Paranormal Pastry

Jim Harold's Campfire

In this episode of Jim Harold's Campfire, listeners are treated to a series of eerie and mysterious stories centered around paranormal experiences, guardian spirits, and unexplained synchronicities. The

Key takeaways

• Guardian spirits may manifest in subtle ways, such as scents or fleeting sensations, rather than overtly frightening apparitions.

Main topics

• Guardian spirits
• Paranormal experiences in childhood homes

Notable quotes

"I really grew to just be like, oh, hey, she's here. Like, what's up? Good morning."

Conclusion

This episode underscores the idea that some experiences—though unexplainable by science—are deeply

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) The ghost who cried out for help up next on the campfire. Sit back, relax and warm yourself by Jim Harold's campfire. Now, over the years, people have heard about the campfire in many ways, but I'm not familiar with anybody hearing about it from a wedding at a wedding. That is so cool. And Aliana says that's how she found out. Uncle Jason told her about it. So, Uncle Jason. I know you've been listening for years. Thank you so much and stay spooky. And thanks to Uncle Jason and all the Uncle Jasons out there that tell folks about this show. We have great callers like Eliana, who has a story. And this sounds like a really interesting one. Eliana, welcome to the show. Tell us what happened. Speaker 7 (0:51) Thanks so much. So to preface this, as I've always been a huge advocate slash someone who's always believed in that there's something greater than ourselves. One thing I took from your podcast is connecting to the cosmic internet, which I really like that term, referencing that a lot to people as I've been sharing this story. And that first happened to me when I was really young. I have lived in the same house. for 22 years of my life grew up there as well and from a young age i have seen this And to see this woman always in the same yellow dress, always kind of around. And this started for as long as I can remember, honestly. As little as five years old, I remember seeing this woman and knowing that she didn't belong, per se. She didn't really have a... She just wasn't... I don't know. She just never seemed to truly fit in. And it wasn't a presence that was uncomfortable or malicious. And that really made me interested in kind of tapping into this world of spirituality and paranormal activity. And through the years, I kept saying, Mom, there's someone here. We're not alone. Speaker 7 (2:20) I think that maybe opened the door for her because she's also a big believer in the things that just can't be explained. And she started like hearing things, doors opening, footsteps. She's also seen her as well. And I think one of the biggest. Speaker 7 (2:39) indications that we felt like we had someone with us is I would consistently smell female perfume in the lower area of our house, the kitchen area. And I know my mom and dad's cologne and perfume choices. I knew that it just didn't fit in. And when I would say, Hey, like who just sprayed a bottle of perfume in here? Nope, not me. And Things kind of started manifesting even more for me, especially because I would see her in my dreams, which I didn't know if that was more of a childlike kind of fascination or if that was, you know, her kind of intercepting, you know, where I am or the plane that I'm on. And once again, it was never a. Speaker 7 (3:30) malicious or scary feeling. I definitely had times where I'm alone and I, you know, the hair would stand up on the back of my neck and I would just have this feeling that someone was looking at me, but I was home alone. So I quickly knew that and became familiar with the fact that this was her and that it wasn't a scary feeling, more so just a feeling of something that maybe most people don't experience. And I really grew to. Speaker 7 (3:58) Just be like, oh, hey, she's here. Like, what's up? Good morning. And I think that one of the best things about her is that she kind of like took care of my family a lot. Like my mom and my sister both have had experiences where things have been moved around or they found things that they couldn't find for ages. And I think she's a woman in power because when my uncle. not Uncle Jason, but my other Uncle Todd, he came to visit us and he has always been a non-believer at all. He's an engineer. He believes, you know, science. He has an explanation for everything. And he kind of just dismissed our little story about our ghost. And he was staying in our basement alone. And he was on a Zoom call similar to this. So facing, you know, a wall and talking on the phone. Speaker 2 (4:52) Right. Speaker 7 (4:53) And all of a sudden you felt like someone had touched his shoulder, like not grab or anything aggressive, but more of like an assertion, like kind of like, hey, I'm here, like trying to get someone's attention. And he thought it was my mom. And he was like, I'm on a meeting. Like he didn't even turn around. So I'm on a meeting, like kind of just like. you know dismissed her and kept going right and so after it was done he came upstairs and he said hey i'm really sorry like this was a really important business call i couldn't you know even turn around what do you what do you need and she goes what are you talking about And he goes, you just like touch my shoulder. Like I, you know, and she says, I've been running errands Speaker 1 (5:39) at Speaker 7 (5:39) the grocery store for the last two hours. You've been completely home alone. And that I think was like the change. I think since then he's believed in it, but I really truly think the only person who's ever had a physical interaction with her. has been the one person who's denied her existence openly and in, like, in the presence of our house. Like, not just, you know, like, in a space where maybe she could have overheard that or she could see it. And I just think that's, I just think that's kind of a funny story, but also a sweet story. And Speaker 2 (6:15) maybe I missed it, but who do you think she is? Speaker 7 (6:18) So I've done a little research on our house and there were a few previous owners. So it's actually an American four square, which is really cool. So it has a lot of history. It's a super old century house that's like registered through the city. And it's one of those houses that you could have bought in a Sears catalog right when Chicago was developing. Speaker 7 (6:38) And there's a few owners that it was hard to find some information of. And some of them were women listed in the house. And I'm maybe thinking that maybe this was a spirit that was there before and had a connection to the house because we don't have any history of anyone passing away in the house or anything too concerning in that sense. But I'm thinking maybe it's a previous owner or someone or a Chicago resident in that neighborhood who kind of wanted to take care of the next. generation of people moving into the neighborhood. And I really see her as a more of like a maternal kind of guardian spirit, like in that motherly sense. Like I always feel like the emotions I felt around her were like I was safe and I was, you know, someone was just with me, but it wasn't, again, it wasn't uncomfortable or things didn't, you know, nothing bad ever happened. Speaker 2 (7:30) So it wasn't really a negative. Speaker 7 (7:33) No, I didn't feel like there was a negative at all. Actually, I actually, we, so my family moved to Maryland recently and this house is brand new and has no history and it makes me miss her. So I definitely miss her presence. I, I was the one who like felt her the most and felt, you know, had the most interactions and things happen. And when we moved, I told her that she was welcome to come with us if she wanted to. But I also told her that if she wanted to, you know, move on to wherever the next place is, that that was fine too. Or stay, you know, there was a new family coming with a, like, you know, with a baby and wanted to start their life in our new, in our old house. And it's like, you could help them too and just hang around. I think she just either chose to stay or chose to move on because I haven't felt any kind of presence. I wonder Speaker 2 (8:22) if she said hello to the new people. Very interesting. Eliana, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you for being a part of the campfire. And thank you, Uncle Jason. You stay spooky. And Eliana, you stay spooky too. Yes, stay spooky. Thank you so much. Welcome to the Campfire. I'm Jim Harreld. So glad to be with you once again. I'm excited because we're releasing this on August 31st. That means we're just a few days away from American Labor Day. And to me, the day after Labor Day, spooky season is on. So that means a couple of things. First of all, we would ask you to share the shows with a friend. Text them a link. to it on YouTube or Spotify or Apple Podcasts because this is the time of year when people are open to the spooky and where better to find it right here on the campfire. So please, text out a link today. We would really appreciate it. We want to get a lot of new people in so we can get a lot more great stories like the ones we're going to hear tonight. Then, secondly, if you want to support us and make sure that the... ability for the spooky studio to continue to produce these shows exists one great way to do it is joining our plus club jimherald.com slash plus jimherald.com slash plus we have some great deals over there some money saving deals uh where you can get uh great deals big money off of your first month or your first year so uh please uh do check it out we thank you so much and now let's get on to this next great Campfire story. Return callers. We got to love them. Matthew is on the line from Los Angeles. We're so glad to have him with us today. And he has a story, you know, when you're visiting, when you're traveling, unusual things can happen. And it's kind of nice to have an angel in your corner. Matthew is going to talk to us about maybe just such a situation. Matthew, welcome back to the show. Thank you for joining us and tell us what happened. Speaker 5 (10:32) Thanks for having me, Jim. So I've been looking forward to sharing this story for a while. About 30 years ago now, I made my second visit to New York City. Times have changed and technology is different. And when you're left to your own devices, getting around a town like New York can be pretty daunting, especially when Speaker 6 (10:51) you're Speaker 5 (10:51) basically a Speaker 6 (10:52) kid. Speaker 5 (10:53) So I had gone to the city to visit, well, for a conference, but I was staying with a friend on the Upper West Side. near Columbia University where she was studying. And on the weekend, I went down to the Times Square area, Lower East Side, was just hanging out in the prime heat of Manhattan and going to concerts and meeting people. And it was a late night and it was a Friday or Saturday night. It was a weekend night. It was considered a weekend night. And that makes sense later. When we were finally done with our nighttime activities and it was time for me to head back north to the Upper West Side, I got on the subway. And back then it was the red line. I think it was the one and the nine. The numbers have changed. I think in New York now the red line is just the two and the three, but it was the one and the nine at the time. And I got on the train and I proceeded north as usual, doing what I thought I was supposed to do. Speaker 5 (11:54) I, my stop was, I believe, 125th street. Um, so I got off at 125th street and it's important to mention that it's probably about 1231 in the morning, maybe a little bit later. Um, so I got off at 125th street, but when I got off the train, I noticed that things were very different than I expected them to be. Um, the station was desolate. There was nobody around. very quiet, very eerie. And I got off the train and there was one person on the platform and it was a man who was leaning up against the wall with a long jacket on. And I just got creepy vibes immediately. And so I figured, well, I'll get above ground as fast as I can. So I hustled up the stairs and I noticed that he had followed me up the stairs. Speaker 5 (12:51) And when I got to the top of the subway entrance, it was like one of those shots in the movie where the subject stays still, but the camera pans back and everything revealed itself. And it was not the Upper West Side by Columbia. I didn't know where I was. I found out later where I was, but this was an entirely different neighborhood. Still 125th Street, but not where I expected to be. Desolate. Creepy for me, not so creepy for people who live there, but the guy had continued following me. I figured what I needed to do was cross the street and go back down the other side and take the train back south and start over. He followed me across the street. He followed me down onto the platform. There was nobody else on the other platform either going south. There was an attendant in the booth. She was sleeping. And I couldn't get her to wake up. I beat on the glass and couldn't rouse her. So I guess I did what I thought was sensible. At the time, I started walking towards the tunnel with the intention of walking off the platform and into the tunnel, thinking that I was going to have to hide from this guy who had followed me down onto the platform. Oh, wow. That sounds... Speaker 5 (14:17) Not the sagest decision. And looking back, it's obvious. You don't walk into a subway tunnel, ever. Speaker 2 (14:25) No, no. Speaker 5 (14:26) That's not the right move. And I realized that about 15 feet into the tunnel, that this was probably stupid. And I looked back out and the guy was still following me. So I thought, well, I'm probably going to get killed in this tunnel. Speaker 5 (14:45) Or at least on the platform, if I can get out of the tunnel in time. I exited the tunnel. He's still walking towards me, but further down the platform. And around the corner came a couple. Two of the most extravagantly, exotically dressed humans I had ever seen, an African-American couple. He was carrying a staff, a Gandalf style staff. He had a piercing that went, I'll never forget. It went from like her nose to the corner of her eye, then back to her ear. And they were, you know, dressed in like authentic, I guess, maybe. Speaker 5 (15:26) African attire, but very beautiful patterned ornate. Speaker 1 (15:30) And Speaker 5 (15:31) I just knew immediately that I needed to go to them. And as soon as I did. I was able to relax because she took my hand and I said, you know, jittery, I don't know what I did. I was downtown and I took the train and I got off. And she just said, on the weekend, the one in the nine runs express. You're at 125th Street, but you're in Spanish Harlem, I believe. It's on the east side of Manhattan. She explained what had happened. And then he said, wait here for the train. Take it back downtown. and then switch to whatever train I needed to take. And shortly after that very brief, very comforting interaction, the train arrived on the platform. I don't remember paying any more attention to the fellow who was following me, who had followed me across to the other platform. And once I boarded the train, I don't recall tracking the couple any further. I don't think I spoke to them anymore. But I know that they arrived out of nowhere, 1.30 in the morning in this desolate subway tunnel and got between me and this person who I think it's pretty safe to say had pretty nefarious intentions. He probably wasn't going to offer me the same advice. And I've never been able to tell for myself whether or not this was a good Samaritan situation or a complete... supernatural situation, but it's always stuck with me and I consider it to be more or less a guardian angel situation. Speaker 2 (17:12) You know, we've had numerous accounts of this kind of thing where people show up, maybe they're dressed in an unexpected way, maybe they're in an unexpected place, but they come and they provide some kind of help. One of my favorites is one we had from Northern Ireland, and I'll try to encapsulate it very shortly here. But it was during the Troubles, and I can't remember if the caller was a Protestant or a Catholic, but basically they ended up in the wrong side of town. or the wrong place at the wrong time. It was late at night. They had to walk across the bridge. It was one group that whatever opposite group they were of them, they had to walk through this group that was very belligerent. And they were obviously going to probably get beaten up at best and who knows what at worst. And this older lady comes and she kind of basically scolds this group and said, leave that boy alone. You know? And then they walk safely. And I think maybe it was two guys. But the long and short story is, if I remember, and again, please go back to the archives to correct me if I'm wrong, but the gist of it was something like this. Her son had died or jumped off the bridge or something where this happened at a bridge. And she was an older lady who passed. And she would come back to that bridge to make sure that... people going across it would be safe. I forget if her son killed himself or was a victim of suicide or if he was killed in the Troubles, which were very going on there in Northern Ireland at that time. But somehow she was a protective spirit that would literally come across. And she was well known to the locals that would come and help people in trouble. And that's just one of many that we've had. You know, this show has kind of convinced me because angels, I always thought, well, that's a nice fairy tale. I mean, I believe in the supernatural overall. But before this show, you know, a lot of times I thought, oh, that's a nice fairy tale. But the truth is, I've had multiple people, Matthew, including yourself, say, hey, I was in trouble and would appear to be a human. They were maybe dressed differently or they were in a place you wouldn't expect them to be or something didn't or they just appeared out of nowhere and then they just as quickly disappeared. Multiple stories. I believe it's true, just like Hollywood. Speaker 5 (19:40) This just had an ethereal quality to it. And I think me making the mistake of walking into a subway tunnel was just setting a young person up for real danger, like just exceptional. Speaker 2 (19:54) You can't get much more dangerous than that, because if you don't have the guy who's following you around, God knows what he's got in his head. You've got a train that's going to hit you in a tunnel. I mean, you were in a pretty precarious situation. Thank goodness for those good folks or those good angels. Matthew, I love having an uplifting story on the campfire. This is such a one. Thank you so much for being a part of the campfire and stay spooky. Speaker 5 (20:18) Thanks, Jim. Stay spooky. Speaker 2 (20:21) You know, we're coming up on the fall big time. Maybe by the time you see this, it'll actually be fall. And Thanksgiving is coming up. And usually that's a time, you know, I love Thanksgiving. It's a rest, particularly, you know, obviously for my American friends, I know. Our friends in Canada have their own Thanksgiving, I believe in October, but the American Thanksgiving, I love it. Very peaceful time with family and giving thanks and watching football and all that good stuff. Evan had a little bit different Thanksgiving time a while back, and he's going to tell us about it. He's a return caller. We're so glad to have him again. Evan, welcome back and tell us what happened this Thanksgiving time a while back. Speaker 6 (21:07) Yeah. And thanks for having me again, Jim. So this is Thanksgiving Eve. If anybody remembers the first time I called in a while ago, probably within a year of those events as well in the same area. So just kind of set that stage. So my friends were in from college. I was in from college. They all kind of went out of state. So didn't get to see him a whole bunch except for holidays. So my parents went out of town actually for Thanksgiving and invited me to go. But since my friends were in, I decided I'm going to stay in and hang out with them as much as I could. So they're out of town, just me in the house. And my room in that house had a really uneasy feeling to it for a long time. And there's actually another story one day that I would like to share that happens in that room as well. Speaker 6 (22:06) So just kind of like, hey, my parents are not there. I know I'm going to be there for like a week by myself. So I try to have my friends over as much as possible to not be alone and feel that kind of uneasy feeling. So Thanksgiving night or Thanksgiving Eve, the friends that were hanging out with me, you know, we hung out until about 1 a.m. And then they were like, all right, we got to go home. You know, got to wake up the next day for the holiday, be with friends and family. They left and then it was just me. So I'm hanging out by myself now. Got in bed. Listened Speaker 8 (22:40) to Speaker 6 (22:40) Coast to Coast for a little while, actually. And so me and my childhood cat who's, you know, chilling on my bed. So we listened