Episode 199: Your Urban Legends XXXIX
/Fair warning: This is a butt-heavy episode. Also featuring frequent haunted sleepovers, a wild scooter ride, and why Bluetooth technology is suddenly very cool to us. We also get VERY confused about Kevin Bacon.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of cemeteries, trances/possession, insomnia, Covid-19, death, earthquake/natural disaster, mild road accident, military equipment, financial recessions, volcanic eruption, institutionalization, eating disorders, and hospitalization.
Housekeeping
- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends the audio fiction podcast, Less is Morgue. Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books
- Merch: Our new pins, digital coloring book, and posters are all for sale at http://spiritspodcast.com/merch!
Sponsors
- BetterHelp is a secure online counseling service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits
- SunSoil makes pure and simple CBD products at an unbeatable price. Get 30% off your first order by going to sunsoil.com/spirits
- Fubo.tv is your source for live sports, news, and entertainment. Get 15% off at fubo.tv/spirits
Find Us Online
If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.
Transcripts are available at http://spiritspodcast.com/episodes. To buy merch, hear us on other podcasts, contact us, find our mailing address, or download our press kit, head on over to http://spiritspodcast.com.
About Us
Spirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio. Our music is "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.
Transcript
Amanda: Welcome to Spirits Podcast, a boozy dive into mythology, legends, and folklore. Every week, we pour a drink and learn about a new story from around the world. I'm Amanda.
Julia: And I'm Julia.
Amanda: And this is Episode 199: Your Urban Legends #39.
Julia: We're getting close to another round number of urban legends, Amanda. I, I just – I love urban legends so much.
Amanda: I love them. They really fly by. And the scary thing is that's the number of months that we've been doing this.
Julia: That's wild. What? Time's fake.
Amanda: I know. I know. It's – it's so fun. And I love that we get to do a whole extra episode of urban legends every dang month for our Patreon supporters. Speaking of which, welcome to those who just joined our Patreon; Lorraine, Jessica, Elise, Alison, Sarah, Molly, and Cindy. We so appreciate you taking some of your hard earned dollars and putting them to use to help us keep doing this.
Julia: It's really nice. We get to – we get to do this thing, because you, you send us a little bit of money every month and we really appreciate it.
Amanda: We also appreciate our supporting producer level patrons; Philip, Uhleeseeuh, Debra, Hannah, Jen, Jessica, Keegan, Landon, Meaghan, Megan linger, Megan Moon, Molly, Mr. Folk, Neal, Niki, Phil Fresh, Polly, Riley, Sarah, and Skyla, and our legend level patrons; Audra, Chelsea, Clara, Drew, Eden, Frances, Jack Marie, Josie, Lada, Mark, Morgan, Necrofancy, Sarah, and Bea Me Up Scotty.
Julia: You all are wonderful, wonderful human beings that one day people tell legends of you.
Amanda: Ah, so good. And, Julia, tell me what else is great that you have been reading, or watching, or listening to this week?
Julia: Well, I'm back on my podcast grind. I've been working on podcasts so much lately that I haven't really gotten the chance to listen to podcasts, which is terrible. The reason why I got into podcasting is I love podcasts. But I discovered a very fun, very up the conspirator’s alley podcast. It is called Less is Morgue, as in the place where dead bodies in the hospital go. It is extremely, extremely funny. It's an audio fiction podcast done by a ghost and a ghoul. And the ghost happens to be the ghost of a woman who was crushed to death at a Nickelback concert. And, if that doesn't, like, kind of give you the idea of what the podcast is like, I don't know what is.
Amanda: Incredible.
Julia: It's very, very good. It takes place in kind of, like, an alternate reality Tallahassee. And one of the characters that shows up, at one point, is Florida Man.
Amanda: Oh, what a haunted place.
Julia: So, there's just a lot to look forward to. There's a lot to look forward to there.
Amanda: Incredible.
Julia: So, that is Less is Morgue. You could probably find it in any of your podcast catchers. Good luck. It's a lot of fun.
Amanda: We would also love to recommend, if you're looking for something more to listen to, considering joining the MultiCrew. That is the program that helps Multitude do what it does. It helps us do things like make pilots of new shows that turn into things like Meddling Adults to pay rent on our studio here in Brooklyn, which we can no longer rent out at the moment. But we still use to make our podcasts and, just in general, have a little bit of support and like a sort of safety net when things like advertising and, you know, people's ability to support our Patreon fluctuates throughout the year. So, it is such a lifeblood for Multitude. And, in thanks for your support, we produce a weekly, friendly debate show called Head Heart Gut, where this month I went hard for mayo as the best condiment. And, tomorrow, as of when this episode comes out, you'll be able to see the judgment episode, the final episode of the month, where we decide, once and for all, which condiment is the best.
JS: It's a bold choice to go mayo, Amanda. I think I would have been team ketchup. So --
Amanda: I will defend it to the death. And you got to join the MultiCrew to listen to Head Heart Gut and find out why. That's at multicrew.club where you can join for as little as $5 a month to get another weekly podcast from Multitude. It's a – it's a new podcast. We love podcasts.
Julia: We do. We love podcasts.
Amanda: So, for all our MultiCrew members, all our Spirits Patreon supporters, we are so thankful. And, for those who help support the show by – I don't know – like, texting your friends and asking them to subscribe to Spirits and to listen along with you, we so appreciate your help.
Julia: Yesterday, my mom told me that, when she was at the doctor's office, she told the woman who is dilating her eyes to subscribe to Spirits. So, be like my mom.
Amanda: Thanks, Diane. And, without further ado, please enjoy Spirits Podcast Episode 199: Your Urban Legends #39.
Intro Music
Eric: Guys, it's coming.
Julia: What's coming?
Amanda: What's coming?
Eric: My home gym stuff.
Julia: Wonderful. Incredible.
Amanda: Wooh.
Eric: This is not – this is not the most thrilling announcement possibly. But here's the situation. Me and Kelsey in January started looking for a house. And one of the most exciting things about it to me was I'll be able to build a home gym. So, I can just wake up, go into the basement, workout. There's a shower down there. I don't have to – don't deal with anything.
Julia: Wooh.
Eric: I don't have to have a gym membership – all of this. And then these times began and everybody built a home gym.
Julia: Yeah, that is true.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: And, so, then we bought a house after these times began. And everything is out of stock.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: So, what I have coming is a squat rack and a barbell.
Julia: Ooh.
Eric: Which, together, don't really constitute a home gym. So, all of this will arrived. And I still won't have anything close to a home gym. But I will be one or two purchases away from having a home gym. And it's the best thing possible for me.
Amanda: I have a home gym plus possible haunting personal anecdote to tell.
Julia: Oh, really? Okay.
Eric: All right.
Julia: Go for it.
Amanda: So, we live on the second floor of a two-story building. It’s two units. Like a little house. And, on the top, there's a roof. And, in these times, as a person with asthma, I, you know, took quarantine very seriously. And, going outside with your mask on with somebody with asthma particularly when it's so humid, it's really hard. And you don't want to, you know, be, like, walking around forever doing exercise outside. So, we have been spending some time on my roof even though that is not strictly allowed. There is – there is like a guardrail. It is very well set up. It is paved. Like, we should be able to be up there. Also, people who used to live here had, like, a barbecue up there. So, we're not doing anything completely wrong. But, to get up to the roof, you had sort of, like, go through a little stairwell. It's like a cupboard under the stairs situation, but there's stairs in there. You go up and then the roof is there. And there's the little latch that secures this door in the hallway. And, again, we're – we’re the only people who live on the second floor. So, we will normally just open the door, go up there, leave it open to get some light and air into the stairwell, go about our days. So, we recently got a rowing machine, which is very exciting. That’s the whole gym angle.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Oh, that is exciting
Amanda: To use on the roof during nice weather and then to bring inside during the winter, because it'll be great to be outside and not have to have your mask on. Very exciting. So, we were out there the other day hanging out, trying to figure out like, “Okay. Where should we put it, et cetera.” And then, when we went back downstairs, the door was locked from the outside.
Julia: Oh, no.
Eric: Oh. Were you stuck on the roof?
Amanda: I sure was.
Julia: Oh, no.
Eric: Oh, no.
Amanda: I sure was stuck on the roof.
Eric: That was gonna be one of my follow-ups.
Amanda: Because there's no fire escape to our building, because there – there's a [Inaudible 7:12].
Julia: It’s the second floor.
Amanda: It’s the second floor. It doesn't need one. And the building next door – the – like, if we Spider-Man style jumped over to the other roof. I mean it's like six feet away. Like, it's too far. If not, like, I could just step over. And Eric Silver was very excited to jump and I was like, “No. No. No.”
Eric: Oh, boy.
Amanda: There – there was also – you know, so, we were like, “Okay. Fine.” We have neighbors who live nearby, but they were away for the weekend. So, they couldn't come get us. And, so, I stuck my head, like, over the side and I yelled down to the lady with the dog like, “Hey, I'm sorry. Could you please buzz our neighbor on the – on the ground floor? I think he locked us in by mistake.” Because, like, who else could have done it?
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: We don't have a super. No one was like visiting our building. A robber would come in and be like, “Oh, better lock this door for safety,” and then leave. So, I figure it was my neighbor, who, like, for some reason, came up to my landing and lock the door. The neighbor wasn't home.
Julia: Mmm.
Eric: Oh, no.
Amanda: So --
Eric: Oh, no. No. No.
Amanda: Somehow, both the stairwell got fully locked. It wasn't just like it didn't close. Like, it's not a – it's not a doorknob. Like, you have to move the latch over to, like, deadbolt it. And the front door too was locked. So, we couldn't even have the nice lady with the dog. Come in. Let us out.
Eric: Mhmm.
Amanda: So, I think a ghost locked us in the stairwell.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: I ended up just kind of bursting the door open with my butt. I kind of, like, hip checked it. There wasn't a lot of room down there. And, so, I mean I ended up damaging the door a very little bit. And I, I can just put it back together with wood glue and it's not a huge deal. But I, I am mystified what kind of situation happened here. My neighbor – later, I went downstairs a little bit angry the next day. I’d be like, “Hey, by chance did you lock me on my roof?” But the neighbor said he was away the whole week.
Julia: Ooh.
Eric: Ooh.
Amanda: So, either our landlord visited for the first time in a year to lock our doors and then leave or there was some kind of haunting.
Julia: A rule abiding ghost.
Amanda: And I don’t know what the ghost wanted. Do they – yeah. Were they very rule abiding? Do they want to teach us a lesson about giving our neighbor’s spare keys and making sure we have a backup plan? I'm not sure.
Julia: I think it's just – just wanting to fuck with you. That's what ghost like to do.
Eric: Mhmm.
Amanda: Maybe so. Maybe so. But the – we'll have the real revenge of doing very pleasant exercise out in the open air.
Julia: The ghost is gonna be pissed about that clearly.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Mhmm. Well, I broke the latch. So, now, it’s being held together with the chopstick.
Julia: With the chopstick?
Eric: Here we go.
Julia: All right.
Eric: Right.
Amanda: I mean I bent to the bolt with my butt.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: So, I – I'm using a chopstick instead to, like, hold the latch closed.
Julia: It's extremely funny.
Eric: I once saw cat burglars come in through the roof. If – I guess you’re – you’re fine.
Amanda: Roof door is locked from the inside and there is a key both inside and outside the roof in case that happens.
Eric: There you go.
Julia: All right.
Amanda: Anyway, that's me.
Julia: Anyway, that's Amanda's go story and it ends with the butt.
Eric: Speaking of, of houses, we're gonna try to keep the chain going. I've got a really short story. We have a house ghost from Melanie.
Julia: Ooh. Tell us about the house ghost.
Eric: Melanie says I want to start off by saying I love the show. I've worked my way through the back catalogue during the lockdown in March and April and had been hooked since. I cannot wait to see what topics you're going to discuss it later down the line. Neither can we.
Julia: Neither can we. Who's to say what it will be?
Eric: I have a really short story about our house ghost. First a little background, I am from a decent/large size village in the south of the Netherlands. And our house was built at the edge of a cemetery at the dead end of a street.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Over the past year, we have noticed that the hood above our stovetop randomly turns the lights on or off and it flickers. All of us have either seen or heard the light turning on and off. My mom even started telling the ghost, “Hello. I know you're there,” whenever it happens.
Julia: I love when people talk to their ghosts. It makes me so happy.
Amanda: It can't hurt. I did, the day we got locked in, just to finish here, ran downstairs, knock on my neighbor's door. And, when he didn't answer I said, “I know you're home,” because, if he was home, that would have been very effective. And, if he wasn't home, no one knew.
Julia: You know what? it's a good theory.
Amanda: Except --
Julia: I get it.
Amanda: -- all of you.
Eric: It – I mean it's a gambit. It's definitely a big gambit to yell like, “I know your home,” to someone’s apartment.
Amanda: Listen, nothing to lose.
Eric: The – I mean no. I don't disagree. Our dog also reacts to an empty kitchen or garden just barking to nothing. So, we just asked him what he's seeing and say hello to the ghost. Other than that, he hasn't really done much but I suspect they knocked over my little planted pot a few days ago. They're probably a friendly ghost and just wanted to let us know that they are there. And we shall keep telling them hello.
Julia: Adorable.
Eric: I just think that's a nice story. I want to share it because that's a haunted house, unlike my house, which isn't haunted.
Julia: Mhmm. Mhmm. I don't know about that.
Amanda: Also, nothing bad happened which is always a great thing [Inaudible 12:02].
Eric: Exactly.
Julia: Mhmm. Well, speaking of cemeteries, I have two stories, one that starts with a cemetery. Would you like to hear it?
Amanda: Yes, please.
Eric: Yes. We've got the combos. We've got the combo of four going right now.
Julia: I love combos.
Eric: Let's see how long we can get the combo going.
Julia: So, this is from Madelyn and she writes, hello my spoopiest of pals! My name is Madelyn and I've been a Spirits listener for the last three years and have loved every second of it. Over quarantine, I've been catching up on my Spirits' backlog after finishing my Masters program – congratulations – and decided to write in with two spooky stories that also made me reminisce about hanging out with friends and exploring the outdoors pre-pandemic. As my title suggests, I am and always have been the mom friend. So, I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that it would transfer to the world of the supernatural as well. To clarify, the subject of the email was Heightened Spooky Senses Make Mom Friend a Full Time Job.
Amanda: Aww. I’m also the mom friend.
Eric: I love that.
Julia: Amanda is the mom friend. I can confirm. My first story is from elementary school and takes place at the birthday sleepover of my longtime friend Zooey. Zooey was born on New Years and would have a sleepover every year with around 10 to 20 girls from our class so that we could throw our own New Year’s Party.
Amanda: Guys. Guys. Guys, can you imagine, as an adult, having 20 eight-year-olds in your home?
Julia: That's too many unless you have a big house.
Eric: I can’t imagine having 20 people in my home.
Amanda: No. I mean, obviously, present circumstances excluded.
Eric: Yes. No, I know what you’re saying.
Amanda: Maybe – maybe it's a Midwest – a Midwest situation where, if you have, like, 1000 square foot basement, then that's a little bit less challenging. But I, I literally cannot consider that.
Julia: I can – I can see 10. Twenty is too much. Yeah, too much.
Amanda: [Inaudible 13:44].
Eric: Yeah. I feel like the most, like, as a, like, teenage to, to preteen party I ever was at was like maybe pushing, pushing 15.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: That’s like a whole class.
Eric: But, yeah, 20 --
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, that’s a lot of people.
Eric: Also, how big is that class if that's just the girls in the class?
Julia: That's true.
Amanda: Ooh, true.
Julia: Yeah. Well, apparently, this New Year's party was often complete with a disco ball and sparkling ciders for us we babes.
Eric: That sounds like a great party.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Wow. Who are your parents? Great.
Julia: After midnight, her parents would finally corral us all to bed. And we would pile into Zooey's room. And she would pick one girl to sleep in her bed with her instead of a sleeping bag on the floor. To be honest, I never really thought about the social effects that this could have until much later in life, but, oh, well. On this --
Eric: There's a lot – there's a lot of different things.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: There’s like a lot of different, like, social parts of that that are, like, “I am picking one of you --
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: -- to stay in the bed.”
Julia: Yeah. And, on this particular birthday, I was the lucky girl chosen to share the bed.
Amanda: Dang.
Julia: Now, an important aspect to this story is that Zooey's house abutted a cemetery – the biggest one in our hometown actually. And her window overlooked her backyard, the line of trees that separated it from the cemetery, and the sprawling expanse of gravestones beyond.
Amanda: Hey – hey, Eric, can we – can we sidebar for a second?
Eric: Yeah. Yeah.
Amanda: Julia said butt.
Eric: Oh, butt. Just an abuts in a sleepover story.
Julia: Amanda – Amanda only pointed this out because I kept in the part where Brandon made fun of her in Join the Party After Party, where she said abuts.
Eric: Okay. I was like I don't know the context for Amanda telling me about butts.
Amanda: Butts. Carry on.
Julia: This is a butt heavy episode already. Wow. Okay.
Amanda: Oh, man.
Julia: Supernatural phenomena were actually quite common in Zooey's neighborhood and our whole town to be honest. And I’ve had several spooky encounters at her house before this night. Like that one time when the window in Zooey's room unlocked itself as we were telling ghost stories.
Eric: Umm, umm.
Julia: Spooky, I don't like that.
Eric: How bad is that lock? That – like, window locks, in particular, I feel like are usually horizontal. So, for those that come undone just naturally is, is, oh, I would say near impossible.
Julia: They always get stuck. I hate that. Anyway, back to the main plot, having exhausted ourselves from dancing, and singing, and crashing after way too much caffeine, we all fell asleep shortly after midnight with little fuss. Around 2:00 or so in the morning though, I woke up to Zooey getting out of bed and heading into the hallway, but I assumed that she had only gotten up to use the bathroom right across the hall. However, after several minutes had gone by with no noise from the bathroom or hallway, I decided to get up to make sure that she was okay. Heading into the hall, I noticed that the bathroom door was open and the light was off with no sign of Zooey. Still believing that nothing was amiss at this point, I assumed that her sister had been in the upstairs bathroom and that Zooey had gone downstairs to use the one by her parents' bedroom. I decided to head downstairs to check just in case. And, as I got to the bottom of the staircase, I noticed that the sliding glass door leading to the patio and backyard was open and letting in the chilly wind of a Virginia winter.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: The chilly wind of a Virginia winter is a nice phrase.
Julia: It is. It is.
Eric: I like that.
Julia: And it gives us an idea of where they're from.
Amanda: Very true. Some sprawling homes in Nova for sure.
Julia: Mhmm. At this point, I was beginning to feel a little uneasy. I'd slept over at Zooey's probably a hundred times by this point and I had never once experienced her sleepwalking. Eric: That’s so many.
Amanda: I’m sorry.
Eric: So many times.
Amanda: Zooey's parents have had 100 sleepovers for their – for just one of their kids?
Julia: Yes. And it was a 10-year-old.
Eric: But also – but also just with one other kid.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eiric: Which means her other friends also probably had a bunch of sleepovers too.
Amanda: Damn.
Julia: Maybe they were just really close friends.
Eric: Were talking about kids constant sleep – I'm – I’m gonna say, – I'm gonna just say the number might be an exaggeration.
Julia: It might be. Who’s to say?
Eric: 100 times. Like, just, if you slept over a friend's house every weekend for two years, that would get you to 100. And that just seems – I'm just saying – I’m not – I'm not calling our, our listener a liar. I'm just saying 100. That’s a lot of sleepovers.
Amanda: I just want to know from Madelyn a little bit more about Zooey's parents. I, I really would. I would just love to know that people.
Eric: Let's get Zooey on the phone.
Amanda: We have Zooey right here.
Julia: So, Madelyn continues and says I had never once – in the hundred times that she had spent over at Zooey’s house, I had never once experienced her sleepwalking. And I didn't know any 10-year-olds with insomnia. That would come for us all in due time.
Amanda: True.
Eric: Oh, that’s true.
Julia: Stepping through the open doorway to the patio, the first thing that I noticed was that it was cold. And I mean a bitter cold that ached in my bones and immediately made my teeth chatter but unlike anything I had ever felt before. The second thing I noticed was that a full moon was hanging over the graveyard, huge and stark white against the starless sky, which was also weird considering we lived in a fairly rural valley in western Virginia. The last thing I noticed was Zooey. She was standing on the last step before the grass staring out towards the graveyard.
Eric: That – I don’t like this. Like, just, just right there looking out.
Amanda: I mean someone standing there doing nothing is endlessly creepier than somebody walking around, I think.
Eric: Mhmm. Yeah.
Julia: She was standing on the last step before the grass staring out towards the graveyard. And, when I reached her side, I noticed that only the whites of her eyes were showing. I said her name softly and touched her arm and felt the same bone chilling cold emanating off her skin. She didn't turn towards me, but her head did tilt slightly. I wasn't sure exactly what to do, but I just carefully helped her inside keeping one eye on the yard behind us and gently laid her down on the couch as I knew I wouldn't be able to get her back upstairs. I closed her eyelids, and wrapped her up in blankets, made sure all the doors were locked downstairs and then headed back to bed. I woke up to find Zooey back in bed beside me and once again her usual self. When I asked about the sleepwalking, she said she didn't remember getting out of bed and insisted she must have fallen asleep on the couch after getting up to use the bathroom. We never spoke about it again, but it certainly wasn't the last spooky encounter I had in that house.
Eric: All these people with these cliffhangers lately. Everyone's writing cliffhangers in the stories.
Julia: I appreciate it though. It makes us want more. And every good story makes you want more. That's my opinion.
Eric: That's – I mean that's true.
Julia: So, my second story takes place the summer after my freshman year of undergrad and, once again, stars me and Zooey and our friend, Reese, dealing with the supernatural underbelly of the Shenandoah Valley. We had all just gotten back from university and decided that we needed to spend as much of the summer together exploring our local area as we'd all turned 18 and felt the added freedom that came with being an adult. We decided to explore Swannanoa Palace on Skyline Drive, an Italian Renaissance Revival mansion built in the early 1900s that's a popular spot for mischievous teens and wedding/prom photo shoots. I understand. The house was originally a built as a gift from Major Dooley to his wife and included a 4,000 piece Tiffany stained glass portrait of her, which has a very unsettling vibe in my opinion --
Amanda: Damn.
Julia: -- at the top of the stairs. That’s – I can’t even imagine that. That must have cost so much money.
Eric: You have to be --
Julia: So rich.
Eric: -- so rich.
Amanda: That's some robber baron money.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Yeah. I mean, like, what – what are you doing if you're getting stained glass art made of yourself?
Julia: Well, at that point, you probably just have a monopoly. Like, a legit monopoly.
Eric: That’s true.
Amanda: I don't think that, if you amass that much wealth, the, like, logic or morality of your choices is, is front of mind.
Julia: Yes. No, not at all.
Eric: And my stained glass portrait only has 500 pieces.
Julia: How dare you? Excuse me.
Eric: For this one to be 4,000 really says something.
Julia: So, after the couple died in the 1920s, the mansion passed through several more owners, including one believed to have been linked to the Illuminati and possibly responsible for its designation as a hotspot for supernatural activity. For decades, the mansion was abandoned and closed off from the public and fell into major disrepair, but it was recently reopened for seasonal ghost tours during October. The most famous ghost on the property is that of Mrs. Dooley, who is said to walk the halls and descend the staircase in her spectral glory to stand before her stained glass portrait. The current caretaker even says that his cats refuse to go up to the third floor as Mrs. Dooley wasn't overly found of them. Other reports of glowing orbs and ghostly voices have been given, especially in the library. And the spirits of former employees are said to roam the elaborate grounds.
Amanda: It would suck to haunt your place of employment.
Julia: Yeah. Don’t you – I don't want to be where I work no matter what my job is. Zooey, Reese, and I were all familiar with the local ghost stories and we knew we wouldn't be able to explore inside. So, we decided to head around back to the areas behind the gardens that were less visited due to severe deterioration and extensive overgrowth. We were heading down a dirt path that skirted the left side of the mansion toward a field with an extremely derelict building sitting on it, almost completely overtaken by vegetation, when I started to get an extremely uneasy feeling. I broke out into a cold sweat, the hairs on my neck stood up, and my arms were immediately covered in goosebumps. Considering it was around 2 o'clock in the afternoon in May, I knew something wasn't right. I immediately stopped walking and told my friends that I had a really bad feeling about going any farther. Knowing my supernatural sensitivity, they turned around without question and we started walking back towards the mansion and our car parked out front. For context purposes, we were walking side-by-side with Zooey and I on either side of Reese, who stands a good foot or so above us both. After only a few steps, I immediately felt the temperature drop and heard a terrifying gravelly voice in my ear whispering, “Run!”
Amanda: Umm.
Eric: Umm, umm.
Amanda: No. Please no.
Julia: Just as I turned back to see who might have been speaking, I noticed that Zooey, on the other side of Reese, had just whipped her head around too. We stopped walking and met eyes and she asked me: "Did someone just tell you to run?" I shakily nodded my head and we both took off sprinting to the car with Reese quickly following. I felt eyes on the back of my neck the whole drive down the mountain and my heart didn't slow down until Reese dropped me off at my parents' house. I haven't been back to Swannanoa since, despite how intrigued I am by the new ghost tours, and will probably never forget the sound of that voice as long as I live.
Amanda: Good god.
Julia: So, these are my spooky tales. And I'd love to leave off a recommendation for all Spirits listeners to get yourself a supernaturally sensitive mom friend to protect you. I hope you guys enjoyed these stories as much as I do Spirits. And I hope you guys are doing well and staying safe, both socially and supernaturally distanced.
Amanda: Aww.
Julia: That’s very cute. Thank you.
Amanda: Supernatural distancing. That's a real intriguing concept.
Julia: Yes. Yes, it is. Thank you, Madelyn. What wonderful stories.
Eric: I think I'm unfortunately breaking the combo.
Julia: Damn.
Eric: Because I've got a cat that steals color.
Julia: Wooh. Okay.
Eric: Maybe, at the end of it, we'll find a relation.
Julia: Oh, no. It did talk about cats. They said the cats don't go up to the third floor, because the owner didn't like them.
Amanda: There you go.
Eric: There we go. We're in. We’re in.
Amanda: We found it. Combo.
Eric: Combo not broken. Combo of six now. Here we go. This comes to us from Clay and he writes, hi, friends. I was driving through my hometown in the Appalachian mountains the other day, while listening to the show, and saw that some of the trees were starting to change colors.
Julia: Ooh.
Eric: Ah, what a – what – the best time.
Julia: I love leaf picking.
Amanda: They’re also in a similar area of Shenandoah Valley, Appalachia. So, we’re --
Julia: There we go.
Amanda: -- we're having multiple combos here.
Eric: I was reminded of a story my uncle used to tell me. Growing up helping on a farm, naturally, I spent a lot of time outside. And, once, I asked my uncle why some trees turned grey in the winter. He told me about the Splintercat.
Julia: Ooh.
Eric: Splintercat comes out at night and moves quick as lighting. He hunts raccoons and finds them by head butting trees.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Because he moves so fast, when he hits a tree, all the limbs fall off and the trunk withers into a silvery grey color. He never told me why. But, apparently, you risk getting cursed if you chop down one of these trees.
Julia: Oh.
Eric: Splintercat has always been my favorite cryptid because of the idea of the little grey cat flying headfirst into a tree to get at the raccoon inside is incredible. Stay safe and watch out for cats flying through the air.
Julia: I really like that. And I think we had a similar story in, I think, the fearsome critters episode, but this seems like a different twist on it and it's fantastic. I love it so much.
Amanda: Splintercat is a wonderful name. I love it so much.
Julia: It’s very good.
Eric: It's a good name. It's a good little legend. It's simple. It's to the point. Ct wants raccoon, head butts tree, all the branches fall off, tree changes color. It's simple. I love it.
Julia: Cat seeking raccoon will head butt tree.
Amanda: Extremely cute. I have a few scary stories from India, one of which involves sleeping on a roof.
Julia: Ooh, okay.
Amanda: So, we're circling back to our first --
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: -- our first story here.
Julia: There we go. That still counts as a combo.
Eric: What [Inaudible 27:02] say it counts.
Julia: It counts as a combo if it refers to something else in the episode.
Amanda: Maybe we'll identify something else. There are three short stories here from Genni. I live in Punjab, India. I used to live in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates some years ago. I’m a huge fan of the podcast and listening to you makes my whole day. I always wait anxiously for the next episode. Also, you guys really nailed the Kali and Ganesh episodes! So, thank you.
Julia: Yay.
Amanda: My maternal family as well as my mother have always been very sensitive to the spirit realm. Most of them, in some form, have felt some or the other in relation to spirits. These are their stories. I hope they will frighten you just a little like they frightened me when I was younger. Story 1, my maternal uncle had just moved to Dubai and was living on rent in a house that was just opposite to a graveyard. There you go. There’s another combo.
Julia: There you go.
Amanda: One day, my aunt walked into the room with tea and snacks. My uncle was sitting on the floor with his back to the sofa and watching TV. She screamed and dropped the tray of tea, started crying, yelled at my uncle, and told him to move. He just looked at her confused. When asked, she said that she saw a very pretty woman in a white dress, with very long black hair, sitting next to my uncle on the floor, staring at him while he watched TV.
Julia: I don’t like that.
Amanda: As soon as my aunt screamed, the woman flew out the nearby window.
Julia: Oh, boy.
Amanda: Then, some months after they came back home to India, she saw the woman again in their bedroom in the exact same position --
Julia: No.
Amanda: -- staring at my uncle again.
Julia: No.
Amanda: They went to the local priest to get the house blessed and to get my uncle cleansed of any bad energy.
Julia: Oh, no. I don't – it's one thing if you see it once.
Amanda: I hate it when they travel.
Julia: But, when it’s in the same position a second time, “Oh, hell no.”
Amanda: Umm, umm.
Eric: The repetition. The repetition is bad.
Amanda: Especially moving across, like, a gulf/a strait --
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Mhmm.
Amanda: -- whatever the body water is and, like, to a different country is just, ah, so much.
Julia: Nope. No, real bad.
Amanda: Story 2, this is the story of my grandmother's sister. We call her Mama-didi, which is the word in Hindi for big sister, along with my distant cousin, Kamu. Our family had gathered together at uncle and his family's house for some days to catch-up and some family time. Mama-didi and her 2 children along with Kamu and his parents were all there. So, about 12 to 15 people in total. They all slept together on the roof, which, in India, is basically just, like, open space, a big room for when you have a lot of people over. They had two above ground water tanks on the building opposite of each other on the different ends on the roof. People slept in two lines parallel to each other and left the space between the path of the tanks empty. When everyone eventually went to sleep, Kamu and Mama-didi got really scared. Kamu peeked out of his blanket and saw a man about 8 or 9 ft tall, dressed in white. And, when he looked up at the man, the man had no head.
Julia: Oh, good. Good. Good.
Amanda: The man ran the path between the two water tanks and would sit on one of them and swing his legs, then get off and run to the other side again.
Eric: No. Why? It’s too playful and also terrifyingly creepy at the same time.
Julia: It’s too much movement to, like, dismiss. Like, sometimes, when it's just a thing standing there, you can be like, “It's just a shadow. I don't have to worry about it.” But, if it's moving around and stuff, “Oh, no, no, no, no, no.”
Amanda: Don't worry guys. He did it the entire night till sunrise.
Julia: Oh, my god.
Amanda: Kamu didn't know this at the time, but Mama-didi was seeing the exact same thing from the opposite row.
Julia: No. No. No. No. No.
Amanad: He had tried to close his eyes thinking it was just a figment of his imagination.
Julia: Uh, uh.
Amanda: But, when he opened his eyes, he knew it wasn't. In the morning, Kamu got up and ran downstairs, but he and Mama-Didi were really sick and were laid up all day the next day. Later, after a lot of coaxing, they both told Mama-Didi's mother what they saw. And, so, the only theory that Genni has about this is that, before this happened, there was a massive earthquake in Gujarat, India in 2001, where my uncle lived.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: Thousands of people were killed and many people were swallowed whole into the earth. This is the reason that we think they saw that apparition/ghost.
Julia: Oh, that's – that's spooky. I don't like that.
Eric: Yeah, that's a – that's a real spooky one.
Amanda: And, story 3, my uncle, aunt, and their 5-year-old daughter were on a scooter. My uncle was driving home – big, big star swipe. Big change.
Eric: Yeah. Extreme total shift.
Amanda: Cute family with a kid on a scooter. Great. My uncle was driving home at night after visiting a temple that was an hour and half away. Side note, they were carrying some blessed food, prasad, in the trunk of the scooter. The prasad given after prayers to the devotees are usually something sweet and spirits are very attracted to sweet food.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: My aunt noticed that they got on a bridge. After which, my aunt and her daughter fell asleep. So, like, the aunt was like, “Oh, we go on a bridge,” and she and her daughter fell asleep.
Julia: Cool.
Amanda: When my aunt got up, she noticed that they kept crossing what looked like the same trees and shrubs over and over again for, like, 15 minutes. It was like they were in a loop. She whispered to my uncle, "We're stuck," and he immediately caught on. My aunt started praying over and over again. She was doing the Hanuman Chalisa, in Hindu Religion, a hymn in honour of Lord Hanuman. He is the divine Monkey god and considered to be an exemplification of strength, devotion, and perseverance. After repeating this hymn for at least 12 to 15 times, they saw the end of the bridge finally. But there was a problem. As they got closer, they saw that the end of the bridge was actually broken in the middle. And, in the middle, it was long, long way down.
Julia: Oh, oh.
Amanda: My aunt told my uncle to not stop and keep driving --
Julia: What?
Amanda: -- because what they were seeing was just an illusion.
Julia: What?
Eric: Bold. Bold lady.
Julia: Bold choice. Oh, boy.
Amanda: My uncle increased the scooter's speed. They fell in the hole and everyone fell off the scooter.
Eric: Oh.
Julia: What?
Amanda: But it wasn’t that deep. And, when they got up, they climbed onto the scooter and sped off. So, it was seemed like it was more of, like, a pothole or, like, just a break in the road --
Julia: Okay.
Amanda: And not the [Inaudible 32:47] that they had witnessed.
Julia: Oh, wow. Okay.
Amanda: So, after a few minutes, they saw a gas station and a small motel. My aunt was weary and thought, “What if it's just an illusion like before?” And, guys, this reminds me of one of the first stories we ever shared in a bonus urban legends episode about the uncles in Mexico --
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: -- who stayed at, like, a ghost motel. Oh, my god.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Yeah, this is exactly what I was thinking.
Amanda: It’s so good, y'all. And, if you are not a $4 patron, consider it, because that one episode alone is so good.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: But they were really tired and scared. And, so, they went inside the motel. They saw that the reception had a couple of god and goddess photos on the walls. They offered prasad to the receptionist to see if he would accept it. He did. And they stayed the night there knowing that that was a good omen.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: In the morning, they went home.
Julia: Yeah. I feel like – I feel like that's a good sign.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: If there weren't any, that would be more concerning.
Amanda: Or, if the receptionist was like, “Oh, no, I can't take your blessed food,” then maybe like, “Ha.”
Julia: Ha, ha.
Amanda: So, that was from Genni. Thank you so much. I loved that. And, if you have any more to share it, we would love to hear it.
Julia: Yes, please.
Amanda: Guys, I'm feeling pretty parched. And I think I need a sweet treat of my own. Do you want to go to get a refill?
Julia: Yeah, let's go.
Eric: Yeah.
Midroll Music
Amanda: We are sponsored this week by BetterHelp. And, if there is something that is interfering with your happiness or preventing you from achieving your goals or, like me, keeping you distracted with worries about the future or about things that have already happened, instead of focusing on what it is that you can do in this moment to fix your problems or to, you know, advance what you want to do in life, BetterHelp is there. They will assess your needs and match you with your own licensed professional therapist. And you can start communicating in under 48 hours, which is amazing. It is neither a crisis line nor self-help, but, instead, just professional counseling done securely online. And it's where I do my therapy every week. There's a huge range of expertise available. So, if you're looking for CBT, if you're looking for particular, like, identity-informed practices or trauma, all kinds of things that you might be looking for support on, BetterHelp can match you with somebody who has that expertise. And, unlike, you know, the people who happen to take your insurance and be in your area and to be taking new patients, like, that's such a smaller slice of people whose training and expertise can really help you. But, with BetterHelp, no matter where you are in the world and no matter what time of day you want to communicate, whether that's sending a message or an email sort of later in the day or whatever time you need or something scheduling a recurring appointment. I do mine, like, late at night on the weekend, which is definitely not always available for traditional counseling. BetterHelp has options for you. So, you should go to their website and start living a happier life today. At betterhelp.com/spirits, you can join the over 1 million people who have taken charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. That is better-E-L-P.com/Spirits to get 10 percent off your first month of counseling.
Julia: Yes. So many people have been using BetterHelp that they're actually recruiting additional counselors in all 50 states. And, again, you can get 10 percent off your first month by going to betterhelp.com/Spirits. I was recently talking to my mom, Amanda, and she was asking me if I had any recommendations for taking CBD, which I was like, “Yes, excellent, mom. Join the club.”
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: But she expressed some concerns. She's like, “Well, you know, I was reading this thing. How you just – you never know what's actually in the CBD oil. I’m like, “Mom, wait a sec. What you need to do is you need to get Sunsoil, because Sunsoil makes a CBD oil that is USDA Organic certified. Their CBD comes from hemp plants.” And it's all about, like, how they grow the hemp that really matters. They farm their hemp in Vermont. They never use pesticides, herbicides, or GMOs. And I try to be really mindful about what I put in my body. And I want my mom to be mindful about what she puts in her body. And that's why I really love and recommend Sunsoil. It's simple ingredients I can pronounce. Many of their products are just coconut oil and hemp. That's it. And I really love that Sunsoil is super transparent about what they put into their stuff. So, they clearly label the amount of CBD that's in each serving. They also test every batch of product at three independent labs and publish the results on their website. Sunsoil is going above and beyond to make sure you know what you're putting in your body and making sure that works for you. So, Sunsoil, again, makes CBD oil with simple organic ingredients. You can get 30 percent off your first order by going to sunsoil.com/Spirits. Again, that's S-U-N-S-O-I-L.com/Spirits for 30 percent off your first order, sunsoil.com/Spirits. Mom, go order it right now.
Amanda: Thanks, Diane for a second time this episode. And, finally, we are brought to you by fubo.tv. If you are sick of cable or somebody like me who cannot imagine adding another, like, multi hundred dollar bill per month to your budget, that is why FuboTV exists. It is a way to get live sports, news, and primetime TV without the complicated contract. FuboTV is just $65 a month and you can watch the same channels that will cost you, like, 200 plus on cable. You don't pay for DVR. There's no installation or, like, contracts that kind of penalize you for leaving. It truly is simple.
Julia: Or waiting for a guy to come and fix your cable after the internet goes out for some reason. And it takes two weeks to schedule that guy. Why? There's no reason for that.
Amanda: It also lets you stream shows not just on your TV but on any other smart device. So, if you are, you know, out, or on the roof, or doing whatever you want to do and you want to watch your program or you want to tune into, like, Emmy’s, which nobody told you was happening and then suddenly it's Sunday night and the Emmys are on. You have an option.
Julia: And the best part about this is there's no risk to try it out. You get full access to FuboTV for seven days for free. And you get 15 percent off your first month by going to fubotv.com/Spirits. There's no contracts and you can cancel at any time.
Amanda: Go to fubotv.com/Spirits because they are offering our listeners a seven-day free trial plus 15 percent off your first month. That's F-U-B-Otv.com/Spirits. And, now, let's get back to the show.
Julia: All right. What's everyone drinking this time?
Eric: I, a couple weeks back, during the blaseball --
Julia: Blaseball.
Amanda: Blaseball.
Eric: Now, there's – there's a bit of dissent in the in the Spirits --
Julia: Dissent in the ranks.
Eric: -- group from me. I think it is pronounced blaseball, our recent sponsor. Whereas Amanda and Julia, while editing a recent episode, I learned that they have been pronouncing it blazeball.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: It never occurred to me to say anything else. Mostly because I love Richard Blaze.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: And I just want it to be the same.
Julia: And, meanwhile, my favorite now incinerated player is Randy Marijuana. So, 420 blaze it.
Amanda: Nice.
Eric: But, anyways, a few weeks ago, my beloved Chicago firefighters were facing off against Michael Schubert's Breckenridge Jazz Hands. And, before the internet series finals, I went to – I went to my local liquor store to get some stuff for me and Kelsey. And what did I find? But some Breckenridge whiskey.
Julia: Ooh.
Amanda: Ooh.
Eric: So, I, I bought that just in case my team was defeated, which, luckily, they were not. But I bought it to celebrate Mike's beloved Jazz Hands just in case --
Julia: Congratulations.
Eric: -- they won. And, and it's – I've been – I've been sipping on it ever since just to have because it's a perfectly great whiskey. So, unfortunately, his team didn't win, but I won with some great whiskey.
Julia: Whiskey and sports.
Amanda: Love it.
Julia: I picked up from Montauk Brewing their pumpkin ale because now it's in season. It's only September and October. And I really do like their pumpkin ale. It's one of the few ones that I don't think is, like, overly pumpkiny, which is a problem for me for a lot of pumpkin ales.
Eric: It's a problem for most pumpkin ales these days, honestly.
Julia: Yes. It’s just like – it’s, like, I don't want to taste, like, fake canned pumpkin. No, thank you.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: I want to taste, like, Octobery spices with a hint of cinnamon, and a hint of nutmeg, and some star anise in there. And I really do like the pumpkin ale from Montauk. So, if your local beer distributor sells it, definitely pick up a case.
Amanda: I picked up some, like, local farmers market apple cider, not hard cider, just regular, at farmers market this past weekend, where it was – this is on September 13th, I guess. And it was the best week of the year; heirloom tomato season at the end of it --
Julia: Mhmm. Mhmm. Mhmm.
Amanda: -- plus the beginning of Apple season.
Julia: Oh, hell yeah.
Amanda: So, Eric Silver and I were just so excited. We got tomatoes and apples. We got to have the end of summer fruit and, also, the beginning of fall drink. And, so, what I'm drinking today is bit of that cider that I got along with some whiskey. And it is my absolute favorite fall drink. You can, obviously, do like hot mulled cider and add whiskey in. But, cold, it's also really good. And this is a – like, heirloom, you know, blend of apples. And it's just – it's amazing. So, pick up some cider while you can.
Julia: Well, that sounds delightful. I, I really – oh, I just – I love fall. I love fall so much.
Amanda: I love fall, too.
Eric: So nice.
Julia: Speaking of loving fall, I do have a fall-related story. And this is from Tyler and his subject line was Aliens(?). And we haven't had an alien story really.
Eric: But the secret theme of Spirits, Aliens(?).
Julia: We haven't had an alien story really yet. And I'm really, really excited to read this. Okay.
Eric: But, but, but we have almost had an alien story.
Julia: Almost. One, one time.
Eric: That’s – that’s the secret – the secret slogan of Spirits.
Julia: Yes, there we go. So, Tyler writes I love telling this story. So, hopefully, I can tell it pretty vividly. For undergrad, which I just finished – again, congratulations – I attended a small liberal arts school in Niagara Falls, New York. Most of the warm end of the year from April-ish to early October, the skies of Niagara are pretty busy. Between people flying drones, taking helicopters across the falls, and planes from the nearby Air Force Base, you get to see a lot of different aircraft. Most importantly, you get used to the lights and the sounds these objects have. However, outside of commercial airliners and military craft, by the time mid-October hits, the skies empty out. Normally, I wasn't that curious about the skies. But, earlier in the week, my best friend and I were driving back to campus from our other friend's house when a very rare military plane flew very low over his car. You rarely see it outside of combat as it is mainly used for surveillance. So, later that week, when we were heading back to our friend's house, we were watching. From the residence we lived in to our parking lot, there was about a mile walk in the late November freeze. It was maybe 9:00 PM. So, everything was pitched black minus a few street lamps. I was looking up when, in the distance, I saw a large rectangular object just barely above the treeline. I immediately started telling my friend to look. And we were both instantly freaking out. We watched it for a few moments as it just hovered silently with alternating green and red lights, but then it began to change. Smaller pulsating lights began to spill out of the object like little moving stars flashing blue and red. There were maybe 10 or 11 of them slowly moving in elliptical formation around the larger rectangular object.
Amanda: That's – that's active. That's not I saw flash. That – that is like lights doing things.
Julia: That is noticeable watching thing for a long time. At this point, I was like, “No one is going to believe this. I'm going to film it.” I told my friend that this is what I should do and he concurred. I – when I pulled my phone out, as if it was listening, the object suddenly stopped hovering and began to fly toward my friend and I. To me, this was clear communication that said, “Put that phone away.” So, I did. I'm sorry to say that there is no accompanying view, because of this. The object continued towards us and, eventually, passed over us. These smaller pulsating objects following in their elliptical pattern. Looking up, the object was almost entirely obscured by its bright lights, but it was low enough to the treeline that I could discern that it was rectangular. And I would hazard a guess of it being slightly bigger than a school bus. Impossibly, it looked as if it was one continuous piece of metal as if it had been folded origami style into shape. And, again, even as it moved, it was soundless. Once it was out of view, my friend and I booked it to the car. And I'm pretty sure he sped the entire way to our other friend's house. And we both tried to convince him and his girlfriend that we were not joking, but they didn't believe us. I never saw the object or any other object like it again. But, in all these weeks later, I'm still watching the skies. Dang. What a good – what a good one. Thank you, Tyler.
Amanda: So, Julia, I also have an urban legend here about watching the skies.
Julia: All right. Do it up.
Amanda: This is from Prenille, aka Penny, How 4 protective spirits caused a volcanic eruption and saved a small island nation.
Julia: Huh? Okay. Okay. I'll see where it goes.
Amanda: When I moved to Iceland from Denmark a few years ago, one of the things that impressed me most was how good most people here are at story-telling. So, I hope I can do them justice here with one of my favorite Icelandic legends. First a little background is needed. According to the Heimskringla, back in the 10th century, the King of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth – yes, the technology is named after him.
Julia: What? What?
Eric: Yeah, it's – it's – it's – it's based – it's based on rune.
Amanda: What? I didn't know that.
Eric: The – the Bluetooth symbol is based on a, like, Scandinavian rune. That's why it looks like a rune.
Amanda: I had no idea.
Julia: I didn’t know it either. That is so cool.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: That makes me a lot more into Bluetooth technology and more forgiving when it doesn't work.
Julia: More importantly, is Blu-ray also based off of a rune? Because maybe we will like it more.
Eric: No. I, I think – no, that is because I think the laser is blue that, that shines out the – out the blue rays.
Julia: Clue the Blu-ray.
Amanda: How, how’s Blu-ray collection doing, Eric?
Eric: It's great.
Amanda: So, King Harald Bluetooth wanted to invade Iceland. Not wanting to do so unprepared, he enlisted the help of a wizard.
Eric: King WiFi, the king of the other side of the sea.
Amanda: OK. So, this wizard sent his spirit to Iceland in the body of a whale to help find the country's most vulnerable points. First, he swam into Vopnafjörður on the north-east corner of the island, but he was met by a large dragon flying down from the mountains spewing poison at him. So, he retreated and swam around the north coast, where he attempted to come ashore in Eyjafjörður. Here, however, he was met by an enormous bird, with a wingspan so large the tips of its wings touched the mountains on either side of the fjord. Again the wizard retreated, swimming around the west of the country, where he attempted to come ashore in Breiðafjörður. Here, he was met by a great bull, bellowing loudly, and he retreated again. He swam further south and attempted to come ashore, again, but he was met by a giant so large his head towered well above the mountain tops holding an iron staff.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: So, the wizard returned to the King of Denmark, Bluetooth – I can’t get over this – and told him that Iceland was well protected. And any attempt at invasion would be foolish and doomed to failure. These four spirits are called landvættir or land wights; Dreki, the dragon in the east, Gammur, the eagle or the griffin in the north, Griðungur, the bull in the west, and Bergrisi, the giant, in the south, and are now considered the protective spirits of Iceland. They feature on the country's coat of arms. And it is believed that, if the country is ever under threat, they will awaken and defend it.
Julia: I really appreciate, one, this wizard really living up to the, you know, classic D&D version of the wizard, which is like, “I am too squishy to get into real fights with these things.” And, also, he does a lot of swimming. He must be surprisingly buff.
Amanda: I love the idea of the whale as reconnaissance engine. And it's also – like, this is what consulting is like, where people pay you to tell them sometimes that their idea is, is not a great one. And I respect that the wizard was able to give a no. So, fast forward give or take 1100 years to 2010. The Icelandic economy is in free-fall. The financial crisis and resulting recession hit the small country hard. Unemployment is rising and people are losing their homes. The government is widely – and rightfully – believed to have made things a lot worse than they should have been. And, as a result, angry protesters pelts the parliament building with skyr and tomatoes in what can only be described as the most Icelandic demonstration of discontent imaginable.
Julia: Delicious.
Eric: Very good. Very good.
Amanda: Then, on the 20th of March – okay. Everybody, I practiced really hard for these names. And this one is the name of the volcano that erupted in Iceland in 2010, which is famously --
Eric: Oh, boy. Here we go.
Amanda: -- like, spawned news articles. Like, no one can pronounce this name. Like, no guys. It's just a different language. And Penny suggests that I pronounce it this way, “hey-i-think-you-forgot-your-yoghurt.” If you just say, “hey-i-think-you-forgot-your-yoghurt” really fast, that is pretty close to the name of the volcano.
Julia: Awesome. I love it.
Eric: All right. We’ll take it.
Amanda: So, Eyjafjallajökull erupted.
Eric: Judges, we're getting three 8s from the judges.
Amanda: Thank you.
Eric: Good enough.
Amanda: So, Eyjafjallajökull erupted. The relatively small volcanic eruption sends an enormous cloud of ash out across the Atlantic, grounding airplanes in Europe and parts of the US for weeks on end. And, suddenly, EVERYONE is talking about Iceland. When flights resume, Iceland sees an exponential rise in tourism. Hotels are built, tour companies open up, restaurants and souvenir shops open up across the country. And the economy started booming again.
Julia: I will say my mother was one of those people that went to Iceland right after.
Amanda: Yeah. And a lot of airlines were like, “Hey, stopover in Iceland for 24 hours for free and, like, hang out. So --
Julia: Yeah, it's a good deal. She said she had a great time.
Amanda: Some people believe that the four protective spirits used their magic to cause the eruption. No one was hurt during the eruption. And, since the ash cloud blew out across the ocean, it caused very little disruption to life in Iceland in general. So, if you are prone to believe in fairies and wights, this is surely as good an explanation as any.
Julia: Yeah, it’s pretty legit.
Amanda: And, if nothing else, it makes for a good story. And, in Iceland, you never let the truth get in the way of a good story, Penny.
Julia: I do love that.
Amanda: Penny also has a PS with a little bit of follow up to our Yule Lads. Do you want to hear it?
Julia: Mhmm. Yes, please.
Amanda: My favorite part of the Yule lad story is the Yule cat. This is to me so creepy and cool. The Yule cat is as big as a house and it's always hungry. So, at Christmas, it roams the land looking for people to eat. The only way to be protected against the Yule cat is to receive new clothes for Christmas. Don't ask me why. I've got no answer. I guess it's a handy way of making sure kids aren't too disappointed to receive soft packages under the tree.
Julia: I remember hearing this. And I, I love that, that hungry, hungry Christmas cat.
Amanda: It's very – it’s very good. Whether or not this is new info, I, I just think it's so charming and thank you Penny for writing in.
Julia: It's very good.
Eric: Yule, Yule lad season is coming.
Amanda: It’s true.
Julia: Yeah, it is almost Yule lad season.
Eric: Get ready.
Julia: So, that’s absolutely true.
Amanda: Get a – get your holiday gifts in order at the Spirits merch store, spiritspodcast.com/merch. We do have soft packages that you can send.
Eric: I've got the 7 Steps to Kevin Bacon or the devil to end us with.
Julia: I want to explain.
Eric: You know what? I will explain by reading the story. This comes to us from Rachel and she writes I've been a big fan of Spirits ever since my college roommate forced me to binge episodes on roadtrips, of which we had many, as only binging in college we recommend.
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: We absolutely do. You can also call it marathoning.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: And we think it’s fantastic. So, thank you roommate.
Eric: I was definitely the mythology kid from elementary to high school. So, Spirits fills a void in my soul I forgot existed. I wanted to share a story with you that many people are already familiar with, but my family has a unique connection to. I learned most of this story from my Aunt B, since my Catholic parents are too superstitious to say much about it.
Amanda: May I just say one of the best, like, becoming an adult in your family as opposed to a kid side effects is other adults being like, “Well, you don't know the real story behind like A, B, and C. Often, tragic. Sometimes, fun.
Julia: Yep, that's true.
Eric: In 1949, my Great Aunt Dolores was working as a nurse at Alexian Brothers Hospital in south St. Louis City. The popular version of this story involves a 12-year-old girl, but the real story involved a 14-year-old boy from Maryland.
Julia: Oh, oh. Oh, oh.
Eric: His, his family travelled from Maryland to St. Louis because his mom was originally born here. And they believed, at the time, that the spirit possessing him was that of her recently deceased sister, the boy's aunt. My great aunt was one of his nurses in the hospital, though she only interacted with him during the day when he behaved exactly like a boy his age.
Julia: Oh, no.
Eric: Great Aunt Dolores told Aunt B that, if she hadn't worked night shifts a few times while he was there, she wouldn't have believed he was possessed. The nights she did work, she never went into his room because the noises coming from it were violent and incredibly terrifying, ranging from cussing and screeching to singing. She identified one song in her diaries as "Old Man River" by Paul Robeson.
Julia: I’m – I’m very concerned that this person is going to be like, “Yeah. So, my great aunt says that Kevin Bacon was possessed.”
Eric: I mean maybe – maybe.
Julia: I'm very – okay. Let's do it.
Eric: I don't think – I mean I don't know how old Kevin Bacon is. But I don't think he was a young boy in 1949.
Julia: That's fair. Okay.
Eric: And I don't think Kevin Bacon was born before World War II.
Julia: Kevin Bacon’s dad – I don't know.
Amanda: It's also possible we'd be sued for, like, defamation if this was the real Kevin Bacon.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Listen, it's – we're just repeating a story that we heard. It’s not us
Eric: If this turns out to be about a boy named Kevin Bacon, no relation to --
Amanda: No relation.
Eric: No relation to Kevin Bacon, the actor. She said the priests and doctors who went into that room rarely left without physical injury.
Julia: Oh, oh.
Eric: The boy was moved around as the priests and doctors tried different approaches, but he was eventually released after the exorcism was supposedly successful on April 18th, 1949. Too specific of a date.
Julia: Too specific.
Eric: That was the Monday after Easter. Like, all that – like, all that --
Julia: Did you know that or is that in the email?
Eric: [Inaudible 54:48] exorcism Monday.
Amanda: Oh, no.
Eric: You have Good Friday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Bad Saturday, Easter Sunday --
Amanda: Easter Sunday.
Eric: -- exorcism Monday.
Julia: Aww, Our listeners are gonna have to start celebrating exorcism Monday, no.
Eric: By great – I did that. They wrote that. I also did not know --
Julia: Okay.
Eric: -- off the top of my head that was the Monday after Easter 1949.
Julia: Good. Good. Good. Good to know.
Eric: So, moving target on that one.
Amanda: It's also the day that you can liberate a half price chocolate from the, like, grocery store. So, you really – it is an exorcism of candy from stores.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: The best – the best type of exorcism. My great aunt continued working for the hospital after these events, but the fourth floor of the hospital where the boys’ room was and the floors above it were closed off shortly after.
Julia: Umm, umm.
Eric: Our story continues when my Aunt B was admitted to Alexian Brothers Hospital in 1970 with a minor illness. Something just bad enough where they kept overnight for observation. She was only nine at the time, but she explicitly remembers hearing a lot of noise on the floor above. She said it sounded like someone was remodeling. Lots of stomping, scraping furniture, slamming doors, and the muffled noise of a radio playing music
Julia: We’re having a lot of haunted children this episode, huh? That's – that's not good.
Eric: And great. I mean that's the most [Inaudible 56:06].
Julia: Yeah, all right.
Eric: When Great Aunt Dolores came to check on Aunt B in the morning, Aunt B told her about the noise and was told that there was no one above her --
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Because they were on the 3rd floor. Aunt B was not the only person who heard noises at night, but she didn't learn that until she was older.
Julia: Oh, no.
Eric: Alexandrian Brothers Hospital was torn down in 1978, but the story still thrives today on the nearby campus of St. Louis University, where the boy spent time converting to Catholicism.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: It’s just like an interesting set that you spend time converting to Catholicism.
Julia: Well, it’s not just something you get. You have to – you have to do it.
Eric: Did it, like, take? He's like he's spent some time dabbling and converting to Catholicism.
Amanda: You got to take classes and stuff.
Julia: Yeah, you can’t just do it.
Eric: No, I know. I know. But it's like any other – it's – I think it's the fact that, like, it's not – like it doesn't say that he definitely converted to Catholicism.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: But he just spent some time doing it. It's used to scare the new students mostly and has been stretched far past the truth. The movie version --
Julia: Uh, uh.
Eric: -- changed the events dramatically too. Because, if you haven't guessed at this point, this was the true story of 1973 movie the exorcism was based on.
Julia: Oh, okay. Yeah, got it. Got it. I strongly dislike the horror genre. So, to find out how close my family was to these events was a shock. Great aunt Dolores passed away when I was five, but Aunt B held on to her diaries. And, while my devoutly Catholic parents hate the story, Aunt B has no qualms talking to anyone who asked. Hope, you all found this interesting and terrifying as I did
Julia: This confused me greatly, mostly, because I was expecting Kevin Bacon to somehow be tied to it. But, yeah, that's – that's very cool.
Eric: It does say or the devil. So, it was either gonna be Kevin Bacon or the devil in the story.
Julia: Or the devil or both. I was hoping for both.
Eric: Yeah. I mean I'm sure you can --
Amanda: Yeah. Yeah.
Eric: -- you can, via the exorcism, get only probably a handful of degrees to Kevin Bacon from that point. So, I mean this person probably does have the six degrees from Kevin Bacon.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Via a ghost I guess.
Julia: Yeah. Sounds right.
Amanda: Well, it’s a bummer. And I hope that kid ended up getting the treatment he needed and, you know, we've improved somewhat.
Julia: It seems.
Amanda: You know, but not a ton since then.
Julia: It seems like it.
Amanda: I, I think that the, you know, noises coming from an empty floor is pretty damning.
Julia: Spooky.
Eric: Yeah. Also, they close off the floor.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Why?
Julia: And then they tore down the hospital.
Amanda: Surely not heating costs or whatever.
Julia: Sure.
Eric: It's probably not the bestest in the walls that are too expensive to, to refurbish than to just destroy the whole building.
Julia: Too easy. Too easy.
Eric: Could it be that?
Amanda: Well, guys, I'm proud of our combo streak this episode.
Eric: Perfect.
Julia: Me, too.
Eric: Got to be at least 13 this time.
Julia: Mhmm. Spooky number 13.
Amanda: So, we want to know a lot more about Zoe's parents.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: Iceland, you rock.
Julia: India also rocks.
Amanda: Exorcisms. India also rocks. And I think that's all. Remember, everybody.
Julia: Stay creepy.
Amanda: Stay cool. Thanks again to our sponsors. At betterhelp.com/Spirits. You can get 10 percent off your first month of counseling. At sunsoil.com/Spirits, you can get 30 percent off your first order. And, at fubotv.com/Spirits, you can get a seven-day free trial and 15 percent off your first month.
Outro Music:
Amanda: Spirits was created by Amanda McLoughlin, Julia Schifini, and Eric Schneider with music by Kevin MacLeod and visual design by Allyson Wakeman.
Julia: Keep up with all things creepy and cool by following us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr. We also have all of our episode transcripts, guest appearances, and merch on our website as well as a form to send us your urban legends at spiritspodcast.com.
Amanda: Join our member community on Patreon, patreon.com/spiritspodcast for all kinds of behind-the-scenes stuff. Just $1 gets you access to audio extras with so much more available too, recipe cards, director’s commentaries, exclusive merch and real physical gifts.
Julia: We are a founding member of Multitude, a collective of independent audio professionals. If you'd like Spirits, you will love the other shows that live on our website at multitude.productions.
Amanda: And, above all else, if you liked what you heard today, please share us with your friends. That is the very best way to help us keep on growing.
Julia: Thank you so much for listening. Till next time.
Transcriptionist: Rachelle Rose Bacharo
Editor: Krizia Casil