Here are a few of the more eerie reader submitted stories. Enjoy!:
THE AMULET
When I was nine or ten years old, my mother and her husband bought a huge house near Anderson, Indiana. It was built in the 1870's on an area said to be sacred to the former Native Americans who had formerly lived there. It had a pool, tennis court and a small grove of trees, but it had been vacant for several years and was in need of repair.
Through research, I discovered that the house had been owned by a very old women and her husband. Previous to them, it was owned by the woman's family who had been wealthy. The woman had died in the house in the large master bedroom and her husband had died in an unknown accident. There were old servant quarters which was now an apartment and had been occupied by a man by the name of Sam. He informed us that the couple was buried in the grove because they loved it there while they were alive.
After we moved in, my mom and I would sit in the sun room. At times, we would smell the strong scent of sickening perfume. We looked all around but couldn't tell where it was coming from. A few weeks later, I began to notice more strange activity.
My room was on the end of a long hallway in which you had to cross through another room to get to. The rooms were separated by large French doors. My bed was facing towards the door so I could look into the other room. At night, I would hear heavy footsteps walking up and down the stairs and through the hallway. One night, I heard the footsteps coming in my direction from the other room and suddenly stopped. I could hear a faint and steady breathing noise. I just hide under my covers and cried myself to sleep. I told my mother but she simply told me I was imaging it, even though she later admitted that she had heard footsteps.
A year or so later, I was on summer vacation. My mother would leave me home alone sometimes so she could go and run errands. Occasionally, I witnessed black shadows out of the corner of my eye when I was watching TV in the living room, but when I would turn to look it would be gone. Once, when I was completely alone in the house, I heard something moving around upstairs. I muted the TV and heard a loud heavy thumping and then footsteps moving quickly back and forth through the hallway and the master bedroom.
Later, just before my mother and her husband divorced and we moved out, I had a few friends over. We went into the basement which had an old coal furnace and several other large rooms. My friends and I were pretty curious about the coal furnace, so we opened it up and found a bunch of old newspapers, chicken bones and a vintage amulet. It was obvious that it was made of sterling silver and had a large amethyst mounted on it. I removed it from the furnace, cleaned it up and took it to my room and laid it on my nightstand. Later, I told my mother what I had found and she said that I could keep it.
That night, I again heard footsteps coming into my room. But this time, there was distinct crying and sobbing sounds. I was terrified and covered my head with the quilt. After a few minutes, the crying stopped and I pull back the covers. Then I noticed that the amulet was gone. I looked all over, but never found the amulet.
Several years later, I was working on a school project that involved local history. My mother and I still lived in the same area though we now lived in a new smaller house. I was in the library looking through old photographs when I stumbled onto several old postmortem images. Immediately, I recognized the name of the woman who had lived in the old house previous to us who was buried in the grove. The photo was of her during the wake and around her neck was the exact amulet I had found in the furnace.
It is a mystery how the amulet got into the furnace, but I'm willing to bet it's currently around her neck.
Marcy
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THE NIGHT THEY CAME FOR ME
Hello, Mr. Strickler. I was referred to your site by my grandson after I mentioned an incident I had in 1958, when I was a young man going to college in Mont Alto, PA.
It was late evening and I was in my room sitting in a lounge chair trying to read and stay awake at the same time. I was near graduation and had a lot of things on my mind. As I sat there, I had a strange feeling like someone was watching me and I became very restless. After a few minutes I 'sensed' that something was on the other side of the closed door to my room. I still can't explain it. So I got up from the chair and went to the door, opened it a bit and looked out. There were two men dressed in black suits and black furry hats. They looked like identical twins. They were dark complexioned with Asian eyes, but they were not Asian.
As I stood there, they didn't said a word but I knew that they were 'talking' to me through my mind, saying '...are you ready?' For some unknown reason, I knew deep down what they were referring to. I was shirtless with only a pair of shorts, so I reached for a jacket, '...that will not be necessary. No one will see you.' The three of us walked out in the hallway and suddenly we were standing on a small hill behind the student hall. I noticed the headlights of a car coming down the road and ducked behind the two men. I heard them laughing at me in my mind, '....we told you no one would see you'.
I was scared and turned away for a minute wondering if I should try to run. I thought better of it, turned to say something to them and noticed that they we looking up. I followed their gaze and realized that something was suspended above us. I continued to look when an opening appeared in its center and blue-white light came tumbling out of it. I started to feel dizzy and nauseated, like when you are on a roller coaster or airplane that is dropping too fast. Then I realized we were floating up toward whatever the object was. I must have fainted because I only remember that I was lying on my side when I woke. I raised up and looked around. The entire room was empty except for the small table on which I was sitting.
The room was bathed in a soft glow but there was no apparent light source that I could see. Then I heard a female voice say, '...he's awake.' I looked around to see if I could see anyone but saw nothing. About this time on the far wall a door appeared and opened. Although the hallway was dark, there was a bluish white illumination that appeared as though something was materializing. Two shadows seemed to move across the doorway but I couldn't tell anything about the shapes.
I received a mental image of two people approaching, one carrying a tray full of some kind of surgical instruments and syringes. Then I went blank. My next memory was of being back in my room and in my chair reading. I got up and felt like I had just woke from a deep sleep. Then I noticed several items were missing including three books and a framed photo of my parents.
I have never had any affects (that I know of) from my experience though I have had a remarkable healthy life. As well, I am constantly told I look 20 years younger than my actual age.
Now, the reason I am now writing about my encounter. A few days ago, a large box arrived at my daughter's house that was addressed to me. The reason why it was sent to her address is a mystery. As well, there was no return address and it was shipped from Oakland, California (the state where I now reside). My grandson brought the package to me a day or so later. While he watched, I opened the box. It contained the three missing books and the framed photo of my parents that went missing the night of my encounter. There was also a battered shoebox that looked very familiar. When I opened the shoebox, there were a variety of small items (pens, buttons, coins, etc) that I realized I had lost at some period in my young life. That is when I revealed my past experience with my astonished grandson.
I'm still confused after receiving that package a few months ago. Who were these men and what did they want? Have you heard of a similar experience? You have my permission to copy this email. I really need some answers. Thank you so much. D.L.
The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories
National Geographic Tales of the Weird: Unbelievable True Stories
A Commonplace Book of the Weird: The Untold Stories of H.P. Lovecraft
Scary, Gross and Weird Stories from the Bible: Bloody Tent Pegs, Disembodied Fingers, and Suicidal Pigs... the Truths Buried in the Bizarre
