Fire Creature
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They've lost their homes to the fire and burn. I bring them warm blankets with care and concern. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. And I'll walk past the corner and pull out a match. You've crossed over to Spooked. Stay tuned. Big news in Spooked land. Because this fall, we're going on tour. Spooked live. I can't wait. It's going to be awesome. And here's where you come in.

Looking for amazing, mystical, magical storytellers who can rock their true story of touching the supernatural on stage in front of thousands of people. Do you know somebody who needs to be on the Spook Live stage? Are you somebody who needs to be on the Spook Live stage? Let me know. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org. Tell me.

about your relationship to the shadow, to the mystery unfolded over time, the twists, the turns, the shocks. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org because there is nothing better than a spook story from a spooked listener. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org and don't turn out the lights.

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It's time to make America affordable again. It's time to support the President's plan. Every sandwich has bread. Every burger has a bun. But these warm, golden, smooth steamed buns? These are special. Reserved for the very best. The Filet-O-Fish and you.

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Indeed.com slash podcast. Okay, so from the thermometer hanging outside the window, it's the kind of freeze that only happens after the blizzard. Coldest day of winter, fourth grade-ish. And I know, I feel that if I stay inside this trailer with my pops, something very bad is going to happen.

So I put on long johns, on top of my long johns, socks on socks on socks, my coat with the hood. And I step out into the blinding whiteness. Cold like the face of the moon cold. Everything snow. No trails into the woods. No paths. I walk slowly because you can't mess up here. No wrong steps. Winter doesn't care. Still every move I make, deeper into the woods,

The more the fear falls away, the more the tear inside the house fades. No destination, just movement. Cold crackles and snaps, limbfuls of snow. I walk, making a game of how quietly I can move, of how slow I can breathe. Silent as shadow, deeper into the lost than I hear it. Something, someone else in this tundra. I turn toward the almost sound. It can't.

Out stealth me, out step me. Slowly, I push forward, fearfully. Then I see it, closer than I would have imagined. A deer. 14 point buck, magnificent antlers. If you are very, very lucky, you see this kind only once in your lifetime. He glares directly at me. Hot red blood.

drips from his muzzle onto the white snow, and I'm thinking it's hurt, probably shot, and I'm angry. It is not deer season. No one can legally shoot anything, not on our property, and not leave it wounded and suffering. I don't understand what I'm seeing. At its feet, a rabbit, steam rising from its freshly ripped open belly. The deer glowers at me, protective of its prize. Then it bends its head down.

pulls, tugs a stretch of bloody viscera into its mouth and daring me to take a step forward toward the red-stained snow on the carcass. No, no, no, no, no. I take a step back, then two, because deers, they don't eat flesh. Deers are ruminants. Four-chambered stomachs made for plants, only for plants. Every Michigander knows this, so this...

This ain't a deer. This is some kind of deer-shaped monster. I don't even realize that I'm running until a low-hanging branch knocks me down. I scramble back to my feet, frantic, sprinting, crashing, pushing away from that creature, that abomination. No more careful steps now, running wild. I hear it. I hear something crashing through the woods beside me, behind me, running, running,

Knock back down, climb back up, and finally, finally, I see our trailer in the clearing, sprinting toward it. I see it. The dread leaking from the trailer like blood on snow. The fear that pushed me out of the warmth into the cold, radiating like sick.

I stop in front of my door. The hungry cold gathers. Sweat freezes on my lips, my forehead, my ears. I listen for footfalls following me. I listen for warning inside the house. I listen, I listen. And finally I turn back into the woods. Spooks die. There are many, many ways to walk the forest. And now let's meet Chetanur Razdan. Just seven years old.

living with his grandparents in the beautiful city of Jammu, India, the foothills of the Himalayas. Now, his grandfather would always tell him stories, but there is one story that he had kept to himself until right now. One day, I was in the front yard of my house, playing with a ball while the sun was setting. We had this house that was surrounded by farms and fields, and I could hear the birds chirping and going back to their nests.

I loved living there. My grandmother was inside the kitchen preparing supper for the whole family. And my grandfather was sitting on the veranda. That's where we used to sit in the evening and have a cup of tea and watch sunset. I went to grab the ball. I bent down. And as I got up, I saw a light blinking in the horizon. It looked like it was a bulb or a fire floating in the air six feet above the ground.

It's in the middle of the field, very far away from our house. The light was there for just a few seconds, and then all of a sudden, it disappeared. It was gone. Big news in Spookland, because this fall, we're going on tour. Spook live, I can't wait. It's going to be awesome. And here's where you come in.

Looking for amazing, mystical, magical storytellers who can rock their true story of touching the supernatural on stage in front of thousands of people. Do you know somebody who needs to be on the Spook Live stage? Are you somebody who needs to be on the Spook Live stage? Let me know. Spook at SnapJudgment.org. Tell me about your relationship to the shadow.

to the mystery unfolded over time, the twists, the turns, the shocks. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org because there is nothing better than a spook story from a spooked listener. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org and don't turn out the lights.

Under Biden, Americans' cost of living skyrocketed. Food, housing, auto insurance. Lawsuit abuse is a big reason everything's more expensive today. Frivolous lawsuits cost working Americans over $4,000 a year in hidden taxes. President Trump understands the problem. That's why he supports loser pays legislation to stop lawsuit abuse and put thousands back in the pockets of hardworking Americans.

It's time to make America affordable again. It's time to support the President's plan. Every sandwich has bread. Every burger has a bun. But these warm, golden, smooth steamed buns? These are special. Reserved for the very best. The Filet-O-Fish and you.

You can have them too. And you can have it all at two for $6. Like a Filet-O-Fish, Big Mac, 10-piece McNuggets, or large fries. Limited time only. Price and participation may vary. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Single item at regular price. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba.

You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed. When it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job posts seen on other job sites. Indeed's sponsored jobs help you stand out and hire fast. With sponsored jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates, so you can reach the people you want faster.

According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non-sponsored jobs. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.

Indeed.com slash podcast. My first thought was there's never a light on that side of the house. There was no electric pole. There was no road on that side where you could see a bike or a car or a bus or anything. I turned to my grandfather. I used to call him Papa G. I said, Papa G, did you notice that? I just saw some light on the other side of the field. Did you also see that?

The expression on his face, it suddenly changed. He looked startled and surprised. He said, "If you ever see a light in the forest at a far-off distance, never approach it or go towards it. Just make sure you follow your path." The immediate question was like, "But why? It's just a light, right?" He said, "Okay, sit in this chair right next to me," and he started narrating his story.

In the early 1950s, my grandfather used to work for the Foreign Supplies Department as an inspector. His primary role was basically going around to different parts of Kashmir to check the quality of the food grains before they could be distributed within the province. One fine day in the fall season, my grandfather had to go for an inspection to a very far-off village in the middle of the mountains. So he prepared for the trip.

He put everything that he usually used to carry in his bag: a spare set of clothes, a shoehorn, a knife that he would use for protection if needed, and some food that he could eat on his journey. He caught the bus in the city of Srinagar at around 10:30-11. His plan was to get off the bus around 5:00-5:30 and then another one hour of journey on horse carriage.

and be at his end destination before it started getting really dark. After a few hours into the trip, the bus broke down. So he ended up reaching his first stop at 8 p.m., and it was already dark. My grandfather stepped out of the bus, expecting a horse carriage to be there. There was nobody there. He was in a very small town. Everything was closed. But then he thought, he has been to that village so many times,

Maybe he can just start walking towards the place. Might take him just two hours. So he started walking away from that town towards the forest. He could barely see the path in front of him. He could hear crows, wild dogs barking at a distance. He was not afraid. He was used to going to places like these. All of a sudden, he notices a small light flickering at a distance. It looked like a ball of fire.

dark orange in color. It was few feet above the ground, like hanging in the air. He thought, "Why is there a flame there? I've taken this journey so many times. There's supposed to be nothing in that direction." He thought, "Maybe it's a shepherd. Usually they take their animals for grazing in the mountains." But then the light disappeared. He thought, "Oh, maybe he's imagining it." So he kept walking around 30 to 40 paces ahead.

He notices something from the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the left and he noticed there's another light there. This light is at far off distance on the other side of the mountain hanging in the air. He was surprised. Is this the same light that he saw earlier? Was that light moving and following him? Or it's a new light? And then he turns around and he sees four lights right behind him at a distance.

They were very close to each other as if it was four lanterns together and they are getting slightly brighter which means the distance is getting short. My grandfather was wondering, is somebody following me? Are there any thieves or dacoits that are following his lead? He's scared. He turned around and he started picking up pace towards his destination. My grandfather looks ahead and he notices the first lights flashing

They were all changing directions. Some were moving left, some were moving to the right, few feet above the ground. It's as if the lights are circling around him. They are following him from different directions. He starts thinking, "This is supernatural." My grandfather was a devote Hindu. He had heard stories from his grandparents about spirits. Some of those mystical beings

They take position of your soul. They take position of your body. Some of those try to kill. And it is said the forest is full of those kind of creatures. He thought, I better get out of this place as soon as possible. He started running. The trail moved to the right along the mountain. And as soon as he turned right, what he saw was out of this world. In the horizon in front of him, there were 50, 60 lights.

glowing, floating above the ground, moving from one side to another, crisscrossing, jumping 50 feet in irregular patterns. Some of them were coming closer. Some of them were moving further away. Some lights would go off and they would start glowing in a different direction altogether. It was like a dance of those lights. My grandfather started rubbing his eyes. It was something that he had never seen or imagined.

His hands were shaking, his legs were shaking, and he starts running at his full speed. Then he noticed that the lights were kind of following him. They were also moving in the same direction. He was scared so much that he thought this is the end of his life. He realized that the village was still far ahead. He couldn't run that far. And he suddenly remembered that his parents and grandparents had told him when he was a kid.

"If you are ever in danger, you should chant Hanuman Chalisa and Lord Hanuman will come and save you." He is the monkey god, the savior of all. The lights are immediately behind him. So he hurriedly sat down, opened his bag, he took out his knife and also the metal shoehorn that he would always carry with him. It's a common belief in some parts of India that having a metal object with you saves you from anything supernatural.

He put that shoehorn on the ground. He stick that knife into the ground. He crossed his legs, closed his eyes and started chanting Hanuman Chalisa loud and clear. He's just sitting there, praying. He doesn't dare to open the eyes. He just keeps chanting. And he's just praying, praying, praying.

Finally, he gathers the courage to open his eyes. He could not see any lights. He looked behind him. He turned left. He turned right. But there were no lights to be seen anywhere. He thanked God. He grabbed the knife and the shoehorn in his hand and he started running towards the village. Big news in Spookland.

Because this fall, we're going on tour. Live, I can't wait. It's going to be awesome. And here's where you come in. Looking for amazing, mystical, magical storytellers who can rock their true story of touching the supernatural on stage in front of thousands of people. Do you know somebody?

Who needs to be on the Spook Live stage? Are you somebody who needs to be on the Spook Live stage? Let me know. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org. Tell me about your relationship to the shadow, to the mystery unfolded over time, the twists, the turns, the shocks. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org. Because there is nothing better.

and a spook story from a spook listener. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org and don't turn out the lights.

You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed. When it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job posts seen on other job sites. Indeed's sponsored jobs help you stand out and hire fast. With sponsored jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can reach the people you want faster.

According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non-sponsored jobs. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.

Indeed.com slash podcast. Tell Congress to guard your card.

Because Americans lose when politicians choose. Learn more at GuardYourCard.com. He ended up reaching the village at 11 o'clock. My grandfather straight went to the village head's house. The village head was a very good friend of my grandfather. The village head came and he opened the door. He said to my grandfather, What happened to you? Why are you so late? Are you okay? Why don't you come in? So my grandfather comes in and he sits on the ground on the carpet, also known as Kaleen.

He told my grandfather, "Okay, so what happened in the journey?" After my grandfather explained it to the village head, he had a very concerning look in his eyes. He said, "You know what? You should consider yourself very lucky that you made it to my place tonight. Not everybody's been so lucky." My grandfather asked him, "Why?" He's like, "What you saw there, it's called a 'rah chowk.' Some people also call it 'Brahma-rah chowk.' They say that a 'rah chowk' is a human-like creature,

on two legs and it has a light on his head. It has a fire on his head. It's so bright that you cannot see his face. He shows himself to people who are traveling at night. It creates an illusion, makes you take the wrong road. People usually tend to follow the light thinking there's a human dwelling there or a village. My grandfather is like, "Yeah, I have heard about Raachok when I was a kid."

I thought it's a, you know, story you tell your kids and then when you grow up you kind of forget about those stories. So is it real? And the village head replied, "Yes, it is real. There have been people we never found again. In the past, we had to send search parties to find people. Some of them were lucky we found them, but some people we have no clue about what happened to them. You are lucky that you did not leave the trail and start following those lights."

Otherwise, who knows, tomorrow morning we might be looking for you in the forest. My grandfather was shocked. He said nothing. But he also felt a sense of gratitude towards the Lord. Probably it was some of his good karma that helped save his day. After that, he made it a point that he did not travel anywhere by himself at night. My grandfather finished his story. He went quiet. Then I was silent. I had goosebumps and...

I was also scared a little bit because I had just seen a light. My grandmother had actually come out and she was also listening to this story probably maybe 20th time or 50th time. My grandma says, "Okay, let's go. Let's have dinner now." I am 40 now and I still remember all the details of this story. It left an everlasting impression on me. I do believe there are still Rajchuks somewhere in those mountains.

I still have an iron ring that was given to me by my parents. I've never taken that ring off my finger. It's been a part of my body for the last 30 years. Just keeps me safe. Let's put it that way. Thank you, Razdan, for sharing your grandfather's story with Spoot. The original score for that story was by Clay Xavier. It was scouted by Aditya Matu and produced by Eric Yanez. Now then...

1868, London, in front of several witnesses, a man by the name of Daniel Douglas Holm flew out of a third-story window and flew back in through another window. Naturally, folks were both amazed and dubious. Daniel later allowed himself to be tested by multiple skeptics, including eminent scientists. After a thorough examination, one of these esteemed souls finally concluded, and I quote,

I have seen him rise completely from the ground on several occasions. Daniel never charged for his performances. Even after his death, no concrete evidence to dispute his miracles ever arose. So, I guess what I am asking Stokesters is, can you fly? Can you?

Seems unlikely, but if you can, I really need to know about it. No funny business. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org. Let us know. Why? Because there's nothing better than a spook story from a spooked listener. Spooked at SnapJudgment.org. And if you want to see Spooked come to life a whole new way, follow Spooked on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok. It is on. Spread the word. Spooked is brought to you.

by the team that still returns home before the streetlights come on. Except, of course, for Mark Ristich. Mark shot out his streetlights a long time ago. There's Davy Kim, Zoe Frigno, Ann Ford, Eric Yanez, Taylor Ducat, Marissa Dodge, Miles Lassie, Doug Stewart, Paulina Kreeky, Elizabeth Z. Pardue, Aditya Matu, Lulu Jemima. The Spook theme song is by Pat Massidi-Miller.

My name is Glenn Washington, and it feels like our consciousness is expanding to consider ideas that we may have dismissed as absurd or fringe even a little while ago. Mainstream thinkers speak about Gaia, the collective unified consciousness of the planet, which I think is progress, but it's hard to get my mind around. The planet? What about this place?

What about this forest, this valley? Can it have its own consciousness? Can it love, can it hate fear? See, the ancients didn't just build temples to their gods. They built temples where gods already danced. Those standing stones aren't placed at random. Those sacred groves don't flower by chance. Our reverence is a dialogue with that which is already here. Communication that demands we approach with offerings, with respect.

In return, some places give blessings. Others spit curses. They are no more the same than we are, each speaking its own tongue. When you think you feel that whisper of rain on your skin, when the buzz of the swarm presses against your daydream, listen. You may be standing exactly where the ancients would have built a temple. You may be standing on a temple where the mystery still dwells.

still watches, still waits. Do you imagine that you cannot hear the scream of a place and it's being murdered as we kill our own gods? This is not just madness. This is darkness. And it's why we plead. It's why we beg. Never, ever, never, ever, never, never, ever turn out the lights.