As The Raven Dreams Podcast - 3 Hours Of True Scary Stories For The End Of Summer (Compilation)

Episode Date: August 23, 2023

3 Hours Of True Scary Stories For The End Of Summer is a spine-chilling compilation of 24 terrifying tales that will make the transition from warm summer nights to the ominous chill of fall a truly unforgettable experience. Brace yourself for a marathon of fear as you dive into these unforgettable narratives that are as haunting as the approach of autumn itself. Today's Video Contains stories from the following Episodes... (from May,June and July) Cookout Stories, Swimming Stories, Summer Nights Stories, Late Night walk Stories, Summer Camp Stories, Summer Festival Stories and Bonfire Stories Have a Story To Submit? ➤ https://www.astheravendreams.com Or Post to the Subreddit ➤ https://reddit.com/r/TheRavensDream Support the channel for Early Access AND more! Patreon ➤ https://patreon.com/AsTheRavenDreams Join ➤ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkW0ihdMHfBUjQrMKjRto6g/join Or Check out the Merch Store! ➤ https://teechip.com/stores/astheravendreams 'As The Raven Dreams' is a community where we explore the darker parts of human existence through true and harrowing stories. From sinister encounters with strangers and stalkers, to terrifying experiences that defy explanation and unsettling mysteries that linger in the shadows, I am here to tell you the most haunting narratives ever whispered. Much Love, and Sleep Well... **Stories used with explicit permission from respective authors. True stories are unverified and considered 'supposedly true'.** #TrueScaryStories #AsTheRavenDreams #SummerStories --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/astheravendreams/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/astheravendreams/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have a summer camp experience that seems like it would be worth sharing. So, I wanted to send it your way to see if you would want to use it for your channel. I've written this story for another channel in the past, so hopefully that's okay, but I'm rewriting it here, so odds are it'll sound a bit different anyways. When I was around 14, I spent a summer in a camp near the northwestern part of the U.S. They still do the summer camp, and I actually help out now that I have a kiddo old enough to get involved, but I was part of something at the camp that was legitimately scary, especially as a teenager. Most people think summer camp and think of the marshmallows, bonfires, swimming, and some friendly games and such. And I would say that those are the typical things that people get to enjoy when they're at camp.

Me, on the other hand, I almost feel like I was cursed when it came to going to the summer camp. I went five times, from 11 to 15, and like I mentioned, I help out at the camp now as a grown man and things have been okay, but every year that I attended as a camper, something went wrong. I won't get into every year. I have one story in particular that I want to want to. to tell you, but I want to give some slight evidence to the fact that I was cursed. First year, half the camp fell ill with food poisoning, including myself, and we all spent a few days throwing our guts up. Second year, I was swimming and managed to break my forearm, resulting in having to leave early. Third year, we had an incident with one of the fires that actually led to the camp losing one of the cabins. And of course, it was the captain. And of course, it was

the cabin that I stayed in. Now the fourth year, and the story that I would like to submit. This happened during what I have to say was my favorite night there. Mystery Night. The counselors decided they needed to create something engaging to really test our smarts. And it was just a fun and spooky game for all of us to solve. We all stayed up later than normal. They gave us a story, and we had to go over the campgrounds and immediate woods.

to solve the mystery that they'd created. That year, the mystery leaned more into being a scavenger hunt. Each clue would lead a bit further into the woods to really add to the creepy factor. My team was feeling confident. We'd been the first to solve pretty much each step of the mystery so far. It was scary in the woods, dark, quiet, filled with only the sounds of night critters. but my excitement was pushing me through the thoughts of how scared I should have been. After a while longer, the three of us on our team had found what was the last location.

It was an old well in the woods that was ancient, partially crumbling and barely held together. It was lovingly known as the wishing well to the camp, though I don't think any of us campers really considered it to be a fortunate thing. It was ugly, covered in moss, and mostly destroyed. I approached the well to grab what was our final clue when I heard it. As I reached, there was this low groaning sound pouring out of the well. It was a guttural sound, human-like, but kind of distorted. I remember being terribly freaked out thinking it was some kind of spirit or monster or something.

We all stood there staring at the well, like, what was that, when we heard it again? The sound was seriously terrifying. This low, gurgling, rumbling moan. The three of us took off back to camp, noping out of there as quickly as we could. The head counselor approached us with his jovial smile, asking if we got the last clue, but at this point we'd forgotten about the competition and were just gruel. going on about the creepy sounds from the well. We were frantic, but able to tell them what we heard,

and of course they all laughed at us saying that we were just imagining things. After we kept trying to explain it, one of the councillors, Ted, decided that he would go with us to look so that we could be sure nothing was out there. We got to the well, and we were explaining that there was this really weird groaning sound, and we stood there waiting for it for, a few minutes. After nothing happened, Ted started to say that it was probably the wind or something like that,

but he was cut off by the groaning sound as it echoed out of the hole in the ground. I remember watching the blood drain from his face as he stared at the well, and we all started in with, uh, see, we told you it was real. He immediately told one of the other boys to go get the head counselor, and he ran off to get him while we stood there watching. Ted carefully leaned over the well with his flashlight. The head counselor showed up with his mag light and was able to see what was down there. He told Ted to call 911 immediately.

To cut this a bit shorter, the authorities showed up to the camp, and what happened next was beyond shocking. After a couple of hours, they were able to pull a man from the well. He was half-starved. dehydrated, had a few broken bones, and was barely conscious. He'd been down in that well for at least a day or two. He'd apparently gone hiking and gotten lost and somehow fell into the well, left to the mercy of fate and time.

To say that we were shaken is a bit of an understatement. The mystery night was overshadowed by the sight of that man. Broken, barely clinging to life. He did. thankfully survive, but the memory of those groans echoing from the well? It was nightmare fuel. The well has since been rebuilt by the camp, probably to prevent that from ever happening again. But when I'm out at the camp helping in the summers, I tend to avoid it altogether,

in the off chance that I have a repeat of that night. Okay. So, this is the story of the weirdest, most surreal event of my life. It happened during a camping trip that my girlfriend at the time, now wife, went on while we were still a pretty fresh couple. I think at the time we had only been together for about a year. That summer, my girlfriend and I decided to go out into the woods and just have a lovely little camping trip. We found our perfect spot, an open section of the woods with a huge open section of sky, and we set up our tents. As the sun started to set, we lit a cozy campfire, and we were sitting there just enjoying the gorgeous night,

cuddling up, sitting on our plush blanket, and loving this romantic evening. Out of seemingly nowhere, a man wearing a ski mask and holding a gun stepped into the light of our campfire. He approached slowly, and I think that we both didn't realize that he was there at first, but when we noticed him, we both jumped up and entered into a state of panic. We both froze in fear, me saying, whoa, please, we don't have anything, thinking that this guy was just here to rob us. The man quickly tried to diffuse the situation, saying, Hey, hey, settle down.

I'm not going to hurt either one of you if you just do what I ask. Okay? He then motioned for us to sit back down, and we both kind of looked at each other like, do we do what he wants? He actually answered that question for us, saying, Look, just sit down, relax. Let's just enjoy the night, and everything will be okay.

I just need you to sit down, and relax. I looked over and nodded at my girlfriend, and we went to sit back down on the blanket, and I pulled her down with me. He nodded, and then took a seat in one of our cloth lawn chairs, sitting across from us by the fire. After a few seconds, he motioned towards the cooler by me and asked if we had any beer. I said that we did, and he asked for one. I cautiously handed him one, and the three of us just,

just kind of sat there in this really awkward silence. He broke the silence after a bit, asking me my name. I told him that my name was Todd, which it is, and he responded with, It's very nice to meet you, Todd. And he then asked me what I did for a living. I mentioned that I was a desktop support guy for a company. He asked what that meant,

and I explained that I was basically the guy that set up all the computers for the company's employees. He nodded and smiled, saying that it sounded kind of boring. I actually chuckled at this and said, Yeah, it kind of is, but hey, it pays our rent. He nodded again and then said, Here's to that. And then took a drink. Then he looked at my girlfriend and asked her the same question.

She told him her name. and mentioned that she was going to school to be a nurse. He almost looked excited to hear this and then said, My mom was a nurse. It's stressful, but she loved it. You'll do great. We sat there for about half an hour just engaging in this bizarre small talk, with this masked stranger holding a gun in his right hand,

and a half-empty beer in his left. After talking a bit more about what we did for work, our hobbies and all that, he starts to laugh and then shares a story about his brother. He tells us that this one time his brother was trying to light a bonfire, like ours, and he ended up setting himself on fire. He said that he ran around screaming like an idiot, and that he had to dump a cooler that they had full of chunks of ice and beer cans on him to put out the fire. It was surreal. This guy was sitting there, laughing, sharing the story as if we were best friends at a little reunion, acting as if he wasn't masked and basically holding us hostage. After about an hour had passed, he ended up standing up and thanking us for the beer.

We were both stunned at how, I guess, friendly is the right word. How friendly he was to us. He mentioned that it was getting late and that we should probably get to sleep, and then casually started just strolling away. Before he left the campsite, he stopped and turned back toward us, waving his gun in our direction, and said, Oh, and I don't know if it's obvious, but I was never here, right? We nodded, too shocked to really say anything.

And he just said, good. Have a good night, guys. Just like that, he was gone, leaving us in the glow of our little fire, shaking and thinking, What the hell was that? I still have no idea what actually happened that night. Was he on the run? Had he just committed a crime and was just hiding out for a while? Was this just some kind of messed up prank, possibly? We can really only speculate, but what I did know is that this experience is certainly one for the books.

It's a story that she and I share with new friends, mostly because of how absurd it is, and how much it sounds like a small scene from some kind of horror movie. I will say that he was a very nice guy, minus the obvious, and that I'm more than grateful that he kept his word. He could have shot us. He could have attacked us. He could have done so many things, but he seemed like he just needed a spot to stop for a while. And if he was going to be there, he figured he may as well have a drink and make some small talk.

Now, despite how polite he may have been, I really hope that we never meet again. I wanted to tell you about one of the most unnerving and unnerving and... and confusing experiences of my life. I've been a bit hesitant to share this story with anyone because I know that it makes me sound like I'm crazy, or like I've had a medical episode. But I want to say that, to the best of my and my doctor's knowledge, I am perfectly healthy,

and my brain works in a way that can be described as mostly normal. It actually happened in the size, summer, last year, 2022, and I can remember the whole thing like it happened yesterday. My family had gotten together for a cookout at my grandmother's house, since we hadn't been able to really do so for the entirety of the previous two years. What was supposed to be a fun night with family and some of my uncle's barbecue ended up being a creepy experience that has haunted me ever since. My grandmother's house was a stereotypical, cozy grandma house.

It was on the edge of town, so it wasn't in a heavily populated section of our state, but it wasn't necessarily in the middle of nowhere. It was big enough for her to have raised five kids several decades ago, and it was the family meetup spot. On that day, the house was full. Everyone had showed up and the night was lively. My uncle had been at his grill all day, making all the barbecue he could for everyone, making way too much, as always, but enjoying every minute of it. We were all sitting outside, eating our burgers, and enjoying the smell of the grill as it slowly burned out.

The sun was setting and the yard was covered in a really lovely orange glow that just kind of sprawled out. At one point, I found myself alone outside. in the backyard, just reclining in a lawn chair and enjoying the calmness of the moment. I don't recall why I ended up alone. I think maybe some of my cousins were heading out, and everyone went inside to say goodbye or something. But I was just sitting there in the chair, watching the sunset and sipping on my cream soda. I remember that I suddenly started feeling like I was going to get violently ill. One second I was perfectly fine and content, and then I felt this sharp pain in my stomach,

and got hit with that stomach rush that you get right before you throw up. I sat up and leaned forward just in case I did end up getting sick, but as I did, I could feel my heart racing and my head pounding. The air around me started to feel really heavy. I could feel myself starting to sweat more, and honestly, I thought that I was about to have a massive heart attack. It really felt like I was about to die. It was then that I looked up and noticed that there was a light above me.

I looked up slightly and saw what I thought was a flashlight shining on me at first, but it wasn't. It was a light that was in the sky. It was sizable. I'm not sure of how large exactly, but... decent in length in all directions. It looked to be triangular with rounded edges, and while I couldn't tell how far away it was, it seemed to be hanging above me.

I squinted at it, trying to focus more on it than the weird physical feeling that I was dealing with, but the world around me started feeling like it was spinning. I was struggling to breathe, I was struggling to stay upright, and the surge of panic was rushing through me. I actually tried to call out to yell for someone to come help, but I couldn't. My voice was getting caught in my throat and the words were dying before they even formed.

In that moment, time seemed to stretch and blur, making me feel almost like I was underwater. I know that that sounds strange, but the air was so dark. dense and heavy that it felt like I was physically underwater, but mentally detaching from my body. My mind was screaming to move and run, but my body was completely frozen. My eyes were locked on that spectral object hovering above me. It physically felt like I was being stretched, like completely split apart, but not like I was being cut, just being pulled yet staying still. I know that this is confusing, and this is what I mean when I say that it makes me sound crazy, but I can't find words to properly explain what was happening.

But then, just as abruptly as this all had started, it was over. Of course, it wasn't just done. No, it had to get even more confusing. I was feeling like I was dying, staring at this light detaching from reality, and then I was standing in the... bathroom of my grandma's house, staring at myself in the mirror. I wasn't doing anything. I was just standing there and staring at myself absent-mindedly.

Strangely enough, when I fully regained full control and focus of myself, I noticed that the faucet was running. The door was completely locked, and only one of the two sets of lights in the bathroom was on. I just stood there, frozen. trying to piece together what all had just happened. My head was pounding and my heart rate was definitely elevated. I looked around in confusion with my mind trying to grasp the situation. I had just been outside, alone, staring at that light,

and now I was inside the house a good couple hundred feet away, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror with the sink running. Nothing made any sense there. I stumbled out of the bathroom and back into the main parts of the house. The house was alive with the conversation of various family members, all just chatting and laughing, as if nothing had happened. I tried to act normal for the rest of the night, but my mind kept going back to that light, and that horrible feeling that I had while it was over me. I wanted to tell someone about it, but how could I?

It sounded ludicrous. I have actually never told anyone in my family about this whole thing, no matter how much I have wanted to. The only thing I've mentioned to anyone was to one of my cousins, and I just asked her if I seemed a bit out of it or acted strange. She told me that I seemed fine, that she couldn't recall me being weird or anything. anything. Every time I visit my grandma's house now, I can't help but look up in the backyard and

half expect that ominous light to come back. I don't know what it was. Some kind of supernatural being, an alien craft. Was I possibly abducted by some entity and then placed back in the bathroom like that? Maybe. I really don't know. I will just say that nothing else has been different that I can notice, beyond me just thinking about the whole thing, so I don't think that it changed me if it was something supernatural or paranormal. Maybe I'll get answers someday. I really don't know, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Have you ever experienced something so unnerving and inexplicably bizarre that it makes you

question yourself and everything around you? that's a dramatic way of telling you about what happened to me on the night that this event happened. The whole thing really gives me the creeps just thinking about it. And rewriting it out makes me feel a bit ill, but I think it's a story that's honestly worth telling. Some people may hear my story and think, Oh, that's not that bad, nothing really happened to you. Which, sure, it could have been worse, but in my opinion it's those possibilities. and unanswered bits that make this whole thing so much creepier than it needed to be.

I work the late shift, not the overnight shift, just the late shift, which means I get home at a super awkward time. Because of this, I need to find or make time to do things for me, things that I enjoy, or to keep me happy and healthy. One thing that I love doing is going for long walks, and, thankfully, since I get home when everyone else is in bed, I get to enjoy the cool summer nights all to myself. I've found that the empty roads at midnight really make for a nice backdrop for those walks that you need to take to clear your mind, and as such, I've made them part of my daily ritual. The stillness of the town really adds some contrast to the overall heat of the day. walking at nights can be a pain in the winter, but in the summers, it's heavenly.

On one particular night, about halfway into my usual route, I noticed that there was a familiar glow of headlights hitting me from behind, and brightening up everything to my left. Initially, I didn't really mind it. It happens as cars pass, and while it's not terribly common on my walks, it's not unheard of. However, where normally the car would pass me within a few seconds of illuminating my path, I noticed that whatever car was behind me was not passing.

I kept walking, just staring at my shadow being cast onto the road from the lights, until it had been probably a couple of minutes, which made me start to feel a bit uneasy and confused. I started thinking about and figured that it was possible that the car had pulled over or, maybe it was an officer that was tailing me to ask me if I was okay. Again, it was midnight, and I was a fairly small woman walking on the side of the road. I decided to go ahead and turn around to see who it was. When I did, I think it made the situation that much worse.

It wasn't a cop or a car on the side of the road. It was an ice cream truck, moving at a pace that was uncannily slow for a vehicle just driving, on the road. At this point, I was more or less certain that whoever was driving this thing was following me. Not just driving on the slow or going at a leisurely pace, they were driving slow with intent. The whole vibe of the situation was enough to set off a flurry of alarm bells in my head. Why the hell would an ice cream truck be out at midnight? And why was it following me like this. My sense of unease skyrocketed when, after a few more steps of me walking backwards and just staring at the truck, they abruptly shut off the headlights and turned on the music.

The street was completely dark at this point, save the overhead streetlights that were randomly placed. But I could still see the truck in the bright colors of the clown and ice cream cones painted on it. Enough was enough. My instincts were screaming. seeming at me to get away from this situation. I paused for a second, pulled out my cell phone from my pocket, and started walking back the way I came. I started recording the truck and yelling, Why are you following me? Who the hell are you?

Trying to just be loud and obnoxious. Either this person was going to jump out and grab me, or they were going to drive off when they realized they were being recorded. I made it very clear that I was recording and trying to get a shot of the driver. I started screaming about having 911 on the line, and that I was filming him for the police. As soon as I said this, the truck's engine suddenly revved up and it sped off, screeching its tires right in front of me and leaving me in the distance. At no point during him driving off did he turn the headlights back on either, which, again, cemented that the things.

This was an odd occurrence. After he was out of sight, I was left just standing there with my heart racing, and a mix of relief and fear coursing through my veins. I know that my response to this person was not one that others would ever recommend, but I really didn't know what else to do. If I ran, and they were going to grab me, they would have just spent up and chased me. It was the middle of the night, so going to any of the nearby, my house wasn't really a solution.

In the end, I decided to be big and loud, like I was dealing with a bear. And it worked. Looking back, though, I cannot shake off those unsettling questions. Why were they tailing me? What were the driver's intentions and how much danger was I actually in? The logical part of me struggles to find a rational explanation, but I guess it's easy to speculate, if nothing else. I still enjoy my late-night walks, but I've taken a different approach to my safety,

and let's just say that I can defend myself if it ever were to come to it. I never advocate violence, but I do advocate for being able to keep yourself safe. If nothing else, this event has left me with a bit of a heightened sense of vigilance. Always be aware of your surroundings, and never let you. your guard down, even when something is seemingly routine, because you never know when that routine will be broken by something unexpected. Lasagne sur-gillet, puissance-moyance-moyerned for 15 minutes. We're like to dojo.

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event that happened to me and my friend back in 2014 I live in a part of the U.S. where fireworks are banned, so unless we went to my grandparents' property that was over an hour away,

the only thing that we could really do was have a cookout and or go see a fireworks show. In this particular year, my parents decided that they wanted to have a smaller celebration at a somewhat local fireworks show. And by a smaller celebration, I guess they meant my mom, and dad, my two twin older brothers, and a couple that were friends of my parents. My brothers were 18, so they hung out with each other a lot, and then my parents had each other and their friends, so me being 14, I was feeling a bit left out.

After throwing some hints there away, they allowed me to invite a friend to join us, so I chose my best friend, Holly. And with us also being at that. age, we also wanted to look our best, so before we left for the park, we did our hair and makeup, and wore our cutest patriotic outfits that we could. We were feeling good about ourselves, and also kind of grown up, so we were pretty excited. However, when we arrived, I had to help my parents pull out the chairs and the food and drinks before anything. Shortly after, two more of my parents' friends showed up, who had a kid close to my brother's age, so they started talking to

him, too. I was pretty annoyed at this because, if Holly hadn't come, there would be even more people in our small gathering and nobody for me to hang out with. I'm used to my parents doing that. It was still annoying, at least at my age. So when they started talking, I told my mom that Holly and I were going to walk around the park for a bit. She said that it was fine, but to be back at a certain time so that we could eat and watch the show. With that, we grabbed our purses and phones and walked off. Again, we were feeling on top of the world. Holly was just like me whenever it came to our hobbies and interests,

so we thought that we would walk over to the small water park nearby, maybe get our feet wet, take some pictures, and just talk. We at least prepared to get wet since it was so hot, so we had our bathing suits on underneath. As we approached the water park, we spotted two boys hanging out at the skate park, which was pretty much in the same area. They looked younger, or at least close to our age. We both commented on them being there and continued to the water. We may have been a bit louder than normal, with our screaming and laughing, partially trying to get their attention too.

Not long after, we looked back and noticed that they were walking over here making comments. They sat by us and started talking to us. They asked who we were here with, why we were alone, and pretty much just some innocent things like that. We explained that we just wanted to escape my family for a bit. They briefly talked about themselves, telling us their names, which I don't remember anymore. They told us they were 16. We told them that we were 14, so they were pretty close to our age.

After talking for a while, they asked us if we wanted to go with them to hang out some more. We asked where, and they said it would still be in the park. It was just behind the parking lot. Holly and I looked at each other and thought, since it was still going to be in the park, then we should be fine. However, I knew that it was getting close to the time that my mom expected me back, and if I wasn't, I would probably get in trouble. I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of my friend and our potentially new friends, so I told them that I needed to go back to my family first. They teased us, in a friendly way, making fun of us for needing permission and having a curfew.

I denied their claims and just clarified that it was more about letting us. them know that we were going to be out longer. I even told them that we were having a cookout and offered to bring them back something. I was 14. I didn't really know what to offer a cute boy that was interested in me, so I guess I thought a hot dog and soda would suffice. They declined, though, and said that they would just wait there. So, we waved them off and made our way back to my family.

When we returned, I saw my brothers and the... the other guy in the field behind our car throwing a football. And there were two more new people there that I didn't recognize. We were greeted by my mom. I was introduced to the new people, and then we were free to eat and do whatever we wanted. By the time we finished eating, the sun was setting and the sky was transforming into the dark blues.

Everyone was starting to find their seats, so we thought it was a good opportunity to dip. I once again told my mom that we were going to walk around, and since it was getting dark, she told us not to go far. I know my mom. She was way too preoccupied with her friends there and just said something to sound like a caring and in-control parent, but I knew that it was BS. So, as we started walking to the field, I gave a look to Holly and we both laughed, knowing that we were going back to the water park. We were both hopeful that the boys were still nearby, and were talking about who we thought were cuter

and the other normal 14-year-old girl banter. As we got closer, we saw that they were, in fact, still there, now sitting on one of the railings and smoking. Now, I've caught my brothers smoking, too, so I know what it looks and smells like. I wasn't interested in it, but I thought that maybe we would look cooler hanging out with them. We greeted them, and they again confirmed that we wanted to chill with them elsewhere,

and we agreed. We followed behind them, past the parking lot on the other side of the water park, and down a small embankment. One of the boys pulled out of phone, turned on their flashlight, and shined it down a large cement tunnel. I've seen these before on construction sites, but I still don't know what they were for. I also didn't realize how large they were until I was standing right next to one.

They stood to the side and held out an arm, usuring us into the tunnel. We walked in it at first, and it was pretty cool. Looking at Holly, I think we were both kind of nervous, but there was an opening on both sides, and it seemed like a nice place to get away. We all started talking again, about... random stuff, and one of them asked what school we went to. We told them the middle school, and they mentioned a high school that we hadn't heard of.

They said it wasn't a different city, though, so it made sense to us. They said that we looked older, closer to their age, and mentioned that they thought that we were hot. Again, it was a nice feeling to me. I just had a guy confirmed that he liked me, and neither of us. had been in a relationship before. That's when one of them said that they brought something and walked out of the tunnel. I saw them lean over behind the tunnel,

and they came back in, wiping off a bottle. He said that he had taken it from his house, so he knew that it was good. We had never drank before, so it made me feel a bit nervous. He offered it to Holly first, and she declined. So when he offered it to me, I declined too.

Again, they both started teasing us, saying that we were scared or too perfect to try it. They both took swigs of it, but then turned back to us. I guess that I was bad about peer pressure, because as their teasing and pressure continued, I caved in and grabbed the bottle from them, taking a big gulp. It was horrible.

It tasted like what rubbing alcohol smelled like. It burned my tongue, throat, and nostrils as I swallowed. I handed it back to them coughing as they started laughing. I told them they should get something better because that tasted awful. I was trying to play it off, but I think that I failed. I looked over at Holly and she laughed too, but I could feel that she was feeling a bit awkward. I thought that things were calming down when they asked us if we wanted to play a game. we just kind of smiled and said sure.

One immediately suggested we played truth or dare, and the other one agreed. And then the one facing me said, I'll go first. I dare you to take your shirt off, as he stared smiling directly at me. Not knowing how to react in this situation whatsoever, I just laughed. I told them I wasn't going to do that. And they started laughing at me again, teasing. me about it. They made comments about us being there with them for a reason, and that they thought that this was our intentions. Holly and I both disagreed, saying that we just thought we

were going to hang out. Then the one in front of me stood up and got really close to my face. I could feel him breathing on me. He was that close. I was terrified at this point. They claimed to be 16, and it was entirely possible that they were. They were to be 16, and it was entirely possible that were lying, especially now seeing just how much bigger he was compared to me. I didn't know what to do. I felt if either of us tried to run, they would very clearly be able to catch us. We didn't even know that they had the alcohol on them, so who knew what else they could have had? The guy in front of me started laughing, and as fear gripped my heart, I could only muster

what I normally did when I was terrified. I started crying out and called out for my dad. Except I became quite a baby in these situations, and, embarrassingly, I exclaimed, Dad! This caused the guy standing in front of me to look out the tunnel quickly. That's when I realized that he probably thought I was yelling for him. I looked up to see his face, and he honestly looked concerned.

So, I decided to go with it. I yelled out, "'We're down here, Dad.' Holly quickly grabbed my arm and joined in on shouting for our Dad. The boys made another bullying remark about us, telling us to run off before we got in trouble, and we didn't waste any time. We ran out of the tunnel and climbed back up the parking lot,

looking back once to see if they were behind us. They weren't, but we couldn't see anything a few feet in front of us due to how dark it was. We hurriedly made our way back to my family, where they were all laughing and having a good time. We climbed in the back of my dad's SUV so that we could calm down and catch our breaths. We were both deeply shaken by this, thinking about what could have possibly happened if

I didn't have my little outburst there. We both kind of mutually agreed to never let something like that happen again. but we weren't going to tell my parents either. I was terrified of those boys finding us, or possibly running into them in the future, but I was also worried about getting in trouble if I told them that I drank alcohol. That's just where my 14-year-old mind went.

We ate a bit more, me trying to cover up a smell that I thought they might notice, and stayed very close to my family for the rest of the night. We never physically saw those boys again after that night, but I did recognize one of them from somewhere. I was going through my brother's yearbook later that summer, and as I flipped through, I saw the face of the boy that was standing in front of me. It immediately brought back the memories,

and I asked my brother if he knew him. To my surprise, he did. He said he used to be on their baseball team but was kicked off after getting into some trouble. I asked what he did, and he said that he didn't know for sure, but the rumors were that he beat up his girlfriend at the time or something. Then he mentioned how he didn't like him because he thought he was a weirdo, or something was off about him.

He asked me why I asked about him, and I just told him that he looked familiar and left it at that. I then went to my room and tried to recover from a panic attack alone. one of them was at least 18, and they claimed to be 16, most likely because we said we were 14. They were practically adults, and they were totally okay with doing what they did to us. I still have not told anyone to this day, and I know that that was probably stupid, but I really didn't know who to tell and what, if anything, could be done. They didn't technically do anything to us, and it would have just been us versus them. I told Holly about what I found, and she also agreed that she didn't want to tell anyone, or even talk about it.

So we just hit it deep inside, and now I guess I'm sharing it with you. If anyone takes anything from this, let it be this. Always, always, always, trust you. your gut, especially young boys and girls that may have self-esteem and confidence issues. And an adult, young or old, should never want to party with a kid alone. I'm a driver for one of those rideshare app services. I got a practically brand-new car a year ago, and I thought it would be an easy way to make some extra money.

And so far it has. Most of my passengers have been great, but I've had a few that were just unpleasant. I do have a day job, so I usually do this in the evenings or at night, and sometimes during the day on my days off. This particular event took place on a Friday night. I had just dropped someone off and was debating on taking one more, but since it was already pretty late, I instead decided to grab something to eat and head home.

I went to a nearby drive-thru, and as I indulged in my fries driving home, I noticed a woman walking down the street, or more so, stumbling. She was pretty obviously intoxicated. She was wearing a dress and carrying heels into small clutch. Being a woman myself, something made me think that I should stop for her. She could just be making her way home, but there was something inside of me telling me that something was wrong. And I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I heard something on the news about this. So I did a U-turn, slowed down on the side of the road and rolled down my window.

I greeted her, and she jumped, as I'd rolled up behind her, startling her, I'm sure. I asked her if she was okay or if she needed her. a ride. She leaned down and looked into my car, but not in a casing it out kind of way. She seemed suspicious of me, and I really couldn't blame her. How often does a person offer a ride to someone walking down the road like that? I tried to assure her that I was alone, and that I actually worked for the ride-share company, but I just wanted to make sure that she was okay. She said she'd used the same company in the past, but that she had lost her phone. That's why she didn't use it that night.

She definitely seemed like she may have been having a rough night, so I again offered her a ride, no cost and no catch, and even asked her if she needed to use my phone to call someone to let them know that she was safe. I thought that this would also make her feel more at ease, since, you know, cell phones and calls can be. traced. She declines to make the call, but said that she would love a ride and quickly hopped into the back, thanking me. I watched as she buckled in,

looking back down the way that she came, and let out what I would say was the biggest sigh of relief. I asked her where I could take her, and she gave me an address that was around 20-plus minutes from where we were. I looked it up when I got home, and that would have been almost two hours

by foot. I shockingly asked her, Were you really planning on walking that far, girl? She let out a small laugh and said that that was the only option she really had, but was worried that she wouldn't make the whole trip. I laughed as well and made a comment about how that was definitely further than I was willing to walk, especially in this awful heat. To which she gave a weaker laugh and said,

Yeah, this heat is definitely one problem, right? I caught on to what she said, and her inflection told me that there was something else going on. I asked her if she was okay, but she confirmed that she was just tired, so I left it alone. I didn't know her, so I didn't feel it was right for me to pry. I drove in silence for a bit, but it was awkward, so I asked her if she wanted some of my fries. We both laughed, and she took a handful and said thank you. I was probably about halfway to where she asked me to take her, when she suddenly asked,

Actually, could you take me somewhere else first? When we get to my place, I can run in and grab you some cash that I keep at home. She wanted to stop and get something to eat, too. And I wasn't really worried about it, because I just felt better about getting her home safe. So, we stopped and got her something, and she asked if I'd be willing to just eat somewhere with her. At first, I will say that I thought it was unusual that someone would want to eat in a car with a stranger, but, again, I've definitely had weirder passengers. So, I agreed. I stopped at a nearby park, and we ate there and talked.

That's when she told me her name, and I shared mine. She talked about a park that she remembered going to a lot with her dad when she was a kid and mentioned how much that she missed it. She even told me about how much her work takes out of her, so she couldn't often do things for fun. That's when she talked vaguely about how she ended up in the situation she was in that night. She said that she went out for a change, but everything quickly spiraled out of control and her ride abandoned her,

and then she lost her phone. With the way she was dressed, I assumed that she may have gone to a club or something. Maybe there was a fight that her ride was involved in and so forth. I apologize that she had to deal with all of that and tried to be optimistic about it to cheer her up. It actually seemed to work, as she perked up some and our conversation became lighthearted again.

Once we both finished eating, we left the park and made our way to her destination. I remember us talking and laughing and honestly just enjoying the company of a complete stranger, up until I pulled up to her house. I asked her if she wanted me to pull into the driveway, as some people prefer I stop on the side of the road. When she didn't answer immediately, I looked back at her and saw her staring out the window towards the house.

I could see her eyes darting around as well as her head, as if she was looking for something. I asked her if she was okay, and she quickly responded by asking, Does it look like someone is standing on my porch? I strained my eyes to look, but it was a distance, and it was dark, so I couldn't really see anyone. I told her that I couldn't see anyone and asked if she saw someone, or if someone was waiting for her, but she didn't respond. I told her that I could wait until she went inside to leave or take her somewhere else if she would feel safer,

but she just quietly sat there, staring out the window. I called her by her name, and when she finally answered, she said she would be okay. She smiled and thanked me for everything that night and opened the door. I still waited to make sure everything was okay, but she only got maybe three feet in front of my car when I saw a person step out of the shadows of her fencing. I saw her stop in her tracks for a split second,

and then she ran back to my car hysterically. Please don't leave me here. Please, just take me somewhere else. I swear I will pay you. The urgency and terror in her voice told me all that I needed to know. I burned out of there before she could even buckle up. I asked her who that person was, and she told me that it was her psycho ex-boyfriend. She then broke down crying and telling me about the horrible things he did,

and how he was the reason she ended up where she was. She had left him. He followed her to the club that she went to, taking her phone. She got kicked out since she was, quote-unquote, part of the problem, and had no other way home. She never had a ride to begin with. She had used the same ride share to get there, and she actually thought that he may have been involved with me, which is why she was hesitant to get in. When she finally trusted me, she felt relieved because she didn't know if he would try to snatch her from the street and do God knows what.

I was both horrified for her, and also relieved that I did stop as the other scenarios swirled in my head. She was visibly shaken up, so I thought I would just drive until she gave me some idea on where to go. Regretfully, I was so involved in her story and watching to make sure that she was okay that I didn't realize the car that was behind me until we stopped at a light. They were so close to me that I couldn't even see their headlights. I paid attention to the car from that moment on and realized they were still full. following close and making every turn that I did. Then they turned on their brights, causing both of us to look back.

I don't know how she could tell, or if maybe she just knew, but once again she became hysterical, screaming that it was him behind us. I was now terrified myself. I knew at that moment what kind of person he was, but I didn't know what he was willing to do in front of a complete stranger. All I could process was to keep driving. Do not stop and stay where there could be potential others around to witness whatever he attempted. Apparently he had other intentions because, as I slowed down at another stoplight,

I was going to turn without a signal, but he was not slowing down. I embraced myself for him to hit me, but he managed to hit his brakes enough, causing them to squeal, and he stopped before smacking into him. to me. But then he slowly inched his way to my bumper until he was pushing my car into the intersection. We were going to need help to get out of this, and there was only one place that I could think of that would have the right people to potentially help. I grabbed my phone and called 911 as I made my way to a nearby hospital. I told the operator that I was being followed and that the driver was now hitting my car. I told them where I was headed.

and they said they would contact the officer that was on duty there. I knew they had police officers at this location. I pulled up to the entrance that the operator told me to get to, and thankfully I saw the officer at the door. I guess the guy didn't see him because he barely parked his car before he was at my window smacking it and telling me to get out. The girl with me was terrified, crying and screaming at this guy to leave her alone.

The guy continued slamming my window, and the officer was also approaching, yelling at the man and holding a taser. I was frozen in fear praying that my window would not give out. After several shouts filled with warnings from the officer, he hit him with the taser, and the guy fell to the ground. By the time he was restrained, another cop showed up and told us that we could safely get out. From there, the cops asked us what all was a little? going on, what all had happened, and we obliged, explaining everything. That's when the girl went into more detail about that night, what all he did, and how she had ended up with a complete stranger. It was obvious that this was not a one-off situation either,

which was all the more terrifying. After all was said and done, the cops said that they would take her to a safe place. I told her that I was not worried about getting paid, and she hung up. hugged me, thanking me for being so kind. They also got his information from her, as I was still paying for my car, so I definitely had to report the damage. Of course, I was still a bit nosy about the situation, and also wanted to make sure that he got charged with things, so I looked him up. That added to my nightmares. This guy was arrested and charged with battery, B&E, destruction of trouble. private property, I assume he must have done some damage at her place, and conspiracy to

kidnap. They had found zip ties, duct tape, and trash bags in his car. The thought of this horrified me. The thought that he obviously had these things and was waiting for her in the dark makes me sick to my stomach. If I hadn't picked her up that night or just left her at her house, to think of what could have happened, and then I wonder if he would have tried to do something to me, too, if he would have caught us somewhere with fewer people. My friends always try to get me to think about the

better side of that, and keep in mind that I did the right thing, and that's all that matters. But sometimes, I still catch myself looking over my shoulder to make sure that I'm not being followed. I wanted to share something that actually happened to me just a few weeks ago. It still gives me shivers thinking about it, but after talking to my friends and girlfriend about it, I decided that I should share it with you, since you provide me with such great content, too. I'm currently living in Texas due to work. I've been here for about three months, and I'll be here for another two months at least. Sorry to say it, but I'm not

a fan. I do not do well in the heat, so if I'm not at work, I'm usually lounging around at home or using the pool at the local gym. At least I have my girlfriend here with me to help me keep in a better mindset.

However, during this event, my girlfriend had gone back home to Oregon to see her family, and, of course, I was alone that night and having trouble sleeping, so I wanted to try to go on a walk, hoping to just wear myself out. However, to my surprise,

it was a lot cooler than I was expecting, so it immediately made my mood turn around. It was refreshing. I put in my earbuds and started on the sidewalk that lined our quiet suburban neighborhood. I continued walking down the block, and I wanted to really take advantage of the cool air, so I rounded the corner and thought I would walk around the new cul-de-sac that they were developing.

They had the foundation laid for three of the houses, and the walls on one, but that was about it. But going around the back of the houses, there was a walking trail that looked recently repaved. It made sense enough with the new houses being built. I took the new path expecting to go through the trees and get a serenely. view. I could hear the crickets chirping over my music. I only had one earbud in, but there were so many, and it was pretty loud. The moon was shining right above the trees, giving the only light source

back there. I was just taking in the unusual but welcoming night, until I started to get this weird feeling in my gut. It was the same feeling you get when someone's watching you, or when you know someone is looking over your shoulder. I took out my earbud, stopped where I was, and looked around to see if I could spot someone or something looking at me. I didn't immediately see anything, so I continued to walk with my guard up just in case. As I continued forward, I was watching the trees, noticing the imperfections in the trunks, when I saw what I thought was just a twisted trunk until it moved.

This stopped me in my tracks. I started staring at this shadow, squinting and straining my eyes to make out what I was looking at. The moonlight was working in this thing's favor, as all I could see was a dark shadow. As I stared at it, the earlier feeling I experienced was now more intense, making me feel pretty uneasy. My first thought was that maybe I walked in on something I shouldn't have. maybe they were going to try and rob me or maybe it was just someone doing the same thing as me and I startled them I thought the best thing to do was to acknowledge their existence

so if they were planning on something bad maybe they would think twice if they knew that I knew they were there so I simply said good evening when the figure didn't respond it made me feel even more on edge I was no longer feeling comfortable walking any closer to them, let alone passing them, so I took a few steps backwards ready to turn back. However, something was telling me knots to turn my back to this thing. I pulled out my phone ready to turn on the flashlight and hopefully get a video, just in case something happened. But before I could, the shadow finally moved.

The movement was unnatural. It was choppy. Almost like I was watching a skipping video as this thing reached his hand straight up towards a tree. As I watched its arms, I could see this thing had clawed like fingers at the end of its hands. It seemed to turn towards the tree letting me see what I think was the sight profile, and its spine looked twisted. but one thing I didn't notice until it started moving was the stench. It started as just a sickly sweet odor reminiscent of decaying leaves,

but quickly turned into a putrid smell of sulfur. The smell quickly found its way down my throat, making me gag. Between this weird, unnatural smell, and this inhuman creature in front of me, I was now shrouded in a sense of dread, and I told myself that I needed to get the hell out of there. I started walking backwards as fast as I could until I saw the creature seemingly climb up the tree on all fours.

It looked like a cat climbing up a tree. My fight or flight instincts finally kicked in full force, and I ran. I kept looking back to make sure that nothing came up behind me and thankfully nothing ever did. I got out of those trees and was now back in front of the cul-de-sac. The smell was gone, but with my senses now elevated, I realized I could no longer hear a single cricket. I could hear them across my entire walk, but now the air was still and silent.

That made me feel like I still wasn't safe, so I quickly walked home, looking in every direction the whole way. when I finally stumbled on to my front porch, I quickly went inside locking all the doors and turning all the lights on. I didn't want to be in the dark alone anymore. That walk was supposed to help me sleep, and now I was wide awake with no chance of sleeping. Once it was early enough, I called my girlfriend and told her what I had seen. She was worried, but thankful that I made it back home in one piece, but we both both. Both agreed to not go back there alone, and definitely not at night.

What I saw, smelled, and heard is still very vivid in my mind, and it gives me the chills just thinking about it. I've always loved listening to cryptid and creature stories, but I never wanted to experience one. I have no idea what that thing was, and part of me wishes that I would have went through with taking the picture or video, but at the same time, I fear what could have happened if I had stuck around any longer. Back in the summer of 2008, my parents decided that they wanted to take us kids on vacation to the beach. It was something that we had never done before. We never had the money to go

on vacation, but something happened at my dad's work and he ended up getting a major promotion, or something, so they wanted to celebrate and do something nice for the family. Now, it was 2008, and I was 14, so I was in that awkward phase between being a kid and a young adult. And let me just say that everything in my wardrobe was black, so I wasn't exactly looking forward to my family bonding time. I'm the middle child and the only girl. My older brother was 17 and my little brother was eight at the time,

so while my parents were talking to my little bro about swimming and building sandcastles and whatnot, I was rolling my eyes thinking that that was dumb and childish. My point is, I was more independent and I wanted to do my own thing, more than spend time with them, which is actually what kind of led to. to what happened. I will say that the beach was beautiful, and the whole scenery was quite alluring. One evening, as we were having dinner at a cute little beachside restaurant, I had finished

eating and I asked my parents if I could go for a walk on the beach. I wanted to get some alone time just walking in the sand barefoot while listening to my music. I was allowed to go as long as I didn't go too far or stay out too far. long. So, I quickly grabbed my iPod and started out into the sands. It was as lovely as I'd hoped. The stars, the clouds, the moon and the water rolling into the sand. The beach was deserted at this point. It was just me and my angsty teenage thoughts. A couple moments into my walk, I went to skip a song on my iPod, and in that half second between it's stopping and playing,

I heard something. At first, I thought it was part of the track by the used that I was listening to, but I paused it to check, and the sound persisted. I pulled my earphones out and listened to see what I was hearing,

thinking it was another person or an animal or something, and it was then that it kind of clicked in my head what the sound was. It sounds It sounded like it was a young child crying. I don't know if I would say that it sounded like a baby, but definitely still really young. I looked around for a moment thinking that I just wasn't seeing the child or family with the crying young one,

but there was nobody around at all. I had a weird feeling while I was standing there and listening to it. Like something was off, which, yeah. I was hearing a child crying on an empty. beach. I started to walk towards the direction of the crying, thinking maybe it was someone's kid that had gotten lost or something. After following it, I found a small cove that had been formed by some larger rocks, and I

determined that it was definitely coming from inside the cove. It felt eerily secluded from the rest of the beach, and I was just terrified that this was seriously some little kid that had cut and lost. and didn't know what to do, or worse, was abandoned. I hopped down into the cove from the higher rocks to see if I could find him, but when I got down there, there was no child. Worse yet, the crying seemed to have stopped abruptly. Obviously, I was confused, but as I glanced around and shined my little pocket flashlight into the cove, I was certain that there were no children there.

What was there, however, was an old, beat-up, stuffed teddy bear, just lying in the damp sand. It was dirty, with signs of wear and tear, and it certainly had been there for quite a long time. Honestly, it being there alone in the cove made the whole thing more disturbing. I picked him up to see if... Maybe he had one of those little sound-maker things in him, but... No, he was just an old, basic, cheap little teddy bear with a blue sweater.

No noise-maker or anything like that in him, just fluff. I looked around to see if there was some sort of speaker or something that could have been playing the sound. Just trying to make sense of it, but there wasn't anything there. For a moment, I just held the bear and stared at him. he was a cute little bear and I thought about taking him with me thinking that maybe someone had dropped him earlier but as I thought about that

something washed over me and the sound of that crying kind of played in my head the isolated cove the crying the poor forgotten teddy bear all of it felt off

it kind of felt like I I was disturbing something that I wasn't supposed to. I was always into paranormal and spooky stuff, and my mind went to the possibility of the crying sound being from a spirit of a child that maybe lost their life being attached to the bear. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I decided to go ahead and place the bear in the back of the cove,

sitting upright so that he could watch the night sky. I actually took one of my bow hair clips off and clipped it to his little sweater. I don't know why I did that, but part of me thought that it would just make him happy. And if he was happy, maybe the spirit could rest a bit easier too. I told him that he was okay and wished him a good night and went ahead and left the cove. I walked back to my family and I didn't say a word about any of it. Now, looking back, I think I was being a bit silly with how I handled it, but part of me firmly believes that there was a spirit attached to that bear. The crying on the empty beach at night, him just sitting there in the isolated spot, and the fact that there was that certain energy when I thought about taking him, I don't know.

It just makes me think that I did the right thing. The whole thing was a bit haunting for sure, and it really does give me chills when I think about it more. Was this some kind of haunted item? Attached spirit? Or was it just a bear, and I'm a bit loopy? Who knows? All I know is that it was weird, and there was something about it that made me feel the whole thing was supernatural. And if it was the spirit of a child, I hope that.

that I helped it in some way. Back in the early 2000s, my family and I went on a camping trip to a popular lake. The drive was about four hours, which wasn't terrible, but there were three of us kids. Me being the oldest at 15, my younger brother 10, and my sister, six,

and of course, both my mom and my dad. Upon arrival, we set up our tents, which consisted of a large family-style tent, and a much smaller one. My parents and younger siblings shared the larger one, and they let me have one to myself. Sometimes my little sister would want to sleep in the tent with me, and that was okay. She was a pretty hard sleeper. Once the tents were put up, I was free to do whatever I really wanted as long as we stayed close.

My siblings stayed near the tents, playing with their toys in the nearby gravel and sand. I don't know why I remembered this place so well, but I knew how to get to the beach, and I wanted to walk there to swim. I was given permission, so I grabbed a towel and headed towards the water. I sat on the beach for a while, just taking in the warm sun until I finally wanted to jump into the water. There were already several people there, so I wasn't alone, but I was thankfully left alone. I did notice a younger boy that looked close to my age that was swimming, wearing goggles, and seemingly diving into the water. I remember watching for a while because I didn't bring goggles, or even think to do so. But I thought it would be cool to use them and look at the bottom of the lake.

I guess I was staring a bit too much because he noticed and smiled at me. A bit embarrassed, I smiled back and then turned away to make myself look preoccupied, as much as you can standing in a bed of water. The rest of that evening went without incident. I washed off in the nearby showers and then headed back to my family where they were preparing dinner. The trip went about the same while we were there. We ate together, played some games together, maybe even fished, and then I would head to the beach to swim with the rest of my family following shortly behind. It wasn't unusual, but I did see that same boy just about every time we went swimming.

He would either already be there, or he would end up showing up shortly after I did. I didn't mind it, though, as I did think he was cute and he was paying me attention, so what was the harm? Eventually, he did approach me and handed me a rock that had a cool impression on it, saying that he thought I would like it. Then we started talking about all what he'd seen down there, and he let me use the goggles. It was actually pretty fun, and I told myself to get goggles the next time we either went into town, or next time we plan to come out here. I looked forward to going swimming, anticipating that he would be there, so I made an effort to look my best, as much as I could. We were there for four days, three nights, and on the third day,

he said that they were going to be leaving the next morning, so that would be the last time he would get to go swimming. I made a comment about how we should do one last dive together to see what we find, and he suggested that we swim further out, towards the safety barrier that was out there. I agreed, thinking it was something different, as I rarely went out that far. There was really no reason to.

I guess I just never needed or wanted to, but there we went, racing how fast we could swim to it. After we arrived, I think I dived once, and then he took the goggles back and motioned for me to come closer, like he was going to whisper something to me. It seemed silly at the time because there wasn't anyone close enough to hear us, but I obliged. He then suggested that we made.

out. I had gone through several crushes, but I had never dated anyone at this point, so this took me completely by surprise. I could feel my face getting hot, and I really didn't know what to say. I stammered and was finally able to speak, offering to give him our phone number, we just had a landline at the time. He laughed and accepted the number, but then again pushed his first intentions, while putting his hand on my side. I pushed it off of me and told him that I didn't even know him, and at that point was starting to feel uncomfortable and like my time was spoiled. I told him I had to go and started swimming back.

He made a remark at me, but I didn't even look back and continued my way out of the water, feeling like I needed a shower more than usual, so I went to the stalls to do so. The bathrooms and showers for men and women are completely separated buildings. with the women's being closer to the front of the beach. Walking in, you see the sinks and bathroom stalls, and in the back there are four showers.

I usually put my clothes and towel on the bench right outside of the stall because I hated putting on wet clothes, which meant that I undressed outside of the stall. I got in, used the cheap soap dispenser they provided, and lathered up. As I showered, I started getting this uneasy feeling that would just not go away. My nerves were already on edge, so I stopped to look around.

I even opened the stall door, peeking out into the room, seeing if someone was around. It was empty. I went back to my shower, dismissing it as paranoia, stemming from the odd encounter with the boy. But as I continued, so did the feeling.

It was like someone was watching me. Not being able to overcome this feeling, I quickly turned off the water and flung open the door. As I looked around again, I saw a dark shadow towards the entrance, like someone was just standing at it, just about to enter, or maybe they were leaving. I was suspicious at this point because I never heard a toilet flush or another shower turn on. I turned to get dressed so that I could just get out of there, when my heart plummeted to the floor. My clothes were gone. My towel was on the floor like it was dropped in a rush, but that was it.

I looked under the bench and in all the stalls, but they were gone. This confirmed my suspicion, and confirmed that it wasn't just a shadow, that there was someone in there with me. I wrapped my towel around me, and I looked out the door to see if I saw anyone around. anyone carrying my clothes, but there were just a few people that were already at the beach when I left, except for one. I didn't see that boy anywhere. I knew it had to be him. And if it was him, what are the chances I felt like I was being watched because I was.

The showers were just like the toilet stalls, so there were breaks in the wall where anyone could have easily been looking. I also then recall the remark he made as I was leaving. He said something along the lines of, Fine, go take your shower then. I wasn't even out of the water yet, so why would he assume that's where I was going? I felt violated and scared, not knowing what to do.

He took everything. My clothes and my bathing suit were just gone. I paced for a while in there trying to figure out what I was going, to do. I could wait until someone else came in and told them, or I could make a run for it. The walk wasn't that far, but still way further than my 15-year-old self was willing to go in just a towel. So, I waited. I knew my parents would either show up eventually to swim, or because they were worried that I hadn't returned yet. But I also hoped that someone would come in sooner and I could tell them to get my parents.

Thankfully, that's what happened. Two older ladies came in, and right before they got into the showers, I asked them for help. I told them that someone took my clothes, and they looked appalled. One lady gave me her cover-up dress, which was obviously too big, but not at all seethru, thankfully. And they walked with me back to my family. It became a fiasco when I got back. I had to embarrassingly explain why I didn't have my clothes, and even though I had no proof,

I wasn't going to hold back the fact that I had an idea of who could have done it. My dad's face instantly became red. After I got dressed and gave the ladies' dress back, my dad wanted to drive around looking for this kid. We went to the beach and to different campgrounds, but we never saw him. I never saw him interacting with anyone at the beach, so I couldn't even identify his family or anyone that he'd come with.

We went back to our camp without any luck. I could tell that my dad was still furious, and even though I knew he wasn't mad at me, I still felt bad. I felt like I ruined our trip. We went home the next day as normal, but my mom slept in the tent with me just to be safe. We never saw that kid again, nor did I get my clothes. and I still get this creepy, gross feeling that he's out there somewhere, still holding on to them.

I was just a young, curious child at the time of this event. My parents were going to be taking us five kids to a fair of sorts. They held it in our county every summer. I remember going there the previous years, and I remember it just being a time where we could run around and play games, ride the rides, and eat sugar until we crashed. And this year wasn't going to be any different. As we got our tickets and went through the gate,

the smell of funnel cakes and popcorn hit my nose. I looked around to take in all the activities and could hear others screaming and laughing and excitement, and I couldn't wait to dive in and try everything. Since there were five of us to two adults, We all had to go together around all the stalls, games, and rides. We took turns on the games, trying out the ones that we wanted. I typically sat out the smaller, child-oriented ones, like the tiny fishing game,

or the one where you just picked up a rubber duck. I wanted to play the ones where I threw the ball at the bottles, or even used the hammer to hit the bell. I may have been a little girl, but I also thought that I was a lot of, stronger than I actually was. There was also one activity that they had every year that I always enjoyed, and that was the sand art. My poor parents probably had a full shelf of just my little jars of sand, but they always encouraged our creative side, so I was thankful for that. I had just celebrated my birthday a few weeks prior to this fair, so I also had my own spending money, and was hoping to make a

special art for my parents. They gave me permission to go to it, as I was within their sight and ran over to it. I picked out the perfect glass vase, shaped like a heart, and I began to fill it with what I thought were my parents' favorite colors. While I was waiting for a different color, I would look around at all the movements surrounding me when a man caught my eye. He was standing near a trash can, smoking, and just a little. staring right at me too. When we made eye contact, he smiled and winked at me. I don't know why, and I couldn't explain it as a kid,

but something about him made me feel overwhelmed. At first, it was like when I hear my dad call my name in a stern voice, and you know you're in trouble at that point. But this was fear. I wasn't afraid of my dad. so I quickly looked back down at my art and tried to just rush through finishing it. When I got close to being done, now just waiting for the cork to close it, I looked around for my parents and saw them nearby at another stall.

I grabbed my vase and hurried over to show them my work. While they were complimenting me, I sighed in relief when I looked around for the man and couldn't see him. I just shook it off, thinking it was just me, being paranoid, and I continued to have fun with my family. After walking around some more and trying out the other games and crafts, we stopped for a brief moment so that my mom could take my baby sister to the restroom to change her. I started looking around all the stalls, and I saw one that I wanted to check out.

They had some large stuffed animals, one of those being an elephant, which was my favorite. My dad told us that we could go shortly, so I impatiently waited. Once I spotted my mom, I walked up to her and told her about the stall as well. Again, I was a very excited child, and as soon as I heard the word, okay, I darted over to it to see what I needed to do. While standing in line, I looked back at my family, and I saw that they were still there trying to get my sister back in her stroller. so I turned back to wait. I finally reached the front, and I learned that the elephant I saw

was a prize for the game where you had to shoot the targets. I don't think I even got close to winning the elephant, but I did get something else, equally as fun. I turned back ready to show my parents my winnings when I realized that they were not by the restrooms anymore. I thought to myself that it wasn't a problem, that they were probably just nearby,

at another stall. But as I continued to look around and not see any familiar faces, a slight bit of panic started to set in. So I walked back over to the restrooms, and I began shouting for my parents and older siblings, inside and out. However, my efforts seemed meaningless, because I still could not locate them. I walked around the nearby stalls and even stood on one of the benches, but the fear had already set in.

I was officially lost, and I didn't know what to do or who to turn to. As I stood by the bench watching all these other people carrying on with their evening, I finally did spot a face that I recognized, but it was not one that I wanted to see again. It was the smoking man. He was, again, standing, or more so leaning, against a hand-washing station. but still staring right at me. At that moment, the sense of dread washed over me, and I realized how vulnerable I was.

He started walking towards me, and something in my 10-year-old brain told me, do not let him get close to you. So I immediately started walking away as quickly as possible, and hopefully without alerting him. Desperate to lose him in this maze of people and festival attractions. I ducked under people as I passed them,

cut through lines, and went behind stalls. But every time I looked back, he always seemed to be close by. He may not have been looking directly at me every time, but knowing that he was so close was overwhelming. I couldn't seem to lose this guy. I stood by one stall trying to figure out my best course of action. I remember telling myself that I needed to be able to.

to either find the entrance or find an adult that looked like they were in charge. I then recalled the ticket booth near the entrance, and when I spotted the same neon light, I knew I needed to get back there. I didn't immediately see the man, so I ran out of the stall in the direction of the light. I was proud of myself, thinking that I was going to finally lose this guy. I was going to get to the front and tell the ticket booth people that I was being followed, and then they would track down my family. Problem solved. But then I ran into another person, which caused me to get turned around and slowed me down. While I was regaining my thoughts and

figuring out where to go, I felt a yank on my arm. To my horror, it was the same smoking man. At that moment, fear consumed me, paralyzing my body and clouding my thoughts. I felt, defeated, and I didn't know what else to do. What else could I do? But then he smiled at me, the most sinister smile I think I've ever seen, and said, I'll help you find your mommy and daddy. I was never more terrified in my life, and as I stood there with him tugging on my arm to follow him, something finally kicked on in me.

My fight or flight triggered as a last attempt, to get away. I threw myself to the ground, almost like a rag doll, and started screaming as loud as I could. I threw the biggest tantrum than I possibly could. I screamed, I kicked, I flailed until everybody was looking at us. The whole time this guy still had a tight grip of my arm, so I added to it. I started screaming that I wanted my mom and dad. I screamed. I screamed. to let go of me. I screamed, I don't know you until he finally let go. Of course, when he did let go, he backed away from me a few steps and said that he was going to help me find my parents. But almost everyone around was now staring at this guy.

So he just threw his hands up and nonchalantly walked away. Being older now, it actually frustrates me that no one ever questioned this man, or thought to stop him. After he was completely out of view, swallowed by the crowd of people, I stood up and started walking the opposite way of him. Someone approached me who was wearing one of the vests for the staff, and asked me if I was lost.

She at least looked kinder, and she didn't scare me. She led me right to one of the ticket booths I was looking for, and I helped give a description of my parents. However, my parents actually heard my tantrum and immediately started trying to find where it was coming from. I later learned that while I was at the game, my family had started walking to a different stall, the one that they thought I was talking about.

And within the time of me finishing the game, I had walked the opposite direction of them while they were just circling back. It was kind of silly and crazy that we never ran into, each other. In the end, I did shortly meet back up with my family, but that guy was long gone. They never saw him or caught him. My parents said that I was very brave and smart for doing what I did, and it definitely could have gone a lot worse. We still joke about how my tantrums even then got me what I wanted, but I also can't help but think about that awful smile and why he chose me. and even worse, what his plans were, if I would have gone with him.

In the summer of 2012, I went on a camping trip with my church group. There were 12 of us kids all around the age of 10, give or take a year, and six adults all crammed in between two vans, and we drove about eight hours to a national park in Arkansas. I'd been camping a few times before with my parents, and two siblings, so it was nothing new to me, and I was actually pretty excited about the trip. It was, however, the first kind of trip like this that I've taken

that wasn't just a lock-in at the church, so I didn't realize how planned and following a strict schedule it was going to be. The camp was going all right otherwise. It was early June, but it wasn't too hot. We were going to be there from Thursday, to Sunday. We got there in the evening on Thursday, so after setting up all of our tents,

we had dinner, and went over our itinerary for the weekend, and the rules, and then we were left to do whatever we wanted that night, as long as we stayed within the campgrounds. Since I couldn't go very far, I instead looked for a good branch that I could keep as a walking stick, and, out of boredom,

tried to sharpen one end to a point with, the rock. For Friday, they had all these planned activities such as icebreakers and team-building exercises. Some of the activities even involved water balloons, which was a plus as it helped us stay cool. They were fun, at the least. I did have a few friends that were there too, so we teamed up on the activities. We again had some downtime in between these and the church sermons, but, as always, didn't leave the campgrounds. So, my friends and I found a way to keep us entertained. Our church wasn't very big, so there weren't a lot of extra things planned for us.

We were just expected to be entertained by each other and the small things that we were allowed to bring. Like books. No electronics. I was excited for Saturday because we were going to actually be taking a hiking trail around the park. It was fun, but still a very big. by the book, hike. We were split into two groups, so I was with five other kids and two of the counselors. It was still nice, but we stuck to the trail and listened to the counselor talk about their

experience there back when they were a kid, and they talked about some of the stuff they had done. And then they tied it all back to our lesson or sermon for that day. Needless to say, it was fun, but I... I still wanted to be able to just explore on my own. That's how I've always been. I wanted to experience things for myself. I wanted to encounter wildlife as it was, not something set up for people to take pictures with on a designated path.

So when we stopped to take a quick break on the trail, I made the decision to explore a little bit. Everyone was sitting around having their snack and talking, I stood up and started pacing nearby, looking at the surrounding area. When the counselors weren't looking in my direction, I walked off a bit deeper into the trees beyond the trail. Before I realized it, the trail and my group were completely out of my sight, and I was deep within the thicket of trees. I knew that I just needed to turn around and walk back the way that I came from, but in the meantime, I wanted to. see what was around. I saw a tree that was covered in English ivy, but also some of the tallest

trees that I'd ever seen. I even found a small runoff that had crawdads in it, as I caught and then released one. That was what I wanted to experience while I was there, and I was happy to finally get to do it. I took a small pebble and a leaf from the ivy and pressed it into my little wallet, and then told myself that I should head back, knowing that they'd probably noticed I was gone by now. As I started walking back, I noticed a couple of things. One, it seemed like it was taking longer to return, but maybe that was just because I didn't want to go back.

And, two, I wasn't recognizing the things around me like I did getting there, and that one was a bigger deal. At some point in time, I must have turned, and the once familiar surroundings now felt alien and foreboding, causing almost a sense of dread. I didn't see the start of a trail anywhere. I couldn't hear anyone talking. I did my best to remain calm and thought that it would be best to just walk in one direction, and eventually I would have to make my way out. even if it wasn't in the same place as my group.

I continued walking the path that I was creating when I started to hear the crunch of leaves on the ground ahead of me. I perked up a bit as the fear started to subside, thinking that I may have found my way out, but that was quickly trampled when I saw the source of the sound. It was a bear. It hadn't noticed me as it was facing away and moving something around on the ground, but I was frozen in fear.

This was a church camp, not Boy Scouts, nor was I ever in Boy Scouts. I had no idea what to do when you encountered a bear. I was in the middle of these woods with no one around except a huge, powerful creature more than capable of tearing me to shreds. It hadn't noticed me, so the only thing I could think to do, was hide before it did spot me and then waded out. I slowly walked backwards and looked around when I saw a tree with some kind of growth on it. It had some low branches, but they were sturdy enough for me to stand on.

I slowly climbed up the tree trying to make as little noise as possible, but every slight crunch under my shoes or snap of a little branch, it made my stomach drop. I was finally up high enough that I deemed myself. safe and stayed as quiet and still as I could. The bear lingered for what felt like eternity, shuffling through the brush and rocks on the ground. I was thinking that I was going to have to stay up there overnight. I just prayed that an adult would be crazy enough to do what I did and show up to bring me back to safety.

I was up there for about half an hour. I was counting the seconds and marking them into the tree since I had nothing better to do. That's when I started hearing more crunching, but it wasn't from the bear. I started looking around when I saw a figure come through the trees. I started crying and wanted to scream out to them, but I was worried what the bear would do if it saw either of us. Of course, my kid brain decided to risk it, and I started screaming for help. Both the bear and the man stopped. The bear stood up on its back legs and looked like it was sniffing the air. I kept screaming my location and warned the man about the bear.

As he slowly approached, he stopped by a different tree when he actually spotted the bear. Then he started yelling, whistling, waving his arms around. To my surprise, the bear actually got back down on all fours and swiftly started walking off. When he was just out of view, the man approached. the tree and told me to come down, asking me my name. I answered him as I tried climbing down the tree and nearly jumped into his arms. He told me that people had been looking for me, and I just started bawling. I was so scared in those moments, and I really didn't expect to be searched for,

or at least found, any time soon. He led me back to the trail and used a walkie-talkie to report that I'd been found. He gave me some water as we walked the path and just talked to me about myself in the park, which helped me calm down. He told me about how making yourself look big and loud was a good way to get a bear to leave, and I'll never forget that, though I hope to never run into another bear, unless it's at the zoo. We finally made our way back to our campsite, and I hugged and thanked the man for helping me. tears streamed down my face with this mixture of gratitude and sheer exhaustion. I then ran over to one of the counselors hugging them as well.

They all explained how they noticed that I was missing when they started walking again on their break. I'd been gone for nearly three hours. I definitely got a stern talking to about the situation. I lost my free time that night and had to help set up for dinner, but I didn't mind. I was just glad to be back with familiar faces and not lost in the woods, helpless.

That night, as I just lay there in my sleeping bag, the events definitely were playing in my mind. I could remember the smell of the trees, the grass, the dirt, the sensation of the water. I remembered the pure terror sneaking up on me as I realized I was lost, and that defeat that I felt when I saw, saw the bear. All of this ingrained itself into my memory. It was a stark reminder that sometimes

rules are there for a reason, and the reason for the rules that I broke that day were to protect me from the untamed wilderness. I went home that Sunday a little more mature, and I promise you, I never ventured somewhere like that alone, ever again. When I was around 10 or 11, My parents sent me to a nice little summer camp. I don't want to use its real name, because I don't know if it still exists. So we'll just call it Whispering Pine Summer Camp for the sake of the story. I only went to the one year. It was something that one of my parents' friends had mentioned,

and my parents thought that it would be a good way to help me socialize and develop. It was your basic old school and rustic. camp, tucked away in the forests of the northeast. The cabins were super old, but the lake was really nice, though. A bit cold for my taste, but it was still really pretty. I can remember the woods like it was yesterday, too. It was just really gorgeous and lined with pine trees. One night, about two weeks into camp, I woke up abruptly.

I wasn't sure why. It wasn't like I'd had a nightmare or heard a noise or anything, but I had this really weird feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. It was like I woke up and needed to get up, but had no idea as to why. I sat up on my bed and looked around to see if anyone else had been awoken, but no, they were all still asleep. The cabin was dark,

but the moonlight was shining in through the curtains and was illuminating a good portion near where my... bed was. I remember it being almost ethereal, I think, is the word, as it just shimmered down into our cabin. As I sat there, something made me feel like I needed to get up and go over to the window. I didn't think there would be anything out there, but for some reason, I felt like I needed to go check. I jumped up to my feet and trotted over to the window to look outside. For the most part, all I could see was the gorgeous moonlit pine trees. But as I focused a bit more, trying to get the sleep out of my eyes,

I noticed a figure in the fringe of the tree line. It was a bit hazy with the moonlight, but as I stared, I started to see what was unmistakably my own likeness, just standing there, as if it were staring at the cabin, staring at me. I blinked, rubbed my eyes, but yet it was still standing there. It was almost awkward, just standing there and standing at the window, staring at what looked like me standing out in the trees.

We just stared at each other for several moments, until I started thinking, I should go see who that is out there. I almost felt like I was, drawn to the door, moth to the flame kind of thing. I tiptoed to the door trying to make as little noise as possible, trying to not wake the counselor up. I opened the door and stepped out onto the stoop of the cabin, and much to my surprise, the figure was still standing there,

unflinching, and not shifting its gaze at all. Now, I want to reiterate that this figure, was me. I don't mean that it looked like me. I mean that it was an exact copy of me. It had the same hairstyle. It was wearing the same Whispering Pines t-shirt that I went to bed in, the same Disney character pajama pants.

This figure was an exact copy of me, just standing there in the woods, watching me walk out of the cabin. I stopped at the bottom of the bottom. of the stoop, probably 35 or 40 feet from this thing, and my heart was racing. Part of me wanted to call out to confront this copy, but something in my mind was telling me to go back inside, not go anywhere near this thing, and that I needed to forget this ever happened. I started walking up the cabin steps, never looking away from this thing, and I walked back inside the cabin.

When I got back to the window and peered out, this figure was still standing there and looking in my direction. I got back into bed, and I just thought that if I went to sleep and forgot about it, it wouldn't hurt me. Morning eventually did come, and when I got up out of bed, everything felt normal again. The camp woke up to another day of their activities and such, and for a moment, but I was thinking that I just had a really weird dream. That is, until I got outside.

There, in the very spot where the doppelganger had been standing, was the gruesome sight of a dead rabbit. It was a mess. I won't describe it, but just say that it was nothing shy of unsettling. The sight of it made me feel sick. The whole thing that happened that night before kind of, flooded back with a vivid clarity. To this day, I still have no explanation for what happened that night.

Why did I see myself standing there in the woods? What did it mean? And what was with the rabbit? There are far too many unanswered questions for me to be comfortable with this situation. This may have been a long time ago, but it was truly the creepiest experience of my life. one that will forever be etched into my memory. As a kid, summer camp is synonymous with freedom, adventure, and summertime fun. My experience, on the other hand, is nowhere near fun.

My time at the summer camp, back whenever I was 12 years old, took a horrendous turn just three days into camp, when I decided that I wanted to take a hike alone. A decision that quickly turned into the most painful thing I've ever gone through. The summer camp that I went to was this neat little Bible-focused place in the middle of the woods, tucked away in the middle of nowhere Midwest. I'd gone to this camp once prior and had no problems. This was my second time going, and because I was 12, I was part of the young, teen group.

This meant that during the time at the camp, we were given free days to, in their words, find ourselves and venture into God's glory. Basically, go out into the woods with friends and enjoy nature. Now, I didn't have any friends there, which meant that I did my hikes solo. Despite this, these were my absolute favorite days of camp. I loved going out and identifying

the plants, the birds, the bugs, all that. They would give us a checklist that we could fill out for a prize. I never found out what that prize was because I never saw a chipmunk while I was there. Which, thinking back, I guess I could have just checked it off and said that I saw one. Tangent aside, I had a great time just being out by myself. It was on one such hike that my day took a sharp turn. both literally and figuratively. Walking along the narrow dirt path,

my foot got caught on a large tree root, and I was sent tumbling down into the small gully to the side of the dirt path. It wasn't a large ditch or anything, but it was enough that the fall was definitely going to hurt. I remember feeling the dirt slip out from underneath me, having a sudden jolt of pain, and then an overwhelming feeling of fatigue. To put it bluntly, I had fallen down and somehow hit my head and basically knocked myself out cold.

When I woke up, the forest seemed really weirdly silent, and like it was spinning. Dazed and I tried to piece together what exactly had happened. I was laying face down on the ground, my arm throbbing in pain. I was incredibly confused and woozy for all of ten seconds, which is when the real pain kicked in. A burning sensation spread across my face and my arm. The intensity of it was enough to make me jump up to my knees from where I was lying. I brushed my hand across my face to figure out why I was in so much agony when I came to a horrifying realization.

Fire ants. I had fallen face first into a fire ant mound. I started screaming, my shouts echoing through the woods as I jumped up and sprinted back to camp, slapping and brushing at my face and arm in a desperate attempt to get these ants off of my skin. The pain just kept feeling like it was getting worse and worse. And I just remember thinking for some reason that they were burrowing under my skin. and that's how bad that it hurt. When I got back to the camp,

one of the counselors saw what was going on and immediately rushed me to the shower room, not wasting a moment to get my clothing off and blasting me with cold water from one of the detachable showerheads. Each and every drop of the water was a small bit of relief as it washed away the ants. I was literally sobbing

as I watched those little bastards go down the drain. Of course that wasn't the end of it. I don't know if you know this, but fire ants contain a venom called paparidine, something I looked up while typing this out. It's a nasty venom, that when you get too much of it, such as when you're stung by hundreds of these suckers, can and will cause major issues. This was the day that I learned that I wasn't allergic to them,

which was probably the only mercy in all of this. I did, however, get horribly sick. Throwing up, struggling to sleep through the pain, dealing with various other issues. The swelling and blistering on my face were so bad that I could barely open my eyes. I remember one of the kids coming to visit me in the hospital, and he joked that my face looked like hamburger.

That comment alone, added a whole new level of terror to this. As mentioned, I wasn't allergic, thankfully. If I were, I can tell you that the story would have had a much more grim ending, one that someone else would have had to have written. I was left with a number of scars from the blistering and scabbing on my face, and I still actually have these scars all this time later. The right side of my face is definitely not.

not my good sight, is all that I'll say to that. To this day, I cannot stand the sight of ants. Each tiny little bugger reminds me of that hike and what they're capable of. I guess all I can say is, if you decide to go hiking out alone on a summer day, try to watch your step. And if you see a mound of dirt that's teeming with activity, just stay away from it. because the consequences might just leave you scarred. My friends and I loved going to this local festival that our county held every year in July.

They had live music on an open field where you could bring your own blankets, chairs, and drinks. They had some fair games and food, drink and craft booths set up for you to shop till your heart's content. They were never really a bad time. Between the single people, the groups of friends like us, and even the families with kids and older couples perusing the crafts,

everyone always seemed to be in high spirits and looked after one another. That's exactly what we were expecting when we went there this time. There were five of us that went there together, Ashton, Navia, Tanner, Paige, and myself. We brought a couple of blankets in a small cooler with our beverages of choice. We just lounged around talking and enjoying the electric atmosphere that surrounded us. The band was full of energy and everyone in the crowd

was cheering them on for more, and after the band was done, there was going to be an intermission before the finale. The finale was going to be fire jugglers, so they had set up an area in front of the stage where there was a small fire pit. While they were setting up, my friends and I walked around the booth.

got ourselves something to eat, and even played a couple of games, betting on who would do the best and which of us would fail miserably. Once it started getting darker, we heard someone talking through the audio system from the stage, and decided to start making our way back to the field to settle down again with more drinks and entertainment. When we got back there, we danced to the music and waited for the show to start. It was nearing the end of the main event, so there were already a lot of people that were drunk, or should I just say, under some kind of influence. We all laughed as we watched other people being silly with their friends, too. Then the lights on the stage dimmed, telling us that they were ready to start.

But it wasn't dark for long. The stage came alive with swirling flames and dancers going to the rhythm of the song, It was very impressive and quite beautiful. We all watched in awe and the crowd cheered them on as they landed each successful stunt one after another. There was one particular guy that I noticed on several occasions that was absolutely enthralled by the entertainers. He was whistling, clapping for them, he would holler out wanting them to do more, all while dancing and pretty much headbanging to their music. He was pretty obviously drunk, but enjoying himself, and he wasn't being a nuisance to anyone around him either.

So no one was bothering him, of course. Then the show came to an end, and many people started packing up, mostly the ones with the kids. My friends and I were all still sitting on our blankets, talking and deciding on if we wanted to stick around longer, or if we should go too. We started gathering up our stuff, but a few of us still wanted to go check out some of the booths. While we were waiting for Tanner and Paige to finish getting their stuff packed up, I was looking around, taking in the atmosphere. They had the music playing again, and there were some people laying on the grass together. I saw the families leaving with the kids excitedly talking about the day,

and I even spotted the man from earlier that was next to us. He was spinning around and dancing, slowly making his way towards the stage. The fire pit up front was still going, and I assumed since they weren't the ones to set it up, they weren't going to be putting it out either. But it was contained and people were taking notice of it to either avoid it, or they were using it as a backdrop for their selfies. I even thought that it would be nice to get a picture of all of us with it as well. but then the happy and euphoric moment would be brutally ended.

I watched the drunk man climb up onto the stage as he continued dancing and singing. I instantly knew that this was not going to end well, and I looked around for anyone that I had seen him with. There was a girl and a guy that were standing with him during the show, but now I didn't see them anywhere, not even by the stage. I thought to myself, I need to find someone in charge to let them know so that they could get him down. But I was out of time. I turned to mention it to my friends, and the man yelled out something and jumped right into the fire.

The air filled with screams and gasps as we watched him land in it, and the flames engulfed him. Ashton, Tanner, and I ran towards the fire. the man, hoping to be able to help somehow as we yelled at our other friends to get help. Before we reached him, he'd stood up and started screaming. He managed to get out of the pit, but he was still on fire. Knowing how intoxicated he was and how he danced around with a bottle, I'm sure he had spilled it on himself as well, making this so much worse. The man ran around screaming for help and flailing his arms.

arms, the crowd of people that was forming recoiled in horror. They were all desperate to keep him away from them, but no one was doing anything to help him. As he ran towards people, they would shove him away, or he would run into a piece of the building, causing it to begin a new flame, that people were trying to put out. Tanner and I were trying to catch him to make him drop on the ground, but he wouldn't stop moving, as one might expect. Your mind is already altered by the alcohol, and now you're in pain and don't know what to do. I thought about it afterwards, and, God, I can't even imagine how you would handle that kind of situation.

Tanner actually ran after the guy, tackling him, which also caused him to get burned, but we at least got him to the ground. That's when a few of us patted him down and tried to get him to respond to us while we waited for help. We were in the middle of a field. We didn't have much that we could really help with or do. I could only pray that he was still alive as he wasn't responding. I was frozen with fear as everything around me started moving slowly. People were screaming all around, and the once lively festival grounds now looked a bit like a hellish landscape,

with small fires starting everywhere. Those agonizing screams from the man replayed in my mind until the whales of the sirens finally drowned out my own thoughts. They started checking his vitals, at least confirming that he was still alive, as they got him on the stretcher to wheel him off. We watched as they loaded him up and left, leaving the rest of us with these haunting memories

of what had just unfolded in front of us. We all tried to move on and shake off the event that we had just witnessed, but I don't think anyone could really move on from that. Tanner, especially. He probably saved that man's life by tackling him to the ground and patting out the fire. He wasn't talking much, so we all thought it was best to leave.

I know it was a pretty restless night for me, but I felt bad for Tanner as well. I wanted to add that the accident was covered on the news. the man had third-degree burns all over his body, and it also affected his eyesight. I was thankful to hear that he had survived and told Tanner about it too, but that night still makes me sick to think about. That festival was always a lot of fun for me and my friends,

and now that will always be a memory of how an innocent night of fun can quickly turn to chaos and change lives forever. I am and always have been a very creative person. I enjoy being able to find something, anything, and see potential to turn it into something better or renew it to good use again. I make jewelry, clothing pieces, hair accessories, and art pieces. My roommate slash partner and I even started our own business,

selling our products, as well as other items such as gems, minerals, and tarot cards. All that fun, witchy stuff. One thing we like to do is buy a booth spot at our local summer fest that we have in our state. It's a celebration of our county specifically. I also make sure to make an excessive item to buy and bring even more supplies to customize items, and make more on demand if needed. The event that I would like to share with you took place one of those days that I was at my booth.

My partner was working the last day of the festival, so I had to handle it myself. I teased that it was planned to get out of not having to break down our stuff, but that's neither here nor there. So the last night of the event was always a grabback. You could spot the people that practically lived here through all three days that it was there. You saw people that were just trying to catch a glimpse of the festival joys, and those people that were just there because someone dragged them to it. I sat behind my booth displaying an array of handmade treasures while I was working on another piece, just taking in the energetic atmosphere and the aroma of various homemade sweets.

I've always been very social, so it was easy for me to strike up a conversation with anyone, and it seemed to draw people towards me too. So, when I saw a couple approach my booth, I thought it was just business as usual, at first. They both walked up, smiling at first, but the woman quickly looked disinterested, with her eyes wandering elsewhere. The man greeted me and I started to go into the different items that I offered.

He asked me how I made the pendulums, and as I explained the process, he actually seemed interested. I would glance over at the woman while speaking, and notice that she was not paying much attention to our conversation, if any at all. She was looking at some of the things on my table, but also seemed to be looking around at the other nearby booths. I tried to involve her in the conversation, but I would barely get a side-eye from her. Then the guy asked me about one of my crocheted brawlets that I had out,

motioned to his partner about how she had one like it, and she just gave a half-assed fake smile and said, Yeah, cool. I could see where this was going, or so I thought. I tried complimenting her saying that the color would look really good with her complexion, and even offered an earring and necklace set that would match it. She still wasn't interested. but the guy was, so I started showing him the pieces.

While he was looking them over, he would hold them up to her and ask if she liked them, and she would give very abrupt answers. However, I did notice that she was looking at my hair sticks, so I tried asking if she used them or if she wanted to try them at that time. I didn't mind giving away some items, especially if it meant getting my name out there, making a potential purchase in the future. Not to mention, if I could get her to loosen up or be in a better mood, it would be a win for

everyone. But she immediately made a comment about how the idea seemed odd. The man quickly apologized and asked what was wrong with her, but she didn't answer. Part of me was beginning to think maybe this wasn't about me, and something had happened prior to them approaching my booth. I gave a light-hearted laugh and said that it was fine, joking about how it took me some time to figure them out myself. The guy decided on a purchase and handed me a card,

so I went to grab my card reader from my tub behind me, as well as a freebie. I like to give the little stuff away as a thank you. As I went to stand back up and turn back towards them, I suddenly felt a very sharp pain and pressure in my arm. I looked over at it, and I saw one of my hair sticks protruding from it. And that's about when things started going in slow motion. I heard the man yelling,

What did you do? And then the two began arguing. The woman made a hand gesture and started walking away, as the guy seemed conflicted on what to do. Then, the last thing that I remember was all the sound around me slowly getting muffled. my vision tunneling until I blacked out. I was never good with blood, especially my own. When I finally came to, there was a different man at my side wearing a reflective vest, talking on a walkie.

I immediately looked over at my arm and saw the stick still protruding from my flesh, and my first instinct was to pull it out. The man stopped me, telling me that I needed to wait. I still wasn't fully conscious, so I let my head fall back down until I was awoken again. This time it was an EMT who was working on my arm, holding pressure, but the stick was now gone. I was awake at this point, as there was no blood, but the pain was pretty excruciating. I called my dad since he lived nearby to grab my stuff, because the guy said that I was going to need to get stitches. They allowed me to stay there since it wasn't life-threatening,

and that way I didn't have to take an ambulance, but the police were more than willing to stay by my side. They took a lot of information from me. They asked me what happened, how it happened, and I gave them a description of the couple. When my dad arrived, he helped me pick up my items and was going to take me to the hospital, but before we left,

I noticed the same guy looking at me from a distance. I immediately pointed him out to my dad and the officer that was still standing nearby. I didn't think anything else would happen, but one of the officers said that they would stay with me until we left since they hadn't found the girl. They immediately called it in and began looking for the guy. I guess he had a conscience and felt he needed to do the right thing. He didn't run or try to lose the car. and when confronted, he explained what happened. He even gave a description of the woman, her name and which car she was driving.

She actually left without him. He never approached me about any of this, but explained this to the cops and asked them to tell me that he was sorry about the incident. I got to the hospital and left with a few stitches, and now I have this cool-looking circular scar on the my arm. I didn't press charges, because I feel like even if she was that angry at him, or jealous even, she needed a different kind of help. But it did happen out in a public place, so the state took care of the charges, I guess. Overall, I guess I learned a few things from this.

I learned that my sticks are probably too sharp, so now, I've rounded them off a lot better and they're coded better to prevent such a point. And I don't make metal ones at all anymore, just wood or glass. But I also learned that while you can look for the good or the best in other people, try not to turn your back to someone who's exhibiting erratic behavior or just radiating hostility. But also, don't let that ruin a good time, friends. May your encounters be filled with light rather than shadows

Or crazy jealous people From the ages of 17 to 24 I was a lifeguard at a local community pool And it was still one of my favorite jobs I started it as just a way to make easy money I just sat on a chair Yield out at people doing things they shouldn't be doing And got to swim for free

We rarely had a situation situation of actually needing to save someone, but when we did, I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good. The adrenaline of being the person to jump in and help someone in need, it wasn't a psychotic or narcissistic thing either. I just realized that I truly loved helping people. That's what made me keep the job for so long, and was also what pushed me to become an EMT. But the story was before my days as a...

an EMT. This happened when I was a lifeguard at the age of 19. I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in yet, but I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field, so after I graduated high school, I started taking my

core classes at a local college until I figured it out. My parents were always supportive and let me stay at home until I got my own place. I just chipped in where I could to help with groceries or anything else. So, when I wasn't in class, I was working.

I even covered other people's shifts at times. The day of this event was no different. I came in around 10 that day, put on my sunscreen, grabbed my sunglasses, and found myself sitting on one of the tall guard chairs. As I scanned the area to make notes of the different people I was seeing, I saw two new people enter. It appeared to be a father and his young daughter. I could see the entrance from where I was, so I saw him scan a card.

They walked in and then went off to the side a bit. He knelt down to be at eye level with the girl, and he put one hand on her shoulder and used the other hand to wave it over to the pool, pointing to a specific part. I obviously couldn't hear them, but if I had to guess, it looked as if he was telling her where she was allowed to go in the pool. We had the main pool. a small kitty pool, two water slides, and also a small hot tub, typically used for therapy purposes.

I assumed he was just directing her where to stay. Afterwards, he hugged her and then she walked over to the shallow end. The dad, however, walked over to the diving boards and jumped in. I watched him jump in and then swam to the other side of the pool, seemingly just waiting there. I thought it was a little odd that it was just the two of them and he wasn't going to keep an eye on her, but assumed that maybe she was just a very responsible kid and let it go. But then the weird feelings began. The dad looked up at me, nodding and smiling, and instantly this feeling washed over me,

telling me to keep an eye on him. I watched over him as he seemed to people watch from the corner of the pool. Since he wasn't going anywhere, I looked over at the girl that he came in with. She was sitting at the entrance of the pool, playing with one of those little water footballs. I noticed that she would look over at one of the nearby kids playing, almost craving their attention. You could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to play with her, but maybe she was just painfully shy, causing her not to be able to initiate a conversation. Other than being alone, she didn't seem suspicious in the slightest,

so I focused my attention back on the dad. That's when I noticed that he seemed to be focusing his attention on two other young girls. I would say the girls were probably around 12 to 14 years old. They reminded me of my younger sister. They were sitting on the edge of the pool and just talking, when another lifeguard told them that they couldn't do that, so... they got in the pool. Unfortunately, I saw him approach the girls, smiling and greeting them.

The girls reciprocated, but I still wanted to keep an eye on him. I would do my normal scan at the pool in surrounding area, but then soon after, my eyes would make their way to that guy again. I noticed the girls now had a different look on their faces. It was more so a look of boredom. Like when someone is telling you something, you always... obviously have no interest in, or maybe just don't understand. Neither way, they didn't look like they cared to be talked to by him, or to be in that situation.

So I did the best that I could, and when one of my coworkers walked by, I told him about the guy. He actually agreed with me, saying that he noticed him staring too. He said that he was going to go tell the manager on duty so he could force a clear out of the pool, or maybe even do an adult swim, so that we could get him away from the girls and ask them what was going on. If anyone was being inappropriate or not following the rules, they were told to leave.

There was also a three-strikes system, and if you were kicked out three times, you were banned and never allowed back to the pool. There are, however, some situations, of course, that could get you banned before the three strikes. So, while I waited for my co-worker to come back with good news, I continued to watch them. The girl's body language was telling me that they were not comfortable with what was happening. I didn't know what he was doing or saying to them, nor did I know what he might try, but I did

know that I needed to do something. So I blew my whistle, which made the other guards look over. I yelled at them saying they needed to move as they were too close to the diving part, and the girls immediately walked towards the shallow water. The dad stayed where he was and just had an annoyed look on his face, and then he flipped the bird at me. I shrugged and watched as he walked past the girls and then over to his daughter. He again knelt and was talking to her when he pointed at the same girl that she'd been eyeing to,

and then stood up and disappeared in the restroom. Shortly after, my co-worker approached. me and said the manager was working on it, but was also relieving me so that I could go to break. I jumped down from the chair and knew immediately what I needed to do. I wanted to see if that girl would talk to me, so I could find out what exactly was happening. I walked around and got in the pool entrance, greeting the young girl. She said high back, but she still seemed a bit standoffish. I tried to make simple and friendly talk, but I also didn't know how to be.

how long I had until he came back. So I tried to make a comment about her dad, when she quickly cut me off and said, He's not my dad. I asked her who he was, and she quietly said, I don't know, he just brought me here. My stomach dropped, and this without a doubt confirmed that something was wrong here.

I think that she knew too and was probably terrified, leading her to tell me, hoping to get help. For her age, she seemed like a very smart girl. I suggested that she'd come with me so that we could call her parents. She looked at me for a few moments and realized that I, too, could have been scary or suspicious. I told her that I could go get a girl if that would make her feel better,

and she told me it was okay because you're a lifeguard and you save people's lives. That is what I lived for. right there. She took my hand and we quickly walked to the post up front. The door is one of those breakaway doors, where you can have the bottom half closed and the top half open. The bottom was closed when we approached, but I quickly closed both when we walked in as I didn't want the fake dad to see her.

My manager was already back there, and I quietly explained to her what happened, so as to a knot alarmed the girl. We got her a snack and she seemed content sitting on the chair in the back, watching everyone else walk around. We even asked her if she knew her phone number and she could remember part of it, and she could tell us her parents' names. Unfortunately, she had never been to this pole before, so my idea of looking for her parents in the membership log was shot down.

However, we at least knew that we would have this guy's information. so my manager started checking the logs to see who all scanned their passes, while another co-worker called the cops. While all this was occurring around me, another co-worker approached me and said that the guy was looking around frantically at the pool, most likely trying to find the young girl now under our protection. I was worried that he might bail, thinking that we were on to him, and I wanted so badly for someone to distract him. My manager, however, found his information and told us not to engage in case he tried anything, so we obliged. I went back out to my post as normal, and I watched as this guy paced a bit. He watched the kids going down the slide, and he scanned the whole area, obviously trying to find someone.

But shortly after this, I saw him head towards the exit, and then he was gone. He beat the police. but he didn't get far. With the information we were able to give the police, they knew exactly who this girl was, and her parents showed up shortly after the cops did. The girl had actually been reported missing a few hours earlier as she was at a summer program,

and that guy showed up to pick her up. The girl apparently went with him anyways after he told her that her mom was hurt, and he was going to take her to see her. The guy had been stalking her mom and thought that he could use her as a leverage to get the mom to come see him. The problem with this plan, though, was that there was no plan after getting the girl. So, he thought he would just take her to the pool that he'd paid for and signed up for with his own name.

They were able to track the guy down and he was arrested that night. I know this because they came back to confirm that they had the same guy that was at the same guy that was at the same time. the pool. A lot of this was information that I heard that night and on the news. We actually had a local news crew show up filming and asking us tons of questions, so of course I tuned in. That was an entirely different save that I never expected to have, but it's still something that stays in my memory. Nevertheless, there are still things that have gone unanswered. I had asked the the girls that he was talking to, what he'd said to them, and he had complimented them on their bodies and asked if they wanted to go back to his place to party. He then proceeded to brag about

his massive house and his accomplishments. They became uncomfortable because, of course, a grown man was asking these preteens to come party with him. They had walked to the pool, so they stayed close by until a parent picked them up that night, too. If his whole intention was to get to the girl's mom, why would he do that with the other girls? And why did he choose the pool? Not that it makes it better, but I hope that part is true and that he had no other sinister plans with the daughter, or the other girls, but it's kind of hard to believe that. Either way, the guy was locked up and everyone went home safe, but I'm sure still fairly traumatized.

and that day was a stark reminder to myself to question even the smallest things that seemed off. My husband and I took a weekend trip to this little water resort several years ago. This place was fantastic. The hotel looked luxurious, but I promise you, it did not cost a fortune. They had a huge indoor and outdoor pool, water slides, a lazy river, and even a water park-style place. There were a lot more kids in the water park, but it was still fun to watch. They also had some kind of retro theater that played old movies and an arcade.

There was definitely plenty there for everyone, and we had a marvelous time. Well, for the most part. On our second day there, we decided to go swimming in their larger outdoor pool. It was restricted to adults. as it went pretty deep and also had a diving site. We were just waiting in the pool, talking, and enjoying each other's company, while the sun beamed down on us. Little did I know that beneath the shimmering surface, something was ready to shatter our tranquil day at the pool. As we floated along, I thought I felt something brush my leg.

Assuming I was just feeling the water, or maybe I hit a spot that was cooler and it threw me off, I ignored it. But when it happened again, I teased my husband Ed about touching me in the water. His face told me pretty quickly that he didn't do anything. The thing is, though, we were in a pool, and I could look down and see the water, and there was nothing near me. But Ed is actually pretty bad at lying, especially when he's trying to play around and prank me, so I believed him. Being a little weirded out, I suggested that we moved a little further into the water. Everything went back to normal after we moved, but only for about another ten minutes or so.

Again, I felt something, but this time it felt like something touched or grabbed my ankle. I could feel the pressure around my ankle like someone had a hold of it, which caused me to kick my foot as forcefully as I could. I told Ed what I had just felt, and we were both staring intently into the water. As expected, there was absolutely nothing around. I was about to suggest that we just get out for a bit, maybe check my leg and make sure nothing was wrong with it, but before I could finish speaking, the feeling came back tenfold.

I felt something around my ankle that forcefully pulled me straight down. It literally pulled me under the water. I came back up, but it wasn't for long. I looked at my husband's terrified, and soon I was pulled right back under. I opened my eyes in the chlorinated water, but even through the blurriness, I could only see one set of legs near me, which were Ed's. There's no way that he could have done that. When I came up the second time, I didn't hesitate.

I wrapped my arms around Ed and told him to get me the hell out of there. We went to the side of the pool, and I gripped on to the side as I slowly swam to the shallow end, when I felt the tug one more time. This time it wasn't as hard, as my head didn't go under, but it was still just as terrifying. It caused me to scream, and my breathing was clearly faster than normal. By the time we got to the steps, I rushed out of the water, spinning around, looking at my surroundings and back into the water. There was nothing around the spot where we were.

I just stood there, shivering from fear and trying to grasp what the hell just happened to me. Ed looked just as confused and worried. We found a table to sit at nearby, and after calming down some more, I explained to my husband what I had just experienced. He said that it even looked like something out of a movie. I went straight underwater and it was so quick that it made no sense. We could not come up with any reason for this to happen, and after that whole show, I was not in the mood to swim again, so we just went back to our room for the night. The next day, we didn't want to spoil our trips, so we did go back to the pools, but this time we just did the lazy river.

I was sitting in a tube so my feet were not in the water, and thankfully nothing happened. However, I did get this weird feeling about halfway through the river. I got the sense that I was being watched, and like whoever was watching me was not happy. Like I could feel the anger surrounding me. It was almost unbearable. I just took deep breaths and closed my eyes, trying to enjoy the remainder of the ride,

until we got to the end. By the time we got off, everything was back to normal again. I explained to Ed what happened, and we just avoided the water for the rest of our stay. I didn't need to have something drowning me or people looking at me like I was crazy. To this day, I still have no idea what that was. The resort that we stayed at was practically new. It had only been open a few years prior to our visit, and it was a brand new building. My first thought was that it could be haunted, but how could that be possible?

Ed and I swear to this day that we saw nothing in the water near us when I was being pulled under, and the feeling on the river made no sense. At least neither of us saw someone angrily staring at me, but I sure as hell felt it. If anyone has any ideas, I'm open to hear them, but until then, I think that I'm just going to avoid visiting that place. Again, I have a strange story to share that has bothered me for quite a while, but I really don't think I'll ever get any answers for it. I've been a police officer for around 12 years now,

and I've seen some pretty strange things, but this one incident has always stuck with me. It still haunts my mind when I'm out on the night shifts and just driving through the silent streets. It was a call that seemed pretty routine, but quickly turned into an eerie enigma that's left me with more questions than answers. I was working the afternoon shift one summer, back when I had just started on the force. It was a fairly slow day.

I don't live in a part of the country where big events happen frequently. It's normally pretty relaxed here. I remember that the air was really heavy and languid that day. The weather was hot and humid, and there weren't any clouds, which really doled down the whole routine. Nobody wants to do anything, much less commit crimes, on days where you can barely breathe, which is something I actually appreciate. I don't want to run and chase people, they don't want to do anything bad,

It's like a mutual agreement that those days are not for us. Anyways, I was cruising along and I got a call from dispatch saying that they needed me to go to one of the rental cabins on the outskirts of town. These cabins were owned by a real estate company, and they basically rented them out for a few weeks to a few months at a time. And we never got calls to go out there. So this was even more shocking to me. The call explained that there was a man that was claiming someone had broken into his cabin. He reported that he was on a day trip, and when he got back, he found a fire in the bonfire pit burning in his front yard of the cabin, the cabin that he had left secured and vacant the entire day.

They mentioned that he hadn't gone into the cabin since returning, so somebody could still be inside the cabin, and he needed someone there to clear the scene. It was a peculiar call, but it definitely warranted our attention. When my partner and I arrived, we found the man standing outside behind a minivan in the driveway. He looked nervous, frantic. His eyes were kind of darting around and he was pacing behind the car, visibly agitated. When we stepped out, I could see the box. on fire still burning, though it was mostly just embers at this point.

There was this acrid smell of burning materials hanging in the air. What materials, I have no idea, but it wasn't pleasant, that much I remember. We approached the man cautiously, and he explained everything to us a second time, but then mentioned that he thought someone was still in the cabin because the door was open. We approached cautiously. hands over our holsters, and every step I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. We entered slowly, cleared room by room, but there was no one inside, though it had absolutely been ransacked. Furniture was overturned, drawers were open, and items were randomly scattered all over the place.

We came back outside and told them that it was clear, but that it was a mess. mess. We asked him if he had left it like that, which may sound like a dumb question, but you'd be surprised. He told us that he hadn't, that he'd kept it clean in good order so that he could get his deposit back. After a bit of investigating, we determined that there was definitely remnants of things from the cabin in the fire. Photos, clothing, documents, all charred beyond recognition. It was really bizarre, as if someone was destroying personal belongings, but why? We tried to piece together some of the puzzle, asking the man if he had any enemies or if he'd been in any disputes. He said no.

We asked him if he'd been involved in any illegal activity, mentioning that his honesty was important for his own protection at this point, and he was adamant that he hadn't done anything. He mentioned that he'd literally only been there for three days at this point, and that his clothing was still in his bag because he hadn't been there long enough to even really unpack most of his stuff. The incident was perplexing, to say the least. Looking at the possibilities, none of them really fit. If the man had started the fire to destroy something himself, why would he call us? fires were not restricted at that point in time, so we wouldn't have had to cover for it or anything. I supposed that he could have been trying to do some sort of obscure insurance fraud claim,

and he needed the police report, but there was nothing in the fire that we saw that was worth anything. Just clothing and paper. But then, if it wasn't him, who was it? What was the purpose of burning things from the cabin? We did our investigation on the cabin, fingerprinting, interviewing some of the residents of the next-door cabins, and did everything that we could to get more information. But there was nothing.

It was as if the fire starter had vanished without a trace, and no one knew why it had happened. In the end, we had to just let it go, and to let it go cold. The mystery of who broke into the cabin and started the fire remained unsolved. There was no evidence that this guy had done anything to deserve it. He hadn't made anyone mad. He hadn't even been in the cabin more than a few days.

As mentioned, it's still one of those things that pops up in my mind now and again, because it just made no sense, and there were no answers. odds are we're never going to have an answer for it because it was such a small, isolated, and weird incident that happened in a very cut-off part of the town. My husband Kent and I took a trip out of state one year for our Independence Day celebration. We decided on a road trip to the west coast, to a national park that we've both been wanting to,

to go to for years. We were both very outdoorsy, but also very amateur, too. We were not professionals by any means, but we loved being out there with nature, seeking the serenity of it, and not to mention the allure of an adventure into a new place. So, with our bags packed, and excitement in our hearts, we set off to enjoy each other's company, and immerse ourselves in the breathtaking beauty of steep cliffs, and trees taller than we could even fathom. The drive itself went fine.

We took all of our precautions and car maintenance before we left, so no issues there. We got to the park on a Sunday, which was the weekend before the fourth. It was during the week, so we wanted to go before then, knowing it was probably either going to be insane or just close. and we had our bags with us with some pretty normal hiking equipment, and we even had a small insulated bag with some cheap hot dogs and a few other small food items. We were wanting to find a good spot to maybe have a small barbecue or fire to ourselves. After about an hour of walking and sightseeing,

we came across a beautiful fenced area that looked like it may have been an old campground. I say old because there was a bordered off place where you would see tents and a grill, but it looked really run down, like it was abandoned. However, with that in mind, and the breathtaking view, Kent said that we probably wouldn't be bothered this far up, so we decided to call it dibs. We sat under a nearby tree in the shade for a while, resting, and just enjoying each other's company.

That wasn't until our stomachs started talking, too. We started pulling out our food and blankets when we realized we didn't bring any type of utensils. Our condiments were all in packages, and we didn't bring anything like potato's salad, of course, so bringing something to grab the dogs from the grill didn't even cross our mind. So Kent set out to find some good sticks that we could use instead, making our meal even more authentic slash camping style, I suppose. I stayed behind getting our stuff ready

and trying to prepare the fire. As I busied myself with prepping our small food bar, I listened to the sound of the birds chirping, the squirrels scurrying around the trees, and his footsteps slowly fading out. However, that's when our seemingly perfect day darkened. While Kent was searching for, for our utensils, I heard what sounded like a soft thud.

I didn't think anything of it at first, just assuming it was maybe nearby rocks falling, or even my husband dropping something, knocking something over, or maybe breaking off a branch. No big deal. But when I called out to him asking a question, and did not even get as much as him asking me to repeat myself, I became a little concerned. I doubted that he would have gone somewhere far enough to not be able to hear me without telling me. So, I dropped what I was doing and again called out for him and got no response. I started walking back by the trees when my heart dropped.

I saw him laying nearly face down on the ground. I ran up to him, turning him around when he started groaning. I was nearing a panic attack, not knowing what to do. We were way up here on a mountain pretty much alone. How was I supposed to get him help by myself? I was maybe 160 pounds at the time, and I couldn't even pick him up. I softly tapped his face and grabbed his hand trying to get him to wake up, fearing to shake him too hard just in case he'd hurt his spine or neck.

Thankfully, he finally came too, but he was still groaning in pain. I tried to ask him a million questions at once. What happened? What hurts? Are you okay? He just said that his ankle seemed to give out and he fell to the ground, hitting his head on something. He also said that his ankle was now an excruciating pain, so I pulled up his pant leg to see a huge purple and swollen ankle. If he didn't break it, it was definitely fractured or dislocated or something.

after confirming that he was feeling all right otherwise other than a headache and that he had feelings in his legs i helped him up he used me to lean on and i brought him back to our blanket where i had him sit down that's when i noticed the blood on his head a first aid kit was something that we packed but it too was pretty basic i pulled out an antiseptic wipe to clean his head and i tried to try to do it was something that we packed but it too was pretty basic i pulled out an antiseptic wipe to clean his head and i tried to my best to bandage it with the gauze that we had. Then I gave him a small one-time use ice pack to put on his ankle. While I thought I had the situation somewhat under control, my mind finally started to process the gravity of the situation that we were in. We needed help, and I was going to have to be the one to go get that help. The cell signal was shoddy at best. This was in the early 2000s, so we had some pretty,

crappy flip phones. Kent realized this too and said that I needed to go back down to let someone know. But, to be honest, I was worried about leaving my husband alone. If he'd hit his head hard enough to get knocked out, I was worried that he might have a concussion, or something else might happen while I was gone. He did his best to assure me that he would be fine, but ultimately, I knew that I didn't have a choice.

I had to go. I gave him a hug and a kiss, wiped my face, and told him that I would be back as soon as possible. I quickly walked down the path that we had used to get there, and I tried to stay calm, but the tears would not stop. I was so afraid.

I was afraid of leaving him there alone. I was afraid of the idea of us being in an unfamiliar place, far from the comforts and conveniences of home, not to mention a car and a hospital. As I sprinted down the path hoping to not fall myself, every rustle of leaves and every snap of a twig sent my imagination into a frenzy. I couldn't help but envision every nightmarish possibility.

Each step that I took felt heavier and heavier, knowing that it was to help my husband. After what felt like an eternity, a glimmer of hope emerged from the dense foliage. I spotted a family setting up a tent. I began crying at the sight of the other people, and immediately approached the adults and explained what happened. The woman started pointing me in the direction of a ranger cabin nearby,

and asked me if I needed any help. I don't know what else they could do, but the man agreed to go back up so that he wasn't alone. I felt bad, not wanting the woman, woman to be by herself, but she at least had the two kids with her. I continued down the path to thankfully find their nearby Ranger cabin that was on the path opposite of the way that we went. Someone was there, allowing me to explain what happened, and they quickly grabbed some things and called in for an ambulance.

Thankfully, they had a small golf cart-like vehicle, and we were able to get back much faster. I was so relieved when we got back to see him fully conscious and aware of what was going on, but his ankle definitely was not looking any better. The man with the family and the Ranger helped get him into the passenger seat of the cart, and I quickly scrambled to pick up our stuff. My thoughtful husband was still trying to pick stuff up while he waited. The Ranger allowed me to hold on to the back of the cart, where there was basically just a small cubby place to put items, so that I could get down to the entrance with them quickly. By the time that we got down there, the ambulance was already waiting to whisk us away.

I drove our car behind the ambulance, and in that moment, I marveled at the sheer power of human compassion of these complete strangers, who were willing to stop and help us in our time of need. When we arrived at the hospital, they did x-rays and determined that he did dislocate his ankle, so they were able to fix it without surgery at the least. They also did a scan, since the fault did knock him out to make sure that he didn't have a concussion, or worse, internal bleeding, and again, he was fine. Thank God I didn't think about that possibility at the moment of the event.

Once he was in a room, I had pizza delivered to the hospital, hospital, and we just celebrated our night there. He felt bad for, in his words, ruining our trip, but I was more than happy just knowing that he was okay. We stayed at a nice nearby hotel that had a pool, that we swam in and still enjoyed our vacation. Thankfully, we both got home okay, and had one hell of a story to share with friends and family. But for that moment, I was terrified. not knowing what to do in the situation.

We're a lot more careful now whenever we go hiking and go into places unknown to us, but we're also much better prepared for emergencies. So stay safe and stay hydrated friends. So I know that my story is going to sound horribly cliche, but it did actually happen to me, and it's something that honestly scared me nearly to death. It's easy to look at a story and say,

you should have done this or that, but to end up in the situation is a totally different story. At the time, I panicked, and I took the easiest way that I could to get out of the situation. And if I were in this situation again today, I think I would probably still do the same thing as my potential stupid actions are most likely what's saved. my hide. This happened about five years ago, when I was living in the heart of the city, in an apartment that was only a few blocks from my office. I'm a night owl, always have been.

There's something about being out in the world when it's completely still and silent that has always appealed to me. It was during one of these late nights, around two in the morning, to be exact, that I was walking home from my office. It had been a particularly stressful day at work. I mean, obviously, I was leaving it too. And I was looking forward to the cool night air to calm my nerves and to help me center myself a little bit.

I took my usual route down the familiar sidewalk that was illuminated by the dim streetlights, past all the closed shops with their metal shutters down and locked, towards the local park that was always deserted this time of night. I will say that there is this strange and eerie piece that emanates from the deserted cityscape at night that I've just kind of always felt comforting. That is, until that night. As I was walking, I heard what sounded like soft rustling coming from behind me. I didn't pay it much attention, assuming it was just a newspaper getting blown around in the winds,

or maybe a stray cat doing stray cat things. As I continued walking, I noticed that it wasn't fading away. It was persistent, and it seemed like it was following me. I slowly pulled my pepper spray off my clip that was attached to my purse and turned to see if there was someone there. And, sure enough, there was. About 30-ish feet behind me was a man in a hooded sweatshirt and gym shorts, walking it around the same pace that I was.

His hood wasn't up, but he was doing everything he could to make it look like he was not looking at me. Looking down at the ground, turning slightly to the side. Now, I don't like to think the worst about anyone that I see, especially when I first see them. But the way he reacted to me turning around was not normal, and it put me on edge. I figured the best thing to do was to keep walking and to pay attention to how far he was from me the whole time. I didn't have that far to go to get to my apartment building, thankfully, and after a couple more moments of upping my pace a bit and putting a little extra distance between us, I came up to an alleyway that had the side entrance of my apartment building. At that point, I was faced with two options.

make a run down the side alley and make it into the side door quickly, or take the chance and walk all the way around the building to the front to get into the front door. I decided that the side entrance being quicker and a straight shot was my best bet. As I approached the alley, I quickly turned and did a slight jog towards the door. When I turned back to see if he was following me down the alley, I was surprised to see that he was still just standing there and staring at me, at the entrance. At this point, it was more than clear

that he was definitely following me and that he intended to make me the victim of whatever it was that he was plotting. I kept walking towards the door of my building, my key card in one hand and the pepper spray in the other, intending to get into the building

quickly. When I approached the door, I heard a sound that sent me into overdrive, the sound of feet rapidly smacking onto the concrete, This guy was now running at me in a full sprint. I nearly fumbled everything as I beeped in with the keycard, stepped in and slammed the door shut behind me.

Thankfully it was a good door, and thankfully it locked immediately when it shut after being beeped in, because as soon as I got to the other side of the door, the man was right there, his face pressed against the glass and staring at me. This guy really just stood there with his face, face literally pressed against the glass door, laughing and smiling at me. I turned back and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, until I got to my floor and

my apartment. I actually called the police and reported the incident, but since he hadn't attempted to break in, there wasn't really anything they could do. The next day, I contacted the leasing office and they pulled the camera footage so that we could at least get a picture of the guy so that we could hang it up and warn the tenants about him, which we did. One of my neighbors mentioned that they had seen the guy standing outside at the building a few weeks prior, and that he had asked them for change.

When they said no, he got mad and started yelling that whatever he ended up doing was going to be their fault. So that was nice to know. Unfortunately, I've never really been able to forget that night. The fear that I felt as I turned to see him sprinting at me, I no longer walk from the office to my apartment and actually moved to a different location a few months later for unrelated reasons. The whole thing was a chilling reminder of how a simple stroll from one place to another can quickly turn into a nightmare.

That night, the city that I loved definitely showed me a darker side, one that I hope to never encounter again. This happened to me and my sister back in the early 2000s, but it's still fresh in my memory as it still creeps me out. At the time, I was 12 and my sister was 6. Even though we had several years between us, we were always super close. We did everything together, shared all of our toys, rarely fought. We also loved playing outside and pretending to be explorers.

We would climb trees and collect leaves and branches, crawl under the porch and look for rocks and bugs. We loved trying to make houses out of mud and the supplies gathered for our dolls, and just always had a creative and imaginative mind. So when my little sister, Katie, started talking about an imaginary friend, And no one, including my parents and myself, were surprised. Nor did we think it was odd. Katie started bringing up her friend when she was moved into her own room.

She technically always had her own room. It was just a nursery, but due to health concerns when she was born, she pretty much stayed in my parents' room until she just randomly decided that she would stay in her own room. It literally went like that. We were getting ready for bed. She went to her own room, and she said she wanted to sleep in her own room. So they converted her crib into a normal bed, and she started staying in there. So now I would walk by her room to go to mine, or intentionally be going to hers, and I would hear her talking.

I figured she was just playing with her dolls and would walk in her room and ask what she was doing. She would respond saying that she was playing with my friend. At my age, I assumed that she meant her dolls, and then we would continue with our plans. Then, there was one time later at night where my mom told me to go get my sister since dinner was ready. I started towards her room and noticed that her door was cracked open. I was preparing to quickly open the door to scare her, but again, I heard her talking. This time it sounded more conversational, and she seems to be explaining to someone how to do. something so instead I slowly opened the door and saw her standing near her

window putting her toys on the ledge I asked her what she was doing and she again said that she was playing I asked her who she was talking to and she said Jimmy I was curious myself so I asked who's Jimmy and she claimed that he was her imaginary friend I thought that it was kind of of silly at my age, but I just went along with it. I asked her how she met him, and she explained how he just showed up in her room one day, and that he wanted to play with her. It sounded like a true story for an imaginary friend, so I left it at that.

We had several incidents like that, where she would be talking to someone and she would say it was Jimmy. Even while we were around our parents, she would say things. like, oh, that's Jimmy's favorite color. And Jimmy is afraid of that. I like to play dolls with Jimmy. We all thought it was cute and creative and just left it where it was. I even recall one time when I was playing with Katie in her room, she mentioned Jimmy and I said that I can't wait to meet him one day.

She seemed very happy and said that he wanted to meet me, too. Being that he was imaginary, I asked her where, he was. And she told me, well, he's not here right now, but he should be later. So, okay, maybe she just didn't feel up to pretending at that point. So, life goes on as normal for all of us, and before we know it, summer has snuck up on us, giving us more time to play. One day, when we were playing outside, we had started a whole game similar to what I mentioned prior, where we were collecting treasures and making up what they could do.

At one point we stopped and we were just laying in the grass in the backyard, which kind of made us one asleep out there too. And thankfully for us, when we asked our parents for blankets and pillows to turn the porch into a fort, my dad gave us one better and set up a tent that we had in the backyard. I just remember being so excited to camp in our yard. and our parents weren't even going to be in there. My parents said they were going to be staying in the back room, which was like a smaller living room. That room had a door that led to the backyard so they would be nearby

in case we needed them. So we got ready for bed and grabbed a few things to keep us busy, like coloring books and flashlights until we fell asleep. We were pretty well nestled in our tent, singing and coloring, and we'd probably been in there for about an hour when I would say that we both were getting pretty drowsy. So we cleaned up,

and we snuggled into our sleeping bags, ready to end our night. But, shortly after, I heard someone walking in our yard. I just assumed it was one of our parents checking in on us, so I said, Hey, who is it? In a curious and playful tone.

And a voice whispered back, It's me. I could tell that it was a man's voice, but I couldn't tell if it was my dad because of how they were whispering. However, right after he responded, Katie jumped up and quickly unzipped the tent, giggling.

As she did this, we were met with the face of a man that I had never met before. However, Katie seemed excited to see this person, and she also answered some questions when she shouted, Jimmy! I was shocked and honestly horrified. Jimmy wasn't imaginary, but was a real, grown man. He hugged my sister and I asked suspiciously,

Who are you? That's when he gave me a sickening smile and said, I'm Jimmy, your imaginary friend. Like I said, I was old enough to know that imaginary friends were not real. And when I did have one, they didn't look like this. Maybe everyone was different, but mine were always close to my age, and they never had their own voice. I would give them one. Oh, and they were typically 100% imaginary, like not real people.

I don't know if it makes sense to others, but... What's important is that this guy was definitely not imaginary. Unlike Katie, I was scared. I couldn't explain why at the time, other than maybe a strange man was standing in our backyard, but then he asked if he could stay in the tent with us. Instantly, I knew this was not okay. He should not be there,

and if we agreed to let him, something bad was going to happen. Unfortunately, Katie said yes, but I simultaneously said no. The disappointed look on his face alarmed me even more. I didn't know if he would try anything if I tried to fight him, so I had to think fast. I told him something about not having another blanket and pillow, so we would have to go get him one first. He said that he wouldn't need one, but I tried to perk up. back up and insist on it, so I just said,

No, I don't want you to get cold and not want to come back. So we'll be right back. We'll grab some more snacks, too. He smiled and agreed, telling us to just hurry back. I grabbed Katie's arm and pulled her along with me inside, and as soon as we were in, I shook my parents awake and told them about Jimmy being out in the tent, and I tried to make the most terrified face I could to let them know that this was not a joke.

Thankfully, they caught on quickly, and my dad dashed out the door immediately. My mom told us to stay on the couch with her, and she was looking out the window toward the tent, so I looked too. I saw my dad enter the tent, walk around it in the yard, until he finally came back in. The guy was gone. My dad asked us what exactly happened, but his tone instantly told me that something was wrong. Katie explained that Jimmy wanted to join us in the tent, and I agreed with her story, further explaining everything. They then called the police and reported it, but, of course, he was long gone. My parents told Katie that she was not allowed to play with Jimmy again, and that that

if she ever saw him again, she needed to tell them immediately, but we never did see him. Katie and I have talked about this at length as we've gotten older, and we make more and more sense of it each time. She told me about how he just showed up one day at her window, and when she noticed him, she asked what he was doing. She said that he was the one that called himself her imaginary friend, and kept pushing that as a way to get her to not talk about him, or to give an excuse when people like myself or parents asked why he seemed to have such a personality for an imaginary friend. He never did anything to her, thankfully, but he told her that he just wanted to watch her sleep

and she was okay with it. Sometimes I'll check police reports, offender lists in the news, to see if I ever recognize a face, but nothing so far. I guess it would probably be better if I did see his face, to at least put my mind at ease that he's not still out there, doing the same thing to other kids. I have a short but pretty terrifying event that happened to me about four years ago.

I had just moved into my new apartment, and it wasn't in the greatest part of town. It wasn't like it was riddled with crime and scary to be in. It was just an area that was a bit lower income, really. The best way to describe it is somewhere in between pretty decent and a tad sketchy, if that literally makes any sense. I will mention that I am not white. And while I don't like to play the race card for anything,

I'm pretty certain that this had something to do with this. situation that played out. Like I said, I had just moved into a new apartment, and it was actually my second night living there. I was watching TV, and I had this idea that I should go buy some ice cream to celebrate moving in. You have to treat yourself every once in a while, right? Just celebrate those little milestones and everything.

It was a brisk night walk to the store, quiet and peaceful. Little did I know that the trip back. was going to be the complete opposite of the walk there. I walked back on the same path that I took to get to the store, except this time I was carrying a bag with a tub of Rocky Road. A bit into the walk, I noticed a group of three guys standing up ahead. At first, I thought they were just some guys out enjoying the evening like I was, until they turned toward me and started walking.

I tried to avoid being paranoid thinking it was just good time. timing, and that they were just randomly heading in my direction. It became pretty quickly apparent that they weren't just heading in my direction, they had intentions. They very quickly stopped me and had me backed up against a wall. Initially, I thought this was a mugging. I told them that I didn't want any trouble, and I put my hands up basically saying, take what you want to take.

I won't fight back. Mostly because it was three guys. at least one of them with a gun, and me armed with nothing but a container of Rocky Road ice cream. I assumed that they would take my wallet, probably my cell phone, and maybe even my ice cream, and that they would just run off, and that would be that. But, of course, it was actually much worse than that. The leader, I'm assuming, or at least the guy with the gun, barked at me to drop the bag. I did.

He then told me to get down on my knees, and I did what he asked. He told the other two guys to pat me down, which was weird, but I wasn't going to question the guy that literally had my life in his hands. They patted me down, and one of them said that I was clear, whatever that meant. But then it got even weirder. One of the other two grabbed my hands and pulled them behind my back and then cuffed me. my mind immediately went to Are these some kind of rogue police officers? I actually summoned the courage to ask them why I was being arrested

and the leader just told me to shut up. No more than a couple of seconds later, the area was lit with flashing red and blues as a car pulled up to the scene. The car parked and I heard a stern voice shout, What the hell is going on here? The guys responded in a moment. manner that was far from scared or concerned.

The one just saying something along the lines of, Don't worry, Sheriff, we got him taken care of. Apparently this was the wrong thing to say to the sheriff as he lost it. He told all three of them to get on the ground and immediately called in for backup. The three guys started yelling at the sheriff about how they were helping and how I was one of them. again, whoever them was, and saying that they were helping him. The sheriff told them they were a bunch of idiots, and yelled that the one guy needed to drop his weapon

and they all needed to get on the ground right then. The whole time I'm just sitting there on the ground, hands behind my back, thinking, I really chose a bad night to get ice cream. When the other officers arrived, they swiftly handled the faux cops, while the sheriff uncuffed me and asked if I was all right. I told him that I had no idea what was going on,

and he confessed that he was just as baffled as I was. He told me the obvious and mentioned that those guys were not cops, and he was clearly just as confused about their endgame as I was. He offered to take me back to my apartment, and, when we got there, he took my statement. He promised me that he would see to it that those guys would be to it that those guys would face the consequences of their actions, and then followed that up by suggesting, with genuine concern, that it may be safer for me to avoid late-night strolls in the area. With the guys' comments of me being one of them, and the way he said that, it told me all

I needed to know. I told him that I understood. He offered me his business card, and then told me to call him if I ever had any trouble. I was shaken, of course, but at least I knew that someone out there was looking out for me in this crazy part of town. Looking back, that night could have gone much worse. If the sheriff hadn't pulled up right when he had, I can only imagine what those guys were going to do or what their next step was. I was completely defenseless. And honestly, if that guy had won't be able to do,

wanted me dead, I think that I would have been dead. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and I'm grateful that the timing was on my side. While I have had to deal with people like them a few times since that night, it's never been anything that terrifying or life-threatening. I still live in the same apartment, and thankfully most of my neighbors are friendly. I will say that this lovely welcoming party did go away for some pretty serious crimes. And of course the guy with a gun was a felon, so you shouldn't have had the weapon in the first place. Also, when I go to the store now, I drive.

No more late-night walks to get my rocky road. This happened about four years back, in the early summer of 2019. My wife and I had just purchased our first home, a quaint little two-bedroom home in the older part of town. It wasn't too fancy, but... but we were proud of it and we had made a ton of plans and what we were going to do with it, both inside and out. The street that we lived on was lined with maple trees, and it was honestly beautiful. It was aptly named, too.

We lived on Maple Street. Most of the neighbors were kind enough, mostly just older folks that kept themselves. But there was one house on the block that was a bit different. the one across the street and slightly to the left, which in this case was 405 Maple Street. Something about the house always seemed to emit this creepy vibe. It was a weather-beaten, old structure with paint peeling off like aged skin. The window stared blankly, like the house had eyes and was just staring off into the ether. The house was actually empty, or was supposed to be.

The old man that had lived there had passed away a few years ago, and no one seemed willing to move into the house. As an aside, there was a for-sale sign when we moved in to the house, but after a year or two, they removed it, and the house is just sat empty. Anyway, about a month into living in our new home, I started to notice some oddities about that house. Firstly, it was empty,

and sometimes when I would look outside, I would see the lights turn on or off. Of course, this could just be squatters, but in our town that didn't make a whole lot of sense. So I assumed more likely that it was just some rowdy kids or something like that. The strange thing about it was that there were no curtains, so when the lights were on you would think you would see an intruder. But there wasn't anyone there.

It would just be a light turning on in an empty room. Then, when I would be walking my dog, Mack, I would notice shadows around the house. I know that sounds a bit vague, but it's the best way to explain it. I would see shadows standing outside, like person-shaped shadows just standing in the yard out of the corner of my eyes. And when I would look directly at them, they would vanish. I would see them standing inside the house, just inside the window. Mack hated walking by that house, probably for the same reason.

Every time I would see them, it would send that freaky chill down my spine, and make me just want to run. But I just shook it off as a trick of the light, or me being tired. And no, I didn't even try to logically explain why Mack hated the place. Then, one night, it took a pretty sharp turn for the creepier. It was around two in the morning. I was working on something at my desk, and Mack came into my office whining, which meant that he wanted to go outside.

With this house, at that time, our backyard was not fenced in, so we couldn't just let him go out back to do what he needed. We had to take him out. I figured that it was late enough that I could go ahead and shut off my computer, go for a quick walk with him, and then head to bed anyways. So, I grabbed his leash and we stepped outside for a quick walk. The street was completely silent. And there weren't many streetlights, so it was pretty dark outside.

We walked down the street, and when we went to pass 405, Mac slowed down and started to growl. Mack was a super chill dog, so him growling was weird. I turned to look at where he was staring, and I could literally feel the hair on my arms start to stand on end. There, in the window of that house, was the clear silhouette of an old man. I could vaguely make out the details of his hair and face,

but he seemed to be surrounded by those shadows. that I would frequently see when walking by the house. He just stood there, watching us from the window and not moving. I felt a knot start to tighten in my stomach, and I just kind of stayed there watching this vague image of an old man stand there and watch me. After a few seconds, the lights that were on shut off, and I could see that there was nobody in the house. At that point, I was pretty well.

done with the whole thing. I grabbed Mack, and I rushed back to our home. I tried telling my wife about the whole thing, but she was pretty well out of it already, and she laughed saying that I was being silly. I don't think I slept that night. I kept looking out the window of the house to see if I would see it again, but I didn't. It was a bit silly, I guess, but the next day when I got the chance, I actually asked one of the neighbors about the old man that lived there, and she told me that Harry, the man who had owned the house before passing away in 2018, was a bit of a grumpy and nosy old man. Apparently he was well known for always staring out his window with an aggressive scowl

as people walked past his house, and he would do so with the curtains wide open to make sure that you knew he was watching you. She also mentioned that he had major issues with people walking their dogs past his house, and he was known for being verbally aggressive towards them. With that, I assumed that the reason the shadows always seemed to show up when I was walking Mack past his house, and the reason I saw him that night was because I had upset him. Even in death, Harry seemed like a bitter old man, and as much as that creeped me out, I really didn't want to deal with it again,

After that night, we didn't walk past 405 at all. If Mack and I went for a walk, we would get to his property line, cross the street, and walk past his house. I never walked with Mack directly in front of his house again. Interestingly enough, I never really dealt with anything paranormal again after that, at least not involving Harry's old house. I still notice the lights on randomly, but I don't pay it too much mind, because I don't think that has anything to do with me. That's just Harry being an active spirit. Sadly enough, Harry's old house is actually still empty,

and I don't know if it's even on the market anymore. But I kind of pity anyone that does end up moving in there, as they'll be moving in with a very angry old man as a roommate. It was the summer of 2006. I could never forget it. I was nine years old, and my family and I were heading to the community pool. It was my dad, my mom, and my two older siblings. The pool was always a conflicting time for me.

I loved the water, and I loved the water slide, and I even enjoyed swimming. However, I was not good at swimming, and, in fact, I had to be a lot of water slide. I had a slight fear of the water, or of drowning. It was so hard to want to run and jump right into the pool, but as soon as it got higher than my knees, I slowed down and stiffened up. I could usually loosen up after being in the water for a period of time, but it was still frustrating for me at my age.

I wanted to be able to jump off the diving board and swim laps with my friends, but I just wasn't there yet. But I did do my best to push through it and have a good time. This time was no different. I wanted to have fun with my siblings, and, in fact, one of my friends even showed up. I don't know if that was planned or not, but it was a great surprise. We met in the water, and thankfully he knew my issues so he didn't push me, and we slowly made our way deeper into the water.

When we got into the deeper end, we stayed close to the water. to the side so that I could hold on to it, and we just talked and messed around. We talked about what we were looking forward to the following school year, made fun of people that we didn't like and bet who could hold their breath longer. I was actually having a great time until one specific person started jumping off the diving board. The diving area was in the same pool, but it had a very steep drop because of how deep it went. It was also sectioned off, so you were.

couldn't go over there just to casually swim. We were pretty close to the diving side with my friends back to it and me facing it. This guy was constantly jumping in and was obviously trying to do it for attention. I say that it was obvious because he kept yelling as he jumped in, and the lifeguards would yell at him to stop. We would turn and give dirty looks because the water would end up hitting us more than a normal person jumping in, and he was just flat out being obnoxious. However, us looking back seemed to be exactly what fed him

as he would make faces at us, say stuff in passing, and really just do childish things for a teenager like him to be doing. I suggested to my friend that we should just move somewhere else, but he was now adamant on staying. He didn't want to be bullied out of the spot that we had been at, so I stayed with him. I wish I would have pushed him harder to move. Every few hours the lifeguard calls for a break in the pool,

and when this happens, the lifeguards switch their posts, and only adults are those 18-plus that infants are allowed to swim. So when they all blew their whistles, we knew that we had to get out. Instead of having to walk all the way back to the shallow side and wait for the people in front of us, we thought it would be smart to go under the barrier into the diving side, and used the ladder that was right next to us. I may have had a slight phobia of the water,

but the laziness of young kids supersedes fear, I guess. We went under the floating barrier, and I waited behind my friend as he went up the ladder, and the next thing I heard was someone shouting. As I looked up to see who it was, I then started hearing the lifeguard's whistle blowing and him pointing. I followed their hand to where they were pointing, and all I saw was the same diving jerk running towards the pool and jumping in.

I don't know what happened, but I assume the guy's jump wasn't as calculated because his jump didn't go far. Time slowed to a crawl as this guy crashed into the water, landing directly on me. I flinched and before I could do anything else, I was under the water, holding my breath. I didn't really like to go under the water like this, so I started to panic as I noticed everything sound muffled. I was too afraid to open my eyes underwater, so I was flailing and holding my arms out,

hoping that someone would pull me out. As I did this, I felt something soft near me and grabbed onto it, hoping that whatever it was would help me. Instead, I was shoved by it in my side, causing me to forcefully exhale. Needing to catch my breath, I then inhaled, but, I wasn't at the surface yet.

I felt the burning in my throat and tried coughing, but it wasn't working. I continued to wave my arms the best that I could, but my efforts felt fruitless, as my little body felt heavier and heavier. At that point, it didn't even feel like my own body, until I was too tired to fight it, and that was the last thing I remembered. I don't know how long it lasted, but the next thing I remembered was someone whispered, someone whispering in my ear to wake up.

It reminded me of when my mom would whisper in my ear in the morning to get me out of bed. I felt relaxed and like I weighed nothing. And then it all came rushing back to me. I felt the cold hard concrete on my back and could hear my dad's worried voice yelling at me. Then I felt the burning in my throat and nostrils forcing me to cough. That's when I opened my eyes and saw my dad hovering over. me. I can't really explain it now, but I just started crying, and my dad hugged me tightly. They later explained that a lifeguard had jumped in and pulled me out, but I was already

unconscious by then. They had to do CPR, and I coughed up a lot of water. The lifeguard saw the diving man do this, and they yelled at him to kick him out, but then noticed that I hadn't come back up yet, so they went in to rescue me. Not only did that guy jump on me, purposely or not, but he was also the only one that could have shoved me away when I was struggling. He shoved me underwater and refused to help me. I don't know what his intentions were, but I try to tell myself that it was nothing more than just wanting to splash us.

I want to believe that he wasn't actively trying to hurt me or drown me, but at that moment, it was definitely hard to convince me. me. To this day, I cannot bear to immerse myself in water that rises above my waist. The memory of that day swimming is burned into the deepest recesses of my mind, and I kind of resent him for that. I was only slightly nervous about it, but with time, I got past it. Now, I cannot shake it. especially being an adult now I cannot bear the thought of another lifeguard having to rescue me as a full adult even though I know they are trained to do that sort of thing all I know is I hope that that moment scared some sense into that guy

and that he never did it to another person again