S19 Ep18: Wendigos, skinwalkers, fairies and a moose with a human face (Sn. 19 Ep. 18)
01:02:40 Share

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage.

Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000.

And preschoolers discover bold ideas.

Our dedicated teachers and discovery-driven curriculum nurture curiosity, inspire creativity, and build lasting confidence so your child is ready to take on the world. Come visit one of our Bright Horizons centers in the greater Chicago area and see for yourself how we turn wonder into wisdom. Schedule your visit today at brighthorizons.com.

good evening and welcome to monsters among us i'm your guide derek hayes hello everyone and thank you for stopping by i have quite the collection prepared for you here this evening calls about cryptids calls about colorful ufos calls about the fae folk and calls like this one this seems to depict some sort of craft

Out over the water. Please, welcome Dalton from South Carolina to the program. Hey, this is Dalton from South Carolina. And I just want to share, I guess, a UFO sighting. Me and my cousin, he's a park ranger at Lake Warren State Park. And it was a summer night, so it was probably 70-something, maybe a little hotter than that.

But anyways, at the park, there's a dock that leads to the lake, and it goes out pretty far in the lake, like 10, 15 feet out. And usually we go out there and we kind of just talk and stargaze and just talk about life, really. And we were out there one night, and we were just doing our normal thing, talking, sharing stories. And in the middle of the lake, I saw this light, like underwater, and it was

I told my cousin, I was like, "Hey, do you see that light there?" He's like, "Yeah, but it's probably just the road because there's like a dam, if you will, to the right side of us. And cars pass all the time back and forth." And he was like, "Yeah, it's just a reflection of somebody passing." And I was like, "Dude, there's no cars because you could hear the car over the lake because the lake echoes." And he was like, "You know what? You're right." So we're looking. All of a sudden, the light just starts moving back and forth.

almost like a pinball machine, like it's going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. So I'm like, well, water reflects light. So I look up and there it was. It was this huge white light. I thought it was the moon the whole time. It was that bright. And I'm looking and I'm like, what in the world? I kind of hit my cousin on the arm to look up. And as soon as he looks up,

It drops down a little bit closer to us, and then it just gone. And it had this weirdest sound. I can't replicate it, but on the water, you could see the ripples of, I guess, like air kind of hit the water and, you know, how like a speedboat is on the water. It kind of moves the water. It was almost like that.

So then I pull my flashlight out and I'm looking around the water. And the most scary thing that night was all the alligators looking at us and just right there at the dock. That was more scary than what I was looking at. Yeah, that was just the craziest thing. I remember after it left, it was like all the sounds came back. The owls, the crickets. I didn't realize at the time, like it was just silent.

Thanks, Dalton. Wow, that's pretty incredible. And the strange craft that he saw underwater sort of reminds me of some of the reports we've been receiving here off the coast of SoCal.

From time to time you hear someone mention that they saw something glowing beneath the waves, or they might have caught a glimpse of something on camera. It all stems from a supposed alien base that many researchers suggest may lay a few hundred feet off the Pacific coast. And there's a lake in Russia that also seems to have similar reports. The deepest freshwater lake on the planet, actually. Lake Baikal.

which is a very mild deep but a man-made lake in the carolinas that's not the kind of place you'd suspect an unidentified submerged object to hide out especially knowing that the lake wasn't constructed until 1967 so if they're down there they haven't been there very long now my researcher delaney did some digging on lake warren and its ufo uso connection but didn't find much of anything

There were a few other experiences reported from nearby bodies of water, but nothing exactly matching Dalton's incredible claims. So let's put some feelers out. Perhaps someone listening has some insight. Maybe they know something about Lake Warren that we simply do not. But until that info comes to the surface, a big thanks, Dalton, for kicking us off here tonight.

Now folks, I have plenty more nightmare fuel where that one came from. So don't go anywhere. I'll be right back with more spooky stories right after this. We're here to bring you something we believe is better.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot.

but the Copperhead's pocket pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that?

I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free Pocket Pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size Copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000. By texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethose.com slash terms.

At Bright Horizons, infants discover first steps, toddlers discover independence, and preschoolers discover bold ideas. Our dedicated teachers and discovery-driven curriculum nurture curiosity, inspire creativity, and build lasting confidence so your child is ready to take on the world.

Come visit one of our Bright Horizons centers in the greater Chicago area and see for yourself how we turn wonder into wisdom. Schedule your visit today at brighthorizons.com. Now this next entry will find us in Indiana. Please welcome Kat to tonight's program.

Hi, this is Kat from Indiana. I was just listening to the 13.5 episode of season eight. It had a lot of disembodied voices, stories. I wanted to tell you the story of what happened to me one time. Where I live, it's a trailer park between a couple of cornfields.

In middle Indiana, my friends whom I live with, they take care of the stray cats. They will catch them, vet them, fix them, and then release them back into the trailer park. Anyways, I was at home and me and my daughter were just watching TV and I hear a commotion outside.

sounding like a couple of kids up to no good were chasing and harassing the stray cats. So I jump up off the couch, and my daughter, she starts asking, what are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? Don't, don't, don't. And I'm just like, shush. The kids, they're chasing the cats, and you know how the cats get.

So I bust out of the door trying to scare these kids, trying to tell them, you know, hey, leave these cats alone. They're not doing anything to you. Leave them alone. And there's no kids. There's no kids out on the road. There's one cat just sitting on the porch. And this cat, we call him Socks, he's just sitting there.

looking at me and as I'm putting this into my head, my daughter, she is physically grabbing me from around the collar of my shirt and dragging me back inside saying, what are you doing? What are you doing? Get back inside, get back inside. And I didn't know why she was manhandling me like this. My 15 year old daughter manhandling me back inside and she slams the door shut and

I'm like, what are you doing? Why did you do that? I was trying to make sure the cats were okay. And she's like, no, I heard you outside saying very clearly, come here, come here. And you popped up and ran outside. And I said, that's not what I heard. I heard a couple of kids chasing and yelling and screaming outside like kids will do.

And then it hits in my mind that this obviously feral cat that only likes, like, one or two people was just calmly sitting on our porch after I busted like the Kool-Aid man through our front door. And it really rubbed me the wrong way that...

He never sits still like that. I've seen him around the house for two years now. He never sits still like that. To this day, I tell my friends, I'm like, don't let that cat inside. Do not let that cat inside. He gives me the crates. There's just something wrong about him. I don't know what it was. There's a lot of things that go on at that trailer park.

Thank you, Kat. You know, there's something about this mysterious mimicry that gives me the chills. It could be that whatever is out there has the intelligence to employ such a tactic.

But it also could be that something out there has the ability to blend in, to camouflage itself so effectively, even if only audibly, makes you wonder what they're hiding. But there's just something about this phenomena that puts me on edge, and I'm not even an experiencer. I could not imagine the fear an experience like that could invoke, and the sense of danger it could instill. So it sounds like it was a good thing your daughter was there to keep you in check, Kat.

Who knows what would have happened had you gone all the way out there. Who knows who or what was out there waiting for you. And the last thing I'll mention about this story here is the cat, Fox. Sounds like my kind of guy. And if you see him again, cat, please tell him I said, psst, psst, psst, don't worry. He'll know exactly what that means. Thank you again, cat, for taking the time to share your entry.

And folks, if you too have a story you would like me to share here on the program, you can submit one of two ways. First, you can call our hotline at 888-608-NIGHT. That's 888-608-N-I-G-H-T. Or you can record your story using the Voice Memo app on your phone and email it to me at monstersamonguspodcast at gmail.com. Don't forget the rules, though.

Rules that I put in place to help keep your calls as crisp and coherent as possible. Don't call from a loud area. Go to a quiet room, then tell your story. If you do submit from a moving vehicle, I can almost guarantee you that your call will be unusable. The background noise is simply too much. Now there's one story per phone call. You can call in as many times as you want, just keep them separated.

If you get cut off because of our five-minute limit, just call back and pick up where you left off. Connor and I are pretty good at splicing these together, so we'll make it work somehow. And true stories only. No creepypastas, no bedtime stories, no fibs, lies, or tales. True stories only. Please. Now this next entry takes us to the woods. Please welcome Kyle to the program. Hey Derek, this is Kyle calling from Michigan.

My call comes from a shop I used to work at. Anybody from Michigan knows where Lapeer is. It's further east of Lapeer in a little town called Capec. This shop is kind of in the woods a little bit, surrounded by cornfields. There's woods on the backside of it, and it's got four buildings. And...

I noticed whenever I started working there, I started on night shift, and I noticed that I always got a weird feeling in that shop. And I started noticing whenever I worked in the fourth building, which is over more into the woods, I would hear noises. One time I heard a woman coughing when I was the only one in the whole building. It was like right in my ear.

I've noticed shadows around the corners of the machines too. Solid black shadows kind of peeping around, almost kind of like a hide behind. Then I was talking to a guy I work with, and he said that one time he heard his name being called in the woods, and he said it was a Wendigo, and he left a tobacco offering like you're supposed to.

And he hasn't had any issues with it since then. I brushed him off, so that's nonsense. I believe in the paranormal stuff, but that's a little too far-fetched for me. But whenever I told him that, I started seeing a lot more shadows. I don't know if it was a wendigo, so much as the woods were more haunted. I'm not 100% sure, but I do know that

Well, it's not every day you get to use the W word around here. Thank you for calling in, Kyle. And normally I would be real quick to dismiss suggestions of the Wendigo. At least for a story like this. But, Kyle does live in the right part of the world.

The legend of the Wendigo or Wendigo began with the Algonquin speaking tribes, the Cree, the Ojibwe, the Naxcapi, tribes that once roamed the lands that include present-day Michigan. So given the geographical location, I think it's fair that we at least consider that option. And sure, hearing sounds like this in the woods can be spooky, scary, or even unsettling. But how would you feel

If similar sounds were heard coming from your cellar, here with that version is Chevelle out of Montana.

Hello, this is Chevelle Gilmore from Billings, Montana. I just wanted to call about an entry I had a couple years ago. It happened when I was about six or five. It was when I was a child, but a long while ago, I was at my grandma's house, and this is in a residential area, an area with...

A lot of buildings, just the general city area.

But what's weird about this house is that it was built a long time ago. I did some digging, and from what I do know, it was 1960s or 1970s, around that time. And I don't know. I always got a weird feeling from that place. There's always, like, pictures in that house that always kind of, like, stare at you. You know, the weird, usual feeling you get. But...

But this was about, like, I believe it was in the afternoon. My dad and my grandma were just on the patio. And I was in, like, downstairs in the basement. I heard this noise. And I just kind of ignored it. I just figured it was the show because I was watching, like, a little creepy kid show. Like Goosebumps or something. Can't remember. But...

I heard this, like, dog bark, and I got really scared, but I just kind of ignored it, and then I kept hearing it.

And it sounded like a dog almost, like, barking in your ear. Like, I could feel the heat on my ear. It was really weird. And when I asked my dad about it, he said he's seen, like, dogs outside the window before. Other people, shadow people, he has seen, like, the string get pulled almost as if...

Thank you, Chevelle. A disembodied dog barking from the basement. Unsettling. That is, if you don't have a dog.

Now maybe there was some sort of strange amplification effect from the outside, Chevelle. After all, you did say that your dad saw dogs around the window frequently, so it is possible that you simply could hear them through the glass. But of course, that does nothing to explain the pull-string light coming on by itself. Whatever is going on there, Chevelle, we thank you for telling us about it, and we appreciate the phone call. I'm going to make my first move.

At Bright Horizons, infants discover first steps, toddlers discover independence, and preschoolers discover bold ideas. Our dedicated teachers and discovery-driven curriculum nurture curiosity, inspire creativity, and build lasting confidence so your child is ready to take on the world. Come visit one of our Bright Horizons centers in the greater Chicago area and see for yourself how we turn wonder into wisdom.

Schedule your visit today at brighthorizons.com. Hundreds of thousands of people are struggling with substance use disorder in Illinois, and they need someone to help guide them toward recovery.

Certified alcohol and drug counselors have the skills to help people reclaim their lives. Financial resources are available to help you become certified. Find your why at ilcadcworkforce.org and join other compassionate professionals making a difference. Visit the Illinois Certification Board website today. Largest family law firm in the country. Excellent. Let's go.

Now back on season 16, episode 14, I shared a call from Kate in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, about an encounter she had with what she thought was a homeless woman, only to watch it transform into a massive moose right before her eyes. Well, ever since sharing that call, I can no longer look at stories involving moose the same way again. And here with a moose story of his own is B out of the state.

of Idaho. Hi Derek, this is Dee from Idaho. So this is a high school friend's story that I just recently learned about because I haven't seen him since my senior year. After we graduated, he went into the military and he got stationed up in Alaska. And what he would do whenever they weren't doing anything on the base is he would go with some of his friends on base

and they'd find places off base to go fishing or hiking or just generally exploring. So they were doing this one day, and what he described to me is he saw what he thought was a moose in a bunch of willows. And when this thing walked out of the willows, it was something with the body of a moose

But it had the face of like a person almost, but it didn't look like a person. Its face was all like distorted. It looked burned almost. And on top of that, it had the antlers of a caribou. Now, I've never heard of any sort of cryptid or native legend that is like this. So I truthfully have no idea what this thing could be. But...

Thanks B. This is actually an easy one. Your friend simply saw a moose mid-transformation. In all seriousness, I wonder if there isn't a mundane explanation for what B's friend witnessed.

For example, each year a moose grows a new set of antlers, and once they've grown out completely, blood flow stops and the velvety covering begins to rot away, typically in bloody swaths of flesh and hair. Could some of this beef jerky-like material have dried over the moose's face, giving it a ghastly, humanoid appearance? Or it is possible that there is a yet-to-be-named monster roaming the expanses of northern North America.

Now I'll keep my eyes and ears open for more moose calls. Until then though, thank you again Bee, for expanding this creature's territory and for sharing the entry here with us. Now, next up we venture to Oregon, where Lumen is waiting with a tale.

Hi, Derek. My name is Blumen. I'm from the state of Oregon. I currently live in Portland, but this story took place in my hometown of Jervis. It was a UFO thing, which is funny because I don't really tend to, like, believe the UFO stuff. Like, it's not something I tend to think about. It was a nice sunny day. The sun was slowly starting to set. I was in the car with my family. It was my mom, my dad, my three sisters, and me.

and we are heading home from some sort of event and we're all in a family car it's probably like 17 and we're driving and i look out the window and i see an aircraft i typically don't believe in the ufo type things and i'm like oh maybe it's a military aircraft because like our farm airspace was being used by military and i was so used to seeing all the military aircraft

But it was just this weird black oblong shape that was big on one end and tapered down to something smaller. I couldn't see any wings, no flashing lights. I was really, really confused. And honestly, I had no idea what was going on. I'm like, Mom, do you guys see that?

And they're like, oh yeah, that's weird. It looks really weird. So I'm like, as soon as we get home, which was like any minute now, I'm going to hop in the gator and I'm going to go check that out. I'm going to take dad's binoculars. And this thing was super slow moving, super low to the ground. I could see details on it, but it didn't have any military logos, nothing, nothing going on. And as soon as we get home down a half mile long dirt road, I hop in the gator with the binoculars and I book it. Took

Took less than a minute, as soon as I got out of that car, to get to the end of the driveway. And it was such a slow-moving thing that you'd think it'd still be there. By the time I got to the end of the driveway, it was gone. Completely gone. Like, it evaporated from the sky. There was no sign of it anywhere I looked in that skyline. Nowhere.

Thanks, Lumen.

Welcome to the club. You're officially a witness now. And we meet here every Tuesday and Thursday evening. And take solace in knowing that you have our full support. Thank you again for taking the time to call in. Now this next entry also involves an unidentified flying object. But not in the way you would suspect. Please welcome Jay from my state of California.

Hi Derek, my name is Jay. So when I was about eight, I was walking around my neighborhood in spring or summer. This was about 12 or 13 years ago. It was warm and the sun was just starting to set. I live in the suburbs of Southern California, but we have a lot of like open space and trees around where I live, at least at the time that this happened. Unfortunately, a lot of it has since been destroyed.

So there's one big stretch of city property, I guess, along sort of a back row of houses near us. And it was covered in a bunch of like the tall native grass from the open space, sort of grasslands. And it was shaded by this huge, beautiful oak tree, which I loved as a kid. So as I walked past, I was watching all these little insects darting around in the grass, sort of glowing with like the sunset. It was really beautiful. And my eyes fell to like one figure in particular. It was...

larger than the small flies, but not by a ton. It was only maybe an inch or two in height, and it was clearly humanoid. But it looked very thin and spindly, sort of like it was made of twigs. I remember seeing very humanoid legs in particular, and I don't remember what the face looked like, or if I even could make out details of it at the time, but I think it had wings. It was bouncing between a few blades of grass,

And I somehow felt like it was dancing for me or that it was letting me see it. Like I could tell that this thing was aware of me and it was sort of giving me permission to see it. It looked a lot like there's this video that is very clearly fake, but I saw it after this experience and was shocked by how similar it looked. It's called on YouTube, like Creepy Fairy UK or something.

It's a figure very much like what I described, which again, I saw this video after this experience and it freaked me out because it was similar. Anyway, so I crouched down and I was watching this thing for a few minutes and it very weirdly didn't feel shocking to me. It was exciting, but I wasn't freaking out. It felt very natural, like if I was looking at a squirrel or a bird.

And this is coming from someone who loves fairies, like any kid, especially kids raised as girls. We love fairies. And I was very creative and I had a great imagination, but that's never bled into what I knew to be real. I could always tell the difference between that. And I never had any other experience like this until a few years ago.

It was very strange to me. And I've heard a few times from other people with strange experiences, that feeling of it doesn't feel shocking or scary like it should, even though it's very clearly out of the ordinary. Anyway, that stretch of grass has unfortunately since been converted into turf. And a lot of the trees in our neighborhood are cut down. But sometimes I still, when I'm walking through, have that same feeling when I saw it. I don't really know how to describe it.

what that is exactly, but I'm very grateful to have had that experience. It pushed me into further obsession with the Fae and eventually into paganism. I don't know, just curious if anyone had any similar experiences. Anyway, have a great day. Thanks, Jay. Now, first things first here. We found the video Jay referenced in his call. It's in our show notes at MonstersAmongUsPodcast.com and under the show notes tab.

I'm not sure what is featured there in the video though. If I'm honest, it looks very similar to a crane fly or something. But I can sort of see where it looks like it has two legs, where its abdomen should be. But I think we're just looking at an optical illusion here. Anyway, it's in the show notes if you want to take a look. But whatever it is, it's very insect-like. And it's also very reminiscent of a creature from Greek mythology. A creature known as the Dryad.

Now a Dryad is a nymph or nature spirit who lives in trees and takes the form of beautiful young women, emerald green eyes, hair made of vines and leaves, your typical fairy appearance. Now Dryads were originally thought to be the spiritual representation of oak trees, Drys meaning oak in Greek, and it was believed that they only lived as long as the trees they inhabited. When the oak tree died,

So too did the Dryad. But that's all Greek mythology. That's not real life, right? Well, this is not the first fairy sighting that we've heard. And I promise you that it won't be the last either. For now, I'll just say great stuff, Jay. We love a good fairy tale. And thank you again for taking the time to call in. Your name is not heard by the attention of the...

At Bright Horizons, infants discover first steps, toddlers discover independence, and preschoolers discover bold ideas. Our dedicated teachers and discovery-driven curriculum nurture curiosity, inspire creativity, and build lasting confidence so your child is ready to take on the world.

Come visit one of our Bright Horizons centers in the greater Chicago area and see for yourself how we turn wonder into wisdom. Schedule your visit today at brighthorizons.com.

Transparency and trust.

Join a community that believes in better, naturally. Visit azurestandard.com today and discover a simpler, healthier way to shop for the things that matter most. Now next up, we hear from Betta in the show me state.

Hello, Derek. Hey, this is Berta, and I am from Kansas City. Not originally, but this is where the car broke. I have a UFO story that I wanted to share with you and your listeners.

So this was around 1977. My family at the time was migrant workers. So we lived in South Texas, but we would drive up to Wisconsin and Michigan and Arkansas for seasonal work. And I tell you this to go along with my story. Like I said, summer about 1977 or so, my stepdad had been picked up for a DUI. So my mom and his brother had to drive up

to pick him up from jail. At the time, I was about four, maybe five years old. And so I was sitting in the back seat. It was dark outside. It was summer. I believe we were in Wisconsin or Michigan, one of those two. And I could hear my mom and his brother chatting about whatever was going on with the incident that had occurred. Then all of a sudden, my mom's tone, her voice changed, and I could tell that she was concerned.

And she said to the driver, his name was Roy. She said, do you see that? What is that? What do you think that is? And so that alerted me. And like I said, I was sitting in the backseat. So I slowly crept up from the backseat to see what they were talking about. And that's when I saw it. To the right side behind my mom, there appeared an object, a disc-shaped object,

And it was hovering above, I want to say either corn or something very tall. And it was just hovering. I remember it didn't have any noise. It didn't have anything but different colors, like brilliant colors, red and orange. Anyways, I remember my mom saying to Roy that that was a UFO. And then that's all I can recall.

So fast forward in 2019, I drove down to Arkansas to bring my mom up to Kansas City to see our new home, Go Chiefs. On the way coming up, she and I were listening to a creepy podcast and I brought up this incident and I said to her, hey mommy, do you remember? And then she said just the same story that I'm relaying to you.

that she saw the UFO, but she doesn't remember, like, what happened afterwards. She just knows that she picked up my stepdad and went about her business. But she doesn't recall, like, how long it took, when it was, anything like that. So, anyways, I wanted to share this little story. Thank you for the podcast, and thank you for giving us a venue to share our stories. Take care and be well. Adios. Thanks, Betta.

Oh, it's never good when you can't recall details after a UFO encounter. That sort of thing will make you fear things you can't even remember. Trust me, I've seen it happen. And I really appreciate the fact that you asked your mother about this sighting all these years later. And I enjoyed it even more, knowing that she corroborated the account. So thank you again for sharing, Beta. I don't know what you saw, but it sounded pretty incredible.

Now folks, it's time to switch up subjects here just a bit. This next entry is either mind-bending or mind-melting, depending on how you look at it. Please welcome this anonymous caller out of the state of Arizona.

Hi, Derek. Love the show. I'm from Arizona, but grew up in a small town in northern New Mexico. I've always had very intense dreams and nightmares. I can actually remember my first nightmare when I was three years old. So much so that at a very young age, I taught myself how to lucid dream as well as how to wake myself up from nightmares and bad dreams that I cannot control.

My grandmother died when I was 10 years old. It was really hard on me because like most 10-year-olds, I loved my grandmother and it was the first death I had ever experienced. I have only happy memories of my grandmother as a child. Two days after she died, I dreamt that I was at her funeral. Everything was exactly the same as it was at her funeral. Just like two days prior, I was sitting in a chair and bent over with my face in my hands, crying in my lap.

Then I look up to my right and see my grandmother sitting next to me. She was facing forward but peering down at me from the corner of her eye. She looked angry and annoyed. It didn't feel good. It wasn't happy. It was a very scary dream.

Two years later, we moved to an apartment in Arizona. I was 12 years old and I was taking a shower. I closed my eyes to rinse my hair out and in my mind's eye, I suddenly had a vision of this old scary lady wearing all black with white hair and red eyes and she was flying toward me. She was charging me. It scared the living out of me. It was my grandmother.

Later in life, I learned that the grandmother I loved so much had a hard life and she was abusive toward her children. She abandoned them and my grandfather when they were teenagers for a pilot and traveled around the world with him. She also struggled with alcoholism. These were family secrets that, for some reason, my aunt decided to tell me when I was 18. Anyway, she has visited me in my dreams once since then.

I walked into a Circle K, which is a convenience store, and she was working there. I knew she was my grandmother, but she didn't know who I was. I just stopped to chat with her. I cannot remember what we spoke about. But I like to think that because this wasn't absolutely terrifying, that she was doing okay. Later on, I told my mother about that dream, and she told me my grandmother had worked at a Circle K before I was born.

So I've been meditating for 22 years. I've done all kinds of different meditations from guided to mindfulness to working with chakras and energy. Now I'm a total agnostic and skeptic. I don't necessarily wholeheartedly believe in energy or chakras or Celtic goddesses or Wiccan spells and rituals, but I definitely believe in the intention behind them. Also, it's just fun to play around with what your mind is capable of doing.

So I've been meditating off and on since I was 18. Sometimes I'll go six months of daily meditation and other times I won't meditate for weeks, but it's something I've always come back to. During the time these two encounters happened, I was meditating intensely every day, further

For the first encounter, I was doing these guided/hypnosis meditations every morning upon awakening in an attempt to experience astral travel or an outer body experience. Let me preface this by saying that although I believe in a multiverse and parallel universes , I'm not sure if what I experienced was astral travel or that I made my mind do something strange. So after about a month or so of doing this daily meditation,

I finally was able to quote astral travel unquote. I'm going to call back with that experience because it's too long. But long story short, I left my body and traveled through this tunnel of light to a different planet and was in what seemed like a military medical facility with a man who tried to grab me from behind. I was able to fly and go through walls at will. I had complete control and I know I wasn't lucid dreaming, but it wasn't too dissimilar from that. The whole

The whole time I knew I was awake, it was crazy. Now around this time I'm also doing a lot of guided meditations where I'm meeting various goddesses. Once again, I don't necessarily believe in gods or goddesses, but I believe in the intention behind them. Oh my god, I'm so glad I'm anonymous and none of you know my name. I sound like I own a metaphysical bookstore. Anyway, they help me to understand myself and the world around me at the time. Skepticism and spirituality can both simultaneously exist.

One night I'm meditating on my bed and I completely opened myself up for any of the goddesses I had previously got to know via meditation to come and visit me. I completely opened myself up. That was a mistake. After about 20 minutes of mindful meditating and focusing on my, quote, third eye, unquote, I suddenly feel someone at my bedroom door. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight on end. I listened to, read about, and watch a lot of paranormal stuff

And I never knew what people meant when they say they feel a presence until this moment. This isn't what I was expecting, nor was it what I asked for. I feel this presence go from my bedroom door and to the foot of my bed where my feet were. It went around my feet to the other side of my bed where I felt a hand on my right shin as if to say, I'm here. Then boom, in my mind's eye, I see a face of an old woman.

I mean, she looked like decrepit. Like she was really, really old.

If I saw her in a crowd of a million people, I would be able to point her out. I immediately opened my eyes. I could have sworn this old woman would be sitting there right in front of me. She wasn't. Now, the feelings that this woman gave off weren't necessarily bad. They felt kind of good and somewhat supportive, just like lukewarm. They didn't feel evil or bad, like when I saw my grandmother.

It could have been just the meditative state I was in and that I was calm, but I don't know. And she kind of looked like my great-grandmother, who died 30 years before I was born.

I don't know. She just looked really old and not, like, really happy. I'm still not sure who she was or what she went in. It scared me so much I didn't meditate for months and didn't get back into it for a whole year. It's the longest time I've gone without meditation. I didn't even allow myself to think about it. It just completely blocked it out.

Sometimes I wonder if I had just opened myself up enough with month-long intense daily meditation to be able to see and receive people who have passed. Or maybe I've always had that ability with the dreams and visions of my grandmother and the dreams of my grandfather. Oh yeah, he's come to visit me multiple times in my dreams too. I don't know, but I'm not sure I'm willing to find out again. Who knows, maybe I'll be brave enough one day.

If there is anyone out there who has experienced visions, visitations, or dreams of dead people, please let me know. And if anyone out there knows anything about meditation or what I experienced by just random people popping up in your face and scaring you, it would be cool to hear your thoughts. What was weird about it is like when I go into sleep paralysis, my body will start to vibrate.

And it's terrifying and sleep paralysis. And this time my body started to vibrate, but I knew I was awake. I knew what was happening. I knew what was going on. And it didn't feel terrifying, but it was the same feeling. Maybe it was my body releasing DMT like when you die. I don't know if that's even possible.

I didn't see any other weird beings that people typically see when they do DMT. I don't know. I have no idea. This whole astral travel thing, out-of-body experiences, I don't know what it is. Anyway, thank you so much, Derek, for all you do. Thank you, caller. Now there's a ton to unpack here. Firstly, it sounds like your dream knew the truth about your grandmother before you did. Somehow. Somehow.

And it also seems like whatever it is you have going on there, caller, it all appears to be connected. Again, somehow. Now maybe someone in the audience can give us more input here. This topic isn't exactly my wheelhouse, but I'm happy to do what I can to let you know you're not alone in experiencing it. But if you would, caller, allow me to point out a spot that might be a good place to search for some answers. The Monsters Among Us Discord server.

As of right now, there are over 500 users and we just opened the server up to everyone. So visit our show notes to get the link and I will be in and out of there some, answering questions wherever I can. And if I could, I'd like to take a quick moment to thank our volunteer extraordinaire, Sarah Dinsmore, for helping us get the server up and going. Sarah's help in setting all of this up has been immeasurable. So thank you, Sarah.

All right, I have a couple more calls I need to get through here this evening, so let's get right back at it. Please welcome Elizabeth to the show.

Hello, this is Elizabeth. Back in 1998, I was like 18 years old at the time. My parents live in Tennessee. Once I turned 18, I would go visit back and forth my friends in California and everything. I was young. At that time, I was staying in California for a few months. I was living in a rented house with my ex-boyfriend at the time and, you know, a few of our friends. Right before I flew over there, they had just moved into that house not that long ago.

And I wasn't really on the lease, but you know how that goes. But I remember my ex-boyfriend at the time, he was saying how he was in the bathroom. He just got out of the shower. He saw the handle of the door turn. He thought it was one of his daughters because he had two little girls. And he was like, stop it, stop it, you guys. And he opened it up and no one was there. And he was like, oh, wait, they're at school. So he had told me that before. Well, I didn't see anything in the house, but...

One afternoon, I was alone in the house. Everybody else was at work. One of my childhood friends, she lived like five houses down. So we would hang out all the time because I grew up in that area anyway. So one afternoon, she walks over to the house because she's only a few houses away.

And she goes, "Hey, do you want to come over? I'm going to go get something at my house." And I was like, "Sure." And I said, "Well, wait, I don't have a key." Because remember, my name's not on the lease and I don't really have a key to the house. Because whenever I would come home, it would just randomly be when I knew when people would be there, when my boyfriend was off of work or something. She goes, "Why don't you just leave the door unlocked? We're only going to be there for like two minutes." So we literally went over there for two, maybe three minutes tops.

I left the door unlocked because no one else was in the house. We walked over to her house to get something real quick. Two, three minutes, walking back is like a minute, maybe two minutes. We come back and the door's locked. And we specifically left it unlocked. We were both like, what the? No one else was home because I rang the doorbell. I'm like, well, maybe Billy came home or maybe Suzette came home and nobody was there.

Thank you, Elizabeth. No, I've talked about it before. Ghosts don't really scare me anymore.

But it does scare me when they do things like turn the water on, start fires, or lock people in or out of places. That's control that I'm not willing to give up. And I'm certainly not looking to surrender it to an invisible force. But it sounds like you escaped the situation unfazed, Elizabeth. And you even got a good story out of it. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Now for this next entry, we visit the great American Southwest. Rob from New Mexico, welcome to the program. Hi Derek, this is Rob from New Mexico. Just wanted to share a skin marker story that my friend told me the other night. She actually had three stories that she told me, but this one in particular really kind of stuck out.

It's actually a story her dad told her, I guess some years back while he was a fire chief slash first responder. Now at the time they were stationed near one of the reservations in a fairly rural area of New Mexico. Her dad was the one to delegate which crew went to certain calls because it was kind of a small area and it wasn't too many people out there.

And I guess two calls came in at the same time. So two teams had to be sent out to different locations. Now these guys are, you know, like anybody, when they come back from a call, they're going to be talking about it, going back and forth and letting everyone know, like, oh yeah, we did this and whatnot. So they were sharing their stories about what the call was. First team came back and that's what they did. Then the second team came. And when they got back, I guess everybody was just...

dead silent. Which was weird for those kind of guys. Usually they would be willing to tell you the story about what had happened and what they had to see. Kind of like battle stories and whatnot. So they came back, they were just dead silent, looked kind of spooked.

So after a while, one of the guys from the first team asked what had happened and, you know, why are they acting so weird? So another guy from the second team, I guess he explained that the call that they went to was for a man who suffered a heart attack on the reservation. Something had caused him to have a heart attack. And so they're there. They did their thing. They gave him all the necessary medical treatment. And they're starting to head back in their, you know, those like fireman SUVs. And...

A coyote started chasing their car. And they started to pick up speed and this thing was keeping up with them. And I guess all of a sudden, the coyote reared up on its hind legs and started running full speed. They're freaking out because they've never seen anything like a dog run on its hind legs like that before, especially in a full sprint. And they started picking up speed. And I guess...

They looked and it let out some kind of strange noise and then did a weird flip sort of thing. Like, I don't know. And they said that it started sprinting backwards. Like it didn't turn around. It just did a weird flip and then started sprinting full speed backwards. And that just scared the heck out of them. And yeah, when she told me that I was like freaked out because in my mind, I'm imagining not only a dog on its hind legs sprinting,

But then sprinting backwards. So I don't know if anyone has any stories about like skinwalkers or like I've heard stories on the show before about skinwalkers or things like that, like chasing after the car and keeping up with it. But I've never heard of the backwards sprinting thing. So I don't know if anyone has any stories about that. But I love the podcast. I hope you can use this. Thank you. Thanks, Rob. That's one unsettling story. Running backwards, you say?

There's something about that that I do not like. And something tells me I'm not alone in sharing those feelings. And like Kyle's mention of the Wendigo earlier in the program, I typically do not like to use the word skinwalker. Or at least I don't use the word lightly. But again, like with Kyle, Rob's story too takes place in a location where you would historically find myths and legends of said creature.

In other words, he's right smack dab in the middle of Skinwalker territory. Now outside of that I've got nothing. Nothing but wonder. Nothing but awe. And a little bit of morbid curiosity. I love these sorts of stories but I have no idea what to make of them. So thank you Rob for taking the time to share your entry and adding yet another data point to our collection. It's certainly gnarly stuff.

And a big thanks to you, listener, for swinging by. Because that's going to do it for tonight.

Now Monsters Among Us is written and produced by me, Derek Hayes. Copyright Red Crow Media. Additional support is provided by Sarah Carter Hayes, Delaney Bowers, and Connor Ryan. All media used in this production is done so under the protection of fair use. Be sure to follow us on social media. Give us a like and follow on YouTube. And leave us a rate and review wherever that sort of thing is possible.

Now, if you enjoyed the show, you might want to catch us on digital radio. You can find the show every Saturday evening at 10 p.m. Eastern on the NX Digital Network. Just visit NXNetwork.com to tune in. And finally, tonight's score was provided by Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse, Co.ag Music, and Carl Casey at White Bat Audio. Watch our film. RegoTriangle.com will get you there.

check out our after show monsters among us podcast.com and click the Patreon tab. That'll get you there and stick around until after the credits, if you would, because you and I need to have a quick word until then, keep it spooky and have yourselves a good night. Okay.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer.

Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's pocket pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra-durable pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that?

I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free Pocket Pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000. By texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethose.com slash terms. ♪

Craftsman days are here at Lowe's with big savings on the tools you need. Save $100 on the Craftsman V26 Tool Power Tool Combo Kit. Now at $199. No matter what the project is, Craftsman's high-quality, high-performance products empower you to build on. Stop by your nearest Lowe's store and check out the full line of Craftsman tools today. Valid through 618. While supplies last, selection varies by location.

Now the word that I would like to share with you is bonus. As in, if you listen past the credits, you get a bonus story. Typically a super weird story as well. And tonight is no exception. Coming to us from the golden state of California. Please welcome April to tonight's airwaves.

Hello, my name is April. I'm from Southern California. I love the podcast. So my story is this. I was riding a bus one day and there was this guy in front of me. He asked me for a pen and I had a pen on me. I don't know why. And so I give him the pen and he starts writing a piece of paper.

Oh, and the guy just looked really normal. He seemed a little skittish. He looked like he was going to die.

I don't know, just kind of like jerky.

And so we had been stopped at a stop for a while, and he hadn't gotten off yet. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he just gets off. And I kind of wonder if he left this thing with me or left something with me, if that's why he got off so quickly. Because it just seemed really odd that he'd get off that fast. And so I asked my friend, this guy I know, who's really into subtle energies and really clairvoyant and knows about this kind of stuff. I start to tell him about this.

And before I even finish explaining what happened, he says, oh, he started saying this means this, this means this.

And I'm like, "Yes!" And so he does this thing where he kind of goes into his zone and I close my eyes and he kind of sees what's going on and he tells me that I've exposed to dark forces. He got rid of it, whatever it was. But I just thought it was kind of crazy. I remember kind of like feeling a little bit more irritable than normal after this happened. And then, you know, so yeah, that's my story.

Okay, thank you. Bye. Thanks, April. We like to keep the stories weird here with the hidden entry. And April certainly delivered. But what do you think, listener? The ramblings of a mentally ill person? An elaborate joke of some sort? Or was this man trying to convey some sort of message that only a handful of us get to understand?

As always, if you have input, you know how to reach us. 888-608-KNIGHT or MonstersAmongUsPodcast at gmail.com. Either way, thank you again, April, for sharing the call with us. Now, folks, this is the part of the show where we cross the line and go beyond.

If you'd like to join us, it's easier than ever. Just visit MonstersAmongUsPodcast.com and click the Patreon tab. From there, you can join us on Patreon, or you can join us through Apple subscriptions. Either way, five bucks a month gets you access to an extra 30 to 45 minutes of programming each and every Thursday, plus days worth of back content, hundreds if not thousands of phone calls.

My name is Angel, and I have two stories for you guys. Now, these stories involve the Shadow People.

I've been listening to your podcast, I would say, probably a few days now. And one thing I can say that I've actually heard that's actually recurring a lot in a lot of these stories that they've talked about is the shadow people. I've actually had two dealings with these shadow people. I was in high school. It takes place around, I would say, 2017, 2018. And I remember one day coming home from wrestling practice.

You know, I said hi to my family and I went inside my room and I closed the door, locked it, turned off all the lights and I just passed out. I woke up, I opened my eyes and I see a shadowy figure hovering over me. And as I stared at it, I just felt lots of anger. I remember it's like as if I couldn't breathe and it was getting harder and harder. I was paralyzed. My grandmother told all of us.

When it comes to the things of the supernatural or dark forces, that any dark spirits or anything of that sort has to flee because they cannot stand Jesus. And I claimed the blood of Jesus over and over and over again until finally it let go and it disappeared. I got up because I wasn't even asleep. Turned on the lights, opened the doors, and my family were just sitting in the living room watching TV.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage.

Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000.

And massaging shampoo.

which is better than sports plus orthodontists. Sport Clips. It's a game changer. Check in online at sportclips.com. Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer.

Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's pocket pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra-durable pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that?

I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free Pocket Pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000. By texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethose.com slash terms.