It was a cold April day in 1943 when four boys stumbled upon something horrifying in the woods—a skull hidden deep inside a hollow wych elm.

The police came, a body was pulled from the tree… and then, nothing. No answers. Just a message that began appearing on walls across England:

“Who put Bella in the wych elm?”

No one knows who Bella was—or why she was buried inside that tree.

Was it espionage? Witchcraft? Or something even stranger?

Grab your trench coat and your tinfoil hat, today on Prying Minds, we’re digging into one of Britain’s eeriest unsolved mysteries.

Imagine taking a boat out to a remote island. It's the kind of place that looks straight out of a travel brochure. Turquoise water, dramatic cliffs, a little bit of mystery. You’re thinking, wow, this is going to make the best Instagram post ever.

But then you notice… the ground is kind of hissing. The air smells like eggs that lost a fight with the sun. And your tour guide says something like, “Don’t worry, it’s mostly safe.” That’s when you start wondering if this island might be a little too alive.

And then, in an instant, paradise turns into panic. The sky darkens, the air burns, and suddenly you’re not thinking about selfies anymore.

This is the story of a group of travelers who came face to face with nature at its most unpredictable... and somehow, some of them survived.

Today, we’re diving into what happened on that island, the unbelievable ways people fought to stay alive, and why this trip definitely didn’t get five stars on TripAdvisor.

Welcome to the story of Whakaari.

We’re Liss and Bee, and this is Prying Minds.

Imagine being so sad that a doctor suggests sticking an ice pick in your brain. No, literally through your eyesocket! Welcome to the world of lobotomies, One of the most infamous "medical breakthroughs" in history.

We’re talking about a procedure that promised to erase mental illness… but sometimes erased a lot more than that. For decades, lobotomies were performed on women, men, even children often without their knowledge or consent — all in the name of science… and sometimes, spectacle.

And spoiler alert: things got messy! Like, your brain might now function like a two-year-olds, or you might have the sudden urge to steal pens messy.

In this episode of Prying Minds, we’re diving deep into the history, the horror, and the weirdly fascinating rise and eventual fall of lobotomies. We're Liss and Bee and this is Prying Minds.

Ice picks at the ready? Let’s do it!