Promo - Spooky Island Radio

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/spooky-island-radio/id1618679119

https://open.spotify.com/show/6GeEyA2zafWp2KzoAyFzT4

Mimics - Shapeshifters

This happened around 8 years ago but it's something I'll never forget. My grandpa told me never to speak of it but if I don't get it off my chest, I don't think I'll ever be able to move on and live a normal life. My grandpa and I were travelling up to our holiday home in Shizouka, Japan. As my parents were on a business trip, we were carrying on ahead of them and they would join us once they had returned. Our holiday home was in a very remote area, we didn't have any close neighbours and it was situated in a wood. I always enjoyed the vacation as it was close to a river with a waterfall which looks straight up to the Garden of Eve.

My grandpa collected me at about 2pm and we began our approximate 3 hour journey which was heavily delayed due to a traffic incident on the road. Evening soon drew in but we were only about half way there. Eventually it began to grow dark as we travelled along the windy roads, but we could now see the mountains so knew we were close to home. The roads were surrounded by trees that met in the middle so it felt like driving through an endless tunnel, it was unimaginably dark. A loud thud broke the silence as my grandpa had hit a rock in the middle of the road. It was like someone had put it there on purpose, in order to anyone travelling any further. The car began to smoke and we later found out that it was because the clutch had become too hot.  But it quickly became apparent that we were stuck, there was no hope of anyone passing us in this really remote area. We decided to stay the night in the car as my grandpa admitted he was tired and wasn't great at driving at night.

Story 1

Story 2

Story 3

TV show we were talking about is called From https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9813792/

Scary 'Help Me' YouTube video https://youtu.be/h-4u52wLC8Y

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories.

Sarah and Tobie xx

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OUIJA THE TALKING BOARD

It was February of 1891 when first advertisements for 'Ouija, the Wonderful Talking Board' first began to appear in printed publications. The board was promoted as a magical device that would answer questions about the 'past, present and future.' and would provide “never-failing amusement and recreation for all the classes,” it also purported to offer a link “between the known and unknown, the material and immaterial.” In 1848, Spirtualism (the ability to communicate with the dead) hit America, largely due to the Fox Sisters who claimed to receive messages from spirits in the form of knocking on walls in answer to questions. And with these stories, and that of other spiritualist mediums, hitting the national press in the late 19th Century, the US became firmly clasped in the grips of a spiritualist movement that would sweep the nation. With average life expectancy of 50 years, and women frequently dying during childbirth, children through disease and men in war (particularly the American Civil War) people wished to communicate with their lost loved ones. 

Resources:

Introduction

Introduction

Story 1

Story 2

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories.

Sarah and Tobie xx

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KRAMPUS & YULE

In central European folklore, Krampus is a Christmas devil who visits on the eve of St Nicholas Day, to punish naughty children. He's also known to drag an unfortunate few back to hell with him in a basket carried upon his back. Some children are merely whipped with birch tree branches known as switches whilst others serve as supper to St Nicholas' rather unconventional companion. The name Krampus may have evolved from the German word Krampen which means claw and this half goat, half human, demon monster is thought to have been part of the Pagan rituals performed around the Winter Solstice, with legend saying that Krampus is the son of Hel, the Norse god of the underworld. 

Yule is one of the oldest winter celebrations and with Norseman being hunters, who spent much of their time outdoors, they worshipped the Sun and saw it as a wheel that changed the seasons. The word for this wheel was Houl and it is from this word that Yule is thought to have derived from. At midwinter, the Norsemen would sacrifice cattle, gather around bonfires, drink sweet ale and tell stories as the long nights would again, begin to shorten.

Resources:

Introduction

Yule

Story 1

Story 2

Minehead Hobbyhorse

The Devil's Footprints

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories.

Sarah and Tobie xx

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KNOCKERS, GOBLINS, GNOMES AND ALIENS

Imagine you rarely saw the sun, and most of your short existence was spent deep underground, 10 hours a day, 6 days of the week. That was the life of a tin miner in 18th and 19th century England with many not living past the age of 30. The mines could reach out for some 2.5km under the sea, 640m deep, and miners would hear the thundering roar of boulders tumbling across the seabed above their heads. Devon and Cornwall's landscape is shaped deeply by its mining heritage and the fortitude of its mining communities.  The work was hazardous and arduous with arsenic being a biproduct of the mining practice and children as young as 9 would haul out the barrows full of tin ore. Given scant respite and seeing very little of the sun, is it any wonder that reports of paranormal creatures, who lived deep in the twisted tunnels, have been spoken of by miners not only in the west of England but across the world.

In Devon & Cornwall, these subterranean spirits are known as the knockers, and no doubt when mining communities traversed the Atlantic Ocean to America, they took their tales with them and the Tommyknockers were spawned. In Wales they are known as the Coblynau, in Germany Kobold, in the Ukraine they are known as Shubin and there are variations of these small, goblin like beasts in many of the mining countries.

In the UK miners would take precautionary measures and leave offerings for the knockers to keep in their good favour, often a portion of their Cornish pasty, as if they became irritated, they would steal and hide your tools or lead you deep into the cave system, never to be seen or heard of again. The knockers could be heard prior to a disaster, banging on cavernous walls inside the mining shafts, perhaps in warning that a mine was about to cave in but according to some legends however, the knockers are malevolent spirits and if their banging is heard, it is not to warn the miners, but the sound of them sabotaging the mine supports to bring the ceiling down.

Resources:

Introduction

Cornish Mines

Story 1

Story 2

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories.

Sarah and Tobie xx

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SHADOW PEOPLE

Have you ever caught a glimpse of a dark figure out of the corner of your eye, only to turn around and it has disappeared? Well, this could be a shadow person. In 2001, Art Bell from the Coast to Coast AM radio show, interviewed native elder Thunder Strikes, who purported that the beings had been recorded by indigenous Americans way back in 1153bc. He stated that they were interdimensional beings that fed from the emotional discharge of human energy and would attach themselves to those feeling anxious, worried or in chaotic situations to feed from them much like vampires.

Shadow people, at first, will appear fairly allusive quickly darting out of view when they sense they've been spotted, but once they have established a foothold into this plane, it has been reported they become bolder in their advances, and some will even attack those who are asleep; much like a sleep paralysis episode. Some report them to be benevolent watchers who assist us when needing guidance, others believe them to be malicious entities who will sometimes get physical by pulling hair. Some say they are tall and some small, some have claws or vicious, sharp teeth whilst others have seen them with glowing, red eyes. These darker than dark silhouettes will quickly dash behind doors, into closets and behind bushes to avoid being seen, leaving observers questioning themselves and their own eyes.

Whether evil or good, if you sense something watching from the corner of the room, don't just dismiss it as you may have a visitor from another realm.

Whitehouse Investigations YouTube

Talking Paranormal interview

Brocken Spectre

Resources:

Introduction

Story 1

Story 2

Story 3

Story 4

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories.

Sarah and Tobie xx

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GHOST LIGHTS

A variation of ghost lights exists in many cultures, in parts of the UK and America they are known as Will o' the Wisps and these spectral lights are said to be ghosts that haunt the moors and boglands, captivating, lonely travellers and leading them to their doom. The classic tale of Will o' the Wisp (meaning Will of the torch, as a wisp is a small bunch of twigs or paper used to light the way) tells the story of a blacksmith Will who was so evil, that at the time of his death; Saint Peter sent him back to earth and gave him a second chance at life to right his previous wrongs. Unfortunately, Will was even more vicious the second time round and Saint Peter banished him to earth where his ghostly form will remain for all eternity. The devil, liking Will's wicked ways, fashioned him with a single piece of coal to keep himself warm but he used it to frighten people and lure them to their deaths.

The name Jack o' lantern originally referred to Will o' the Wisps and in Irish folklore Jack (or Stingy Jack/Drunk Jack) was an incorrigible alcoholic who upon the time of his death, tricked the devil into turning himself into a coin so that Jack could buy one last drink. Instead, Jack popped the devil in his pocket next to a crucifix which prevented him returning to his natural form. Jack bargained for another 10 years and after the 10 years had lapsed, he again tricked the devil by making him climb a tree. He then carved a crucifix into the wood and the devil was stuck. In exchange for Jack removing the cross, the devil forgave his debt but when it was time for him to leave this life, no one as bad as Jack was allowed entry to heaven and, out of revenge, the devil wouldn't allow him into hell, so his fate was to roam the realm between life and death with other lost souls. The devil, however, did gave him an ember from the fires of hell to light his way and Jack put into a carved turnip to use as a lantern.

Resources:

Introduction - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp

Story 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/freehorrorstories/comments/5cob9z/the_laughing_choldren/

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories.

Sarah and Tobie xx

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The Smiling Man

As a night person, Riley would often take walks to pass the time and in the early hours of this particular morning, he was taking one of his usual jaunts around the city. Being a weeknight, the streets were quiet with very little traffic and turning down a side street, something caught his eye down the far end of the street on the same side as the paceman. it was a man, well more of a silhouette, and the silhouette was dancing. A waltz like dance, but with an additional forward stride, a kind of dance and walk at the same time and he was heading in Riley’s direction.

Thinking the dancer was drunk, he attempted to give him plenty of space to pass by, but the closer he got, the more he realised this person was not in fact drunk, his dancing was extremely fluid and purposeful. He was dressed in an old suit and was tall and thin and continuing to pace towards Blue, his face slowly came into focus. His eyes were wild and wide open, and his was head tilted back as if looking up at the sky. But it was his mouth that really gave pause for concern, it was 'painfully, cartoon wide' a real grin from ear to ear. 

Taking his eyes off the spectacle before him, Riley quickly crossed the street and glancing behind him he saw the man had stopped dancing and was standing as if to cross the road, one leg poised outstretched, standing directly opposite. He was positioned facing Riley but wasn't looking directly at him, his face was still tilted towards the sky and his wide smile was still present.

Resources:

Introduction - https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/sp9vo/the_smiling_man/

Story 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/freehorrorstories/comments/74rl16/true_the_grinning_man/

Story 2 - https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSmilingMan/comments/vdkhx9/i_think_saying_hello_was_a_mistake

The Grinn - http://www.thegrinn.com/

The Somerset Gimp! - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-63393521

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories.

Sarah and Tobie xx

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Black Eyed Kids

Black eyed kids, or BEK, sightings have been littering forums and websites since the late 1990’s. Manifesting as children, these beings are anything but. As the name suggests, BEK's have completely black eyes with no distinguishable sclera or iris and much the same as vampires, they will ask for permission to enter your home or vehicle, usually requesting a lift or the use of a phone. Although the purpose of gaining entry is somewhat unclear, what is clear is they appear in child form to take advantage of our basic human instincts, to help and protect the vulnerable. Using manipulation and a form of hypnosis, if you do allow them in, illness and death reportedly follow shortly after.

The earliest documented sighting was by journalist Brian Bethel from Texas, in the United States. His original post was dated 6th January 1998 and it detailed a disturbing encounter that took place late at night in the spring of 1996. He was parked in his car outside his local cable company and was using the light of a nearby movie theatre to write a cheque. The car park was seemingly deserted and being distracted with his paperwork, he hadn't noticed two children approach his car, until the elder of the two tapped on the driver's side window.

Resources:

Introduction - https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16581073/man-spots-ghostly-black-eyed-child/

https://www.pararational.com/brian-bethel-the-black-eyed-kids/?msclkid=59d8d3fca88211ecaa3c9f59f90f2159

Story 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/t86ze/my_strange_encounter_with_an_old_woman_with_pitch/ Thanks so much DjMonkeydo!

Story 2 - https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1pyokn/another_bek_story_this_halloween/

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories. Have a wonderful Halloween/Samhain!

Sarah and Tobie xx

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Crawlers

Crawlers are said to be extremely thin, unearthly, humanoid creatures. With very pale, almost translucent skin, they stand at least 8 feet tall and lurk in the shadows of the night. Sometimes travelling on 2 legs, sometimes 4 they have shiny, reflective eyes and will often feast on the animals of the forest. Appearing as if out of nowhere, they are known to intimidate and in still a sense of dread in those who are unfortunate enough to see them. In 1994 a victim of such a sighting in Willow Creek, California was spending the evening in his sleeping bag, in the sunroom, under the stars at his grandparent's home. The house was a two bedroomed property situated out in the wilderness and the Trinity River almost ran through the back yard. He was awoken suddenly and for no discernible reason. Shaking off the last remnants of sleep, he was overcome by a sense of pure terror. At first, he could see no reason for this reaction but slowly lifting himself to get a better look outside, he saw a lone figure, staring at him. The creature was tall and gaunt, with human like features that looked as if they had been squashed flat. It had shining white eyes and stood around 7-8 feet tall, which the witness deduced as the chain link fence had come up to his armpits.  

Resources:

Introduction - https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/10/more-bizarre-encounters-with-creepy-pale-crawler-humanoids/

Story 1 - Old Encounter w/ Crawler type creature : CrawlerSightings (reddit.com) Thanks so much kairiarisu!

Story 2 - (3) (True) Chickasaw National Park encounter : freehorrorstories (reddit.com)

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week for some more true, scary stories!

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Sarah and Tobie xx

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Mirrors

There are many myths and superstitions surrounding mirrors and some of these dates back to the Roman times. It was believed that mirrors had the ability to trap souls and If you didn’t look after them, they would make bad things happen to you.

The covering of mirrors is a well-known superstition and if someone dies in their home it should be done post haste to avoid their spirit becoming trapped. Mirrors can also attract demons to a place that has seen a recent tragedy. In Judaism mirrors are covered throughout the morning period so that spirits are able to reach the afterlife.

The Roman’s believed that smashing a mirror would bring 7 years of bad luck. This superstition stems from another believe they held, that the soul is reborn every 7 years and that a mirror not only reflects back your earthly body, but your soul too. During this rebirth any broken parts of you would be renewed but if you smashed a mirror whilst it carried your own reflection, any illnesses or diseases would stay with you until the curse was lifted and good luck returned.

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Resources:

Introduction -

https://www.illuminated-mirrors.uk.com/blog/7-years-bad-luck-the-truth-behind-the-superstition/

https://www.twowaymirrors.com/haunted-mirror-myths/

Story 1 -

Girl in the Mirror

Story 2 -

Haunted Gym

Thanks so much for listening and we'll catch up with you again next week!

Sarah and Tobie xx

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