Theo Twining
This is the tale of an incident that occurred to me a few years ago, when I was a younger man, and convinced that the world was exactly as I saw it, and worked exactly as I was told it worked.
I had just finished my undergraduate degree at a college I shall not name, in the middle of Wales. Though my degree was interesting enough, I really wanted to leave behind the books and the academia, and immerse myself in the study and practical research of the paranormal. Though my funds were slight, at best, and my student loan needed repaying, on returning to London, I placed an advertisement in my local gazette, asking for anyone who had experienced paranormal phenomena, and didn’t mind talking about it to give me a call. I couldn’t offer anything in the way of a reward for their troubles, but I did promise to buy them a drink or two while we talked over what they had experienced.
It didn’t take long for me to receive my first and only caller, and to be honest, I was quite surprised that my ad had this much success. But I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. The call came while my mobile was turned off, but a number had been left on voicemail, and a few days later, I called back. I didn’t want to respond immediately, though I don’t know why. Perhaps I wanted to seem more professional. Like I had a hundred people on a waiting list or something.
Anyway, I called the next evening, and was greeted by the voice of a young man, who identified himself as Theo Twining. I asked if we could meet, but he declined, with a dry and solemn chuckle. I told him that it didn’t matter, and that we could conduct the conversation just as easily by telephone. Perhaps he was shy, I told myself. His situation was this:
Since about two weeks ago, he (and he paused for a good minute or two before recanting his tale, repeatedly telling me that I would think him stupid) had started to see worms, regular earthworms, across his path. I at first thought him a little bit paranoid before I heard the particulars of the tale. Not just outside, not just crossing his path, but in all manner of places. If he made a cup of coffee, there would be an earthworm, dried and boiled at the bottom of the cup. When he woke, he woke to find himself covered with five or six of them, and when he sat at his desk, they would crawl toward him from beneath the monitor screen, and from under his keyboard. He told me of how he lived in a neat-ish studio apartment on the third floor, and how this only happened very recently.
I listened to all he said with a rapt silence, alternating between deep fascination and a nagging guilt. I was finding such thrill in hearing this tale while Theo was undeniably suffering over it. Naturally quite hooked on his story at this point, I asked again if we could meet. Maybe he was more at ease with me now? But he seemed even less inclined now to meet. However, he did promise that he would call the next day. We agreed that I could take the call at 7pm, after I got home from work.
I work in a not-so-busy estate agent’s, so I spent most of the next day’s office hours mulling over what he had told me, and even went as far as to run an internet check on Theo Twining. What I found made revulsion rise in the pit of my stomach, a hot and acidic feeling of sickness. I don’t know for how long I sat there, still and shocked, until a co-worker shook me out of it, asking me if I was okay. It was all I could do to lie, though before me the screen gave details on Theo Twining.
A young man of (…), the same area of London in which I lived, had committed suicide in his apartment two weeks ago. The obituary and funerary notice was in the very same paper in which my advertisement appeared. I ditched my mobile as soon as I could, tossing it into a hedge, and I took the next few days off work. I went off to visit friends, not wanting to be alone.
As of writing this, I am studying for a master’s degree in my undergraduate subject. I never tried to investigate the paranormal again, after that. The world doesn’t work the way I am told it does.
–
Credited to industrialresolution@googlemail.com
Posted in Beings & Entities, Murders & Deaths
September 28th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
My first comment on this site, having only started coming here yesterday.
A bit predictable, especially considering the fact that Theo didn’t want to meet in person. I knew the instant I read about the ad that someone who was paranormal in some way would respond.
Overall, though, it was reasonably well written, but there was virtually no tension.
September 28th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Well, that was disgusting. Pretty okay, though!
September 29th, 2008 at 12:50 am
It was predictable but it is very well writen and has the chill effect
September 29th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I would have to say that this was indeed a bit predictable. Maybe I’m reading too many of these. Or not enough! In any event, by the third paragraph I thought to myself “he’s dead!” and he was! Worms were a nice touch though, as despite the predictability, I was still unsettled.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:10 am
I meant to say I agreed with DoodleBunny before that comment, but I absent-mindedly neglected to do so.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:02 am
Huh.
It reminded me of a n00b gettingcaught in something bigger than himself.
That was the paranormal world in general saying ‘Buddy, youve got no clue as to what youre dealing with.’
September 29th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Nice story. Doesnt send the shivers up my spine like some I have read, but a good read.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:28 am
Overall it was decent. However, the obit could have been fleshed out a bit for a creepier effect. And:
WHO WAS WORMS?
September 29th, 2008 at 3:47 am
saw the end coming, and it was a bit too quick. as in, the beginning was well thought out and then the ending was just really quick like ‘oh by the way, i’m dead.’ the end.
why did theo kill himself i wonder? and what made him want to reach out? =\
this was ok though, these pastas have been better written i must say.
oh, and now i wonder what a boiled earthworm looks like.
September 29th, 2008 at 4:58 am
I liked it.
Kinda creepy
September 29th, 2008 at 6:51 am
But who was suicidal kid on phone?
Also I really thought this was going somewhere interesting because it was a little long and the worm thing looked like it was progressing.
Then suddenly BOOM GHOST KID!
Sort of ruined it for me, but I have to admit it was pretty well executed.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:00 am
The story is well-written and flows well, but yes, I believe the ending was a bit rushed and could have been done better.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Ditto at DoodleBunny. It was predictable, but a decent read.
September 29th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Well-written and interesting, but not that creepy in my opinion, as, unlike pastas that I do find creepy, the subject matter of this pasta doesn’t affect me personally or appeal to home-alone late-at-night superstitious paranoia (such as mirrors - creepypasta has made me fucking hate mirrors >.<).
September 29th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Creepy, as I just named my new pet Theo yesterday.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I agree with the bunny, no tension at all !
September 29th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I agree with Doodlebunny. Too long for such a predictable twist
September 29th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I kind of excepted Theo to be a giant earth worm.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
i liked the beginning, but the ending ruinrd it, maybe, if they wemt into more details about the worms, or him being a ghost, or even made the worms follow the narrator, anything to set upspme climax and tone
September 29th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
wow, sorry about the typos, im tying this in the dark
September 29th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
*sigh* i dont remember dieing though are you people SURE there not ghost worms >_>; *glop* AHH! my eye!
September 29th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Nomnomnomnom
September 29th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
eww… worms…
September 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
THEN WHO WAS MOBILE?
September 29th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Wow, daily stories added at such a fast rate, I’m impressed. Theo Twining sounds quite like a roleplaying character, maybe a necromancer?
September 30th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Am I the only one who didn’t find it predictable? Maybe its because I’m sick and hungover….
Good read, I say. Not very creepy, but good read.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:13 am
I didn’t find it creepy but i very much enjoyed it. I love pasta that has the potential to actually be true and I see several ways this one could be for example: Someone buys the paper reads it sees an add for someone requesting paranormal stories, then checks the obituaries and finds a suicide and decides to make a prank call…I dunno but I liked this one. =)
October 1st, 2008 at 4:32 pm
NNOoooooo!
the worms be eating me T_T
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 am
Theo, I recommend you say my name. I can get rid of the worms…
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Candlejack? >_>;
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:13 pm
pshaw candlejack, everyone knows you’re no
October 4th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
BUT WHO WAS PHONE?! Plothole: the guy could have lied about his being Theo Twining.
October 5th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Less a plothole; more of an aid to realism. Seems like this could have happened, albeit as a prank.
October 6th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
WHO WAS PHONE? *cries*
October 7th, 2008 at 1:16 am
I don’t get it. If he was a zombie then why did he keep seeing earthworms instead of maggots? If he’s a ghost then why did earthworms keep following him?
October 12th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
WHO WAS WORM?
October 20th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
*wriggles through your monitor* BLAH! I mean……..what do worms say? ._.;
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Candle jack? who the heck is cand
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
He got trolled, what’s so scary about that? He’s just a noob.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
TL;DR: I liek gosts, I put an ad in the paper, and someone trolled me. I shat brix.