0:00

This episode of That's it, is supported

0:02

by McDonald's. McDonald's USA is

0:04

celebrating the Hispanic community's rich

0:06

culture with spotlight a multiyear

0:09

platform AMED empowering and amplifying

0:11

Latino and Latino voices, starting

0:13

with the film industry. Even though Latinos

0:15

are send nearly twenty percent of the US population,

0:18

their stories make up less than one percent of

0:20

those toll by Hollywood. As company that

0:23

feeds and fosters communities that serve, McDonald's

0:25

is helping to change that. Through spotlight

0:27

Dorado, McDonald's is investing in

0:29

and providing opportunities to help advance

0:32

the careers of aspiring Latino filmmaker

0:34

arming them with financial assistance and

0:37

access to industry mentorship. To

0:39

change their career trajectories and put them steps

0:41

closer to making their cinematic dreams come

0:43

true. The program kicked off in April twenty

0:45

twenty two, with an open call for all

0:47

US based Latino writers, directors and

0:49

producers to submit their screen place to the spotlight

0:52

that rather short film contest. The finalists

0:54

were selected by a panel of industry leaders

0:56

based on criteria across all aspects

0:59

of field making, including originality,

1:02

direction, writing, cinematography,

1:04

and production value, to name a few.

1:07

This past August, McDonald's awarded three

1:09

emerging Latino filmmakers a total

1:11

of two hundred twenty five thousand

1:13

dollars to produce their short films

1:15

and help boost industry representation.

1:18

Film makers, where

1:22

each order a seventy five thousand

1:24

dollar production budget to bring their stories

1:26

to life and mentorship from industry

1:29

leaders. including Latino actress

1:31

director producer and representation advocate,

1:34

Stephanie Beatrice. Showrunner

1:37

Elena Pena, ulptors in Igarcia

1:40

and writer Nancy Mejia. The finalist

1:42

short films debuted on November

1:44

seven. Fans have the opportunity to watch

1:46

and vote for their favorite on WWW

1:49

dot spotlight dot adler dot com

1:51

through November twenty seven.

1:53

The short film with the most votes will

1:55

become the Grand winner and

1:58

will be announced in December. The Grand Prize

1:59

winner will be given a year long opportunity

2:02

to work with McDonald's USA in twenty

2:04

twenty three on future creative

2:06

initiatives and campaigns and

2:08

will receive industry standard creatives

2:11

so far as subscription services. So

2:14

thank you again to McDonald's on the spotlight throughout

2:16

the program for supporting the voices of

2:18

inspired latino field makers and creators.

2:23

Welcome to Scary Story Podcast,

2:26

where I tell short original stories,

2:28

May, to unsettle you.

2:31

My name is Edwin,

2:33

and here is a scary story.

2:40

It

2:40

was almost five in the morning when I

2:42

first saw the headlights through the glass

2:44

above my front door. My

2:46

brother had finally pulled up to the driveway

2:48

and I jumped out of the third step on the stairs

2:51

while I had been waiting all night. It

2:53

was too cold to be outside, where

2:55

else trust me, I would have waited there.

2:58

But I had no time to even grab a jacket.

3:01

and the dark hallway just above the

3:04

I felt like it was calling my name. I

3:08

stood there by the door waiting

3:10

for him. when I finally

3:12

heard the keys, I heard him gas

3:14

at the door opening by itself. But

3:17

it was me. And I tried to whisper

3:19

to him that it was me, but instead said,

3:22

I burst out crying.

3:25

was a tough time for both of us. Memories

3:28

of the holidays were not something we look

3:30

forward to and our thanksgiving would

3:32

consist of precooked plates that my brother

3:34

would get for us at his job. Most

3:37

of the time he chose to changed the full

3:39

turkey for coupons or cash since

3:41

we did not want to risk burning it in the oven.

3:44

Still, we made it work. And

3:46

I think back on those times with the smile

3:49

on my face. Yeah.

3:50

You've been

3:52

when I remember the dark ones.

3:57

He sat down next to me, his shoulder

3:59

tau wearing over my body as I

4:01

told him I had seen. Despite

4:04

him being tired and it being chilling outside,

4:07

he sat there in silence waiting

4:10

for me to get it together. And

4:12

once I did, I explained what happened.

4:17

My brother would go to work a little after a

4:19

nine at night, leaving me in the

4:21

empty house that my mom and dad had left for

4:23

us to take care of. Despite

4:26

the many tears and cries over

4:28

not wanting to leave the apartment

4:30

we all had. My brother

4:32

wouldn't be able to make ends meet, and

4:34

I was too young to work. So

4:36

we moved into the house we had left many

4:38

years ago. That was

4:40

in my room. The one

4:42

that had at one point been my brother's

4:44

bedroom when we had been younger. Boxes

4:47

lined the wall opposite to the window.

4:50

In the door, the one that

4:52

had access to a small storage Scary,

4:55

was next to my bed. Nobody

4:58

used it. I had never

5:00

opened it because of how creepy it was.

5:02

But in some vague memories, like

5:05

flashbacks that I would get at random

5:07

times, like when a certain smell hit me or

5:09

the sound of a cat outside the window

5:11

started, it would bring back

5:13

conversations with my brother about

5:15

the door. This

5:18

one night, I had been going through one of the books

5:20

that I needed to do for school. It was

5:22

like an extra credit booklet with

5:24

parts where you'd read a paragraph about

5:26

something and then answer four or five

5:28

questions immediately after. I

5:30

had been lost thinking about that last

5:32

story. The one about the

5:34

pirates trying to exchange their stolen

5:36

gold for something useful when

5:38

I

5:38

heard it. I

5:40

like tapping like

5:43

a key against the door when you can't

5:45

find a keyhole in the dark.

5:47

My shoulders

5:49

went up to my ears and my brain

5:52

held my head back from turning toward

5:54

the sound. I

5:56

was alone in the house. And

5:58

even though my brother and I would blame things

6:00

on the rats and the cats that would

6:02

crawl through the cables that came from the light

6:04

post on the corner, As

6:06

far as I could remember, nobody

6:08

had heard the sounds coming from

6:10

inside of the house. I

6:13

twisted my neck slowly toward the

6:15

door, making up my

6:17

mind to run away if the tapping

6:19

came back. and

6:21

they sat there on the bed. The

6:24

old light bulb glaring right above

6:26

me for about five minutes. There

6:29

was no movement. And

6:31

I was trying not to breathe until the sound

6:33

of my heartbeat took over my eardrums,

6:35

and I hold it no longer.

6:39

Then I relax my

6:41

shoulders. I took

6:43

a deep breath and reached to grab the

6:45

pencil in front of me. And

6:47

once again,

6:49

I heard it.

6:51

Without a doubt, the sound

6:53

was coming from inside the

6:55

door. I could make out

6:57

the sounds of a doorknob, softly.

7:00

Like when I would sneak out into the kitchen

7:02

for another slice of pie in the middle of

7:04

the night with my brother, pressing

7:07

against a doorknob to keep it

7:09

from rattling. I

7:11

stretched my left leg out toward the edge

7:13

of the bed ready to take off

7:15

toward the hallway.

7:17

when it froze.

7:23

The

7:23

door opened.

7:28

I

7:30

finally gathered enough courage to look

7:32

forward but it released

7:35

with such a quick motion that I

7:37

even surprised myself. I

7:39

could see the gap that it had opened.

7:42

just enough to fit an arm through.

7:45

We're on the inside. Let's

7:48

complete darkness.

7:52

But as I sat there, my heart's about

7:54

to jump out of my chest. I

7:56

felt the cold rush of blood leave

7:58

my phase as I watched it shut

7:59

quickly

8:01

muffling a soft, eerie

8:03

gassed on the other side.

8:07

I

8:09

laughed out of the bed and

8:11

I went straight toward the hallway and just

8:13

sat there shaking and fear

8:15

for a four and a half hours until my

8:17

brother finished his shift at the warehouse.

8:20

I had no time to turn on

8:22

any lights. I had no jacket,

8:24

no shoes, and Nowhere to

8:26

go. I watched

8:28

my brother's eyes come back to me once I

8:30

finished telling him what I had experienced.

8:33

and he stood up and said that he would go grab

8:35

a couple of things and that we would go wait

8:37

for the sun to come up at Henry's,

8:39

an old diner down the street. Not

8:42

wanting to be alone, and I stood up to go

8:44

with him, but then I felt that

8:46

weakness in my knees. The kind that tells

8:48

you that you're better off where you are.

8:51

My brother caught on and walked up

8:53

the stairs. His white t

8:55

shirt barely visible as he

8:57

disappeared into the dark hallway. He

9:00

flicked on the light once he got there. And

9:02

I could hear his footsteps as he went

9:04

to my room and picked up my shoes.

9:07

When he yelled out to me, if I wanted my

9:09

homework, I nearly jumped. But

9:11

I said that I didn't need it.

9:14

I could hear him going toward his room and

9:16

he grabbed his backpack too.

9:18

Then he flicked off the light

9:20

to the hallway. He

9:22

was

9:22

on his way back then.

9:24

But

9:25

then,

9:27

my eye started playing tricks on me. The

9:30

large silhouette or

9:32

at least the figure with the white shirt that

9:34

I was expecting would show up.

9:37

didn't. I could

9:39

hear light steps creaking

9:41

against the wooden floor. I

9:43

mean closer and closer to

9:45

the top of the stairs.

9:48

My brother wasn't

9:50

there, something

9:52

else was.

9:55

It

9:55

was tiny person, like a

9:57

toddler, but moving like an old

9:59

man

9:59

limping on a cane. All

10:02

I could see was its smile

10:04

reflecting off the dIM light that was

10:06

coming through the glass window

10:09

above the front door. Adruptly,

10:11

it turned around and wobbled away.

10:14

It was frozen. By this

10:16

time, I was leaning against the front door

10:18

praying silently that my brother would

10:20

hurry and show up to the hallway at the

10:22

top of the stairs. I

10:24

heard him call my name, but

10:27

not to me. It was

10:30

then when he screamed and he ran toward

10:32

the staircase, a bag on his left

10:34

hand bouncing against the steps of the

10:36

staircase as he made his way down.

10:38

I opened the front door just

10:40

as I saw him come closer.

10:42

All he said was,

10:45

let's go.

10:49

I quickly put on my shoes and

10:51

jacket when you were at the front porch,

10:54

waiting for my brother to say something,

10:56

anything to me. But instead

10:58

he waited until we were in the car and

11:00

about a block away before he asked

11:02

me, what I had seen? I

11:05

told him, With all the

11:07

details about the little man with the

11:09

cane, my mind racing as I

11:11

visualize the scene all over

11:13

again. We had

11:16

arrived and sat down at Henry's by this

11:18

time. The waitress that we

11:20

both knew offering us the usual

11:22

table

11:22

I'm sorry you

11:24

had to see it. She said, looking

11:27

straight at me.

11:30

I

11:30

never wanted to see it again either. And

11:34

we both sat there.

11:36

Listening to the soda we were sharing

11:38

popping in front of us. The

11:42

five or so different conversations around

11:44

us proving that the

11:46

world keeps going. taking

11:49

with them only the things they care about.

11:56

For

12:00

my other show, True Scary

12:03

Story, I've been searching for stories of truck

12:05

drivers and their strange experience. So

12:07

if you know of somebody, either in English

12:09

or in Spanish who wants to tell their story,

12:11

whether it's a truck driver's story or not,

12:14

reach out. In the meantime,

12:16

here's a tail to kick off the topic.

12:18

The end of

12:21

the road.

12:26

It always

12:28

starts the same way. A

12:31

driver sees a person walking alongside

12:33

a dark road. They

12:35

pull

12:35

over and offer a ride.

12:38

Nobody

12:38

should be walking alone that late.

12:40

And so they pick them up

12:42

and take them somewhere. But when

12:44

they reach their destination,

12:48

passenger is gone, where

12:50

they arrive at a place where there is nothing,

12:52

yet the passenger acts like

12:54

they know where they're going.

12:57

Well, not

12:59

far from one of the truck stops in the

13:01

northern part of Arizona. I

13:03

was stuck.

13:04

This time, I wasn't driving the semi,

13:07

but driving back home after almost

13:09

a four day trip on my truck.

13:11

I was tired, I will

13:13

admit. If you're not a high loop patrol, you won't

13:15

care anyway, but I skipped a truck stop in

13:17

exchange of getting home half an

13:19

hour earlier. Unfortunately,

13:22

these places have something that I

13:24

desperately needed and forgot to check

13:26

for in my tank.

13:28

gas. And some

13:30

of my pickup trucks buttered to a

13:32

stop along the turns by the hills to the

13:34

east. and it had just enough

13:36

speed to reach a wider area to

13:38

stop, like a little nook on the side

13:40

of the road, between some dried

13:42

trees and rocks. It

13:45

was a nice spot, probably

13:47

a viewpoint of some sort, and it

13:49

would work if there was something to see beyond

13:52

these dark paths. carved by the

13:54

bushes and rocks, but I

13:56

was too tired to be angry. I

13:58

just stepped out of the truck and

14:00

walked to the road and Yes,

14:02

I could see it in the distance. The

14:04

lights of the truck stop and the yellow star

14:06

of the fast food restaurant right before

14:09

the bend. I could walk

14:11

there. No problem. So I

14:13

walked back to the truck and got into the

14:15

passenger seat and then reached behind me

14:17

for the empty red container

14:19

for gas. I tried to

14:21

open the ashtray, which I had been

14:23

using for keeping folded up bills and

14:25

coins, but it was stuck.

14:27

I stared at it for a while and I could feel my

14:30

mind scrolling with the exhaustion that hits

14:32

you after filling out your logbook at the

14:34

end of the night. I

14:36

closed the door behind me, not even checking

14:38

if the doors were locked before crossing the

14:40

road and walking down to the truck

14:42

stop.

14:43

It would have

14:46

taken me about forty minutes to get

14:48

there if it weren't for an old big

14:50

ring pulling up next to me.

14:52

For those of you who may be familiar with

14:55

trucks, it was in the old style,

14:57

a freightliner from the seventies

14:59

or eighties with a flat front.

15:01

things that were likely not even allowed to be

15:03

on the roads anymore. Well,

15:05

at least not commercially. I

15:07

noticed that it had no trailer, and

15:09

it was just a tractor. And I

15:12

could see the top of the head of the driver.

15:14

I wasn't looking for a ride,

15:16

but I appreciated the gesture. It

15:19

would be no more than a few minutes on the

15:21

truck. With that simple

15:23

justification, weird for me to

15:25

decide so quickly, I

15:27

climbed up to greet the drive around the window.

15:31

Just a few minutes ahead to

15:33

the truck stop, I said. He

15:35

looked confused and then asked where it

15:38

was. His

15:40

voice was raspy and distant.

15:42

Every truck driver knows of that stock.

15:45

Plus, the lights could be seen from down

15:47

the road, not

15:49

easy to miss. He signaled

15:52

me to hop on and I did.

15:54

The man still had the radio,

15:57

old key chains and a real

15:59

photograph of a family stuck to the

16:01

dashboard. The smell

16:03

of cigarettes probably buried

16:05

layers deep into the carpet,

16:07

all around the interior. The

16:10

man looked about my age, maybe

16:12

a few years younger. He

16:15

smiled and stirred up the volume of the radio.

16:17

It was static noise for the

16:20

most part. With the occasional

16:22

radio announcer hopping in for a

16:24

word or two for fading into the

16:26

sea of distorted frequencies.

16:29

I looked over to him, waiting for

16:31

him to laugh as he pretended that he was

16:33

listening to something when clearly

16:35

he wasn't.

16:36

He simply stared at

16:38

the road. His right hand

16:41

on the shifter The overhead

16:44

light he had in the cabin right above

16:46

his left ear, danced

16:47

with the bombs on the

16:49

road.

16:50

flickering. And

16:52

with every dark gap of time,

16:56

I could see his

16:57

face. dry.

16:59

Gone of every drop

17:01

of fluid and fat that made

17:03

up his face on the inside.

17:05

I turned away from

17:08

him looking instead toward the road

17:10

expecting to see the truck stop just

17:12

ahead

17:13

of us. I

17:14

could see was the dark road,

17:16

dry bushes on the side of it.

17:18

I leaned forward to look at

17:20

the side mirrors expecting to

17:23

see truck stop once again behind us,

17:25

but it wasn't there.

17:29

How

17:29

long had

17:31

I been there?

17:32

I

17:33

carefully try to make small talk with

17:35

a guy.

17:38

So where are you headed? and

17:40

I waited for a response.

17:42

No were my man. I

17:44

already reached the end

17:46

of the road. He

17:49

looked straight

17:49

ahead as he told me, the

17:52

light flickering and about to go

17:55

completely off. you

17:58

know, I can just take it from

18:00

here. I really want to walk

18:02

the rest of the way. The

18:04

weather's nice. He's

18:06

smiling.

18:07

There's an unofficial truck

18:09

stop just ahead. I'll

18:12

stop there. maybe

18:14

a minute more.

18:16

But ahead, there

18:18

was nothing.

18:20

Dark silhouette of hills

18:23

and dead trees. No other cars

18:25

had passed along this old

18:27

ring. Come to think

18:29

of it. No

18:31

one

18:31

had passed in front of us either.

18:34

The drug

18:36

stock should have been right

18:39

there. I recognized the dip in the dirt.

18:41

Nice to stop there and out into

18:43

the hills before going to sleep.

18:45

he put the

18:47

truck into first gear and the engine

18:49

rumbled as he hit the brakes. Up

18:53

ahead was a clearing, a

18:55

large lot. There was a

18:57

tiny shot in the back corner of

18:59

it with the

19:00

lights on.

19:04

I'll see

19:04

you at the end, he said.

19:06

The light went

19:08

completely off. Thank

19:11

you, I said, and I climbed

19:14

out. I didn't know what to

19:16

think of what had just happened or where I

19:18

would get my gas. But

19:20

the ride was no more than ten

19:22

minutes, and if we had indeed

19:24

passed a truck stop, it would

19:26

be just a short walk back.

19:28

along that same road. The road

19:31

I didn't end, nobody

19:34

ever leaves until

19:36

they have to. I hurried

19:39

through the lot. The dead silence

19:41

made my boots against the gravel sound

19:43

like hammers that night.

19:46

I walked up to the shop and pushed the

19:48

door open. There was a

19:50

man

19:50

by the front counter and two

19:53

other

19:53

tables with two people on each

19:55

one. One was an older

19:57

looking couple. The hanging lamp shining

19:59

on the top of their hands as they looked at

20:01

each other over thirty planes.

20:04

The other had two men sitting in front of two

20:07

empty cans of beer. One

20:09

tipped over and about to roll off

20:12

the table. The lamps swirled

20:14

like water over a slow drain

20:16

above their hands. Nobody

20:18

seemed to notice me. The

20:21

shop had a long chair for

20:23

people to wait to be seated or to

20:25

hang out by the door and they took

20:27

a seat, trying to think of something

20:29

else to do. I grabbed my

20:32

cell phone from out of my pocket and

20:34

stared at the icon at the top

20:36

as it scanned for signal. but

20:38

the bars of the icon with

20:41

every flicker got a little bit

20:43

larger and filled the screen.

20:45

I looked around me and the

20:48

rhythmic on and off of the signal

20:50

took over the windows, the

20:53

shop and laps, growing brighter with

20:55

every second, so much

20:57

that I had to close my eyes,

20:59

but even through

20:59

my eyelids. I brightness

21:02

wouldn't go away.

21:05

I opened

21:07

my eyes to a dim purple

21:10

sky and a silhouette standing over

21:12

me. It was signaling

21:14

me to roll down the window. I

21:17

was back

21:17

in my small pickup truck.

21:19

A

21:20

hand was grasping onto four dollars

21:23

and change. Some of

21:24

it on the floor now. The

21:26

empty gas container was resting on the

21:29

back seat, The sound

21:32

of an idling truck was the only

21:34

sound around me, suddenly

21:36

shadowed by the man standing by

21:38

the window. Hey man, are you

21:40

alright? Do you need help? I

21:43

must have

21:43

fallen asleep, I said, smiling.

21:46

Do you need a ride?

21:47

Do the truck

21:49

stop? Yeah. If you can, just need

21:52

some gas. he nodded and pointed at

21:54

the big ring, a solid match truck

21:56

just across the Tulane Road. Scared

21:59

me

21:59

there,

21:59

he said. Had a

22:01

strange night, I'll tell you, I

22:04

replied. And we talked for a

22:06

few minutes before the truck stopped came into

22:08

view.

22:10

His words The ones about me

22:12

on the side of the road not being

22:14

the strangest thing he's ever encountered

22:16

on that highway. His

22:19

yellowed beard showed some of the years of

22:21

experience he had along those

22:23

roads. And he was proud of

22:25

it. The stories he

22:27

had gathered You know, I said,

22:29

just when I was about to climb

22:31

out, I had a strange dream

22:33

about an old freightliner, flat

22:36

front. Blue seventy

22:38

eight, no trailer in the back. He interrupted.

22:41

Yes.

22:42

yeah

22:43

I said quietly. waiting for him

22:45

to continue. That

22:49

was Greg. Again,

22:51

not the first time I've heard of it.

22:54

His brakes failed back in the

22:56

day, and he fell off one of these

22:59

ditches, taking out an old shock

23:01

back when this truck stock was

23:03

just a lot. Ask them

23:05

about it. They have pictures. See

23:08

you later, kid. Getting

23:10

back on the road. I

23:13

shut I was paying for the two gallons in

23:15

the container, I asked the attendant about the

23:18

pictures behind her. There was

23:20

an old shack, looking

23:22

shop, familiar to me.

23:24

A large window by the

23:26

front door. The

23:29

same one I had seen.

23:31

I thanked

23:33

them and walked right back on

23:35

the road. And along

23:37

that walk, I

23:39

thought of the dream. of

23:41

that experience.

23:42

experience And

23:44

that if

23:44

perhaps it had some sort of significance to

23:47

my own life, but I

23:49

couldn't

23:49

find one. To

23:52

me, it was just

23:54

a pause to go back

23:56

for something I forgot.

23:59

to

23:59

it me

23:59

along an old road

24:02

and continue with

24:05

mine.

24:05

The

24:14

next story today is called the

24:17

crawling woman of TILston.

24:19

It's

24:19

coming up right

24:22

after this.

24:23

We

24:25

all enjoy a little mystery.

24:27

Every other

24:28

week, one strange thing

24:30

presents forgotten stories from

24:32

America's newspaper archives. They all have

24:35

something in common, a single

24:37

element that can't quite

24:39

be explained.

24:39

Join

24:40

us on one strange

24:43

thing and you'll hear about a man who

24:45

was

24:45

literally stricken with

24:48

genius.

24:48

A twenty first century child who

24:50

remembered piloting a World War two

24:51

bomber, a mysterious

24:54

unidentified blob in

24:56

Texas. And then there was the lizard

24:58

man stalking through small town,

25:00

South Carolina. From cryptids

25:02

and disappearances to modern day

25:05

miracles, One strange thing brings

25:07

you stories that are very real

25:09

and just a little otherworldly.

25:13

Subscribe now wherever

25:15

you listen.

25:21

My grandpa

25:24

tried to defend my poor mind when they

25:26

were talking about it over

25:28

dinner. Now these dinners aren't like the

25:30

ones you're used to. Everyone,

25:32

even our neighbors sometimes would

25:35

join. Conversations would get

25:37

loud and sometimes angry. Sometimes

25:40

sad. But by the end,

25:42

everyone would leave satisfied. This

25:45

time, they had hit a topic of

25:47

Gary stories. And as a kid, of course,

25:49

I loved it. And I heard them

25:51

as mom started going back in time

25:53

to when her and her sisters

25:56

witnessed a crawling woman

25:58

of Tilston. Both

26:01

of my ants were there, and they

26:03

would not in agreement to what she was

26:06

saying. and the whole house grew real

26:08

quiet, but she continued. They

26:11

had all grown up in that small

26:13

town. the one we were

26:15

visiting. Of course, Tilston had changed

26:17

since then, with more

26:19

houses and businesses and those annoying

26:22

Airbnbs. The

26:24

area was nice, but it used

26:26

to be nicer. And I remember

26:28

it too. Grandma's house

26:31

had large fields with wooden areas and two

26:33

cabins in them. Some that

26:35

he only used for storage or

26:37

for spots where he could go and relax

26:40

by himself. He was

26:42

an avid writer and collector of photographs,

26:45

mostly his own. And he had

26:47

one of the cabins lined with

26:49

his work. accomplishment certificates

26:51

and newspaper clippings.

26:54

But despite the story of the crawling

26:56

woman of Tilston, He

26:58

never published any works about it.

27:01

Or maybe he did, but

27:03

refused to extend its story

27:05

He had a reputation

27:07

to maintain and who knows what people would have

27:09

thought of him had he published such a

27:12

silly story. At least, I

27:14

think that was his reasoning. There

27:17

were several incidents about the crawling

27:19

woman. One of which was my

27:21

mother's and her sisters experience.

27:24

And what I tells you that I've seen

27:26

fear. Quite literally,

27:28

I mean the expression of my

27:30

mother's faces as they retell

27:32

it. So I can't

27:34

imagine going through what they did

27:36

that night.

27:39

There was a party not far from my

27:42

grandpa's house and against his wishes. My

27:44

mom and her two sisters waited

27:46

until he fell asleep. and

27:48

then they went, leaving a

27:49

note for their mother who had

27:51

given them her blessing. The

27:54

only condition was that they would be

27:56

back before one in the morning. No

27:59

excuses, no exceptions. But

28:01

as things go, it had actually

28:03

turned into one AM when one of them,

28:05

the middle sister, suggested that they

28:07

go back because it was already pretty

28:10

late. They looked at the

28:12

time and they all agreed. They said their

28:14

good bias to their friends and started

28:16

walking back. It's important

28:18

to note that none of them were intoxicated

28:20

as it was another condition from their

28:23

mother. And if she stopped defending them

28:25

from their father, and

28:27

all hell would break loose.

28:29

They obeyed her rules religiously

28:32

except for this time when they were gonna

28:34

be home pretty

28:35

late. The streets

28:38

around that area are paved now, but back

28:40

then they were mostly dirt roads

28:42

or poorly maintained ones.

28:45

And lit, not in the

28:47

slightest. They would go for

28:49

long stretches between properties.

28:51

And while walking around, you could see

28:53

the farmland. mainly

28:55

corn and vines, all

28:57

the way to the gate for grandpa's house.

29:00

Of course, there was a

29:02

way around the gate that would get you to the front

29:04

door a bit faster. And that was

29:06

by going through mister Kane's property.

29:09

an old man who lived alone. And

29:11

that's usually what the three sisters would

29:14

do. As they squeezed through the

29:16

wooden fencing, one of them,

29:18

my mother. her dress stuck on

29:20

a nail that was sticking out,

29:22

tearing the base of it into a loose flap,

29:24

almost completely tearing off a

29:26

section of about the size of a small

29:28

hand towel, and they walk

29:30

through the dark paths between the

29:33

trees. The lumps on the ground of

29:35

thousands of mushrooms As

29:37

children,

29:38

they used to go and

29:40

wander around there thinking about

29:43

the many fairies that would lurk in

29:45

the field like a forest

29:47

with butterflies, rodents, and

29:49

birds. It was one

29:51

of their friends, a little girl named

29:53

Kathy who claimed to but found a tiny

29:55

house of a Scary once.

29:57

They searched for

29:58

months,

29:59

but found nothing. I'm

30:02

sure it went through their minds as they walked in

30:04

near complete darkness if those

30:06

fairies were real. Nothing

30:08

to be afraid of supposedly.

30:12

But little did they know? They

30:14

were about to have an encounter

30:17

with the creature.

30:19

As they were

30:20

approaching the end of the line of trees,

30:22

the younger sister heard a rustling

30:24

sound behind them.

30:27

they all turned around, but couldn't tell if

30:29

they were still with their own company.

30:31

A little bit of light was shining

30:33

through those trees near the edge that

30:36

night. the moon think they

30:38

said. When they saw

30:39

her,

30:41

her hair in

30:42

a loose braid, dark

30:45

and dragging along the dirt.

30:48

Her

30:48

teeth reflecting off the

30:51

moonlight. She twisted along

30:53

the around and walked toward them.

30:55

Either of them is sure which

30:57

one screamed first, but my mom

30:59

remembers how she froze in place.

31:01

claiming that her legs were

31:04

not responding.

31:08

the thing was getting closer and

31:11

closer to her and she remembers her hand

31:13

being tugged by this thing.

31:15

Her dress being pulled just enough

31:17

to rip out the flat that was hanging

31:19

loose off her dress. Her

31:22

sister screamed shook her out of the

31:24

trans as they both took off running

31:26

without stopping all the way back to

31:28

the house. They caught

31:29

their breath once they were at

31:31

the porch, and then

31:32

they quietly opened the door and

31:34

snuck into the room all three shared.

31:37

They had instead a word to

31:39

each other. It must

31:42

have been four in the morning when they heard

31:44

a sound coming from inside the

31:46

house. Their father had woken up.

31:48

My mom peeked out the

31:50

window as a front door open. Their

31:54

father had stepped out toward the fields with a lantern

31:56

in his hand, making his

31:58

way toward the trees on mister

32:00

Kane's property. Like

32:02

I said earlier, he was a writer and

32:04

writers have strange habits.

32:07

Waking up early to walk

32:09

a dark field of trees was just another thing

32:11

he did, I'm assuming. But he

32:14

never liked that and

32:16

everyone

32:16

knew that. It was

32:18

only the youngest of the three sisters

32:20

and the oldest, my mother,

32:23

who were obsessed over this

32:25

thing.

32:25

the

32:26

middle one was always quiet about

32:29

it in the exact same

32:31

way as my grandpa.

32:33

She was the one who knew how my grandma

32:35

was able to fix my mother's dress that

32:38

morning, with the

32:39

exact same cloth that was missing.

32:42

Well, aside for

32:44

a

32:44

grandpa, he

32:47

also knew but

32:51

he

32:51

would never tell anybody.

32:58

If you

33:03

want to listen to real life events

33:05

that dip into the paranormal, please

33:07

check out dark memory.

33:09

Moving forward, our topics have gotten a

33:11

bit darker and will have you looking

33:13

over your shoulder. So please,

33:16

receive as caution. You can

33:18

find dark memory on this podcast app

33:20

or by going to dark memory dot

33:23

com. Of course, if you send me a

33:25

DM, I can also send you the link.

33:27

For ad free listening, go

33:29

to scary plus dot com or tap the

33:31

button on your Apple Podcast app

33:33

to try it for free and you can cancel at any

33:36

time. Thank you very much for

33:37

listening. And thank you.

33:40

for joining me on this new

33:42

season four

33:44

Scary story

33:46

podcast.

33:48

There's always

33:50

time for the drive thru

33:52

deal because no matter

33:54

how fast you are at making

33:56

breakfast, Mcdonald's

33:58

is faster.

33:59

Start your morning at McDonald's and

34:02

enjoy one of our tasty bagel

34:04

sandwiches for breakfast. the steak egg and

34:06

cheese bagel or the sausage egg and cheese

34:08

bagel. Order ahead on our app and pick it

34:10

up curbside. Price

34:13

and may Make download and registration require.

34:17

i