A terrifying nighttime experience, a possible alien abduction, a couple’s story about past life memories and much more on this edition of Jim Harold’s Campfire.

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TRANSCRIPT

Jim Harold (00:00:00):

Can you imagine a large entity pulling you out of bed? Yikes. Up next on Jim Harold’s Campfire.

Announcer (00:00:22):

Welcome to our gathering Tonight. Here we share stories of ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary things. Sit back, relax, and warm yourself by Jim Harold’s Campfire.

Jim Harold (00:00:33):

Welcome to the Campfire. I am Jim Harold. This is the show where we share real stories from real people about real, supernatural and paranormal things that have happened to them. Welcome to the program, and if you are so inclined and you like to wear spooky stuff, check out our Mausoleum of Merch at jimharold.com/merch. That is Jim Harold dot com slash M-E-R-C-H. Click on the Etsy option and you’ll go to my Mausoleum of Merch. And we’ve been putting up a ton of spooky designs and a lot of fun stuff, even one for St. Patrick’s Day. We have shirts, hoodies, mugs, whatever it might be. I think you’ll like it. Your support helps us bring you great stories like these. 

Oh, I love to hear from return callers. Cory is back from Washington State. He had this kind of time reversal story about a weird driver a while back, and he’s back with another fascinating story that touches on one of my favorite topics, the whole idea of past lives. Cory, welcome to the show again and tell us about your brush with possibly a past life.

Cory (WA) (00:01:43):

You bet. Thanks for having me. So this story takes place years ago when I was in college and one summer I was living in an apartment with a girl that I was dating at the time. And for the purposes of the story, we’ll call her Jane, and on some occasions, Jane, she would talk in her sleep. But one thing I discovered about her was that unlike other people who you hear talk in her sleep, you could have a conversation with her. It would be kind of dreamlike, but back and forth you could talk pretty fluently. Well, one night trying to find something to watch on TV, and we end up finding a TV show about hypnotherapy and past life regression. Thought it was interesting, and it’s where hypnotists will guide someone and then they will start speaking as if it’s a past life of theirs. And then we had dinner and then eventually went to bed. Later I heard her talk in her sleep again, and I, in the middle of the night, young stupid college student, I had this idea, what if I tried to do what the hypnotherapist did? Now, before I continue, I did do that, of course. I want to say I had no expectation that anything would come of this. She never told me about any experiences she’d had past life or paranormal or anything.

(00:03:00):

I went ahead and tried it though. I’ll talk about my feelings on trying that in a moment. I’ll get to that after I tell that part. So I mimicked as best I could, what the hypnotherapist did in a very calm voice. I said, hello, Jane, this is Cory. I wanted to ask if it would be okay if I could try to talk to the person you were in a past life, and I’m going to count down from 10 to one. And then I did, and I said, hello, who am I speaking to? And then she kind of half set up and kind of her eyes weren’t quite open. She looked at me and she said, Ariel. She said a name. And that wasn’t from the show. This wasn’t something from the show. And my first thought was like, is this the Little Mermaid? What’s going on here?

(00:03:41):

And I was a skeptic then. I’m less so now after listening to your podcast and other experiences of people I know. But back then I thought, okay, surely she must be dreaming. What is this? So I started asking really open-ended questions. I didn’t want to ask things like, are you wearing a blue dress with white polka dots on a Tuesday? Like, no, I wouldn’t ask anything leading. I just asked, what year were you born? Where did you live? When did you, things like that. So I did this for about 30 minutes, and here’s what I can remember all these years later, she told me her full name. She said that she was born in 1903 that she immigrated from Cork County, Ireland in the early 20th century. She was one of several children and she lived in Hell’s Kitchen in New York for several years. 

Jim Harold:

Whoa.

(00:04:31):

Yeah, no, there’s more. There’s some more. So she worked for, she talked about a laundry business she worked in and not like a modern laundromat, but where you’re physically washing the clothes. And she described this mean old boss that she had, and she would give me details throughout her life. She told me that she was married to a firefighter, but he died on the job and it just kept going. Eventually, I asked her what year she died, and the year happened to be about one year after I knew that Jane had been born. And now in that moment, I was a little bummed. I mean, I was still again fascinated by all this, but I thought in my head, well, does that make this not possible? Then maybe this isn’t a past life thing. And I’ve learned since then talking to other people like, no time works different and there’s different reasons why that could still work.

(00:05:18):

It wasn’t like the date she gave is a decade off or something like that. I should also note that during this entire time, she was speaking in an Irish brogue. She couldn’t do accents when she was awake. One time I think she tried to do a silly British, she tried to do a silly British accent once awake, and it didn’t work. So right. So I’m suitably freaked out, but I say, okay, well thank you Ariel, I’d like Jane to return and go back to sleep. And I counted 10 and she went to bed. That was it. So needless to say, I was kind of freaked out and I didn’t sleep much that night. But what really actually nodded me was I realized I didn’t really have her waking consent to do this. I talked to her sleeping self. And so the next morning I came to her and said, Jane, I am really sorry, but I tried the hypnotherapy thing we saw on the show last night, but I did that and you were asleep, and even though you talked to me, you weren’t really awake.

(00:06:11):

And I felt terrible, and I expected her. She had every right to be angry as anyone would. But she was like, wait. She’s like, well, what did I say? What were the things you heard? And I said, okay, well, and I had notes and I showed her and she was fascinated. And I say, do you remember talking to me in your sleep? Do you remember me at all? What do you remember? And she goes, now that you say it, I do remember it was the turn of the 20th century. It was a long time ago. And I was like a woman in old-style dress, and I remember something about Ireland, and I said, you don’t remember me at all? She’s like, no, I don’t remember talking to you or seeing you at all. And that’s all she remembered. And I said, well, again, I said, I’m really sorry it happened.

(00:06:53):

I should have asked you. And I just felt terrible, and we didn’t talk about it. But then later that night when we’re getting ready to go to bed, she comes to me and says, Cory, I would like you to actually try it again. And I said, really? And they’re like, are you absolutely sure? She’s like, yes, I want you to do it again. Try to talk to whoever you talked to last night. See who else you can talk to. And I’m like, okay, you’re positive. So she came to me and asked me to do this again. So I had full permission. So I waited till about one or 2:00 AM she was completely asleep, and I tried talking to her again. She answered back. I did the spiel that I did the previous night, counting from 10, et cetera. And I spoke with Ariel again, and I asked all the questions I asked previous night, but in a different order.

(00:07:38):

And I thought, well, okay, maybe Jane just remembering the details that I gave her yesterday from the notes. So I said, okay, I would like to speak to whomever was the life before Jane. Can I do that, or before Ariel? And she said, yes. So I count down from 10 and I say, hello, who am I speaking to? And now it’s a totally different personality with a very noticeable southern drawl from the deep south in the US. And now this doesn’t last as long. And again, I ask open-ended questions, and this only lasts about three or four minutes. This personality is a little girl, maybe 10 or 11 years old. She seems to indicate that she lives on a plantation in the South. And I’m like, well, that’s got to be what, Civil War or post Civil War. And it kind of checks out if that’s, and I try to just, I’m gently asking, what’s your name?

(00:08:31):

And she says, I won’t tell you what my name is because I don’t know who you are. She had a very angry tone. And I’m like, okay, yeah, I know. But she stops and I go, okay, thank you. I didn’t want to upset her any further, but it had only been a couple minutes of doing this. And Jane was very like, I want you to see how far you can go with this. I’m like, okay, I will. Again, this is what she said before, and now I’m doing it. So I say, I’d like to speak to whom your previous life was. Can I do that? And she said, yes. And I count backwards from 10 to one. And then I said, who am I speaking with? And this time, she’s even younger girl, and she has a British accent. This is the third accent she’s on.

(00:09:12):

And I ask open questions like I did before, and I don’t remember if I got a name. I can’t remember that. But this time it seems like she was living in England for, again, a rich family in the British countryside. She was like six or seven. Her father was rich and he went to work in London, but she didn’t see him very often. She was very lonely. She had lots of, there were servants and a nanny in this large manor she lived in, but she was very lonely. Now, what was interesting this time is that she actually was describing as if she was really there describing what was happening instead of the other two personalities who were in a void somewhere. And she was very playful. She had this just bubbly personality and very excited and kept saying she could see me too. That was the other part of it.

(00:10:00):

I said, do you know who I am? She’s like, oh, I have no idea, but can you play with me? And she wanted to play with a ball or something like that. And I thought, this is just bizarre. And she kept referring to Nanny, as if talking to someone else that was there. And I said, what’s Nanny doing? Oh, she’s helping me get ready to go into town to see father. Like, okay. And I said, well, where is Nanny now? And she looks up, she sits up and looks right past me and goes, oh, hello, Nanny. There you are.

Jim Harold (00:10:28):

Oh man.

Cory (WA) (00:10:31):

I thought there was somebody. And I looked around, there’s nobody there that I can see, but I felt something going on, and at that point, I’m done. I said, okay, well, this has been lovely. I’m sorry, I have to go now. And she goes back to sleep. And that was pretty much it. I shared the nose the next morning. I didn’t know what to make of it. She just thought it was really cool and interesting. And then I don’t really think we ever talked about it again. That was it. I think I was just freaked out enough where I didn’t want to touch it. The internet wasn’t what it was back then that it is now. So I didn’t really, I tried to do some research about at least the first personality that I had some info on and a name. I didn’t find anything. I just haven’t tried it since then. But yeah, that was, I think after that I’ve been less of a skeptic about things because it’s easily the most paranormal, supernatural anything I’ve ever encountered.

Jim Harold (00:11:18):

That is wild. Now, let me ask you, to me, I believe there is something to this. I mean, people who have listened to me and have followed the reincarnation topic have heard about James Leininger, the young boy who could tell all this stuff about being in a, I think it was Army Air Corps squadron in the second World War and had all this great details, ended up going to a reunion with them and say, oh, Ralph, you got old. I mean, and he would know things. And this is probably one of the most famous modern quote reincarnation possible reincarnation case out there. It’s happened the last 20 years or so. I’m be interested to see what happened to him. I ought to research that. But anyway, point is, is that I don’t believe all these people are making it up. If you look at the work of Ian Stevenson and Jim B Tucker at the University of Virginia, and I’ve interviewed Tucker before, tried to get him on again.

(00:12:13):

For some reason he won’t come back. But anyway, that’s okay. That’s okay. I got to talk to him once. And I think there really is something, and these stories go back to multiple cultures now. Originally I thought, oh, this is proof of past lives, and it may very well be. But the other thing that, and this is not an original thought, the other thing that I think is maybe it’s not a past life of that individual, but somehow they’re tapping into the universal consciousness and essentially channeling that person. So it’s not something they’re making up or putting on, it’s real, but they’re just channeling it and it could be interpreted in different ways. Do you have any conclusion after this happened to you?

Cory (WA) (00:13:02):

That’s something I actually considered after that. I think at the time, I don’t think I was even aware of that. What you just said is a possibility. And I think my first thought was past lives, but I’ve heard so many different experiences from different people over time that I thought it might be a channeling of different, either attached spirits or just they’re just open and some people are talking to me and through me and just the different personalities each time. And I did ask her later, do you remember reading a book with these people in it? And do you see a movie? She’s like, not that I can ever remember. And talking, I’ve told this story to people who were very skeptical and even if the thing that I say, even if let’s just say she wasn’t channeling anything or wasn’t reliving anything, even if this was just her dreaming it and making it up still, that’s a testament to just how fascinating and complex and strange the human mind is.

Jim Harold (00:13:52):

Yeah. The fact, she could do accents and she couldn’t do ’em in her waking.

Cory (WA) (00:13:55):

Right. Or keep the details straight and invent the story and the progression of the time period seemingly, I mean, I tried to kind of get a sense of when they were, but I think you’re right. I think if it’s not past life regression, I feel like it could be a channeling, like you mentioned. Absolutely. 

Jim Harold (00:14:11):

Well, it’s one of those mysteries we love to explore. Thank you for sharing this story today on the Campfire.

Cory (WA) (00:14:17):

Thank you. Jim.

Jim Harold (00:14:18):

Kira is on the line from my home state, OHIO, Ohio, and we’re so glad to have her here. And she’s going to take us back quite a few years to story about her dad many years ago, and we’re so glad to have her on the line. Kira, welcome to the program. I know you’re new, relatively new just the last few months. We appreciate it very much. And please tell us your story.

Kira (OH) (00:14:43):

Sure. Hi, Jim. Yeah, this is my dad’s story, and he believes this took place in 1967, and this was when he was a student at Dutchess Community College in upstate New York. And in late December of that year, the school organized a ski trip to Mohawk Lake Ski Lodge, and he and his friend, whose name was Jim actually, and their respective girlfriends drove up for this ski trip. And one of the highlights of this trip was going to be they were having a very dressy, semi-formal party. My dad’s always been a guy who really likes to look slick. I remember him, when I was a kid, he actually owned his own tuxedo. So he really took this very seriously and he was in his cummerbund in his shiny shoes, and he was ready for a great night. And so a few hours into the party, my dad thinks it was probably around 11, he and his friend got into some verbal sparring, probably for the girls’ benefit, about which of them could throw a baseball the farthest.

(00:15:49):

And they were both rather competitive. They were on the soccer team, and they’re kind of puffing up for the girls a little bit. So they decide that they are going to settle this gentlemen and take it outside and throw snowballs to see who can throw the farthest. So they doff their dress coats, and they head outside briefly to throw snowballs for their own honor. And according to my father, he won this little contest. I have not been able to verify this from any outside sources, but that’s what he tells me. So as you might imagine, after they do this, this quickly devolves into a snowball fight out by the main road in front of the ski lodge between the two of them. And so they’re horsing around getting cold and wet and throwing snowballs at each other. And my dad remembers seeing a couple of large lights coming at him, which he perceived as being a semi-truck coming down the main road in front of the ski lodge.

(00:16:50):

And the next thing he knows as though it’s just been a blink of an eye, he is lying on the ground under a tree. It is broad daylight, and he has no idea where he is. He looks to the side, he sees his friend Jim is also next to him on the ground, either unconscious or simply sleeping. And she to be like, Jim, Jim, where are we? What happened? And so he wakes up and they’re looking around and they seem to be in a park-like setting. There’s large buildings in the distance, and they get up and kind of stumble around and try to figure out where they are. They see a White Castle restaurant eventually a few blocks away. So they go in there and realize that they, sometime between their little snowball fight at 11 or so at night and late morning, bright sunlight, the next day they have traveled to Van Cortland Park in the Bronx, which is 90 miles from the ski lodge where they were staying, and they have absolutely no memory of it whatsoever.

Jim Harold (00:17:59):

Wow.

Kira (OH) (00:18:00):

Yeah, nothing. They have absolutely nothing. So the folks at the White Castle are kind and let them make the long distance call to the ski lodge to contact their girlfriends, who as one might imagine, have progressed from bemused to annoyed, to furious, to concerned, to panic stricken, because their boyfriends who were supposed to be outside for five minutes have seemingly vaporized and nobody has seen any sign of them. So they tell the girls where to find Jim’s car keys and the girls go find his car keys and they have to drive 90 miles to go pick up my dad and his friend who have absolutely no idea what happened. They still have their wallets in their pockets, all the money’s accounted for. They traveled without, they weren’t mugged, they weren’t hypothermic, they didn’t spend anything to get where they ended up, and they didn’t even have a foggy memory. It was just a blink. And there they were the next day. 

Jim Harold (00:19:06):

Wow..So does your dad have any theories?

Kira (OH) (00:19:12):

He doesn’t. Funnily enough, he didn’t even tell me about this until I was an adult, and it was sort of like, isn’t life funny? Like, dad! So the family, we all have theories ranging anywhere from aliens to something that would fit more into a true crime scenario, but they were completely unharmed to my understanding. And to my dad’s recollection, neither he nor his friend ever developed any memory of the entire event. So it’s just a great mystery, but we don’t know

Jim Harold (00:19:44):

It really is one of those true head scratchers. It’s just kind of like, what do you do with that? I mean, I think that people who listen to this show, probably the first place that they’ll jump is the idea of some kind of alien abduction. I mean, I think that’s the place. I know that’s the first place my mind went, but like you said, there could have been a true crime scenario maybe where they were kidnapped and somebody intended to do something nefarious and then change their mind. I mean, yeah,

Kira (OH) (00:20:12):

We’ll never know. Yeah.

Jim Harold (00:20:14):

How weird is that? Kira I often say, I can’t give you an explanation just to say that it is yet another example of what a strange world we live in. But thank you for joining us in our strangeness and talking about these stories, and thank you to you and your dad for sharing with us because it is certainly one that makes us scratch our head.

Kira (OH) (00:20:37):

Thanks a lot, Jim.

Jim Harold (00:20:38):

Jim Harold’s Campfire is brought to you by Ritual, and sometimes you’ve trusted your gut and you thought, that was a mistake. I remember one time I had a book that I really loved and I lent it to a coworker and they ended up splitting with their ex, and they said, where’s the book? And they said, I don’t know. And that was the time I trust my gut that I shouldn’t have. And probiotics can’t help you with most of your gut decisions, but if your gut needs a little support, Ritual has your back. They’ve made a three in one supplement with clinically studied prebiotics, probiotics, and a postbiotic to support a balanced gut microbiome. Now, I trust Ritual and Symbiotic Plus because they do things the right way. We’re going to talk about that a little bit later. They have a great supply chain. They’ve got great experts.

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Announcer (00:23:16):

If you love the Campfire, be sure to check out the Paranormal Podcast where every week Jim interviews experts and authors about strange mysteries. Find it for free wherever you listen to this podcast. Tune into the Paranormal Podcast today. Now we return to Jim Harold’s Campfire

Jim Harold (00:23:32):

Well, we have a return caller. She’s been with us for a long time. Amber is back. She was with us back in 2019, and she has a terrifying tale today. She’s calling in from Oregon. Amber, welcome back to the show. Thank you for joining us and tell us what happened.

Amber (OR) (00:23:49):

Well, thanks for having me back, Jim. I was asleep in bed one night and I was woken up with this feeling of hands running up from my ankles, kind of moving up towards my knee. And I was thinking to myself, am I still dreaming? What’s going on? Because I was home alone that night. Nobody else was in the house with me trying to figure out, do I just need to wake up more? And then I get pulled, I get tugged. So I jolt up, sitting up. And I think when I did that, I startled whatever it was because it dropped my left leg, it still had a hold of my right leg. I was thinking a person because it felt like hands, but I had a nightlight on in the bathroom that’s right next to my bedroom, and I could kind of see what was there. And it was this large black shape. It wasn’t exactly human. It had kind of what looked like maybe very long arms, but it didn’t really have what you would notice as a head on a person. It was horrifying. And it was solid. It was like this solid dark mass.

(00:25:31):

I’m starting to panic at that point, seeing this thing because I dunno what know what this is, and I’m pulling myself away from it. And then it laughed, and it was the most terrifying laugh because it didn’t sound like a human laugh. It sounded like something imitating a human laughing. Yeah, it was really scary. And then it grabbed my left leg down by my ankle. 

Jim Harold:

Oh my gosh.

Amber (OR):

It pulled me again harder this time, and it felt like it wasn’t really putting in much effort having to do that. 

Jim Harold: Oh my God. 

Amber (OR):

Yeah. So I’m really terrified by this point. I’m still struggling to get away from it. And then I hear a voice just come in and scream. It just yells, STOP. And then it lets go of my legs. They kind of fall back on the bed. I pull myself back into bed, I’m looking around and I can see that instead of a black mass, it’s like this black sort of cloud or vaporous thing, like smoke maybe.

(00:27:00):

And I don’t know if I said out loud or in my head, but I was thinking at least that it’s still here. And I was still terrified because it’s still around me. What do I do? And then this white ball, or it’s like it kind of came in or dropped down from the ceiling and it comes over me. And it’s so beautiful. It was just this white light and inside of it, it was almost like an intricate pattern, but it kept changing. It made me think of a kaleidoscope, how when you move around and the pattern changes in there, it was like that. And it was just so beautiful and it stayed over me. And I could see the black mist or smoke or whatever, it’s dissipating and going away. And I don’t know how long it took because I just was laying there staring at this. And then the smoke all disappeared. And for a brief moment, all these tiny little white specs, almost like you would think of stars if you looked up in the sky. It’s like they popped on for a second and then poof, all of the lights, even the large orb that was over me gone, they winked out kind of. 

Jim Harold (00:28:40):

Do you feel that it was a battle of good and evil? You were like the pawn and good and evil were kind of fighting over you and good one out

Amber (OR) (00:28:51):

Maybe? I don’t know. It was such a scary moment for me. I think that it’s really hard for me. I don’t know. It could be. And it could be that I definitely felt like there was, yeah, something going on. I wish I did have more answers or could. It’s one of those things I’m not really sure what to make of it.

Jim Harold (00:29:26):

And obviously, I mean, people will say, well, Amber, were you dreaming? You weren’t dreaming, were you?

Amber (OR) (00:29:32):

Oh, no, no, definitely not. I don’t think I could have gone through all that been asleep. And also, I think to myself, it would probably be less scary to me if somebody would tell me that it was just a dream. Because knowing that there are these terrifying things out there that could interact with you is, that’s not a pleasant thought. And I don’t know why. I think that’s probably why it’s difficult for me to really understand or categorize it as anything because I just don’t know why it was there that night or why me or anything like that. It was there and it was scary.

Jim Harold (00:30:27):

And nothing else like that, anything unusual since?

Amber (OR) (00:30:31):

No, no. Thankfully not that it was pretty terrifying, and I’m grateful to not have anything that scary happen.

Jim Harold (00:30:42):

Was there anything about the place you’re in that you think led to this, or do you think it would’ve happened anywhere?

Amber (OR) (00:30:50):

I think it would’ve happened anywhere. I don’t think it had anything to do with the place because I mean, I slept. It’s where I live, so I’ve slept there since then and nothing has happened. So I don’t think it’s the place. Yeah, I don’t know. And I don’t know why me, I don’t know if I was just picked at random or if there was a particular reason, but it’s very scary to think that this could happen to anybody.

Jim Harold (00:31:28):

Well, I do believe there are positive forces out there, and I do believe there are negative forces. I am one who believes in good and evil. Some people think that’s trite kind of out of fashion, but I still believe there’s good and evil. And it sounds like you might’ve encountered both in that same evening.

Amber (OR) (00:31:46):

I think so. It is reassuring that there are good things out there that will help us in our time of need when we encounter these horrifying things. So I’m very grateful for that. That’s true. That’s definitely, yeah.

Jim Harold (00:32:04):

Well, I was going to say we’re grateful for people like you who will come on and share their story even it’s a bit distressing, and thank you for doing that, and thank you for being a part of the Campfire tonight.

Amber (OR) (00:32:15):

Oh, thank you so much for having me. Back on, Jim.

Jim Harold (00:32:18):

Next up on the Campfire is Andrew. He is calling in from Colorado, and we’re so glad to speak with him. And he has a couple of experiences with family members that he’s going to talk to us about. Andrew, thank you for joining us. I appreciate it. And tell us what happened.

Andrew (CO) (00:32:34):

Okay, I actually have two stories, but if we have time, I’ll tell the second one. The first one I think is a bit more important. So I was 16 years old at the time, and I had just gotten my driver’s license a couple months before. So a new teenager. I was out driving. I had went to a party and at the party I felt a little, I dunno, under the weather or something. So I decided to come home early. I came home around 10:00 PM and everyone, my parents were asleep. I have a couple of brothers and sisters, they were in bed too. So it was a Saturday night. I decided to make myself a snack and go down into the den and watch Saturday Night Live. So I went downstairs, I sat on the couch, and I’ll just note that I had a little dog at the time, that we had a little dog, and she would pretty much shadow me anytime I was in the house, especially if I had food.

(00:33:28):

So I was sitting down on the couch eating my snack. Like I said, it was around 10:30, maybe 11 o’clock at night. And we were the only ones awake in the house. And out of nowhere, maybe I was probably been sitting down maybe 10 or 15 minutes, and my dog started growling at the stairs, which come down into the downstairs. And I didn’t understand. I was trying to keep her quiet and maybe a few more minutes passed and she jumped off the couch and actually started yapping at the stairs. So at that point, I knew my dad was going to wake up and I didn’t want him to wake up and tell me to go to bed. So he did wake up and he kind of yelled down the stairs, Hey, can you keep the dog quiet? Everyone’s asleep or either just take her in your room.

(00:34:11):

So I said, okay. And we went and sat back down. So everything kind of calmed down for maybe the next 15 minutes. And then it started again. She started growling at the stairs. And at that point, I actually heard the stairs creaking, like somebody was walking down the stairs and I assumed it was my dad coming down to tell me to go to bed or to take her to bed. But then when no one came down the stairs, I was then a bit surprised and perplexed. So I tried to ignore it. I kind of made the hair on the back of my neck stand up for a moment. But then I just continued watching tv. And then she growled again and out the corner of, I actually saw a shadow come down the stairs. And we had a little bar as a lot of people did in the eighties.

(00:34:56):

In the downstairs, my dad had a little bar, and I saw the shadow kind of dart behind the bar, and that really spooked me. I didn’t know. I thought maybe we had an intruder. I didn’t know exactly. So I got up and I made my way over there and I actually got the dog and put her in my bedroom and closed the door. Before I went over there. I wanted to see what was going on, and there was no one there. But for some reason, like I said, the hair on the back of my neck continued to stand up. So I made my way up the stairs and the stairs. As you got to the top, you were in the kitchen, but you could see directly into the living room. So as I got to the top of the stairs, I looked into the living room and we had some curtains at the streetlights kind of came in and I could clearly see a man sitting in the chair by the window.

(00:35:43):

And it, yeah, it spooked me. I could see his hair was slicked back, I could see every definition. And he was just sitting there still and quiet. And at that point I was very scared. All the hairs were standing up and just like in a spooky dream, I couldn’t scream. I didn’t have any voice. I tried to call for my dad. I tried to call for anyone I could and I couldn’t speak. I was just speechless. I couldn’t. And as I started to struggle to try to call for my father, so I thought we had an intruder in the house, the shadow just somehow just faded into the curtains. It went away. And I was very spooked by that. So my dad did wake up and he came out and I told him what I saw and he asked me if I had been drinking or something.

(00:36:34):

And I said, no, of course not. No, I’m not. I said, maybe I was just seeing things. So he went back to bed. I ended up just going straight to bed. I turned the TV off and I went to my room and I was a little spooked out the rest of the night. So the next morning was Sunday, and as my dad always did on Sundays, he would make a big breakfast, pancakes and all that, and I could smell the food cooking. And my brothers and sisters were all up so I could hear everybody was awake in the kitchen. So I woke up and I was eating my breakfast, and right in the middle of breakfast, our phone rang and my dad got up and he answered the phone and he listened for a little bit. And then I could see he stared directly at me. As I said, I was 16 at this time, and it was the very first time that I’d ever seen my dad cry. I actually saw tears come down his eyes and he hung up the phone and he said that my aunt was on the phone and she told him that my grandfather had passed away last night.

Jim Harold (00:37:35):

So you think it was maybe him?

Andrew (CO) (00:37:39):

Yeah, I do think it was my grandfather. I think he was maybe looked younger. He seemed much taller and more hair. But yeah, I did. I see that.

Jim Harold (00:37:49):

Well, I can tell you that I’ve heard that many times that when you see a past loved one, well, first of all, you have these, I think that this falls under the category of what Dr. Raymond Moody, who invented the term near-death experience called shared death experience. So when people elsewhere see the person, there’s different kinds. But one of the kinds, when you’re at a different location, you see the person at time of passing. Also, I often hear that when people see ghosts, they see the person. It could be a loved one, they know, but they see them in the prime of their life. At their apex, like if they’re healthiest, not maybe if they were older and had some health issues and those kind of things, that’s not sometimes not what they see. Sometimes they see them in perfect, they look like they’re in perfect health. That is really interesting. Did that give you some comfort seeing that?

Andrew (CO) (00:38:47):

Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, I think we both knew deep down inside, that’s who was visiting that night, for sure.

Jim Harold (00:38:55):

Yeah. Well, that’s a neat story. I mean, I know it’s difficult, but it is neat. Now I do want to hear your other story. We’ll get you back on the show to tell that one. But Alex, thank you so much and thank you for being a part of the show tonight.

Andrew (CO) (00:39:10):

Alright, thank you so much, Jim. Take care. Stay spooky.

Jim Harold (00:39:15):

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Announcer (00:41:03):

Want the entire Campfire archive going back to 2009 plus much more? Get in on Jim’s plus Club at JimHaroldplus.com. Now back to another great story.

Jim Harold (00:41:13):

Shiloh is on the line, and I think this is going to be a frightening one because something that I’ve heard a lot about and a lot of people have talked about it on the show is the Hat Man. But all I’ve done is talk about it. Shiloh has experienced seeing the Hat Man multiple times and she’s going to tell us about it. Shiloh, welcome to the show. Thank you for joining us, and please tell us your story.

Shiloh (IL) (00:41:43):

Thanks, Jim. I’m excited to tell my story. So I currently live in Chicago, but I grew up in Maryland about an hour north of Baltimore, and I grew up in pretty rural Maryland. So my house was surrounded by cornfields and we had cousins that lived everywhere. So it was very rural farm type place to live. And my experience happened when I was between the ages of four and six, and I have very vivid memories of it. It’s probably my most vivid memory from my childhood. So the way my house was set up, I had a corner bedroom and my bedroom door looked out into the hall and there was a hall light that we always slept on. My brother’s rooms were across the hall. My mom always left the light on just as kind of a comfort to her sleeping children. So the light would shine into my bedroom and every night it was like the same thing would happen.

(00:42:37):

I’d go into bed, I’d fall asleep, and then I would wake up in the middle of the night and the first thing I would notice is that I couldn’t move and I couldn’t move my, I can’t move my hands, I can’t move my arms, I can’t look over. I can move my eyes, but I can’t move. My body can’t scream, nothing. So that was the first thing. And then the way my house was set up was that the front door to the house would be to my left on the wall. So my bed was against the wall, and then to the left was the entrance to my house. So I knew by the sound where my front door was, that was a really regular sound to me. And every night it was like I could hear it originating from that spot. It would be like footstep chain rattle, footstep chain rattle, footstep chain rattle all the way like the dozen or 15 or so steps to my bedroom door. So I am just sitting there and I’m frozen and I hear these footsteps and it’s consistent and I know it. And then it just appears in my doorway with the hallway light shadow shining into the bedroom is this big, just this large black figure that looks like a man with broad shoulders. And he’s got a trench coat and a chain’s going down from his hip to his ankle, and he’s got this big hat on and he just stares at me in my doorway.

Jim Harold (00:43:52):

Oh my goodness. 

Shiloh (IL) (00:43:54):

There’s just kind of this sense that, and I’ve heard other people say it on the show too, and that’s kind of what gave me the courage to share it. But it was like if I kept my eyes on him, he couldn’t move past the door. But if I looked away, it was almost like it was giving him permission to move forward somehow. In my little kid brain, I knew that. So it was this, I’m just staring and I’m staring and I can’t move. And it’s the most afraid I’ve ever been. I’ve never been more afraid than that. And I dread it to this day. I’ve had sleep paralysis episodes as an adult, but I’ve never seen this figure. And I tried to tell my family, amongst my family they know, that we called it the Big black thing because I had no way to describe to my family what I was seeing. They thought I just didn’t want to sleep in my room alone. But it was just this dark evil figure and I haven’t seen it since I was little, but…

Jim Harold (00:44:55):

Let me ask you one question. Now. I’ve heard people describe the Hat Man and shadow people as a whole cut into the universe almost like it’s darker than dark. There’s nothing, there’s nothing there. It’s like a void. Is that what it appeared to you to be?

Shiloh (IL) (00:45:11):

Yes, very much so. It was just so dark, just can’t imagine. And the feeling that came with it was dark. My mom shared with me, so my family didn’t believe me until years later when we were watching a paranormal documentary and someone shared about the Hat Man and Sleep Paralysis and how it’s all tied in. And I literally looked at my family and said, that is exactly what I saw. And their jaws just dropped. They were like, oh my gosh, we didn’t believe you. That was really cool. And then to be able to talk to them about some of the experiences they’ve had in the house too. So it’s just lots of things.

Jim Harold (00:45:48):

So what do you think it was, what do you think it was emanating from, or do you have any idea?

Shiloh (IL) (00:45:54):

I feel like the question that I’ve been left with kind of forever is if experiences. So it’s so tightly tied with sleep paralysis, people describing not being able to move. And I’ve always asked myself, does sleep paralysis invite the hat man or does the Hat Man invite sleep paralysis? So I kind of always have this question.

Jim Harold (00:46:16):

Are you there? Are you there? Hello? (overlapping speech) Wait, Shiloh. Shiloh, I got to tell you, I’m going to leave this in. You cut out for about 15 seconds and it sounded really scary. It sounded like you collapsed. And I’m like, did the Hat Man get herr? So repeat that part because I was like, oh my gosh, where’s Shiloh? Where’s Shiloh? Go ahead. Maybe back up about 30 seconds.

Shiloh (IL) (00:46:51):

Yes, sure. So I’ve kind of always had this question, I’ve had sleep paralysis as an adult, so I’ve kind of always wondered if the Hat Man invites sleep paralysis or if sleep paralysis invites the Hat Man. Is it just this kind of being that’s attracted to our vulnerability? Yeah, that’s kind of the question I’ve always left wondering because I don’t really know what it is. I don’t really know what the presence is, but so many people talk about it, that so many people have experienced it.

Jim Harold (00:47:23):

And it does not continue to this day though. I mean, maybe sleep paralysis, but not the hat man. 

Shiloh (IL) (00:47:29):

No, I haven’t seen him since I was little and I’m thankful for it. Thankful for it.

Jim Harold (00:47:36):

Speaking of scary, you scared me Shiloh. That was frightening. It sounded like a thump. And then we’re probably going to leave that in. Wow. Wow. Well, I’m glad that he hasn’t shown his shape, I guess since you were small, was there anything you did to get rid of it? Did you pray or did it just almost like you outgrew it?

Shiloh (IL) (00:48:04):

I’m not really sure. There was a time in my life I was very religious and during that time, if I had sleep paralysis episodes, I would say the Lord’s Prayer, or I would say the name Jesus. And still, even though I’m maybe not as religious as I was before, I still find comfort in that, that there’s some kind of power in that. I don’t know if it’s just the power in believing in a higher being, but I went to church when I was little, so I had that kind of framework. So I guess that was always where my brain went as a girl and as an adult.

Jim Harold (00:48:39):

Well, Shiloh, hopefully the hat man will stay far away and you’ll stay close and keep listening to the Campfire. Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

Shiloh (IL) (00:48:48):

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much. Jim.

Jim Harold (00:48:51):

Next up on the Campfire is Riley from New York State, and she listens to the show along with her husband Pete. So Pete, thank you for listening and stay spooky. And Riley has a spooky story and it goes back to her middle school years. Riley, welcome to the show. Thank you for joining us and tell us what happened.

Riley (NY) (00:49:12):

Yeah, hi Jim. Thank you for having me. Yeah, so this goes back to when I was in middle school. I was probably 13, around that time. And so I grew up in Westchester County and it’s very historic. There’s some very old places here. And the neighborhood I grew up in is very old. And so it was around Thanksgiving and this is, gosh, more than 10 years ago now. And we had Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house who happens to live very close up a block from my childhood home. And I was there and she always let me light the candles for events because when I was younger, I really liked lighting the candles. I was kind of like a little pyro in that way.

(00:49:59):

And so that was always my job. And so I’m in the dining room and I’m laying the candles on the long tapered candlesticks on the dining table. And there were three of them. And I lit the first two. And as I go to light the third, it was almost like when someone licks their fingertips and pinches out a candle, it just kind of extinguishes really quick. Someone had licked their fingertips and gone, and the candles just went out. I didn’t see anything but the candles going out. And I was a little freaked out. And there was, in the dining room, there was a big archway that led into their living room that had a small staircase that led up to a smaller arch door that led to the second floor. And as I’m standing there wondering how these candles could have gone out, looking around being like, what?

(00:51:00):

Super confused. The windows were not open. There was no one walking by. I was the only one in the room. And I look up and I look through the arch up to that second arch that’s leading into the second floor. And I saw this, I don’t even know how to describe it, this gray, it wasn’t misty, but I feel like the misty is an easy way to describe it. And I feel like as I looked at it longer, it got darker and it was tall standing in the archway and I was young, and that was my first real experience with anything. I was so freaked out. I booked it, I looked at it for three or five seconds, and then I ran in through the kitchen and I go to tell my aunt and my aunt at the time, they were about to start a renovation on the house.

(00:51:55):

And she was like, oh my gosh. And in the year since she shared this with me too, but she’s like, I’ve always felt like there’s something in the house. And I’ve seen things too. It’s spooky. And the house was built in, I think it was built in 1927, so it’s older, but it’s not old, old, but it’s pretty old. And then it was funny. So more recently, my mom was at her house for Thanksgiving and they were decorating in the few days leading up to Thanksgiving. And my aunt is standing, she’s painting, she’s distracted. She was doing something with the fireplace. But my mom walks into that room and they’ve changed a little bit of the format, but that part of the staircase is the same that leads to the second landing. My mom walked in and she saw the same thing.She’s never believed me before. And she saw the same thing in the, she describes it as almost like a blanket of gray or a blanket of mist that kind of developed, and she couldn’t say anything. She was speechless. And she called me and she was like, oh my God, I saw the same thing. So yeah. It was pretty crazy. 10 years apart about,

Jim Harold (00:53:10):

So that was a real validation to know that.

Riley (NY) (00:53:17):

Yeah, it was pretty validating because my dad thinks, he’s like, oh, you’re a little crazy Riley, but my husband’s all on board.

Jim Harold (00:53:27):

So obviously this has probably informed your interest in all this stuff.

Riley (NY) (00:53:32):

Oh, absolutely. And I’ve had other experiences since, but that was my first one where it was really strange. I couldn’t figure it out. And I guess you could explain it if a window was open in a draft, but there were no windows open. I checked, I remember checking and it just was so distinct, that pinch of the candle and then looking up and seeing that figure. It was tall. I’m hesitant to call it a figure, but it was tall. It didn’t really have quite, it didn’t have limbs or anything, but it was there. Yeah, so it was pretty crazy. It was pretty crazy. And my aunt has seen similar things since in that area and another area of the house that’s up two floors and now my mom has seen it. So yeah. 

Jim Harold (00:54:25):

Is there any specific person you guys think it might be?

Riley (NY)) (00:54:29):

My aunt feels like it has a feminine energy to it. And we have looked up to see if there’s any notable history on the property, like any tragic deaths or anything. The neighborhood is pretty historic, but we haven’t found anything, so we just, we’re not entirely sure. We haven’t found anything that would signify, but my aunt thinks it might be a woman.

Jim Harold (00:54:59):

Very cool. Very cool. Indeed. Riley, thank you so much for joining us today, sharing this great story. And thanks again to Pete and both of you guys. Stay spooky.

Riley (NY) (00:55:11):

Stay spooky. Thank you, Jim.

Jim Harold (00:55:13):

Jim Harold’s Campfire is brought to you by Liquid IV, and whether you hydrate to live or live to hydrate, Liquid IV quenches your thirst faster than water alone. We love Liquid IV so much here at the Harold household. I have a special guest: Dar! Hey Dar.

Dar Harold (00:55:28):

Hey! Hi!

Jim Harold (00:55:30):

We’re going to do a little tasting flight here. Here, let me –

Dar Harold (00:55:33):

Yes, I created a little tasting flight, some Liquid IV flavors, some of their new flavors.

Jim Harold (00:55:39):

Yes. Now what is this one? This is lemon. 

Dar Harold (00:55:41):

That is sugar-free lemon lime.

Jim Harold (00:55:42):

And that’s been around for a while. Let me just

Dar Harold (00:55:43):

Well, not the sugar free. The regular’s been around. That’s a big favorite in our house, the girls love it.

Jim Harold (00:55:49):

Refreshing. Refreshing. That’s what I like about it.

Dar Harold (00:55:52):

Can you tell it’s sugar free compared to the regular one?

Jim Harold (00:55:54):

Yeah, not really, not really. 

Dar Harold: 

Right, see?

Jim Harold: That’s kind of cool. 

Dar Harold (00:55:59):

Yeah, so the second one here is sugar-free green grape.

Jim Harold (00:56:03):

Let’s take a little taste. Ooh, I like that. And it’s got just a little hint of tartness.

Dar Harold (00:56:09):

It does actually.

Jim Harold: I like that. 

Dar Harold: 

Yeah.

Jim Harold (00:56:11):

I like that.

Dar Harold (00:56:12):

And I  like it because I’m not usually a grape fan, white or a regular grape. But that one is like you said, very refreshing. Third one, white peach. 

Jim Harold (00:56:21):

White peach.

Dar Harold (00:56:22):

Yeah. This will be nice for summer, all sugar free.

Jim Harold (00:56:26):

Yeah. And it’s a little more nuanced. It’s not like beating you over the head.

Dar Harold (00:56:30):

Right. Which I like because I don’t very strong flavors sometimes. And that’s just very refreshing.

Jim Harold (00:56:36):

I think it just goes to show you can’t lose with Liquid IV. They’re all great. And I think my favorite’s Lemon Lime, because I like that little bit of a punch. 

Dar Harold (00:56:46):

Yeah, that’s the household favorite. Actually though. My favorite, I have two that are my favorite. They’re not here right now, but it’s the passion fruit and the tropical punch. Oh my gosh. I love those. Those are the ones I buy.

Jim Harold (00:56:58):

Well, liquid IV is great stuff. Thanks for joining us, Dar, to do this little taste test.

Dar Harold (00:57:03):

No, I’m glad. Enjoy. I’m going to take one though.

Jim Harold (00:57:06):

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Announcer (00:58:15):

You are listening to Jim Harold’s Campfire.

Jim Harold (00:58:18):

Nicole is on the line from Western Wisconsin, and we’re so glad to have her with us. Her friend Tiffany told her about the show. So Tiffany, way to go. Thank you and stay spooky. And by the way, be like Tiffany, tell your friends today, share the show from your favorite podcast app. We would appreciate it very much. And Nicole is going to take us back to something I would think would be a very scary time, at least initially as it went long back in 2011 and something quite unique that happened to her and she’s going to tell us all about it. Nicole, welcome to the show. Thank you. Thank Tiffany, and tell us what happened.

Nicole (WI) (00:59:02):

Yes. So back in 2011, I am a very type A personality. I am go, go, go. I’m a runner and I started to experience some interesting health issues that I didn’t really quite have an explanation for, but kind of just happened overnight, I guess, so to speak. And I woke up that morning, was going about my day, went for my run, just started to feel really, really strange. Just very off, very lethargic. As the day went on, it became worse and worse and worse, and husband came home from work about 5:30, and all of a sudden I find myself heading to the emergency room.

(00:59:53):

I felt like my heart was racing. I literally could not function, had to be carried into the emergency room, but when I get you into that room that you’re on that bed, they told me I had essentially no heart rate. It was very, very low. And I just, I’m laying there in the bed and they’re asking me the questions. Normal things like what have you been doing today or telling you to describe your symptoms? I am trying to talk to them, trying to answer the questions, and all of a sudden I am not there anymore. I am, I didn’t know where I was at, but I was just in a room of white. It was just white and I could hear music, but I can’t tell you what that music was. It is, I know it isn’t music that I’ve ever heard before and I wasn’t scared. I was just in this white listening to this unrecognizable music and I couldn’t even tell you if I heard this music again. I know that I would recognize that. I would say that is exactly what I heard. But I have never heard this music before and I know I’ve never heard it since. And then all of a sudden I was back. They had to pace me, my heart rate dropped out, my heart stopped and they had to pace me. I came back and I just was left thinking what the heck happened?

(01:01:40):

I didn’t mention this to them at the time, I really haven’t told a lot of people about this. I have selectively told folks about this, but I was listening to your podcast very recently and there was a gentleman who had mentioned that it was over Thanksgiving he was talking to his friends and all of a sudden he was gone. And when he woke up, paramedics were over him. He was in a white room, but he had people there. I think it was his grandfather and his story. Now, I didn’t have that experience of people being there. I had the music. So when I heard his story, it was like, holy cow, I have had almost the same experience.

Jim Harold (01:02:29):

Right, right. 

Nicole (WI) (01:02:32):

And f you were to ask me, do I believe that I essentially not passed over but experienced maybe something like that, I without a doubt believe yes, I was clinically dead. They had to pace me to bring my heart rate back. I have chills right now just talking about this.

Jim Harold (01:02:56):

Sure, sure. Now, let me ask you this. Now you said you felt very peaceful. So once you were in that experience, you weren’t afraid per se. Is that correct?

Nicole (WI) (01:03:09):

That’s right. I was not scared. I was not scared. I was just, I don’t even know how to describe what I was feeling. I was just there. I felt no fear, no anxiety, no sadness, no apprehension, nothing. I was just there. Okay, this is what I’m doing now and I’m okay with it. Wow.

Jim Harold (01:03:37):

Now, in terms of your philosophy, has it changed your life philosophy at all?

Nicole (WI) (01:03:51):

That’s a great question. I have always believed that I don’t necessarily believe in heaven or hell. I do believe that there is something greater. I do believe that when we believe this earth that there’s something else. The thing that it has changed for me is to do the things now that you can do. Take advantage of the opportunities that you have while you’re here on this earth and don’t be afraid for what is next. Don’t be scared of dying that, oh my gosh, that’s the end. I do feel that there is something else what it is. I don’t know. I make the most of my days now be the best person I can be, and for whatever is waiting for me on the other side, I am going to embrace it with open arms and I don’t have a choice.

Jim Harold (01:05:00):

That to me sounds like a really good philosophy. It sounds like a really good philosophy. And the thing is that, and as earlier today, and it probably won’t be in the same episode, but we had another caller about an NDE and to me just the experiences people have, the things that they see, medical crews and things working on them, things they couldn’t possibly know. I totally believe NDEs are a thing. I think it’s representative of what happens when we die. And I think it gives us hope that there is something beyond. And it sounds like, it sounds like it’s given you maybe a very specific outlook on life. Well, thank you so much for sharing that personal story. Sounds like you’re doing great now. I mean, that’s been quite a while ago.

Nicole (WI) (01:05:47):

Yes, it is. I feel that I’m doing very well now. We did figure out what my health issues were. I’ve been managing them pretty darn good. And I hope I have many, many, many more years on this earth because I’m still young. But like I said, whatever comes after, just welcome it with open arms.

Jim Harold (01:06:10):

There you go. Well, thank you and thanks to Tiffany too, and we appreciate you being a part of the Campfire.

Nicole (WI) (01:06:17):

Thank you.

Jim Harold (01:06:18):

Dan is on the line from Pennsylvania, and may I say thank you, sir. You told me you’ve been listening since about episode 20, so it’s about 600 episodes ago. So thank you so much for that. And only that you’ve been a long time loyal listener from the very beginning when a lot of people didn’t even know what a podcast was. You brought one of my favorite kind of stories tonight, a head scratcher. Thank you so much for that. Thank you for being a part of the show and tell us what happened.

Dan (PA) (01:06:46):

Thanks, Jim. I got to say again, it it’s just an honor to be here. It’s just awesome. So thank you for having me. I really, really appreciate it. 

Jim Harold (01:06:52):

Thank you.

Dan (PA) (01:06:54):

One thing I will say, I’ve actually never told this story before. It’s a weird one. It’s inside my head this big conflict between the logical side and the memory of what actually happened. I’m a very analytical person, strong background in physics, programming, but on the same token, this is something that’s been sticking with me for over 20 years now. And it bothered me from day one, the week after that, months after that. And even now I think about it a good one or two times a month. It just has not left me, has really impacted me a lot. One thing I want to say too, I’m going to throw a couple of data points at you. I think about, I’m sure you’ve heard it in Liverpool, I think it is, where there’s a crazy number of people that report that the time slips there. And I don’t know if this information is going to be useful to anyone or not, but I think I have it, so I might as well share it. So this story takes place in Levittown. Levittown, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County. Specifically, my adventure begins at (bleep) New Rogers Road. Now at New Rogers Road, I believe was renamed to Veterans Highway. It is also Route 413. So for the duration of this conversation, I’ll try to refer to it as 413. 413 also intersects with Route one and Route 513. All three of those roads go north and south. But as you know, roads don’t adhere to those strict straight lines, so they sometimes intersect with each other.

(01:08:26):

So I will begin my story now. So in the summer of, it was either between the year 2000 and 2004. I don’t remember exactly when, but at the time I did not have a car and my mom would often let me borrow her car so that I could get to my job. So what we would usually do, we would carpool together, we would go to her job. She worked at the American Red Cross building a (bleep)t New Rogers Road building, and we would drive there, we’d get out of the car, we’d say goodbye. I would’ve the car the rest of the day, I’d do my thing, come back, pick her up. So this particular day we do that, we drive to her office, she gets out, I get out, we say goodbye. I get back in and I’m getting ready to leave. And Jim, I want to add that I am super, super familiar with this area.

(01:09:18):

As young adults, late teens, we would head up all the malls in the area. We would go to Ox Oxford Valley Mall and the Neshaminy Mall, Franklin Mills, Willow Grove, and we would often take different ways to get there. Congestion was an issue in Bucks County, so it wasn’t uncommon for us to take back roads to get from point A to point B. So I knew this area super, super well. So I digress. So this particular day, my mom gets out of the car, I get out of the car, we say goodbye, I get back in the car, I proceed to make a right onto 413. I’m heading north and I’m going to take roof 513 home this particular day. And I’m driving, and as I’m approaching the intersection, I’m messing with the radio and  – remember that messing with the radio?

Jim Harold:

Yeah, yeah, I remember that.

Dan (PA) (01:10:03):

And I end up missing my turn. I end up going right through the intersection, and as I do that, Jim, I say to myself literally out loud, I say, oh shoot, I meant to turn there. And I go about not very far, maybe 15, 30 seconds down the road. And it’s on a very fast road. I’m guessing the speed limit is probably between 35, 45 miles an hour or something like that. I go about 15 seconds, 30 seconds down the road, I turn around. So at this point in time, Jim, I am heading south towards 513 once again. And I’m heading away from Route one, which is north of me. I’m heading away from Route one, and I’m driving and I’m driving for about a minute or two. And Jim, nothing is looking familiar.

(01:10:46):

It doesn’t look odd, it doesn’t look out of place, it just doesn’t look familiar. It’s still suburban or whatever. But I’m driving and I drive about another minute or two. And again, it still does not look familiar. And at this point in time, I’m starting get nervous because I need to get home. I need to get ready to go to work so I can go to work. So I’m a little bit nervous. I drive a little more, and again, about another minute or two. And again, nothing is looking familiar. And at this point in time, I’m getting forced to onto a ramp that’s going to put me on an expressway. And now I am really getting anxious because I don’t know where I am one and two on an expressway. I don’t know how far I’m going to be driving before I can actually turn around. I’m not far away is

Jim Harold (01:11:27):

Right, right. You’d be driving way out of your way before you can get off. 

Dan (PA) (01:11:30):

Exactly. Exactly. So I take the ramp, I have no other options, and I get on the expressway and I’m not on there all that long, maybe like that, another 15, 30 seconds, whatever it was. And I see this huge structure of my array, and I think it’s a water towers if I remember correctly. And I immediately know where I am. I am on Route one, and I’m heading south towards the Neshaminy Mall. I’m heading south towards the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I’m heading south towards Philadelphia. I’m heading in that direction, and the rest of the day goes by fine. I take the appropriate exit, I get home, I go to work and whatever. But this sticks with me the rest of the day. And you’ll remember when I said the story at the beginning, when I turned around, I was heading away from Route One. There was no way that I could have crossed over Route One only to cross back and then get back on it. And I had the idea to look at a map after the fact and looking at a map, starting at (bleep), I actually ended up about four miles northwest of where I should have been despite driving south. I was about four miles northwest of where I should have been. And to this day, it baffles me. I don’t believe that it happened because on my logical side, but on the other side, I have to believe it happened because it’s been bothering me for 20 so years.

Jim Harold (01:12:50):

So essentially you’re driving all this way in one direction, but you ended up clear on the other way as if you had been driving in the opposite direction. Wow.

Dan (PA) (01:12:59):

That is correct, sir.

Jim Harold (01:13:01):

So do you have any theories?

Dan (PA) (01:13:04):

I have none. It’s weird. I don’t know. I have no idea.

Jim Harold (01:13:11):

And there were landmarks and things you expected to see and you didn’t see them, is that correct?

Dan (PA) (01:13:16):

Absolutely. So what I should have seen, I should have seen there, there would’ve been a 7-11. If I kept on driving, I would’ve eventually hit 95, which is a major intersection. It’s a major highway that goes from Maine to Florida. After that, I would’ve encountered Route 13. After that, I would’ve possibly been on my way to New Jersey over the Burlington Bristol Bridge. So I should have seen all of that, and I didn’t see any of that.

Jim Harold (01:13:40):

Yeah, wow. So obviously it has whetted your appetite for the unusual and wow. Huh.

Dan (PA) (01:13:50):

Yeah, I like that. It’s such a weird story that I’ve never shared it with anyone. How could you believe that story? How could, it’s just so out there, but hearing stories about the people on your show. There was the one with the people in the elevator. There was the one with, I forget the title of your show, but it was the last train from somewhere. Someone had a very similar story, and that was, I think the most recent one that I heard. And I thought, I got to get on here. I got to try to tell this story, ‘cause it’s out there.

Jim Harold (01:14:18):

Something I like to do on these calls sometimes is throw out a theory. It doesn’t mean that I necessarily think that’s the explanation, but just to provide one theory to think about, and I want to see if you ever thought about this theory. Some people speculate that we are in a simulation, basically like a big game of the Sims. And if you’ve ever played any kind of video games, sometimes there’s a glitch, particularly like PC games of things. There’s a glitch and a player ends up somewhere he’s not supposed to go, or something along those lines. Have you ever just thought that we’re all in the simulation and that might’ve been a glitch in the simulation?

Dan (PA) (01:14:58):

Jim, I have thought about that. It definitely has crossed my mind, anything like that. I don’t shut that idea out because we don’t know and we don’t know. We don’t know. And I definitely think that is certainly possible, a glitch in the Matrix as it were. I would definitely entertain that thought. Yes, absolutely possible.

Jim Harold (01:15:16):

I often think when people talk about, for those of us who I believe in a higher power, and when you talk about the simulation theory, well ostensibly, if it’s simulation theory, there’s a programmer. So if you have a programmer creating a world and people in that world, it’s not just another name for God.

Dan (PA) (01:15:39):

I had that realization as well. I remember listening to a podcast or a YouTube video, and the person was talking about that very concept and the more he was talking about the simulation, I thought about that. It basically is that it almost sounds like a higher power at that point. Oh, it’s become synonymous.

Jim Harold (01:15:52):

Yeah, it’s interesting. And again, we never have this, I don’t think I’ve ever given anybody an answer, but we like to provide things to think about, and you’ve made us think with that one. That’s a head scratcher for sure. Dan, thanks for your longtime listenership and being a fan of the Campfire. Stay spooky.

Dan (PA) (01:16:11):

Thanks, Jim. You say spooky too.

Jim Harold (01:16:12):

Magnus is on the line from Connecticut. I think Magnus is the first Magnus we’ve ever had on the show before. It’s long overdue, and we’re speaking to the greatest today because we’re going to talk about my favorite subject, one of them at least a head scratcher. Magnus, welcome to the show. Tell us what happened.

Magnus (CT) (01:16:35):

Hey, Jim. It’s an honor to be here. So the story takes place in the spring of 2018. Yeah, I was working for a moving truck rental office in a remote mountain town in central California. So at the time, I was living out of a small camper van, and the owner of the company was nice enough to let me park my camper on the property at night. So it worked out for both of us. I got a place to park and used the facilities, and he basically got a night watchman. It was never an explicit requirement of the job for me to be on security detail, but I believe, I assume he believed that having me there would be a deterrent to any kind of trespassers or anything like that. So yeah, in this area, there was a sizable population of outdoor people, as I would call them, who lived in the woods. And there’d been a few incidences in the past and during my time working there of trucks being tampered with and gas being siphoned and that sort of thing happening.

(01:17:53):

And there are also many occasions when I would find people camping in the back of the empty trucks. So the property was an old converted gas station. It was a small building with a large structural canopy in front, and it was located at the intersection, at an intersection, which by day was a very busy road, but by night it was dark and pretty desolate. Yeah. So the night my story takes place, it was around two or 3:00 AM and for some reason that night I couldn’t sleep. I was sitting in the passenger seat of my camper van, parked in the lot of the truck rental office, and I was staring out into the empty road when a small red beat up looking pickup truck pulled into the lot and idled beneath the brightly lit canopy. It was pretty common for cars to pull off the main road from time to time at all hours of the day just to use their cell phones or for any number of reasons.

(01:18:59):

So on this occasion, the small pickup truck was parked on the lot for a few minutes when a man got out of the passenger side door and went around to the driver’s side, and there he leaned on the driver’s side door chatting loudly with the driver. For some time, the man was dressed in tattered and mismatched clothes, much in the way I would see the common outdoor person dressed. He had an overall disheveled appearance, and it was also clear that the man may have been intoxicated by the tone of his voice. And by the way, he was kind of heavily leaning on the door and kind of slurring his words. I couldn’t exactly hear what he was saying exactly, but I could kind of hear the intonation from where I was. So just couldn’t only get a feel of what he might have been saying. So at some point, the man went off to the bed of the truck and pulled out a trash bag filled with bottles and cans, and then dropped it on the sidewalk in front of the office.

Jim Harold (01:20:00):

Ah, a litter bug.

Magnus (CT) (01:20:02):

Yeah. Yeah. That’s what I originally thought was happening, and the reason I was able to tell that the bag was filled with bottles and cans is because of that sound. We all know that sound of clinking bottles and crunching cans that a bag makes. So it was also pretty common for people to dump garbage there. So this is about when I was considering going out and telling them to leave and that they couldn’t leave trash here, but it was late and we were in the middle of nowhere and the guy was drunk and feral looking, so I decided just to kind of wait it out.

Jim Harold (01:20:39):

Right, right. No need for a confrontation.

Magnus (CT) (01:20:43):

Yeah. So the man went back to chatting with the driver for some time, and then the truck drove off leaving the man behind on the lot. I continued to watch the man who was now standing alone in front of one of the large office windows looking into the glass. He couldn’t have been looking into the office because there were tinted blinds drawn down from inside, which made it impossible to see in. It seemed like he was looking at his own reflection while muttering to himself, which he did that, and he did that for some time. He didn’t seem to be aware of my presence. My camper was kind of parked amongst the rental trucks and kind of in a shadowy part of the lot, and maybe he just thought that it was just a row of empty trucks there. So at one point he turned and walked away down the dark road and seemingly off to his next destination. I thought he had left, and I felt relieved that he was gone, and I felt only slightly irritated that he left the bag of garbage behind.

(01:21:52):

Then a minute or so later, or actually a minute or less later I should say, he reappeared back on the lot, determinately walking toward the office. But as he stepped back into the bright light of the canopy, his outer appearance began to transform, and the tattered and mismatched clothes shifted into a clean, smart looking black coat and pants. And his original scruffy appearance became a well groomed and kind of a presentable appearance. And then he walked over to the trash bag and picked it up, and as he did, it also shifted into a nice looking professional messenger bag, which he then slung over his shoulder and walked away up the dark road and onto some other mystery,

Jim Harold (01:22:48):

Which was so, I mean, okay, this happened. What were you thinking? You were standing there, you were in your truck, and you’re looking at this in your office there, and you’re looking at all this, and you see this person shapeshift and his garbage bag shapeshift. What in the world did you personally make of it at that particular point in time?

Magnus (CT) (01:23:11):

That’s a great question. I like to imagine there are many layers to this world, and maybe there are people who are kind of visitors or travelers even, that are kind of visiting from maybe another dimension or something. At the time, of course, this theory didn’t come. I was kind of nonplussed or in awe at the moment. So what I thought had happened, I don’t know. I was just kind of feeling like I witnessed something, a great mystery, and I wasn’t scared. But looking back, yeah, I think he may have been somehow extraterrestrial of some kind, or yeah, just something beyond our comprehension.

Jim Harold (01:23:56):

Now, have you experienced other supernatural things, or was this the only one

Magnus (CT) (01:24:01):

In this area? I had seen another figure kind of in the distance walking in a very odd way at one point, and as he was walking his gait, the way he was walking, it was almost like he was rocking back and forth in a very unnatural way for a human to be walking. And as he got closer, I noticed that he was actually just a torso up or from the waist up was a human body, but below his waist was a cloud of smoke, and somehow he was, the smoke were somehow acting as a way of legs where his legs should be, and somehow he was floating on this cloud of smoke, and he also was dressed like a traveler. He had kind of a traveling jacket and a big backpacker’s backpack on as well. And it was also late at night in the same area. And as a car drove by, he ducked behind one of those big green kind of a power unit boxes, electrical box type thing, and then that’s it. Then he kind of vanished. So yeah, that’s another thing in the same realm that happened, that kind of same area.

Jim Harold (01:25:20):

Interesting. It sounds like a very, very kind of spooky place. Well, Magnus, thank you so much for joining us, and thank you for sharing your story on the Campfire.

Magnus (CT) (01:25:30):

Thanks a lot, Jim.

Jim Harold (01:25:32):

Thanks for tuning into the Campfire. We appreciate it, and we have a very special shout out. Yes, for Dana. Her birthday was on February 24th, and we want to give her a big belated happy birthday and a stay spooky. Her daughter Haley asked me to give a shout out and glad to do it, and years ago, Dana introduced her daughter Haley to the Campfire, and they’ve both been listening ever since. So Dana and Haley too. Stay spooky and happy birthday, Dana. If you want to get your own special video, shout out for me. You can go over to cameo.com/theJimHarold, that’s cameo.com/theJimHarold, and there you can sign up for a very reasonable fee to have me share. Birthday greetings, anniversary greetings, congratulations, holiday greetings, whatever it might be. Right now, I’m looking at the page and we have a 5.0 average, the perfect average for reviews, and again, we try to keep it extremely, extremely affordable.

(01:26:42):

I know there are people on there who charge a lot lot more, and I decided I wanted to make it something everybody could access if they feel so inclined. So please check it out, cameo.com/the Jim Harold, and it does support the shows. We appreciate it very much. We appreciate you tuning in, and please share the show today with a friend, maybe from the app you’re listening to. You hit the share button right from your app, whether it’s Apple Podcasts, Spotify, whatever it might be. Most of them have a little share button, right while you’re listening. It’s a very easy way to send that off to your friend who loves the spooky stuff and grow the family. We’ve got to grow the family. We thank you so much. We’ll talk to you next time. Have a great week, everybody. Stay safe and stay spooky. Bye-Bye.

Announcer (01:27:27):

You’ve been listening to Jim Harold’s Campfire. Tune in again next time for more stories of ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary things.

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