A voice outside calls your name with your mother’s tone, except she’s gone. That’s the chill that anchors this spooky, story-driven episode where we gather listener tales of ghosts, mimics, and the uncanny details that make hair stand up: jasmine perfume before a phone call, a window that lowers itself without wind, footsteps by the glass, and a 3 a.m. shadow that sprints from the corner to the bed. I share my own nightclub encounter too, the one that had me marching to the office only to be met with raised eyebrows and a security guard’s smirk. Believe me or don’t, some stories refuse to be filed under “nothing.”

We wander through lore-rich places where the veil feels thin. New Orleans surfaces with a decades-spanning bar story and a striking woman whose ice-blue eyes spark a generational shiver. Then Appalachia takes center stage: an isolated rental, forest hush, and a voice that repeats, “Matthew, come out here,” shifting from loving to taunting to angry. If you’ve heard about Appalachian mimics you know the rule: do not answer. Whether you call that superstition or survival wisdom, the pattern is hard to ignore.

Not every spirit unsettles. One listener’s “house friend” nudges doors, returns lost items to the bed, gently lowers a window at night, and seems to clap along with an eight-month-old newcomer. These warmer brushes with the beyond remind us the paranormal isn’t always predatory; sometimes it’s protective. Along the way we talk belief, skepticism, and why certain details make stories feel undeniable. Want more like this? We’re splitting spooky and true crime into separate installments so each can breathe.

If you’ve got a ghost story, a mimic encounter, or a mystery that won’t sit still, send it our way to [email protected]

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