Jim Harold's Campfire - The Ghosts Were Smiling - Jim Harold's Campfire 761

Episode Date: May 14, 2026

On this Campfire episode, everyday places don’t feel so ordinary anymore. From supposedly abandoned mines and college dorms to old churches and vacation rentals, these stories unfold with an eerie sense that something unseen may have been just out of sight the whole time. Some encounters are unsettling, some comforting, and a some are so oddly specific they leave everyone involved searching for answers for years. Tune in for plenty of Campfire chills and mystery. Stay Spooky® VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE GROUPJoin our FREE online community at ⁠https://virtualcampfiregroup.com⁠ YOUTUBE CHANNELBe sure to subscribe to Jim’s YouTube channel at: ⁠https://youtube.com/jimharold⁠ and the YouTube channel dedicated to The Paranormal Report at https://www.youtube.com/@jimdartpr JOIN JIM’S SPOOKY STUDIO PLUS CLUBYou can get access to Jim’s entire back catalog of Campfire and a TON of exclusive content with the Spooky Studio Plus Club. Go to https://⁠jimharold.com/plus⁠ and signup to support the show and get access to our MASSIVE library of content! MERCHGo to ⁠https://jimharold.com/merch⁠ to get your Jim Harold T’s, sweatshirts, mugs, hats and more! BOOKSGet all SIX of Jim’s Campfire books here: https://jimharold.com/campfirebooks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Well, at least the ghosts were smiling. Ouija board stories and much more on this edition of the Campfire. Sit back, relax, and warm yourself by Jim Harold's Campfire. Longtime listener and supporter, Trevor, is on the line from the great state of Colorado. If you've not been there, you owe it to yourself. It is beautiful. And Trevor is going to, he has a unique, job. He's going to tell us about that job. And, well, one incident that was very, very strange.

And we're glad to have him with us. Trevor, thanks for all the support over the years. And tell us what happened. Okay. Well, I close abandoned mines, like, you know, different holes all over Southwest, America, mostly Arizona and New Mexico and Colorado. That's interesting. That's a different kind of work. That's cool. Yeah, it's crazy. You're out in the middle of nowhere for extended periods of time. And, you know, not a lot. Creepy has happened, but this one day it was just something was wrong. Or something. I don't know. But so we were closing an addict, which is, you know, the cave-looking ones that you walk into.

See all the time. So we were putting the day before, we'd put three and a quarter inch tube steel across one and blocked it off. And it wasn't very deep, maybe, I don't know, 10 feet, maybe a little more. You could see the back of it, the sides of it and everything. And nothing happened that day when we were closing it, but we couldn't get everything out of the area. So we left a generator there. So first thing the next day, we used a Kawasaki mule to go get the generator, me, and the guy I always work with. And when we get there, we hear, like, stomping around, like, there's an animal in there.

And we look, so we look in, and you can see, like I said, you can see all the sides. But it is like what it reminded me of is I grew up on a farm. So like something the size of like a smaller pig, like is like in there. And you know, you can hear like footsteps and it's going around. And my buddy Jeff, he's like something's in there. And I'm like, I know, but maybe it's just rocks falling, hidden the dust at the bottom. Right. Picking up dust.

So we stick our arms in. We don't feel anything. And you can see the dust moving right beyond the gate or the metal. bars. Right. So it's, it's weird. Like, we're like, there's something in here, but we can't see anything. So, um, he wants to take a grinder, start the generator and cut a bar off and go in. And I'm like, well, we don't even have a welder to fix it. So we can't do that. So we're kind of arguing. And, uh, yeah, it was weird. It was like there was like some, like, I don't mean to sound, you know, but like a ghost animal. Stomper.

Like you couldn't see footprints, but you could hear it. And it was like an animal turning, you know, like trying to get out. So we finally were like, I don't know what to do. So we grabbed the generator. We said sorry, you know, and we were thinking maybe that was up top, but we couldn't see anything. You know, you can see it wasn't very tall, so you can see the bottom. So we grabbed the generator and we go to our next hole about two and a half miles away on this cliff space. And you can see the road coming all the way in.

So we park a pickup, put everything in the U-TB, Kawasaki Mule. And we go to it and we're working and we're built. Nothing strange happened. I went in and explored a little bit. There was some, you know, right and left little corridors. You know, where the mine goes straight in and then other ones. and I found this cool room and I'd never seen one like it

it was just pitch black I was using my cell phone light but everything was smooth like they really did a good job to smooth all the rock when they carved it out and it was like a workshop I would assume

there was some wood in there but you couldn't tell it'd been a hundred years right so for some reason I sat down and I was just resting you know we were getting ready

to start working and I just said if anything's in here you should come hang out with me and I don't know why I said that out loud I'd never done that before so we start building the gate the they're called bat gates or bat walls they're little slots so bats can get in and out and we run out we're doing a bar we're about three bars up so you could still walk up over and out of the mine. One guy's on the inside, one guy's on the side. And we run out a welding wire when we're putting this one bar in. And I cut it a little too long. So Jeff goes and he gets, he's like, I'll drive the meal and hike out and get the welding wire. So it should take

him about 45 minutes an hour is what I thought. So I was like, I'll get it in without breaking that weld off. So I'm sorry. sitting there and I lift this heavy bar. It's about four feet long. I'm trying to get it to fit. And it's hitting a rock. Like, so you usually just take a hammer and you can hit the rock or hit the bar and it'll usually kind of go into where you need it to be and still be level. And when I did that, I realize I have everything balanced on my knee and my hand. It's heavy. and this hammer's about, I don't know, six inches of foot away. Yeah. And I'm trying to reach for it, and I can't get it, and I'm frustrated.

And I think, and I hear someone walk up behind me, and I was like, well, that's weird. You know, Jeff's gone. I'm alone. Yeah, there shouldn't be anybody in here. Yeah, there shouldn't be, I should be dead alone, you know, like, you know, no one should be in there. So I'm like, that's weird. it's only a four foot opening. How'd you sneak by me?

And he's not saying anything, and I'm trying not to turn around and keep this bar balance and grab the hammer. I said, it's great that you're here. Please hand me that hammer. And we mess with each other

because we always live together and everything. So I think he's just messing with me trying to spoof me. And I'm like, dude, who mess it around? This is heavy? You know, hand me the hammer. And I, and I,

So I'm reaching for it And all of a sudden, like, the steps get closer And I'm like, there, come on, man. Like, quit messing with me. We can talk after. I still don't know how you're behind me. And I'm like, just hand me the hammer. Kind of, like, frustrated.

Right, right. And the hammer just comes up. I'm like, looking at the bar And it just hits my boot. And I'm like, thanks. Was that that hard? And like, you know, just talking like my friend.

That wasn't that hard. And I'm hitting the bar and hitting the rock trying to free it. And you don't want to hit too hard because you don't want anything falling on your head. Right. From the old mind. And all of a sudden I'm hitting and I see Jeff and he's in the Kawasaki Mule coming up the road about a mile away. And I lost it. Like, I was like, I just shot out of there.

We had phone service. I won't, you know, I don't. kind of admit it, but I got FaceTime my wife immediately, and I was like, you have to hang out with me until he gets here. I can't blame you. I can't blame you. Yeah, I don't know what it was, but yeah, sounds like a ghost. Sounds like a ghost in the mind. That's what it sounds like to me. It was weird. I mean, I could hear the steps. Oh, that was another thing. Dust. Like, when they walked up, dust came up in my face. And that's when I, I was like, come on, man.

Like, I don't want to breathe all that. And, you know, and I could hear steps coming. There was, I don't remember seeing any footprints or anything. But yeah, it's totally like someone had walked up behind me and was just standing there. That's why I just assumed it was him. And yeah, dust kicked up and everything. Dang. Did you, did you know anything about the history of the mine or anything like that?

No, it's kind of hard to find stuff. Sure. The only one I ever found out about is we were doing a job near the Gila mountains, or New Mexico is on a border, and everything kept breaking, and everyone was fighting. It was a weird trip. It was not fun,

but everything would break. Brand new tools would break. And I looked it up, and they said that Geronimo had cursed it for everyone. But that was the only one. They're just little holes, so it's kind of hot. to find a lot of history. Well, that's amazing.

I mean, there's only one logical explanation here. You ran into the ghost in the mind. That's the logical explanation. Now, when you go into one of these minds now, if you have to go into one, do you think twice? You're like, is there a ghost down here? Does that run through your mind? Well, I mean, kind of, you always, I mean, no one, we always act like we don't.

But, yeah, everyone is always worried about it. Wow. You know, they have Tommy knockers here. Like, you know, you always hear about those. I don't know if that's what it was, but I don't know. Just that, if something walked up behind me, I probably wouldn't have thought twice. But when the hammer hit my foot and I had been trying to get it. It didn't just levitate by itself.

Yeah, that's wild. Yeah. And I never thought about it when I was. that one was eerie. And then with the other thing happened, I've never had that happen. Like, we're just looking at the dust like moving and like dirt move

before. That was already. So we're already a little on edge. Like, what's going on here? Pretty strange stuff. Pretty strange stuff. Yeah. Trevor, thank you so much for being on the show and sharing this great story. Stay spooky. Yeah, stay spooky, Jim.

Welcome to the campfire. I am Jim Herald. and so glad you could join us if you're new here. What we do is we feature fantastic stories like the one you heard from real people telling their true stories about encountering the paranormal. Could be ghosts, could be cryptic creatures, could be UFOs, but whatever they are, they are magnificent and they are true. And we started doing this way back in 2009 with no end in sight.

So looking forward to getting more of those great stories to you today, and we have a bunch. But speaking of amazing, we have another amazing podcast that's free that I wanted to tell you about it. And it is the paranormal report. I do that with my wife, Dar Harold. Each and every week, we look into the supernatural news, kind of like you saw in the picture there. Bring it back up. You could see there's a cryptic creature.

There's a ghost. There's an alien. We cover it all. My goodness, there was a lot to cover this last week with all the UFO news. and let's just say we have some opinions about what was and wasn't released. Check it out wherever you get this podcast on YouTube, on Spotify, on Apple Podcast. It's there. It's free. Check it out. I think you might like it. And I think you might like these great campfire stories.

She's a great supporter of the show plus club member. We appreciate it very much. Liska is on the line from Virginia. She has, dun-tun-ta-ta-ta-a-wijabord story. We're so glad to have her with us, Liska. Thank you for joining us and tell us what happened. Let's see. So this story takes place early 2000s at the University of Arizona, Go Wildcats.

And I'm changing the names to, you know, protect the innocent. Sure. But so this was my freshman year of college at University of Arizona. and we lived in a really large dorm called Coronado. And the thing about this dorm was it was half men on one side and half women on the other side, but all on the same floor. And I was playing the Ouija board with my sweetmate. We always just love to mess around with it. We're goofing around.

And we start talking to this one spirit who says that they are three years old. and we're like, okay, that's weird in a college dorm, but that they're three years old, and that they died choking is how we got this. And we're like, okay, this is very strange. Also, because not a lot of other things had been coming through. And then we said, okay, oh, and we got the name of the person. So we said they were three years old, name Andrew, and that they died choking.

And then we said, okay, do you have a message? for somebody here and it kept giving, spelling out C-A-D, C-A-D. And we're like CAD, CAD, and we're like, oh, it's initials. C-A-D, we don't know, you know, whatever. So we don't know, okay, say, you know, we're done with the session. We say goodbye. Later that evening, because it's freshman year,

we're still kind of mixing and mingling, getting to know one another. I go to a party. and I'm getting to know a guy who lived on my floor. And so just a couple doors down for me, actually. And I said, like, oh, getting to know you, you know, how many siblings do you have? And he says, like, oh, I have, you know, two siblings. Oh, well, actually three.

He said I had a brother that died before I was born when he was three years old. And I was like, oh, that's terrible. And he's like, he died choking on a hot dog. And it was terrible. So I've, like, froze because then immediately I realized that the guy I was talking to, I knew his first and last name, which was C, D. And I said, oh, my God, what is your middle name? And it was an A initial. So I was, like, C-A-D.

And then I was, like, so freaked out that I was just like, was his name? I just, like, blurted it out. I was like, was his name Andrew? And he's, like, looks at me dumbfounded. And I was like, yes. So that's the story. And I ended up immediately just like telling him right there, like, blah, because I was so freaked out. Well, yeah.

But he was, I mean, he was like, wow, that's really interesting. He couldn't, you know, really believe. He believed that it happened because I was very specific. But we became really good friends and, you know, hung out the next four years. So, but yeah, we've done lots of. you know, Ouija board things throughout the years, that that's the only time that I ever got, like, I felt like real 100% confirmation that this is somebody, that it was like a real person. Do you feel that that message was given to you because you were supposed to give it to his brother?

And somehow he knew from the other side that you guys were going to meet up and become friends. And this was a way to show him that he was still around just on the other side. Did you ever consider that possibility? I don't know. I just thought, yeah, maybe a spirit saw an opportunity and took it. But it was, I did tell him immediately, which I, like, kind of regretted. I was like, oh, that could be really, like, a bizarre thing to hear from someone when you're just getting to know them about a very sensitive situation. But I, like, didn't have any control in the moment.

I was so shocked. your friend must have sensed your new friend at that time must have sensed that you were being sincere and you weren't you know you weren't pulling a prank or trying to be funny or whatever he must have sensed that you were telling the truth simply because he continued being friends with you and you guys grew into good friends yes and i would have had no way of this this was like also before like right at the dawn of facebook and anything this was before that like and we They were just getting to know each other, like, beginning of the year. Like, it was, yeah, so. Well, Liska, it is a great story. I appreciate it very much. Thank you for sharing it. And again, I do think that the Ouija board taps into things.

And this time, I think it was kind of a, of course, sad about the little boy, but a happy ending. You made a connection. And maybe that made him feel as though his brother was still around somewhere and that they'd be reunited. I did one day. Leiska, thank you so much for your support telling your story. Stay spooky. Stay spooky, Jim. Thank you so much. When you're a mid-sized business, you need every competitive advantage you can get. Like an AI solution that works for you, not against you. SAP Grow is built with AI embedded at its core, working across every system.

And it's ready to go from day one so you can hit the ground running. Bring it with SAP Grow. AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Next up on the campfire is Lisa from Minnesota. She's been listening to the show for years. We appreciate that very much now. You know, over the years, we may have had one or two, but we've not had that many stories involving a church,

but this one does. And I'm very curious about this one. Ooh, spooky. Lisa, welcome to the show and tell us what happened. All right. Well, I'm from a small town in South Dakota, and my parents were part of a group that was starting a new congregation in that town. And they were looking for a good place to hold those services on Sunday. And the local funeral home had a chapel, so they thought that might be a good place to meet. Well, fast forward, it's Easter Sunday and my brother and two sisters and all of our families and spouses and everybody else. We're all back for Easter Sunday. and my four-year-old nephew was starting to get a little squirmy during church. So my sister took him out in the entryway so he could work off some of the wiggles.

Sure. And he's, pardon? I said, sure. That makes sense. I've seen that happen when I used to go to church a lot. You know, you take the kid out and get regrouped so you don't disturb things. It makes sense. Go ahead.

Yeah. And now it's a long time to sit still, especially when you're four years old. Yeah. So he was out in the entryway and moving around a little bit. bit, and he looked over towards the glass doors where, remember, we're in a funeral home, and this glass door leads to the viewing rooms. And he looks over, and he waves. And he looks at his mom and says, who are all those people? And she gets this shock look on her face, and he can tell that this is maybe a little scary place to be. And he said, well, mom, at least they're all smiling.

Ooh. She picked him up and took him back into church. Oh, my. And it wasn't like a reflection. of the congregation or anything. Like these were people he was looking at smiling. Wow. Yeah, it was a separate room from the church. So it's not like they could have reflected off that door. Right, right. Wow. Wow. Now, does he remember this? I bet he doesn't. No, he doesn't. He's a junior in high school now. So yeah, it's long gone memory. Why are all those people smiling? Well, and like he said, at least they're smiling. Maybe they were happy because of the services or whatever. You gave me the willies, Lisa.

You gave me the willies. And that's not easy to do after a hundred stories. But at least they were smiling. That's right. At least they were smiling. Short, sweet, but what a great story. So do you think and does your family think those were like maybe ghosts of people, the funeral home had taken care of essentially or reflections of them?

Could be. I mean, a small town and it's very social. So, you know, maybe they thought they'd see other friends and family being Easter Sunday. and looking through the door from the back. Maybe they had the wiggles. I don't know. Very interesting. Lisa, thanks for sharing your story on the campfire and stay spooky.

Thanks. Stay spooky, Jim. Next up on the campfire is Carol. And we're so glad to have her with us from New Mexico, and she's going to talk to us about her son. Carol, welcome to the show, and please tell us your experience. Well, thanks for having me. I'm really happy to tell this story. even though it's got an element of real sadness.

But I want to start by saying that I'm the mother of three sons. And my oldest son was born on February 13. And my youngest is born on February 11, about six years apart. So that second week of February is always a special week in our house. And my middle son, who this story is about, was born in December. And he was a real empathetic philosopher type person, but he had a real mischievous streak as well.

And whenever he would come home, he'd always greet me, and he'd say, hello, mama bear, and he'd give me a big era. That's what I always remember about him. But unfortunately, in his late teens, he became addicted to hard drugs. And one of the hardest parts of watching this was I watched, his eyes go flat. And I couldn't find his soul anymore when I looked in his eyes. And he had such a deep whole soul. He was so creative and he loved music and he loved art and he loved people. And he had such deep thoughts. And it was just so hard to not be able to find him anymore when I looked at his

And that was the hardest part about losing him. And he did eventually die of an overdose. Sorry. But in all honesty, I felt like I had lost him a couple of years before he died because I could not find him anymore. But the story goes on. About a year after his death, we were moving into that birthday week in February for my other two sons.

And I knew that I wanted to plan something special for him. Kind of sense that I wanted to have something of an element of surprise in it as well. So I was thinking about that. And during that time frame, while I was pondering what to do, I had a dream. And in my dream, I was in my house. And I was thinking about planning this February birthday week. and for some reason I had a sense that I needed to go out in the backyard. So I went out in our backyard and saw along the back fence a long clothesline with a white sheet hanging down over.

And in real life, that clothesline doesn't exist. It's not there. But in the dream, it was there. And I knew for some reason that I needed to go behind that sheet. And then I would be able to plan this birthday surprise. So I went up to the sheet and I pulled it to the side and I walked behind it. And there was my middle son. And he was standing there with this huge grin on his face.

Like, ha, I got you. I pulled a on you. And it was just like him wanting to do something like that. And he was so pleased with himself because he had, you know, pulled a fast one on me. And then he said, surprise. And he said, hello, mama there. And then he gave me a big hug. And this dream was so vivid.

I could feel this hug as if it were happening in real life. I could feel his warm body against mine. I could feel his strong arms wrapped around me tight. But the best part was, I'm getting a kid emotional, but the best part was his eyes because they were warm and deep and full. And I looked in his eyes and I found him. He was fully, whole, fully there. And I knew that he was his whole, full self again. And I just leaned into that hug.

and just felt him there. And then I woke up. And I lay in my bed and I could still feel it. I could still feel the hug. And in my mind's eye, I could still see his eyes. And I'd lay there for at least 30 minutes because the hug, I could still feel it until finally that feeling started to fade away. But ever since that day, I, you know, I miss my son dearly. But my heart isn't sad because I know he's good. He's fully fine. He's fully healed. And he's his

full true self. And I don't worry about him. And I just, I know he's good. That is awesome. That is awesome. And I do believe they find a way to communicate. And I do think many times it can come through the dream state. And, I mean, again, although this is an extremely sad situation, it seems like you've taken a lot of positive out of this. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, like I say, I mean, it's a that all a mom wants to know is that their kids are okay. That's true. That's true. That's true. He's totally, I mean, he's more than okay. I mean, his eyes were, they were more whole than I had ever seen him even when he was living. Because he always had some pain. But he was totally good, more than fine.

Well, thank you. Thank you for sharing this because, as I was telling you off air, I think it's so important when people have these and your video froze there for a minute, But that's okay, that's okay. That doesn't detract from what we're talking about here. I think it's so important when somebody has an experience like you've had that you share it because we don't know how many people out there listening who have had similar experiences. And I think it's very, very helpful for them. And I've had people tell me. You know, I decided to tell my story because I heard another story. It helped me. Maybe my story will

help somebody else. So thank you for helping. Carol, thank you for being a part of the campfire tonight. Very welcome. Thanks for having me. Next up on the campfire is Victoria from California, and she's a relatively new listener, having found us back in 2024. We appreciate it very much. And Victoria, you were going to tell us about an experience at an Airbnb. Thank you for joining us. Tell us what happened. Thank you. Yeah, so this actually happened pretty recently. It was this past year. So it was March of 2025. And if anyone knows San Diego, it's just known to be haunted if you're like familiar. So a lot of rich history there. I used, I'm driving from L.A. so I'm only a couple hours away. And I had been down there to kind of seek out the paranormal. So I had gone to the Whaley house. gone to Old Town, looked at the cemeteries and all that. But funny enough, this story happens not for one of those trips.

I was actually down there for a very normal reason. A really good friend of mine, family friend, was graduating from the Marines. So he was stationed out at the base there. Yeah. So he finished boot camp back at like the end of February about a year ago. And so his family invited me to go to the graduation because I was. wasn't that far. His family was coming from San Francisco area. So they flew down early that week. His graduation was on a Friday. And he has a little sister. So they made like a whole trip out of it.

They were going to take her to like Lego land and do all that fun stuff. Cool. Yeah. So they got an Airbnb and they stayed there from like Monday and they were going to stay all the way through the weekend and then like go to Disneyland at the end of the week. So I had work, unfortunately. I could not have fun with. them that whole week. So I was going to just do like a quick 24 hour trip. So I pretty much drove to San Diego after work on Thursday. And I was just, it was like very quick trip for me. So I got to San Diego around like 7, 30, 8 o'clock. And I met them at a restaurant. They were already eating dinner. So like hadn't seen the house yet. Like didn't know where we were staying. Oh, there goes the dog. Sorry.

That's all right. And so after the dinner, the graduation one's going to be really early the next morning. Like, they treat you like you're a Marine. Like, they will make you get up at 4 in the morning. So we were not going to get a lot of sleep. Yeah, so we leave the restaurant around 10 o'clock and we get to this Airbnb. And because we have to wake up at 4 in the morning, we were like, let's just crash. Let's go to bed now.

And it's a really small, it was so cute. It was this little Spanish style townhome, two-story, just, you know, very old, like, looks super cute and cool. So you go in and the kitchen's immediately on the left and then stairs are on the right. And living room, there's a bedroom downstairs and there's a bedroom upstairs. So in this house was just going to be, because obviously my friend is still at boot camp at this point. So I'm just staying with family members. his grandparents are sleeping downstairs, his mom and stepdad are upstairs. And so was a sister. So they're like, oh, you can sleep in this loft thing up here.

And I go up and it was a really hot weekend and I like cannot sleep in heat whatsoever. So I was like, I'm going to pass on that. Let me grab this air mattress that I found. And I'm going to sleep in the living room downstairs because it was a little bit cooler. And it's one of those fancy air mattresses that are like three feet off the ground, like three feet tall and Queen's. size, whatever, can't complain. So I moved the coffee table in this living room and I blow up the air mattress. I'm like getting settled in. Everyone's like pretty much asleep already. And my head is like where the couch is and then like my feet are facing towards like the front.

So right in front of me, because this house was, you know, obviously that he, the Airbnb very much held the integrity of what this house should have been. I had the original terracotta tiles, typical Spanish style home. So these walls were painted like a deep, like maroon color almost. But it had these like stark white like shutters over all the windows. So directly in front of me, I have two windows with these white shutters and just some wall decorations because the TV is actually in the corner. So TV's not directly in front of me. So I fall asleep pretty quickly, surprisingly. And I'm laying on my side. So I'm like facing towards the stairs. I'm like not facing the front. And suddenly, I feel like my mattress being shifted, like along the tile.

Like someone's like trying to move my mattress a little bit. And air mattresses are really noisy, you know? Like I'm not even going to try to recreate the sounds. Right. Gotcha. If you know, you know. So it almost feels like my mattress is shifting. And it starts to wake me up a little bit. And I'm like, okay.

And all of a sudden it feels like someone like very angrily or like frustrated, like, like kicks the corner, like the front corner. And then it like really jostles me. It's like making me sway back and forth. I'm like, oh. And I'm thinking it's his grandpa. Now mind you, like these people have known me like my whole life. So like, I don't know. Maybe I thought it was like his grandpa like joking or maybe he couldn't sleep or maybe I don't know. So I don't want to feel like he woke me up. So I still am like laying there. But then I get kicked two more times. And then I'm like, Okay, what's going on? So I roll flat onto my back and I do it slowly because I, you know, if grandpa is there and he's like, can't sleep or something, I just don't want to be like, I don't want to scare him, like, whatever.

But I roll and I look directly in front of me like where the windows are. And there is the shadow of a tall slender man standing at the foot of the bed. Oh, gosh. Yeah. And I'm just going to keep it 100 with you. Okay, everyone in this family is Mexican. Okay, no one is tall. No one is super tall and skinny.

Okay. No one in this house is. So whoever was standing there was like at least six foot something because where the head level was was where this, they had this like decorative like pendant thing hanging. And I remember the first thing I noticed was like that it was level. with that and I was like, dude, whoever this is is tall, like, this thing is new feeling. And you had to, I'm one thinking that maybe you thought, oh gosh, who is in my room, right?

Yeah, yeah, no. Well, actually, my initial thought wasn't that, oh, my God, who is this? My initial thought was, no, this has to be like a coat rack or something, right? Because, like, I really hadn't been in this house long enough to, like, really take it in and remember. So I was almost trying to reason with it and be like, no, I'm looking at like a shelf or a coat rack or something that I just didn't remember being in front of me. So, and I've had this happen before where you like, you stare at something, you think it's a person. And then it starts to merge into like whatever it really is, like coat on the chair or whatever. So, but the longer I'm staring at it and it's not moving. It's not kicking anymore, kicking my bed.

I am only seeing it more like a person. And here's the thing is I start to really see the outline of the arms. And he was giving soldier to me because he was kind of standing like really tall with his arms back and almost like arms kind of floating at the side. And the more I stared, the more I could see the outline of like the flat hat and like a jacket almost. And this, it was solid. Like I couldn't see facial features. Like, it was just solid black. It was almost like I was looking at like a cardboard cut out.

And I kept staring. I was like almost squinting at it because I was like, there's no way. And then to my absolute horror, instead of morphing into like a piece of furniture that I could have been mistaken enough, he completely fades away. Like right in front of my eyes. Like I didn't blink and he was gone. Like it was like, I watched him. like dissipate. And I can see like the, the white shutters behind him. I knew he was solid because of those white shutters. He was a perfect outline. And then all of a sudden I could start to see the

like the distinction of the color of the wall and the shutter and the, the decorations on the, he completely just like missed it away. It was the weirdest thing. So then I'm like really awake. And I'm like, oh, that was cool. Like, I got to go back to bed. I don't know. You're way more chill than I am because I'd be like... I don't know. It's so weird because like in the past of experience crazy things. Like so many more stories, which you'll care for me. But this was like one of those times, I guess maybe it's the first experience I've had as an adult where I'm like, you know what? I'm, I got to go to bed. I got things to do tomorrow. So I looked at my phone and it was like one

in the morning. And so I was like, okay, well, I had definitely been sleeping before. Like I I knew I had been asleep. So I just went on my phone for a little bit and somehow fell asleep again. And then the rest of the night kind of went without incident. But the crazy thing was in the morning. So I wake up, we wake up very early, of course. We're all tired. And grandparents are up first and we're having some coffee in the kitchen and getting ready to leave.

And his grandpa happens to ask me, he's like, oh, like, how did you sleep last night? And I asked him, I was like, oh, I slept okay. Did you happen to, like, get up in the middle of the night by any chance? Because I was like, he was the only person I could think of that it could possibly be. And he goes, no, I like didn't get up until I just woke up right now, like to go to the bathroom. And he was like, why do you ask? And I said, well, I thought you came into the living room last night, but I'm just checking or whatever. And he's like, no, I never got up, never went to the living.

room nothing and he's like, what, what's going on? So because I've known them for a long time, I could have just, you know, I was able to kind of straight up say, oh, I think I saw a ghost last night. Like, I was almost kind of half joking when I said it. I was like, oh, I saw a ghost last night. And his grandparents, like, slam their hands on the table and they're like, we knew it. And I was like, what? Did you know? Like, what am I missing? And they're like, well, we've been having experiences in this house all week. Like, we need this house for profit. And I was like, oh, thank you for telling me. Like, that's all. awesome. And they're like, well, we didn't know anything that's going to happen to you. You're only

going to be here for one night. So his parents come down and they were all telling me stories from the whole week. And the whole, obviously, you can't tell all of them. That would take forever. But they had very insane experiences. And all I can say was like poltergeist activity, very aggressive, very angry, whoever this was. It was clear that it was a man, like a male spirit, like a tall male spirit. But no one had really gotten a good look at him like I did. And I told them, I said he kind of looked like a soldier. Like, I don't know if I'm, I don't know, like, he just looked like a soldier to me. And his grandpa made a good point that where we were staying was formerly one of the

battlegrounds for the Mexican-American War. And, yeah. So which, like, most of San Diego is, unfortunately. That was entire, like, it was all just battlegrounds for a long time. So just a ton of history there. And that night, I was. was back in L.A. and his mom called me, and she said that she had talked to the Airbnb host. And he was like, how was your stay? You know, after they checked out later that day as well.

And she goes, oh, it was awesome. Like, I would totally stay here again. Did you know your house was on it? They just kind of casually brought it up. And he goes, oh, my God, I'm so sorry. Like, please, like, I hope that doesn't make your rating, like a bad rating or whatever. Like, he was so apologetic, but he knew. He knew it was. He knew it was. Yeah. But. But he had explained. That could be a selling point. That could be a selling point for that. I know.

I was like, yeah, he did not. The house was super nice, though. So like, no shade. No shade to this Airbnb host. He's amazing. He was awesome. His house was very cute. But he,

the thing was, was that he said that it's weird because he used to live in the house. It used to be his house. He ended up building his own. And he lived in it and never had anything happen. And then he started listing it as an Airbnb. And he said it's super random. Like some people stay there and nothing happens.

And then sometimes. people stay there and they have like severe poltergeist activity and this shadow figure. So what we, yeah, after a really long conversation, we started to put two and two together. And we personally came up with this theory that if you are Hispanic or Mexican, maybe he shows himself to you more. Because everyone in the house was Hispanic. And I'm half, but I'm half Asian. So maybe that's like he disappeared. He was like, oh, never mind.

But the, you know, the host is not Hispanic. He explained that his family members used to stay there and that no one ever had anything. But he's, you know, very random who experiences things. But that was kind of our personal theory, just based on the history. Very interesting. That's a great story, Victoria. And feel free to come back on the show at some point. Tell us some more.

We'd love to hear them. Thank you for joining us tonight. and stay spooky. Stay spooky. Thank you. Dear Canadian exporters, our ambitions, our ideas, and our potential were never meant to be boxed in. Nothing can contain us. With the support of Export Development Canada's market insights and financial solutions,

you can turn obstacles into opportunities, discover new markets, and keep our nation front and center on the global stage. The world needs more Canada. Together, let's give it to them. Visit edc.ca to learn more. She's been listening for a couple of years and we're so glad she found us. Maddie is on the line from Illinois

and Maddie is going to tell us, well, about something happened when she was very, very young and it's very, very special. Maddie, welcome to the program. Thank you for joining us and tell us what happened. Thank you, Jim. So unfortunately, when I was

two or three years old, we lost my uncle jay he uh took his life unfortunately um after that um his spirit kind of like started showing to me and so like the first like few of these stories are like my parents they won't go on here so the first two are from them um i'll start with my dad because he's very skeptical so he would catch me like talking to somebody and he'd kind of be like maddie who are you talking to. And I'm like, oh, I'm talking to Uncle Jay. And well, you know, my dad was kind of skeptical and was like, okay, this is weird. Maybe it's her imagination. So he was very like, kind of like, okay. And then my Puppas house, they took a big photo of everybody all together. And you see my Uncle Jay

behind my dad. And it's just exactly how I saw him. It was just his head. And you see it. And you see a hand. And my dad was like, this is insane. Like she, she actually saw him. And he like believed me after that every time I said something. He said that I'd say some weird stuff. And he was like, okay, I didn't know you knew that. And then my mom, his story is a little more, she's more of a believer than he was. And so my mom would go shower, go do something. And, you know, she'd come and tuck me in and tell me good night. And she'd leave, go do whatever she's going to do. And while she turned my light off as she left,

and it was a pull string from the ceiling. And so she pulled the string. And she'd come back over like 10, 20 minutes later. And she'd look and be like, why is her light on? And, you know, she'd look at me and be like, why is your light on? Like, you're supposed to be going to bed. And I was like, oh, Uncle Jay wants to play. he he turned the light back on and she's like okay well jump on your bed and see if you can reach the

string so i'm tucked in bed and she tells me to get up and jump to touch the string and so i do that and i can't reach i'm like two three years old i can't reach the string at all and you know she's kind of like oh okay like this is weird and then she she like goes okay well mattie you to go to bed. Jay, she has to go to bed. You need to leave her alone. And after that, she turned the light off and left. And it was perfectly fine. He stayed with me all through until I was like five years old. And then we moved from there to a different place. And he stayed with me. And the scariest thing that happened was the Grim Reaper came into my room. And my uncle Jay told me, yeah, I was five at this time when this happened because he was with me from two, three years old to five.

And he came in my room with this dark shadow and it looked exactly like a grim reaper. You know, I'm young, so I didn't know exactly, you know, what it was. Right. And he goes, Maddie, I have to go. And I started buying my eyes out. Like, don't leave me. Like, I was, I was freaking out. And this is, like, the main thing I remember.

Like, this is from me. And, you know, they, like, vanished. And I ran, like, through where they were to my parents' room, bowing my eyes out. And I went to my parents. And I'm like, he took Jay away, this weird guy in a rope. And he had this big stick with an arch on it. And he took him away. And I was freaking out.

My dad jumped up. My mom jumped up. They didn't know what to do. because all of this is coming out of my mouth. And he's like, they're like, oh, my God, like, what just happened? And it was so, like, scary seeing, like, a Grim Reaper in my room. Like, I don't know what he was. I was five.

I was like, what is this? And then eventually, you know, growing up, I, like, like, I can picture him in my head and the Grim Reaper standing behind him in just the detail on everything. thing. Like, I mean, you could see what he did and it's just literally just his head. And he, it was so scary for a five-year-olds to see. Sure, sure. Now, do you think the reason was is that it was quote, time for your uncle to go? Or do you think it was because you were getting older? Because a lot of times we hear these stories and children have these stories of seeing loved ones and those things. But once they hit a certain age, it's like, it's almost like they hit a wall and they don't see them anymore.

And in fact, many times they forget. And then it's, you know, the adults telling the stories, do you remember the time that Johnny or Janie used to see thus and so, and then they've forgotten about it? So you remember it. But do you think it was because you were reaching like a cutoff age? Or you just felt that whatever this thing was was taking him and he had to go because of that? I think he just took him because even after that, I could still see like ghosts or

spirits. I was told I was gifted. And so I believe that he took him to like a different side. You know, I even asked my dad, like, where do you think he went? And he's like, I don't know, because I don't know how that is kid. Like, I don't know where he goes. Well, I know where he needed to go. I don't think any of us really know if you think about it. I mean, I think we have theories and I know I believe we go on, but no one really 100% knows. I mean, the people that I think would be closest, are those people who've had near-death experiences. Well, I thank you for sharing this. I do want to mention one thing because any time the topic of someone passing through a suicide comes up,

I always mention this because maybe it'll help somebody else out there. If you are in need or if someone you know is in need, please refer to the 988 Lifeline. They're at 988 Lifeline.org using 988 Lifeline as free when you call text or chat, the 988 lifeline, your conversation is confidential. The 988 lifeline provides you judgment-free care talking with someone can help save your life. So please, if you're in need, if someone you know is in need, please reach out and we hope that helps some people. And Maddie, thank you for telling your story because that allows us to get that message out and could help people out there. So as for now, in terms of your sensitivity psychically, are you still very sensitive psychically? Or is that something

you've quote outgrown? I still, like, feel things and see some stuff. I kind of tried to, like, block it out with, like, logical stuff. Actually, like, just before this, I went into a different room in my house, and I heard a sup, like, from a dude. And I'm, like, none of the windows are open. I look around, and I'm like, there's nothing here. My dog's ears are perked up, and he's, like, look at our house.

around and I'm like, did you hear it to? Like, it was just a man's voice going so. And I'm like, looking around like, that's something. Well, if you have more stories, please do come back on. I appreciate you coming on the show and stay spooky. Thank you, Jim. Stay spooky. Just a quick word before we get back to the great campfire stories and really have enjoyed the show this week and every week. But if you want to get the first, full catalog going back all the way to 2009. There's one way to do it. Jimherald.com slash plus. Jimherald.com slash plus. And there you can go back and listen to all of the great episodes that we've done over the years. And something we're doing now is we're doing our

remastered series. So we're going back with the Campfire and the paranormal podcast. We're re-editing them to take out any external ads. We're cleaning up the audio so they sound better than ever and the only way you can get those remastered episodes is through the plus club another thing we're doing brand new it's called the spooky studio net and is per plus members only dar and i do this kind of networking meeting with our members and we've done two of them one in the morning one in the evening and we're going to kind of alternate like that where you come on and you just say hey i'm so and so from thus and so place the weather's like this this is what i've got going on we'll have trivia, we'll have maybe a question of the day.

It's a lot of fun, and people are really enjoying it, and you can only get access to it if you are a plus club member. And we actually release the super secret URL on our behind the scenes podcast, which is also a plus club exclusive behind the scenes. If you're not listening to it and your plus club member, make sure to check it out. It's behind the scenes with Jim and Dar, where we just talk about life. It's not necessarily paranormal.

Just what goes on and running a little family-based media operation, just things going on in our life, just stream of consciousness for 20 or 30 minutes every couple of weeks behind the scenes. And you can get that wherever you get your other Plus Club shows. But you have to be a member first. Jimherald.com slash plus. Jimherald.com slash plus. We have great deals.

Apple Podcasts, their system, go with them, they have a free trial. If you go with our supporting cast version, we have these big discounts, you know, $5 off your first month or, what is it, is it $30 off your first year if you decide to go with the year. So I'm telling you, they're great deals. They're available. If you have never checked out the Plus Club, please do go check it out because I got to tell you, yeah, we have some ads on these shows.

But they don't do anything near what they used to do for. us. We only can continue to do this as our full-time pursuit because of our Plus Club members. So first, thank you Plus Club members. And secondly, if you're not one and you can afford it and you love our content and want to see it going, that's the biggest way you can support us by joining our Plus Club at Jimherald.com slash plus. I thank you so much for your consideration. And now next story up. Teresa's on the line and she's listened to every episode of the Camp Fire. Thank you Teresa. And she's going to tell us about an experience, well, it revolves around a strange light. And it is indeed strange.

Teresa, welcome to the show. Thank you for being so loyal listening to every episode. Tell us what happened. Thank you. Thank you for having me. A couple years ago, I had gotten back in touch with an old friend of my school that I actually had dated for several years. and we came back around to see each other again. And it's been about 30 years. And so I provided him over for dinner one night. And we were sitting here.

We had dinner and we were talking. And we got to talk about God and religion and different types of religion. And he had told me that he had started going to different churches and different denominations to learn about him, to see what the differences in, you know, differences in the... Sure, sure. Which I was totally floored because I never picked him to do that. I never thought he was a Christian to begin with. We never spoke about it.

So we got talking about it, and he was telling me all the different places he'd been. And I'm like, wow, you know, I'm just really intrigued. I'm just really intrigued with him. and I'm sitting there and I'm listening to him and all of a sudden I feel like I'm in this trance like I'm literally in this trance and I'm looking at him and I'm listening to him but I couldn't break this trance

it was like wow and I'm thinking on my head what is going on here what in the world I could not turn my head I was just fixated on him and he's just going on and on and on and talking and then all of a sudden he starts talking in a different language and a different foreign language

I've never even heard Oh my It's like speaking in tongues Yes And I didn't know that though When it was actually happening And I started kind of getting a little bit scared I'm like what's going on here

And I was freaking out a little bit And I all over things So I still was staring at him Listening to him talk Not knowing what he's saying And all of a sudden Now growing up up as a child, I was made to go to church. And honestly, I just, I didn't care for it because I

didn't understand it. I didn't understand it. And so I didn't know a whole lot about the Bible. I didn't know too many verses, but I knew a few. So anyways, so he's doing this. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I start talking and I am realizing that I am talking and saying and repeating Bible verses Bible verses that I've never heard of Bible verses that I've never don't even know what they meant Never heard of in my life

And in my head I'm thinking what is going on here I knew this was happening But I couldn't stop It was just coming out like word vomit And so this went on for a few minutes And then all of a sudden I'm staring at him

He's staring at me And all of a sudden The room we both got silent. And the room lit up in the most beautiful, brightest color yellow. Wow. Like it was so beautiful. It was so beautiful.

And the feeling in the room was unbelievable. It was so amazing. And there was the sweetest smell I have ever smelt in my entire life. And I've never smelt it ever again since that night. I can't even explain to you what the smell smelled like. It was so sweet. But the brightness in my room, at the same time, we looked at each other and said,

did you just see that? The room just lit up. And so now we're looking at each other on what's going on, you know? And then right after that, out of the right corner of my eye, I saw this huge, bright gold flash. Like, it was huge. I mean, I'm like, how could you miss it? And I looked, I turned my head, and I looked, and there was nothing there, but there was something there because I saw it out of the corner of my eyes.

And he said, did you see that? And he goes, see what? And I said, that gold flash right here, right here. And he goes, no. And I said, oh, I said, okay, well, I did. I saw something. And this over, this feeling of peace came over me that I've never. never felt before in my life.

I've had a lot of things happen in my lifetime that had me question about God. Is it really a good God? I went back and forth. Right. And yeah. And so we're sitting there and I'm like, I said, we were talking. And I said, well, when you were telling me, I said, well, you were talking to me in that other language.

And he goes, what other language? I go, I don't know. I said, I don't know what the other language. He was, I was talking to you in a different language, and I said, yeah, but I don't know what it was because I couldn't understand it. He was just now, I was talking to you. I said, yes. So he didn't even realize he was doing? No, he had no idea. Now me, I was realizing I was saying these Bible verses, it took me a minute to figure out what they were, and then I realized they were Bible verses.

I just had never heard of them before or heard anybody, yes. So I was getting a little nervous, but then I was like, this piece came over me. Like something was saying, don't be nervous. This is not anything to be nervous about. So it happened, and we sat there for hours and pondered on this. And we were like, we couldn't figure out what happened. So my dad, who was a devout Christian, I wanted to call him, but this is in the middle of the night. And so I knew I didn't want to wake him up.

So I couldn't wait any further. any longer, any longer. So it's 6 o'clock in the morning. I couldn't wait no more, and I called my dad. And I said, I'm sorry I had to woke you up, but I have something so important. I was crying. I was crying, and I couldn't stop.

And I told my dad the story, and my dad had there in silence for a minute. And I said, what? You know, say something. And he says, I'm going to say this. Do you know that what happened to you tonight has only happened to a handful of, people in the entire world, the entire world.

So you know how many people in the entire world would love for this to happen to them? And I said, well, tell me what it is because I'm panicking here. I think I know what you're going to say, but go ahead. Yes. And he says, well, he says, you get a meeting with God. You had a sit down with God. And I go, what do you mean? I sit down.

He goes, you were sitting right there. And when Richard was speaking to you, he was speaking to you in tongues. And that was God speaking to you. That was God speaking directly to you. And I go, what? And I mean, I'm shaking. I'm like, no way. Like, no way.

I'm shaking, literally. And I'm crying. I can't stop crying. And my dad says, I've got some advice because if this happened to you, I can't believe this happened to my daughter. And he started crying. I can't believe this happened to my own daughter. But I'm going to give you some advice. This happened to you.

And it's happened to a lot of people in the world. You need to go and you need to go to God and you need to talk to God. You need to have a sit down and talk to him about some stuff. And I knew what he was talking about. There have just been some things over my life that, you know, I've never had forgiven myself for or done something. And nothing made you bad or nothing, but just things that bothered me. And that's what my dad was talking about.

And he said, so I was still a little on the sense about things because I was so shook up over everything. It took me a while. And about two months later, I finally got in my car because I never stopped thinking about it. I got in my car and I went for a drive. And for three hours, I started talking to guys like he was sitting right next to me. And for three hours, I drove around my county for three hours and I didn't stop talking to him. nonstop. I just kept talking and talking. It was like I had so much to let out that I didn't even know I had to let this out.

And I felt so good afterwards. And I knew that day from that day forward that all the times that I have wondered, is it really a heaven or a hell or God or devil or evil? I know what my heart gal there is. I know 100% there is. and I didn't tell the story very to hardly anybody besides my dad and Richie, the friend that was here, and he didn't even tell anybody this story because he was unsure himself. And then I finally broke out and I had told a couple of my friends the story. And they were like, why didn't you tell us?

I'm like, I don't know. It was hard for me to actually understand that that really happened because I kept thinking maybe I was dreaming. But I wasn't. Well, I think these kind of things can happen. I definitely think that can happen. And I mean, I think if you can be, you know, they talk about people being possessed by the devil. Well, if that's the case, I think it could be the other way around too. I agree.

And because I thought you were going to say maybe possessed by the Holy Spirit, for example. And I don't get overly religious on the shows, but I do have faith. And I do believe that what you're describing is possible. I believe what you're describing is possible. So, Teresa, thank you for sharing. I know you were nervous about it, but you had no, I mean, I don't want to say you had no reason to be because it could be nerve-wracking, you know, kind of exposing your innermost stories and experiences. But on the other hand, you did a fine job, and, you know, I think it's good. We like to present a range of experiences, and this is something a little bit different, but I'm glad you called in to share your experience.

night. Yeah, thank you. And thank you for having me. Well, thank you for having me. I enjoyed it. And I'm glad I got to tell my story because maybe somebody else out there has maybe had a similar experience. It could be. You know, I don't really know if it's appropriate, but it's what we say on the show. I'll say, stay spooky. Stay, keep it spooky. Yeah, I know. I hear you. All right, you guys. Tell Dara, hi. I just love her. Oh, me too. Me too. But good, good call. Thanks, Teresa. All right. Bye-bye. This episode is brought to you by L'Oreal Group.

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hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what if. Just style you love and quality you can trust. Visit Wayfair.cair, every style, every home. Next up on the campfire is Jen, you may remember a while back. She had a story about some SpaghettiOs. That was a Campfire classic. You have to go back in the annals and listen to that one. And she is back from Kentucky. And she has a story. that is too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence. Those are some of my favorite stories. Jen, welcome to the show and tell us what happened this time around.

Well, thanks, Jim. Thanks for having me again. Okay, so I mentioned when I called in the first time, I hung out with a bunch of older women in my family when I was a child. I was the youngest of three children. My sister and brother were four and five years older than me. So everybody in the family was kind of doing their own things. So I was lucky enough to have a bunch of older women in my life who I spent almost every weekend with.

I grew up in Cincinnati, even though I live in northern Kentucky now. So this story is based in CINC. So my mom's mom, we called her OMA. And she grew up in a really poor family in an area. called Oakley. And she was hired by a wealthy woman who she and her, this woman and her husband built a big, beautiful tutor home in the 20s in an area called Hyde Park in Cincinnati. And this woman, her name was Marie Ellerhorst. And they didn't, she and her husband didn't have any children. And she hired Myelma when she was in high school to be a maid for her. Well, the story goes that

But my auntie, we ended up calling her Auntie Reed because her name was Marie. But she fell in love with Myoma and basically said, this is silly, you're going to be my daughter. You're not going to work for us anymore. Oh, wow. It's kind of a cool story. They put her through, of course, high school and back then, even college, which was unusual for women back then. And, you know, myoma became part of her family. She actually worked for Annie Ree's husband's company, and that's where she found her husband, and, you know, et cetera, et cetera.

So it's a cool story, and I'm telling you this because this home that they built the Tudor home is a big part of this story. So flash forward to 2010, and I'm unfortunately getting a divorce, and I have three girls. and it was amicable. And my ex-husband and I wanted to find a good place for myself and the girls to live, close to school, friends, et cetera. And so we found this rental house. We had looked at quite a few things, and we found this rental house that was not too far from Annie Ree's house, but, you know, I'd say maybe, you know, five, ten-minute drive. And we ended up being there for three years. it was a wonderful place to be, very peaceful.

And one day I got a phone call from a woman who I had met a couple times. She and her husband, this woman, had bought Annie Ree's home from Annie Ree when she got too old to live there. And they had lived in Annie Ree's house for 29 years. They were the only ones who had lived there since Annie Re had moved out. And after 29 years, their kids had grown. up and moved and they were ready to downsize. So this woman tracked me down. We had some mutual friends and said, we're about to move. And I have a bunch of your anneries wicker furniture. It's out in the garage if you're interested. And I said, oh my goodness, I would love that,

of course. So I went over to the tutor home that I mentioned before. And this woman opens the door and we're just kind of chatting and she's what you know what's going on in your life where do you live and I said uh well I live on Alt Park Avenue um this was a beautiful street and literally my backyard was the woods of a park um and it was it's always really serene and she got this funny look on her face and she turned around and she kind of yelled to her husband somewhere in the house, she said, honey, what was our address on Alt Park Avenue? And he said it, and she looked at me and she said it, and I said, that's my rental home address. So basically, there's no way in all of the homes in all of Cincinnati that I ended up renting the home of the people that bought Annie Ree's home.

Wow, wow. I'll tell you, it's one of those things. I always get amazed by these kind of things. We had a gentleman in the UK, and I won't get this story exactly right. I know I won't get it exactly right, but the gist is this. He was visiting somewhere, I think, somewhere else in England or somewhere, and he was in a pub, and he was talking to some guy, and he said the town he's from. And he had never seen him. this guy before in his life. And he said, well, where are you from? And he named the same town. And he's like, oh, the same town, that's kind of cool. It's like, well, what, and I think the gentleman who called in was a little older and the other guy was a little younger. But the gist of it, it may not be the exact details, but this is the gist.

And he said, yeah, I live in such a such a town. I'm from such and such a town. He's like, well, what neighborhood? And he names the neighborhood. And it's like, that's the neighborhood I'm from. And then he names the street. And the guy goes, oh my God, that's a street I'm from. He said, what was your address?

And he had the same address. They both lived in the same house at different times. Wow. Same thing. Same thing. And I just, I'm like, I'm like, is it a sign? I mean, was that a sign maybe from Reeve that just kind of like kind of of a god wink kind of thing or you know what I'm saying? Absolutely. I absolutely believe, you know,

the ladies, I call them my ladies, Auntie Rhee and Oma, they absolutely led me to that rental house. I believe it. Multiple things in my life have happened where I believe that's the case and this certainly was one because there's just no way. And I do believe this. I think we are led to certain things at certain times for certain reasons. Like the house we're in now when we were looking, my wife had looked at it, but for various reasons she thought I wouldn't like it. And then like a week later, I was looking at house. I'm like, well, why didn't we look into this one? She's like, oh, I like that one. And then we got a chance. And this was in 2021 when the real estate market was very hot. I mean, every, I mean, our house, which was not even a

great house. I think we got like 15 offers on it in one day. The real estate market was very hot at the time. And we got in like a day before they, something weird where they hadn't gotten any offers, but they were about ready to open it up for offers or some. I forget the, and we got in and I offered a certain amount and they ended up taking it, which was pretty much unheard of at the time because as hot as the real estate market was at that time. I think everybody, because of COVID, and it was 2021, you know, going into that next year, everybody wanted a house, wanted to change houses because there was nothing else to do, right? Yeah.

But they were on the cusp of taking a bunch of offers, but they took mine right away. And it was just like everything led us to this house. And I do believe that happens. And whether it's a spouse or it's a house or it's a job. I think things line up for a reason, whether it's past loved ones, which I think can often be the case, whether it's God, whatever it is. I think some things are meant to be and things are put in place so they can happen. I definitely believe that. Yes.

Yes. I agree. Jen, thank you so much for joining us and telling this too much of, to be a coincidence, coincidence story. You're welcome. Thanks for having me. Stay spooky. Next up we have a big supporter of the show And she's always out there supporting us

And talking about the shows And we appreciate very, very much I'm talking about Mariana from Texas And she's going to talk to us about a trip And then a lot of strange things happen, a lot of strange things Mariana, welcome back to the show Always good to talk with you Thank you so much for all your support

And tell us what happened Thank you Jim. It's really great to be here at your platform, it's a special thing to be a campfire storyteller. And so with that, so this story is little bits and pieces. I had done an exhibit with Sugar Skulls at a place in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. I know you have family in from West Virginia. So from Berkeley Springs, after the exhibit was over, my friend says, hey, why don't we go to Gettysburg and we'll see if we can, you know, show off some of your artwork?

And I said, oh, okay, let's go. So we go and we've got a friend there who has, you know, some land near the areas where the battle were fought. So she lives out there and she was going to, you know, we were going to make the rounds to, to certain spaces, like, you know, stores where there are, you know, healing. Some people are Wicca, some people, you know, it's a big hub for the spiritualist movement. And, you know, that whole area is really charged. Sure. So we were going to make the rounds to some of the spaces and community that is up there to, you know, show off some of my work.

And so this was a little bit in a COVID surge, during COVID surge. So I was being really precautioned. I was masking and, you know, I get to the place and I see, we parked on the main drag, one of the main drags in Gettysburg. And I see, oh, they've got a hand sanitizer. I can see the foyer, the little building. I'm like, maybe that's a good sign. So our friend who we were with, apparently she knew the owner and was going to go and stop and say hi and see if I was going to show my stuff to them. D. And so I go in. It's three of us. I go in. I, you know, I get the sanitizer and I walk into this room. And as I'm looking around, I can see, you know, different tools like crystal balls.

Right. In sense, things like that. So I'm looking around and up. Okay. So I can, I know that my friend's up at the front with the owner. And I know that my other friend is behind me in a different room. Um, so I'm aware of that. Well, I walk up and Jim, my foot hits the heart there in the room. Yeah. And as soon as my foot hit it, you know, like my stomach dropped. Oh, man. My stomach dropped.

And as, you know, it drops and you're getting that minute where you kind of feel vomiting. And then I, I'm getting. gathering myself to ground myself. And I level, I see like a cutout shape of this star. Like it was a big photo and it was cut in star shape. And in the middle of that photo is this male, a male, a guy, and he's there. And I see it. And Jim, I turned right around and I walked out.

As soon as I walk out, I can feel someone behind me catching up to the threshold of the door before the door shut. And I'm swallowing, you know, because I'm nauseous and my head. And so behind me is my other friend. Not the one who knew the owner, the other friend who was on the other side. Right. And she's like, oh, my gosh. She said, oh, my gosh, I just, I had to leave. I just couldn't take it.

I don't know. I don't know what. I said, me. too she said and then i saw you leave and i said i'm leaving too and i said i don't know what that was and so i tell her what just happened to me in the hearth in the whole nine yards so we're waiting for our other friend to come out and you know and she's like oh you guys left i didn't get to introduce you to such and such and what happened and i said listen i don't know what but as soon as i touched the hearth you know and i told her the thing and she was like um that was her spouse

And, you know, they did, you know, different sorts of magics and arts in the room behind that hearth. She goes, and he's been gone for six months. And I'm like, oh, no, he hasn't. I said, he is right there. He was right there. I was. So, oh, my gosh, Jim. And so then we get in the car, you know, I'm sweating.

And I'm like, no, no, no, blowing out the window. I don't want it in the car. Nobody follow me. Nobody got. And so we go up the block. We're going to this other place. And here for sure, yes, there are people who do practice Wicca, people who do identify as witch. And so, okay, so we're going in there.

We're going to meet her other friend, colleague, yes. And so we walk, I see the fire. I walk in, Jim, and it's like, I see, you know, this white feather and this rainbow thing and this like white candle. And so it was a whole other vibe. A whole other vibe. And so that was just, you know, and I thought, God, you know, that was really. And so I'm on the lookout for the Jenny Wade House, meanwhile, you know.

And so that was that part. So after we go to that building and we go back to our friend, our friend's house, she's hosting us. So we get back and somebody's going to make a, you know, a non-glutin cake, whatever. And I'm like, I'm going to go outside for a minute. And while we were out and about, I had bought us each little bell, like a little brass bell for the three of us in friendship to remember the occasion and in gratitude. Right. So I've got them in my pocket and I've got them on the table and they're on a little string with the tag. And my friend comes out, the one who had driven me to the gallery in Berkeley Springs.

And she comes out and I'm like, oh, look, do you see the bells? Look, I'm going to give you these two or for you all. And I'm going to keep this one. So she, I have it and I'm dangling it. And I'm dangling it. So then she's like, oh, so she picks it up. And she's like, is there anybody here who would like to talk to us? And I just look at it like, huh?

And the bell, Jim, the bell starts, you know, doing that thing that I know there's a word for it. And so then I'm like, oh. And so she asks it something else. Like, what can you do to show us that you're here? Right. So it starts spinning in an oval. And then obviously, you know, different manner than another. a circular motion.

Right. So we're giggling. She goes back in and I'm out there and I'm looking around, looking around. And she comes back out, you know, to see that I'm doing okay, you know, because I have a little anxiety. So she comes out to check on me. And as she's getting into this juicy little bit of lover gossip, Jim, I'm trying to hear the juicy bits. But as I'm looking past her on the clothesline, my friend's got three corgis. We love dags.

So she's got three corgis. So she's got these, you know, the roll of bags that you have when you walk with your dog. And they're hanging there. Well, she's giving me these juicy little cheesema bits, Jim. I'm looking past her shoulder. And the bags that are hanging on the clothesline, they start moving. Oh, man. You would think if they're going to move, they're going to move like a fan would move.

Right. But they weren't Jim. No, why would they move that way? They were moving like a helicopter. Oh, man. Like a helicopter, Jim. So I look at her and then I look at that and then I look at her and then I look at that. And it's still really happening.

And so I didn't really know what, but because she was thinking about the cake in the oven, not to burn, she went back in. And, you know, later on she says, she was like, I didn't know. You weren't really paying attention to me when I was telling you about this thing, you know, my little situation here. And I said, dude, I was trying to. I had one eye. She's like, I could see one eye over there and one eye over here. I said, well, because I didn't know what to tell you.

She said, but the bags were spinning in such way. And so it was like, okay. So anyway, go back to the chocolate, everything, we get back to our respective states. And that's that. Well, at some point, I moved from New York City to. Falls Church, Virginia. And there's a Saturday Farmers Market that we'd love to go to in the center of Falls Church.

She didn't live that back from me, that same friend. And so we're looking around and there's this Cherry Hill farmhouse. And we get there, we go inside, the docents there, and they're just about to start a tour, or they've already started the tour. And then we said, well, that's okay. And she said, you know what? Come on out. Come on in.

you know, just come on in and you can catch up. So we go in, we're in the room. And I think that that house has been there from the 1870s. And we're in there and we're looking around and I'm looking around and I'm getting acclimated to the face. And my friends, she's like, she's not looking at me. She's just standing there. You know, and this is the person who's like, has a very, you know, works in D.C. We'll put it that way.

They work in D.C. So, you know, I know she's always alert and always vigilant and, you know, present. James, she wasn't even looking at me. So for a minute there, she was like, oh, you know what? No, I got to go. We got to go. We got to go. So we left.

And it was that feeling that I had gotten at that place back in Gettysburg. and, you know, before we got on our call, I looked it up. And sure enough, it's not advertised as a haunted or ghostly tour, you know, per se or proper. However, it did say it is a spooky place and it does have its own lore. You know, and so those are my scary stories. I saw your call. Do you think there's any... And I thought you might enjoy them.

Yes, yes, absolutely. Now, do you think there's any chance any of those things followed you from that one place? or you think these other things were totally, totally different? Wow, Jim. I hadn't thought about it because I always like, you know, walk in backwards, walk out backwards and cut the cord and, you know, leave beyond all night. Right, right.

So, no. However, you know, it could account for some of the blockages that I've had or some of the things that I'm transmuting and reframing as freedoms. but no I think I think that the people that were in that second building or the woman the friend of ours that took us to those places I think she would have she could have read it or she would have said you know what you know what I'm maybe you know you need like an extra aura cleanse or something but yeah no I hope not Jim yeah I just was wondering I don't it didn't sound like it I was just curious if you had thought about that well no no you didn't Mariana, thank you so much. It's always a pleasure to speak with you and hear your stories. And thank you for all your support. And I know you will, but I'm going to say, stay spooky. You say spooky, Jim. Thank you so much. Say hi to Dar. Thanks so much for joining us today on the Campfire. I appreciate it. And as I said earlier, I hope that you'll check out the paranormal report. That's free everywhere you get this show. And then also our Plus Club. If you want to get that whole great. back catalog going back all the way to 2009 of all the great campfire stories. We would appreciate it. Thanks for joining us. Share the show with a friend that's so important so we can bring more people into the campfire circle, more great stories, more great listeners, more great viewers. We'd appreciate

it very much. We'll talk to you next time. Have a great week. Everybody stay safe and stay spooky. Bye-bye.