Listener Stories: Vol. 108 (ft. Amanda from Live, Laugh, Larceny)

Stories:

1: Graphic Halloween decoration spurs 911 call
2: The Time My Dead Dad Haunted Me for Fun - Rebecca
3: Boozed-up karate master beats up worker dressed as ghost — then sues haunted house and loses
4: Sorority House Haunts - Rebecca
5: Taunton Family Filing Lawsuit After Halloween Prank Mishap At School
6: Pranks (slenderman) - Amelia (she/her)
7. Teens face arrest for pre-Halloween prank

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It’s tiiiimeee to kick off spooky season! Welcome to Paraween: Invasion of the Host Snatchers! Today Christine’s been snatched away and we have guest host Amanda from Live, Laugh, Larceny here with Em to cover a batch of Petty and Paranormal Halloween Crime tales. There’s karate master mishaps in haunted houses, classic dad ghost jokes from beyond the grave, and even a haunted sorority house. And can anyone tell us where to find friends? or bush suits? …and that’s why we drink!

To hear more from Amanda check out her podcast Live, Laugh, Larceny!

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Transcript

[Paraween intro: Spooky music. Video clips of fog, a ouija board, and jack-o-lanterns are flipped through like channels on a vintage TV. Rolling fog reveals “Up Next… ParaPods presents: Paraween Invasion of the Host Snatchers]

Christine: Mwah-ha-ha-ha! 

Em: ’Tis the season. It’s [singing] ♪ Ti-ime! ♪♪ 

Christine: [singing] ♪ Paraween! ♪♪ [speaking] You’ve been waiting. We’ve been waiting. The world’s been waiting; they just didn’t know it. Paraween is here. 

[bell clangs, starting a transition from the Paraween intro music to the And That’s Why We Drink intro music] 

Em: Welcome everybody to, uh, a very special, uh, Paraween event. For those who don’t know, um, Christine and I have recently started a network called ParaPods, and we wanted to have our very first spooky season by kicking it off right. Eva had this incredible idea that what if we rallied the troops and, um, summoned all of our true crime creepy friends and asked if they could do a big collab with us. And so thank you, Eva, for this idea. Uh, so ParaPod presents– We’re calling it Paraween! And, uh, it’s the– 

Amanda: [spooky tone] Oo-oo-ooh. 

Em: –Invasion of the Host Snatchers, so for, uh, several episodes coming your way (I think Eva said six episodes) um, we have all split up with our co-hosts, and we’re kind of clashing into each other’s episodes. So, as you can tell, um, Christine is not here today. Too bad, so sad. And instead– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: –we have the lovely Amanda from Live, Laugh, Larceny. Thank you for joining me for our October Listener’s Episode. [spooky tone] Oo-oo-ooh! 

Amanda: Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for having me. I cannot wait to hear some of these stories. Wow. 

Em: Uh, another shoutout to Eva because she is the one who looks through all of the stories, and so I also don’t know what we’re about to read. Um, I– When we ho– 

Amanda: Ooh! 

Em: When we hopped on to StreamYard, um, Amanda and, uh, Eva were already, uh, here, and I overheard something about a story– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: –about road rage and Taco Bell and that being a story you were unaware of– 

Amanda: Yes! 

Em: –and you got to hear about it live or– What, what, what happened there? You went to CrimeCon. 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: Is that what– 

Amanda: Yes, so yep. Trevin and I, my, my co-host usually, uh, except for today, but uh, we went to CrimeCon in Denver. It was amazing. We had a petty crime confession box at our booth. 

Em: Amazing. 

Amanda: And yeah, um, most of them are going to be a surprise to me. I haven’t read them yet. But there was one person who told us what it was, and– 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: –it was a bit of road rage in the Taco Bell drive-thru. 

Em: Perfect. 

Amanda: She ended up throwing a cheesy gordita, wrap, something, burrito– I’m not sure. 

Em: A Cheesy Gordita Crunch. Please put some respect on its name, thank you. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Please. 

Amanda: I will put my respect on it. 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: And she threw it at the car in front of her that cut them off. Um, I honestly don’t know how that story ends. I just got the CliffsNotes, but we will be– 

Em: How do you– 

Amanda: –reading the petty crime confessions on an upcoming episode, so. 

Em: Okay, good. I was gonna say, “How do you walk away from that not knowing the finale?” But I guess– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: I guess that’s a mystery for all of us to unravel. Um– 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: But anyway, no, I– So it’s, it’s kind of similar here where we don’t really know what’s being thrust upon us, but Eva has a-approved it, and sometimes it’s, it’s a horrifying story. So thank you, Eva. Um, but today– 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: –I think we have a little theme going. Sometimes we do a theme each month, and we have Halloween pranks on my end. 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: And then I think you brought with you weird true crime headlines. Is that true? 

Amanda: Yes– 

Em: ‘kay. 

Amanda: –so they’re also Halloween prank related– 

Em: Perfect. 

Amanda: –kind of like “Halloween prank gone wrong” in the news. Um– 

Em: Oh! Love it. 

Amanda: –and I do have one listener story also if we need that, so. 

Em: We do. So, um– 

Amanda: Okay. [laughs] 

Em: Uh, how would you like to do this? Would you like to kick it off as our, uh, guest celebrity host? What’s it, what’s it in, in beer pong? A cel– a celebrity shot when you– [mimics tossing a ping pong ball] 

Amanda: Ooh! 

Em: –when someone steps in. 

Amanda: I’ll take it. 

Em: Okay, cool. 

Amanda: That is what it is. That is what it t– what it is. And I will take my shot, Em. 

Em: Perfect. 

Amanda: So yes, I can, I can go ahead and go first. 

Story 1 – Graphic Halloween Decoration Spurs 911 Call 

Amanda: Um, this was– Whew, I don’t even know the word to describe it. Perfect? For this episode, I guess. 

Em: [laughs] Okay, great. 

Amanda: Um, I guess you could say. Uh, I saw this, and I got it from live5news.com. 

Em: Cool. 

Amanda: And the headline article is “Graphic Halloween decoration spurs 911 call.” 

Em: [groans] Okay. Are we talking sexual graphic? I mean– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: –graphic can go a lot of ways. Um– 

Amanda: It really can. No, no, no. Um, this is basically– I don’t know if I can show you the picture here, but, um, somebody put a fake dummy underneath their lawn mower– [holds phone up to camera with a bright photo showing a riding lawn mower with what appears to be a pair of human legs sticking out from under it.] 

Em: [gasps] Horrific. 

Amanda: –and put a bunch of blood around it. And so this happened in Salisbury, North Carolina. 

Em: Mm-hmm. 

Amanda: And this is just a little snippet of what the article says. “The Halloween decor at a home along Organ Church Road,” which, by the way– 

Em: I hate when there’s a Church Road involved and it’s spooky. It’s just meant t– meant– written in the stars. 

Amanda: And Organ ahead of it? Organ Church Road. 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: That is very creepy. 

Em: Yeah, like Leatherface lives on Organ Church Road, you know. [laughs] 

Amanda: Sor-sorry if you live there. [laughs] Yeah, yeah. Yes, exactly. So, um, “–in eastern Rowan County scared a driver so much that he called 911, nearly prompting a full emergency response. The call came into the county’s 911 Communication Center Monday morning after the caller stated that he saw what appeared to be a man trapped under a riding lawn mower.” 

Em: Oh my god. Oh my god. 

Amanda: “Luckily, someone else quickly let the 911 folks know it was just a decoration, just in time to stop what’ve– would have been an emergency response.” Wow. 

Em: Mm-hmm. 

Amanda: Wow, wow. 

Em: So– I mean, imagine, first of all, although I, I see the merit. This feels like something any dad would at least conjure up in his brain before physically doing it. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Um, I– So I am– I’m on board with like prank. Love that. But– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –the, the mental torment of thinking that I actually saw a body under a lawn mower would rock my shit. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Like that, that would be crazy. [laughs] Um, I– 

Amanda: No, I know. 

Em: I– Can you– Was there blood everywhere? There has to at least be like fake blood– 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: – if you’re gonna commit to the, the set dec of this all, you know. 

Amanda: Yes. So, it does, it does say this: “As seen in the pictures taken Monday by WBTV, the scene does appear realistic–” 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: “–the blood covered arms and legs sticking out from beneath a blood spattered lawn mower on a large patch of grass.” 

Em: [sighs] But no organs in the yard on Organ Church Road. 

Amanda: No organs, no. 

Em: So how realistic are you being really, you know? 

Amanda: Exactly. Like if you’re crushed under a lawn mower, there’s gotta be a little bit of organ action. I don’t know. 

Em: You know, this is kind of– I would, I would pair this energy– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: –’cause if we’re doing Halloween pranks, I– Again, love this, but I– It’s, it’s just under the Halloween pranking of like clowns just standing in your yard. You know what I mean? Like– 

Amanda: Oh god. 

Em: ’Cause I’m– 

Amanda: No. 

Em: I feel like the whole– There’s– It’s one thing to like be pranked and, “Ah! I’m scared,” but there’s a whole other category when I’m like, “Should I call the police? Like what’s going on?” [laughs] Um– 

Amanda: No, absolutely. 

Em: Did– 

Amanda: And I agree with you. I think this had to have been done by a dad. I think you are so spot on. 

Em: Absolutely. 

Amanda: First of all, none of us are gonna be like, “Yeah, let’s get a lawn mower out of the, the garage.” 

Em: Yeah. First of all, you have to own a lawn mower. 

Amanda: Like that, that’s just a weird– [laughs] 

Em: That’s such a man, man behavior. Yeah. 

Amanda: Yeah. [laughs] 

Em: [laughs] Just saying. 

Amanda: I love it. 

Em: I don’t know a single mom who’s like, “Let me whip out the fucking John Deere and–“ 

Amanda: Right. [laughs] 

Em: “–throw it out on my turf.” Yeah, not gonna happen. Um– 

Amanda: Oh my gosh. 

Em: –anyway. Anyway, uh– 

Amanda: But yeah, I thought that one was the perfect start. Um, and there was a quote, uh, from a local person. I’m gonna end this one with this. 

Em: Mm-hmm. 

Amanda: Um, she said, “‘It’s something to talk about around town,’ said Wendy Bethea, the clerk on duty at Cheesman’s Store.” Wait, Cheesman’s Store? 

Em: All of this is meant for a horror movie. Um– 

Amanda: [laughs] Oh my god. I’ve been to– 

Em: What’d you say her name was? Bathsheba or something? 

Amanda: It’s Wendy Bethea. Bethea? 

Em: That feels spiritual. That feels like she conjured this. 

Amanda: That is– She is, she is very magical. So she said, “‘I’ve had a couple customers talking about it, being out there. I think it’s harmless. I think it’s fun Halloween.’” 

Em: And it is. Um, but for those five milliseconds where I was unsure, um, if I were the one driving past– Like how many phone calls were directed to the police station? Like how many people did have to go to therapy after this, you know? 

Amanda: I, I know. That’s what I’m saying. That is scarring. I– Yeah, I– I’m definitely like a very dramatic person and like– Yeah, if I saw that, I would be freaking out, calling everyone, calling 911, calling my mom, calling my dad, calling my grandma, call– You know, I’d be like, “Guys, guys, guys, guys!” 

Em: And question for you: have you seen Sinister, the movie Sinister? 

Amanda: I haven’t. 

Em: Okay. It’s sinister, believe it or not. Um, but it– There’s a really horrific lawnmower scene. 

Amanda: [gasps] 

Em: Um, which I mean it’s pretty shot for shot I’m imagining as, as this prank seems to be going. Um, but it, it really rocked me, and I’ll– It’s kind of one of the– I– I’m personally triggered in a certain way where if I saw someone under a lawn mower, I– It’s, it’s– I, I’d be moved in a particular way. [chuckles] So, um– 

Amanda: Oh no. 

Em: If it really was as realistic as they’re claiming, then I would be crying. But– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –if it’s just like a fake Spirit Halloween dummy, then I’m like, “That’s Uncle Jeff. I–“ 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: “I know he– I know that’s, that’s his work right there.” Well– 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: –great, great first headline. Well done, well done. 

Amanda: Thank you. Thank you. 

Story 2 – The Time My Dead Dad Haunted Me for Fun 

Em: Um, I have a listener story for you. 

Amanda: Ooh. 

Em: And it is titled uh, “The Time My Dead Dad Haunted Me for Fun.” See, men love to do this shit, dead or alive. 

Amanda: What is wrong with them? What are we gonna do? 

Em: They’re just like, “I need to bother somebody.” 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Sorry, it’s– I’m in a real mood today about men. Sorry. Um– 

Amanda: That’s every day for me too. Don’t worry. 

Em: Okay, perfect. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Glad we’re on the same page. So this is by Rebecca. So, hello, Rebecca. Um, so Rebecca says, “Hi everyone! Long time listener, first time writer. When I saw the request for prank/petty stories, I immediately knew I needed to write in. Um, backstory – I have always been into paranormal spooky things, loved horror movies, and would take any excuse to try to ‘talk’ to the dead.” Where do you stand on that, Amanda? What– Are you also in that, in that vein? 

Amanda: You know, I am a scaredy-cat. Uh, Trevin forces me to watch scary movies on our Patreon because my reactions are out there, um, to say the least. Uh– 

Em: I’ll, I’ll tell him to make you watch Sinister next. Uh– [laughs] 

Amanda: Yes, I think he actually does want me to watch that one. So– 

Em: Whew. 

Amanda: –oh my god. Um, but, uh, no, I, I’ve always been– I believe in spirits. I believe in hauntings, all of those things. And I, I did grow up in a haunted house, but I never, I never tried to interact. 

Em: Mm. 

Amanda: That just wasn’t me– for me, you know? 

Em: Kinda did the like “keep my eyes open and my mouth shut” thing. 

Amanda: Yeah, exactly. 

Em: Just keep it moving. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Um, I– Hm. I think I’m a little– a, a touch above that. If Christine were here, I would be probably, uh, poking fun at her because she, at any turn, will whip out a Ouija board. But um– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: –I would say– I’m not, I’m not with the Ouija vibes. However, I am– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –I’m pretty good at shouting into an empty room and thinking a million spirits are hearing me. So um– 

Amanda: Okay. Yeah. 

Em: I do that a lot, especially when I’m scared, and I just say, “Shut it down. I don’t want this.” Um, but yeah, I think I interact a healthy amount, and the rest of it, I’m just like, “If I don’t look, they’ll leave,” you know? 

Amanda: Oh, yeah. I was at your live show. I saw your spooky investigations. 

Em: [laughs] Oh, brother. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Well, okay. Well, so– 

Amanda: You two are brave. 

Em: Thank you. Wow. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Finally some recognition over here. Okay. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Um, Rebecca says, “My dad passed away when I was two and a half, and growing up, we lived in my dad’s family home, where nearly everyone in my family has lived at some point or another.” They’ve all been in this house. “And my mom and I, uh, continued to live there after my dad died. It’s a three-story home. My aunt lived in the first floor apartment, and we lived on the second and third floor apartment. Seeing as it has seen generations of my dad’s family, the house was straight up haunted when we moved in, and no one in the family denied it.” I wanna say horrifying, but also it sounds like it’s just haunted by your own family, so you’re probably good. You know what I mean? 

Amanda: [laughs] I know. I’m like, “How gener– How many generations does this go back?” 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: Because if it’s like hundreds of generations of your family has lived there, it’s probably, yeah, a familial ghost, right? 

Em: Yeah. The worst thing about these ghosts, depending on how far back we go, is like maybe they’re just like, [chuckles] I don’t know, fucking racist. I don’t know. Like– 

Amanda: [laughs] Right. 

Em: But I think that’s maybe the– hopefully the worst thing about them in this house. Um, “Weird, albeit harmless, things would happen con– would constantly happen like rocking chairs rocking by themselves, footsteps being heard when no one else was even in the building, and plenty of unexplained sounds.” Great. And they keep their racism to the– to themselves. Perfect. Um– 

Amanda: Yeah, that’s lovely. 

Em: “To say my dad was a prankster would be an understatement. He was always looking for ways to make people laugh or lighten the mood, and dying definitely didn’t stop him.” I love that. Love that. He likes a challenge. 

Amanda: Yeah, determined. 

Em: “On my birthday one year, I invited my best friend Rachel to sleepover, which meant we got to watch scary movies and stay up all night and raid the kitchen pantry for snacks, and we came up with the idea to try to talk to the dead, namely my dad.” [chuckles] ‘kay. Perfect. 

Amanda: Okay. 

Em: Bring dad to the sleepover, sure. 

Amanda: [laughs] Yeah. I’m like, “Oh, alright. Okay. Uh–“ 

Em: Most people want their dad out of that house for a sleepover, but he’s– 

Amanda: Totally. 

Em: They’re like, “Come on in.” Uh, “It is important to note that at this point, the only people in the apartment are my mom, who is asleep upstairs, and Rachel and I, who are together” at the sleepover. “So there we sat, on the floor in the play room, holding hands and said something along the lines of ‘Dad, if you’re here give us a sign and move something in this room,’ but nothing happened. We sat there for another five minutes waiting for my dad to do something, but eventually we resorted to watching a movie in the other room.” I love that eventually everyone’s fed up with their dads. It’s– 

Amanda: [laughs] They’re like, “Okay, Dad, way to let me down. I’m gonna go watch a movie.” 

Em: [laughs] “If you’re not gonna be cool about this, then you’re not invited anymore.” Um– 

Amanda: Exactly, yeah. 

Em: “About 20 minutes into the movie, we decided we need snacks, a– but as we’re going to the kitchen, we notice that a chair in the play room is in a different spot.” Okay. All of a sudden, I’m out. Um– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: “Weird, but okay, maybe we were all just mistaken. However, when we walked by again, the chair was across the room.” Forget it. That’s just not happening. 

Amanda: No. No. 

Em: See, I was so on board with dad doing something cool. And the second he does something cool, I’m like, “You have to leave.” I can’t. 

Amanda: [laughs] You have to get back to the movies. 

Em: [laughs] Um, “We’re ob– we’re obviously freaked out, but agree, once again, that maybe we were mistaken, so we continue into the living room to watch the movie. And at this point, the movie is not being watched, and we keep pausing to discuss how the chair definitely moved.” I love that part of a sleepover though when you can’t get even get through a movie ’cause you just have to, you have to vent about something. 

Amanda: Oh, yeah. 

Em: –and they’re like, “Am I going crazy?” Like, “Can you h– can you hear the chair moving?” 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: So, before I go any further, we do have a running– I don’t know. Debate isn’t the right word, but we’re constantly asking each other, Christine and I, and I’d like to ask you, when something goes paranormally missing, do you think that it actually moves itself across a room, or do you think it vanishes into a void and reappears somewhere else? 

Amanda: [gasps] That’s a good question. I’m not gonna lie– 

Em: A tale as old as time over here. We, we can’t figure it out. 

Amanda: Okay, okay. Oh, I just totally dropped my mic. Sorry. [laughs] 

Em: You’re totally good. Uh, I think, I think Christine has landed on it disappears and reappears, and I’m still kind of on maybe it mov– I don’t know. I never– It changes every day. 

Amanda: Um, I am more in the, the mindset that it moves. I’ve honestly never until this very conversation have ever considered that it went into a void and then came back out. Um– 

Em: [laughs] Fair. 

Amanda: But, but that’s just me. 

Em: I, I feel like I’m explaining a dream to somebody. Yeah. 

Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That, that’s just me. Um, but I d– I feel like it has to physically move, right? I don’t know. 

Em: I just– I feel like there’s so many like glitches in the universe where like– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –it could just kind of like f– just fizzle out for a second and reappear. But– 

Amanda: That’s true. That’s true. 

Em: –I don’t know. Anyways– 

Amanda: There’s a bunch of different multiverses. Sometimes things glitch out, and– 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: –who knows? [laughs] 

Em: I also wonder about the strength of a ghost. Because let’s say this chair is moving across the room, does he have to have muscle mass as a ghost or can he just kind of like mental mov–? 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: ’Cause I’m imagining like a dad with like, like bad lower back pain or something who can barely push it like trying to scoot this chair for the prank. 

Amanda: Totally. 

Em: You know what I mean? 

Amanda: Totally. Like does the, does the ghost have to like hit the ghost gym to get buff before they can move the item? I don’t know. That’s a good question, too. 

Em: I– [sighs] We’ll never know. Well, they’re in the middle of turning this, this TV show off or this movie off, going like, “That was weird, right? That was fucking weird. This chair is moving.” “We’re obviously freaked out, but, uh, maybe we were mistaken. So we continue to uh– we continue into the living room to watch the movie.” Uh, blah-blah-blah, turn the TV off, start talking. Oh, [chuckles] “We creep down the hallway. Uh, and what do we see in the play room? But the chair–“ Amanda– 

Amanda: Oh no. 

Em: I’m gonna read it again. 

Amanda: Oh no. 

Em: “We creep down the hallway, and what do we see in the play room? But the chair hanging off a nail on the closet door.” 

Amanda: What? 

Em: And just like that, it’s, it’s a demon. There’s– Immediately, I go from dad to demon. That’s fucking crazy. 

Amanda: That is not your father. 

Em: [laughs] I’m sorry. That’s not– Especially ’cause your dad would be like, “Those are my good nails, not on my door hinge.” You know, some– something like that. 

Amanda: Yeah. He– He’d be like, “That needs an anchor in it. That’s not strong enough to hold a chair.” 

Em: Yeah. [laughs] Especially like the– We’re not even talking about the magical mystical element of like the chair being able to balance and not just falling and slamming onto the ground. Like it’s– 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: –nearly levitating with a little support. I– 

Amanda: I mean– 

Em: That’s– I mean, maybe your dad is really committed to a bit, but that’s fucking crazy. That’s– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: That would abs– If I were Rachel, I’m never coming back to your house. Let’s start there. I’m never visiting again. Um– 

Amanda: [laughs] I know. I need to know if they ever had a sleepover together after this. I mean, probably not. 

Em: My stomach would be sick. I like– I would be like, “I– There’s no sleeping tonight. We’re going to IHOP. We’re leaving the house. I don’t know what we’re doing, but we’re getting out of here.” 

Amanda: IHOP. [laughs] 

Em: Um, “We sprint back to the living room to debrief about what we just saw–“ I like how you couldn’t possibly just do it as you’re looking at it. Um– 

Amanda: Right. They’re like, “Get out of here! Okay, what the hell?” 

Em: [laughs] And we agree that we need to tell my dad to stop because we’re too freaked out at this point, uh, despite literally getting what we explicitly asked for.” I mean, isn’t that just the worst curse of it all? Um– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: “We walk back into the room, and the chair is now on the ground in front of the closet door–“ which by the way, we’re not talking about the fact that that means it was gently placed. It was re-levitated off the nail to then be put down– 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: –instead of slamming to the ground. So that feels– 

Amanda: Yeah, they would have heard it if it fell. 

Em: That feels like an intelligent request of like, “Okay, Dad, you’re freaking out– freaking us out. Stop.” And– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –taking it off the– Eugh. 

Amanda: It’s like, “Okay.” 

Em: “–but a framed music poster is in the middle of the floor now.” So now he’s just taking everything off the hooks at this point. 

Amanda: He’s like, “What about this? What about that?” He’s like– He’s really showing off now. 

Em: Yeah. And also I’m curious about what music poster. Like what, what could that mean? 

Amanda: Same. 

Em: Maybe– Is– 

Amanda: Like is it his favorite band? 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: Is that why she’s like, “This is my dad”? 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: ’Cause maybe, maybe I was wrong. Maybe it’s not– [laughs] Maybe it’s not an evil spirit. If it’s like his favorite band and he’s like, “Hey!” 

Em: Yeah. He’s like, “If you want a real killer sleepover, this is the soundtrack. You gotta throw the vinyl on, you know?” 

Amanda: Yeah. He’s like, “Turn that movie off that you’re not even listening to, and listen to the classics.” [laughs] 

Em: 100%. That is a dad. He’s like, “Guns ’N Roses!” or something. Um, let me see. Uh, “I say something along the lines of ‘Dad, thanks for the proof, but please stop now.’” Fair enough. “Thank goodness he stopped when asked, but once I fessed up and told my mom a week later, I learned some new facts. The room that we were in was the room that my dad had set up, uh, while he was sick and still at home.” The room that all this was happening in. 

Amanda: Oh… Okay. 

Em: “Also the poster that ma–“ Thank you for answering my hard-hitting journalism questions. “The poster that had made its way into the middle of the room was of David Bowie, and my–“ 

Amanda: [gasps] 

Em: “–and that was his poster, was his, his David Bowie poster.” So yeah. 

Amanda: Okay. It, it– I– 

Em: He’s telling you. You got– Come on. 

Amanda: It was your dad. I was wrong in the beginning. Okay? 

Em: He, he just wants to boogie. It’s not that hard. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: He said, “Put the chairs on the door hinges. We need dancing room. Oh, he’s coming on.” 

Amanda: [laughs] Exactly. 

Em: Um, “Plenty of other weird things have happened in that house, and my dad still makes his presence known by frequently presenting the number 333, uh, when I need a pick-me-up.” Mi– Mine’s 222. Do you have a number like that? 

Amanda: Oh, yes, I do. Uh, my number is, um, I see sixes and eights like everywhere. And this is probably just like my OCD mental illness, but– 

Em: That’s okay. 

Amanda: –um, six means “yes” to me and eight means “no”. It’s a whole thing. 

Em: I totally don’t judge you for that. That makes a lot of sense. 

Amanda: [chuckles] Thank you. Thank you. 

Em: What was going to freak me out is if in response to the 222 and 333 thing, you were like, “Oh, yeah, mine’s 666.” And I would’ve been like– 

Amanda: Right, right, right. 

Em: –“Girl, go to a church.” Um– 

Amanda: Go to Church Road. Organ Church Road. 

Em: [chuckles] Go to Organ Church Road. Um, “My dad still shows himself by presenting the number 333 when I need a pick-me-up or, uh, if I’ve– if I just need to make a big decision. He’s been know to do things to my cousins who moved into the apartment after us, like blowing a curtain in my cousin’s face when she was having a bad day–“ What a fucking dad move. “Oh, your day is bad? I’ll make it worse.” 

Amanda: He’s like [blows air aggressively] 

Em: [blows air aggressively] Yeah, might as well spit on me. Jesus Christ. Okay. “–or moving objects around when you’re looking for them.” Um, “Sorry that was a long one, but h– but hope you enjoyed the story of the time my dead dad pranked us at my birthday sleepover.” Uh, thank you, Rebecca. That was awesome, and your dad sounds like– [sighs] I don’t know. He sounds like he probably tailgated a lot? I don’t know. He sounds like a real partygoer, a party animal. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Um, but he sounds like he’s still around, still kicking it. So anyway, thank you, Rebecca. 

Amanda: I love that, Rebecca. Oh my goodness, that was a good one. Um, yeah. Now that I’ve got all the information, it does definitely sound like some dad behavior, some dad ghost behavior. Besides– 

Em: 100%. 

Amanda: –besides the, the nail, I really am like– I– 

Em: It’s a little too much. [laughs] 

Amanda: Yeah. I’m like– That was the part where I was uneasy ’cause I was like, yeah, my dad’s constantly being like, “That needs an anchor in it. Just a nail can’t hold it.” Like that’s just what I’m used to. But hey. 

Em: And honestly, if he– I mean, he really does sound like he was like, like a party animal. He sounds like he knew how to throw down. 

Amanda: Oh, yeah. 

Em: And so maybe he just came on a little too strong. Oh– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –maybe he was just like, “You want to see some crazy ghost shit? Look what I can do now that I’m a ghost.” And everyone was like, “Ah! Make it more human.” And he went, “Oh, oh, okay. Poster,” you know. 

Amanda: [laughs] Yeah, yeah. She’s like, “Dad, not in front of– front of my friends. [through gritted teeth] Put the chair back down.” 

Em: I mean, I could– [chuckles] Yeah. I could see myself doing that as a ghost if someone’s like, “I need proof.” In my mind, I’d be like, “I’m gonna give you the craziest proof. I’m gonna lift a couch–“ 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: “–and put it on the ceiling.” 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: And then everyone’s like, “Ah! Poltergeist.” And I’m like, “Ah, I can’t win. I don’t know what to do.” So, maybe, maybe that’s what was going on there. But, uh– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –I’m glad he, he, he dialed it down from a 12 to like maybe a healthy 6, you know? 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: So, um, do you have any, any ghost things like that? I mean, have you ever seen fucking furniture levitate or anything? 

Amanda: Oh god, no. I’ve never had anything like that happen [chuckles] so far in my life. Um, luckily, but um, like I said, I, I did grow up in a haunted house where we would hear voices. Um, furniture would be moved, not, not necessarily like in this story, but– 

Em: [chuckles] 

Amanda: –we would come home, and like the couch would be shifted. Or there were a couple times– It was when I was in, uh, high school, and my room was in the basement, and my dad would be like, “Amanda, are you okay?” ’Cause he’d hear something, and it was like this weird like high-pitched voice. 

Em: [sighs] Oof. 

Amanda: And then he’d go down there, and I’d be asleep, and it wasn’t me. Or– 

Em: Eugh. 

Amanda: –now this one actually does tie in. I did have a sleepover– 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: –once, uh, growing up. I think I was in middle school, maybe early high school, and it was in the haunted house. We were in the basement, and it was like a– It had a light that you could fade it, you know. 

Em: Mm. 

Amanda: You could make it really bright or dim it, and, uh, the lights were on fully, full bright light. 

Em: ‘kay. 

Amanda: And the light slowly dimmed off. And we all, of course, you know, screamed and freaked out, and we’re like, “Who did that? Like someone’s messing with us,” thinking it was my brother or my dad. Any– 

Em: Or dad. 

Amanda: Yeah. And, um, anyway, we s– we were like, you know, hunched all together, and then slowly the light dimmed all the way back on. 

Em: [groans] 

Amanda: And absolutely no one was standing there. 

Em: Oh. 

Amanda: There was no one even nearby, so. 

Em: Oh, immediate chills. Immediate chills. 

Amanda: Yeah. So [laughs] that’s really the spookiest thing that I’ve ever had happen. 

Em: Well, similar to do you think things physically move or like kind of pop out somewhere else, do you think that the dimmer itself was actually moving or do you think it just kinda controlled the electricity? 

Amanda: Oh, see, I don’t know. 

Em: Like it doesn’t need– Does it need the material item to do what it wants to do, to do? ’Cause no one– 

Amanda: That’s a really good point. 

Em: When you, when you think about like flickering lights, that’s not like there’s a ghost by the switch doing this [mimes jiggling light switch up and down]. 

Amanda: Right. Right. Right. They’re not like, “dl-luh-luh-luh” [makes sound effect as she mimes jiggling light switch quickly]. 

Em: Yeah. [laughs] 

Amanda: Um, yeah. I don’t know. I never um– Because we were so scared and hunched together, I never looked at the dimmer as it was happening, you know? So– 

Em: Sure. 

Amanda: I wish I would’ve. That would have been something. 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: But, uh, good question. 

Em: Mm. 

Amanda: I always assumed it had to move, but now you have me rethinking everything. 

Em: Thank you. You know– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: –I like, I like to, uh, ruin people’s day if, if anything uh– 

Amanda: Hey. 

Em: –just, just to give you something to really ponder and never have an answer to. Some people would say that’s like the, the worst gift I can give you is just a headache, so, um, enjoy. 

Amanda: I don’t know. Just something to think about when I need a, you know, a new thought. It’s okay. 

Em: It’s wi– Because to me– No, to me it’s one of the– it’s one of those thoughts that would– It drives me to a brink of insanity every now and then because I– I’ll just sit there, and I’ll just think about it, and I’ll never know. I just have to just live without knowing it– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –and it dri– I can’t, can’t google that one, you know. Um– 

Amanda: Right, right. 

Em: Oh, it drives me nuts. So I’m haunted by those thoughts always. Please join me in that. 

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Story 3 – Boozed-Up Karate Master Beats Up Worker Dressed as a Ghost – Then Sues Haunted House and Loses 

Em: Do you have a– another headline? 

Amanda: I do. And, um, this is actually a headline that was recommended to us from a listener on our Facebook group. And, um, I think it was suggested like a year ago, but I was looking up Halloween things to see what people had suggested. So sorry, Steve, that it took this long for me to get to it. Um– 

Em: [laughs] Oh, there’s people– When we do a listeners’ episode, sometimes they’re like, “Oh my god, I just started listening,” and then we look at the date of the email, and it’s like from five years ago. And I’m like, “Oh, well– 

Amanda: Yeah, it’s like, “Oh–“ 

Em: “–you’re probably not even here anymore.” [laughs] 

Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh my gosh. But this is from the New York Post. 

Em: Nice. 

Amanda: And the title is “Boozed-up karate master beats up worker dressed as a ghost — then sues haunted house and loses.” 

Em: Oh, a lot of things are happening there. Okay. 

Amanda: A lot of things are happening. Um, do you like– 

Em: Can you say it again? 

Amanda: Yeah, I can say it one more time. So, “Boozed-up karate master beats up worker dressed as a ghost – then sues haunted house and loses.” 

Em: I’m with you now. Okay. 

Amanda: Okay. 

Em: So like he probably went to like a, like a jump scare attraction. 

Amanda: That’s what I think so. Yes, yes, yes. 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: Which by the way, do you like those, Em? Do you go to like the, the haunted houses? 

Em: [sighs] You have no idea what little box of mysteries you’re opening up here. Um– 

Amanda: Ooh! 

Em: –I love love these. Um, I– 

Amanda: Okay. 

Em: Usually for October, because there’s usually like four weekends, I pick four big jump scare attractions. I’m lucky. I live in LA where there’s just like stuff everywhere. Um, but– 

Amanda: Oh, nice. 

Em: –usually there’s like Universal, and there’s, um, there’s a haunted hay ride. There’s, uh, Knott’s Berry Farm. Everything’s got something going on. I– There’s nothing I love more than the jump scares. And my thing though is they don’t scare me. I, I think I’m just too in the headse– head space of like– I really like movie sets, and I feel like I’m on a movie set– 

Amanda: Ooh. 

Em: –and so I just walk around, and I’m observing the material and how it all got made. So I’m like the most boring person to walk in there. Um, but usually I go with my girlfriend– 

Amanda: Okay. 

Em: –who’s much more of a scaredy-cat in which case I just kind of like– She makes me stand in front of her sometimes, in which case I kind of secretly point, and I like, “Go get her. Go get her ’cause I’m not here for that.” 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Um. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: So anyway, I love them. Do you love them? 

Amanda: You know, for being such a scaredy-cat myself, I actually do really enjoy a haunted house because I know logically it’s not a real situation. 

Em: Mm-hmm. 

Amanda: However, I do get scared by them, and I am like the loudest scaredy-cat in the whole thing. 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: So, if we ever go together, yeah, I’ll be the one being like, “Ahhh!” 

Em: [laughs] Perfect. 

Amanda: So– 

Em: Well, they have, um, the– uh, one of them that is out here is the Queen Mary, which we’ve– Eva and I have both investigated with Christine. 

Amanda: Ooh. 

Em: Um, and that was our first tour. That was the footage that we got was at the Queen Mary, and there’s supposedly a ghost there named Jackie who’s a little girl, but she’s actually a demon in disguise. And so they have a whole jump scare attraction on the ship where the whole thing is like Jackie tries to jump out and scare you. And um– 

Amanda: [gasps] 

Em: –so it’s very, it’s very fun to go there, especially because some of the more haunted areas of the Queen Mary are like the boiler room– 

Amanda: Oh… 

Em: –and they have this whole dark jump scare attraction through all these places that Christine, Eva, and I actually investigated. So it’s very weird to be walking through a place that they’ve dressed as if it’s haunted when, can confirm, I’ve been in there alone without all the Halloween decorations– or with them actually, ’cause they were setting up for Halloween. Um– 

Amanda: Oh my gosh. 

Em: And it– it’s incr– You don’t need to zhuzh it up. It’s fucking haunted. It felt that way at least, so. 

Amanda: Right. Yeah, that’s actually really interesting: a– an already haunted space and then making it a haunted attraction. That’s– 

Em: Yeah, it wasn’t aesthetic enough, I guess. 

Amanda: That’s r– 

Em: I don’t know. Um– 

Amanda: Yeah, I guess not. So, um, so this article, let’s get back to this. So, “A boozed-up karate expert in Japan shattered the jaw of a worker dressed as a ghost because he got startled at a haunted house—“ 

Em: Mm. 

Amanda: “–then took the spooky theme park to court and lost.” So, it says, “The suing sensei–“ Ooh, I like that. 

Em: I love that. 

Amanda: “The suing sensei claimed it was simply a ‘reflex’ when he landed a kick to the face on a worker who had frightened him at the Toei Kyoto Studio Park in 2011.” 

Em: Hm. 

Amanda: Um– Oh my gosh. Okay. 

Em: So it’s an– Is it an attraction? A Halloween attraction? Well, you’re– You can keep going. 

Amanda: Yes, I think it is. Yes, yes, yes. At the Toei Kyoto Studio Park. Yes. So I didn’t realize this was such a long ongoing legal battle. 

Em: Oh. 

Amanda: So, “During a 13-year legal battle–“ 

Em: Oh my god. 

Amanda: “–the injured ‘ghost’ won $68,400 settlement from the karate pro as payment for his broken jaw in 2015.” 

Em: Oh my god. Wow. 

Amanda: Uh, okay. Um, the person who, who got um– or the person who kicked, I guess, hasn’t– Their name hasn’t been released. 

Em: Sure. 

Amanda: But he “later filed a lawsuit claiming the park was partially responsible for the attack because it failed to train staff to prevent attacks.” [laughs] 

Em: What? [laughs] I’m sorry. Nobody is trained to prevent attacks. You just get attacked, and then you have to deal with it. What are you talking about? 

Amanda: Yeah. I– That, that startled me. So, yes, he said “because it failed to train staff to prevent attacks by scared visitors.” Um, in the lawsuit– 

Em: It sounds like, it sounds like he’s saying like, “Well, they couldn’t keep up with me.” Like, they just couldn’t– 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: [laughs] It’s like– 

Amanda: He’s like– 

Em: –“Well, they didn’t have a baseball bat, so it’s not my fault that they didn’t hit me with a– the baseball bat that doesn’t exist.” Uh, what are you talking about? 

Amanda: Yeah. He’s like, “Actually, you guys need to have formal training on how to prevent attacks from scared individuals.” Like, what? 

Em: I mean, it’s literally victim-blaming of being like, “Well, you should have stopped me and you didn’t, so I’m in the right to have done this.” 

Amanda: [laughs] I know. 

Em: What are you saying? 

Amanda: Oh my god. So in the lawsuit, he claimed that the park, he claimed that the park “didn’t ‘inform customers that humans were playing the role of ghosts’ and demanded–“ 

Em: I’m so sorry. 

Amanda: [laughs] “–and demanded it pay 70% of the settlement.” Okay. 

Em: He needed to be warned that Casper would be at a Halloween event? And also, he wasn’t sh– when you hit a ghost and it has a fucking jaw and you break it, be prepared– It wasn’t ever a ghost, buddy. [laughs] I don’t know what to tell you. 

Amanda: I mean, I’ve never been to a haunted attraction where someone came out and they’re like, “Listen up, everybody. Um, the ghosts inside–“ 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: “–they are played by actual real life humans, and I’m gonna need you not to kick them in the jaw. Thanks.” [laughs] 

Em: Does he think Halloweentown is like based on a true story or something? Like, what do you– Like a– There are skeletons who are cab drivers. It just happens. What do you mean? 

Amanda: I, I simply don’t know, but that is the most absurd thing. I– No wonder he lost his lawsuit. 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: Like, what? 

Em: And his lawyer had to have given the, the deepest sigh before he had to say that out loud in a courtroom of like, “This is our defense.” 

Amanda: He’s– [laughs] 

Em: The, the judge should have been like, “Just turn around, and try again. That’s not– That can’t be your defense.” 

Amanda: The judge is just like, “Just go home. Just go home.” 

Em: [laughs] Yeah, he’s like, “I could tell that even you’re over this if this is what you’ve brought with– brought to me.” 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Um, well, okay. So what I was gonna say is for whenever I go to, um, haunted attractions, I often go with a friend, who happens to be named Christine but is not Christine of And That’s Why We Drink. 

Amanda: Oh, okay. 

Em: Um, and she, she has to walk through clasping both of her hands because her first reaction when she gets startled is to punch. 

Amanda: Oh… 

Em: And so she has to keep her hands like really still. Um, but her reaction is to kind of fling out and like, you know, get whoever is coming at her. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: So I could understand if he really was scared, maybe hit– but doing like a full kick to the jaw or whatever is like really theatrical. Like that’s, that’s not a reaction. That’s a trained– if you want to call it a trained response. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: That’s– It’s too beautiful of a reaction. You know what I mean? Um– 

Amanda: Yes. Exactly. It’s not like a quick like, “Wah!” [yelps while she swipes her hand out to the side] 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: He was like, “Huh-ya!” [mimes winding up for a kick] 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: I mean– And he is a trained– 

Em: Like a s– I’m imagining like a little spin like to wind up, you know. 

Amanda: Yes. That is like– He’s a trained sensei. Like come on. 

Em: I know, yeah. Yeah, you’re– I don’t, I don’t understand. And also it would– Maybe I could see it if this was an attraction– I can’t do these. This is where I, I tap out. When they’re the jump scare attractions where they’re allowed to touch you, like where th– 

Amanda: Oh, yeah. No. 

Em: Like I would never– One of the reasons I don’t get scared of them is because I know they can’t touch me, so I know I’m safe the whole time. 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: But if something came at me, sure. I would probably also throw a punch if I got too scared. But this is– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: This sounds like it was not that. I– No wonder you lost– This is such a– This feels at this point the headline is like– What’s the saying on TikTok? Like, “Breaking news! Water is wet,” or something. Like it’s– 

Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. 

Em: Of course hitting an employee, you’re not gonna win that lawsuit. 

Amanda: And of course the ghosts are played by humans. 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: Like what? Did he think they were played by robots? Goats? Wha-what? 

Em: Like a Disney animatronic. [laughs] 

Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [laughs] Like the old Chuck E-Cheese animatronics, but it’s ghosts. 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: Like wha–? 

Em: Um– 

Amanda: I don’t know. Silly. 

Em: Well, he has– After 13 years too. He has to have thought at least once, “I’m probably gonna lose this case.” 

Amanda: Honestly. 

Em: Like why don’t you just tap out at some point and say like, “I’m done paying lawyers for 13 years on this.” 

Amanda: 13 l– years of a legal battle? Just give it up. 

Em: I know. 

Amanda: You broke a jaw. Like– 

Em: [laughs] He’s either incredibly stubborn and like dug his heels in, knowing that this was not going well for him but he couldn’t back out, or he was weirdly confident in his defense– 

Amanda: Yeah. [chuckles] 

Em: –which is a whole other– That’s a– maybe a mental health emergency. [laughs] Um– 

Amanda: Maybe. 

Em: Oh man. Well, good headline. Well done. Good find. 

Amanda: Thank you. That was– It was a, it was a silly one. I didn’t realize it went on that long, though. That was an– I didn’t read that part earlier. [chuckles] 

Em: Oh, that’s okay. No, I, I appreciate, uh, the, the juicy info. You know, his family still makes fun of him at Thanksgiving being like, “Oh, what are you gonna do? Kick me in the jaw? It’ll cost you $100,000 and 13 years of your life?” 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Like you have to get ragged on it by someone. Someone at the bar makes fun of you, you know? 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: Anyway– 

Amanda: If they’re not, then I’m questioning the people in his life. Like– 

Em: [chuckles] Right? 

Amanda: Someone needs to hold this guy accountable. [laughs] 

Em: Yeah. If he’s not around people who, who are holding him accountable, he’s in the wrong circle. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Story 4 – Sorority House Haunts 

Em: Um, here is another story for you. This is by another Rebecca, and the– 

Amanda: Ooh. 

Em: –the title of this is “Sorority House Haunts.” 

Amanda: [spooky tone of voice] Oo-ooh. 

Em: Uh, I don’t know if you know this, but I seem to stumble across quite a few haunted sorority fraternity houses. I guess because there’s just so much chaos there, right? 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: And hormones, in, in theory, spirits kind of feed off that energy, so. 

Amanda: Oh? 

Em: Um, yeah, it’s kind of like, uh– A lot of poltergeist cases, if– You know, it could just be a hoax. But the, the running serious theory is that if there are teenagers in the house, because they’re going through so much developmentally, their energy’s a little more chaotic, they’re a little off-kilter, and so they may be channeling chaotic energy or energy’s already there that now has something to feed off of. And so a lot of poltergeist cases do have pre-teen teenagers in the home. Um– 

Amanda: Em. 

Em: Hm? 

Amanda: So you are telling me right now that not only do I have to worry about my two daughters turning into teenagers in general– 

Em: [laughs] Oh. 

Amanda: –but I have to worry about now a poltergeist coming up in my house? 

Em: The biggest apology one could give. Yeah. Um. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: That, that is on the docket of symptoms they don’t warn you of is poltergeists. 

Amanda: Whew. [sighs] 

Em: Um, yeah, but then also– 

Amanda: This was not explained to me ahead of time. 

Em: If it helps, uh, the, the other running theory though is that this is all a ho– a hoax. And what are the odds that there’s always teenagers in the homes of poltergeist cases where they could just be playing pranks on their parents. 

Amanda: Mm. Okay. 

Em: So ma-maybe you’ve just got some prankster living children, you know– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –instead of just demons kind of crawling around. 

Amanda: I would take that. 

Em: Anyway, good luck. [laughs] 

Amanda: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. [laughs] “Good luck with that.” 

Em: Uh, so this is from Rebecca. Rebecca says, uh, “I have lived in a sorority house for three years now, and I have experienced some creepy shit. Our house is known to be haunted by our old house mom, Mrs. Lias [pronounced “lie-us”], who, uh, died in the house in the late 1990s. It is said that she watches over us from time to time to make sure we follow the rules and be good sisters. So we know that we have an old lady spirit in the house watching over us, but it has never scared us. But I saw something else that made the whole house pretty spooked.” 

Amanda: Ooh. 

Em: “One night I was walking from my corner room to the bathroom to get ready for bed, and this was around midnight, so it wasn’t like 3 a.m. or anything super creepy like that. This was a normal night, and I was just getting ready for bed, but to get to the bathroom, I had to turn a corner to get into this long narrow hallway, which was about 10 or 15 steps away. This long hallway is creepy like what you see in horror movies. So with tired eyes, I turned the corner and entered the hallway, and I see a girl with long curly hair standing at the end of it.” This is some Shining shit. There– That’s– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: No. 

Amanda: That’s exactly what that is. Which, by the way, Trevin went to the Stanley Hotel when we were in Denver for CrimeCon. 

Em: Mm! Love it. 

Amanda: Um, and yeah, that’s the exact vibe this is giving. 

Em: 100%. And also I can’t imagine stay– The, the hotel prices must have been in such a surge at the Stanley if CrimeCon was like right around the corner. I feel like everyone was staying at the Stanley. 

Amanda: Yep. 

Em: That’s so cool. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Um, what was I gonna say? If I– First of all, not to– I fully believe something creepy is about to happen, but while I still have my sanity intact, I will say she lives in a sorority house. It c– It has to happen all the time that you see a girl standing at the end of a hallway, you know? 

Amanda: Yeah, like people are getting drunk; people are coming back to the sorority house probably like, you know, barely clinging on to– 

Em: Yeah. For dear life, yeah. 

Amanda: –consciousness. Yeah. [laughs] 

Em: Um– 

Amanda: So yeah– 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: –I’m curious to see where– how this takes the turn. Yeah. 

Em: I agree. I feel like so far like she’s telling me she’s in a sorority house and she saw a girl. Ahh! 

Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Em: It’s like, “Yeah, girl. It’s your sorority sister.” Okay, just while we have this– a moment of normalcy. “I stopped in my tracks and just stared at this girl, wondering if it was my friend, Katie, who lived at the end of that hall because she’s the only person who had that type of curly hair. I couldn’t tell if she was looking down or looking at me due to the dark lighting. However, I do remember the long curly hair she had. So while staring at whatever she was– or it was–“ Agh! “–I slowly walked towards it because the bathroom was just 15 steps away.” I like that, that mental game of like, “I do have to approach you. Not too far, just a little. Please don’t–“ 

Amanda: [laughs] “I have to tinkle. Please let me– Please–“ [laughs] 

Em: [laughs] “Please don’t also meet me in the middle.” Oh my god. Um, I like how you’re like, “All of a sudden, I’d be the world’s best mathematician.” I’m like, “How far is 15 feet? How many inches do I have to move forward to this girl?” Um, “I didn’t want to blink just in case it went away. And when I got–“ That’s already your thought is like, “If I blink, she’ll vanish.” [chuckles] 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: “When I got, when I got to the bathroom entrance, I put my stuff down, got my toothbrush and toothpaste, and went back out there to see if she was still there, and she was not. I didn’t think much of it until months later.” 

Amanda: Oh? Wow. 

Em: “One of the girls posted on our, uh, page on Facebook, saying that she felt like Ms. Lias had been messing with her.” Their old– The, the ghost house mom. Um, “About ten girls had the same experiences, and three girls mentioned them having dreams of a girl with curly hair by their bed.” 

Amanda: [gasps] No. I can, I can take it being at the end of the hall. 

Em: Exactly. 

Amanda: Like I can run down the hall or whatever, but no one needs to be haunting me next to my bed. I really need the REM sleep. Like uh-uh. 

Em: [laughs] And not to be so creepy, but like if she’s letting you see her at the end of the hall, what is she not letting you see? Like how– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Like she’s been in your room. That’s– 

Amanda: Oh, yeah. Eek! 

Em: Also if you’re dead and you’re stuck there for eternity, you’re snooping through people’s stuff. There’s no way you’re not. So she’s– 

Amanda: 100%. 

Em: By day, she’s looking through your closet, and at night, she’s just– maybe the nice way is keeping an eye on you, but also she’s standing at the foot of your bed. You know what I mean? 

Amanda: Yeah. Like let’s have some personal space here. 

Em: [groans] Gross. So, um, they realize that the curly-haired girl in the hallway– “I then realized the curly-haired girl in the hallway months before was probably the ghost that they had been dreaming about, but it– and it couldn’t have been Ms. Lias because she was an old lady and this girl looked college aged. Um, since all of us in the house were super sketched about living in this house, we called a priest to bless it.” I love the teamwork that everyone’s like, “Let’s just knock this out.” Um, “A group of girls, including me, followed this priest as he blessed every window and door of the house. Uh, he said he, he would pa–he would pray softly when he blessed it and would only pray out loud when he felt more tension.” 

Amanda: Oh… 

Em: So the louder he got, the creepier the room was. 

Amanda: [gasps] Oh my god. 

Em: “He prayed out loud only once in my friend Baylie’s room on the other side of the house. Baylie told us before that that she had gotten locked out of her room and had to get the master key since you can only lock it from inside.” 

Amanda: [gasps] 

Em: “But when she opened the door, no one was in her room, and there were witnesses saying that no one in– was in her room while she was gone for the ten minutes.” So it absolutely just locked itself from the inside. 

Amanda: Oh my gosh. 

Em: “When she was telling her dad what happened on the phone, her ph– uh, she was in her room when she was on this phone call, and her phone call went out multiple times, and her TV made static noise by itself.” 

Amanda: Oh god. 

Em: “Sometimes downstairs when it’s late, people have said that they heard rings of a grandfather clock go off, and we don’t have a grandfather clock.” I beg of you. What are you talking about? 

Amanda: Um, the– Okay, that might be the creepiest thing of all. 

Em: 100%. I– That– ’Cause that’s from another time. It’s like time is kind of like melting into each other. 

Amanda: Yes. Like did the house at one time have a grandfather clock? That’s what I’m thinking. 

Em: I– Yeah. You have to. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: You have to assume that there’s like some old– like the history itself is haunted there, like the architecture. 

Amanda: Yes. And I was wondering about the age of the girl because– Yeah, she was saying it was like an older, um, sorority mom, but then maybe it was her back in her youth. 

Em: Mm. 

Amanda: I don’t know. I don’t know. 

Em: That’s a great point that like maybe it– And you know what, a lot of people say that if you see someone’s ghost, you actually see them at like the age that they were the happiest or you see them at the age that was like most pivotal. 

Amanda: Oh? 

Em: So like a lot of people say like, “I saw my grandfather, but he was in his 30s, and I didn’t know that it was him. I thought there was just a random ghost in my house until I found a photo album, and I saw him in his 30s, and it was him.” So, um– 

Amanda: Oh, okay. 

Em: So– 

Amanda: Hey, see this is the first time you’ve given me hope. 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: Like maybe when I come back to haunt people, I’ll be like in my prime, you know? 

Em: I, I– Eva, if you could quote that for a review on this podcast: “This is the first time you’ve given me hope.” 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: And it took like eight years of podcasting, by the way, that someone’s ever said that to me. So, thank you. Um, “Recently, other girls have seen someone in their room who they do not recognize late at night, and one girl even woke up with scratches on her back.” Okay, all of a sudden, I’m back to not having hope. You? 

Amanda: [laughs] Same. 

Em: [laughs] Okay. 

Amanda: That lasted so shortly. 

Em: That was like literally a duration of four seconds. Um– 

Amanda: Scratches on the back, and we’re back to reality. 

Em: [laughs] “Every now, now and again things will happen, but we have not solved who that girl with the curly hair is. I haven’t seen her since I saw her in the hallway, so she still remains a mystery. And I have to tell you one Hallo–“ Oh, before we get into that, um, you have to know– She h– Everyone has to know in this house that you– if you’re talking about her in the house, she can probably hear you too. And now nobody has seen her? I wonder if she was like kind of shamed away, you know? Like if she’s like embarrassed that people are so freaked out by her– 

Amanda: Maybe? 

Em: –maybe she just wanted to hang out? I don’t know. 

Amanda: She’s like, “You brought a priest into this? I thought this was a sisterhood.” [laughs] 

Em: [laughs] “Whatever happened to community?” Um, but yeah, no, I, I mean, what are the– People– She must be hearing herself getting talked about. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: And all of a sudden, now she’s silent, you know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Interesting. “Uh, I have to tell you, one Halloween night, I played a prank on everyone in the sorority, and I had a friend take a picture of me at the end of the hallway, since I have curly hair. And I posted it on our Facebook page, saying I had proof the ghost was back, and we needed to call the priest again. I basically made everyone pee themselves, and some people even slept somewhere else that night. It was the best prank I ever pulled, and people are still talking about it. Um, but now, if I see something again, no one will ever believe me.” Yeah, you did kinda shoot yourself in the foot. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Um– 

Amanda: You’re, you’re the girl that cried ghost at this point. 

Em: [laughs] That’s exact– Beautiful. Someone write that, write that story. Um, I– “Thank you for listening to my story as I write this in my new room in my sorority house at the other end of the creepy ass hallway, right where I saw the girl.” Yeah, karma’s coming. Um, so wish me luck as my roommate and best friend, Shannon, and I pray over our– a bottle of holy water for the next five months.” And then, um, she actually did send a picture of herself standing at the end of the hall. The, the prank, the prank picture. Let me see if I can– 

Amanda: Oh my god. 

Em: –send that to you. 

Amanda: Oh, I– 

Em: Um– 

Amanda: Yeah, I would love to see. 

Em: Let me see. 

Amanda: Is it in the– Oh, wait. Oh, wait. I do see it. It’s in the folder. 

Em: You do have it? 

Amanda: Ahh! [laughs] That is so creepy. 

Em: If that’s what you saw, I can understand why it’s, it’s an ongoing conversation for you. Totally get it. 

Amanda: [sighs] I have a lot of followup questions. 

Em: Oof. 

Amanda: I, I want to know like is it the, is it the house mom and she’s just returning, like we said, in her youth? Or was there a young curly-haired gal that maybe passed away in the house too that they just don’t know about? 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: There’s gotta be something. 

Em: Or like what ha– Maybe– Or befo– Maybe before the house was there, was it some oth– what other place could it have been? Yeah, I don’t know. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: It could be anything. Um– 

Amanda: [sings The Twilight Zone theme song] ♪ A duh-duh-duh-duh ♪♪ 

Em: –thank you, Rebecca, for your story. Uh, do you have– 

Amanda: That was good. 

Em: I think you have more? Or you have two more. You have a headline? 

Story 5 – Taunton Family Filing Lawsuit After Halloween Prank Mishap At School 

Amanda: Uh, yeah. I have a few. Um– 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: –we definitely do not have to go through all of them, but let’s see. I have– What’s this one? Let me see if this is a good next one. Okay. No, not that one. I want to do– 

Em: [laughs] You’re like, “I gotta really bring it all of a sudden. I don’t–“ 

Amanda: I, I know. I’m like, “No, no, no.” Okay, this one is wild. So this is from cbsnews.com, and the headline is “Taunton Family Filing Lawsuit After Halloween Prank Mishap At School.” 

Em: Oh god. 

Amanda: So Taunton is the town that it, it takes place in. 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: So it says, “A Halloween prank last year could prove to be very costly to the Taunton school system. Last October, a teacher at Taunton High School asked a 15-year-old student to answer a knock on the classroom door. At the door was a man in a mask and carrying what appeared to be a running chainsaw. The student–” 

Em: Oh my fucking god. No. 

Amanda: Yeah. I’m like, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.” 

Em: That, that goes– That’s no one’s uncle or dad. That’s– That person– That’s over the line in so many ways. 

Amanda: So– [laughs] 

Em: Of course. 

Amanda: So many ways. Like you can’t bring in a chainsaw to a school. 

Em: And also given the state of our nation, you cannot be a grown man just walking into a school. You just– What is your in– 

Amanda: No! 

Em: And if your intention is to scare children with a weapon that could end their lives, this is literally– Go time travel to another era where like that was not gonna be so wildly inappropriate. Like I don’t know. 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: I don’t know where that, where that timeline is, but go there. 

Amanda: It, it– I guess it– Yeah, ’cause this was back in 2011. That’s not that far away– or that’s not that long ago. Like 2011– 

Em: I guess that’s– That was before, uh, gun violence got really serious at school. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: So I guess it– 

Amanda: That’s true. 

Em: Maybe we’re, we’re hearing it with, um, new context, and– 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: –it’s, it’s much worse than it pro-probably would have been taken then. You know? 

Amanda: Definitely. So, so after this masked man with what appeared to be a running chainsaw came in, uh, the student, uh, opened the door, “then jumped back, tripped, and fractured a kneecap.” Um– 

Em: Oh no, what a comedy of errors. Oh my god. 

Amanda: [groans] Everything about this just is the biggest prank fail of all time. So, um, there’s a quote, um, from the family’s attorney saying, “He was extremely terrified.” Well, yeah. Yeah. I’m sure he– [laughs] 

Em: You don’t say. To be fair, I like– Without a random man with a chainsaw in front of me, I fall standing up. So I can’t imagine if all of a sudden my knees buckle out of fear, like I’m, I’m hitting the floor. There’s no way. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Of course, you’d hurt yourself. I– That’s terrible. That’s– And how do you explain that to your doctor? Like when they’re like, “Oh, why– What are you in here for?” It’s like, “Well, I, I thought I was gonna have to run for my life, and instead, my knees just gave out instantly.” It’s so– [laughs] 

Amanda: Yeah. Like imagine that doctor. He’s like, “Excuse me?” 

Em: Yeah. The whole town– Again, talk about another people at the bar have to make fun of this chainsaw guy to be like, “Who the hell do you think you are?” 

Amanda: They have to. So the, the lawyer goes on to quote saying, “He just wasn’t expecting something like that.” Okay, both of these sentences are like the most common sense statements I’ve ever heard in my life. [laughs] 

Em: It’s again water is wet. It’s like, “Yeah, no one expects– No one would expect that at all.” 

Amanda: Oh my god. So the family prepared a lawsuit, uh, but was “exploring ways to avoid trial to do better than the $100,000 cap when suing city employees.” Um, and so– Actually, I’m not sure. It said, “Any potential tria– trial would begin in the spring,” and this was back in 2011, so I don’t have the update. 

Em: Yeah. And– 

Amanda: But whoever did that needs to be punished. 

Em: Punished. And again, I think be-because in the timeline, in the flow of things, this was before we have some really good reasons to be scared of our kids experiencing a strange man at a school. Um, I– I’m sure he got like lighter charges, but I wonder what his charges would be today of like inciting fear or like– 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: He would be like listed as like a domestic terrorist or something. Like it would– It– He– 

Amanda: Oh, absolutely. It would not be– 

Em: Honestly– 

Amanda: It would not be like– 

Em: –it would not fly. 

Amanda: –a lawsuit or whatever. Like there would be like charges charges, but– 

Em: For sure. Like he would, I mean, certainly be like– Talk about getting shunned. Like he would not be able to show his face anymore. And I– Yeah, honestly this is a, a weird way to phrase it, but I feel like he has no idea how lucky he is that he did that in the time that he did it. Like it– 

Amanda: I know. 

Em: Imag– You can’t tell– Like he probably thought when he did that, before someone like hurt their leg, I feel like he woke up that morning and thought, “People are gonna talk about this for years to come, and it’s gonna be so funny.” And it’s like, little did you know, like ten years from then, nobody would find that funny, dude. Like n-not, not a one. 

Amanda: No one at all. 

Em: Oh my god. 

Amanda: Read the room, and take your mask and chainsaw elsewhere. 

Em: [chuckles] Literally anywhere. And I will say like, let’s not forget like why did– why was his thought, “I’m gonna wake up today and pull a prank, and I’m gonna scare someone, and it’s Halloween. Haha”? But why would he pick a school full of children? You couldn’t do this at like the office? Like you couldn’t do this at a gym or something? 

Amanda: Terrorize your neighbor. Yeah. 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: Terrorize anyone else but the children. Okay? 

Em: Why did you pick children? Unless like did your son go there and his favorite movie is like a chainsa– Like do you have contacts we don’t know about? 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: Or else– Like what was your fucking plan? What was the reason? I’ll never know. 

Amanda: We will never ever know. 

Em: Another thing that eats me alive. 

Amanda: Yeah, that’s another thing. Add it to the list. 

Em: [chuckles] 

Amanda: You’re gonna have to think about that one forever, so. 

Em: Oh man. Well, uh, the– I have one more story for you. Is that– 

Amanda: Okay. 

Em: Do you have time for it? 

Amanda: Yes, I am ready. 

Em: Okay, perfect. 

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Story 6 – Pranks (Slender Man) 

Em: So, this is, um, by Amelia, who uses she/her pronouns. Thank you for normalizing pronouns. Uh, and the subject line is “Pranks,” and then in parenthesis it just says, “Slender Man.” Um, are you aware of Slender Man? 

Amanda: [gasps] 

Em: Do you know who this is? 

Amanda: [groans] Unfortunately, I am. 

Em: Okay, cool. So get ready for that. 

Amanda: [chuckles] Okay. 

Em: Amelia says, “My love for the spooky and for pranks extends way back, but one of my very first pranks involves Slender Man.” 

Amanda: [whispers] Oh, great. 

Em: Uh, “I was newly involved in theater at my high school, and we were set to have our dress rehearsals going late into the night on the week of Halloween. At the same time, the Slender Man game had been going viral, uh, where a tall man in a suit with no face, just a blank white facade. Uh, he became popular due to internet lore. And the Slender Man game was a computer game where you went hunting around dark woods with a flashlight, looking for scary notes that the children he took left behind and he– and tried to avoid him lurking out there in the night.” So you go out there just to tell yourself he’s out there, and then you hide from probably nothing. Hopefully nothing. 

Amanda: Hopefully. That’s the best case scenario. 

Em: ’Cause maybe it’s not Slender Man. Maybe it’s a man who just left a school with a chainsaw, you know? 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: Um, “Well, since I was new to the theater world, I, for some reason, got it in my head that I would make these spooky notes and hide them around the back of the theater and wait for a reaction.” Honestly, that’s exactly the friend I would have had in high school. Like– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –“I’m trying to make friends. Why don’t I terrorize everybody? That’ll do it.” 

Amanda: “I’m gonna terrorize everyone.” 

Em: [chuckles] “Make a memory. That’ll be how you’re– how they like you.” Um, “The notes were written on parchment paper, and I used charcoal to mimic the notes of the game. Some of the notes contained sayings like, ‘NO NO NO NO.’” 

Amanda: [gasps] 

Em: “And other– and drawings of Slender Man himself. I was in choir, and so during the day of the prank, I convinced my choir director to let me into the dressing room, and I hid one of my notes in my friend’s costume. Later in the night, as we got dressed for our rehearsal, she found the note. Everyone started freaking out.” I, I love that this is, uh, right before rehearsal and like the teacher– You know how a chorus teacher is probably just like, “We have so much work that needs to be done. Tomorrow is opening night.” And then someone finds a fucking Slender Man note in their pocket to distract you from the last night you have to practice. Um– 

Amanda: Yep. Horrible timing. 

Em: “Everyone started–“ Horrible timing. “Everyone started freaking out. After all, the door had been locked to the dressing room all day. So who could have even gotten in there? And later, during a scene where almost everyone else was on stage, I taped a note to one of the stage doors.” Relentless. Um, “When everyone came off stage and found the second note, things really ramped up.” This is like in the middle of a fucking show, it seems like. And like [chuckles] in between– Can you imagine you’re watching Hamilton and like when people aren’t on stage, there’s like– they’re trying to solve a crime. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: They’re like, “What? Oh my god!” 

Amanda: There’s a murder mystery going on backstage, yeah. 

Em: [laughs] Uh, “Well, they’d all forgotten that I was not on stage, and they became convinced that maybe one of the stage hands had done it but couldn’t agree on who it would have been. The cast members proceeded to spray the notes with hairspray and agreed to burn them after rehearsal to get rid of them. And my friend, whose costume I had hidden the first note in, got really freaked out. So at this point, I took her aside and told her it was me and asked if she would join me in this crusade.” Of course. Um, “She agreed and took a note out to her car, placed it inside the car, and locked it. [chuckles] Then I put another note on top of another person’s windshield, and by the time rehearsal ended, everyone was super excited to burn the n– burn their notes and be done with them. But when they all walked out to their individual cars, they found all these new notes. My friend opened her locked door–“ 

Amanda: Wow. 

Em: “–and put on an excellent performance–” Yeah, everyone’s in theater. I forgot. This is perfect. “–desperately asking around as to how someone could have accessed her locked car. The castmates began to light the notes on fire, but they wouldn’t catch. Uh, to this day, I don’t really know why they wouldn’t light on fire. Anyways, they– That really caused a whole other panic, and as people screamed and got into their cars, more notes were slowly found.” [laughs] 

Amanda: [laughs] Oh my god. 

Em: “People peeled out of that parking lot, terrified. I was so proud of this prank. And the next day, I tried again, but it wasn’t as funny in the daylight, and I fessed up to the prank. I’ve now learned to stop while I’m ahead. But it started a love of good-natured pranks, especially if I can get my friends involved.” I like– You know what? She manifested: “I want to make friends.” 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: And people can’t forget your name after that, I’ll tell you. That’s um– 

Amanda: Absolutely. And you learned a life lesson. I mean, I, I don’t know how many times– I have to tell this to my seven-year-old a lot. I’m like, “It’s only funny the first time.” 

Em: Yes. Yep. 100%. 

Amanda: “You cannot keep on with this one.” 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: Um, so it sounds like she definitely like learned her lesson, and, and things are a lot creepier just at nighttime in general, so. 

Em: Oh, yeah. And also if a prank is that good, it’s a– it’s very quickly going to swell, and you won’t be able to keep it together. You know what I mean? 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: Like you’re– You gotta, you gotta just cut your losses ahea– while you’re ahead and be like, “Wasn’t that really cool before it really blew up in my face?” Yeah. [laughs] 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: So, wow. 

Amanda: Wow. 

Em: Great, great Halloween prank. Great Halloween prank. Um– 

Amanda: That gives me Phantom of the Opera vibes. I love it. 

Em: I love it. I love it. 

Story 7 – Teens Face Arrest for Pre-Halloween Prank 

Em: Do you have one last one for us to, uh, end on? 

Amanda: Yes, I do. So this is a good one. This is a good one to end on. 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: So– And this one, it looks like it was back in 2017. So– 

Em: Perfect. 

Amanda: Uh, this is from wilx10.com. It’s a news station, and it said– The headline is “Teens face arrest for pre-Halloween prank.” 

Em: Hm. 

Amanda: And this happened in Rahway, New Jersey. So here we go. Um– 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: “Teenagers who are getting a jump on Halloween by dressing up as bushes and surprising people in a New Jersey park could face arrest.” 

Em: Mm. 

Amanda: “The Union County Police Department fears the self-proclaimed ‘Rahway Bushmen’ could cause someone to fall and sue the county.” 

Em: [laughs] Oh, sure. 

Amanda: I mean, we did just see that with the, the suing and the sensei and the teacher and the– So. 

Em: I feel like the person who hurt their knee, their dad is in charge of that council. It’s like, “I’ve seen this before. We gotta just knock this out while we can.” 

Amanda: He said,”I’ve been down this road.” [laughs] 

Em: Also which– The “Rahway Bushmen”? That sounds like a minor league baseball team. It’s– [laughs] 

Amanda: [laughs] I know. 

Em: Also, where are we finding all these bush costumes? Are they also in theater? What do you– 

Amanda: That’s what I’m saying. Like where do you– Do you go to DICK’S Sporting Goods? 

Em: Yeah, like, like hunting? 

Amanda: Like where do you even find such a thing? I don’t know. 

Em: Yeah, it– I mean, I guess it would be– I really can’t actually think of a way where that would be funny because the only time I’m near bushes is if I’m like parking or if I’m relatively near the bushes. And I feel like depending on how many people are around, even if it’s two people, all of a sudden, people just spring out, and they’re right next to you immediately? I’d be too freaked out. 

Amanda: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. And they were doing this– Uh, this article came out October 26, so they were doing it around Halloween time. 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: Um, when people are a little more like, “Ah!”, on edge. 

Em: Sure. 

Amanda: So, “Two of the high school students would cover camouflage suits with brush while a– while a third acts as a lookout. They stand in the Rahway River Park and say [in bright, cheerful voice] ‘hi’ to unsuspecting visitors.” [laughs] That’s not that scary. 

Em: S– That, that alone though at, at a certain point, I’m just like, “Okay, why are we saying hi to each other?” [laughs] I’m like, “That’s too much.” 

Amanda: They’re not even saying “Boo!” They’re like, “Hi!” [laughs] 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: “Hi! I’m just a bushman.” 

Em: At least they’re– I will appreciate, I will appreciate that they’re at least trying to let you know in advance like, “I’m not a threat. This is supposed to be silly,” versus like [in low, aggressive voice] “Hi,” you know. 

Amanda: Yeah, they could be like, “Rawr!” or, “I’m gonna get you.” 

Em: Yeah. [laughs] Exactly. 

Amanda: But instead they’re like, [friendly tone] “Hi!” 

Em: It’s like, “Is this just how you want to be friends?” Like everyone’s just trying to make friends in a weird way. Like just like that last story I told. 

Amanda: We all just need a friend. That’s what the real life lesson is here. 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: So, “One of the teens,” who would not give out their name to the publication, said, “it’s more or less an idea to try to make people smile.” Yeah, come on. 

Em: I think I need to see this in real life to understand the light-heartedness of it. Because I think I’m just primed for true crime, as you probably are also. 

Amanda: Yes, definitely. 

Em: But when I hear, “we hide in the bushes and–“ I mean, it sounds like maybe they’re not jumping out as people. They’re just saying hi. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: If they’re just saying hi, that’s fine. I think in my mind, I’m assuming they’re like coming at you. But– 

Amanda: I think that they– Yeah, I think that they’re like hiding and pretending to be a bush and then they’re just popping out, going, “Hi!” And like they’re trying to scare people and make ‘em laugh, I guess? 

Em: I guess. 

Amanda: I don’t know. 

Em: That makes it, that makes it sillier. That makes it more– I appreciate the energy. The “we’re not going to approach you. We’re just going to prank you from here.” I like that. 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: That’s cool. Keep a distance. 

Amanda: And it seems like the article, it didn’t have a, a good ending, but it seems like the media was like trying to be like, “You could face charges if you keep doing this.” 

Em: [laughs] [waves finger disapprovingly] Ah-ah-ah! 

Amanda: And it’s like, “You guys, come on.” 

Em: Yeah. Uh– 

Amanda: Oh my god. 

Em: In that case, if they’re just sitting in a public space and saying “hi,” all of a sudden, I’m on their side, and now I’m like, “Why would you get a charge for being polite? How dare you?” 

Amanda: [laughs] I know. 

Em: Like I’ve really shifted gears in this story. Um– 

Amanda: Same. Same. 

Em: Where do you stand on this? Okay, same. 

Amanda: Um, I do think– I don’t know. I– Like I said, I’m a big scaredy-cat. So like even if somebody said something as simple as like, “Hi,” to me, I’d probably still jump or scream. But I would– Me personally, if I saw it was just a bunch of teenagers dressed as like a bush– like or whatever they’re doing, I think I would just laugh. I think it– 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: I would, I would roll with the punches, but I could see how some people wouldn’t. 

Em: Sure. 

Amanda: And a lot of people don’t let things go the way I do. So [laughs]. 

Em: It’s a good way to take it. That’s a good way to look at it. I, I think once I erased the element of them jumping out at me from the bushes, I– now I’m on board. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: But I really– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: –for a second just assumed it was like all the other stories we’ve been talking about. So, um, now I’m on board. I like it. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: And now I’m mad that they were ever threatened with a charge. Like they’re just saying hello. 

Amanda: I know. I know. I think that was probably the most lighthearted out of all of them. Nobody got a broken jaw, a busted kneecap. Um, yeah. 

Em: Not an injury in sight. No one invading a school, you know. Um– 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Yeah. I like this one. This is– I feel like I, I would probably actually get in on this if I saw it in real life. I’d be like, “What are you doing? You’re just saying hi to people?” I would just go and sit with them. And then it worked. They made a friend. 

Amanda: Yes, they made a friend. And also, I need anybody listening right now, where do you find a bush costume? Like what– Where, where is this? Like am I like totally out of the loop on this? Like I– Maybe this is a rural community where this is like common knowledge. I don’t know. 

Em: [laughs] I did think you were going to say, based on the way you paused, um, “Where do you find friends?” 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: And I was gonna be like, “Girl, I don’t know. Mystery of the fucking century.” [laughs] 

Amanda: Where do you find friends? Can somebody please tell me? 

Em: They find them in the same place that you find these stupid bush suits ’cause I can’t find either of them. 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: Um, I guess– I would assume like they–Like it was a camo guy, right? So I’m guessing he went to DICK’S and– 

Amanda: Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. 

Em: Did you say, did you say glue sticks to himself? I don’t know. But it worked. I guess he got attention. That’s– That certainly happened. 

Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. 

Em: Um, how– If you had to go out and, and make a friend, what, what would be your way of doing it versus taping sticks to yourself? 

Amanda: You know– Well, for example– 

Em: Mm-hmm. 

Amanda: –this weekend when we just went to CrimeCon, it’s fresh on my brain. My icebreaker was like, “Hey, do you want to spin this wheel and see if you’re a petty criminal?” 

Em: [chuckles] 

Amanda: So like, maybe I’m not like the best one to answer these. 

Em: That– No, that’s smooth as shit. Oh my god, that would work so well. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: Oh my god. 

Amanda: So, I like, I like to make a friend by asking a random ridiculous question in a happy tone. That’s my go-to. 

Em: That’s a very safe way to do that. That’s a– That’s– I feel like that’s guaranteed to work. No? I don’t know. 

Amanda: I mean, it doesn’t work every time. I’ll tell you that. 

Em: [laughs] 

Amanda: [laughs] But the majority. 

Em: It would have worked on me. That sounds incredible. I might steal that. I’m, I’m going to the dog park later. I’ll just start asking people if they’re petty criminals. Let’s see– Wait, wait a minute. I did it wrong. 

Amanda: Yeah, but like, “So, are you a petty criminal?” [laughs] 

Em: I think I just– I think I constantly am finding ways to almost do the right thing and then it just, it just– Now I’m asking people if they’re criminals. Whoopsies. Um, well, that sounds great. And by, by the way, um, I’ll ask you, um, off-air too, but I’m glad that you went to CrimeCon. We’ve, we’ve nev– We haven’t gone since like the first year that we started the podcast. 

Amanda: Oh! 

Em: So I’m curious how it’s changed since. So, um, but yeah, I’m– And also thank you for coming and taking time ’cause you came here from CrimeCon basically, right? You like came– You got in last night. 

Amanda: Yeah. We got in last night, but I, I got a good night’s sleep. I was feeling good. So, yeah, there’s no worry. I, I, I will say my sinuses are a little irritated– 

Em: Mm. 

Amanda: –just because I’m not used to the mountain air, and who knows what kind of germs were being spread, but– [laughs] 

Em: I know. Yeah. I– 

Amanda: But we’re here. 

Em: Please take, take a shot of OJ or something, uh, just, just in case. 

Amanda: Yes, definitely. 

Em: Um, well, thank you for coming on to our, our Listeners’ Episode, and, uh, it’s October spooky season. Do you have any plans for spooky season? Do you– What, what do you do for Halloween each year? 

Amanda: Halloween is my favorite holiday of all time. So, yes. 

Em: Same. 

Amanda: Uh, your sweater that you’re wearing right now, 10 out of 10. 

[Em is wearing an orange, black, and yellow sweater with Halloween-themed decorations on it, such as skulls, skeletons, black cats, and ghosts.] 

Em: Thank you. My emergency Halloween costume. 

Amanda: Um– 

Em: Yes, thank you. [chuckles] 

Amanda: Yes. Yes. I love it. So, uh, we’ve been throwing a Halloween party for our friends. Uh, this will be the 11th year in a row that we’ve done something. Um, and every other year, I will make a murder mystery party for us to do. 

Em: That’s amazing. 

Amanda: Um, uh, but this year, I just moved to a new house. Um, and so I think I’m just gonna keep it pretty low-key, just do a costume party. But yeah, and then trick-or-treating with the kids. I think me and my daughters are gonna dress up as KPop Demon Hunters, so I’m excited. 

Em: [laughs] Beautiful. 

Amanda: I’m ready. 

Em: Beautiful. 

Amanda: And yeah. What about you? Any good plans? 

Em: I don’t know. The only plan I have is I’m– At some point in October– I have to figure out the dates, but I’m– My grandma’s turning 90, and so we’re– I, I feel like this October has been kind of consumed with trying to plan for her party versus a Halloween situation. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Em: But because she lives in Florida– And I told you I go to Universal– I, I go every year, uh, for Halloween. But, um, since we’ll be in Florida, that’s the only other place with another Universal that does Halloween Horror Nights. So I might just do my normal Halloween stuff– 

Amanda: Right. 

Em: –but make it Orlando this time. So– 

Amanda: There you go. 

Em: Yeah. 

Amanda: Perfect. 

Em: So, uh, I don’t know what I’ll be dressed– 

Amanda: Happy birthday to your grandma too. My gosh. 

Em: 90, I know. She’s um– She’ll be the first I– [sighs] Everyone like hold her in your little prayers because she will be the first person in our family, I think, to make it to 90. So we go quick. We, we– You know. Um, so I think we’re all very excited. We’re like, [clenched jaw], “Oh, let’s, let’s see it happen.” Um, and I don’t know how I’m gonna be dressed yet, so I don’t have an answer for you on that. 

Amanda: Okay. 

Em: But KPop Demon Hunter sounds incredible. 

Amanda: Oh, yeah. I can’t wait. We’re obsessed with that movie. It’s a problem. 

Em: Really? I– Do you– Is there like dances and songs you have to know for it? 

Amanda: Oh, well, it’s a musical. It’s an animated– 

Em: Okay. 

Amanda: –um– It’s– You know, they say it’s for kids. It’s not. It’s for any of us. Uh– 

Em: 100%. 

Amanda: –I love it just as much as the kids do. 

Em: That’s awesome. 

Amanda: Um, but it’s, it’s really good. If you haven’t seen it already, um, it’s, uh, a K-pop girl group– 

Em: Mm-hmm. 

Amanda: –and they are trying to, uh, eliminate this K-pop demon boy band. So it’s really good. It’s really good. 

Em: [chuckles] I love– So it’s also very girl power. 

Amanda: Oh, yes. 

Em: Perfect. 

Amanda: 100%. 

Em: I’m in then. Well, um, thank you so much for coming, and this is– I think this is our fir– the first episode that’s coming out for, uh, Invasion of the Host Snatchers. Thank you again, Eva, for this whole concept. Well done. 

Amanda: Yes. 

Em: And, uh, make sure you go find Christine wherever she is in any of those many episodes. We’re all gonna be flip-flopping around with each other for this. Um, so yeah, thank you everyone who, uh, is going to be involved in Paraween and doing this with us. And, uh, yeah, thank you for being our first, our first guest host swap host snatch. 

Amanda: Yay! 

Em: Snatched host. 

Amanda: Thank you for inviting me. I’ll be a snatched host anytime. 

Em: [laughs] Of course, we’re– 

Amanda: [laughs] 

Em: –we’re ending on that. That’s it. Happy October, everybody. 

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