Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Speaker A: Good evening. I'm Ben, and welcome to the show.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Where you and I gather around this.
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Campfire to hear some of our fellow campers scariest experiences.
So whether you're a new or returning camper, I'm happy to have you. Tonight we're headed to New York City to hear Amanda's story, and one that will leave you wondering what is real and what is not. Before we begin, if youd like to.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: Check out our camps monthly bonus episodes, get access to ad free episodes and more.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: Head over to patreon.com.
[00:00:34] Speaker B: Do you want to hear a ghoststory?
[00:00:36] Speaker A: Now, without further ado, do you want.
[00:00:38] Speaker B: To hear a ghost story?
[00:00:42] Speaker A: I have always been the type of person to talk to myself. It never seemed odd to me, and im sure most people do it, those who think things through out loud anyway.
But what if I told you you should be careful because sometimes someone or something will talk back?
It started when I moved into my first apartment. My own space. No roommates, no family. The apartment was simple one bedroom, a crammed kitchen with a loft above it, accessible only by a tight spiral staircase. Nothing special, but it was perfect for me. One evening, after a long day at work, I was slumped on my couch, the remnants of chinese takeouts scattered around. My brain was too fried to care about what was on the tv. What am I even looking for? I said to myself, flipping aimlessly through Netflix.
[00:01:36] Speaker C: It appears you are looking for some form of entertainment.
[00:01:40] Speaker A: Someone responded from the loft. I froze, the chopsticks falling out of my hands clattering to the floor. I looked up at the loft.
My mind scrambled for any sign of a logical explanation.
Hello? I called out, but was greeted with nothing but silence as it filled the entire apartment.
After a long few minutes, I convinced myself that I had imagined it, exhaustion playing tricks on me. Later that night, as I was laying in bed, drifting off to sleep, the voice whispered faintly in my ear.
I closed my eyes even tighter, telling myself that it wasnt real.
I didnt sleep much that night. The next morning I was running late for work. Rushing through my routine, I muttered to myself, do not forget the project plans on your desk. Your boss will kill you. I grabbed my coffee, my keys, and my bag and went to the door.
[00:02:36] Speaker D: Dont forget the plans on your desk.
[00:02:38] Speaker C: Remember?
[00:02:39] Speaker A: I froze. The voice was real. At least it was real to me, and it had answered me again. Shaking off the chill that was creeping up my spine, I grabbed the plans and left. But my mind was erasing the entire commute to work. I was talking myself through it on the subway. And no one seemed to notice. I was trying to convince myself that I was just tired, exhausted, or overtired even. But I noticed that nothing responded to me here. It was just me and my thoughts. Maybe I really was just losing it. That night when I got home, I collapsed onto the couch.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: I think I'm gonna sleep the whole.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: Weekend, I said to myself, you look like you need it came from the loft. I stared at the staircase, my heart pounding.
I couldn't resist, really. I slowly climbed up the staircase, one step at a time. When I reached the loft, there was nothing. No one. Just the unpacked boxes I had shoved up here. By this point, my heartbeat was pounding in my ears.
Ha. I am losing it, I said to myself on the way back down.
[00:03:47] Speaker C: What have you lost?
[00:03:49] Speaker A: Came echoing from behind all of the boxes behind me. It wasnt coming from just one place. It was coming from everywhere.
At this point, I bolted out of the apartment, telling myself that I needed some fresh air, some space, that maybe. Maybe there was a mold or something in my apartment.
The following days blurred together in a haze of what I can only call confusion and fear. I stopped speaking. I stopped speaking to myself at home. I stopped speaking to my coworkers, terrified that anything I said would trigger this voice.
But thats when it started speaking on its own. Without any prompting, it would whisper to me as I brushed my teeth, saying things like, you dont look so good.
[00:04:32] Speaker C: Whats wrong?
You look awful.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: Are you sleeping?
[00:04:37] Speaker C: Whats wrong?
[00:04:38] Speaker A: No matter how loud I played my music or wore my headphones, the voice found a way through. One night I snapped. I just couldnt take it anymore.
[00:04:48] Speaker D: Leave me alone.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: And for a moment it was quiet.
[00:04:53] Speaker D: But I'm real. Why are you ignoring me?
[00:04:56] Speaker A: I sobbed, pleading, please, just be quiet.
[00:05:02] Speaker D: Please.
[00:05:05] Speaker A: And then a knock came from my door.
[00:05:08] Speaker B: I guess that night my neighbors had.
[00:05:10] Speaker A: Called the cops, wanting to do a wellness check on me, saying that I was frantic being loud.
I was taken to a psychiatrist and screened for schizophrenia, the doctor explaining to me that in some people, schizophrenia is a auditory nerve impairment and that you perceive your thoughts as being coming in from the outside.
But it didn't really make sense to me. Why did it only happen in my apartment?
But it was nice to have an answer, to have an explanation for this nightmare I was living after all, if.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: Thats really what it was.
[00:05:46] Speaker A: Isnt there medication for this?
But after a few tests, the doctor told me that in fact he didnt believe I had schizophrenia and that everything pointed to a lack of sleep.
Temporary psychosis is what he said.
I didnt know whether to feel relief or even more despaired.
The doctor told me that I should get away for a while.
[00:06:09] Speaker B: So thats precisely what I did.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: I went home. I called my parents.
I started packing up my things and I told them that I just needed to come home right before I was about to hang up.
[00:06:19] Speaker D: Why are you leaving me? Where are you going? Why does everybody leave?
[00:06:24] Speaker A: I pretended I didnt hear it. I didnt care, and I couldnt stay. And just like that, I moved out. I just grabbed my bag and left. I didnt say anything. I didnt respond. I stayed with my parents for a few weeks, working remotely, eventually finding a new place. And the voice? Well, I never heard it again.
But sometimes I do wonder. Was it me? Did I have, like my doctor said, temporary psychosis? Was it just this apartment playing tricks on me? Was there mold in there? I dont know.
Every once in a while, no matter where im at, but when I am alone, I am always a little bit nervous to say something out loud. I catch myself listening to every slight shift, everything that could possibly be a whisper from the shadows, waiting for the.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: Day the voice comes back.
Thank you Amanda for allowing me to share your story.
[00:07:21] Speaker A: And Im going to be honest, as someone else who does often talk to.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: Himself, this story plays on one of my biggest fears.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: I never want to hear the world talk back to me.
I'm glad that you're feeling better and.
[00:07:33] Speaker B: I'm glad that it's never happened again.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Now, I'm not a doctor and I.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Don'T know if what you had was temporary psychosis, but it is interesting to me that it only ever happened in your apartment.
[00:07:44] Speaker A: That it never happened before and it's never happened since.
[00:07:47] Speaker B: But I understand why your weary to talk to yourself now.
[00:07:52] Speaker A: I hope you keep doing better and.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: Youll always have a safe seat at our campfire.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: I have no new show announcements this.
[00:08:00] Speaker B: Week, no new patron shoutouts, but if you would like one or access to our bonus episodes and more, check out patreon.com dot Ghost story.
[00:08:08] Speaker A: I suppose I do have some announcements though. I apologize for the shorter episode this.
[00:08:12] Speaker B: Week and how ive been a little bit lax a days on social media.
[00:08:16] Speaker A: Its been a really busy month for.
[00:08:17] Speaker B: Me outside of the show with work and everything got a lot going on and honestly I kind of feel like Im just staying afloat with the show and everything else. But I am very excited for spooky season. I just wish Florida would get the.
[00:08:30] Speaker A: Memo on the fall weather sometimes.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: I miss Illinois for that reason.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: However, I do plan to take a.
[00:08:36] Speaker B: Trip here in a couple weeks, so let me know what the best underappreciated spooky place to visit is in hell. Maybe ill see you there.
[00:08:45] Speaker A: I will leave you here for the night. Im glad to have you all at.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: Campers on this journey.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: Please keep sharing the show with anyone.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: You think might like these stories or someone youre just trying to scare.
[00:08:56] Speaker A: And if youre enjoying it, go ahead and leave a review. I genuinely love hearing from you.
[00:09:02] Speaker B: If you have a story, please send it to do you want to hear a ghostorymail.com? check out the episode description for more details.
[00:09:09] Speaker A: Until next time.
