Episode 614: Listener Tales 91: HALLOWEEN Edition!

Hey, weirdos. Elena here.
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Hey, weirdos. I'm Ash.

And I'm Elena.

And this is Morbid. it's morbid just kidding it's special i'm just a sad clown so i'm being sad a sad clown sad sad girl clown and a lot of you probably know who i am but if you don't who are you i'm the lead singer.
I'm Mama Emeritus. Oh, honey, I love it.
Yeah, I'm Mama Emeritus. I decided to keep the high pony.
The high pony, Mama Emeritus. You know.
Oh, I did keep. The fuck you.
It's Halloween, y'all. I can't move too much because then my hat teeters and I can't move my face.
And also I can't laugh really well. So this is going to be an adventure.
It was kind of awesome because Ash laughed earlier and she went. Well, so there you go.
Well, it's also we're getting used to being like we don't film a lot. No, this is an experience.
Maybe we should start maybe like once a week we should just get into a wild ass costume and just like start i think for listener tales we should just be in costume i kind of love that idea and just film our listener tales because we can be silly goofy with those yeah you know i think that would be really fun what do you guys think i'm it. I heard you say you're into it.
So maybe we should do that.

I'm trying to think of something to clown me.

Like, what do you guys think?

I don't think you're supposed to talk while you mime, but.

I don't think so either.

But that might be the whole purpose of miming.

Well, I'm not a mime, all right?

I'm a freaking clown.

It's true.

But you know what? It's Listener Tales's halloween it's we're excited a few of you guessed right too because i posted a photo with my like freaky eye i didn't hopefully you can see well i didn't even post a teaser yeah and a lot of people guessed mine i love that somebody thought i was david bowie and i was like valid. Well, next listener tales maybe you should be.

You were him from Labyrinth before.

Yeah, now I needed to be another era.

Ziggy.

Yeah, Ziggy Stardust.

That would be such a fun one.

And then I could be like a famous rocker.

Oh, the gears are turning.

I'm just, I have a theme of famous rockers.

Yeah, I like that.

Also, happy Halloween because it's legit Halloween right now.

It's Halloween. It's not Halloween when we recorded we recorded this no but we're in the halloween spirit you better believe oh we stay in the halloween so it's halloween now yeah where you are it's halloween where you are in the future and in the past it's not halloween yet but it's halloween every day in our hearts so it's true here we are it is and that's why we're gonna do often.
But it's listener tales. We're going to do some Halloween themed listener tales.
And of course, this is why we decided to make this a fun spooky event that I think we're going to do all the time now. I think it's going to be great.
But let's get to the tales. It's listener tales.
It's brought to you by you, for you, from you, and all about you. Let's go.
All right. Well, the first one was written specifically for me.
You didn't say that, but I decided it was. And this is from Kara, and it's fine to use their name.
And it says, a shadow man shook some ass on the stairs. As soon as we saw this one, I was like, that's for Ash.
I said, thank you. That is for Ash.
All right. So let's start off by saying I'm not sure if my house, 101 years old, built during Prohibition, is actually haunted or just something that things pass through.
I have distinct memories during my childhood of blind shooting closed on their own and then periods of time where things were normal. The biggest and spookiest set of ghostly happenings happened about four years ago during my senior year of high school right around Halloween.
Halloween! Throughout October. Things ramped up over time.
It started one night when I was up late working on a class project. My twin brother came in and told me he was going to go to bed and walked out of the kitchen where I was.
A few minutes later, I heard the distinct sound of the footrest of our recliner being snapped down. So I assumed it's my bro, and he sat back down for a sec, and I, wait, nothing.
No one. Just me and panic shit that suddenly spawned and due to my fear.
I go and check. Yep, he'd gone to bed 10 minutes prior when he told me.
Cool, cool, cool. I was totally fine having a ghost to chill in my living room and return to my project.
If I don't address it, it'll stop, right? That's how all problems in life work. Wrong.
You don't address it, it'll just go away. Wrong.
The next week, I'm at our side door about to walk out to the car where my brother was waiting to go meet our parents for dinner. And as I open the door, I hear something sprinting through the kitchen toward me.
No. I make terrified eye contact.
Nope. With my brother.
That clearly conveyed my inner monologue of, holy shit, I'm about to shuffle off this mortal coil without my consent because some invisible boogeyman is going to run me down right now. Before I finally came to my senses and slammed the house door.
Somehow, this still didn't spookify me too badly. I'll just keep ignoring it and it'll go away.
Yes. Nope.
Wrong again.'s now the very end of october if my memory serves correct buckle up my spooky bitches this is where shit got real i thought shit already got real i kind of felt that way too yeah well when i told my roommates this story we slept with the lights on for two days i just i need to describe the way my family's house is laid out for you to clearly visualize what comes next. I was about to laugh my hat off at you.
I'm gonna laugh my hat off. Or maybe I'm so scared that my hat just popped off.
She's not gonna laugh her ass off. She's gonna laugh her hat off.
I'm gonna laugh my hat off. Well, our kitchen had a back staircase that links up to the main staircase.
It's super steep and runs right up to the dishwasher so we don't use it. It's just storage space for kitchen appliances and beverages.
Some beverages. I love a beverage.
We love a beverage. Can I side note really quick when me and Drew first got like a home of our own what the main thing he said to me that he wanted to do he said our house has to be a beverage house and I was like what's a beverage house and he said I always want to have like a bunch of different beverages.
And you do. And we do.
We are a beverage house. You are a beverage house.
Yeah, it was very important to him. Dream realized.
Dream realized. Because I opened your refrigerator the other day and I said, oh my God, the beverages.
Oh my God. The beverage.
The variety. If anybody wants to sponsor us, we have Alani.
We have Ollipop. We have Poppies.
We don't discriminate between the good for your tummy sodas. We have Gatorade for Drew.
We have orange juice most of the time. We have Seltzers for the Mikey's.
We have La Croix's. Oh, La Croix.
Sorry. Yeah, it's La Croix.
I thought it was La Croix. I think it's a debate.
I's a hot face i have an inch on my face do this oh i want to like smack it but that doesn't work either i'm just gonna lightly tap it it's really not helping it's not helping no i'm just kidding no it's on this side oh okay that worked thank you please leave that in anyway but this Anyway, this took a hard turn. So our kitchen has a backstair.
Oh, nobody said that. Beverages.
So the base of those stairs is directly adjacent to the countertop that has the dishwasher, the oven, and the sink. So I'm at the sink washing some pans from dinner late at night.
I'm the last one awake. Out of my peripheral vision to the left, I can clearly see that staircase.
It's dark, obviously, as everyone's asleep. I shit you not, my heart ceased to beat as I see a figure at the top of that back staircase.
I freeze, sudsy hands up and all, and hold my breath for a second. Out of the corner of my eye, I clearly see a very tall shadow figure.
She spied with her little eye. Bent down with his...
No, this cannot be real. I know it is.
But with his hands on his knees, ass stuck out, head cocked all the way to the side to stare at me. He is in full twerking position, ready to shake some ass like a teen at a prom in front of all their teachers and chaperones.
But he has his spooky head tilt. Like head turned to the side and cocked so he could get a good look at little old me.
So hands on the knees, but like a. He said, hands on my knee, shake an ass on my thought shit.
Just post me a pic. I can't laugh.
I'm just letting go you saw it it was good at first well i was not cool with being perceived by this spooky shadow bastard i did not want to be perceived i did not want to be perceived and definitely not cool with his spooky ass shaking stance side note i know i sounded like some cool brave badass who totally wasn't afraid buties, I was about three seconds away from melting into a puddle of fear and evicting myself from the property immediately. I don't blame you.
I turned to confirm what I'm seeing and it's gone. I love that somebody just came to shake ass with you in the afterlife.
That's my favorite. And he didn't even shake ass.
He just got in the position. He got he got ready to shake i think then he knew he was trying to see if you were ready yeah like he was doing what the ghosties were doing in the amityville horror they were like are you ready for a dance off like the marching band i think they were literally like are you ready for it and you said huh and he was like you're not ready for it he just got out he knew you were ready for his twerking he would have gotten off it was about to earthquake in there let's go he would have been like okay let's go i'm not you should have shook ass with me but like you could have figured it out in the moment i would have believe in you i would have you know i've literally watched tiktok videos to learn how to twerk yes i do know.
And I can't do it. So if anybody wants to help me out, call me.
Don't call me, but like DM me. DM me and teach me how to twerk.
Call me BB. If you want to teach me how to twerk.
If you want to teach me how to twerk. Because I love Meg Thee Stallion and she has so many great songs to shake ass to.
Doesn't she do that like thing? Exactly. I don't want to my tongue out and get black all over it you gotta just like stick it to the front oh okay do it oh i have to do it yeah of course wait i don't want to hold on ready because i have sparkles one two three yeah i love it all right so i know for a fact this wasn't so it's halloween guys have some fun i know for a fact this wasn't some trick of the light or my imagination.
This was a solid figure. Enough so that I was 100% positive one of my siblings was playing a prank on me and just standing there to scare me.
But now there was nothing there. So I finished washing dishes and went to my bed, forcing myself not to run when I hit the landing on the stairs where he had been.
Very coo, casual, mindful of me. Very demure.
Very demure. Very cutesy cutesy of you.
Weirdly enough, after all that, things stopped for a while. My younger sister started to experience things, though.
Like her foot being yanked while sleeping at night after I went away to college? No. No.
I try not to think of that when I visit home in our shared room. But that's the tale.
Now most of my friends refuse to come to my family home. Oh, I'd come.
You're like, I'm there, girl. I'm there.
I'll go shake ass with that ghost once I learn how to twerk. Yeah.
And your friends are scared to come due to a fear that this spooky twerking tool is still on my stairs. I try hard not to think of him when I'm the last one up at night, but he hasn't bothered me since.
Maybe I ignored him for long enough that he skedaddled off to haunt someone else. Keep it weird, so weird that i have to call you out kara not so weird that you don't shake ass with the ghost on your stairs kara i understand that that was a scary situation because like yeah totally if a ghost or a daemon is trying to have a dance off with you you gotta show him what your mama gave you.
You gotta shake what your mama gave you. You do.

You have to shake it like a Polaroid

picture. Precisely.

You really need to. But you know

what? I probably would have been scared too and ran out of my house.

So I would have been too. That's my

real me talking. Tough me is like

I don't know. I would have thrown ass.

I would have thrown ass with that diamond.

Wow, Kara.

I love that. See, that was my spooky clown laugh again.
I didn't even mean to do it. Oh, I don't like that.
I like it. Don't show this to Drew.
I think he would leave. John, I sent a picture to him because he was picking up the girls from school.
And he just said, my God. And then she said, when you sent the picture of you and Tobias.
I sent a picture of this and I said, twins. And he said, totes my goats.
Totes my goats. And I was like, you're going to be scared when I come downstairs.
Drew said, oh, you a cute little sad clown. But I think if he heard me laugh like that, he would not like that.
He would say, you're a scary little sad clown. He would say, get out of my presence.
So my next listener tale is called Halloween Listener Tale, My Ghostly Ex-Boyfriend and a New Orleans Psychic.

Oh no, Debbie said this is a beautiful tale, but it might make you cry.

Oh shit.

I can't cry.

I'm already crying.

Oh no, Deb Deb.

This is from Chelsea.

Hi Chelsea.

Hi Chelsea.

Hi Chelsea.

I've been watching old episodes of Southern Charm and there's a Chelsea.

Oh, I loved Chelsea.

Yeah, and the really terrible ashley girl was like

chelsea when she was trying when she was trying to explain why she was a dick ashley chelsea all right my name is chelsea who did ashley oh she blocked you on twitter yeah that's hardcore i know uh so this is my name is chelsea and as i mentioned above i'm a louisiana girl Hey, Chelsea.

Hey.

Born in and raised just north of New Orleans.

I was raised Catholic. And while I no longer identify as religious, I would say I am still quite spiritual.
My Catholic upbringing has left a few imprints on who I am as a person, and namely a deep-seated belief in a higher power, whatever you want to call him or her, something greater than ourselves, a strong conviction that there is more to this world and the next than we see, and or an understanding and an openness to signs and messages from the other side. Yeah, I agree.
I actually love that. I think that's a beautiful belief system.
That's pretty much exactly what I believe. Yeah.
I don't believe that I'm psychic or clairvoyant in any way, but I've always felt a closeness or openness to messages from loved ones who have passed on. And I could write another two or three listener tales just with stories of interactions with my grandma.
Mama. Mama.
After her passing. Okay, so.
Please write those stories. Yeah, I gotta hear about Mama.
Mama. Mama.
More than 10 years ago, I moved to Houston, Texas after grad school to take a job and start building my career. While living in Houston, I met and started dating a nice Greek boy named Teddy.
Oh, we love Teddy. Teddy was and still to this day is the kindest person I've ever met.
Good. Because I was like, we love Teddy.
And then I was like, do we love Teddy? I know. I got to fight Teddy.
But I'm glad I don't have to fight Teddy. We would have squared up for you chelsea we would have but you know what teddy good job hey teddy once upon introducing teddy to a group of my friends one of my friends asked me how it felt to be the worst person in the relationship oh you know we're all out there we're all out there somewhere i'm the worst person in the relationship are you the worst person in the relationship.
Are you the worst person in the relationship?

Yeah, you are. Yeah, you are.
It's like, yeah, don't lie. I think you're right.
We're the worst.

You know what? So here we are. Here we are.
That's awesome. He was joking, but he was 100% right.

Whatever traits I imagine God uses to judge the goodness of a person, selflessness, loyalty,

patience, etc. Teddy was off the charts in all of them.
Yep, that's John and that's true. And that's Teddy.
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After dating for about a year, I woke up one morning to find Teddy having a full-blown seizure beside me. Holy shit, the turn.
Yeah, that took a quick left. After months of testing, doctor's visits, and additional seizures, always at night and always in his sleep, we would find a brain tumor lodged in his right temporal lobe.
We quickly scheduled surgery, and the tumor was removed successfully and identified as benign. Oh, good.
But unfortunately, the seizures continued and when they did, I was always the only person there since they only happened at night while we were sleeping. Oh, that's so overwhelming.
He lived with them. I can't imagine that.
I really can't. No, you're an angel.
He lived with them and managed his condition with medication as best as he could. I'm a strong believer that just because something isn't forever doesn't mean it wasn't real.
My relationship with Teddy is an example of this. After almost 3.5 years together, life was pulling the two of us in different directions.
We broke up and went our separate ways, both sad, but with nothing but love and respect in our hearts for one another. I moved back to Louisiana, and he stayed in Texas.
The fact that you still say he's like one of the most kind people you've ever met is like such a mature relationship. It really is.
Fast forward a year and a half, and I was dating the man who, spoiler alert, is now my husband David. Who? Who? Hey, David! Day-day.
Day-day. Day-day.
We were on our first big trip as a couple in Mexico when I received a phone call from my best friend back in Houston.

Oh, no, my heart is about to sink.

Oh, no.

When I answered, she asked to speak to my boyfriend.

It struck me as weird, but I handed over the phone.

When David hung up, I knew exactly that something was wrong.

David then had the devastating task of telling me that Teddy was gone.

He had passed in his sleep as a result of a seizure. He had been alone.
Oh. Oh.
That's awful. That's another good one.
David for life. Another great one.
He held me while I sobbed and screamed and blamed myself if i had only been there if we hadn't broken up i could have saved him when i told him i didn't know what to do with myself or my thoughts he asked me to tell him about teddy what i just got i got a full body like what an amazing man we spent that entire night talking about my ex-boyfriend with dav David giving me all the space and support I needed to not crumble into oblivion. I knew after that night that I would marry David.
Hell yeah, you did. That's awesome.
Whew, okay. You're probably like, bitch, get to the spooky part.
Which is exactly what I'm doing now, but you needed the background context. Fair enough.
And I appreciate you telling us. Yeah.
The months following Teddy's death were weird. Heavy.
It sounds insane, but I could feel him. That doesn't sound insane.
That doesn't sound insane at all. Strange things were happening in my house.
Never threatening or scary, but I could feel his presence. Lights would flicker.
An untouched book on my bookshelf became mysteriously dog-eared to a particularly meaningful passage. That's beautiful.
Damn. Elena would be so mad yeah she literally won't let me borrow her books because i dog ear the pages it's true i don't dog ear pages i can't handle it you're insane i'm a bookmark early she is i like my books to be in the right condition i think they look well loved if they've been dog-eared a lot no no it's a it's a great i was gonna say it's a great personal debate we'll do a poll yeah we will except i might lose that one i don't know i don't know one time when i had a fever and chills my ac broke making my house a toasty 83 degrees so i would die that's horrible once my fever broke and the chills went away the ac turned back on like nothing had happened it's just like teddy to be taking care of someone from the afterlife well how ha Halloween night of that year.
Halloween. Halloween.
I happened to be back in Houston on a business trip. I was invited to celebrate with some of my and Teddy's mutual friends and headed over to their house for dinner.
That night, a wicked thunderstorm came rolling through Houston, knocking out the power at their house and generally upping the spook factor since we were now dining by candlelight. All through the evening, our host had music playing in the background via her phone.
At some point, her phone stopped working, and try as she might, the music would not come back on. We chalked it up to the storm messing with service and continued our conversation in silence for another 30 minutes or so.
Eventually, as we knew it would, the conversation turned to Teddy. As the storm continued to rage, we discussed how much we all missed him, and agreed on the general tragedy of the situation.
I confessed the guilt I was carrying around, how if we hadn't broken up, I would have likely been there to intervene. I told them about the weird experiences I was having in my house, and that's when our host's phone started playing music again, on its own.
Stop it. A completely different song, song and genre than it had been earlier.
The song was a newer one I had heard in passing, but never really listened to the lyrics. Until that moment, we all sat in silence while the song played, each listening to the words and looking at each other with wide eyes.
It was Happier by Bastille. I love Bastille.
Oh my god, I have goosebumps. If you're unfamiliar, the lyrics are, to paraphrase, lately I've been thinking I want you to be happier.
Even though I might not like this, I want you to be happier. And so that means I'll have to leave.
Oh my god, my goosebumps have goosebumps. I was just, I felt that.
Holy shit. The song is about a couple who is breaking up because they know what's best for them, even though they are heartbroken.
But the guy acknowledging that he's going to walk away so that she can be happier. Everyone in the time I'm like about to cry.
Literally everyone in the room was looking at me, some with goosebumps on their arms, some with tears in their eyes. And it was clear that they were all interpreting the same message as I was.
Teddy was telling me that it was OK. That he heard me.
That he didn't blame me. And that he was going to back off with the ghosty shit since it was freaking me out a bit.
LOL. I immediately felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
After that night, I did not feel his presence around me anymore. I felt that he had moved on to wherever he was supposed to be.
I didn't hear from him again. Until.
Two in October 2020 in the midst of the pandemic David and I were engaged and tentatively planning our wedding thanks COVID. My spooky witchy bachelorette extravaganza which was originally planned in Salem Massachusetts.
Oh it had to be canceled due to travel restrictions. Oh.
So plan B was a bachelorette Hall Louisiana, which is still fucking cool. Oh, I think that might even be better.
Complete with outdoor social distancing, friendly activities for a small group of my closest friends. One of these activities was hiring a real-life French Quarter psychic medium to come read tarot cards for us as part of our glampout at our farm north of Nola.
Oh, my God. This is't you invite me why didn't you invite us the open air was a good setting for group activities and the sweeping live oaks were an excellent backdrop for some witchery i'm obsessed i feel so cozy just thinking about it feels like a book the psychic began by reading tarot for everyone in attendance and this lady was the real.
As in I sat down and was crying with the first three sentences out of her mouth. First thing she said to me before even touching the cards was, your people on the other side are very loud.
They're telling me that you're worried you won't be able to have children. And they're telling me that that's not going to be a problem.
It will happen almost immediately. Oh my God.
This woman did not know me. She had no way of knowing that I've known since I was 16 that I have a condition that could impact my fertility and that knowledge had hung over me like a dark cloud every day of my life.
Spoiler alert, she was correct. So you didn't have any issue.
That's amazing. What's wild too, that's weird that you had that like feeling that you were worried about it.
I also had that feeling from a very young age. Yeah.
And it's like I knew it, and I did have trouble. I know.
It's wild, but then I got my babies. Now, after reading Tarot, she transitioned into a mediumship session where she opened herself up to messages from the other side.
After a few messages for some of my friends, all of which were scarily accurate, she suddenly said, I'm feeling the presence of a young man, and he's showing me a teddy bear with a T on it. I immediately went cold.
Teddy's last name started with a T. And one of his nicknames was Teddy T.
She proceeded to tell me that he sees everything happening in your life, and he's so happy for you. He supported my marriage.
He likes David. She also added, he wants you to know that there's nothing you could have done to prevent what happened to him.
Even if you had been there, it was over so quickly and he wasn't scared or in pain. Oh, that must have been like such a weight off your shoulders again.
Seriously. She finally said he wants you to know that you are the love of his life and he's so grateful for that.
I'm to sob right now. Literally.
I had to close my eyes so that they wouldn't start forming tears. It's like actual tears.
Yes. Let me tell you the sobs that left my body.
It truly felt like the most beautiful gift of closure. Knowing that he was okay, knowing that he was happy and happy for me, it's an experience that has stuck with me and will be with me forever.
I now see Teddy as one of my guardian angels, up there conspiring with my mama and papa. Oh, mama.
Watching over me and my beautiful growing family. David and I did indeed get pregnant almost immediately after our wedding.
Our son was born two days after our first anniversary, and we are currently expecting our second son. Yes, Gray.
Chelsea. David continues to be an amazingly supportive partner and father to our children we still talk about teddy remember his birthday every year and we travel up to new england together to attend teddy's sister's wedding a few years ago where we bonded where he bonded with teddy's dad and stayed up until 4 a.m drinking with teddy's best friends that's amazing david's my favorite person ever.
David rocks. David now loves Teddy's family as much as I do,

and we try to see them regularly.

His family will be a part of our children's lives,

and I plan to share his story with my sons when they are old enough to understand.

I think this is the most beautiful

listener tale we've ever received.

Truly.

I hope they see it as an example

of finding a beautiful silver lining

around life's darkest clouds.

Proof that people come into our lives for a reason and that not all love stories end with forever.

Some love stories end in this world but go on into the next.

And I hope they see their father as an example of an incredible emotional maturity, a paragon of non-toxic masculinity, and an illustration of the kind of supportive partner they should strive to be one day. Wow.
Yes. Amazing.
Amazing. Thank you if you've made it this far into reading this rather lengthy novella.
We can't all be bestselling novelists, Selena. I love you.
But I felt this story had to be extracted from the inside of my head and put to paper. I have attached some pictures to this email so you can put some faces with names and add some color to the story.
Why are you all so beautiful? You and Teddy are the cutest things I've ever seen. And so are you and David and your child.
And you and David and your baby. Wow.
And they made it to Salem last year and you got to go to the Ropes Mansion. You got to go to Allison's house.
Stop it. I love it.
Oh my god these are great pictures. Andrew Pappas.
Winona and Reba. Winona and Reba? Winona and Reba.

Not sad, just sleepy. Oh, my God.
I love it. Honestly, Chelsea, that story was one of the most beautiful stories we have had in listening to.
So thank you for that. Gorge, gorge, gorge.
You and David forever. Teddy forever.
I'm going to remember that story forever. Yeah.
That was an amazing story. Thank you for sending that.
It was beautiful. All right.
My next one is listener tale, trick or treat, or clowns. I love it.
Hey-o. This is from Megan.
Megan. Megan.
I don't know why I said it like that. Oh.
Oh! Oh! She did it! Now we'll work on the head tilt next.

Yeah, the tilt.

Wow, that just made me really happy.

All right.

To properly tell this story, I got so bossed in there.

To properly tell this story.

It's rubbing off on me.

What were you saying today that you, like, couldn't unboss?

Pultegeist.

Pultegeist.

She couldn't stop saying Pultegeist.

All right.

To properly tell this story, I need to start with the setting.

This happened in 2014 on the spookiest day of the year. One, two, three.
Halloween! My family had moved about an hour away from our old house in 2013. The new neighborhood we moved to was known for Halloween.
So much that people drove to trick-or-treat there. Oh, hell yeah.
We're even more known for Christmas, which leads to a lot of traffic during the holidays. But everybody passed out candy and loads of people decorated.
To give some perspective, we would buy a bag of candy every single time we went shopping in September and October just to have enough to pass out before the night ended. And sometimes that wasn't even enough.
Wow. I want to go to there.
I do too. was the point.
Erin and her best friend were Tweedledee and Tweedledum, but instead of fat suits, they wore tutus and suspenders. I love that.
I love that. That's great.
I was Alice and wore a little blue dress with a white apron and had a black bow tied in my hair. Adorable.
We all looked very cute and unassuming, which is very demure, very mindful, which is probably why we looked like easy targets that night. Uh-oh.
I'm scared. Now, to understand what happened, I'm going to give you a quick and simple layout of the neighborhood.
We lived near the end of a long street that connected to two major streets in the neighborhood. Keep in mind that we had moved there recently and weren't super familiar with the area.
However, it was very safe, and my mom, who always supervised us outside, thought it was fine for the three of us to go alone while she stayed and passed out candy. She helped us pick an easy route of three streets that formed a triangle.
We would walk on the main street close to our house and then take a turn onto a street parallel to ours. From there, we would turn onto the other main street that connected to the one we lived on just to make our way back.
Even though this was a safe neighborhood and the route was simple, I was pretty terrified to go alone. We had never done that before, let let alone in a new neighborhood i was always the child who could hardly bear to be out of sight of an adult that's literally your middle yeah my sister on the other hand relished in the opportunity to have no supervision and she and her friend were excited your oldest the night started off pretty normal it was still light out when we left but by the time we had gotten to the second main road, it was dark.

We amassed a good amount of candy by that point, and we're about to turn back onto our street.

However, this is when things got a little strange.

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Available now at your local store. As we were about to turn back onto the street, from the corner of my eye, I saw a lone trick-or-treater across the street.

He was dressed in all-black clothing and wore a Halloween clown mask that covered his whole face.

Scary.

I don't like that.

This by itself wasn't unusual, but what was strange is that he didn't have a bag to hold candy.

Oh, yeah, no.

Instead, he had a baseball bat.

Nope. I thought to myself, huh, that's odd.

Huh.

Huh.

But he was on the other side of the road, so it wasn't a problem.

Well,

I don't alone. Trailing behind us was another person in all black and wearing that same clown Halloween mask, and it obscured his whole face.
This person didn't have a bat, but instead was simply dragging a golf club along the sidewalk behind him. What the fuck? Where is any help? What's happening? I'm scared.
Mom, pick me up. I'm scared.
The rest all happened very quickly. It was dark and I don't know where they came from, but in the blink of an eye, the two people turned into three, then four, then five, then suddenly ten people were dispersed around the street.
What the fuck? All wore the same clown masks and had bats or golf clubs. The ones on the other side of the street crossed the road and came towards us.
At the same time, the ones on the street got closer to us and started forming a circle. No.
We were surrounded. There were at least three on each side to the left and right of us a few behind us and one in front they were dragging their clubs and banging their bats on the concrete ew what assholes like truly like fuck get out life what is particularly strange and something i do not understand to this day is that the street was empty i was thinking that this whole time time.
Yeah, I'm like, where is everybody? Is there an adult to help you? This was the most popular neighborhood to trick or treat in. However, besides these strange boys and the looming darkness, we were the only ones on that street.
Was this some like weird elaborate hazing ritual that your neighborhood had? Oh my God, maybe. That'd be kind of fucking awesome.
Welcome to the neighborhood. We're going to scare the shit out of you.
We want to see if you can fucking hang. Were they just waiting for someone to walk by when the street was clear? Were they hiding? Did they have some sort of signal? Yeah.
However, the answers to these questions were irrelevant because the reality was they were getting closer by the second. If I reached out, I could touch one before my arm was even fully straightened.
Oh, no. Oh, that's too much in my personal space.
Yeah, of course it is. Get out of my fucking bubble.
No, get out of my fucking bubble. Get out.
Remember how I said that I was scared to go and my sister wasn't? Yes. This is where that shifts.
Erin and her friend, who were in front of me, slowed down and came closer to me. We were all frazzled with a look silently asked each other, what do we do? For some reason, that alludes me to this day.
The dominant emotion that I was feeling wasn't fear, but anger. Looking back, I should have approached this situation with more caution, but I was pretty pissed.
I would be too. I kind of loved that you were pissed.
Yeah. In my mind, these had to be neighborhood boys picking on the little girls wearing tutus and dresses.
Exactly. And just trying to scare them.
So fuck them. So I immediately decided that if they were going to try to get a rise out of us, the best thing we could do was not give them one.
Yeah. I whispered to my sister and her friend, keep walking.
Yeah. And we did.
Good for you. What they didn't know was that we were on the street we lived on, so we just had to outlast them.
Unfortunately for us, they kept walking too. What? I want to junk punch.
Every single one of them. These little fucks.
So hard for you. And hit them with their golf clubs.
Yeah. Like, ugh.
It almost looked like a security detail for a celebrity, except, you know, the fact that they were threatening us. Except a very weird one.
Yeah. Kind of like paparazzi, actually.
In a situation like that, logic is the first thing we abandon. We certainly had cell phones and could have called for help, but we just kept walking.
Besides, even if we got our phones out, they were close enough to just grab them. After what felt like several minutes, but I'm sure it was only a moment, I switched tactics.
I must have heard this from some television show, but I turned to the closest one on my left and said in the most intimidating voice an 11-year-old girl dressed as Alice in Wonderland could muster, I will cut you. Oh my god.
I'm obsessed. I will cut you.
Honestly, I would have ran. Honestly, I would get the fuck out of there.
I'd be like, I believe it. I believe it.
Because anybody dressed as Alice in Wonderland saying I'm going to cut you right in their face. That's scary.
Yeah. You did the right thing.
I will cut you. That's right.
And then she this is embarrassing, but I hope it makes you laugh. It's not embarrassing.
You should not be embarrassed. It's iconic.
I needed them to know that we were not scared and what they were doing wasn't working, so they should just give up. It didn't deter these boys, but it served to lend confidence.
Get a life. Get a life.
It didn't deter these boys, but it served to lend confidence to my sister and her friend. They continued to walk, and when they got close to the masked person in the front, they just pushed him out of the way.
With our heads up, but not making eye contact, we continued because what else was there to do, really? Yeah. We could start to see other trick-or-treaters in the distance.
Our luck changed then, and just as quickly as they came, these masked boys were gone without a trace. What? They just left? They just, like, poofed into theaced you and then left and then left fuck them that don't ruin somebody's halloween like that i'll find them i will and we'll junk punch every single one of them dressed like this dressed like this how scary would that be yeah that would show clown me clown clown me clown are you ready i love it the dread was replaced by a flood of relief and we were safe again.
After that, I don't think we resumed trick-or-treating and just went home for the night. Oh, that's a bummer.
I know, I'm sorry. I understand it, but that's a bummer.
We did tell my mom what happened while we were treating candy in the kitchen. She wasn't thrilled that we engaged with them, but wasn't too worried.
It did sink in later that night, to me at least, how that situation could have gone so differently. Yeah.
I can't say I was particularly traumatized, but that was the last year I went trick-or-treating. Oh, that makes me sad.
You were 11? Yeah. Oh, that makes me really sad.
Dude, I was like 15 when I stopped trick-or-treating. Oh.
I got to the point where people were like, we're not giving you candy. We're not.
You're a whole ass grown-up. Yeah.
However, Halloween remains my favorite holiday, and I celebrate it every year. Good.
Thank you for reading this, and I hope everyone keeps it weird, but not somewhere that you surround children and try to scare them by banging baseball bats and golf clubs, because that's just not cool. P.S.
I retold the story to my mom as I was writing this, and she seemed confused and said, was it really that bad? Didn't some boys just follow you? I suppose that when we told her at the time, we left a lot of details i guess and when i recounted it like this she was appalled she somehow didn't know about the weapons or the clown masks and said that if she did know that she would have been on the hunt for these boys parents okay oops i'm i knew that had to be a missing link there yes because i was like if my kids come home and tell me that a bunch of boys with weapons and clown masks around can i interrupt you i know exactly what you would do she would do yep she whenever alayna's mad she always crunches ready and it's always so good and that would be i'd be like we're we're off i'd be like you ladies stay at home and i'd be like mama and. Call Titi, I'm going.
We're going to go make some friends out in the neighborhood. Oh, I would.
And then we would never see those boys again. Like, when I tell you, like, the rage I had for you in that moment, I wanted to fucking strangle these boys.
That's just so necessary. Don't ruin someone's Halloween.
Halloween's supposed to be fun. And people need to consent in being scared.
Don't be a dick. Just be cool.
Don't be all like uncool. Don't do that.
And definitely don't fucking scare kids. Like what the hell? Get a life.
Let them live. Like we said.
She dresses Alice in Wonderland. I know.
Like let her live. They did their costumes together for this.
Yeah. I'm not impressed by them.
That don't impress me much. If you're listening, boys who did that, I'm not impressed.
Oh, they're not listening because they are not this cool. No, they're not.
They are losers. They're not this cool.
They're not this cool. They're not.
This is so cool. They are not on this level.
Cosplay equals cool. Are you on the level? No.
No, you're not. The answer is no.
You could never be. All right.
Mine is entitled, How I Thought I Was Going to Be Killed by a Paper Mache Mask-Wearing Psycho.

Whoa.

And it's by Bee.

Bee.

I love that name.

And it says, Like the Bumble.

Like the Bumble.

It says, Hello, lovely ladies of all that tis dark, weird, and spoopy.

My name is Bee, like the Bumble.

A family nickname, which you are more than welcome to use as I consider you and all other weirdos listening as family. I love that.
We are our family. I discovered your absolute gift of a podcast at the beginning of 2022, and it has kept me laughing through many a commute and hard times.
Seriously, you guys remind me so much of me and my sister, which is a huge comfort since we live on opposite sides of the Pacific. Damn.
Oh, I could never. I know.
I could never. Thank you.
One time I was going to move to New York and we just couldn't even handle it. Couldn't do it.
Yeah. Couldn't do it.
Thank you for all you do. You two are delights.
Never change your badass bitching ways. I love it.
We won't. Total side note.
Ash, I'm a Libra. So is Mikey.
Mikey's a Libra. Which makes us air sign besties besties we are air sign besties i can't really decide how to segue from that to my story but here we go i'm not a writer like elena cue ash sharing the link to the butcher and the wren tinyurl.com slash the butcher and the wren i don't know if that still exists don't go there but it's there uh congrats elena can't wait to read it update i got it all downloaded on my.
I'm ready to go. So I hope this is not too convoluted.
Thank you so much. Be for life.
The tale begins five years ago on Halloween. I know I'm writing and sending you this in July, but the spirit store that lives in my heart can no longer be contained in this withered summer husk of a body any longer.
I'm obsessed with you. I've never related to a sentence more.
Truly. In a small town on Japan's southernmost and largest island, I hope I say this right, Kaiushu? Kaiushu? I believe it's Kaiushu.
Yeah. I will leave out the prefecture and town, as I still live here and don't want to cause any potential embarrassment for parties involved.
I will call it Goldfish Town, because as the nickname may suggest, it is famous for breeding around 30 different varieties of goldfish. Woot woot, Goldfish Town represent! That's really cool and random.
That's the funnest fact. So a bit of background.
The first time I came to live in Japan, I was working as an alt assistant language teacher. I worked at two elementary schools and one middle school helping teach English in the classroom.
In the classroom. In the classroom.
It was a wonderful experience and such a privilege working with the students and teachers. Aww.
Goldfishtown always had two alts, and we split the schools as there was a total of two middle schools and four elementary schools. There was some quick maths for you ladies, which I will not be doing again.
The alt departments were literally right next to each other, so me and the alt codename e were super besties we always hung out shared meals had many a lapse and a cries in each other's apartment she is still a bestie to this day i ride or die a ride or die bitch which you'll definitely see in this story i have a final person to mention in a is our supervisor nom de plume spelling french i loved, nom de plume. Spelling?

French?

I loved it.

Nom de plume.

Okay.

The sweetest woman alive and who we literally referred to as our Japanese mother.

Oh.

She's super kind and friendly and always made sure we were looked after.

Nom de plume.

Mama.

Okay.

So let's get into the dirty deets.

What happened on Halloween five nights ago?

Do tell.

Five years ago.

What happened on Halloween five nights ago? That makes no Five years ago. What happened on Halloween five nights ago?

That makes no sense.

I just got white on my finger.

Oh, no.

Halloween in Japan is more of an adult holiday.

Going out drinking, going to costume parties, which is fun.

But we don't get little ghoulies and goblins running up to our doors screaming for the sweets or else threatening trick.

I kind of love that, actually.

See, I need the trick-or-treaters.

No, I love the trick-or-treaters, but I hate driving on Halloween night because I get so nervous. Yeah, I just won't.
Well, I have to. Yeah.
Yeah. I just won't.
Yeah. Our apartments were on the second floor and

buildings facing each other. A literal minute walk and a lot of huffing upstairs.
This Halloween,

we had both planned quiet evenings. Me at home reading cozy mysteries for my October mystery

read-a-thon drinking cocoa, the nectar of fall, and E at the gym being a ripped goddess. I love how different both of your evenings were.
We didn't have any plans to meet up that night. And other than E, anyone else coming to my door is a big, it's going to be a no from me dog moment.
Yes. Yes.
Yeah. Our apartments were around 20 years old, but thankfully had a modern doorbell system camera where there was some when someone rang the doorbell, I could see who it was on the screen in my kitchen.
Foreshadowing. Well, that's cool.
Quite handy for dodging the Jehovah's Witnesses. Yes, they're out here.
No shade. Just as I said, I'm a millennial hermit crab who wants to chill in her shell in peace.
Oh, I feel I feel that. So I'm home alone at my kitchen table drinking cocoa, enjoying my book, feeling the holy Halloween spirit when the doorbell rings.
No. Knowing it's not E, I think maybe I was getting some trick-or-treaters, panicking that I would have to share some of my time of the month, all the month, stashed can't chocolate with them.
But what I see freezes my blood. On the screen is a person.
I can't tell the gender as their clothes are baggy. And the fact that they are wearing a large paper mache.
Spelling French again. You did great.
Head. The head has painted on wide staring blue eyes.
A small neutral mouth slightly open. No.
And dark brown hair parted to the side. Very serial killer style.
I hate it. Very not cutesy cutesy.
Very not demure. I stop breathing because I'm afraid whatever's on the other side of the door will hear me.
The doorbell rings again and I can see the head move closer to the door cam like it's looking through the peephole. Get the fuck off my property.
I slowly slide over the table where I left my phone. After grabbing it, I wait until my little door cam goes dark and I hear footsteps recede down the stairs outside.
I think I stood there for a good five minutes, my ears straining to hear anything, but feeling like the whole world is silent and only I exist. Oh, that's beautiful.
That is beautiful. You are a writer.
Yeah. I run back to the screen to take a picture of the figure to send to E, telling her not to worry, I'm alive, but this thing was at my doorstep.
And if she could come back from the gym, I would love her forever. Like the true queen she is, she immediately called me saying she'd be there in 15 minutes and to stay put with a knife in hand.
Next, I messaged our supervisor, Kay, the photo. Now I know, I know.
At this point, you guys are all screaming to call the police. I was kind of thinking it in my head a little bit.
I was, I was. But I wasn't judging you yet.
I wasn't. But honestly, I didn't know what constituted an emergency in Japan.
Fair enough. Fair enough.
And where my Japanese is conversational, how do I explain that a soul-sucking paper-mache demon stood outside my door? Valid. Hard things.
Yeah. Hey, weirdos.
I'm Lindsey Graham from the podcast American History Tellers. And if you're still reeling from Ash and Elena's episode on the Boston molasses disaster, and you want to dive even deeper, you're in luck.
My show doesn't usually venture too far into the spooky or creepy, but we've dedicated two full episodes to uncovering fascinating details about this bizarre molasses catastrophe. From the company's negligence to the victim's harrowing stories, we explore how this strange event reshaped industrial safety laws and left an indelible mark on Boston's history.
And the Boston Molasses Disaster is just one of many fascinating stories waiting for you on American history tellers. We take you to the events, the times, and the people that shaped our nation

and show you how our history affected them, their families, and affects you today.

Follow American History Tellers on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to both American History Tellers and Morbid early and ad-free.

Start your free trial on the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify today. Kay also called immediately and said she and her husband were on their way over.
Thankfully, they live five minutes away, so I didn't wait long to get a message saying they were coming up. And I will never forget them coming up the stairs.
If I hadn't been so scared at the time, I would have laughed. Kay, my five-foot-tall supervisor, is running up the stairs calling for me, followed by her six-foot-three husband, cigarette dangling cavalierly out of one side of his mouth, and a golf club slung casually over his shoulder.
Fucking icon. A king.
That's what you use a golf club for, not to scare little kids. No.
To save people. To protect a protect a girl yeah does anyone else smell a potential ghost hunting demon slaying show pitch here yes i kind of do oh my god i would make a great show you should do that he's always got to have a cigarette or like a toothpick out of his mouth yes anyway back to the paper machete waking nightmare i told them that i had no idea who this person was and showed them the picture, which they agreed was really fucked up.
By that time, E had returned home and also came roaring up the stairs, ready to slap this kindergarten craft project gone wrong. I assured her I was okay and said she should check the door cam to see if they came to her door too.
They hadn't. Since she hadn't been visited by crafty killer TM, I spent the night at her place.
Over the next few weeks, I was on high alert. I was always waiting to hear the doorbell ring and see that face again.
But whoever it had been never came back. And I eventually settled down a bit.
That's when they strike. Fast forward to before Christmas.
E and I were having a small Christmas party with our goldfish town alt senpai, a term of respect used for a person who is usually older, more experienced than you at life, job, etc. I like that.

Senpai.

V and her husband H were, that's who they were.

There was a period there.

That's who they were.

V was the predecessor at my school, but she still lived in Goldfishtown and had met and married her husband there too.

We had decided on doing a potluck dinner at our apartment and everyone arrived with plenty of yummies in tow. Oh, love that.
Exactly. As long as you know the people.
If I know your kitchen, I'll eat it. If I haven't seen your kitchen, I'm not eating it.
As we got to prepping, we were just chatting and catching up when E brings up the Halloween incident about how creepy it was and how scared we had all been. After that, dinner was almost ready and we were about to sit down when V's husband started whispering to her in Japanese.
I'm nervous. I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but she then said louder in English, I'm sorry, just say I'm sorry.
By this point, E and I were blatantly dropping those eaves and asking if everything was okay. When V's husband said, I'm sorry, on Halloween, that was me in the mask.
Shut up. I love that it came up at a Christmas dinner.
And that he was like, I don't know. And the wife was like, say sorry.
Just say fucking sorry. I was fucking dumbstruck, gobsmacked, flabbergasted, and other big shocked words.
I couldn't fucking believe it. It was you? Why? Why did you come here on Halloween wearing that mask? H went on to tell me that he and V had made Halloween goodie bags and wanted to give one to me and E.
I love that it was like a good kind thing. It was so pure.
And you were scared for months. It was so pure.
The reason he didn't show up to E's place was because he didn't know which apartment she lived in. My apartment actually used to be V's old place in her alt days, so he was hoping that I would tell him when I answered the door for my treat.
But why that terrifying DIY serial killer face? When a witch's hat or Dracula teeth would have gotten his trick-or-treat intentions across just fine. Honestly.
Apparently, The Mask is from one of his favorite movies, a movie called Frank starring Michael Fassbender, who plays a lead singer in a band, and he wears the mask because he gives him the confidence to perform due to his mental health issues. Oh, that sounds like a beautiful plot.
It has such a pure intent. I love that.
This is so pure and awesome, but so scary. This is hilarious.
I don't think I can ever see that movie because of how much the mask scares the living shit out of it is scary they attached a picture but you know what h said it's very moving it sounds like it would be i attached a picture of the mask from the movie but h's was handmade which somehow made it more terrifying yeah that usually does happen apparently h really wanted to participate in halloween revelry and now there was it were enough americans do it. We all had a good laugh about it and honestly I'm glad we could solve the Halloween mystery.
Sorry to pull the spoopy rug from under you ladies but I hope it gave you some good goosebumps and laughs. Thanks for reading my story and I hope you keep it weird but not so weird they make your own papier-mâché head from an obscure Michael Fassbender film and try to drop treats in a country that doesn't really celebrate halloween thus scaring the living shit out of you weird oh my god love you bye also i don't know if we can zoom but this is the is the mask that would fuck me like that's so scary that would fuck me right up yeah right the fuck up.
B. That was so good.
And picture that homemade.

No.

B. I would have been shitting my pants along with you.

B. I would have died.

I love that that's like a rock star's mask.

I love it.

He's got to figure out the band Ghost.

Oh my God.

All right.

Last one, you guys.

Last one.

Last listener tale is, listener tale, Halloween.

Halloween.

The time my dad attacked my friends and I with a chainsaw. fuck yay oh fuck i didn't see that coming all right hey spooky bachachos i love bachachos i used to say that all the time yes i gotta bring that back i've been obsessed with you girls for years and i have yet to find another podcast and podcasters i love as much as you.
Thank you. We have a lot of great network shows.
I go back and re-listen to multiple episodes. Some because you cover them so well.
Some because they are hilarious. Carl.
And most because I just love the sound of your voices. My toddler calls you the ghost girls because he hears you talking in the car but he can't see you.
That's adorable. I love that.
When I discovered your podcast, I came home and told my husband I have found my spirit besties. Oh, I love that.
Thank you. That makes me so happy.
And I made him listen to multiple episodes. He looked at me and said, well, when are we moving? Because he's supportive like that.
I love him. I'm very much a mix of the two of you.
Ash, Stevie Nicks is also my fairy witchy godmother. And Elena, I too hate the heat, love all things spooky and haunting, and suffer from migraines bitches hell yeah bitches hell yeah i truly feel like i'm hanging out with you girls when i'm listening to your show and it fills my social cup i love that thank you man you really are meant to be our bestie you are because we don't really love we don't have like my social cup is like a shot it's like so easy yeah all right so on my story.
This is a story so many of my friends know or friends of my friends know and they still talk about it to this day. And our old age as we reminisce about our youthful shenanigans from early high school and even middle school.
Elder millennial. What? What? Younger millennial.
Not Gen Z. Zillennial.
No offense, Gen Z. Still millennial.
Zillennial. No.
Like isn't that what you're technically no it's just millennial it's just the younger years millennial is made up that's not a real generation yeah there you go i'm gonna fight you before we get into the details i must give you some backstory on where the morbid scary movie loving terror chasing halloween devotion comes from in. My grandma Marge.
Marge. I love that.
Marge. My dad's mom was a huge horror fan and collected pretty much everything she could horror themed from stickers she put in sticker books to cups and even a Chucky doll that moved on its own.
Okay Marge is awesome. Marge forever.
Marge forever. Yes I shit you not and I have cousins to back me up on this but that's for another time.
That's awesome. I saw some horror movies way too young, as did a lot of my family members on my dad's side.
He was one of five kids, so it's gotten pretty large with the kids having kids and then those kids having kids, and it has started many traditions. Even though my grandma Marge passed away when I was still pretty young, I'm sorry, my family attributes our love of the spooky spooky to her as it's trickled down our family line.
This is what you have to look forward to. Yes.
Side note, after she passed away, I for some reason wanted the Chucky doll. And my dad's response was, well, don't come crying to me if it comes after you in the middle of the night.
Your dad sounds awesome. Needless to say, that five-year-old did not take the doll and now sits in my aunt's basement in Atlanta.
Now, this spooky devotion hasn't stuck with every family member but most of us share the love of halloween and all the things that encompass that now to the meat and potatoes and yams wink wink ash or on the yam growing up an only child my dad was like fuck that multiple sibling shit my parents always allowed me to have friends over mainly because it kept me entertained and out of their hair digress. My parents' house became a spot that all of my friends knew they could come to over the years, show up unannounced and just chat, have spur of the moment play date or sleep over, or even a large gathering of friends.
Oh, your parents are great. I know, that's awesome.
Halloween was always hosted at my house and my parents went all out. Yes.
Decorations, treats, so many pizzas, snacks, scary movies.

Hello, Blockbuster galore.

It was always a blast.

We would do haunted hay rides, spooky cave walks, trail of terror, haunted houses.

Oh, my God.

You name it.

Yes.

They took me and truckloads of my friends to it.

Oh, I love them.

Best parents ever.

I can't wait to be a parent like that.

Oh, I can't wait.

One of these particular Halloween weekends was when I was a freshman in high school.

A large group of my friends and I went to see the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre in theaters,

followed by multiple movies at my house with all the fixins.

We rented, yes, rented, the original Texas Chainsaw movies, amongst others,

and hunkered down in my parents' basement, lights off, of course, and got cozy.

Now picture it.

One of those huge, comfy couches and giant chairs that could fit like four people on it and even more people on the floor and I'm sitting on the end of the couch closest to the wall and tiny window that peeks outside after a while I thought I heard something outside and asked did anybody else hear that of course they all said no it was probably just the movie since we were watching a chainsaw movie and I thought I heard a chainsaw. Duh.
That'll do it. I just shook my head, thought I was hearing things and kept watching the movie.
A few more minutes later, I heard the noise again. But it was very clearly not the movie.
And my head snapped to the tiny window above my head where I could tell it was now pitch black outside. So I couldn't see anything.
So I said, seriously, you guys didn't hear that? And they said, no, Adrian, you're dumb and you're trying to scare us there's nothing there third time's the charm a few more minutes later i heard this whirring noise again and this time my bestie elise also heard it at this point we paused the movie and all anxiously awaited to hear the sound again nothing came quick side note earlier in the evening my friends and i were talking about the shit that always happens in scary movies like let's split up or let's hook up or let's go investigate. All the classics, right? Yeah.
So my buddy Alex jokingly said, let's go investigate. And we all ran up the stairs that led right out the back door to our driveway and backyard.
Keep in mind, there are at least 10 of us, if not more. And Elise and I are the last ones out the door.
It's pitch black and incredibly quiet. And we immediately regretted this decision, as they do in the movies.
Of course. Our backyard was wide open to the other yards, snow fences, and the driveway wrapped around the house with lights on the side that were currently off.
As Alex and a couple other brave dudes walked slowly around to look down the driveway, slam, goes the back door behind me, and click goes the lock. Moments later, the lights on the side of house switch switch on, and in the driveway is a giant six-foot-four man with a mask and a chainsaw, slowly hobbling towards us, ready to tear us all apart in the calmest manner.
I'm obsessed with this. It was as if a small drip of water landed among ants as we all went in different directions.
Some screamed and ran through other backyards, some frozen terror, and some of us, like Elisa and I, tried to frantically get back in the house, but it was locked. I love that you discovered in that moment who everyone was in a horror movie.
Like you can now, the debate is done. You know who.
Like it's no longer like, oh, you would be the person who does this in the horror movie. You're like, nope, you would be the person who runs in the next yard.
I would run into the next yard. That's your best bet.
As we were all trying not to pee our pants and vomit the insane amount of junk food we consumed, and many of us had dispersed, the man takes the mask off, and with a giant grin, my dad starts laughing hysterically. Your dad.
Forever. Your dad.
I'm obsessed. I love him.
My heart starts to slow a smidge as my mother unlocks the back door and is

also laughing hysterically both very very proud that their plan was so as they should be your

parents for fucking ever elite that is couple goals that is top notch marriage top tier top

notch parenting as far as i'm concerned so obsessed with that wow my brother did this

to your ex-boyfriend after watching texas chainsaw massacre actually incredible

It's incredible. top-notch parenting as far as i'm concerned so obsessed with that wow my brother did this to your ex-boyfriend after watching texas chainsaw massacre actually incredible yeah it took a bit for all my friends to gather back up at my house as you can imagine one of the guys lived on the block behind me so he literally just went home he ran home to resume our evening but it was safe to say my dad set a precedent that night and it was one that none of us have ever forgotten.
My dad, known as Big Wave around town, is always someone people remember and recognize, and this just solidified his legacy. Now that I have kids of my own, I have some goals to reach, and at some point, I have to top this.
You got to. I'm still friends with several of the people from that night, and we all like to talk about it and tell the story to relive the trauma of my dad scaring us shitless to this day even those that weren't there know this story and now know who big wave is big wave big wave big wave big wave big wave anyways that's my tale i hope you enjoyed it we did we did and i hope big wave gives you something new to aspire to love you witches big oh oh my god is my new goalpost big wave honey five ever big wave for life big wave guys those were awesome oh my god that was so much fun what a beautiful mix of terrifying hilarious yes so touching i'm so glad that we got to get all dressed up and hang out with you guys and we're definitely going to do this again because it's just too fun.
It's too fun to read these tales. I love this.
As other people. I'm already thinking about what I'm going to be next time.
I'm already thinking about it. So hopefully this is the beginning of something fun.
And we hope you guys liked it. And you know what? We hope you keep listening.
And we hope you keep it weird. But not so weird that you don't throw ass with the shadow man because why wouldn't you throw ass with the shadow man? Not so weird that actually do keep it so weird that you have a ghostly ex-boyfriend who like talks to you through a New Orleans psychic because that was the most beautiful thing I think I've ever heard in my life.
Don't keep it so weird that you show up to somebody's door with a paper mache mask on to give them. Keep it so weird that you're going to give them a treat.
But like don't keep it so weird that you don't tell them who you are because that was so scary keep it so weird don't ever keep it so weird that you're following little girls on on halloween

night and trying to scare them fuck that i'll kill you no and always keep it so weird that

you're on big waves level never ever sink below big waves level big wave big wave big wave

happy halloween we love you Think below Big Wave's level. Big Wave.
Big Wave. Big Wave.
Big Wave.

Happy Halloween.

We love you. I hope that was caught on film.

We gotta start the fucking episode like that.

Did you just hear her stomach?

It literally...

Yes.

Sounded like a lava lamp.

The fuck?

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Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey. You know those creepy stories that give you goosebumps? The ones that make you really question what's real? Well, what if I told you that some of the strangest, darkest, and most mysterious stories are not found in haunted houses or abandoned forests, but instead in hospital rooms and doctor's offices? Hi, I'm Mr.
Bollin, the host of Mr. Bollin's Medical Mysteries.
And each week on my podcast, you can expect to hear stories about bizarre illnesses no one can explain, miraculous recoveries that shouldn't have happened, and cases so baffling they stumped even the best doctors. So if you crave totally true and thoroughly twisted horror stories and mysteries, Mr.
Bollinin's medical mysteries should be your new go-to weekly show.

Listen to Mr.

Ballin's medical mysteries on the Wondery app or wherever you get your

podcasts.

You can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the

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