This week, we are bringing you an episode from our friends over at the podcast Spooked. There are some places, deep in the woods, far away from civilization, that are magical. Chuck is hiking in the Appalachian woods when he stumbles upon one of these places: Dismal Falls. But Dismal Falls isn’t all fairies and rainbows. It’s a place of dark magic. This story comes to us from the Spooked podcast. You can listen to more heart-pounding episodes of Spooked on any podcast platform. Produced by Greta Weber, original score by Clay Xavier, artwork by Teo Ducot. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Full Episode
Hey, everybody. Welcome to Otherworld. I'm your host, Jack Wagner. This week, we are featuring an episode from our friends over at the podcast, Spooked. Spooked features true-life supernatural stories told firsthand by people who can barely believe it happened themselves. Spooked is made in partnership with KQED and is hosted by the iconic Glenn Washington, who also shares stories of his own.
You may also know Glenn Washington from his show Snap Judgment, which I have been a longtime fan of. This is a show that is near and dear to my heart, in fact. When I was younger, I used to drive a truck around all day for work, and I spent, I don't even know how many hours, just sitting in traffic in that truck, listening to Glenn Washington on the radio.
So I'm very excited to be doing this with Spooked. Every episode is scored with original music and sound design, transporting you to the other side of the veil. These stories demand listeners to question their own map of reality. This episode is called Dismal Falls. Once again, it's from Spooked, and I think you're going to like it.
They say out of sight is out of mind. But I have wandered countless times to meet with those I cannot see. For they are still in mind to me. You're listening to Spooked. Stay tuned. As a kid, my grandfather had a shotgun. He brought it out twice every year, once as the clock turned over on New Year's Eve. He'd run out to the porch and blast into the sky. Plow, plow, plow, plow, plow, plow.
Granddaddy, granddaddy, you said whatever goes up has got to come down. No, not on New Year's Day, baby. The other time. was the night before Halloween. We're in Detroit. Thousands of fires erupted the moment the sun set over the horizon. The city's rage, blazing orange and red and gold. Devil's night.
And I watched granddaddy get his gun, set up his folding chair on the porch and sit smoking his cigarette, stroking the barrel. I get back up in the house now, baby. Take care of your grandmama. All around us, Detroit burns. And hiding behind the bars on our windows, looking out into the darkness past granddaddy, I see shadows running on the sidewalk.
Hooded figures wearing Batman, Superman, Donald Duck masks, carrying torches, gasoline containers, some pausing to consider our home. than hearing the cock of his gun barrel before deciding to move on. And if he's gonna stay up to protect us, I'm gonna stay up to protect him. all night long if I have to, and I try. Watching, watching shadows, fires, police cars. I try.
Then first light presses me awake. My face sleep-mashed against the window. I jump up, scared, open the front door and see my granddaddy still sitting sentry on the porch, still holding his shotgun, pulling the dregs from his last cigarettes, his pack of super long menthol cools. You keep your granny safe like I asked you? Yes, sir. Good boy. Granddaddy, weren't you scared?
Then, for just an instant, his eyes flashed hot. He looks at me like he's seen something else. Someone else. I already paid the fire once, baby. I won't pay it again. Before he says it, I never knew how his sister had passed. I didn't understand that it wasn't an accident.
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