The Old Man On The Bridge

If you were riding your motorcycle home late one night on a country road, would you pick up an old man on a bridge? Maria did, and sent in her story to us at  [e-mail]

 

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Appodchape Production.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome back to The Chills, the Spooky Story Podcast. It's
hard to believe unless, of course, it happened to you.
Here's a story from Maria, who didn't want to appear
on the show. Now. I don't know if it's because
the story is completely made up, although she doesn't want
to bring back the bad juju. Either way. When we
read this story, it gave us the chills. If you've

(00:34):
got a story that can do the same, email us
at the Chills at podshape dot com to read Maria's email.
We've used a voice actor in some parts to help
us out. So let's start Maria's spooky story. Maria was

(00:55):
riding her motorbike home from a friend's place near Gimpi,
which is near the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Her ride
was about thirty five minutes back to her house near
the coast. It was nearly midnight and a friend said
that she could stay if she wanted. But there was
one thing that Maria really really wanted.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
I just wanted to sleep in my own bed. I
hate sleeping anywhere that's not my house.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Maria said. It was one of those nights where everything
just felt a little off. The roads were quiet, too quiet,
and the cold seemed to cut right through her, which
is a bit odd for Queensland.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
The drive was long, and the road wound through bushland
that seemed to go on forever. Every now and then
I'd catch a glimpse of a kangaroo or a possum
in my headlights, but mostly it was just me and
my bike. After what felt like ages, I came up
to a bridge. It's an old iron bridge and locals

(01:52):
always have stories about it, how it creaks and groans,
and how people have had strange experiences there.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
The area Maria was riding through was pitch black except
for one flickering street light the start of a bridge.
I know this sounds like a scary movie. It cast
these long, creepy shadows that made everything look a bit distorted.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
As I got closer, I noticed an old man standing
under the light. He looked a bit rough, with worn
out clothes and a leather bag. He waved me down,
asking if I could give him a lift. He said
he'd missed the last bus to Kilkevan and was stranded.

(02:37):
It was cold and he seemed desperate, so I told
him to hop on the back of my bike. When
he climbed on, he put his hand on my shoulder.
It was surprisingly strong, almost like he was holding on
for dear life.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
So Maria takes off on a bike with a stranger
on the back. It's the middle of the night and
it's dark. I mean, I wouldn't pick him up, but
Maria did so good on her That's when things get
a little spookier.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
As we reached the other side of the bridge. I
suddenly remembered that I had my phone and purse in
my backpack. I started to worry, what if this guy
tried something. I decided to slow down and move my
backpack to the front. But when I reached back, I froze.
The guy was gone, but I could still feel his

(03:35):
hand on my shoulder, cold and heavy. My heart was racing,
and I didn't dare look back. I just kept driving
faster and faster, as if I could outrun the fear
that was gripping me.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, I've definitely got the chills. I think I now
know why Maria didn't want to relive the story again.
Let's join her back on her bike alone, except of course,
for the feeling of a man's hand on her shoulder
cold and heavy. Maria keeps riding. She said she saw

(04:10):
some lights up ahead. It's a small town near Pomona,
where she'd been a bunch of times as a kid.
She pulled up to the first shop and jumped off
a bike. As she spun around. There was no one there.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
The weird thing was the cold feeling on my shoulder, lingered,
like something had really been there. I went into the
shop feeling shaky and probably looking a bit freaked out.
The shopkeeper gave me a concerned look, but I just
mumbled something about needing to use the phone. I called
my friend back in GIMPI, trying to make sense of

(04:49):
what just happened. When I told them, they went quiet.
Then they told me something that made my skin crawl. Apparently,
years ago, an old man was hit by a car
on that same bridge. He'd been walking home late one night,
and the driver was never found. Ever since, people have

(05:10):
claimed to see his ghost asking for a ride and
then disappearing when they crossed the bridge. I didn't stick
around after that. I got back on my bike and
headed straight home. These days, I avoid that bridge whenever
I can, and if I ever see someone standing by
the road, late at night, I remember that icy hand

(05:33):
on my shoulder and I just keep riding.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
If you've got a story that can give us the chills,
and send it in the chills at podshak dot com.
See you next time.