Storytelling has been a popular pastime among humans as long as language has existed. Through this telling of stories, folklore of strange creatures, haunted places, cryptids, witches, and other supernatural occurrences have evolved over millennia. Accounts of mysterious and terrifying things within the woodlands of North America have existed since […]
“Danny!” Martin screamed into the vacant abyss of the woods as he searched for the missing schoolboy. “Danny!! Where are you?!”He heard nothing back, only the eerie sound of the wind blowing the fallen leaves and tree branches around him. Martin listened carefully. He was almost sure the woods were
“Mother?” In the dim light of my bedroom, cast by a single candlestick that made shadows dance on the ceiling, I sought her smiling face. It anchored my life and my world. “Yes, dear?” “May I ask three questions before I go to sleep?” “Of course.” Rustle went her nightdress;
In the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on December 8th, 2021, Buck W. Curwen was arrested on charges of grave robbing, kidnapping, breaking and entering, destruction of property, assault, double homicide, and resisting arrest. Upon pleading guilty to all charges, he gave the following testimony to the court. The ordeal began
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I found the quilt some years ago in Aberdeen, Scotland while traveling on business. It was in a small shop on an old cobblestone street off of Union Street called The Goat and Toad. The quilt was old and discolored but had interesting symbols and non-symmetrical patterns woven into its
My name is Elijah Jove and this was my life. I grew up in a small house in a town called Yukon, WV. It had three rooms; one bedroom for Mom and Dad, one bedroom for me and my brother, and a kitchen/living room in the front. We had recently
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I never believed in magic until I met Tommy Naughton. The first time I saw him was in my eleventh-grade English class at Ridley High in 2001. He looked odd, with his gapped-up haircut and baggy clothing. He always smelled like sour sweat—ugh! He rarely made eye contact, never spoke
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It was one of those stormy nights during my summer trip in the tropics when I stumbled upon that old tunnel. It was the longest and scariest night of my life. I did not think I would ever get out of that forest alive. I was badly injured, weather-beaten and
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“Your job…your sole life responsibility for the rest of your natural life is to keep that door shut….always! The house is yours…you can do what you want with it regarding restoration or upgrades. But, you need to live here until the day you die. I inherited it from my grandfather.
HALLOWEEN ADVENT CANDLEDAR Burn one a day till Halloween.Discover what it truly means.Don’t peek ahead at future labels.Savor all, if you are able… – THE CHTHONIC CANDLE COMPANY So read the note enclosed with thirty-one tiny candles, sent in a massive box with no logo. The creators of my Candledar
“He is approaching,” I said. “Should I stay or leave?”“Stay, Bridgett, I’m frightened as never before,” Hope answered. “But say nothing, lest you become involved as well.” We drew away from the small, frosted windows of our cottage and awaited Jonathan Harding’s knock.When I first heard the vile rumors concerning
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It was in the late 80’s, a few years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. I lived in Moscow where I studied Archaeology. I had a roommate from Tbilisi in Georgia (the country – which refers to itself as Kartvelia – , not the US State). Every couple weeks
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a number of well-intentioned people in my general orbit comment that they’ve noticed a large uptick in the amount of alcohol that I’ve been consuming. That’s a fancy way of saying that I’ve been drinking myself into a stupor every night. Now,
Part 1 Part 2 “The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination.”H.P. Lovecraft * * * * * * * * Why shall I die in seven days’ time? I killed a man out of mercy, but justice, being its opposite, has
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A rattled knob echoed throughout the lifeless space. It traveled across a family-less living room, bounced around the cabinets of a foodless kitchen, and wandered down a dark hallway to a sleepless bedroom. It rattled again, a stubborn old key and an even older lock. Then finally the teeth finally
Part 1 “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity,and it was not meant that we should voyage far.” —H.P. Lovecraft Why did I slay one Abraham Andrew Allerton, Doctor of Psychiatry? It wasn’t a case of an eye for an eye
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Schalach cast the seed in smooth arcs across the lightly tilled fields as he walked at a steady, measured pace. At every fifth step, he dipped the smooth, well-worn cup into the pouch slung across his shoulder. This was his family’s job for the village, and he was the only
There is an antique shop somewhere in the heart of Quiapo, known only to a few, and appears only to those with a desperate need for something. It is said that inside, you’ll find things that will grant your desires – if you’re willing to take the risk. The shop
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I had been friends on Facebook with a girl for many years. We hardly talked but it was always fun to see her content. Her posts would center around her trips to the beach, which was a weekend ritual. I won’t lie, she was pretty—no, wait, beautiful. Okay, I was
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THE FIRST DIRECTIVE Obey and serve only the One Mind.– Manual of Directives and Subdirectives At ten your head is shaved. At twenty you are assigned your new designation and role. You’re no longer a child. At thirty you’re evaluated for Marital and Parental Fitness. If you pass, you do
The hammering from upstairs shook the walls of his bedroom. James Ricco leapt from his bed, the thought of earthquakes at the back of his mind. He glanced at his window and the sunlight streaming through. It was a spring day on Staten Island that suggested planting perennials and backyard
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Claire stood by the door, the room barely lit by a few tall candles, waiting simply for the door to open once more. Staring out the aged cylinder glass window she wished she could be part of the preparations deeper in the ancient house, but there was a hierarchy here
I remember the day, not too long ago, that I stood in front of my brand new home. After the year-long headache of the over-budget and over-delayed build process, I finally held the keys to the castle of my 11.4-acre Kingdom. The exhaust note from the contractor’s truck finally faded,
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My wife had always been a sound sleeper. She never snored, talked in her sleep, nor was she particularly restless. Oftentimes, she’d wake up in the same position she passed out in with barely a wrinkle in the sheets around her. When the singing in the middle of the night
