Black Eyed Kids: Brian Bethel's Encounter in 1996 Abilene, Texas

NEW! We have a SUBSTACK now, and we think it'll be a better fit for getting you extra content and serving as a landing pad for all our podcast notes, community, and extra bonus things we talk about in our episodes. We can't wait for you to check it out, and here's the link: SUBSTACK JOIN OUR COMMUNITY NOW Next episode is part 1: Stonehenge! Black Eyed Kids: The Knock You Shouldn’t Answer It started in a strip mall parking lot in Abilene, Texas, in 1996. A journalist, Brian Bethel, was sitting alone in his car. Two children at the window. A request for a ride and a pair of eyes that were completely blacked out. The legend has morphed and continued over thirty years. What's really going on? On this episode, Monica and Sara examine one of modern folklore’s most precisely traceable legends — the Black Eyed Kids. Unlike most paranormal phenomena, this one has a name, a date, a location, and an origin witness who has never recanted. Brian Bethel, a career reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News, posted his account to an early internet mailing list in 1998 and quietly ignited a global phenomenon. We trace how the legend spread from small-town Texas to the UK countryside, look at the cases that followed — including reports from Colorado, a U.S. military installation, and rural England — and talk through what researchers, folklorists, and behavioral scientists make of encounters described with near-identical detail by strangers across continents. The BEKs don’t force into your space; they just politely and weirdly ask. And that — more than the eyes — may be the strangest part of all. ---------------- Thank you for listening to this podcast and helping us grow by sharing it with a friend! Thank YOU!!! Do you want to tell your story on this show? Reach out, send an email to [email protected] Read Monica's stories on the Medium Publication Try Sara's Bloody Seasoning and follow along on her adventures - Shop Now! --------------------------------------------------------- SUBSTACK JOIN OUR COMMUNITY NOW Follow us on Patreon for even more content about our episodes and see video episodes before they are uploaded to our audio podcast. We share even more content on Patreon. Join today; it's FREE to join - be a founding member on our Patreon Channel, where you get even more content. Join us! Verbal Echo Podcast on Patreon Music Artist credits for this podcast: Season 1: Ikoliks Season 2: Amoeba Crew, Dagored, and Salinski Music, and Licensed music through ASYNC Season 3: Async-sponsored Artists - Song "I Have You," episode 62, by Marigolde; Song "Unbreakable," episode 63, by Aeris Moon. Legal Disclaimer: As always, this podcast is for entertainment only, and the views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are solely their own. Always consult with medical professionals or your physician.