There are certain things in life we’d rather keep tucked away in a hidden corner of our minds: maybe it’s something embarrassing, unsettling, or just plain weird. But sometimes, sharing those secrets is the only way to feel a little lighter and realize we’re not alone in our experiences.
So when someone online asked, “What’s the creepiest thing you’ve experienced but never dared to tell anyone?” people didn’t hold back. From bone-chilling encounters to spine-tingling stories, the replies will have you double-checking your locks tonight. Keep reading… if you dare!
#1
When I was 9, I traveled down to Mexico for my sister's wedding. I had incredibly blonde hair that fell past my b**t. It was absolutely stunning. My brother-in-law is a native and he, my sister, mom and I went out shopping. My brother-in-law had gone to another section of the store and my mother had gotten distracted and I think I just ran to another aisle. I did notice that two men were standing fairly close to me and when I switch aisles they did as well. They were talking to themselves I had no idea what they were saying so I just kept looking at all of the trinkets.
My brother-in-law suddenly hurried over to me and escorted me out of the store quickly. He put me in the car and my sister walked over to him and I heard her ask what had happened. He said that he heard the two men conversing in Spanish that they wanted to take me and sell me. for the rest of the trip I remember every adult around me being weirdly protective. I was mad about it at the time.
I had no clue what that meant until many years later and then I was like... d**n I was almost trafficked. My brother-in-law is a native Mexican but he is incredibly white. Like platinum blonde hair and almost translucent Jim Gaffigan White. We all were white. I think they assumed that No one in our group could speak Spanish and so I think they were less guarded than they would have been normally. And he overheard them.
Thank God for my BIL.
My brother-in-law suddenly hurried over to me and escorted me out of the store quickly. He put me in the car and my sister walked over to him and I heard her ask what had happened. He said that he heard the two men conversing in Spanish that they wanted to take me and sell me. for the rest of the trip I remember every adult around me being weirdly protective. I was mad about it at the time.
I had no clue what that meant until many years later and then I was like... d**n I was almost trafficked. My brother-in-law is a native Mexican but he is incredibly white. Like platinum blonde hair and almost translucent Jim Gaffigan White. We all were white. I think they assumed that No one in our group could speak Spanish and so I think they were less guarded than they would have been normally. And he overheard them.
Thank God for my BIL.
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55points
#2
One day, I heard my dad call my name. Weird, but not exactly unusual. He lives nearby and comes over when he needs something, though he usually knocks instead of just yelling my name.
I get up and check outside, but I don't see his truck. I walk around the outside of the house but can't find him.
I hear him call my name again, with some urgency, like he's getting impatient, but he is not there.
I can see his house from my front yard, and I realize his truck is not there either.
I grab my phone and call him, but he doesn't answer. This actually freaks me out because he is great about answering the phone. I've called him at midnight as well as 5 in the morning, and he's answered every time.
He says my name again, and I don't even think about it. Grab my keys, get in the van, and take off down the highway. There's a crossroads less than a mile from the road, two roads crossing, four possible ways to go, including back the way I came.
I turned down this little backroad, and after 3 miles, I came over this hill, and his truck was lying upside down on the side of the road.
He's alive, but out of it, mild concussion it turns out, his phone still in his pocket.
I let him believe it was just a weird coincidence that I felt like going for a drive that day.
I get up and check outside, but I don't see his truck. I walk around the outside of the house but can't find him.
I hear him call my name again, with some urgency, like he's getting impatient, but he is not there.
I can see his house from my front yard, and I realize his truck is not there either.
I grab my phone and call him, but he doesn't answer. This actually freaks me out because he is great about answering the phone. I've called him at midnight as well as 5 in the morning, and he's answered every time.
He says my name again, and I don't even think about it. Grab my keys, get in the van, and take off down the highway. There's a crossroads less than a mile from the road, two roads crossing, four possible ways to go, including back the way I came.
I turned down this little backroad, and after 3 miles, I came over this hill, and his truck was lying upside down on the side of the road.
He's alive, but out of it, mild concussion it turns out, his phone still in his pocket.
I let him believe it was just a weird coincidence that I felt like going for a drive that day.
53points
#3
I once had a nap on my couch, a few hours before I had to go to work.
I woke up, checked the time, and started to get ready for work.
Realized I was still dreaming.
I woke up again. Checked the time. It was a little bit later than the first time. Again, I started to get ready for work.
I was STILL dreaming.
I went through that 5 or 6 times, until each time I "woke up", I was panicking since I didn't know if I was awake or still sleeping, but I still got up and started to get ready for work. The last 'wake up' cycle, I would've been late for work.
Creepiest dream I've ever had, even more than my sleep paralysis.
I woke up, checked the time, and started to get ready for work.
Realized I was still dreaming.
I woke up again. Checked the time. It was a little bit later than the first time. Again, I started to get ready for work.
I was STILL dreaming.
I went through that 5 or 6 times, until each time I "woke up", I was panicking since I didn't know if I was awake or still sleeping, but I still got up and started to get ready for work. The last 'wake up' cycle, I would've been late for work.
Creepiest dream I've ever had, even more than my sleep paralysis.
43points
Life has a funny way of throwing us curveballs and sometimes, those curveballs land us right in the middle of an awkward or downright embarrassing situation. Maybe you waved back at someone who wasn’t waving at you, or maybe you called your boss “mom.” Whatever the case, those cringe-worthy moments can feel like the end of the world. But embarrassment is a universal experience, no one escapes it entirely.
#4
When I was 14 I was walking in my town which had no more than 100 people in it. I noticed that a former neighbor who'd moved away parked at the park. I assumed he was visiting someone and parked there. I walked home which was like a 3-minute walk to my yard from the park and he pulled up beside me. I was like 5 steps from my yard and he tried to convince me to get in his car to see his nephew who was my friend and when I told him no he told me he'd give me ride all the way to my house as my yard was fairly large. but it was like 2 minute tops from there to my house. I kept telling him no and he kept getting angrier. He grabbed something from the passenger seat and tried to grab the door handle. At the same time, another neighbor came out to see what was going on. He drove off so fast. He kidnapped another girl a couple of months later at knifepoint.
I didn't tell anyone because it was well-known he was a creep among the girls in town. I didn't even process that he was trying to kidnap me until my grandma told me he was arrested for kidnapping a girl. Then I felt so guilty at that time that I didn't mention it to anyone.
I didn't tell anyone because it was well-known he was a creep among the girls in town. I didn't even process that he was trying to kidnap me until my grandma told me he was arrested for kidnapping a girl. Then I felt so guilty at that time that I didn't mention it to anyone.
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39points
#5
I've actually told one person this (my SO, who was semi-involved in it.) There was a stray cat hanging around our house that we fed for over a year. We tried to coax her inside, but she wouldn't come in, despite being friendly, letting us pet her, etc. One morning my SO left the house on his way to work and found the cat lying in the yard - she had apparently been hit by a car and crawled back onto the lawn. He got her into a box and took her to the emergency vet, but there wasn't anything they could do for her but euthanize her to spare her a few more hours' pain.
I started work earlier and was already gone when it happened. My SO told me about it that night. I was upset.
About a week later, I was sitting out on the deck when I saw something in the yard. I looked over the railing and saw what I could swear was "our" cat. I mean, had I not known what had happened, in a million years it wouldn't have crossed my mind that this wasn't her. I ran down to the yard, and she saw me and backed off a little (which "our" cat normally would not have done), so I stopped. But I could see her clearly and again, could SWEAR it was her. I spoke to her the way I always had and she watched me, but didn't come closer. Then she suddenly meowed once, turned and trotted off. I started following her, but she ran faster, and I thought I was scaring her and stopped. She ran around the side of the house. I didn't see her when I looked around the corner, and I never saw her again.
I asked my SO a thousand times if he was SURE that the cat he found was our girl and he swears he knows it was.
I suppose it's possible that there was another cat who looked just like her that happened to wander into the yard that afternoon. But I like to think it was our girl coming by one last time to say goodbye.
I started work earlier and was already gone when it happened. My SO told me about it that night. I was upset.
About a week later, I was sitting out on the deck when I saw something in the yard. I looked over the railing and saw what I could swear was "our" cat. I mean, had I not known what had happened, in a million years it wouldn't have crossed my mind that this wasn't her. I ran down to the yard, and she saw me and backed off a little (which "our" cat normally would not have done), so I stopped. But I could see her clearly and again, could SWEAR it was her. I spoke to her the way I always had and she watched me, but didn't come closer. Then she suddenly meowed once, turned and trotted off. I started following her, but she ran faster, and I thought I was scaring her and stopped. She ran around the side of the house. I didn't see her when I looked around the corner, and I never saw her again.
I asked my SO a thousand times if he was SURE that the cat he found was our girl and he swears he knows it was.
I suppose it's possible that there was another cat who looked just like her that happened to wander into the yard that afternoon. But I like to think it was our girl coming by one last time to say goodbye.
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38points
#6
When I was probably 10, my mom and I were cleaning out my closet while my younger brother (about 2-3 years old) was in the kitchen playing. We live in the COUNTRY and it was only us three living in the house. I heard a man say “They let you play in here all alone boy?” Coming from the direction of the kitchen. I turned to mom and said “who was that?” To which she responded “you heard that too?”. We ran into the kitchen, no one in sight other than my brother. All windows and doors closed and locked. When we asked who it was, he just said “that man”. Still a mystery to this day and I will never forget that voice.
36points
“Embarrassment feels so terrible because it strikes at the core of our social identity and self-esteem,” explains Tatiana Rivera Cruz, MSW, LCSW. “The physical sensations like blushing or sweating can further intensify the discomfort.” It’s a cycle, the more we dwell on it, the worse we feel. And let’s be real, the sweaty palms and hot face don’t exactly help either. But there are ways to break the cycle and come out stronger (and less red-faced) on the other side.
#7
Creepiest thing that has happened to me (I've told like, half my buds this though):
Back in my junior year of college, I think it was about a week before school started back up. My friend was a Residential Advisor (RA) and he realized he forgot to make a bunch of posters that needed to go up tomorrow. It was midnight, and he didn't have a car but I did. So, we go to the local Walmart and it's exactly what you envisioned a Walmart at midnight back in 2012-ish. Random people stalking the aisles, the ones you did spot had hoodies on like they didn't want you knowing about their late night ice cream sandwich cravings.
We get to the arts and crafts area of the store and just picking random stuff out. Suddenly a random lady pokes her head into the aisle we're in and is staring at us *hard*. She looked like skin and bones and wrinkles across her face. She suddenly says "Excuse me!" and I'm thinking "oh boy," and she asks about some of the products. I say "sorry we don't work here so we don't really know," and she just goes "oh" and keeps staring at us. At this point we just decide what we grabbed is enough.
We get to the checkout line (before the time of self-checkout) and this same lady is **right** behind us. I'm just going "uhhhhh" but try to avoid eye contact. We check out and leave and me and my bud are joking about it saying "guess that's the Walmart After Dark™ experience." While we're in the parking lot I notice this large black van with no windows parked oddly and it's on and running. I elbow my bud again and laugh and say "watch out, they're gonna kidnap ya" and we're laughing about it. But we hop into my trusty Honda Accord and off we zoot along. But as I'm leaving the parking lot I noticed the Black Van started following us.
I shrug and think to myself hey, sometimes people are going in similar directions. But after hitting 2 different stoplights and make a left turn, *they're still following us.* I'm semi-freaking out and my buddy noticed and I remember a trick which was to keep making left turns to see if the person behind you is actually following you. I did three left turns **AND THEY'RE STILL FOLLOWING US.**
At this point I'm legitimately going "NOPE" and begin driving towards a police station on campus. However, the Black Van knew that we knew, and sped off to God knows who the hell knows where. I'm just relieved it's over. My friend was convinced we were gonna get mugged or much worse. We get back to the campus parking lot, we can see our dorm. There is a single light in our parking lot that's about 50 feet away from the door we're heading to. We can see hope, we're almost home.
And as we cross from the pavement of the parking lot to the grass, out of the BUSHES some random white dude in a hoodie comes out like he's reverse Simpson. This guy looks like he had been tweaking, I could see the crazy in his eyes. He just walks up and he goes "heeeeeeeyyyy guys, you got a phone I could use???" and instantly I say "oh sorry man, I don't have my phone on me." But my friend? Right as he was going to say something, his PHONE JUST HAS TO GO OFF RIGHT THEN. He just closes his eyes and lets out the loudest (but also silent) sigh I've seen in my life. Him and I are both thinking the same thing: this guy is gonna stab us if we don't get along with him.
My bud reaches into his pocket and begins to hand over the phone when suddenly, red and blue sirens flash behind us. Our heads all collectively dart over and we see a police officer get out of his car. Now at this point I don't know how to read this situation. Are we saved? Is a gun about to be pulled out? Am I just done? The officer speaks up and says "How's everyone doing tonight?"
Me and my bud just awkwardly smile and say "oh we're just trying to go back into the dorm." The officer targets on the Bush Man™ and says "Hey I'd like to chat with you real quick. We got a report about a robbery and it matched your description so we just wanna talk." The man pauses then goes "but I need to make a phone call" and he just sort of wiggles my bud's phone lightly in the air. The officer says "don't worry I got a phone you can use after, why don't you go ahead and hand that back."
I'm holding my breath. My bud is just frozen, and Bushy Boy is just standing there, menacingly. Finally, he just nods and gives the phone back. We say good night and power walk to the dorm door. We get in, close the door, get the hell away from the windows and then lose our minds. We're laughing either out of joy or of madness. I tell buddy I am never driving him after midnight again, he owes me food after this.
Back in my junior year of college, I think it was about a week before school started back up. My friend was a Residential Advisor (RA) and he realized he forgot to make a bunch of posters that needed to go up tomorrow. It was midnight, and he didn't have a car but I did. So, we go to the local Walmart and it's exactly what you envisioned a Walmart at midnight back in 2012-ish. Random people stalking the aisles, the ones you did spot had hoodies on like they didn't want you knowing about their late night ice cream sandwich cravings.
We get to the arts and crafts area of the store and just picking random stuff out. Suddenly a random lady pokes her head into the aisle we're in and is staring at us *hard*. She looked like skin and bones and wrinkles across her face. She suddenly says "Excuse me!" and I'm thinking "oh boy," and she asks about some of the products. I say "sorry we don't work here so we don't really know," and she just goes "oh" and keeps staring at us. At this point we just decide what we grabbed is enough.
We get to the checkout line (before the time of self-checkout) and this same lady is **right** behind us. I'm just going "uhhhhh" but try to avoid eye contact. We check out and leave and me and my bud are joking about it saying "guess that's the Walmart After Dark™ experience." While we're in the parking lot I notice this large black van with no windows parked oddly and it's on and running. I elbow my bud again and laugh and say "watch out, they're gonna kidnap ya" and we're laughing about it. But we hop into my trusty Honda Accord and off we zoot along. But as I'm leaving the parking lot I noticed the Black Van started following us.
I shrug and think to myself hey, sometimes people are going in similar directions. But after hitting 2 different stoplights and make a left turn, *they're still following us.* I'm semi-freaking out and my buddy noticed and I remember a trick which was to keep making left turns to see if the person behind you is actually following you. I did three left turns **AND THEY'RE STILL FOLLOWING US.**
At this point I'm legitimately going "NOPE" and begin driving towards a police station on campus. However, the Black Van knew that we knew, and sped off to God knows who the hell knows where. I'm just relieved it's over. My friend was convinced we were gonna get mugged or much worse. We get back to the campus parking lot, we can see our dorm. There is a single light in our parking lot that's about 50 feet away from the door we're heading to. We can see hope, we're almost home.
And as we cross from the pavement of the parking lot to the grass, out of the BUSHES some random white dude in a hoodie comes out like he's reverse Simpson. This guy looks like he had been tweaking, I could see the crazy in his eyes. He just walks up and he goes "heeeeeeeyyyy guys, you got a phone I could use???" and instantly I say "oh sorry man, I don't have my phone on me." But my friend? Right as he was going to say something, his PHONE JUST HAS TO GO OFF RIGHT THEN. He just closes his eyes and lets out the loudest (but also silent) sigh I've seen in my life. Him and I are both thinking the same thing: this guy is gonna stab us if we don't get along with him.
My bud reaches into his pocket and begins to hand over the phone when suddenly, red and blue sirens flash behind us. Our heads all collectively dart over and we see a police officer get out of his car. Now at this point I don't know how to read this situation. Are we saved? Is a gun about to be pulled out? Am I just done? The officer speaks up and says "How's everyone doing tonight?"
Me and my bud just awkwardly smile and say "oh we're just trying to go back into the dorm." The officer targets on the Bush Man™ and says "Hey I'd like to chat with you real quick. We got a report about a robbery and it matched your description so we just wanna talk." The man pauses then goes "but I need to make a phone call" and he just sort of wiggles my bud's phone lightly in the air. The officer says "don't worry I got a phone you can use after, why don't you go ahead and hand that back."
I'm holding my breath. My bud is just frozen, and Bushy Boy is just standing there, menacingly. Finally, he just nods and gives the phone back. We say good night and power walk to the dorm door. We get in, close the door, get the hell away from the windows and then lose our minds. We're laughing either out of joy or of madness. I tell buddy I am never driving him after midnight again, he owes me food after this.
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34points
#8
I went to New Brunswick for a week to help my mom empty out my grandfather's house after he died. I don't live near the ocean but he lived across the street and i took advantage by spending hours every day looking for seashells and i had started a small collection on the front porch.
On one of the days, we had an estate sale where 100+ people came throughout the day. An overly friendly older couple introduced themselves to me, saying that they were my grandfather's friends. They mentioned that they saw the shells on the porch and the lady mentioned that she also collects shells and i should come to her house to grab some. I awkwardly laughed and walked away. When i came back around the front of the house, they were talking to my mom's husband about how i should go with them because they live right down the street. My mother's husband immediately agreed on my behalf and i felt weird saying no at this point so i just went with them.
Turns out, their house "right down the street" was actually about 40 MINUTES AWAY by car. As soon as we hopped in the car, they quickly started asking a bunch of questions like what grade am i in, what extracurriculars do i do, am i a party girl or a studious girl, etc etc.
I had to eventually interrupt them to tell them that i was actually 20 years old and not in school... And somehow, after that, they went from super bubbly and friendly, to completely quiet for the rest of the ride. I went to their house, the lady filled a small bag with shells and they quietly (and awkwardly) dropped me back off.
SUPER weird vibes.
On one of the days, we had an estate sale where 100+ people came throughout the day. An overly friendly older couple introduced themselves to me, saying that they were my grandfather's friends. They mentioned that they saw the shells on the porch and the lady mentioned that she also collects shells and i should come to her house to grab some. I awkwardly laughed and walked away. When i came back around the front of the house, they were talking to my mom's husband about how i should go with them because they live right down the street. My mother's husband immediately agreed on my behalf and i felt weird saying no at this point so i just went with them.
Turns out, their house "right down the street" was actually about 40 MINUTES AWAY by car. As soon as we hopped in the car, they quickly started asking a bunch of questions like what grade am i in, what extracurriculars do i do, am i a party girl or a studious girl, etc etc.
I had to eventually interrupt them to tell them that i was actually 20 years old and not in school... And somehow, after that, they went from super bubbly and friendly, to completely quiet for the rest of the ride. I went to their house, the lady filled a small bag with shells and they quietly (and awkwardly) dropped me back off.
SUPER weird vibes.
33points
#9
Back when I was a kid going to school (I was either 10 or 11y), I had a creepy encounter with a man.
I usually get a short tricycle ride to school. To save some cash, you usually wait for other passengers to fill it (3-4 people), otherwise you pay a higher fare. I was the first passenger to ride this one trike and was waiting for other people to fill in.
A few minutes in, a man comes in and asks the driver to go. I don't know what was going on my mind that time but I remember being uncomfortable with this man so I got out of the trike and decided to just walk the distance (it wasn't that long of a ride).
The creepy part of this is when the man also got off the trike and decided to walk in the same direction. It was unnerving and hoping that he wasn't following me. Why would he tell the driver to go without waiting for other passengers, and then also get off when I decided to not take the trike.
What happened afterwards is a blur though. I believe some tricycle drivers noticed that I was being followed, or maybe the driver found it weird and kept an eye on me. After walking for not even a minute, a trike pulled over near me and asked me if I knew the man who was following me and promptly told him no. He asked me to get on and drove to the school without asking me to pay. While this was happening, I saw the man being told off by the other trike drivers and overhearing that they want to take him to the authorities.
And that is how I avoided either a trafficker or a predator when I was a kid.
I usually get a short tricycle ride to school. To save some cash, you usually wait for other passengers to fill it (3-4 people), otherwise you pay a higher fare. I was the first passenger to ride this one trike and was waiting for other people to fill in.
A few minutes in, a man comes in and asks the driver to go. I don't know what was going on my mind that time but I remember being uncomfortable with this man so I got out of the trike and decided to just walk the distance (it wasn't that long of a ride).
The creepy part of this is when the man also got off the trike and decided to walk in the same direction. It was unnerving and hoping that he wasn't following me. Why would he tell the driver to go without waiting for other passengers, and then also get off when I decided to not take the trike.
What happened afterwards is a blur though. I believe some tricycle drivers noticed that I was being followed, or maybe the driver found it weird and kept an eye on me. After walking for not even a minute, a trike pulled over near me and asked me if I knew the man who was following me and promptly told him no. He asked me to get on and drove to the school without asking me to pay. While this was happening, I saw the man being told off by the other trike drivers and overhearing that they want to take him to the authorities.
And that is how I avoided either a trafficker or a predator when I was a kid.
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31points
Naturally, most people don’t want to talk about the times they made a fool of themselves, it feels safer to keep it buried. But here’s the thing: learning how to bounce back from embarrassment is a real-life superpower. These moments don’t define us, but how we handle them definitely can. And trust us, you're not alone. Sharing those cringey stories might even help you laugh at them, eventually.
#10
After my husband died of bone cancer at 50 I had a day of grieving that was so severe I went to bed crying. When I tried to get up, I found to my horror I could not walk. I had to pee so bad but I seriously COULD NOT walk. I ended up getting the trash can and peeing in it.
It scared me so much. Before I had always thought I was quite stoic and psychosomatic stuff was baloney.
I went back to sleep and woke up hours later and could walk. And of course there was pee in the trash can -yuck .
I researched it and found it’s not that uncommon in grieving to suffer physically in a way that mirrors the ailments of the person that died. For the next year I slept with crutches under the bed just in case it happened again.
Interestingly - after my mom died of Alzheimer’s - my father had days of being very forgetful and confused that resolved in time.
It scared me so much. Before I had always thought I was quite stoic and psychosomatic stuff was baloney.
I went back to sleep and woke up hours later and could walk. And of course there was pee in the trash can -yuck .
I researched it and found it’s not that uncommon in grieving to suffer physically in a way that mirrors the ailments of the person that died. For the next year I slept with crutches under the bed just in case it happened again.
Interestingly - after my mom died of Alzheimer’s - my father had days of being very forgetful and confused that resolved in time.
29points
#11
I was 21 and was walking from one work building to the other. It was maybe like a 5 min walk. It was about 10PM. A silver minivan with stuffed animals lining the windshield pulled up, rolled down the window, slowly following next to me, and asked if I needed a ride.
Me being 21 and annoyed already with my job just answered “Nope”. He kept asking question after question and I ignored every single one.
Finally he asked my name. I stopped walking, he stopped, and I just stared at him. Literally just stared at him for like 2 solid minutes. Then took out my phone and snapped a picture of him with flash. So it purposely wasn’t discrete.
He drove off.
A week later the same thing happened to another female coworker. She told him to F off and called the cops. I gave them the pic I had taken, not sure if anything ever came of it.
Later we all found out there was a string of assaults happening between the buildings so all employees were told to not walk that path anymore. Never found out if it was that guy, but the ick it gave me was indescribable.
Me being 21 and annoyed already with my job just answered “Nope”. He kept asking question after question and I ignored every single one.
Finally he asked my name. I stopped walking, he stopped, and I just stared at him. Literally just stared at him for like 2 solid minutes. Then took out my phone and snapped a picture of him with flash. So it purposely wasn’t discrete.
He drove off.
A week later the same thing happened to another female coworker. She told him to F off and called the cops. I gave them the pic I had taken, not sure if anything ever came of it.
Later we all found out there was a string of assaults happening between the buildings so all employees were told to not walk that path anymore. Never found out if it was that guy, but the ick it gave me was indescribable.
27points
#12
My then boyfriend and I had just moved to Vegas together for his new job, we were both 21 and had never lived outside of California. Well we were staying at an extended stay behind the strip while we looked for a place to rent. I needed headphones so I walked down the street to the store by myself to get some. I leave the store and on a little street that turned onto the main road I was walking on, a huge dude in a blacked out caddi pulled up, rolled his window down, and asked if I needed a ride somewhere. I just looked at him and said no thanks I’m good and put my headphones on. I kept walking and about a block later, I see him again. He rolls his windows down again. I see his massive watch and all his rings, I see his back seat is so dark from the tint, wearing a really nice button up shirt, but his smile was slimy. He again asked if I needed a ride, and I just tried to be polite and said. No thank you I’m just right here and kept walking. He just said “whatever girl your loss” and drove away. I was so naive. Looking back, I know for a fact he was a pimp and he would have trafficked me or something wild like that and I just got lucky.
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24points
The first step? Understand that the moment is over. It happened, and no amount of obsessing can undo it. Remind yourself: it’s in the past. Embarrassment often clings because we replay it in our heads like a bad movie. So stop the re-run. Bring your focus back to the present. Ground yourself in what’s happening now, not what happened five minutes (or five years) ago.
#13
Not the creepiest but something I’ve never had the opportunity to talk about that seems more and more strange as I get older.
When I was a teen I used to ride a bus to go visit my dad because neither of my parents drove. The ride was from a Northern California town to San Francisco (about 1.5-2 hour ride depending on traffic), where I would meet up with my dad and hop on a train to San Jose.
Well I’m on the bus one day and it’s pretty packed so unfortunately a stranger had to sit beside me. He was a man in his late 40s, early 50s. I’m from a small town and I’ve been raised to smile at everyone I encounter and I have a warm smile. So I assume I looked super friendly to this dude. He began talking to me, telling me that he was on his way home to his wife. He talked about how he loved when she cooked him dinner, and that sometimes he brought people he met home to have dinner with them and she loved it. It was her favorite thing. He talked about this in a circle over and over for the 45 minutes that he sat next to me. The bus driver eventually says loudly “you. Come here right now! Sit in this seat next to me.”
He then proceeds to scold me for talking to people and asks me how old I am. I tell him and he gets more enraged and tells me he will kick me off the bus if I keep talking to people.
I sat awkwardly right there in that seat in silence for the remainder of the ride. I didn’t see where the man got off. I remember feeling so confused about everything. Why was that man so talkative? How could his wife be so excited for him to bring home random strangers from his bus rides (not to mention a 14 year old girl!!) Why was the bus driver so mean? Did he not care what happened to me if he dropped me in the middle of nowhere in the dark?
As an adult I now have way more sinister questions about that encounter….
When I was a teen I used to ride a bus to go visit my dad because neither of my parents drove. The ride was from a Northern California town to San Francisco (about 1.5-2 hour ride depending on traffic), where I would meet up with my dad and hop on a train to San Jose.
Well I’m on the bus one day and it’s pretty packed so unfortunately a stranger had to sit beside me. He was a man in his late 40s, early 50s. I’m from a small town and I’ve been raised to smile at everyone I encounter and I have a warm smile. So I assume I looked super friendly to this dude. He began talking to me, telling me that he was on his way home to his wife. He talked about how he loved when she cooked him dinner, and that sometimes he brought people he met home to have dinner with them and she loved it. It was her favorite thing. He talked about this in a circle over and over for the 45 minutes that he sat next to me. The bus driver eventually says loudly “you. Come here right now! Sit in this seat next to me.”
He then proceeds to scold me for talking to people and asks me how old I am. I tell him and he gets more enraged and tells me he will kick me off the bus if I keep talking to people.
I sat awkwardly right there in that seat in silence for the remainder of the ride. I didn’t see where the man got off. I remember feeling so confused about everything. Why was that man so talkative? How could his wife be so excited for him to bring home random strangers from his bus rides (not to mention a 14 year old girl!!) Why was the bus driver so mean? Did he not care what happened to me if he dropped me in the middle of nowhere in the dark?
As an adult I now have way more sinister questions about that encounter….
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23points
#14
I could see my house from my elementary school's soccer field. One time during recess, I thought I could see my mom in her bedroom window and I was waving at her. It didn't quite look like her but who else could it possibly be? I thought it was strange that she was home because both my parents were usually at work when my siblings and I were in school.
When I got home from school, I told my mom I tried to wave at her during recess but she said she got home just a few minutes before my siblings and I did. I just said "oh never mind, I'm just kidding." But the more I think about it......there was some lady in my parent's bedroom window that was strangely opening and closing the curtains for several minutes.
When I got home from school, I told my mom I tried to wave at her during recess but she said she got home just a few minutes before my siblings and I did. I just said "oh never mind, I'm just kidding." But the more I think about it......there was some lady in my parent's bedroom window that was strangely opening and closing the curtains for several minutes.
21points
#15
When I was a teenager I went home late at night, and it seemed that someone is behind. As I was trying to unlock the door as fast as possible I turn around and behind me there was a fat old men, naked from the waist down, jumping up and down.
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20points
Next, be kind to yourself. Seriously, would you berate your friend if they tripped in public? Probably not. So why are you doing it to yourself? Try to replace harsh self-talk with a little compassion. You're human, and humans make mistakes. Remind yourself of that simple truth the next time you're mentally facepalming at something you did.
#16
I've told this story on here a couple times but I kept this to myself for a long time. When I was a teenager, I was doing some sightseeing in Paris and heading back to my hostel via the Metro. I was followed by two men who tried to engage me in conversation, and took a photo of me. When I got off at the transfer station, one of the men followed me, grabbed me from behind, and started kissing me.
I FROZE. He started leading me onto a train and I followed, gently complying, then when the doors were about to close I broke free, bolted out the door and back onto the platform. Looking back, it is pretty clear to me and terrifying to me how close I was to being kidnapped, likely by human traffickers.
I FROZE. He started leading me onto a train and I followed, gently complying, then when the doors were about to close I broke free, bolted out the door and back onto the platform. Looking back, it is pretty clear to me and terrifying to me how close I was to being kidnapped, likely by human traffickers.
20points
#17
In 2018, my family called the maintenance worker to our house to inspect a leaking washing machine. I was 12 at that time, and I was naive when it comes to fully trusting everyone we let into our house. The maintenance man was doing a good job throughout, found the problem, and fixed it promptly without complicating anything. I went back to the living room to finish my homework, only to realize I left a textbook in my bedroom. It was then I heard the noise of cabinets opening and closing from my bedroom, and it was already after he was paid for his work. When I opened my bedroom door, I caught the man sniffing my tights. I did not know what to do as I was in shock and disgust, but calmly told him to leave. The guy was so embarrassed he left behind his toolbox. My mom was home at the time and in the kitchen preparing dinner, and I did not want to tell on him knowing she will freak out. The guy got his tools back, from which my parents believed, to this day, was a result of him being in a hurry.
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20points
#18
Shortly after I left school I got a job working night shifts at a cinema in the city and I remember I was on the bus going home, the only other person on the bus was this man somewhere in his 40s-50s started talking to me (I was 16 at the time.) and he kept asking me about what I was up to and what I had been doing during the day, I lied saying I was a waiter working for a local restaurant and he then asked if I had just left school which I foolishly said yes, he then said “you seem quite agitated, I’m only trying to be friendly” and by this point I was becoming quite paranoid and after he started smoking on the bus I decided to get off the bus despite being 6 stops away from my house and walked the rest back home.
19points
Humor is another great tool. It may sound impossible in the moment, but finding the funny in a situation can totally shift your perspective. Laughed so hard you snorted in a meeting? Classic. Tripped in front of your crush? It’s practically a movie scene. If nothing else, it makes for a good story later, and hey, everyone loves a good story.
#19
It happened in my first apartment, I barely left the place other than getting groceries and the occasional doctors appointment. I did commission work online, so I didn't go out for work and wasn't very social.
Got re-connected with some old friends online, and decided to have an overnight visit a couple towns over - it was only an hour and a half away but I didn't like the highway at night so it was better to stay until morning. Packed an overnight bag, locked up, and left.
My friends dropped me off early the next morning, around 7:30am. I go up the stairs, get to my door, and see that my doorknob is on my mat and it's kind of mangled - and an entirely new doorknob is on my door. I try my key, doesn't work. I start to panic.
I'm picking up the pieces of the broken doorknob, and there's what looks like a note. It's a crudely drawn map of the front of the apartment, with a line from my door down the stairs to the parking lot. Then there are three circles, with one circle drawn around in a loop. I go downstairs, and where the circles are are my neighbours potted plants.
I'm confused for a moment, look around to see if there's anyone near, and tip up the planter. Under it is a key. I take the key, and go back up to my door with the new lock. It unlocks my door.
My place is trashed. All of my closet doors, kitchen cupboards, drawers, everything is open - and my things emptied onto the ground. All the cutlery is on the floor, but plates and bowls are stacked on the counters. All my hung up clothes are on the floor.
Drawers full of old paperwork and appliance manuals are scattered in the hall. It's a mess. I assume I was robbed and start to panic, but my PC and PS3 are accounted for. Those was the only pricey things I really had. I check for my birth certificate, it's on the floor but accounted for.
Nothing obvious is stolen, bathroom was untouched. Nothing taken from the fridge, but I was paranoid and poured out the milk in my haze of disbelief and confusion. I call up my landlord and he drives down to assess any damages.
He claims that he has no idea what happened, but that we have to change the locks again. I stay back and clean up the mess, and he returns with a new doorknob + deadbolt and two new keys plus copies for himself. He claims that he and I are the only other people who had the first key, and I confirm that I didn't have an extra copy nor did I give anyone else a copy.
It was just bizarre. And also weird that it was the only day I had left overnight, and the only people who knew were my friends who I was with the whole time and who drove me out of town and back.
Nothing was stolen though, and even though they broke the lock they made a map to the key of the k**b it was replaced with. It looked like it was removed with violence - it must have been loud. My neighbours claim to have seen and heard nothing.
Even though the landlord got new NEW locks, I still moved out pretty quick after that. I have no idea who did it, why they replaced the lock and drew a map to the key, and why they didn't steal anything - not to mention that nobody witnessed it happening.
That was a very paranoid couple of months afterwards. When I was home, I would lodge a kitchen chair under the new k**b "just in case" and I began compulsively checking that it was locked throughout the day. It wasn't healthy.
Got re-connected with some old friends online, and decided to have an overnight visit a couple towns over - it was only an hour and a half away but I didn't like the highway at night so it was better to stay until morning. Packed an overnight bag, locked up, and left.
My friends dropped me off early the next morning, around 7:30am. I go up the stairs, get to my door, and see that my doorknob is on my mat and it's kind of mangled - and an entirely new doorknob is on my door. I try my key, doesn't work. I start to panic.
I'm picking up the pieces of the broken doorknob, and there's what looks like a note. It's a crudely drawn map of the front of the apartment, with a line from my door down the stairs to the parking lot. Then there are three circles, with one circle drawn around in a loop. I go downstairs, and where the circles are are my neighbours potted plants.
I'm confused for a moment, look around to see if there's anyone near, and tip up the planter. Under it is a key. I take the key, and go back up to my door with the new lock. It unlocks my door.
My place is trashed. All of my closet doors, kitchen cupboards, drawers, everything is open - and my things emptied onto the ground. All the cutlery is on the floor, but plates and bowls are stacked on the counters. All my hung up clothes are on the floor.
Drawers full of old paperwork and appliance manuals are scattered in the hall. It's a mess. I assume I was robbed and start to panic, but my PC and PS3 are accounted for. Those was the only pricey things I really had. I check for my birth certificate, it's on the floor but accounted for.
Nothing obvious is stolen, bathroom was untouched. Nothing taken from the fridge, but I was paranoid and poured out the milk in my haze of disbelief and confusion. I call up my landlord and he drives down to assess any damages.
He claims that he has no idea what happened, but that we have to change the locks again. I stay back and clean up the mess, and he returns with a new doorknob + deadbolt and two new keys plus copies for himself. He claims that he and I are the only other people who had the first key, and I confirm that I didn't have an extra copy nor did I give anyone else a copy.
It was just bizarre. And also weird that it was the only day I had left overnight, and the only people who knew were my friends who I was with the whole time and who drove me out of town and back.
Nothing was stolen though, and even though they broke the lock they made a map to the key of the k**b it was replaced with. It looked like it was removed with violence - it must have been loud. My neighbours claim to have seen and heard nothing.
Even though the landlord got new NEW locks, I still moved out pretty quick after that. I have no idea who did it, why they replaced the lock and drew a map to the key, and why they didn't steal anything - not to mention that nobody witnessed it happening.
That was a very paranoid couple of months afterwards. When I was home, I would lodge a kitchen chair under the new k**b "just in case" and I began compulsively checking that it was locked throughout the day. It wasn't healthy.
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19points
#20
I'm not gonna be able to sleep because of some of yall.
Anyways I once had a coworker that used to ask where I would hide if there was an active pew pew person in the building. While staring me down and his pupils dilating. I would laugh and say I wouldn't tell him cause then he'd take it in case of an apocalypse. It snapped him out of that transe and he would laugh and say maybe. That happened a few times. And what I would do if held gun point etc and I would have to say "I already have been, it wouldn't be new to me" and he would get disappointed and start laughing saying how it's a joke and everyone finds that question funny.
Anyways I once had a coworker that used to ask where I would hide if there was an active pew pew person in the building. While staring me down and his pupils dilating. I would laugh and say I wouldn't tell him cause then he'd take it in case of an apocalypse. It snapped him out of that transe and he would laugh and say maybe. That happened a few times. And what I would do if held gun point etc and I would have to say "I already have been, it wouldn't be new to me" and he would get disappointed and start laughing saying how it's a joke and everyone finds that question funny.
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18points