[SPEAKER_00]: Paranormal experiences don't really work to a time scale, and therefore we invite you to listen to a dark miniser.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hello everyone, and welcome to Unbelievably, the third from last minisode of Season 22.

[SPEAKER_00]: It unbelievable how quickly Season 22 has flown, and we're already excited for Season 23.

[SPEAKER_00]: Season 23 is going to be arguably a seismic shift relating to the podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: and strangely I can confidently say all of these changes are for the better of the show.

[SPEAKER_00]: For example, Lesser Advert at the beginning of the show so you can jump right into the experience.

[SPEAKER_00]: We've already, as you know in Season 22, removed the patron named from the start to begin short in the intro.

[SPEAKER_00]: We've now in the later stages of Season 22 began to introduce our own small [SPEAKER_00]: but they are small changes in comparison to what will be a complete overhaul of the show, as you know it.

[SPEAKER_00]: However, the fundamental message is that the dark paranormal will be completely recognizable, we're not changing, for example, to an interview format, it's still going to be your show, it's basically the dark paranormal with a lick of fresh paint and a brand new engine.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's the best way to think about it, or at least that's how I'm thinking about it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now of course, at this time of year, as I've mentioned before, you're going to be inundated with adverts on any of the popular podcast you'll listen to.

[SPEAKER_00]: I would genuinely sincerely suggest giving the patron a try even at the lowest tier for a free week which you can gain in the show notes, because you'll get ad free access even just for a week.

[SPEAKER_00]: And, depending on which level you trial, you can also gain access to Darkpights, we really start very first new show for our highest tier, which is called AfterDark, yesterday, which is a video and audio podcast of me basically speaking nonstop.

[SPEAKER_00]: without edits for 30, well, it turned out to be 40 minutes, about theories about what we discussed in the previous week, and I really enjoyed doing it.

[SPEAKER_00]: But in this time between now and the end of January, when you are going to be bombarded with adverts, I would sincerely recommend, joining even at the lowest level, which is cheaper than a cup of coffee on month.

[SPEAKER_00]: just to escape those adverts and even leave from the end of January.

[SPEAKER_00]: At least for those two cups of coffee you've saved yourself a lot of skipping.

[SPEAKER_00]: Of course that's just what I do you can keep skipping through those adverts which is fine.

[SPEAKER_00]: I do that with many shows or you can go to the show note and take advantage of that free week trial for Patreon or whichever level you choose as it is a free week you may as well go for the highest level.

[SPEAKER_00]: You'll see that new show and you get [SPEAKER_00]: So at least you can have the full experience so to speak.

[SPEAKER_00]: And although we have Season 23 mapped out in terms of episode, as you know, it's a fluid show.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you have an experience, click the link in the show note to submit your experience, or go to the darkparanormal.com and click on submit my experience.

[SPEAKER_00]: Because if the right experience comes along, as you know, we will find a place for it immediately as soon as we can, [SPEAKER_00]: and speaking of experiences, let's jump in to today's mini-sode, which comes to us from our listener Marie, who writes.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hi Kevin, I've been a listener for years, and since the first episode I've heard, I've gone back and forth on whether or not to submit my story.

[SPEAKER_00]: Today, after listening to the dark paranormal episode at the Monochruthan, I've decided that I'm finally ready to show.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why this episode you may ask?

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, at the end of the episode, Amrutha states that she wants to see it head on, playing his day.

[SPEAKER_00]: She wants to know what it really is.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I found myself shouting out loud in response.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, thank you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Because my whole life, I have so very badly wanted to have a paranormal experience.

[SPEAKER_00]: My obsession began when I was 12 years old.

[SPEAKER_00]: My Nana, who I was extremely close with, was in the process of dying of cancer.

[SPEAKER_00]: One evening, during this time, I was having a sleepover at my friend's house.

[SPEAKER_00]: We were watching a movie when my eyes drifted to the digital clock in my friend's room.

[SPEAKER_00]: The clock read 815 pm, and at that very moment I felt what I can only be scribe as an energetic chord being severed from my chest.

[SPEAKER_00]: The next morning my mum called my friend's house to inform me that my nana had passed away through the night.

[SPEAKER_00]: I later found out that she died at 815 pm.

[SPEAKER_00]: That was in 1998.

[SPEAKER_00]: So, for 27 years, I've been obsessed with all things paranormal.

[SPEAKER_00]: For 27 years, I've spoken to psychics, I've used tarot cards, runes, transmeditation.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've read dozens of books on how to enhance psychic abilities.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've tried anything and everything I could to connect with the spirit world.

[SPEAKER_00]: I have nothing to show for it.

[SPEAKER_00]: That until a couple of years ago, when I got what I wished for, kind of, and it skirt the living crap out of me.

[SPEAKER_00]: A couple of summers ago, my son, who was 14 years older at the time, went to stay with his grandma in New York, like he does every summer.

[SPEAKER_00]: only lit with multicolored LED lights that he changes based on his mood.

[SPEAKER_00]: His room is typically lit in shades of blue, purple or green.

[SPEAKER_00]: One night, just after he'd left for New York, I'd fall in a sleep on the couch downstairs in the living room like I often do.

[SPEAKER_00]: Also, like I always do, I awoke in the middle of the night and groggy walk myself upstairs to bed.

[SPEAKER_00]: Half way up those stairs, however, I see a red glowing light coming from underneath my sun's bedroom door.

[SPEAKER_00]: Weird?

[SPEAKER_00]: I thought to myself, he never makes his light red.

[SPEAKER_00]: I took one or two more steps up when I realized, wait, he's not even here right now.

[SPEAKER_00]: I walked up to my son's door, opened it, and I just stood in his room, sleepy and confused.

[SPEAKER_00]: Eventually I decided it was an odd electrical issue, I turned off his lights, and I went to my bedroom for the remainder of the night.

[SPEAKER_00]: The next night I had my usual middle of the night wake-ups, the link out of bed and use the bathroom.

[SPEAKER_00]: As soon as I opened my door, [SPEAKER_00]: Again, the red glow of the LED lights spilling out from underneath my son's bedroom door.

[SPEAKER_00]: I also noticed my cat sat perfectly still.

[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't even acknowledge me as she stares at the door.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm stood there, astonished.

[SPEAKER_00]: My eyes joining the cat's eyes staring at this red strip of light seeping out under the door.

[SPEAKER_00]: Eventually I walked into his room, I opened the door, I looked around, and other than the glowing red of the room, everything seemed normal and in place.

[SPEAKER_00]: I walked over to the light switch, turned it off, I turned to leave, [SPEAKER_00]: and I was stopped by the deepest, darkest blackness I had ever seen.

[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, you may think, well, this isn't anything out of the ordinary, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: When you switch a light off in or otherwise dark house at night, you'll be met with complete blackness.

[SPEAKER_00]: But what I saw wasn't complete blackness.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was blackness in the faintest, blurry shape of a person, a very tall person.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was frozen, I continued to stare.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hoping my eyes would adjust, and telling myself I was half asleep that my mind was obviously playing tricks on me.

[SPEAKER_00]: In those seconds which felt like hours, I swear I felt every hair on the back of my neck and on my arms stand up.

[SPEAKER_00]: My fingertips went ice cold, and soon after that freezing feeling swept all over my entire body.

[SPEAKER_00]: The blackness didn't move, and there were no definable features, but I could feel it staring at me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And even though it made no sound, I could sense it laughing at me.

[SPEAKER_00]: After what felt like an eternity, the black mass dissipated, and I ran out of my son's room and straight into mine, slamming the door and jumping into bed.

[SPEAKER_00]: I pulled the covers over my head like I was a child.

[SPEAKER_00]: That night, I drifted in and out of a half sleep.

[SPEAKER_00]: Constantly telling myself that my brain, in a state of fear, had made the whole thing up.

[SPEAKER_00]: The next couple of nights went by without event.

[SPEAKER_00]: My middle of the night bathroom breaks began with me turning on every bright light around me, followed by a mad dash to the bathroom, and a mad dash back to my room where I kept my TV onto distract me.

[SPEAKER_00]: The cat no longer seemed intrigued by my son's bedroom door.

[SPEAKER_00]: The next Saturday evening I was at my boyfriend's house having some drinks, and I get a text message from my next door neighbor.

[SPEAKER_00]: For context, it's important I explain that we live in rowhouses and share a bedroom wall.

[SPEAKER_00]: What the heck are you doing?

[SPEAKER_00]: said the text.

[SPEAKER_00]: Figuring she was looking for someone to hang out with, I responded with, Hey, I'm at Alex's house for the night.

[SPEAKER_00]: What up?

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, came the reply.

[SPEAKER_00]: I thought your son went to New York for the summer.

[SPEAKER_00]: Confused?

[SPEAKER_00]: I told her that he did.

[SPEAKER_00]: Eventually after many confused back and forth texts on both our parts, I came to find out that she was being kept awake by a loud, persistent knocking from my side of the wall.

[SPEAKER_00]: The knocking ended as soon as she text me.

[SPEAKER_00]: We were both completely freaked out.

[SPEAKER_00]: I am pretty close with my neighbour, and she has a key to my place for emergencies.

[SPEAKER_00]: so she and her boyfriend went into my house to check, saying there was no one.

[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing was out of place and that was that.

[SPEAKER_00]: The next night I'm back home, this time I'm not alone.

[SPEAKER_00]: While Alex was skeptical of everything that was going on, he was happy to stay over and keep me company, as I was obviously quite shaken.

[SPEAKER_00]: We put on a funny movie to keep the mood light and eventually we went upstairs to my room to go to sleep.

[SPEAKER_00]: As always I awakened in the middle of the night.

[SPEAKER_00]: Typically I don't think twice I just get up to use the restroom.

[SPEAKER_00]: This time, however, I lay there completely still with my eyes open.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was hyper-aware of how dark and silent the room was.

[SPEAKER_00]: The darkness and silence both felt incredibly heavy, and I knew that Alex and I were not the only ones in the room.

[SPEAKER_00]: From the corner of my vision, I saw that same blurry black shape from the week before.

[SPEAKER_00]: And as much as I wanted to, I wouldn't look at it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I tried my best to slowly nudge Alex to wake him up, but I was absolutely frozen stiff.

[SPEAKER_00]: In my peripheral vision, the blurry black shape grew larger.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was coming closer to me.

[SPEAKER_00]: My heart was pounding so hard I thought, this is it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to die of a heart attack.

[SPEAKER_00]: I forced my eyes shut.

[SPEAKER_00]: My eyes were cleansed so tightly that it made my cheeks hurt.

[SPEAKER_00]: After a minute or so, I feel a light pressure on the mattress, as if my cat had hopped up by my feet.

[SPEAKER_00]: It took all my courage to finally open my eyes, and I was horrified at what I saw, or rather what I didn't see.

[SPEAKER_00]: My cat was not on my bed.

[SPEAKER_00]: Intense nausea well [SPEAKER_00]: I shut my eyes tight again and I prayed, asking my Nana to protect Alex and I whilst we slept.

[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't open my eyes till the next morning.

[SPEAKER_00]: That next day I burnt Frank and sent in every room of the house.

[SPEAKER_00]: So much so that I had to take my cat next door.

[SPEAKER_00]: So much that if I opened a window, someone probably would have called the fire department.

[SPEAKER_00]: While the Frankenstein's band, I used a sprig of rosemary to flick salted water in every corner of the room.

[SPEAKER_00]: Over and over again, I chanted, blessed this house, clendid of all harmful energy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Finally, I poured the remaining saltwater over me, and said, Bless me, cleanse me of all my harmful energy.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it worked.

[SPEAKER_00]: For a little while at least, [SPEAKER_00]: Fast forward to the end of summer, and my son had just returned home from New York.

[SPEAKER_00]: There'd been no activity in almost a month and a half, so I didn't worry about my son sleeping in his room, and I definitely wasn't going to tell him anything can scare you needlessly.

[SPEAKER_00]: He was home maybe about two weeks, and things stopped picking up a game.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was a Friday and he was staying the night at a friend's house.

[SPEAKER_00]: I came home around one in the morning after going to see a stand-up comedy show with a friend.

[SPEAKER_00]: I began walking up the stairs to clean myself up and go to bed, and I was stopped dead in my tracks by that ominous red glow coming from under my sunstore.

[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, there sat my cat, completely undisturbed by my presence, but deeply interested [SPEAKER_00]: I immediately scooped her up and I ran to my room, I shut my door and I got into bed, still wearing all my clothes.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not this again.

[SPEAKER_00]: I put on some cartoons on the TV, I put the covers up to my chin.

[SPEAKER_00]: My cat had left the bed as soon as I put her on it, and was set up my doors if she wanted out.

[SPEAKER_00]: There was no way I was letting her out.

[SPEAKER_00]: My eyes shot open enough for a million wave of nausea and freezing cold flooded my body.

[SPEAKER_00]: Was that in my dream?

[SPEAKER_00]: I stirred up my door for what seemed like many minutes as did my cat.

[SPEAKER_00]: Before I turn my attention back to the TV.

[SPEAKER_00]: Again, after a while, I begin to drift off.

[SPEAKER_00]: When I'm startled once more by a faint tap, tap, tap.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not on the door this time, this time, from the wall behind my headboard.

[SPEAKER_00]: My cat jumped onto my bed, yes it really was my cat this time, all it tackles raised.

[SPEAKER_00]: She looked towards the headboard and let out a furious deep grouse that I'd never heard her make before.

[SPEAKER_00]: My heart was pounding so hard, I could hear it.

[SPEAKER_00]: the tapping grew louder, more insistent until it sounded like fingernails dragging across my wall, my cat growled deepened, heard body trembling, and then silence.

[SPEAKER_00]: The kind of heavy, suffocating silence that you can feel.

[SPEAKER_00]: Very slowly the acute fear faded.

[SPEAKER_00]: My cat hackles dropped, she crawled towards me gently, pressing her head against mine as if to say, it's okay, it's gone now.

[SPEAKER_00]: Since then it's mostly been quiet.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've energetically cleansed the house more times than I can count, and I do so once a month.

[SPEAKER_00]: Every so often though I still hear that familiar, tap, tap, tap.

[SPEAKER_00]: But that's pretty much the extent.

[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't seen that red glow under my sun's door ever again, and I'm grateful he never had to feel the kind of fear that kept me up most of those nights.

[SPEAKER_00]: My cat still sleeps pressed up against me every evening, and I swear she's more watchful now, almost like she's keeping guard while I sleep.

[SPEAKER_00]: So, that's my story.

[SPEAKER_00]: I got what I'd always wanted, and I hated every minute of it.

[SPEAKER_00]: To be fair, I can't say with certainty that I only wish to communicate with spirits of departed loved ones, not demons, but we can't always dictate who will walk through a door that we've chosen to keep open.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let me just say I'm much more careful now.

[SPEAKER_00]: All the best, Marie.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you so much, Marie, for this week's mini-sode, and your honesty in how you described how you were searching for the paranormal, and, wow, did it find you.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's an interesting thing what you say about leaving a door open, and you never know who will walk through.

[SPEAKER_00]: Because yes, you do say you wish to only communicate with the part of loved ones.

[SPEAKER_00]: But, unlike modern technology, where maybe voice video calls, etc., two decades ago were unimaginable, and now it's something we do every day, the paranormal and communicating with the other side hasn't really had the chance to move on in hundreds of years.

[SPEAKER_00]: In my mind, when we're looking for a departed Luftworn using whatever method of divination, we're opening a room where our Luftworn may be.

[SPEAKER_00]: but so are 200 other souls you don't know.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that does open.

[SPEAKER_00]: And in that situation in particular, no one needs an invite to walk through.

[SPEAKER_00]: But Marie, I huge thank you for a tremendous mini-sode for this week, and once again I want to thank each and every one of you guys for listening to the show and joining me on this episode.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you're not yet subscribed to the show, it seems like a simple thing to do, but just wherever you're listening to the show, just take two seconds to hit subscribe, it really helps the show in these algorithms, etc.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm unsure how they work, but I believe that's the case.

[SPEAKER_00]: In the meantime, I can't wait to speak to you all again for episode 8 of Season 22 on Friday, and until then stay safe and take care.

[UNKNOWN]: You