A listener writes “My husband and I are originally from Arkansas, and he was recently stationed back here for his final duty assignment before retirement. We’ve always been big outdoors people hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking anything that gets us outside.
Over the years, we’ve had a few strange encounters, and even my grandmother, who lives in a rural part of Arkansas, has had some of her own.
Last weekend, we decided to float the Buffalo River and do some primitive camping. Not long after getting on the water, I was taking in the scenery and admiring the massive bluffs when I noticed a cave. As I focused on it, I saw movement off to the right along the bluff. At first, I assumed it was hikers, which isn’t unusual in that area. I pointed it out to my husband and said it looked like an adult and a younger teen.
But then I realized something was off they appeared completely brown in color. As I tried to get my husband to look, they suddenly disappeared into the cave. That’s when it hit me there aren’t any trails in that specific area that I know of, and we’re pretty familiar with that region. They were gone before he could see them, which was frustrating because I wanted confirmation of what I saw.
As the day went on, I tried to rationalize it and mostly brushed it off. We floated for several more hours, had a great time, and eventually reached our campsite. We built a fire, cooked dinner, had a couple of drinks, and enjoyed a rare kid free night.
Sometime during the night, I woke up suddenly, my body shaking uncontrollably. My husband noticed and thought I was just cold it was in the 40s so he pulled me closer. But I told him I felt sick. He eventually fell back asleep, and that’s when I noticed a bluish white ball of light hovering outside our tent.
At first, I thought it might be the moon, but it didn’t make sense. The light was coming from the wrong direction, and it seemed to be moving slightly. As I focused on it, I became violently ill getting sick about every 30 minutes for several hours. It was so intense that I genuinely felt like I might be dying.
At some point, I realized the light was gone. Not long after that, the sickness stopped. I remember just lying there, hoping it was over so I could finally get some sleep.
I hadn’t planned on sharing this, but today, while cleaning my house, I listened to your newest episode the one where Rick talked about a woman who became sick after seeing a similar ball of light, possibly related to radiation exposure. The timing and similarities were hard to ignore.
What’s also strange is that my husband and I ate and drank the same things that day, and neither of us drank much. He never got sick, and I was the only one who saw the light.
As for my grandmother, she lives on about 10 acres in a rural part of central Arkansas. Since my grandfather passed, she’s experienced several unexplainable things around her home. One night, she called me and said it sounded like “a UFO or something supernatural” sped down her gravel, hilly road at what she described as an impossible speed. She was adamant it wasn’t a vehicle or anything mechanical she said it sounded like a freight train barreling down the hill in front of her house.
Her home is a large log cabin deep in the woods very dark at night, with very few nearby lights. It was also my childhood home, and whenever we were stationed in other states, we would stay there when visiting since she has several extra rooms.
Another experience that stands out happened during a Thanksgiving visit. We arrived late, around 9 or 10 p.m., and after unloading the car, we stood outside for a moment, enjoying the cool night air we had been living in the desert at the time. Suddenly, we heard a massive roar that you could feel in your chest. We all looked at each other and immediately asked, “Did you hear that?” Then we ran inside.
We’ve also spent time at a hunting camp in southern Arkansas. Sitting alone in a deer stand before sunrise, I’ve heard things in those woods that I honestly don’t think I want explained. At 5 feet tall and 120 pounds, some mysteries feel better left alone.
I thought you might find these experiences interesting. We truly appreciate your podcast.”