim light, but a light nonetheless.

Once he walked past it, though, that feeling returned. He started whistling to get his mind off the fact that he was scared. A few minutes passed, and he felt like something rubbed up on his leg. There was just enough light for him to be able to see it was a medium-sized dog. At least, that's what he thought it was. When he came to the side of the dirt road, a car happened to be driving past.

He looked down when what he thought was a dog this whole time let out a blood-curdling screech and what he saw terrified him. This thing stood up on two legs. It was covered in black hair and it had red eyes. My dad said he ran as fast as his skinny little legs could carry him. He told his mother all about it. About a week after he experienced that, the local authorities were called to investigate the whereabouts of the Avocado Grove's owner's daughter.

Her body was found right where my dad said he walked past the light post. She was clutching a rosary, and they determined she had died of a fright-induced heart attack. Apparently this thing sounds like what the indigenous people of Mexico called el nalwal. It is a dark entity, a shapeshifter that usually appears in the form of a dog.

Thanks for listening! If you like the show, please tell somebody about it who loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do. And tell them where they can listen to the show so they can tune in next weekend!

If you missed any part of tonight's show, or if you'd like to hear it again, you can subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast app by searching for "Weird Darkness." By doing that, you'll get a copy of tonight's show and also the Sudden Death Overtime content that I planned to use tonight but didn't have time for. Tonight's Sudden Death Overtime is the circumstances of wrestling coach John DuPont's bizarre crimes

They were portrayed in the critically acclaimed true crime drama film "Foxcatcher." Steve Carell was lauded for his performance as John DuPont, and the film was nominated for five Academy Awards. But how true is the film compared to the actual events? We'll look at the real story behind the movie "Foxcatcher" that's in the podcast version of tonight's show only in the Sudden Death Overtime content.

Plus, if you subscribe to the podcast, you'll get Weird Darkness episodes seven days per week, along with episodes of My Mind of Marler, My Murder Noir, old-time radio shows that I put together, and a whole lot more. Visit WeirdDarkness.com. You can also follow me on social media, drop me an email, send me your own true paranormal story, and more. All stories used tonight are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can find links to the stories or the authors in the show notes, which I've already posted at WeirdDarkness.com.

"Weird Darkness" is a registered trademark. "Weird Darkness." And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Isaiah 40:31: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." And a final thought.

At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back. Denzel Washington. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness. My guess is that you've heard a lot of people talking about Factor, the two-minute meals packed with nutrition.

Up until recently, though, I didn't really care much about nutrition. I was into convenience. Burgers, pizza, you get the drift. But the older you get, the more you realize nutrition is kind of important.

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How many weeks are there in a year? 52? Yeah, that's pretty dang close to a different menu for each week. I can use Factor for breakfast, quick lunches, premium dinners, even guilt-free snacks and desserts. Imagine that. Snacking without guilt. I didn't think that was possible. If you'd like to join me on this journey, you can visit factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping in your first box.

That's factormeals.com slash darkness50off, then use the code darkness50off to get 50% off and free shipping. I'm not big on trends, never really have been, so I can't be trusted when it comes to clothes shopping for others. I'm married to someone who does understand what looks good.

Quince.com asked me to endorse them on Weird Darkness, and at first I thought, eh, it's a bad idea, for reasons I've already laid out. But I let my bride check out their website, and, well, she immediately started shopping for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Just Because Day, apparently that's a real thing, and now she keeps going back to Quince.com. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples have become a go-to place for everyday essentials now.

Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands.

They work directly with top artisans, so they cut out the middlemen. And Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I honestly didn't think I needed Quince.com, but Robin says, yeah, I do. Desperately. I think that means she'll be buying some clothes there for me, too.

She's tired of seeing 98% of my closet being weird darkness t-shirts. Go figure. She's also making me out to be the hero in front of my nieces. We got a cute little toddler-sized poplin-smocked flutter-sleeve dress for my youngest great-niece, complete with pink puppies for the pattern. It's adorable, I'll admit that. We got a pair of cotton-stretched skinny jeans coming from my newly-teenaged great-niece, along with a set of organic cotton long-sleeve and pants pajamas.

My oldest niece, the mom in the family, is getting a pair of ultra-soft high-rise pocket leggings. Emphasis on pocket. That's a pet peeve of my bride. She refuses to buy pants without pockets. And we're also sending a pair of ultra-form high-rise leggings. I would look horrible in all of this stuff, but the ladies in the family are going to look awesome. Of course, we'll be going back to quince.com in the next few days to begin shopping for the nephews.

I'm not allowed to pick out those clothes either. Robin just does not trust me. Good call. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com slash weirddarkness for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash weirddarkness to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash weirddarkness

Okay, yeah, I got to admit, this t-shirt is kind of fading. Hey everyone, this is Keri Champion, the host of Naked Sports. When you sit behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada Pro 4X, you'll feel like the entire world is your playground, and you'd be right.

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To an outsider, John DuPont looked like he had it all. An heir to the DuPont chemical and automotive fortune, DuPont was a multi-millionaire who busied himself by supporting his greatest passion: wrestling. DuPont poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the sport, donating to universities and even building a wrestling facility named "Foxcatcher" on his estate where he coached Olympic hopefuls.

The sports enthusiast had a life that most would envy: money to burn, a gorgeous home, and fervent admiration from people who appreciated his generosity. But on January 26, 1996, DuPont shocked the world when he murdered his friend and fellow wrestling coach Dave Schultz in cold blood. At the time of his death, Dave Schultz had been living on the DuPont estate for about seven years.

DuPont had offered Dave an obscene amount of money and a place to live, rent-free, if he would help coach Team Foxcatcher, the wrestlers that trained at DuPont's private facility. Dave and younger brother Mark were the only American brothers to win gold medals at both the World Championships and the Olympics, bringing a certain amount of prestige to DuPont's team. DuPont and Mark had also worked together, but they went their separate ways in 1988.

Mark later claimed that he left because DuPont was unstable and controlling. But Dave couldn't pass up such a lucrative offer, even if it was for a job that had so annoyed his younger brother. It was a decision that would ultimately bring about his untimely death and haunt his family for years to come. Though DuPont initially bought the elder Schultz's allegiance, the two actually became friends, making Dave's later murder all the more shocking.

On January 26, 1996, DuPont drove up to Dave's house and parked in his driveway. With no idea of the fate that was in store for him, Dave approached the vehicle. DuPont said, "You have a problem with me?" and then he pulled a gun out and shot Dave three times at point-blank range. Dave's wife and DuPont's security guard were present and witnessed the crime, although there was nothing to be done to save Dave.

Dave died in his wife's arms at the scene. At the age of 36, he left behind two children. John DuPont fled back to his mansion, where he barricaded himself in the home's bomb shelter for two days. The estate was quickly surrounded by hundreds of police officers and SWAT team members. DuPont refused to leave, despite several back-and-forth phone calls with authorities who tried to persuade him to give himself up. Finally, the standoff ended when police had the idea to turn John's heating system off.

Bothered by the cold, DuPont left the house to attempt to fix the boiler and was quickly captured by police. Why would DuPont kill a friend for no apparent reason? In front of several witnesses, authorities have never discovered a motive for DuPont's heinous act, making this crime truly mind-boggling. Many of the people in his life expressed shock at this sudden plunge into violence, including Joy Hansen Leutner, a triathlete who was close to DuPont.

He had helped her get through a difficult period in her life, and her fiancé had even asked DuPont, rather than Leutner's father, for permission to pop the question. "With my family and friends, John gave me a new lease on life. He gave more than money. He gave himself emotionally. There's no way John in his right mind would have killed Dave." In fact, the general consensus is that DuPont was not in his right mind, and was likely suffering from mental health issues that were never treated.

Though his initial insanity defense was thrown out, in DuPont's 1997 trial, the jury found the killer guilty but mentally ill, sentencing him to 13 to 30 years of incarceration. Hindsight is 20/20. Though no one suspected DuPont would be capable of murder, he did display erratic behavior for years before Dave Schultz's murder.

In fact, his lavish donations may have even prompted people to turn a blind eye to his deteriorating mental health for fear that he would withdraw financial support. Glenn Goodman, a former wrestler at Foxcatcher, discussed his guilt over the matter and even went so far as to say, "...I feel the whole wrestling community has prostituted ourselves."

In the weeks and months leading up to the murder that he committed, Dupont had placed infrared cameras in his house to detect ghosts and spoke of fears that the walls were moving, that Nazis were out to get him, and that he would travel back in time through the clock on his treadmill. Signs of Dupont's instability may have gone back even farther. In 1983, he was married for just a few short months.

In that time, his wife alleged that on different occasions he had expressed paranoia that she would be kidnapped, pointed a gun at her head, accused her of being a Russian spy, and tried to shove her in the fireplace. The circumstances of John DuPont's bizarre crime were portrayed in the critically acclaimed true crime drama, Foxcatcher.

The film, starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo, were all lauded for their performances as John, Mark, and Dave, respectively. Directed by Bennett Miller, who also earned accolades for directing Capote and Moneyball, the film was nominated for five Oscars. While the movie is true to life in most ways, it does occasionally depart from real-life events,

At one point, Mark Schultz slammed the film when he realized that some scenes could be interpreted as suggestions of a sexual relationship between him and DuPont, which he declared was utter fiction. However, he later recanted his criticism, calling Foxcatcher a miracle. In 2010, DuPont died in prison at the age of 72. He'd been incarcerated for nearly 14 years. Though Dave's murderer was now dead, the Schultz family didn't exactly rejoice.

Philip Schultz, Dave's father, said, John DuPont died for me the day he took my son's life, so the fact that he's officially gone is almost a moot point. I did forgive the man for what he did. I never forgave the act. Committed to his passion until the day he died, John DuPont was buried in his team box catcher wrestling singlet. Sudden death over time. Weird darkness.

I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to The Wealth Break. Let's be honest. Building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle, and relying on your community to create something bigger. And that's exactly why we created The Wealth Break. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles, and real wins.

We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed, and learned to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six-figure business, we're bringing you their stories. And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities, like what it means to take risks, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters.

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