WHAT TERRIFIES YOU & LEAVES YOU SILENTLY PRAYING FOR MORNING?
We are still waiting on season 7 to premiere. (only 1 more month to go!) I will continue to drive the point of the producer's emphasis on "scary" this season in this article. Let's start with another mystery/scary story.
This one is more personal, even self-fueling because it's a story that was told to me as a young'n and probably has no base outside of trying to scare the bejeezus out of small children. I am pretty sure that my imagination expanded the actual story the counselor told way back when, (was it 13 years ago?) and to this day I've got a pretty concrete and evil version of his story burned into my mind, which is really unlike the actual (very short and not nearly as bloody or twisted) version told to me. Enjoy!
One morning (early early in the morning) I woke up to the strangest smell, and I couldn't see because something was hanging in the air. The light switch for my room was over my bed, so I flipped it on, but the lights didn't work. There was a light coming out of a vent over my bed, and a howling sound. That's when I saw flames erupt from the vent and I jumped out of bed. I couldn't see anywhere in the house, but I found my mother's room and called to her. I was so confused by what was going on. She woke up and started to freak out. I said "Mom, I don't understand? What's going on!?" She quickly realized and said "Wilson, the house is on fire! Wake up your brother! We have to get out!"(Minus the four-letter adjectives she threw in for flavor) I found my little brother passed out on the couch and we got him up and we all ran out the front door, and when we let that door open, the house erupted. It was crazy. I wasn't even scared, just dazed and out of it. Probably because of the smoke. Anyway, this happened around 2005... in early march, so relating it to SPN, it happened a few months before the pilot. My great grandmother Margie asked my mother repeatedly if I had mentioned hearing any voices or seeing anyone that woke me up. I don't recall seeing anything, I just remember dreaming about smoke or something, and waking up to the situation I just described. Margie has been convinced ever since that my great aunt Josephine woke me up from the other side, because that was her house. The house we lived in was the house my great grandmother and her family lived in, and their parents. It went back to the 1800's apparently. It was a small house but imbued with lots of family history and it was a tragic loss.
Rest assured that I've got more, but I'll abstain for now, because YOU are now in the hot seat.
The Dark Cabin
Let's start with some backstory: As a child, I attended camp at Camp Twin Lakes, an incredible place brimming with people who do nothing but push for each and every little kid that attends for the 1 week a year. (That is a story completely its own which you can see here!) The camp has different programs (different "Camps") every week all throughout the year that has a special focus (usually aimed at those with severe diseases), so it was a short but oh-so-sweet trip every time I got to go as a child. We were told (I think this was my 1st or 2nd year there) about how we were so lucky we got to go to Twin Lakes instead of where they used to hold camp about 15 years prior: Camp Barney. (No, not the dinosaur...I think it was established pre-pink dino-Barney)...They went on at length about how the cabins didn't have air conditioning--or even windows or actual doors! How it would be so hot all the time, and the only refreshment was to jump into the lake, which was kind've filthy, and how the food wasn't great. But the worst part was the untold problem of the lake: A dark presence that made itself known to disruptive children. (and Obviously this is 100% a story just to drive little 8-year-olds like myself to be a good little boy).
Here's where I intervene somewhat: At this point I realize that most of the visuals I have I've made up for myself. Ever since that night they told me this story, I imagined it a certain way that has yet to change, while really they just said a few things along the lines of "the top counselors had to fight him once..." and "he gets you when you're alone"...
So, this is the terrifying version I setup for myself:
Two young kids (8 years old, of course) were lagging behind the group on the way to the cafeteria. Then one of them realized he'd forgotten his name tag (which was frowned upon!) so he asked the other boy to wait on him. The boy obliged as the rest of the group walked away unwittingly to the cafeteria. The boy waited and waited until he started to worry. After about 20 minutes, he walked to the cabin and as he approached he felt a strange vibe. He called to his friend, but there was no answer.
At this time, a group of counselors had shown up when they realized the two boys were missing. One of them was the head of the operations of the camp, and he walked straight into the cabin (which had no doors or windows, remember!).
I pictured the cabin being immensely dark inside. No one outside could see into it, even in the middle of the hot, bright Georgia day. They then heard a bloodcurdling cry as well as a slamming sound. After a resounding silent moment, the man was thrown from the dark cabin out to the pathway. He had jagged tears all over his body and was bleeding out.
Two more counselors went in. Blood sprayed outwards and was carried on the wind. A few more went in and after a quiet pause, they emerged from the cabin with the terrified child in tow. However, it was a front: It never wanted that child, no-- It wanted the one that no one was paying attention to outside while they all focused on the kid in the house. So when they turned around, he was simply gone. No one ever saw him again. The only evidence of his existence was one of his shoes, later found floating nearby at the edge of the lake.
Moral of the story: Don't leave your damn name tag in the cabin, and certainly don't wait by yourself alone on the walking path because something will get you! I take credit for the twist at the end, as well as the amount of gore included. The actual story was just really a passing joke that one of the counselors told that I ended up thinking way too hard about. Sometimes that really got to me, because I found myself forgetting a name tag every once in a while, and ran like a bat out of hell to get it and keep up with my group!
Oblivion...and Snakes!?
Now, if that wasn't enough proof for you that I need to be locked up and put away for a very long time, let me tell you one more story:
When I was young (even younger than in the last story, probably aged 6-7 years), I had night terrors--Often. I remember quite a few of them actually, and they still freak me out when I think about them time-to-time. To this day, there's a couple in particular that I still can't get over.
It's difficult to explain, but let's just say that I was looking down upon myself. Except in place of myself was an amorphous object, that was shrouded in black (think of it being in a spotlight on a dark stage) and suddenly, the shape began to fall into itself. It slowly and painfully shrank and crushed itself into smaller and smaller versions of itself, until there was nothing left. I was nothing, and I was crushed into oblivion. I can't describe the feeling it left me when I woke up. I was truly horrified by what had happened.
The best part? I woke up screaming the word "snakes." I even ran to my mother's room and said "snakes" over and over again, trying to get her to comfort me, etc. Before I even went to bed I was wondering "Why did I say snakes? There were no snakes in my dream..."
The House Fire
(I posted this as a response to Jillyanne, and realized it'd be a good addition to the post itself.)
I don't know why I didn't think of this one earlier, unlike my dream or the story told to me, this is a 100% true story:
The house was gutted. The only thing left was my little brother's gameboy game; Pokemon Fire Red. (How weird is that!?) That monday, I showed up to class, and my teacher asked me "Where's your paper?" I replied "My house burned down, so there is no paper." She said "As long as you have it to me by friday, it should be fine." Priorities, people. Priorities!
Rest assured that I've got more, but I'll abstain for now, because YOU are now in the hot seat.You MUST have some stories of your own you'd be willing to share! Even if it's just a silly childhood fear you've gotten over by now! Maybe you want to share that time you were terrified of open fields because you thought a t-rex was hiding in the trees? (Yep...that's another one of mine...) Or maybe you want to post an idea you've had for a scary story? This post is meant to be a catalyst for the sharing of experiences, so get those creative juices flowing, people! Fundamentally, no one can frighten you as much as you can! In what ways has your mind tortured you with scary thoughts or bad dreams?
Maybe you were (and still are?)?completely tore apart mentally by a way-too-frightening monster in a kid's movie? Write on Supefans!
For good measure, here's a link to the first of these articles: where you can read about the menacing wog of the nodoroc, and write about your own local mythical folklore! What Would Sammy Do? He'd dig up some good stuff for huntin' on the internet! Follow suit, and learn more about your own backyard in the process!
Also, check out American Horror Story, since we're talking about things that scare us, after all.
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