SCARY NIGHT

THE BLACKOUT
1983

One night in summer when I was 12 years old, our cousins came to stay at our home. The adults went out for the evening leaving me in charge of the other four kids. There were 5 of us: our two cousins, my sister and me, then my brother (nicknamed Mog) was the youngest at about 7 years of age.

We mostly watched telly and played monopoly as the night passed and later, a storm rolled in. It was no particularly violent storm, but the youngest two were frightened by the thunder, wind and the sound of the house groaning. A little frightened myself, I went through the house turning on every light in every room. The entire time, I was picturing something black following and watching me, hovering just above and behind me as I walked from room to room. With my neck hairs bristling, I ran back the others in the warmly lit living room and as I sat on the floor the power went off. At that very moment, there was a bright flash of lightning by which we all saw each other, wide-eyed and pale-faced. It was a scene from a nightmare, and one of our cousins let out a soft high-pitched cry.

More lightning flashed and thunder cracked louder and louder. Occasionally the room was lit as if the morning sun streamed in, and we all saw each other in our fear. A real fear it was. Not just a childish fear of the storm and the dark, but the awful feeling I had earlier was on us all. We sat talking softly for a long time. The storm eventually calmed and the wind died down, but the house stayed dark.

Although there was still some lightning and distant rumbling, Mog decided that the break in the storm was the perfect opportunity to go to the toilet. None of us would go with him. He was terrified but bravely left the room alone. Within a few minutes we heard the toilet flush and seconds later, his bare feet slapping quickly across the kitchen floor and into the living room. He sat quietly on the carpet with us and I could hear him breathing heavily.

Another hour or so passed and the living room was suddenly lit from outside by the headlights of the family car arriving home. The grownups opened the door and came down the hall and into the kitchen where dad opened a cupboard and took matches and some candles. Soon the house was lit with dim, flickering light that threw dancing shadows up the walls and across the ceilings.

Our cousins left with their parents, my sister went to her own room, and my brother and I went to our room. As we lay in our beds falling asleep, he told me that on his way back from the toilet, there was a flash of lightning that lit up the hallway.

He described to me in great detail what he saw in that flash. The body of a little boy. Dead and propped in a sitting position against the wall.

It was gone when another flash lit up the hall.

Ouija Board Warning
Last year, smol-bean-dean went to a friend’s house for a party. Around one in the morning, the group decided to use a Ouija board. The Reddit user was the only one who believed in accounts of the paranormal so she was hesitant when her friends brought out the board. But instead of giving her friends more reasons to tease her when it came to the paranormal, she acted as if she didn’t believe in such activity.
They began asking the board questions. They started with a few normal questions, and nothing really exciting happened. Then someone asked if the spirit wanted to hurt them, and it responded with “only one.” The group started to get creeped out at this point - and rightfully so. When one friend asked the natural follow-up question, who, the board spelled out Natasha: the Reddit user’s full name. It should be noted that she doesn’t care for their full name and has everyone call her Tasha instead. Tasha then left the room while her friends continued playing but found out later that night that the group forgot to say goodbye to the board. Anyone familiar with a Ouija board knows that closing the interaction with the spirit is crucial before stopping use of the board. Needless to say, she was nervous.
After this, Tasha has no memory of the night. She only remembers getting a migraine and nosebleeds. Her friends took videos of her acting strangely, speaking with a changed voice, and a few instances of her talking in other languages. However, that night wasn’t the only time this happened. In the days following, Tasha’s parents reported the same things happening. Once again, she remembered nothing but migraines and nosebleeds.
About two weeks later, she was back to normal. Or so she thought. Tasha was suddenly hospitalized for an excruciating pain in her kidney - so bad that it almost shut down. The doctors tried everything but couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Then, on the day she were scheduled for surgery, the pain suddenly stopped. One day later, Tasha was released.
Since that incident, she has never felt like she was truly alone. Sometimes, she feels someone grabbing her hands or neck, making it difficult to breathe. Tasha has always believed in the paranormal, but this experience made it far more real for her.

Three Knocks in the Dead of Night
Something strange happened to xombabe and their grandma. One night, they stayed up late watching The Walking Dead. Their grandma had never seen the show before, so they’d spent the past few nights binging late into the night. It was about 4 am when the two turned off the television and the lights and called it a night. Their grandma went into her room, and our Reddit user went to the bathroom to brush their teeth. That was when they heard three light knocks right behind them.
Since the bathroom was connected to their grandmother’s room, they assumed it was her checking to see if they were in the bathroom. They answered but didn’t get a response. When they left the bathroom and met their grandma in the hallway, she asked what the user wanted. Confused, the writer said that they thought she was the one knocking on the bathroom door. But grandma had also heard three knocks on her door and thought it was the Reddit user.
As it turns out, they both heard the quiet, distinct knocks. They searched the house to make sure no one had broken in, double-checked the locks, and finally went to bed. Their grandma has one deceased son and one son that has been missing for almost a year now. The user believes that the knocks had something to do with the missing men - perhaps they were trying to reach out to their beloved family.

Three Knocks in the Dead of Night
Something strange happened to
xombabe and their grandma. One night, they stayed up late watching
The Walking Dead . Their grandma had never seen the show before, so they’d spent the past few nights binging late into the night. It was about 4 am when the two turned off the television and the lights and called it a night. Their grandma went into her room, and our Reddit user went to the bathroom to brush their teeth. That was when they heard three light knocks right behind them.
Since the bathroom was connected to their grandmother’s room, they assumed it was her checking to see if they were in the bathroom. They answered but didn’t get a response. When they left the bathroom and met their grandma in the hallway, she asked what the user wanted. Confused, the writer said that they thought she was the one knocking on the bathroom door. But grandma had also heard three knocks on her door and thought it was the Reddit user.
As it turns out, they both heard the quiet, distinct knocks. They searched the house to make sure no one had broken in, double-checked the locks, and finally went to bed. Their grandma has one deceased son and one son that has been missing for almost a year now. The user believes that the knocks had something to do with the missing men - perhaps they were trying to reach out to their beloved family.