Phantom Diners

The other week on The Paracast, Brad Stieger recounted, among many other ideas, the notion of “spirit mimics,” beings that seem slightly out of time and place. What caught my attention in particular was the story of a former serviceman encountering the archetypal maternal figure behind the counter of a little diner. She gives him some advice that turns his life around. When he goes back to thank her, the man discovers the diner never existed.

The fun starts at 1:13:40, or so. The rest of the show is worth a listen, too. Steiger tells anecdotes about the development of the vampire and werewolf myths, black-eyed children and other neat stuff. As always, bring your salt shaker.