Episode 156: The Hollers

[00:00:00] Odd Trails is a true paranormal podcast. If you have a story to share, send it to stories at oddtrails.com. Enjoy the show.

[00:00:10] Forget facts. Forget logic. Forget everything that seems real. You just trust. Believe.

[00:00:58] Attacked by mythical creatures while fishing in the Australian Outback by Fred Sticks.

[00:01:06] I found the courage to share this after reading the numerous sightings of the Native American mythical creatures,

[00:01:13] specifically the short people that seem to go by many names across the tribal regions of America.

[00:01:20] This exact type of creature has been cited and discussed among Aboriginal people in Australia for thousands of years.

[00:01:29] In the Southwest region, they're known as the Wuraji or Hairy Bushmen. Standing just a few feet tall, they possess insane strength and speed.

[00:01:41] Before colonization, there were stories of their friendships or alliances with Aboriginal people, but also tales of conflict,

[00:01:53] people or even children being taken by them. Specific rules were passed down to Aboriginal children.

[00:02:01] Avoid bodies of water at night or in the evening and never, ever whistle in the dark.

[00:02:09] It's said to invite the Wuraji, and nothing good comes of it, though some believe that these stories are just warnings to keep children safe around water.

[00:02:20] In 1998, I knew none of this because I'm not Aboriginal.

[00:02:26] At ten years old, when this all happened, I had never met an Aboriginal person or learned anything about their culture in school.

[00:02:34] This was the 90s, and Australia had a very uncomfortable relationship with its history and colonization.

[00:02:43] Every school holiday, I would leave the city to visit my aunt in the picturesque Southwest countryside.

[00:02:50] I needed no encouragement because I loved the outdoors.

[00:02:55] I had free reign to roam the dirt bike trails and fish along the magnificent Blackwood River.

[00:03:01] It was the 90s in Australia, a time when it was incredibly safe for a ten-year-old kid to wander for miles alone, with nothing but a trusty pocket knife.

[00:03:13] I could walk through my aunt's massive property to the forest's edge and into the depths where the river flowed, fishing for trout and redfin.

[00:03:24] On the last evening, before I was due to head back to the city, I was down by the river, fishing alone on the sunset.

[00:03:33] I knew that I would get in trouble for staying out so late, but with a few trout already caught, I figured I'd be forgiven quickly.

[00:03:42] Plus, I was still getting bites.

[00:03:45] I had caught the fish and kept them in an old metal bucket.

[00:03:49] As I used my last few pieces of bait, I heard a tiny ping on the side of the bucket.

[00:03:56] At first, I didn't think anything of it.

[00:04:00] Large gum nuts often fell from the trees, but then it happened again, much louder and more forceful.

[00:04:09] I checked the bucket and I realized these were small rocks, not gum nuts.

[00:04:16] Looking around, I assumed it was a kid from the neighboring property, though that was unlikely.

[00:04:23] The nearest property was a 30-minute walk away.

[00:04:27] The opposite side of the river backed onto the national park, and I hadn't seen any kids during my stay.

[00:04:35] Then, it got scary.

[00:04:38] The rocks grew larger, flying in from different directions.

[00:04:43] One hit my cheek.

[00:04:45] Another struck me in the head.

[00:04:47] I began to cry.

[00:04:49] After all, I was only 10 years old.

[00:04:52] I dropped my fishing rod and planned to grab the bucket and run back to the farm.

[00:04:58] As I bent to pick it up, another rock hit me in the side of the head, knocking me over.

[00:05:05] Pulling myself up, I stared across the river, the direction the rocks seemed to be coming from.

[00:05:12] What I saw then froze me in fear.

[00:05:17] By now, it was nearly dark, but I could just make out the outlines of three short figures, completely covered in hair.

[00:05:27] They stood about a meter tall, or three to four feet.

[00:05:31] The size of small children, but they had bodies of men.

[00:05:36] Their faces were a mix of ape and human, and their eyes glowed in eerie yellow with pitch black centers.

[00:05:45] They wore no clothes, and their bodies were covered in thick, clumpy hair, except from the knees down.

[00:05:53] Their arms hung long, almost like cavemen.

[00:05:57] But what terrified me the most was their stillness.

[00:06:01] They stood there, like statues, staring at me with curious expressions, making no noise at all.

[00:06:11] Moments earlier, rocks had been flying in from all directions, yet now they were motionless, their eyes following me.

[00:06:22] Paralyzed with fear, I finally pulled myself together as I ran as fast as I could.

[00:06:29] My aunt was standing on the balcony and saw me tear through the long grass, bloodied and terrified.

[00:06:36] I told her everything, and she immediately called the police.

[00:06:41] A single officer arrived, took my statement, and said that he would check the neighboring farms.

[00:06:47] However, he was certain that there were no other families in the area.

[00:06:53] My aunt assumed that I had been unable to see clearly in the fading light, possibly concussed by the rocks.

[00:07:00] She believed it was probably just some kids or teenagers playing some cruel prank.

[00:07:07] But I knew what I saw.

[00:07:09] I'll never forget those murderous yellow eyes.

[00:07:15] The next morning, my aunt and I returned to the river to collect my fishing rod and bucket.

[00:07:21] She was shocked to see them still there.

[00:07:24] She thought that whoever had thrown the rocks would definitely have taken them.

[00:07:29] But the contents of the bucket made our skin crawl.

[00:07:34] Inside were the skeletons of my three trout, stripped clean.

[00:07:39] Not a morsel of meat remained.

[00:07:44] In Australia, we don't have bears or wolves.

[00:07:48] Dingoes or foxes wouldn't devour an entire fish and leave pristine skeletons behind.

[00:07:55] Nor could they have done so without tipping over the bucket.

[00:07:59] Though terrifying, this ordeal faded into the background as childhood experiences often do.

[00:08:07] The police found no evidence and since nothing was stolen, the case went no further.

[00:08:12] It became gossip at the local pub for a few weeks.

[00:08:17] The town had already had its share of odd stories like sightings of tiger-like animals deep in the forest, strange noises, and unexplained events reported by lumberjacks.

[00:08:32] Years later, as an adult social worker, I started working with aboriginal communities.

[00:08:38] During one celebratory event, I mustered the courage to share my experience with an elder.

[00:08:44] He immediately recognized it as the Waradji.

[00:08:48] He said, I was lucky to leave the forest alive.

[00:08:53] The elder believed the Waradji mistook me for an aboriginal boy.

[00:08:58] I have a mixed racial background.

[00:09:01] According to him, I should have left a few fish skewered on sticks as payment for fishing in their river.

[00:09:09] My failure to do so led to their warning, initially with small rocks and eventually their attack.

[00:09:17] The thought that they could have taken me haunts me to this day.

[00:09:21] I still wake up in cold sweats, reliving that moment.

[00:09:27] This isn't a story that I share with friends or family, but I've confided in aboriginal colleagues and clients who have shared similar accounts.

[00:09:36] I'm 36 now, and as the years go by I find myself pondering its significance more often.

[00:09:44] Despite becoming more logical and skeptical with age, I can't shake the belief that otherworldly beings live alongside us.

[00:09:55] Thank you for reading.

[00:10:20] The Thing That Pretended to Be My Dad by Holly

[00:10:24] I lost my father suddenly in 2023.

[00:10:29] Without getting into it too much, he was middle-aged and died of a sudden heart attack, the same day his own father passed away.

[00:10:39] That, in itself, felt too weird to be a coincidence.

[00:10:43] I always said that my grandpa spent 12 hours in the afterlife, got bored, and decided to take his son with him to have a ghost golfing buddy.

[00:10:53] But this story isn't about my grandpa, or much of my dad really.

[00:10:59] To set the scene, I was 23 when my father passed.

[00:11:03] And as you'd expect, everyone in the family was in deep grief.

[00:11:08] I've always felt in tune with the spiritual world.

[00:11:12] Not saying I see ghosts all the time, or like I'm some sort of medium.

[00:11:17] But I believe I can sense energies.

[00:11:20] If something wants to be seen, I'm open-minded enough to see it.

[00:11:25] That being said, after my dad passed, I had some strange happenings going on.

[00:11:31] Things like listening to his music as I drove to my mom's.

[00:11:35] And I swear, I could see him in the passenger seat out of the corner of my eye.

[00:11:40] Or sometimes my bedroom door, completely closed, would crack open once I started playing video games.

[00:11:47] I felt like it was dad because we always game together.

[00:11:52] There was even a moment where my phone froze up while I was driving.

[00:11:56] It wouldn't let me skip the song or even exit the music app.

[00:12:00] The song it was stuck on?

[00:12:02] It was about losing a loved one.

[00:12:05] I literally had to pull over and cry to it.

[00:12:09] Once the song ended, my phone worked fine again.

[00:12:13] I could skip songs like normal.

[00:12:16] Then I started seeing him in my dreams.

[00:12:18] I don't often have vivid dreams.

[00:12:22] But it felt like I was constantly having ones where it was just me and my dad hanging out.

[00:12:27] We'd be hiking or driving around.

[00:12:30] The dreams usually ended with him looking at me and saying,

[00:12:34] Miss you, kiddo.

[00:12:36] And I'd immediately wake up.

[00:12:38] It was comforting feeling his presence.

[00:12:42] And then it started to fade.

[00:12:45] It felt like he was around less and less.

[00:12:48] Especially once I got close with my girlfriend and was spending a lot of time with her.

[00:12:54] Maybe he felt like he didn't need to worry about me anymore.

[00:12:57] But I missed him.

[00:12:59] So I tried to contact him through tarot cards.

[00:13:03] I looked up how to do it correctly.

[00:13:05] Light a candle.

[00:13:07] Invite only his spirit.

[00:13:08] And make it clear that all other spirits must leave.

[00:13:13] To sum up that experience, three cards were pulled.

[00:13:17] And they were about loss, being protected, and a new chapter.

[00:13:22] It was freaky yet beautiful how they fit.

[00:13:26] But after that, I didn't feel him anymore.

[00:13:29] I guessed I had somehow closed the door completely, so no spirit could interact with me.

[00:13:36] After a while though, things started happening again.

[00:13:40] I would see a figure out of the corner of my eye, outside the window by our front door.

[00:13:46] When I turned to look, nothing was there.

[00:13:49] My roommate, girlfriend, and I all heard shuffling around in the kitchen when no one was downstairs.

[00:13:57] There was even a time I walked upstairs, and swore I saw someone poking their head around the corner from downstairs, watching me.

[00:14:06] Then came a night I was downstairs fixing food for my girlfriend and me, and I heard my name whispered from the staircase.

[00:14:14] I called out, yeah, but got no response.

[00:14:19] So I went over and saw no one.

[00:14:22] I called for my girlfriend, and she came out of my room.

[00:14:26] I asked her why she called me, and she said she didn't.

[00:14:30] No one else was home.

[00:14:33] That moment spooked me.

[00:14:35] The voice wasn't my father's, and that had never happened before.

[00:14:40] I started to think whatever this was had attached itself to me after I did the tarot ritual.

[00:14:47] As I said, the voice didn't sound like my dad, and I believed he was now at my mom's house since she had started experiencing footsteps in her bedroom and other noises.

[00:14:59] Then I left for a weekend, and my roommate and girlfriend got spooked.

[00:15:05] They both heard shuffling in the kitchen, and then a door upstairs opening closed on its own.

[00:15:12] They texted each other to see if it was the other, and they both responded that they were in bed.

[00:15:18] No one was walking around or opening the doors.

[00:15:22] When I got back and they told me, I kind of laughed it off.

[00:15:26] But a morning shortly after that, I woke up and walked downstairs to find our front door wide open.

[00:15:34] I chalked it up to my roommate not locking the door properly, and lectured her to make sure the deadbolt was locked so the wind couldn't blow it open again.

[00:15:44] Even my roommate's cat was acting weird.

[00:15:47] The cat always sat on the windowsill by the front door, looking out, right where I could see the figure.

[00:15:54] One night, my roommate opened the door to get food from the delivery driver, and the cat bolted outside.

[00:16:01] Something she'd never done before.

[00:16:04] It felt like she was running toward or away from something.

[00:16:09] Then one night, my girlfriend and I were watching TV upstairs, and my roommate came home.

[00:16:16] I jokingly hollered at her to lock the door properly, and watched as she did so.

[00:16:21] She grabbed some food and headed upstairs.

[00:16:25] About an hour later, the front door just opened, all the way.

[00:16:31] My girlfriend and I froze, waiting for someone to step in.

[00:16:36] But the doorway was completely empty.

[00:16:39] I just said, that did not just happen.

[00:16:43] Then I sprang up and slammed the door shut.

[00:16:47] We debunked the idea that the wind could have done it.

[00:16:51] The deadbolt was locked, and even then, for the door to be open that far, someone would have had to push it, hard.

[00:17:00] I was officially spooked.

[00:17:03] I called my roommate down, and we all freaked out.

[00:17:07] She grabbed her sage and started cleansing the apartment.

[00:17:11] My girlfriend and I grabbed crystals and placed them in every window and by every door.

[00:17:17] I barricaded the front door with furniture, and we all slept in my room that night, since it was the only bedroom with a lock.

[00:17:26] Things stopped happening after that.

[00:17:28] But I'm convinced it was something that fed off my grief, and stepped in the moment my dad decided it was okay to step away.

[00:17:37] I don't know if I did this story justice.

[00:17:40] I know I missed a few other haunting details, but that's the gist of it.

[00:17:46] I haven't tried contacting my dad again.

[00:17:48] I miss his visits.

[00:17:50] But I don't want to risk letting in another trickster spirit.

[00:17:54] One that knows how to open my front door.

[00:17:57] And worse, likes to whisper my name.

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[00:20:10] The reason I don't visit my local forest anymore by Sunday League Hooligan.

[00:20:17] My story takes place during the summer of 2019, at its peak.

[00:20:22] At the time, my friends who we'll call Mike, Anthony, and Andrew and I were around 12 or 13 years old.

[00:20:31] With me being the oldest by just a few months.

[00:20:35] On a summer evening, at around 9.30pm, we decided to head to my grandma's apartment to watch a movie together that would start at 10.15pm.

[00:20:46] Unfortunately, I still had to walk my 13-year-old dog through our local forest, which was only 10 meters away from the entrance of our apartment building.

[00:20:58] The sun had already set, and it was about to become completely dark within minutes.

[00:21:04] That posed a problem for me, since I've always had a phobia of the dark.

[00:21:10] Although it's more manageable now, back then, it was very severe.

[00:21:16] I managed to convince my friends to join me for the walk, and they all agreed.

[00:21:21] However, Andrew and Anthony had to change clothes first, which delayed us enough that we ended up entering the forest in complete darkness.

[00:21:32] To make things worse, it was a bit foggy that night.

[00:21:35] Despite all of this, we felt confident since we had strong flashlights with us.

[00:21:43] About three minutes into the forest, we noticed something strange.

[00:21:47] We heard an unfamiliar sound, like a mix of a dying man's scream and a bear in pain, combined with something otherworldly and terrifying.

[00:22:00] It sounded as if it came straight from the depths of hell.

[00:22:05] We were scared, but we thought that it might just be someone pulling a prank, since something similar had happened to another group in a nearby area.

[00:22:15] We continued on, trying to brush off our fear.

[00:22:18] But as we walked, we began hearing footsteps in the forested area around the path.

[00:22:25] Andrew started joking that there might be a bear that would eat us.

[00:22:29] But we told him to shut up, because we were already terrified enough.

[00:22:35] Just five minutes later, we heard a tree cracking.

[00:22:39] We immediately pointed our flashlights toward the sound.

[00:22:43] What we saw would haunt us for years.

[00:22:47] It makes me uncomfortable even to this day to go near that forest, even in the daylight.

[00:22:53] We saw a completely black creature, and I mean pitch black, so dark that even when illuminated by our flashlights, it seemed to absorb the light.

[00:23:06] It had no discernible color except for its bloody white opened eyes, which stared directly at us.

[00:23:15] It was holding half of a tree that it had just broken apart.

[00:23:20] The creature was massive, and unnaturally thin, almost skeletal, as though it had been starving for months.

[00:23:29] Its appearance was so horrifying that it's hard to describe, but it did feel otherworldly.

[00:23:35] We stood there frozen for just a few seconds, before it threw the half tree in our direction.

[00:23:43] That was when we all started running for our lives.

[00:23:46] We scattered in different directions.

[00:23:49] Mike and I ran down the path leading back home, while Anthony and Andrew ran deeper into the forest.

[00:23:55] As I ran, I had to pick up my dog because he couldn't keep up with us.

[00:23:59] My heart was pounding, and all I could think about was escaping.

[00:24:04] Eventually, we made it back home safely, and fortunately, nobody was hurt.

[00:24:10] But the experience has left us shaken.

[00:24:14] From that point on, I refused to go into the forest at night, ever again.

[00:24:36] Weird Dream or Paranormal Experience by PrettyGold5576

[00:24:45] I had an odd experience this morning, and while the rational part of me knows it was more than likely a dream, I thought it would be cool to share my experience and get other people's take on it.

[00:24:57] So, to preface this, I am a believer in the paranormal, and believe I've had paranormal experiences in the past.

[00:25:05] I'm also a big believer of the idea that spirits find it easier to give messages to people through dreams, or when someone is in a dreamlike state, or at least close to sleep.

[00:25:16] I believe this mainly because ever since my maternal grandmother passed away in 2011, she has visited me several times in dreams to give me messages which proved to be very accurate.

[00:25:31] Anyway, today I had to call out sick from work.

[00:25:34] I woke up with probably one of the worst migraines I'd ever experienced.

[00:25:40] It literally felt like someone was crushing my head.

[00:25:43] I could barely see, and any sort of light was pure agony.

[00:25:49] After I rang out from work, I got back into bed to try to sleep it off.

[00:25:54] After about a half hour or so, I was just starting to get close to falling back asleep.

[00:26:01] But the pain in my head suddenly became unbearable.

[00:26:05] It felt like there was a group of people standing in my bedroom, all talking at once, trying to get my attention.

[00:26:12] This went on for a few minutes, before I clearly heard my grandmother's voice telling all the other voices to stop, because their voices were too prickly.

[00:26:24] The exact words I heard her say.

[00:26:27] All the other voices stopped, and I heard my grandmother tell me that everything was going to be okay.

[00:26:34] I felt her put her hand on my head to stroke my hair.

[00:26:38] And the second her hand touched my head, my migraine completely disappeared.

[00:26:45] The other weird part of all of this is that when it felt like the other voices were trying to get my attention,

[00:26:51] it didn't feel negative or scary.

[00:26:54] They somehow felt familiar, as if they were other relatives who had passed on.

[00:27:02] Realistically, I know this was probably some sort of weird dream, caused by the migraine I was having.

[00:27:08] But I'd love to hear other people's opinion on it.

[00:27:11] Was it a dream, or could I have actually had another paranormal experience?

[00:27:17] Has anyone experienced anything like this before?

[00:27:20] Or maybe have an explanation as to what this might have been?

[00:27:44] The Haulers by Arctic Inhabiter

[00:27:49] Growing up in rural Alaska, I experienced a lot.

[00:27:54] Amazing sights like massive herds of caribou, plenty of weird, unexplainable things.

[00:28:00] But the strangest by far were the times when I heard yelling or hollering,

[00:28:06] but could never see where it was coming from.

[00:28:10] I often traveled alone throughout the Brooks Range and up to the North Slope to hunt and trap.

[00:28:18] From young age, I learned how to hunt, field dress animals, build survival shelters,

[00:28:24] and even navigate at night using the constellations, just like my ancestors.

[00:28:31] These long, challenging journeys sometimes brought me more than I was prepared to handle.

[00:28:38] One winter, in January 2017, I was running a trap line along the left side of a valley heading north.

[00:28:46] I had traps set every few miles and was traveling my route when I noticed a figure in a patch of diamond willows just ahead of me.

[00:28:57] It was about a mile away, but I could make out a dark shape moving and walking like a person.

[00:29:04] I remember thinking,

[00:29:06] who would be out here in January when it's the coldest time of the year?

[00:29:11] Just walking.

[00:29:14] Suddenly, the figure just disappeared.

[00:29:17] I pulled out my binoculars and I scanned the area, but I didn't see anything.

[00:29:22] I brushed it off as my imagination or assumed that it might have been someone on a snow machine or snowmobile who had taken off along my trail.

[00:29:32] So I continued on.

[00:29:35] At the next trap, I stopped and turned off my snow machine.

[00:29:40] It was a surprisingly warm day for January, about negative 30 Fahrenheit,

[00:29:45] but I was able to shed my parka while resetting a spring trap that I had come across.

[00:29:51] As I worked, I started hearing a low, bellowing noise coming from a small valley nearby.

[00:29:58] At first, it sounded like a person yelling.

[00:30:01] But then, it grew deeper, more guttural, like a bear warning off another bear.

[00:30:09] But it was January. Bears wouldn't be out in that weather.

[00:30:13] The only animals that you might encounter at that time of year would be wolverines or caribou.

[00:30:20] Even moose had typically moved south by then.

[00:30:24] I tried to ignore the noise as my elders had always taught me.

[00:30:28] Still, as I packed up, the noise started again.

[00:30:33] Louder and more intense this time.

[00:30:36] I just couldn't shake the memory of the figure that I had seen earlier

[00:30:40] and wondered if maybe it had anything to do with the sounds.

[00:30:45] Then, I felt it.

[00:30:48] That unmistakable sensation of being watched.

[00:30:52] I turned toward the valley, where I thought the feeling was coming from.

[00:30:57] Nothing.

[00:30:59] I pulled out my binoculars again and scanned the area.

[00:31:03] Still nothing.

[00:31:05] I stood still and listening, waiting for the noise.

[00:31:10] When the bellowing started again, I decided to respond.

[00:31:14] I mimicked the noise as best as I could, calling back with a deep, loud yell.

[00:31:21] It stopped immediately.

[00:31:24] The silence was deafening.

[00:31:26] It was as if whatever was making those noises had recognized my response and decided to stop.

[00:31:32] The uneasy feeling in my gut only grew stronger, though.

[00:31:37] I packed up as quickly as I could and left that area.

[00:31:41] That winter, I pulled my entire trap line from that valley, and I haven't been back since.

[00:31:47] I have no plans to return.

[00:32:10] My Aunt was a Medium, by IndividualAd2085

[00:32:16] My Aunt Em worked as a medium, and has always seen paranormal things since she was a kid.

[00:32:23] Learning how to deal with it and eventually becoming fearless towards these things.

[00:32:28] She has sadly since passed away, but always had many experiences to share with us.

[00:32:35] I remember one that really creeped me out as a kid.

[00:32:38] For context, we refer to paranormal entities that resemble humans as things in my family.

[00:32:46] Because these beings come off as evil to us.

[00:32:50] One time, my Aunt Em was staying in California with my other Aunt, Aunt T, and her family.

[00:32:58] Well, one night, as Em was getting ready to fall asleep, she said she looked up at the ceiling and saw dead things crawling back and forth.

[00:33:09] Now, it's weird because back in the day, my mom would sometimes have dreams that would coincide with the paranormal things Em would see.

[00:33:19] They were both somehow tied together to help each other throughout these supernatural occurrences.

[00:33:26] Fast forward, a week passes after this happened, and my mom receives a call from Em.

[00:33:32] The topic of what she saw that night is brought up.

[00:33:36] My mom is shocked hearing this, because she had a dream the same night this incident occurred.

[00:33:43] So, Em asked my mom to explain what took place.

[00:33:48] In this dream for a very specific reason, my mom had a flashlight in her hand.

[00:33:54] She was flashing the light everywhere in this room that she was in, and out of curiosity, she decided to shine the light upward.

[00:34:03] She saw a man spread out, covering two women on each side of him, facing towards the ceiling.

[00:34:11] She said as soon as she shined the light on these things and realized what she was looking at, the man's head did a full 180 turn and looked her dead in the eyes.

[00:34:24] My mom woke abruptly, with her heart pounding intensely, and wondering what the hell she just saw.

[00:34:33] I remember her explaining how these things looked, and how it was similar to something out of The Exorcist.

[00:34:40] With horrid, dead-looking skin.

[00:34:43] Sharpened nails.

[00:34:45] White, ghostly eyes.

[00:34:47] Twisted, elongated body parts.

[00:34:50] You name it.

[00:34:52] They later figured out that these creatures came from the previous house that T lived in.

[00:34:58] There was this painting of an old motel, which had a white sheet covering it, hidden away in the garage.

[00:35:05] The painting was absolutely stunning.

[00:35:08] And before they moved, T decided to take it with her, to put up on the wall of their new house.

[00:35:14] Not knowing that things were attached to this painting.

[00:35:18] I say burn it.

[00:35:20] Thanks for reading.

[00:35:46] Was the Wilraji story a teaser for one of our upcoming episodes?

[00:35:50] Well, not intentionally.

[00:35:52] Honestly, I should have saved it for that one.

[00:35:54] And just for everyone listening, we're planning on doing a Bigfoot-themed episode in the near future.

[00:36:00] But no, that wasn't planned.

[00:36:02] Yeah, I'm looking forward to the Bigfoot episode.

[00:36:04] That's kind of why I was asking.

[00:36:05] We don't get a whole lot of Bigfoot stories, but I'm excited to compile the ones that we do have.

[00:36:11] Just being able to have a themed episode is pretty cool, I think.

[00:36:14] Yeah, I think we don't see many submissions about Bigfoot because they're so isolated to like the wilderness and a wilderness setting.

[00:36:23] And very specific regions.

[00:36:26] Right.

[00:36:27] Whereas like ghosts and hauntings seem to be literally everywhere since our reality is so intertwined with the spirit world.

[00:36:34] What's kind of funny though is that how there are Bigfoot sightings thousands of miles away from each other, but rarely if ever are they spotted anywhere in between.

[00:36:43] Like I know this isn't some groundbreaking observation, but because the same thing could be said about penguins, different species on different continents.

[00:36:51] But I don't know. It's just interesting.

[00:36:52] Now I get what you're saying. Maybe certain species are unique to specific areas or something.

[00:36:59] Yeah, exactly. Because it's either that or they're somehow able to roam around the country like migrating birds or something or a pack of ninjas.

[00:37:08] And that would make them better stealth experts than we ever thought.

[00:37:12] Got to give them more credit.

[00:37:13] Yeah, just tiptoeing beneath the moonlight.

[00:37:15] Right.

[00:37:16] Yes, exactly.

[00:37:17] Or maybe they like put on some Carhartt overalls and do a little train hopping.

[00:37:21] Yeah, that's a good visual.

[00:37:24] He'd probably fit right in with the whole scene actually.

[00:37:27] Totally.

[00:37:27] I've always wanted to tag along with somebody experienced, but I'm also worried about somehow running out of water or getting sliced in half.

[00:37:35] Train hopping that is.

[00:37:36] Yeah, definitely. It's probably easier just to buy a ticket.

[00:37:40] Yeah, or there's always going by foot.

[00:37:44] Yeah.

[00:37:45] Yeah.

[00:37:45] Yeah, easy pun there.

[00:37:47] But yeah, no, that was a unique and interesting story.

[00:37:50] It's always cool though to learn about local legends and mythical beings.

[00:37:54] One thing that Wiragi do share with Bigfoot though is the yellow glowing eyes.

[00:37:59] We hear about that sometimes with Bigfoot.

[00:38:01] Oh yeah.

[00:38:02] Yeah, definitely.

[00:38:03] I guess they call it the Yaoi down under.

[00:38:06] Hmm.

[00:38:06] Okay.

[00:38:07] I think we have some stories specifically about the Yaoi ready for the episode too.

[00:38:10] Maybe, maybe not.

[00:38:11] Yeah, yeah, definitely.

[00:38:13] One thing I don't think I could deal with in Australia though, not the Wiragi, it would be the spiders.

[00:38:20] If it weren't for those giant huntsman spiders that I keep seeing in stupid TikTok posts, I'd love to visit.

[00:38:27] I'm just one of those people who can't even look at pictures of spiders without getting creeped out.

[00:38:31] Yeah, I hear weed's really expensive in Australia, but you don't have to worry about that.

[00:38:36] A black widow brushed against my hand when I was getting firewood from the side of the house when I was like seven or eight years old.

[00:38:43] Oh man.

[00:38:44] Yeah, no thank you.

[00:38:46] Otherwise, I'm fine with spiders if they're like enclosed or behind a screen or something.

[00:38:50] Yeah, yeah.

[00:38:51] I remember one time living with my friend Kevin when we moved, we lifted the couch up and there were just like black widows and black widow eggs underneath our couch that we didn't even know about.

[00:39:02] And I was sleeping on that couch.

[00:39:04] I was about to say, was this couch like sitting in the garage for a few months or what's going on?

[00:39:09] Nope.

[00:39:09] It was just in the living room and we weren't super dirty or anything.

[00:39:13] I mean, yeah, we were, you know, a couple of guys living in a house in our twenties, so it wasn't immaculate, but we weren't dirty by any means.

[00:39:20] But yeah.

[00:39:21] Wow.

[00:39:22] Sorry you had to go through that if you want to talk about it.

[00:39:24] I'm here.

[00:39:25] Yeah, maybe someday.

[00:39:26] Maybe I'll open up about it.

[00:39:27] Good.

[00:39:28] But getting back to the Wiragi story, one thing that I find to be universal throughout a lot of different folklore from around.

[00:39:34] The world is the rule about whistling in the dark.

[00:39:38] And I think we've talked about this.

[00:39:39] Yeah, I know that in the Philippines, they can invite ghosts when you whistle in the dark.

[00:39:43] Right.

[00:39:44] Yeah.

[00:39:44] And then in Japan, I guess it attracts snakes and bad spirits.

[00:39:49] Oh, wonderful.

[00:39:50] Just as long as it's spider free.

[00:39:52] No problem.

[00:39:52] Right?

[00:39:53] No, snakes are the same for me.

[00:39:55] Actually, I'm kind of like Indiana Jones, only I resemble his shortcomings.

[00:39:59] Not the cool stuff.

[00:40:01] Did you also get trapped in a circus train car with hundreds of snakes?

[00:40:05] No, no.

[00:40:06] But I think that's the scene that really did it for me, to be honest.

[00:40:09] Yeah, fair enough.

[00:40:10] Fair enough.

[00:40:11] It's funny how movies shape so many of our fears and worries.

[00:40:14] I'm only now realizing how I only ever worried about being the new kid at school, for example, because of how big of a deal it was made out to be on movies and TV.

[00:40:24] But in reality, it was never that big of a deal being the new kid at school.

[00:40:28] Like, yeah, you don't have friends at first.

[00:40:30] But it wasn't some horrific experience, at least for me, at least not being new.

[00:40:34] But I don't know.

[00:40:34] Like, we're not really given a chance with having these fears implanted in our heads.

[00:40:39] Yeah.

[00:40:39] And with the satanic panic, we really had no hope at that time.

[00:40:44] But hey, then came along Pokemon.

[00:40:46] True, but still satanic.

[00:40:49] Yeah, yeah.

[00:40:51] So let's talk about the bucket of fish skeletons.

[00:40:55] Clean, pristine, not a scrap of meat left.

[00:40:58] It's kind of like what I do.

[00:41:00] Yeah, yeah, I do the same.

[00:41:02] But what animal does that?

[00:41:04] None of them.

[00:41:05] I mean, like, even the neatest predator leaves some kind of mess bones scattered.

[00:41:11] The bucket would be tipped over something.

[00:41:13] But this, it's like a five-star chef got in there and prepped for a sushi restaurant.

[00:41:19] Exactly.

[00:41:20] Either the Wiraji are supposedly polite about cleaning up after themselves or you know what

[00:41:26] it reminded me of?

[00:41:27] What?

[00:41:28] All the mutilated cattle stories you hear about.

[00:41:30] How they have super clean precision laser cuts and no blood.

[00:41:35] Yeah.

[00:41:36] Yeah, you're right.

[00:41:38] That's crazy.

[00:41:39] I didn't think about that.

[00:41:40] But here's my theory.

[00:41:42] They were sending a message.

[00:41:44] Like, thanks for the fish, but next time that'll be you in the bucket.

[00:41:48] And no tartar sauce.

[00:41:50] Hold the lemon.

[00:41:51] Yeah.

[00:41:52] Can we also take a moment to appreciate how 90s this story is?

[00:41:55] A 10-year-old kid alone by a river, miles away from adults with nothing but a pocket knife

[00:42:00] and maybe a good walking stick.

[00:42:02] Yeah, yeah.

[00:42:03] Back then that was just called a normal Tuesday.

[00:42:05] Mm-hmm.

[00:42:06] Today, people would be like, where's my GPS tracker?

[00:42:09] Where's my phone?

[00:42:10] Where's the drone monitoring him from above?

[00:42:13] Oh man.

[00:42:14] I saw a headline of like either the mom or the 10-year-old boy.

[00:42:18] One of them got arrested or fined because the boy just walked into town by himself.

[00:42:23] Yeah.

[00:42:24] Yeah.

[00:42:24] It's ridiculous.

[00:42:25] Yeah, I gotta love this period that we're living in.

[00:42:28] Yeah.

[00:42:28] And meanwhile, this kid is out there living his best life until rocks start flying.

[00:42:33] I would have just screamed and passed out.

[00:42:36] Yeah.

[00:42:37] That's a very Stephen King response, honestly.

[00:42:39] It did feel like a Stephen King story.

[00:42:41] Yeah, I agree.

[00:42:42] It was an awesome one though.

[00:42:45] Mm-hmm.

[00:42:45] This story really stuck with me.

[00:42:47] What if like the Wiraji are real and they're just living their lives in the forests completely

[00:42:53] unseen by most of us?

[00:42:54] It was really cool.

[00:42:56] Yeah, like uncontacted tribes, something like that.

[00:42:59] Mm-hmm.

[00:42:59] It's kind of humbling though, like how we think we know everything about the world,

[00:43:02] but stories like this make you wonder what else is out there.

[00:43:06] Yeah.

[00:43:07] What if the key to coexisting with them is as simple as leaving a fish offering?

[00:43:11] Maybe the old rules are there for a reason.

[00:43:14] Yeah, yeah, good point.

[00:43:15] I was gonna say that I plan on leaving snacks out every time I go into the woods,

[00:43:20] but that's a terrible, terrible idea.

[00:43:23] Yeah, yeah, and you don't do the woods to begin with, so don't get cute with it.

[00:43:26] Yeah, good point.

[00:43:29] It seems like you and a Sunday League hooligan from that story about the local forest,

[00:43:35] you guys have that in common now?

[00:43:36] Yeah, yeah, and to be fair, that was at night and the author said that they had a phobia

[00:43:41] of the dark.

[00:43:43] Having to walk your dog in the forest at night with a phobia of the dark at 13 years old,

[00:43:48] that's a nightmare.

[00:43:50] There's another way to spin that.

[00:43:52] Yeah, it's like having a phobia of the ocean, but you have to take your little sister scuba

[00:43:56] diving at night.

[00:43:58] You see, I wouldn't want to take my little sister scuba diving in the day, but props to

[00:44:02] him for convincing his friends to come along.

[00:44:05] That's true friendship.

[00:44:06] I wouldn't want to go into a foggy forest at night under most circumstances, but I feel

[00:44:10] like something could convince me.

[00:44:12] I'd go with you.

[00:44:13] Oh, thanks.

[00:44:15] Yeah.

[00:44:15] Yeah.

[00:44:16] I'll bring a flashlight or something, an LED flashlight from Timu.

[00:44:20] That can be what you're armed with.

[00:44:23] Yeah.

[00:44:24] So let me ask you a question.

[00:44:25] What does a bear in pain sound like?

[00:44:30] I don't know.

[00:44:32] I don't know.

[00:44:33] I was thinking the same thing.

[00:44:34] That was a cub, by the way.

[00:44:37] Probably something terrifying enough that you don't need to add otherworldly.

[00:44:41] Like that combo already screams run.

[00:44:45] Yeah.

[00:44:45] Yeah.

[00:44:45] And then they see this creature.

[00:44:47] It's pitch black, skeletal with bloody white eyes as they described them.

[00:44:53] And it absorbs the flashlight beam like some kind of, I don't know, Alan Wake thing.

[00:45:00] Hmm.

[00:45:01] Yeah.

[00:45:01] It's like the light is just like, nope, I'm not dealing with this thing either.

[00:45:04] That's, I don't know.

[00:45:06] That's scary.

[00:45:07] Yeah.

[00:45:08] Terrifying.

[00:45:08] Yeah.

[00:45:09] This whole story had me on the edge of my seat.

[00:45:10] It's a good one.

[00:45:11] Thanks, hooligan.

[00:45:12] Really good stuff.

[00:45:14] Yeah.

[00:45:14] Oh, and that story about Holly and her dad.

[00:45:17] So I know death and the paranormal often go hand in hand, but these stories always hit

[00:45:23] harder when the author has a direct connection to these spiritual presences.

[00:45:29] Oh yeah, definitely.

[00:45:31] I wish we knew what conditions had to be met for any given person to become a lingering

[00:45:35] spirit when their time is up.

[00:45:37] Just wandering around interacting with the living for however long.

[00:45:41] Or what makes certain people have the gift of interacting with those that are lingering.

[00:45:47] I know.

[00:45:48] It'd be convenient to say people like that are just those who want it to happen, writing

[00:45:53] off their personal experiences as wishful thinking.

[00:45:56] But there are so many stories with diehard skeptics who usually have the most compelling testimonies.

[00:46:02] Yeah.

[00:46:03] You make it sound like a religious sales pitch.

[00:46:07] The testimonies of skeptics converted in their beliefs.

[00:46:11] Yeah, I get it.

[00:46:12] Exactly.

[00:46:13] I know people also like to attribute the stages of grief with some sort of paranormal thing.

[00:46:19] The idea that people are bound to experience something if they're desperate.

[00:46:25] And look hard enough really wanting it to happen.

[00:46:27] Yeah.

[00:46:28] Yeah, yeah.

[00:46:29] But I also feel like I've known more people who actively invite this stuff into their lives

[00:46:34] somehow but don't end up with what they're hoping for.

[00:46:36] Oh yeah, or making promises with somebody before one of you dies.

[00:46:41] How you'll for sure say hello and let the other person know you're there.

[00:46:45] Mm-hmm.

[00:46:46] Establishing some sort of action plan.

[00:46:48] Mm-hmm.

[00:46:48] I'm sure it doesn't work this way but I like the idea of coming up with a really harmless

[00:46:52] but mind-blowing prank that makes the not dead one seem like they can predict things

[00:46:57] or control the environment in some way.

[00:47:00] Yeah.

[00:47:00] If you're ever able to get on casual speaking terms with the spirit that can influence the

[00:47:05] physical environment, that one's a geaper.

[00:47:08] Yeah.

[00:47:09] I'm sure it probably gets boring just kind of half-existing for so long but I'm sure they're

[00:47:15] happy to be assigned a task or something.

[00:47:17] Yeah, especially those trickster spirits Holly mentioned.

[00:47:20] That term almost seems like a casual way to downplay a poltergeist.

[00:47:24] I don't know.

[00:47:25] Yeah, I think that you're right.

[00:47:27] It's the same thing.

[00:47:28] Trickster spirits, poltergeist.

[00:47:30] Just ghosts wreaking havoc.

[00:47:33] It's like the p******, maybe.

[00:47:35] I don't know.

[00:47:36] Yeah.

[00:47:37] Let's not include that.

[00:47:39] Okay, yeah.

[00:47:39] All right.

[00:47:41] Fair enough.

[00:47:43] Great stories this week as always.

[00:47:45] And if you have a story to share, send it to stories at oddtrails.com.

[00:47:48] Thanks for listening and make sure you sign up for our Patreon if you want to get ad-free

[00:47:53] versions of all of our episodes.

[00:47:54] That's patreon.com forward slash oddtrails.

[00:47:57] And be sure to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts like Let's Not Meet,

[00:48:00] Cryptic Encounters, and the Old Time Radio Cast.

[00:48:03] We'll see you guys next week for our Bigfoot Spectacular.

[00:48:06] Everyone stay safe.

[00:48:07] Peace out.

[00:48:28] Ghosts and the ghouls disturb you, darling.

[00:48:30] Thanks for listening.

[00:48:31] Bye.

[00:48:31] Bye.

[00:48:31] Bye.