Scary tales about real encounters with monsters. Monsters Scary stories about monsters in life

When the sun disappears below the horizon and darkness reigns on the earth, many of us rush to reassure ourselves: “Monsters don’t exist!” However, this statement is more like self-hypnosis. History knows many people who describe encounters with creepy creatures. Here are real stories of people that are more like scary fairy tales.

Devil Monkeys of Virginia

The American state of Virginia is not the first place on the planet that has signaled the world about a meeting with killer primates. According to Pauline Boyd, the state is simply teeming with ultra-aggressive creatures with red eyes and sharp claws. Locals call these primates devil monkeys. The silhouette of the creepy individual resembles a baboon, but the face looks more like a dog. Did these primates escape from a secret laboratory where breeding experiments were carried out? They are described as having strong legs, like a kangaroo, and a tail, which allows them to jump quickly.

One day, Pauline Boyd and her parents were driving cross-country in a car. Suddenly, a powerful, aggressive creature on its hind legs jumped out of the forest. Reminders of the meeting with the devilish monkey remained in the form of three impressive scratches on the windshield of the car. Later, the same individual attacked a convertible with two women, as a result of which the roof was torn off.

Bigfoot throwing kites

Many of us do not believe in the existence of Bigfoot. But those who have met the gloomy creature on their way know that getting close to it is dangerous. In May 2015, a woman was driving along a country road near Johns Creek, Texas. She saw an obstacle on the way and slowed down. Imagine her amazement when the “fallen tree” came to life and stood up to its full height! It was a snowman who, out of anger, threw a snake at the car. And although it was not possible to take a photograph of the stranger, the woman still kept the reptile as a reminder of that incident.

Washington Demon Cat

The US capital is said to be infested with goblins and ghouls, most of whom are politicians in human form. And although encounters with monsters are not uncommon here, one unpleasant beast especially deserves close attention. He prowls around the Congress building and doesn't care about winning elections. Stories of a ghost cat date back to the mid-19th century, when a phantom with red eyes and razor-sharp claws frightened a group of security guards. The ghost disappeared only after the shooting began.

In 1898, a security guard patrolling the halls of Congress happened to encounter an ominous black cat. Over the years, the phantom appeared in the basement of the building several more times (for example, before the stock market crash in 1929, as well as before the assassination of President Kennedy). Eyewitnesses claim that over the course of a century, the black cat grew to the size of a huge panther. When meeting him, the guards usually seemed to turn to stone, losing all ability to move.

Strange creature from the First World War

This incident took place on April 30, 1918, when a British patrol spotted a German submarine off the coast of Ireland. However, no battle took place, and the Germans surrendered suspiciously easily. The distraught captured captain Krech told the British that his team was attacked by a terrible monster with giant glowing eyes, devilish horns and an impressive arsenal of knife-like teeth. The fight with the monster forced the ship's crew to retreat into enemy waters.

Enfield Horror

On April 25, 1973, a native of Enfield (Illinois) Greg Garrett, playing in the backyard of his parents' house, was attacked by a terrible three-legged monster. According to the boy's description, he was slightly taller than him and did not look like a person or an animal. Later that day, the boy's father heard something scratching at the front door. The man took the gun and opened the door. In front of him stood a short monster on three legs. Its arms were short and ended in claws, and its body was covered with fur. The man, taken aback, fired four shots, after which he heard strange sounds that imitated the hissing of oil in a hot frying pan.

Arazariguam incident

The Brazilian town of Arasariguama can hardly be called calm. Local residents vied with each other to report seeing werewolves. On March 4, 1946, Joao Filho Prestes decided to go fishing in the Tiete River while his family was partying at the Filho carnival. Returning home, the fisherman felt a ray of light on his skin, then smelled the acrid smell of smoke. It is unclear how the poor guy managed to escape. According to eyewitnesses, the nature of the burns did not resemble the work of a fire. The clothes and hair were fine, and the arms and legs looked like boiled meat.

Wolf Spirit

It is said that when Londoner William Ramsey was 9 years old, he was possessed by an evil spirit. The demon left his body for a while and returned when our hero started a family. One day, Ramsey felt a sharp pain in his chest. That visit to Southend Hospital was remembered for a long time by a nurse, a trainee and a police officer. The evil animal was in a hurry to get out of the man’s chest. Fearing for their lives, the medical staff sent the Englishman to a psychiatric clinic. There, a man claimed to be possessed by a wolf spirit, which neither the bishop nor paranormal experts could cope with. Therefore, an experienced exorcist was called from Connecticut for a special exorcism ritual. This incident formed the basis of the horror film “The Conjuring.”

Ghost Clown

One day, nine-year-old Oscar Mendoza and his brother were watching a parade in San Felipe (Mexico) and heard an explosion. It was the car with the clowns that crashed, and now they were all dead. However, it was not a joke, as the brothers initially thought. At night, Oscar got out of bed to drink water. Turning on the light in the kitchen, the boy saw a bloody clown sitting at the kitchen table. The boy held the door as best he could and heard the sound of splitting wood. All this time the ghost whispered: “Open the door, I want to play with you.” Not all clowns like to be laughed at.

10 short but very scary bedtime stories

If you need to work at night and coffee is no longer working, read these stories. They'll cheer you up. Brrr.

Faces in portraits

One man got lost in the forest. He wandered for a long time and finally came across a hut at dusk. There was no one inside, and he decided to go to bed. But he could not fall asleep for a long time, because there were portraits of some people hanging on the walls, and it seemed to him that they were looking at him ominously. Eventually he fell asleep from exhaustion. In the morning he was awakened by bright sunlight. There were no paintings on the walls. These were windows.

Count to five

One winter, four students from a mountaineering club got lost in the mountains and got caught in a snowstorm. They managed to reach an abandoned and empty house. There was nothing in it to keep warm, and the guys realized that they would freeze if they fell asleep in this place. One of them suggested this. Everyone stands in the corner of the room. First, one runs to the other, pushes him, the latter runs to the third, etc. This way they will not fall asleep, and the movement will warm them up. Until the morning they ran along the walls, and in the morning rescuers found them. When the students later talked about their salvation, someone asked: “If there is one person in each corner, then when the fourth reaches the corner, there should be no one there. Why didn’t you stop then?” The four looked at each other in horror. No, they never stopped.

Damaged film

One girl photographer decided to spend the day and night alone, in a deep forest. She was not afraid, because this was not the first time she had gone hiking. She spent the day photographing trees and grass with a film camera, and in the evening settled down to sleep in her small tent. The night passed peacefully; horror overtook her only a few days later. All four reels produced excellent images, except for the last frame. All the photographs were of her, sleeping peacefully in her tent in the darkness of the night.

Call from the nanny

One day, a married couple decided to go to the cinema and leave the children with a babysitter. They put the children to bed, so the young woman just had to stay home just in case. Soon the girl got bored and decided to watch TV. She called her parents and asked their permission to turn on the TV. They naturally agreed, but she had one more request... she asked if it was possible to cover the statue of an angel outside the window with something, because it made her nervous. The phone went quiet for a second, and then the father who was talking to the girl said: “Take the kids and run from the house... we'll call the police. We don't have an angel statue." The police found everyone remaining at home dead. The angel statue was never discovered.

Who's there?

About five years ago, late at night, 4 short bells rang at my door. I woke up, got angry and didn’t open the door: I wasn’t expecting anyone. On the second night someone called again 4 times. I looked out the peephole, but there was no one outside the door. During the day I told this story and joked that death must have taken the wrong door. On the third evening, an acquaintance came to see me and stayed up late. The doorbell rang again, but I pretended not to notice anything to check: maybe I was hallucinating. But he heard everything perfectly and, after my story, exclaimed: “Well, let’s deal with these jokers!” and ran out into the yard. That night I saw him for the last time. No, he didn't disappear. But on the way home he was beaten by a drunken company, and he died in the hospital. The calls stopped. I remembered this story because last night I heard three short rings on the door.

Twin

My girlfriend wrote today that she didn’t know that I had such a charming brother, and even a twin! It turns out that she had just stopped by my house, not knowing that I stayed at work until night, and he met her there. He introduced himself, offered him coffee, told a few funny stories from his childhood, and escorted us to the elevator.

I don’t even know how to tell her that I don’t have a brother.

Damp fog

It was in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. The climbers set up camp near a small mountain lake. Around midnight everyone wanted to sleep. Suddenly a noise was heard from the direction of the lake: either crying or laughter. Friends (there were five of them) decided to check what was the matter. They found nothing near the shore, but saw a strange fog in which white lights glowed. The guys went to the lights. We took just a couple of steps towards the lake... And then one, who was walking last, noticed that he was standing knee-deep in icy water! He pulled the two closest to him, they came to their senses and got out of the fog. But the two who walked ahead disappeared into the fog and water. It was impossible to find them in the cold and in the dark. Early in the morning, survivors hurried after rescuers. They didn't find anyone. And by evening, the two who had just plunged into the fog also died.

Photo of a girl

One high school student was bored in class and looked out the window. On the grass he saw a photograph thrown by someone. He went out into the yard and picked up the photograph: it showed a very beautiful girl. She was wearing a dress, red shoes, and she was showing the V sign with her hand. The guy began asking everyone if they had seen this girl. But no one knew her. In the evening he put the photo near his bed, and at night he was awakened by a quiet sound, as if someone was scratching on the glass. A woman's laughter was heard in the darkness outside the window. The boy left the house and began to look for the source of the voice. He quickly moved away, and the guy did not notice how, hurrying after him, he ran out onto the roadway. He was hit by a car. The driver jumped out of the car and tried to save the downed man, but it was too late. And then the man noticed a photograph of a beautiful girl on the ground. She was wearing a dress, red shoes and was showing three fingers.

Grandma Marfa

Grandfather told this story to his granddaughter. As a child, he found himself with his brothers and sisters in a village that the Germans were approaching. The adults decided to hide the children in the forest, in the forester's house. They agreed that Baba Marfa would carry the food for them. But returning to the village was strictly forbidden. This is how the children lived through May and June. Every morning Martha left food in the barn. At first the parents also came running, but then they stopped. The children looked at Martha through the window, she turned and silently, sadly looked at them and baptized the house. One day two men approached the house and invited the children to come with them. These were partisans. From them the children learned that their village was burned a month ago. They also killed Baba Martha.

Do not open the door!

A twelve-year-old girl lived with her father. They had a great relationship. One day my father was planning to stay late at work and said that he would return late at night. The girl waited for him, waited, and finally went to bed. She had a strange dream: her father was standing on the other side of a busy highway and shouting something to her. She barely heard the words: “Don’t... open... the door.” And then the girl woke up from the bell. She jumped out of bed, ran to the door, looked through the peephole and saw her father's face. The girl was about to open the lock when she remembered the dream. And my father’s face was somehow strange. She stopped. The bell rang again.
- Dad?
Ding, ding, ding.
- Dad, answer me!
Ding, ding, ding.
- Is there anyone there with you?
Ding, ding, ding.
- Dad, why don’t you answer? - the girl almost cried.
Ding, ding, ding.
- I won’t open the door until you answer me!
The doorbell kept ringing and ringing, but the father was silent. The girl sat huddled in the corner of the hallway. This went on for about an hour, then the girl fell into oblivion. At dawn she woke up and realized that the doorbell was no longer ringing. She crept to the door and looked through the peephole again. Her father was still standing there and looking straight at her. The girl carefully opened the door and screamed. Her father's severed head was nailed to the door at peephole level.
There was a note attached to the doorbell with just two words: “Smart girl.”

Reading time: 3 min

ContentsShow

When, returning from Karelia, my friends passionately talked about monsters supposedly living in one of the forest lakes, I only smiled skeptically. I have had the opportunity to participate in the examination of such reservoirs more than once, and I have never found anything unusual in them. I am well aware that any animal (especially a large one) living in a lake must have a food base and reproduce. And therefore, it will definitely leave traces of its presence in the water or on the shore. However, people who believed in lake monsters did not provide any evidence of their existence.

Monster

One day, my bosom friend, biologist Vadim, with whom we made many trips, came to visit me. Unlike others, he did not bore me with unproven stories, but put several photographs in front of me.
“They gave it to the editorial office of the local newspaper,” he explained.

And although the pictures were of poor quality - the photographer was apparently far from the subject, and the shooting was clearly not carried out in ideal conditions, they could be seen that something black was sticking out of the water, shaped like a human fist. Next to it were several thin, barely noticeable teeth, reminiscent of a dorsal ridge. On the back of one of the photographs, it was handwritten that this was indisputable evidence that an ancient lizard lives in Lake Grishino, and that local residents have repeatedly observed it.

So how? - Vadim asked, looking inquisitively at me after I put the photographs aside.
- Do you really take this seriously? - I asked a counter question. - Remember how many times you and I discussed each other in a similar situation. Do you really want a repeat?
“He who does nothing makes no mistakes,” Vadim avoided a direct answer.

“Let’s not get involved in such adventures anymore,” I suggested, trying to convince myself rather than my interlocutor. - Besides, Vadim, I already bought a train ticket to Kungur. This holiday I want to visit the caves there.
“Well, as you know,” Vadim responded, getting ready to leave. And right from the start he advised: “Study the photographs properly.” I think they are quite interesting. And one more thing: keep in mind that the Kungur caves can easily wait, they are not going anywhere.

“What’s interesting here?” - I asked myself, looking at the pictures. But the more I looked at them, the more they attracted me. And not at all because I was hoping to see this mythical monster. No and no! I was simply unconsciously attracted by the romance of the search, the thirst for adventure. Therefore, after some hesitation, I finally decided to get involved in another adventure: to go to Karelia to the mysterious Grishino Lake. And now I'm reaching for the phone...

Unfriendly meeting

Vadim was not at all surprised by my decision, quite the contrary.
“I had no doubt at all that you would go with me,” he said and explained why: “I know that you, like me, are a vagabond and an adventurer.”

And now we are already in Karelia. Grishino Lake was located fifteen kilometers from the village where we arrived. As local residents explained, once upon a time on the shore of this lake lived the Old Believer and hermit Grisha. He has been dead for a long time, no one in the area even remembers what he looked like, but the name has been preserved. The old-timers pointed out the shortest route there.

A semi-overgrown, barely discernible path either twisted between the rocks, twisted intricately among the trees, or went around huge fallen trunks. We were thoroughly exhausted when, finally, having climbed a rather steep hill, we found ourselves on the shore of the lake. It greeted us unfriendly. A cool, gusty wind drove gray clouds across the sky and, sweeping over the water, raised high waves that crashed noisily on the rocks far below. It was clear that the shores of the lake were littered with fallen trees. They trudged along with branches and uprooted roots, so that it seemed as if it was a gathering of some hitherto unseen animals.

Before deciding where to put up the tent, we undertook to explore at least part of the lake. We went down the hill, found a place where we could approach the water, pumped up the rubber boat and rowed it out into the middle of the reservoir. The lake was a slightly elongated oval from west to east, probably a little more than a kilometer long. Its width is 500-600 meters. From the west, a lopsided oblong cape protruded deeply into the water, and from the east - two smaller ones. Thus, there were three capes and five bays. We immediately numbered all the bays.

Camp

While rare approaches to the water could be seen on the capes, most of the shore was either littered with fallen trees or consisted of piles of steep rocks. Only a narrow coastal strip in the north, gently rising from the water and turning into a vast meadow, was free. But there, a tall green reed wall rose out of the water. It was quite obvious that the supposed prehistoric monster could only get out to one of the capes. He should not climb onto rocks, through fallen trees or into dense thickets of reeds!

After looking around, we decided to settle on the western cape. Firstly, from its tip there was the best view of the water area. Secondly, it was possible to moor there without the risk of making a hole in the rubber boat on sharp branches and stones. A few meters from the water, near a huge boulder, we set up a tent. We placed our simple belongings and food in it. We chose a place for the fire and gathered wood. A table and two short benches were built from thin poles.

As soon as we settled down to rest on them, an uninvited guest immediately appeared - the cuckoo bird. Slightly larger than a starling, disheveled, with a funny, disheveled red crest, she sat down on an aspen branch right above us. And, looking at us first with one black eye, then with the other, she uttered, at first not very loud, then deafeningly sharp: “Kzhee-kzhee.” She probably greeted me.
- Well, hold on! - Vadim grinned. “Now she won’t leave us alone.”
I agreed with him. These cries are a signal to other jigs that there may be food here. And relatives will not fail to answer the call.

Having examined the cape on which we were located and not finding anything interesting, we got into a boat and sailed to bay No. 5, where the largest pile of rocks could be seen. They amazed us with their severity. The waves rolled furiously onto the foot of the cliffs and, hitting them hard, rolled back with a heavy splash, only to return with a roar. The gloomy gray stone giants were riddled with numerous cracks. There were piercing drafts in the bay. All this evoked a feeling of depression and hopelessness. We hastily left the inhospitable place.

White night duty

Our return to the camp was greeted by a dozen and a half cuckoos. “Kzhee-kzhee,” they cried out in discordant chorus. The birds were thoroughly in charge: they overturned a pot of water, threw a kettle off the table, and tore two buttons from a jacket lying at the entrance to the tent. Apparently, according to the Kukshas, ​​we returned at the wrong time, and for a long time they accompanied our every step with dissatisfied cries. The first day of our stay on the lake was ending.

By evening the wind died down, and the mirror-like surface was broken only by splashes of fish. Somewhere nearby, a duck quacked quietly in the reeds. In a grove on the opposite bank, magpies were probably settling in for the night. After dinner, listening to the incessant squeal of mosquitoes, we looked at the dying fire, and each of us asked ourselves the question: “Is there a monster in the lake?”

We agreed in advance to monitor around the clock, regardless of the weather. By lot it fell to me to start. Having put on a mosquito net, I got into the boat, sailed about thirty meters from the shore and anchored. It was the height of the white nights. Almost all night it was so light that you could even read a newspaper. Only at two o'clock the whole area was briefly covered with twilight. At first, being on guard, I shuddered at every splash in the water and every rustle on the shore. But gradually I got used to it and became drawn into the monotony of the summer night, not forgetting, however, to constantly watch the surface of the water. Every hour we went ashore and, rounding the cape, inspected bay No. 1, which was not visible from the boat because it was behind us.

As morning approached, it became easier to overcome drowsiness: the bird roll call began. The song thrush was the first to wake up. I looked at the glowing clock face: half past three. Gradually other birds joined the thrush. In the general chorus, the cuckoo and the crow stood out. And when the sun's rays warmed the earth, colorful butterflies fluttered around, squeaked, and other insects buzzed. My first duty ended to this discordant accompaniment.

Optical illusion

From that moment on, the countdown of a series of everyday life began. One of us watched from the boat, and when he was off duty, he examined the shores in search of traces of the monster. Alas, nothing could be found.

On the sixth day of our stay on the lake, after evening fishing, after cleaning my catch, I climbed into my sleeping bag and dozed off. Vadim woke me up. He shook me by the shoulder and said quietly in a broken voice:
- Sasha, wake up! It looks like a monster has appeared!
The word “monster” had a magical effect: I jumped up as if stung and instantly got out of the tent. Apparently, it had recently rained, and the lake seemed to be smoking, with a ragged whitish veil floating above its surface. I rubbed my eyes, not understanding anything, until Vadim, with a trembling hand, pointed to bay No. 5. And although it was at least half a kilometer away, I, far-sighted by nature, clearly saw what my partner was talking about .

Where the veil reached the rocks, a long neck topped with a small head, a hump and a ribbed wriggling tail were clearly visible in its breaks. The monster froze in place, but then, shuddering, it slid along the rocks. We watched him, spellbound. Vadim was the first to come to his senses. Probably fearing that the monster would disappear around the bend, he pulled me by the sleeve towards the boat. But I just shrugged it off. Some unnaturalness in the monster’s appearance confused me. And suddenly I understood: blurry trembling forms! I was about to tell Vadim about this, but then a strong wind blew. Under its gusts, the veil trembled and quickly dissipated.

The monster turned out to be a ghost! We sighed in disappointment - it was a shame to become a victim of an optical illusion. Maybe those who insisted on the existence of ancient lizards in the lake observed the same thing? True, in the photographs the head was sticking out of the water, but we saw the whole “monster” above the water. The incident of that night did not liven up our measured life for long. Then monotonous everyday life began again. Only on the fifteenth day did an event occur that thoroughly disturbed us. And again this happened while Vadim was on duty.

Chasing the monster

Long after midnight, when most of the birds had calmed down, and only an owl somewhere far, far away was chanting its monotonous “boo-boo,” and the ubiquitous mosquitoes were buzzing as they beat against the window of the tent, I lay in a sleeping bag and thought that our journey. Vadim distracted me from these thoughts. Having burst into the tent, he sharply pulled me by the sleeping bag and croaked in a choked voice:
- It's floating!
-Who is swimming? - I didn’t understand.
- It looks like a monster. - he answered hastily.
- Out of the fog again?
- No, it’s about to float past us.

Stunned, I literally flew out of the tent and looked at the lake. And he immediately noticed what Vadim was talking about. Something black was floating along bay No. 3, looking like a rugby ball. Without saying a word, we rushed headlong to the boat and jumped into it. Vadim sat down at the oars and, whispering: “Watch him,” began rowing vigorously. We quickly moved across the supposed monster. My heart was pounding, my arms and legs were trembling, I felt my breath taking away from excitement. “Has it really come true, has it really come true?” - I repeated mechanically, like a spell, without taking my eyes off the “swimmer”. Surely the same emotions overcame Vadim, because he looked back every now and then, meanwhile the distance between us was noticeably decreasing.

And suddenly the monster, apparently having noticed us, abruptly changed course and swam to the cape between bays No. 3 and No. 4. Trying to catch up with him, Vadim worked the oars even more energetically. However, when no more than fifty meters remained before it, the monster reached shallow water and, noisily making its way through the reed thickets, climbed to the shore. And from there, looking back, it roared thunderously... We were stunned. Vadim stopped rowing, and I froze with my mouth open. Without a doubt, we were chasing a bear!

Having come to our senses, we looked at each other and laughed. But the laughter turned out to be somewhat convulsive and nervous. I must admit, we were very lucky that the animal rushed to run away, but it could have attacked. What then? I didn’t want to think about the consequences. After this incident, our enthusiasm in searching for the monster was noticeable
decreased. And although there were still two weeks left until the end of our planned stay on the lake, we decided that in five days we would leave here.

Hissing in the night

Having taken up my penultimate duty in the morning, I took my usual place in the boat near the shore. Having examined the water area with binoculars and not finding anything worthy of attention, I thought with satisfaction that very soon these useless vigils would end. The day turned out to be hot, stuffy. Sitting under the scorching sun, I was nodding off every now and then, but I was invigorated, trying not to lose sight of anything. Towards evening, the heat subsided, the water felt cool, and it became easier to breathe.

The day was slowly fading. The sun sank behind the hill, its rays illuminated the sky for some time, then they too went out. The bird noise gradually died down, and only Vadim’s snoring, coming from the tent, broke the silence. I peered into the gloomy shores and listened to the silence under the light, measured rocking of the boat on the waves. Suddenly, to my right, I clearly heard a quiet hissing, accompanied by a slightly louder gurgling. He became wary, peering intensely into the twilight. But, despite all my efforts, I didn’t see anything, because against the background of the dark shore it was impossible to make out anything. And the hissing and gurgling continued...

In order to find out what it is, we had to act! And I, holding my breath, quietly weighed anchor and headed towards the suspicious sounds. The boat slid gently, but I, bent over, peered into the black water until my eyes hurt. A few moments later, in the place where the hissing and gurgling was heard, I saw something small, but very shaggy, above the water. It was difficult to see nearby, but some vague protrusions could be discerned. Trying to stop the trembling in my hands, I leaned on the oars and jerked the boat towards the monster. In the park I no longer thought about the possible danger: I was driven by the desire to be in time and not to miss out.

In a matter of seconds, the boat hit something, there was a slight crash, then a loud, ominous hiss, and I immediately found myself in the water.
- Vadim! - I screamed at the top of my lungs. - Vadim, help!

No miracle happened

Floundering, he automatically grabbed with his hand something thin, cold, slippery. Tentacle? He quickly let go, but immediately grabbed it again. At that moment something sharp touched my side. With my free hand I pushed him away from me, and the hand holding the tentacle jerked with him. I took a quick look at what had just touched me and pulled back again! I was holding on to a tree branch! The monster turned out to be the most ordinary driftwood. All this happened, of course, instantly.
- Sasha, what’s wrong with you? - Vadim asked alarmedly. Where are you, where is the boat?
- I pierced the boat, move it towards the voice under your own power.

When he swam to me, I briefly explained the essence of what had happened, and we began towing. I was pushing the driftwood towards the shore, and Vadim was dragging the holey, half-submerged boat behind him. Having reached the shore, we sank exhausted onto the grass. Meanwhile, the view finally cleared, and we were able to really get a good look at the “lake monster” - the driftwood. The blackened, slimy tree was still releasing bubbles, which, bursting noisily, spread a sickening smell. What I took for a shaggy head turned out to be a bunch of half-rotten plants strung on a sharp branch.

How did this drifter end up afloat? - Vadim was surprised. - After all, that’s why it’s called a driftwood because it should be at the bottom.
“I think that the wood rotted, gases began to be released, and they pushed the trunk upward,” I suggested.
“Surely the same kind of driftwood is in the photographs that we saw,” Vadim reasoned.
Of course, we were very disappointed that once again we did not find the prehistoric monster. After all, despite all our previous unsuccessful expeditions, somewhere deep down in our souls we hoped for a miracle. Alas, it did not happen.

Alexander NOSOV, St. Petersburg

In a word, there, “beyond the threshold,” there is such a paradise without pain and misfortune that you don’t even want to return to earthly life. And suddenly, there was a person who tells everything differently...
After receiving his master's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, Howard Storm had a pretty decent academic career. He taught art at Northern Kentucky University for 20 years, becoming a professor over the years. A convinced atheist, Doctor of Philosophy Storm did not believe in God or the devil, much less in such fables as life after death. That was until 1985, when he suddenly died and went straight to... hell. Even now he is noticeably worried when talking about the sensations he experienced: he often pauses and has difficulty calming down.

This happened last spring. On a cloudy night, I woke up wanting to go to the toilet. Overcoming laziness, I slowly began to pull my pants over my nightie and slowly walked to the front door. The gaze fell on the wall clock. The arrows on them showed 01:00. It should be mentioned that our family lives in an urban village, we have a vegetable garden and a large yard. And we entrusted the guarding of such a large area to two huge Caucasian shepherd dogs.
The toilet was located near the fence that separated the yard and the vegetable garden. Taking a flashlight, throwing on a jacket and turning on the street light, I went outside. It was very dark as the clouds covered the moon. I called the dogs over – they didn’t seem so scary to me, I stroked them and went to the toilet.

I meet amazing people along the path of life. Everyone with whom I was close friends was a storehouse of mysterious stories. Some of them voluntarily became involved in mystical adventures, others became involuntary participants in mysterious events. Take Irishka, for example. We met her in 10th grade. I started studying at the gymnasium, in a new class. And although there was no aggression from the new classmates, friendly relations with no one really grew. Irka came up on her own, asked her to draw something in her notebook, and then invited her to go for a walk after school. That's how we started communicating. Love, lessons, girlish secrets are the favorite topics of teenagers. But sometimes, when, giggling conspiratorially, we sneaked into the next entrance from physical education, so that, shrouded in thick tobacco smoke, we could sit in the window and tell fortunes on maps; she began to tell her strange stories.

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back to sleep. It happens to me sometimes that insomnia comes out of the blue. The moon was shining outside the window, so brightly that the room was light. I turned over on the other side and my heart sank: I saw some kind of ball sitting in the corner. I thought I was half asleep, but somehow it was all realistic. It became scary. But I decided not to get scared ahead of time, maybe there’s a chair or something, this happens. But I was horrified when I saw that this ball was breathing. Nothing like this had ever happened to me, I just silently looked at him and tried to find a logical explanation for what was happening.

When I was writing a story about death, doors began to open and close for me. Just spontaneously. This has never happened in my apartment before; there is no one at home.
The strangest thing is this feeling of the presence of someone next to me, I constantly see something black flashing. The new doors suddenly began to creak. I went into the kitchen and all the doors slammed shut! I found myself in the corridor and asked: “Why did you come to my house?” In response I heard some kind of short and kind laughter. Then all the doors opened. It’s just mystical, it seems like I’m being protected by some kind of friendly spirit, and a playful one at that.
I'm terribly afraid of spirits. And he seems to know this, I just almost passed out from fear there.

Story one: I’m lying down, sleeping, and then strange sensations appear, warmth spreading throughout the body, from the legs to the head, then lightness. I get up and see that an old man, maybe a meter tall, is walking from the door to the closet wall, he saw me and rushes forward...
Second story: Now I’m already pregnant, my husband is lying behind me hugging me... The beginning is the same, the sensations are the same. Suddenly I feel a monster lying behind me instead of my husband, and I hear a growl. I can’t turn around, I can’t scream either. The only thought is that it won’t get to the child. I start trying to pump up my body, but it’s just starting to work out, it goes away. I start to turn around, this feeling again, and everything repeats itself, it was very scary, I tried to remember the prayers.

I usually go to bed late, but the last few days I've been feeling sleepy. I don’t know why, it seemed like I wasn’t too busy at work, and I wasn’t that tired at home. Everything was as usual, except for this unusual drowsiness for my routine. And even later, I began to notice how in the evening it became difficult for me to be in my apartment at all. My legs moved with great difficulty, my head was buzzing, and even though I had no fever and outwardly I was healthy, I felt terrible. By the morning everything went away, so I didn’t attach any importance to my illness. But an incident that happened later assured me that nothing ever happens for nothing.

Suddenly a light, uninterrupted rustling sound began to be heard. “It’s the wind outside the window,” I convinced myself, and began rustling the packages louder, turning up the volume of the TV. To the rustling sound, which still sounded tiresomely in my ears, was added a cracking sound, like a dish breaking into fragments. I stubbornly did not take my eyes off the faces on the screen. I no longer understood, I didn’t hear what was happening there, my eyes were intensely looking at one point. The noise became louder. My fear rose with renewed vigor, my body became stiff from tension, with sweaty palms I crumpled the wrappers in my hands, squeezing them until my joints hurt. "What is this? What is this?! I'm going crazy?" When it became unbearable to sit like that, I, I don’t know how, overpowered myself, and turned away from the screen. Naturally, there was no one in the apartment except me.

With this sudden realization, this incomprehensible noise, which frightened me so much, disappeared. “Naturally, there is no one here except me. Who else could be here? Nobody and nothing but me. It's stupid to give in to fears for no reason. What could it be? Of course it's fatigue. I just need to rest. Yes, I must still be more tired at work than I thought. We need to take a vacation and go to the sea. Or stay with relatives for a couple of days. Surely my living alone also played a role...” Calming myself with such thoughts, I walked around the room with a dull pounding heart and trembling hands. Little by little I calmed down, the invented reasons seemed more or less convincing. The TV was still burning in the room, a light breeze from the slightly open window fluttered the curtain, and scattered candy wrappers lay on the floor.

It was getting dark outside. Having come to my senses, the first thing I did was clean up, simultaneously driving away the annoying thoughts that tormented me. Having finished, I sat down and looked around with an unseeing gaze. My head was empty, all thoughts disappeared, leaving a vacuum. I didn’t want to make any movements, get up, go somewhere, even turn my head. My back and shoulders began to feel pressured by an invisible weight. The eyelids grew heavy and drowsiness set in. And imperceptibly, on the sly, the unknown noise that had wrenched my soul returned. All apparent calm evaporated and fear returned. But it was already too late. Some force, I don’t know, maybe it was even my will, turned my head towards what was behind me. I was consumed by animal horror, the blood was pounding in my temples, my trembling knees did not listen to the call of my mind to get up and run, run! Yes, it was it, something that was the source of my fear, it was real and it was in the same room as me. I heard the strangled whistle of the air I was exhaling, my heart was beating with such force that it seemed like it was about to stop. Despite this, I did not take my eyes off It. I tried to see it, but I couldn’t, it was like it was in the shadows. But it was not in the shadows, it was my eyes that were unable to see it, as if it was in the area of ​​a blind spot. I didn’t see its movements, I didn’t see its legs, paws, or anything else moving, but I knew that it was moving towards me. Looking with all my eyes, and still not seeing, I was still able to get up and back away from It. Hearing strangled moans and wheezing, I suspect my own, I gained the ability to turn and rush as fast as I could towards the door. It must have been the fear that had previously immobilized me that now gave me strength. With trembling, cold, sweaty hands I tried to handle the doorknob; I didn't turn around.

I flew out of the apartment and then into the street, leaving behind the growing rumble and an unknown monster. I don’t know how long I then walked down the street, wandering through crowded places, peering into people’s faces, making sure that they were real and that I could see them.

I don’t remember what happened next, but apparently I went home to my parents. It was there that I came to my senses. I told them everything, afraid to myself, what if they start asking questions, or even think that I’m crazy? But they just looked at each other and decided that I would no longer live alone. I moved in with them, my father, with the help of friends, moved my things, and the apartment was sold. I don’t know and will never know what it was then and what could have happened to me. However, ever since then I have been terrified of being alone at home.