Do you ever get the feeling that something’s watching you, even when no one’s there? Or maybe you’ve had a bizarre experience that just doesn’t make sense, no matter how many times you replay it in your head. Lots of folks love a good mystery, until it happens to them, leaving them unable to close their eyes at night.
These creepy occurrences tend to stick with you long after, giving you goosebumps every time you think about them. It’s true what they say - sometimes, the truth really is stranger than fiction, and we have 33 creepy stories to prove it.
These creepy occurrences tend to stick with you long after, giving you goosebumps every time you think about them. It’s true what they say - sometimes, the truth really is stranger than fiction, and we have 33 creepy stories to prove it.
#1
I was sitting at a red light, two lane road. I was in the right lane, with a big pickup truck blocking my view of the highway I was waiting to cross. My daughter, 6 months old in the car seat in the back seat.
The light turned green, and I heard a distinct female voice say “WAIT!” It wasn’t the person in the pickup, because all windows were closed.
The pickup next to me didn’t move.
Two seconds later, a semi ran the red light at high speed. Had I proceeded through the light, I would have been obliterated.
It haunts me to this day, some 40 years later.
The light turned green, and I heard a distinct female voice say “WAIT!” It wasn’t the person in the pickup, because all windows were closed.
The pickup next to me didn’t move.
Two seconds later, a semi ran the red light at high speed. Had I proceeded through the light, I would have been obliterated.
It haunts me to this day, some 40 years later.
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111points
#2
I'm a deep skeptic, but when I was a child I was doing a "12 days of Christmas" event where we would doorbell ditch neighborhoods with themed gifts. This was in northern arizona. Out at one of the neighborhoods that was at the edge of the desert, we were making a turn with me and my friends in the bed of the truck, and we saw a man crouched down at the end of a cul-de-sac, right under the street light. And I immediately assumed it was a homeless man, but I wondered why they were so far away from the city. Then I realized he was crouched *directly* under the light, and he was just a dark silhouette.
As we were driving away, he stood up, and walked in two separate directions. I swear it. One turned into two, two separate strides in incongruous directions, and there was an *ugly* dread in my gut, like deeply primal. And I turned to my friend to make sure he'd seen what I'd seen, and his face fell, and he quietly said "I have to go home. Right now."
My friend was navajo and believed he'd just seen a yee naaldlooshii (skinwalker), and to this day I wouldn't have a solid argument against it.
As we were driving away, he stood up, and walked in two separate directions. I swear it. One turned into two, two separate strides in incongruous directions, and there was an *ugly* dread in my gut, like deeply primal. And I turned to my friend to make sure he'd seen what I'd seen, and his face fell, and he quietly said "I have to go home. Right now."
My friend was navajo and believed he'd just seen a yee naaldlooshii (skinwalker), and to this day I wouldn't have a solid argument against it.
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103points
#3
Was working on the strip in Vegas in a restaurant and served a family (husband, wife, daughter). Something about the dad's goatee and mouth reminded me of my dad. I mentioned this. Long story short my dad was adopted by his dad (not biological) and he has 5 other siblings he's never met. I met my uncle without knowing he ever existed. Best thing that's ever happened to me.
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94points
Can you imagine going to bed on Friday night and waking up on Sunday morning with no memory or evidence of the missing day? It’s like you vanished for 24 hours. That’s exactly what happened to one netizen, and it still gives them chills to this day. Aliens, maybe? Whatever it may be, if that was a movie, we would love to watch it.
People are fascinated with mysteries, and luckily, there are plenty of good ones out there. Whether it’s a weird coincidence or some sort of ghost apparition, these stories tend to stick with the people who experience them for a long time.
Just like one couple can’t seem to find an explanation for the people they saw dancing on the beach, only to have them disappear in a second. Some skeptics might say that these experiences are caused by environmental factors like infrasound, or even carbon monoxide poisoning, which can lead to hallucinations. But for our couple, those beach dancers were as real as it gets.
#4
When I was in middle school, my 2.5 year old puggle, Rex, got really sick with what we later learned was Pug Encephalitis. He had been in and out of the emergency vet for a few days, as he was having seizures and not acting like himself. However, when this event happened, he was back home with us. A few days into him being sick, I had a dream that I went to visit him at the vet. In my dream, a technician brought him to the lobby to say hello to me, and then walked him into a room filled with bright white light. As soon as he was out of sight, I woke up, checked the clock, saw that it was 2:37am, and went back to sleep. When I woke up that morning, my mom was standing next to my bed, and I immediately knew Rex had passed.
I found out that he had been taken to the emergency vet again after I had gone to bed, as he started going downhill again and needed to be hospitalized overnight. A few hours later, my mom got a call that she needed to go to the hospital immediately, as he was declining quickly. He passed away shortly after she arrived, right around 2:37am. We later found out from our neighbors that their dog, who was friends with Rex, became very restless and started howling right around the time he passed, despite Rex being in a hospital miles away.
I like to think that this dream was him saying goodbye to me, and it helped me a lot with the grieving process, as I felt like I got to see him one last time before he passed. I have never had another experience that was even remotely similar, which makes it even stranger!
I found out that he had been taken to the emergency vet again after I had gone to bed, as he started going downhill again and needed to be hospitalized overnight. A few hours later, my mom got a call that she needed to go to the hospital immediately, as he was declining quickly. He passed away shortly after she arrived, right around 2:37am. We later found out from our neighbors that their dog, who was friends with Rex, became very restless and started howling right around the time he passed, despite Rex being in a hospital miles away.
I like to think that this dream was him saying goodbye to me, and it helped me a lot with the grieving process, as I felt like I got to see him one last time before he passed. I have never had another experience that was even remotely similar, which makes it even stranger!
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92points
#5
I lost an entire day. Went to bed Friday night, woke up Sunday morning. Nothing had been disturbed, my phone showed no activity, absolutely no evidence I existed the previous day. I felt absolutely fine, and it hasn't happaned again. I've spent 10 years wracking by brain over this and by this point I'm just gonna chalk it up to aliens.
91points
#6
I had a dream that I was in an Irish airport with two women. Neither I'd ever seen, but both were distinct in their own way. One was very bird like with shock blond hair, the other woman was heavy set and wore a head bandana. I remember wondering why I'd dreamed about it. In any case I wrote it down in my dream journal. We ate at an Italian restaurant that had a neon sign with a spaghetti and meatballs.
Fast forward ~5 years to me being out of school and I get sent on am emergency trip to go fix an issue at a site in Ireland. Network broken, hpux box not booting, it was fun.
Theyvsend along a couole of the woman who write some of the ERP software and needed to work with some of the staff to iron out kinks.
It was those women.. the bandana was because she'd just completed chemo for breast cancer. The other woman had shock bond hair and was 50lbs soaking wet.
We ate at that damn restaurant.. with the neon sign.
I sat there aghast eating my chicken parm.
Nothing like it has ever happened since.
Fast forward ~5 years to me being out of school and I get sent on am emergency trip to go fix an issue at a site in Ireland. Network broken, hpux box not booting, it was fun.
Theyvsend along a couole of the woman who write some of the ERP software and needed to work with some of the staff to iron out kinks.
It was those women.. the bandana was because she'd just completed chemo for breast cancer. The other woman had shock bond hair and was 50lbs soaking wet.
We ate at that damn restaurant.. with the neon sign.
I sat there aghast eating my chicken parm.
Nothing like it has ever happened since.
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91points
But why are some people so fascinated by mysteries? Well, I guess it’s just how our brains work. You see, the brain naturally looks for explanations and patterns, and when we experience something that can’t be easily categorized, it messes with our heads.
It’s the same reason true crime and paranormal documentaries are so popular these days. They give us a little thrill, and scratch that itch we have to explore the unknown while keeping us safe from it. But some of these stories go beyond curiosity, touching on deeper fears, like what happens after death, or whether we’re truly alone in the universe.
Just like one netizen started questioning reality when they got attacked by something they couldn’t see. Just imagine being sound asleep in your bed when you suddenly feel a hand over your mouth, causing you to not be able to breathe, only to discover there’s nothing actually there. Would you be able to close your eyes again?
Studies show that the belief in the supernatural increases when we are stressed. So, it’s no surprise that many of these unexplained events take place when people are in vulnerable states, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. Our minds just become more open to picking up on the unusual, especially when we’re already on edge.
#7
This was in the early '00s. My roommate and I were watching TV and having wine and snacks. She got up and went to the kitchen to get some more snacks. When she turned around, suddenly I looked around and we were having a party. There were loads of people there, and a whole fancy setup with high tables downstairs and a full bar. I was entertaining the guests and passing out snacks when suddenly everything went back to how it had been before - a regular night with my roommate and I both in sweatpants having wine and snacks in the living room while watching TV.
She looked at me and said, "Where did everybody go?"
We compared notes. We'd seen the same thing. .
She looked at me and said, "Where did everybody go?"
We compared notes. We'd seen the same thing. .
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87points
#8
When I was a child between ~4-6 years old, my sister and I played with a pair of neighborhood siblings down the street. We did this for about 2 years until they moved away. Honestly, I forgot all about them since I was so young.
Probably 12-14 years later when I was an older teenager I was home from college at a local event/fair/carnival type thing. Out of nowhere, my brain thought: "I wonder what happened to my old friends down the st. I played with as a kid." Almost as soon as I thought, I passed by a women who immediately turned around and yelled "badchad???" It had been more than a decade, and I nearly bumped into her the second she crossed my mind.
Probably 12-14 years later when I was an older teenager I was home from college at a local event/fair/carnival type thing. Out of nowhere, my brain thought: "I wonder what happened to my old friends down the st. I played with as a kid." Almost as soon as I thought, I passed by a women who immediately turned around and yelled "badchad???" It had been more than a decade, and I nearly bumped into her the second she crossed my mind.
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74points
#9
Guess I wrote this on Reddit before:
Was out for dinner with my best friend and her boyfriend. Out of nowhere I got heavy problems with breathing, fast heartbeat, cold sweat and so on, so they brought me to the hospital. The doctors didn't find anything, and after about 1 1/2 hours the symptoms went away as abruptely as they had started.
Didn't think about it anymore, until two days later my uncle found my mother, who was obviously choked to death on her dinner - she lived alone and we all thought she had a lot of Work, because she didn't answer the phone for some days. He decided to look after her when she didn't show up to his invitation for new years eve.
Because it was no "Natural Death" (don't know If this is the right term in english. It means that there COULD have been other people involved), a coroner had to examine her. He limited the death-time to "two days ago, somewhere between 7 and 11 p.m."
Well, i think you can guess which was the time span I went to the hospital with symptoms that are quite similar to the ones she must have had.
Was out for dinner with my best friend and her boyfriend. Out of nowhere I got heavy problems with breathing, fast heartbeat, cold sweat and so on, so they brought me to the hospital. The doctors didn't find anything, and after about 1 1/2 hours the symptoms went away as abruptely as they had started.
Didn't think about it anymore, until two days later my uncle found my mother, who was obviously choked to death on her dinner - she lived alone and we all thought she had a lot of Work, because she didn't answer the phone for some days. He decided to look after her when she didn't show up to his invitation for new years eve.
Because it was no "Natural Death" (don't know If this is the right term in english. It means that there COULD have been other people involved), a coroner had to examine her. He limited the death-time to "two days ago, somewhere between 7 and 11 p.m."
Well, i think you can guess which was the time span I went to the hospital with symptoms that are quite similar to the ones she must have had.
68points
One common theme among these bizarre stories is the presence of some sort of shadowy or ghostly figure. Can you imagine seeing someone looking at you while you’re chilling at home only to find out there’s actually nobody in the house with you? That’s exactly what one Redditor experienced on a regular night at home. I don’t know about you, but to us, that sounds like a horror movie in real life.
According to research, about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, and many of them say they have encountered one themselves. While science may be pointing fingers to the brain misinterpreting shadows in low light, for those who’ve had these experiences, there’s no doubt in their minds that what they saw was real. Just ask our netizen – we’re sure they double-checked their locks that night, after seeing that shadow watching them.
Then there are those bizarre experiences that seem a bit strange to be just coincidences. For example, one Redditor had a dream about an airport encounter with two women—one with blonde hair and another in a bandana. But that dream turned into a real-life meeting with those exact women in Ireland years later.
#10
You know how you can identify people you've lived with for years by their footsteps?
Well, my dad had Parkinson's for over 20 years. Parkinson's affects your ability to walk, and thus causes a shuffling when trying to initiate movement, like what happens in the [beginning of this vid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYMTOz9Rw3Y). Unfortunately, my dad was a very stubborn individual, so he never listened to how the doctors told him to properly walk. What he would do is try to initiate walking (without any walker), which would always be a rapid shuffle, lose balance, and then fall on his knees with a bang. He would then get up, start shuffling again, fall on his knees with a thud, and repeat until he finally started walking. As you can imagine, his knees were in terrible condition, and were swollen to the size of bowling balls. I heard this series of shuffling and thuds every day for my entire life.
Well, he unfortunately passed away in 2015 due to complications from surgery.
A month after his passing, I was upstairs in my room, browsing my computer.
And that's when I heard that same series of shuffling and thuds I had heard *so* many times before, coming from downstairs. It went on for a couple of seconds, and stopped.
I was home alone, and nearly s**t myself. I went downstairs, and saw no one there.
Well, my dad had Parkinson's for over 20 years. Parkinson's affects your ability to walk, and thus causes a shuffling when trying to initiate movement, like what happens in the [beginning of this vid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYMTOz9Rw3Y). Unfortunately, my dad was a very stubborn individual, so he never listened to how the doctors told him to properly walk. What he would do is try to initiate walking (without any walker), which would always be a rapid shuffle, lose balance, and then fall on his knees with a bang. He would then get up, start shuffling again, fall on his knees with a thud, and repeat until he finally started walking. As you can imagine, his knees were in terrible condition, and were swollen to the size of bowling balls. I heard this series of shuffling and thuds every day for my entire life.
Well, he unfortunately passed away in 2015 due to complications from surgery.
A month after his passing, I was upstairs in my room, browsing my computer.
And that's when I heard that same series of shuffling and thuds I had heard *so* many times before, coming from downstairs. It went on for a couple of seconds, and stopped.
I was home alone, and nearly s**t myself. I went downstairs, and saw no one there.
64points
#11
I think I posted this story before, but when I was in high school, my sister and I were in the kitchen together. I was planning to make a cake so I got three eggs out of the fridge and placed them on the counter. I turned away from the eggs to talk to my sister. We both heard the distinct sound of the eggs rolling off the counter and splatting on the floor. We whipped our heads around at the same time, but the eggs were just sitting there, back on the counter. Only supernatural thing I've ever experienced. So minor, but so odd.
64points
#12
I work security. A lot of times controlling gate access, a lot of times at night.
Now, for those of you not in the know, generally if you're doing gate access you're in a small concrete shack, with windows everywhere so you can see what's going on around you.
One night I'm at a warehouse out in the boonies. All the warehouse workers were gone for the night. I'm the only person around for miles. I'm kicking back, chilling and just watching movies.
I glance up, and in the reflection on the glass, I see someone walking by behind my shack.
I spin around and look outside. I don't see anyone. Look out of all of the windows. Get up and go outside and look around. Pull up footage; nothing and no one anywhere.
Talked to other guards who had worked night shift at that site. Everyone had experienced it at one point or another.
I kept working that site for 2 years, doing a lot of night shifts. That phantom would show up in reflections every now and then at night.
It led to our unofficial night shift motto: *If you see something strange; no you didn't.*.
Now, for those of you not in the know, generally if you're doing gate access you're in a small concrete shack, with windows everywhere so you can see what's going on around you.
One night I'm at a warehouse out in the boonies. All the warehouse workers were gone for the night. I'm the only person around for miles. I'm kicking back, chilling and just watching movies.
I glance up, and in the reflection on the glass, I see someone walking by behind my shack.
I spin around and look outside. I don't see anyone. Look out of all of the windows. Get up and go outside and look around. Pull up footage; nothing and no one anywhere.
Talked to other guards who had worked night shift at that site. Everyone had experienced it at one point or another.
I kept working that site for 2 years, doing a lot of night shifts. That phantom would show up in reflections every now and then at night.
It led to our unofficial night shift motto: *If you see something strange; no you didn't.*.
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63points
#13
Many years ago me and my mum and dad were quietly watching TV in the lounge when an almighty crashing sound came from the kitchen.
Dashing out there, we fully expected to be running up the road after the yob who'd bricked our kitchen window.
But the window was intact and no heavy pan had slid off the cooker or fallen off shelves or hooks.
Everything looked exactly as it should.
Until, that is, we opened one particular cupboard containing various piles of plates, etc.
In one stack several plates, all positioned quite randomly in the pile, were found to be smashed to pieces as surely as if hit with a hammer whilst the rest of the plates were completely undamaged.
Mum sobbed quietly to herself as she explained that the broken plates had all been brought back from her mum's home - my nan's - following her death some years previous.
The incident had happened on nan's birrhday.
Dashing out there, we fully expected to be running up the road after the yob who'd bricked our kitchen window.
But the window was intact and no heavy pan had slid off the cooker or fallen off shelves or hooks.
Everything looked exactly as it should.
Until, that is, we opened one particular cupboard containing various piles of plates, etc.
In one stack several plates, all positioned quite randomly in the pile, were found to be smashed to pieces as surely as if hit with a hammer whilst the rest of the plates were completely undamaged.
Mum sobbed quietly to herself as she explained that the broken plates had all been brought back from her mum's home - my nan's - following her death some years previous.
The incident had happened on nan's birrhday.
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60points
#14
Years ago, my wife and I were staying at a hotel on the coast with a beachfront view. Very late into the night, maybe sometime between 2 and 4 am, we were both on the porch looking out at the ocean. Something strange started to move along the beach. It was hard to see at first, because it was vague and transparent, but after a minute or two it became the unmistakable image of two people dancing together.
Except, the image would disperse like a cloud of blue, luminous, swirling vapor suspended in the air, and then coalesce again into the dancing human forms. It did this multiple times as it traveled across the beach, we both saw it and remarked on it while it was happening. It was a clear night and we were both stone-cold sober. We stared in awe at this *thing* for a solid five minutes or so, before it eventually dispersed without reappearing.
To this day we have no idea if it was purely an optical illusion, actual people paired with some atmospheric effect, or something beyond either of those explanations.
Except, the image would disperse like a cloud of blue, luminous, swirling vapor suspended in the air, and then coalesce again into the dancing human forms. It did this multiple times as it traveled across the beach, we both saw it and remarked on it while it was happening. It was a clear night and we were both stone-cold sober. We stared in awe at this *thing* for a solid five minutes or so, before it eventually dispersed without reappearing.
To this day we have no idea if it was purely an optical illusion, actual people paired with some atmospheric effect, or something beyond either of those explanations.
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60points
#15
I was really sick and had a team of doctors to resolve a serious health issue. It was awful hearing worst case scenarios to the point my parents didn’t go with me because they spent most of the time getting consoled by me.
One day after being offered a hospital Chaplin counseling, which I declined… I felt the warmest feeling come over my entire body. Not hot or uncomfortable, it was comforting like a warm blanket and a voice in my head saying I would be okay. I urge to cry was so great that I had to hold my chest and close my eyes. I’m was the most comforting peaceful thing ever.
I ended up with the least ‘bad’ diagnosis and recovered after a couple years.
One day after being offered a hospital Chaplin counseling, which I declined… I felt the warmest feeling come over my entire body. Not hot or uncomfortable, it was comforting like a warm blanket and a voice in my head saying I would be okay. I urge to cry was so great that I had to hold my chest and close my eyes. I’m was the most comforting peaceful thing ever.
I ended up with the least ‘bad’ diagnosis and recovered after a couple years.
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53points
Then there are those cases where people hear or sense things that defy logic, like phantom footsteps or strange voices. Just like one netizen heard their late dad’s familiar footsteps, even though they were home alone. It was the same sound they had heard daily when he was alive. If that’s not enough to make you believe in the afterlife, I don’t know what is.
Paranormal researchers often attribute this to residual energy left behind in certain locations—an idea that’s been popularized by ghost-hunting shows and documentaries. Whatever it may be, it doesn’t make it any less freaky.
#16
I was raised in Texas, not far from Louisiana. Playing with my younger sister and cousin in my grandmother's driveway, I was around eleven years old. The driveway, which could accommodate two cars, was crossed by a "bird" (or something similar) and its shadow stretched several feet on either side in addition to the driveway's whole width. My grandma started yelling at me to go get the babies. Each of us grabbed a kid and hurried inside. I asked her what was wrong because she was shaking and looking pale. She claimed not to know and never having seen anything. My grandma is a very practical and undramatic person. I still don't know what was flying over her driveway. I give it some thought once.
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49points
#17
Everyone was having dinner on New Years, next door neighbours included, and we were talking about lost love ones, when suddenly there was loud stomping running up the stairs. We all stopped and stared and the toddlers started crying, and my mum made me and my uncle go up to check it out. I didnt see anything but I got goosebumps and a horrible sense of dread. None of us can explain it.
Oh actually, the strangest one. I used to live next door to 2 parents and their son, similar age to me. We got on well and I was round a lot until I moved away, and we kinda lost contact. Anyway, a few years later, like 10 years later, i had a dream that i was sat in their living room, just me, the son, and the dad. we were sat there just having a nice chat, and it was a really comfortable and friendly atmosphere, such a chill vibe. Nothing even happened, we were just catching up and enjoying the moment. When i woke up i felt really emotional and i went to go on facebook with the intention of messaging the son for a catch up, when the first thing i saw was his facebook status saying that his dad passed away that night. I cant explain it, that was the only dream I ever had about that family, and it happened the same night the dad died. To me thats crazy.
Oh actually, the strangest one. I used to live next door to 2 parents and their son, similar age to me. We got on well and I was round a lot until I moved away, and we kinda lost contact. Anyway, a few years later, like 10 years later, i had a dream that i was sat in their living room, just me, the son, and the dad. we were sat there just having a nice chat, and it was a really comfortable and friendly atmosphere, such a chill vibe. Nothing even happened, we were just catching up and enjoying the moment. When i woke up i felt really emotional and i went to go on facebook with the intention of messaging the son for a catch up, when the first thing i saw was his facebook status saying that his dad passed away that night. I cant explain it, that was the only dream I ever had about that family, and it happened the same night the dad died. To me thats crazy.
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46points
#18
Maybe not as crazy as other stories but this just happened…. Wife is pregnant and we hadn’t told anyone the name of the baby. We had just decided on the name which wasn’t that common. We hadn’t told anyone.
We had a babysitter over for a date night (we have a three year old, let’s call him Tommy) and the babysitter was just making small talk and correctly guessed our unborn baby’s name somehow. She said something like “when baby Abby comes she will love to play with Tommy!” There was no way she could have known the baby’s name would be Abby. I got goosebumps! I asked her how and she said she just knows stuff sometimes. Psychic babysitter, wild.
We had a babysitter over for a date night (we have a three year old, let’s call him Tommy) and the babysitter was just making small talk and correctly guessed our unborn baby’s name somehow. She said something like “when baby Abby comes she will love to play with Tommy!” There was no way she could have known the baby’s name would be Abby. I got goosebumps! I asked her how and she said she just knows stuff sometimes. Psychic babysitter, wild.
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46points
#19
When I was a kid I would spend my weekends with my Dad and my weekdays with my Mom.
One time, I think I was like 11 or 12 I had a dream (while staying at my Dads) that my Moms house got broken into and robbed.
In my dream I vividly remember black trashbags being on the windows where they broke in.
When my Dad dropped me back off at my Moms : there was black trashbags on the windows.
(Mom locked herself out and had to break in, it wasn’t a robber but the black trashbags that I just dreamt of left me with the eeriest feeling.).
One time, I think I was like 11 or 12 I had a dream (while staying at my Dads) that my Moms house got broken into and robbed.
In my dream I vividly remember black trashbags being on the windows where they broke in.
When my Dad dropped me back off at my Moms : there was black trashbags on the windows.
(Mom locked herself out and had to break in, it wasn’t a robber but the black trashbags that I just dreamt of left me with the eeriest feeling.).
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44points
#20
My family took a brief road trip when I was seven years old to see my grandma, who was in hospice care. My sister and I noticed our grandmother seated in the rocking chair in our room when we returned home late at night. The rocker that her husband had once owned. Grandma passed away, and our mother informed us when she entered the room that we would be making the trek back the next morning.
Although my sister and I didn't talk about it for years, we are positive that grandma came by to say goodbye.
Although my sister and I didn't talk about it for years, we are positive that grandma came by to say goodbye.
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42points