TFT Episode 2: Things that Defy Explaniation

🎙 Episode 2: Things That Defy Explanation

Some stories come with a twist. Others come with goosebumps.

This week, Archie and Shelly explore those eerie moments that logic can’t quite explain. Archie brings a tale rooted in Southern legend, where a strange shift in a friend’s behavior might have something to do with a certain Tennessee spirit. Shelly recounts a desert night that started off normal—until the lights appeared, the air changed, and her dog wanted nothing to do with what came next.

Also in this episode:

•Porch philosophy with quotes from Jean-Paul Sartre and Benjamin Franklin

•The strange comfort of telling stories you can’t quite prove

•A new phrase for the Front Porch Philosopher collection (and yes, it’s wearable)

💬 Listener Vote:

Which story sent the bigger shiver down your spine? Cast your vote at notquiterightgoods.com/pages/two-frogs-talking or @notquiterightgoods on Instagram.

🛍 This Week’s Tee:

New in the shop: “I don’t know what I saw. But I saw it.” Perfect for those unexplained moments you just can’t shake.

Transcript

Archie 0:03

You ever notice how a Southern thunderstorm knows just when to make an entrance?

Shelly 0:07

Why is one starting to brew?

Archie 0:09

Yep. Just started rumbling outside. Y'all probably can't hear it. I got this new mic here that blocks out everything but existential dread, but I swear that thunder rolled in the second we hit record. Dang. Okay. Okay. That one just rattled the garage door.

Shelly 0:25

Well, it's a safe 70 and sunny here.

Archie 0:28

Well, like always.

Shelly 0:30

Maybe we should reschedule.

Archie 0:31

No. Uh, I'm probably fine if the lights go out. Everything's wireless now. Got three portable chargers, full battery on the laptop, and a headlamp if the live from the screen ain't doing the trick.

Shelly 0:43

It sounds like you've got quite the setup. Yeah,

Archie 0:46

well, you know me prepared, not paranoid. That's the line I try to walk.

Shelly 0:51

I do know you, but the audience may not. So how about we get to the intro?

Archie 0:57

Well lead us off then.

Shelly 0:59

Hi there. I'm Shelly.

Archie 1:01

And I'm Archie. And welcome to the porch for

Shelly 1:05

Two Frogs. Two

Archie 1:06

Frogs.

Shelly 1:07

Talking.

Archie 1:07

Talking. One part telling tales,

Shelly 1:10

one part talking life. All parts. All parts a bit bit, bit not quiet.

Archie 1:16

Quiet.

Shelly 1:17

Right.

Archie 1:17

Right. I try to match the forecast to the theme makes for a richer atmosphere.

Shelly 1:24

Well, today's theme fits. This week we're talking about things that defy explanation.

Archie 1:31

Mm-hmm. Stuff you can't reason your way through stuff that shows up, messes with your head, and then vanishes before you can prove it ever happened.

Shelly 1:39

You know, life is full of those little wait, what just happened moments.

Archie 1:43

Yeah. You live long enough, you collect a few scratches on your belief system.

Shelly 1:47

Some of them never quite buff out.

Archie 1:49

And as always, we didn't tell each other our tales ahead of time. That's the producer's job. She makes sure we're not both talking about a haunted ice machine or something like that.

Shelly 1:59

Wait, you didn't choose that one?

Archie 2:02

Nah, I went with something different. I didn't want to tell one you've heard a million times.

Shelly 2:07

If Archie sounds a little sore, it's because this story is a family favorite and he's never lived it down.

Archie 2:15

Okay, well I'd have the record show that haunted ice machines are a thing.

Shelly 2:19

I think if you want the record to show something, you have to offer evidence.

Archie 2:24

Okay. Is that a challenge?

Shelly 2:25

A small one.

Archie 2:26

Alright. All right, fine. It's not today's tale, but since you brought it up, well, I guess I brought it up. In any case, I was four. We were out west visiting Shelly's, folks staying in one of those roadside motels with the two bed set up and a stubborn ice machine just across the hall. I was sleeping in the same bed as my big brother, Billy. He was 14 cooler than I'd ever be and somehow still patient with me.

Shelly 2:56

Billie was the best.

Archie 2:58

He was. I miss him every day.

Shelly 3:01

I know you do.

Archie 3:02

So anyway, uh, it was the middle of the night. I wake up to pee. On my way back. I hear a sound outside. It's my name whispered. Real slow. Aaarrrcchhieee, ooh,

Shelly 3:18

not, not something I'd want to hear. Nope,

Archie 3:21

I froze. Froze for a moment, not believe in what I was hearing. And then it came again, Archie longer and louder this time. I think if I had any pee left in me, my PJ's would've been wet.

Shelly 3:37

Oh no, no. That's really scared.

Archie 3:40

Yeah, it was. I was petrified and I dove back into the bed and right under those covers I must have disturbed Billy with my shaking.'cause he rolled over and he tells me, Hey, cut it out. But. He listened when I explained what was happening and then we sat there in silence. Nothing.

Shelly 3:59

Of course, it's like ghosts have a second sense for making you look foolish or something. It's a gift.

Archie 4:05

Well, a gift. This one had it in spades'cause the second he started snoring it came back. Same voice, same call Aaarrrccchhiiee. Now I wanted to go check. I felt compelled to, but my gut said Uhuh, no way. And besides, I doubt my legs would've carried me, so I stayed put head under the blanket listening to that voice, calling for what felt like hours.

Shelly 4:35

And nobody woke up because of it.

Archie 4:38

Nope. Not even when the next thing happened. Banging metallic sound, followed by some unexplainable sound like a, like a bunch of rocks fall into the ground at the same time. And I mean, a bunch. I'd never heard anything like it. I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed, ah, I woke up the whole damn room.

Shelly 4:59

The noise didn't wake them, but your scream did.

Archie 5:03

Yeah. Sure did. Makes no sense that sound was loud, had to be louder than my scream.

Shelly 5:08

So everybody's awake now.

Archie 5:11

Everybody's awake in my room, probably the adjoining rooms and all thanks to me. Now, I explained to my parents, of course, they, they agree to investigate. My dad opens the door and that's when he sees it. The ice machine ice had exploded out of it. A pile of cubes, half as tall as the machine itself laid out in front of it and all spilled out into the hall, right, reached right up into the door.

Shelly 5:34

That is a lot of ice.

Archie 5:36

Exactly right now, there's no way all that ice came from that machine. And dad, when he went down to the night clerk, the guy says, oh, that machine just been serviced two days ago, so it shouldn't be busted.

Shelly 5:47

So the logical conclusion is it's haunted.

Archie 5:51

I know what I heard and I know what I saw, and I'm telling you that machine was haunted or cursed or hungry, whatever it was. I make it a practice not to stay in motel rooms near ice machines anymore.

Shelly 6:05

I see a merch tie-in. Beware hotel ice machines.

Archie 6:10

Yeah. Very, very tempting. Mm-hmm. But today's tie-in is, don't know what I saw, but I saw it.

Shelly 6:17

Well, that's very profound.

Archie 6:19

Mm-hmm. It is on the Front Porch Philosopher series.

Shelly 6:22

Your own collection of wisdoms. Maw-maw would be so proud.

Archie 6:27

Yeah, I don't know, but she didn't like it much when people dumbed down complicated stuff. Not that she wanted to keep things difficult, it's just that she believed you had to give a body a chance to get it. And if that took time, then it took time.

Shelly 6:41

You're not dumbing things down, you're just being economical with your words. She definitely approve. I bet she even wears some of the merch, and I know for sure she would have all of the mugs.

Archie 6:54

Oh, that woman sure did like her mugs, didn't she?

Shelly 6:56

I've never seen such a collection, a whole room devoted to mugs. It was a site to behold.

Archie 7:01

Oh my. My mama had a time dealing with that. After she passed, she had to spread all the mugs to every thrift store in the county. It was too big of a collection. I mean, a store would just be overflowing with mugs, Maw-maw's

Shelly 7:14

mugs. Maw-maw's mugs. Why did we start talking about mugs? You know what? Why don't we actually start talking about the real stories for this week? Good idea. All right. Well, let me tell you then about the time the Bell witch. May have hitched a ride home with me. Wait, the Bell Witch, like the one that haunted that family in Tennessee in like the 18 hundreds?

Archie 7:39

Yep. That's her, the Bell family, Adams, Tennessee. Now she was relentless, whispers, scratches, full-blown shouting matches in the middle of the night.

Shelly 7:50

Right. And some famous general showed up to investigate and got run off.

Archie 7:55

Andrew Jackson. Yeah. But, but before he was president. He rolled in with a wagon team and a whole party of men, including, and I get this, a so-called witch tamer.

Shelly 8:06

Oh, a witch tamer. That sounds like a job someone gave themselves.

Archie 8:10

Exactly. Now, this gentleman was bragging the whole way there. He said he had a silver bullet bible and a plan to drive the spirit out.

Shelly 8:17

Hmm. Let me guess the Bell Witch was not impressed. Shoot.

Archie 8:21

Not even a little bit. No. Supposedly as soon as they got close, the wagon froze up. Wouldn't move horses dug in. Then a voice outta nowhere says"You may proceed." Boom. Wheels unlock.

Shelly 8:36

No, I mean, that would be enough to make me wanna turn around.

Archie 8:40

Yeah. Well, they were there to save the family. they just couldn't go back. They'd look like a bunch of cowards.

Shelly 8:46

Fear of judgment. It'll get you every time.

Archie 8:48

In any case, that night, the so-called witch tamer, he gets slapped clean outta his cot, and Jackson's whole crew gets tormented slaps and whispers cold spots. And by the morning, Jackson's like, all right, I'm done. And he hightails it outta there.

Shelly 9:04

So the ghost didn't just haunt them, it played with them.

Archie 9:07

Apparently and in harsh ways. Anyway, I'm getting carried away. That's the legend. My story picks up a couple hundred years later, not far from the old Bell property. A detail, my buddy Nolan left out.

Shelly 9:23

Well, that's a friend. Fail.

Archie 9:24

To this day, I have no idea why he didn't tell me or why he chose that spot. Uh, now this is when I'm in my twenties and still carefree about things, you know, and I trusted Nolan, so there's no reason to ask too many questions about where we're going.

Shelly 9:39

Did he give you any info at all?

Archie 9:42

Sure. He said it'd be quiet and off the grid and good for thinking. He just left out that the spot was about a mile away from where the Bell family once lived.

Shelly 9:52

Well, that is a pretty big detail to leave out. Right?

Archie 9:56

I mean, I thought we were just gonna go fish, maybe overcook some beanie weenies and drink a few too many cold ones.

Shelly 10:02

Sounds magical.

Archie 10:04

But it wasn't. Mm-hmm. It was so still, I'm talking too still. Woods didn't make a sound. No bugs, no birds, no breeze through the trees. Just a big old hush, like the land was holding its bread.

Shelly 10:18

Ooh. It's never a good sign when nature is too silent.

Archie 10:22

Hair on the back of my neck was standing on end, and if I'd had more sense, I would've called an audible right there.

Shelly 10:27

Why didn't you?

Archie 10:29

I didn't wanna look like a fool.

Shelly 10:30

Hmm. Fear of judgment.

Archie 10:32

Yeah. Plus Nolan, well, he, he didn't seem to be bothered by it at all, so I figured it was just me. Well, we set up camp and, uh, the first night it feels odd, but it's uneventful. Although Nolan wasn't acting particular himself. But

Shelly 10:48

Wait, how wasn't he acting himself?

Archie 10:50

Well, he was quiet and brooden. Now, normally if you know Nolan, he could hold a conversation with a wall, and I swear that man wore a smile more than any other expression, and

Shelly 11:02

You didn't think to ask if something was wrong?

Archie 11:03

Well, that's, that's not really a thing most guys do, Shelly, especially in their twenties. I'd like to think it's something I'd say now, but anyway, that's not how things played out.

Shelly 11:13

It's that judgment thing again. And they say females are the sensitive ones.

Archie 11:19

Who's sensitive? I, I got the thickest skin.

Shelly 11:21

Overcompensate much?

Archie 11:23

What? Okay. Okay. All right. You win. Anyway, moving on. We, uh, we spent the next day fishing for our dinner. Right. And we managed to land a couple, I mean, nothing flashy, but enough to fill our bellies anyway.

Shelly 11:39

Oh man. There is nothing like fresh fish cooked over a open flame. My tummy starting to grumble.

Archie 11:44

Well, the sun starts setting and we get to building the fire. We get a starter going, and then Nolan heads off to go get more sticks, and I stay behind with the fire feeding it some small twigs we had, so it'd be ready for the wood when Nolan got back. And then I hear it real soft. Whispering not words. I could make out just this low breathy sound like the wind, trying to figure out how to speak. And then I feel a flick on the back of my neck. And then I hear it real soft, whispering. Uh, not words. I could make out just this low breathy sound like the wind, trying to figure out how to speak, and then I feel a flick on the back of my neck. Oh. Mm-hmm. And no, it made me jump to my feet and turn around and. Nothing. Nothing. No, nothing. Now I have it in my mind. Okay. Nolan must be playing a prank on me, which would be like the Nolan I know, but there's no sign of him. Of course there isn't. I would've heard him sneaking up on me.

Shelly 12:58

Unless he was some kind of ninja.

Archie 13:00

He certainly wasn't that more like a bull in a China shop, but there's no sign of him. Right. So I gather myself, turn back around to deal with the fire, and it's gone.

Shelly 13:13

What's gone?

Archie 13:14

The fire. Gone. Gone. Yeah. Like it was never lit. Cold stones, cold coals from the night before and, and a little twig pile ready to be lit. And the air was different. Like it was pressing in around me.

Shelly 13:32

Oh, heavy air. That's never a good thing.

Archie 13:35

No, I tell you. It didn't feel good. Not at all. And that's about the time when Nolan comes back. He sees the, the fires out and he, he asks, why'd I squash it? Now I explained the whole thing and he just looks at me stone faced for a moment, just standing there. He was way past awkward when he finally says, yep, we're on Bell Witch land.

Shelly 13:59

And did you know what that meant then?

Archie 14:01

No, not a clue. So he goes on to tell me the legend, and then he says, some folks think the spirit never left, just waits for unsuspecting folks.

Shelly 14:12

Why?

Archie 14:14

He never said, just left it open like that.

Shelly 14:17

Oh. Oh no. I don't like that. That's unsettling.

Archie 14:20

Yeah. Tell me about it. Now, at this point, I'm trying real hard to act like I'm not spooked, but my skin is buzzing like I stuck a fork in a socket. I bet. Now we decide, well, I decide we're leaving first thing in the morning.

Shelly 14:37

Why didn't you just leave then?

Archie 14:38

Well, Nolan was adamant that we spend the night again, no reason, and it was his vehicle. Best I could do was a sunrise breakdown and exit.

Shelly 14:50

That is why I always make sure I'm in control of the keys.

Archie 14:53

Well, lesson learned. Mm-hmm. Guarantee you that night I barely slept every snap of a twig, every rustle of the tent, any unidentifiable sound, which was all the sounds that night, it seemed. I'm listening, but nothing happens.

Shelly 15:11

Really. Nothing. Yep. Nothing.

Archie 15:13

Nope.

Shelly 15:15

Well, well that was a big build up for a short let down.

Archie 15:19

Well now hold on. The story's not over yet. Okay. We pack up and we head out the next morning, and Nolan, he's even more quiet and broody the whole ride back.

Shelly 15:29

Well, I bet that was a super fun ride.

Archie 15:31

Shoot. I've never been so glad for the radio, but here's the part I still can't explain.

Shelly 15:38

In addition to the self extinguishing fire.

Archie 15:41

Yeah. In addition to that, I get home and everything should feel normal. But it doesn't, something's off and I can't put my finger on it. I'm uneasy, but I decide, lemme take a shower.

Shelly 15:56

Well, I mean, you've got to get the stink off.

Archie 15:59

That's what I figured, huh? But it was probably the fastest shower I've ever taken. Feeling like you got eyes on, you'll speed up your routine. So now I towel off and I get dressed and I figure it's time to eat something, and that's when I notice it. My porch light, which is on a timer mm-hmm. Is flickering. Yep. Not off and on like you'd expect, but just, just fluttering like a firefly going in and out. Now I step outside to investigate and sitting right in the middle of my doormat is a scorched twig. Blackened on the one end. Fresh on the other.

Shelly 16:37

Like from your campfire.

Archie 16:39

Exactly like that. But I hadn't brought any half burnt twig back from the fire and it wasn't there when I came home. It just showed up. So.

Shelly 16:49

So you think it followed you home?

Archie 16:51

I don't know what I think, but I left that twig right where it was. The porch light fixed itself two days later and get this, there was no trace to that twig.

Shelly 17:01

Well, the twig could have blown away.

Archie 17:04

True but strange considering that it showed up out of the blue and the light fixed itself once it went away. And then my place started feeling normal again too.

Shelly 17:15

Whoa. What about Nolan?

Archie 17:18

See, that's the other thing, like I said, on the ride home, he wasn't joking, he wasn't talking, just sort of staring out the window. Like he'd left something behind

Shelly 17:27

or maybe brought something back.

Archie 17:31

My thoughts. Exactly. I checked in once or twice after that. He barely responded. I got the feeling he didn't want me around and I don't have to be told twice. And one day he just moved. Goodbye. No explanation. Just gone.

Shelly 17:49

Like the twig.

Archie 17:51

Yep. And I can't explain any of it.

Shelly 17:54

Whoa. Well that's a good one. Arch, good story.

Archie 17:59

Oh, thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Well, uh, anyway, you're up. What do you have for us?

Shelly 18:05

Well, as it so happens, we both have camping stories.

Archie 18:09

Uh, you know, what they say about Great Mind.

Shelly 18:10

I do. Okay. So mine happened just this past summer. I'd been feeling cooped up and Ralph needed a change of scenery and I had a weekend free. So I loaded up the Jeep and I headed out toward Joshua Tree for some dispersed camping. Just me, the desert, and Ralph.

Archie 18:31

Now see that Jeep seen more dust than a broom in a wood shop.

Shelly 18:34

It served me well, that's for sure.

Archie 18:36

If that's the case, you should think about naming her.

Shelly 18:38

Who says it's a she, and naming vehicles is your thing, not mine.

Archie 18:43

Oh, fair point.

Shelly 18:44

So I find the spot behind a massive boulder that protected me from the wind and gave an anchor to that wide open landscape.

Archie 18:53

Oh, all that openness can be a bit unsettling.

Shelly 18:55

It can be for folks, not used to it, but for me it feels like there's just room to breathe and be,

Archie 19:03

maybe I need to spend some more time out there.'cause that's not the feeling I got when I took that one trip.

Shelly 19:08

You're always welcome out here, cousin. I'd love to have you along, kind of need to make up for that last trip anyway.

Archie 19:15

I didn't know wind could blow that hard.

Shelly 19:17

It was my mistake for not checking the wind forecast. Out here, it's not the weather that you have to check, but the wind.

Archie 19:24

Yeah, well it, it did make things quite unpleasant.

Shelly 19:27

It wasn't the wind this time that ruined the trip. It was something altogether different.

Archie 19:31

Still ruined trips, make for good story.

Shelly 19:34

That they do. And this story starts out like any one of my many camping trips. I get to camp, I get my tent just like I want it. I get my fire pit up running and I start heating up some chowder.

Archie 19:48

Chowder.

Shelly 19:49

I found soup is an excellent camp meal, especially the hardy ones.

Archie 19:53

I tend to agree. Now, what's your recipe for this?

Shelly 19:55

Oh, nothing fancy, just the can. A little thyme, cracked pepper, and I pair it with a baguette. I snagged from a bakery on the way out of town.

Archie 20:05

You've given Ralph chowder too.

Shelly 20:07

Of course not. That is way too rich for his stomach. He gets his usual rice, beef and carrot mix.

Archie 20:15

Listeners, that dog eats better than I do. I've seen her dog food prep and I cried for my own childhood.

Shelly 20:22

Don't let your mama hear that.

Archie 20:24

Oh, Shoot. You're right. Sorry, mama. I'm sorry. I was just, I was just drawing an analogy for the purposes of the story. I meant nothing by it. I swear. Aunt

Shelly 20:31

Claire is an excellent cook among other things.

Archie 20:34

And that that right there is why you're her favorite niece on this side of the family.

Shelly 20:37

I am the only niece. I have all male cousins.

Archie 20:40

Yeah, and you're the better for it.

Shelly 20:42

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?

Archie 20:44

I would. Yeah.

Shelly 20:47

Anyway, why don't we get back to the story. The sun is starting to dip and Ralph gets twitchy, not scared, just on edge watching the horizon and ignoring his meal. He won't relax and it is making it hard for me to enjoy my meal, but, but I'm trying the best I can and I'm watching the last of that purple light fade to black. And just when the last light goes, Ralph starts to growl low. I look over at him and his hackles are up.

Archie 21:24

Oh, that's no good.

Shelly 21:25

No, it's not. So I look out where it looks like he's looking, and that's when I notice the light. It's far off at first. Soft, golden, almost like a lantern, but it's not bouncing like a person walking it. It's floating, drifting kind of smooth, like. Gliding, huh? And then the voice starts.

Archie 21:54

Oh boy. Not a voice.

Shelly 21:57

Faint at first. Just a sound like someone calling, like no words I can make out more like tones. hhhhheeeellllpppp. Ralph Growled, deepened, and got louder. That low primal nope sound that dogs can make that sound that sends your own neck hairs on end now.

Archie 22:21

Oh, yep.

Shelly 22:21

I'm not new to desert lore. I have read about these lights. Stories say that they beckon you from the safety of your camp with false cries for help, and if you follow them, you don't come back.

Archie 22:37

Well, you're still here, so I guess you didn't follow.

Shelly 22:40

No. And like you, I stayed.

Archie 22:43

Well then I guess I could ask you the same question you asked me.

Shelly 22:46

You could, and my answer would be the same.

Archie 22:48

That you didn't wanna look foolish in front of Nolan.

Shelly 22:50

Funny. Nope. Just thought I was being foolish. So instead of leaving, I ditched the tent and I moved my sleeping gear into the Jeep.

Archie 23:01

Oh, hang on you. You slept in the Jeep?

Shelly 23:03

Yep. Not the comfiest. Two-door wranglers got space for maybe half a being in the back. So Ralph and I were boy packed in tight. I kept the lights off, the doors locked, and luckily I decided to leave the hard top on.

Archie 23:17

Oh, well, yeah, you would've been a sitting duck without the top.

Shelly 23:19

I know. So there we are, Ralph and me packed into the Jeep, him growling and me trying not to look. But every now and then, when I couldn't stand it, I'd peek and that flickering light was still out there. And of course it was,'cause if you listened close, you could still hear the calling.

Archie 23:39

Ooh, I don't know if I could have stood that.

Shelly 23:41

I kept my music going and my earbuds in, and I never opened the door no matter how strong the sensation got to do it. I never looked too long at the light, just glances. Although I've gotta say there was a really strong urge to keep on looking.

Archie 23:58

Well, yeah, there was. It was hypnotizing you. There's no telling what would've happened if you'd have kept staring. We might not be talking right now.

Shelly 24:07

Well, I think it was Ralph that kept me straight. I mean, he never stopped growling, and that made me keep my wits about me.

Archie 24:13

oh now Ralph growled.

Shelly 24:15

All night. All night. Well, the part when we were awake.

Archie 24:19

Y'all fell asleep.

Shelly 24:21

Yeah. As impossible as it seems, we must have both fallen asleep in the early morning hours. I came to with the first light, cresting the horizon, and all I could see and hear was wide open desert. No calling, no light, nothing. Except for one single desert flower, fresh and purple, laying in the center of the fire pit. And here's the thing, there were no footprints leading into camp. None. But that flower was placed there.

Archie 24:58

No, that, that's not nature. That's a message.

Shelly 25:01

Yeah, and I got it loud and clear. Stay alert, stay skeptical, and always trust your dog.

Archie 25:06

I'm curious. Could you find that spot again?

Shelly 25:10

What on earth for?

Archie 25:12

Well, doesn't it ever cross your mind? Uh, go check it out again.

Shelly 25:17

Uh, no. There's plenty of desert out there. I steer well clear of that area.

Archie 25:22

but don't you ever feel like you need to go back

Shelly 25:25

No. Why? You're not thinking of trying to find that camping spot on the Bell Witch land, are you?

Archie 25:31

No. Of course not.

Shelly 25:33

Good,

Archie 25:34

but I'd be lying if I said that. I haven't dreamt about it.

Shelly 25:37

Really?

Archie 25:38

Hard, too, real vivid dreams about it. I don't know about twice, three times a week

Shelly 25:45

Arch. That's concerning. You'd tell someone before you took off, right?

Archie 25:50

Well, well, I'm, I'm not planning to go. I'm just dreaming about it.

Shelly 25:53

Good.

Archie 25:55

But the dreams, they're getting stronger and stronger now that I think about it more frequent.

Shelly 26:01

Okay? You have to promise me that you'll call me if you find yourself packing up Betsy for a road trip to those parts.

Archie 26:08

Why?

Shelly 26:08

Why are you kidding me? I don't want you to turn into Nolan. That's why.

Archie 26:15

I am only messing with you. Calm down. Oh, still?

Shelly 26:19

God, get me all worked up.

Archie 26:21

Yo, it's a special gift. What can't I say?

Shelly 26:24

Remember the time you and Billy had me convinced that my belly button was a plug, and if it got loose, I would go flying around the room like a helium balloon with a hole in it.

Archie 26:34

Oh man, that was a good one. Billy pulled it on me before we pulled it on you. I spent

Shelly 26:39

the whole summer protecting my belly button.

Archie 26:42

Like your life depended on it. Because

Shelly 26:44

it did, even though Billy did tell me not to worry too much because he had a special tool that could help get the plug back in if I started to leak. He just needed to be close by so I wouldn't lose too much air. I didn't let him out of my eyesight. And you, you, you kept reminding me that while Billy could get the plug in, he couldn't pump me back up.

Archie 27:07

See now that that was my own twist. Billy didn't know about that. He was far too kindhearted to leave you worried about a lifelong deflation issue.

Shelly 27:15

Oh God. I had images of me walking around half deflated for the rest of my life. Little 4-year-old me. It is a core memory.

Archie 27:24

Well, I happy to have helped Thanks for the detour. Good Billy memory always brings a smile to my heart.

Shelly 27:30

I guess he's on my mind since we talked about him earlier.

Archie 27:33

Yeah, makes sense. Uh, now, uh, where were we?

Shelly 27:39

Recapping the stories, which are one with a witch, self extinguish fires and a mysterious twig and a brooding friend and the other with ghost lights, disembodied voices, and a floral calling card.

Archie 27:53

And in both cases, nothing we can prove, just something we'll never quite forget. And, we sure as heck can't explain.

Shelly 28:02

Which brings us to our weekly brain snack, quote time.

Archie 28:07

Righty. Now, each week we, uh, bring something from a favorite thinker to help shine a little light or maybe throw a little more shadow on the theme.

Shelly 28:16

Are you gonna throw some shade this week?

Archie 28:19

No, it just came out like that.

Shelly 28:21

Oh, did it Now

Archie 28:24

it did.

Shelly 28:26

Okay. I don't know what to say to that.

Archie 28:28

Nothing to say.

Shelly 28:29

Are you seven again?

Archie 28:31

What do you mean?

Shelly 28:34

All this poking at me?

Archie 28:36

I guess the weather has me in a boyish mood.

Shelly 28:39

Thunderstorms bring that out in you, huh?

Archie 28:41

Yeah, it seems so. But I, I'll, I'll try to behave myself from here on out.

Shelly 28:45

Good. Because we're at the serious thinking part Archie.

Archie 28:48

Mm-hmm. Are

Shelly 28:49

you ready?

Archie 28:50

I'm ready as I'll ever be.

Shelly 28:52

My quote today is from physicist Richard Feynman."I would rather have questions that can't be answered, than answers that can't be questioned."

Archie 29:02

Well, I'll tell you, it would be a boring world if we couldn't question things, but not getting an answer is pretty unsatisfying.

Shelly 29:10

Or unnerving. We've got two stories where an item, and both times it's a piece of nature. We're just there unexplained, but clearly there with a purpose.

Archie 29:19

and we'll never know what will we, which brings me to my quote."There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio than are in your philosophy.

Shelly 29:30

Old Willie Shakes.

Archie 29:32

that's right. Hamlet's talking to his friend. See, and he just seen the ghost of his father and he's very unsettled. Horatio is trying to talk him down off the ledge, so to speak, using reason. and Hamlet. Is having none of it. He knows what he saw and he knows what he heard. And now he's got a lot of questions

Shelly 29:52

But to be fair, I mean, I think I'd have a lot of questions too. If the ghost of my father appeared to me and told me my uncle, who is now married to my mother is his murderer, and that I need to take revenge without harming her, and on top of everything, he's suffering in the afterlife because he didn't receive last rights.

Archie 30:14

It would be a lot to take in, that's for sure. Horatio even says, these are but wild and whirling words, but he stands by Hamlet. Although what Hamlet's basically saying is that A, a ghost is ordering me to murder my uncle, and I'm gonna do it.

Shelly 30:30

He swears by it.

Archie 30:32

He does, even though he doesn't know how he's gonna do it yet.

Shelly 30:36

So the ghost absolutely defies explanation, but Hamlet accepts that he can't explain it, but the inability to explain it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Archie 30:47

Right. And of course, Hamlet goes on to prove everything that Ghost said was true.

Shelly 30:52

And everyone ends up dead in the end.

Archie 30:55

Yeah. It's a tragedy.

Shelly 30:56

Mm-hmm.

Archie 30:58

Well. Anyway, less, we're gonna explore more of the themes and lessons in Hamlet. I think that wraps up this week's dip into the inexplicable.

Shelly 31:06

Head to our Instagram at not quite right goods and vote for the story and teller you think is the better tell. Was it Archie and the spirit who may or may not have hitched a ride back from Adams, Tennessee?

Archie 31:18

Or Shelly alone in the desert with her Jeep, her dog, and one very suspicious lantern.

Shelly 31:24

And hey, if you like today's episodes, you can snag a piece of t-shirt form or sticker form over at not quite right goods.com.

Archie 31:32

Mm-hmm. Now this week's feature a new T for the Front Porch Philosopher series. Don't know what I saw, but I saw it. Perfect for Ghost Chasers, deep thinkers, and anyone who's seen the unexplainable. And you can find it and all our other sideways wisdom at not quite right goods.com.

Shelly 31:51

And yes, this is Two Frogs Talking, but remember, our home is at not quite right goods.com. You'll find our podcast page there as well as Archie's musings, in a blog, along with all the merch we have to offer.

Archie 32:04

And send a note. Why don't you, we, we wouldn't mind hearing from you. Tell us what you think. But, uh, be mindful.'cause, uh, frogs have feelings too. Uh, are you gonna do it?

Shelly 32:19

Do what?

Archie 32:20

you have to say your next line.

Shelly 32:23

Oh. I thought you were gonna say more. My bad. Thanks for sitting with us.

Archie 32:28

You're always welcome on the porch.

Shelly 32:32

Bye bye. Oh, I messed it up again.

Archie 32:36

Oh, don't worry. We'll get the hang of it.

Joe 32:43

This has been a Not Quite Right Goods production. Starring Joe Laureiro as Archie and Holland Renton as Shelly written, directed and edited by Holland Renton. Music sourced via Descript stock library.