Ghosts and ghouls and strange happenings abound all over the world. Every country has it's own weird tales to tell - all are reported to be true, told by people not given to wild flights of fancy. What do you think?
Scientific research has so far failed to solve the mystery of
Death Valley's moving stones. In California's Death Valley, the
mysterious moving stones of Racetrack Playa have baffled
scientists for years. Scattered over the dried-up lake bed are
stones which range in size from small pebbles to great boulders.
These stones can apparently move, on their own, across distances
of hundreds of metres! Their clear furrowed tracks can be
straight, curved or even zig-zagged. One research project decided
that, after rain, strong winds could be blowing the stones over
the slippery, muddy surface. A 1995 study disproved this theory
when the only things that could be made to slide around on the
mud in very high winds were the researchers themselves! These
weird rolling stones really know how to hang on to their secret!
In 1911, miners unearthed the mummified remains of several red-
haired giant humans in Lovelock Cave, in Nevada. They couldn't
believe their eyes - even the smallest was two metres tall, while
the biggest was a mind-boggling 2.5 metres! The local Native
Americans, the Paiute tribe, told stories of wars with giants,
whom they called Si-te-cahs, for generations. Scientists seemed
uninterested, so locals gathered up the bones, most of which were
later destroyed in a fire. But one huge skull from the cave-tomb
of mysterious mummies has survived. This giant skull - over 30cm
long - is now in Nevada's Humboldt Museum.
Native Americans tell tales of a bizarre, ghostly bat with a
human face. Is it a lost spirit? Let's hope that it doesn't use
it's echo-location skills to home in on you!
There is a mystery spot near Santa Cruz where all the trees
within a 15 metre circle grow twisted like corkscrews. People who
stand in this strange area become dizzy.
On 21 April, 1977, at 10.30pm, three 17-year olds were driving
through Dover, Massachusetts. One of them. Bill, spotted
something creeping along a low wall at the roadside. As the
creature turned towards the headlights, Bill saw two large eyes
glowing like orange marbles. Two hours later, the creature was spotted by 15-year old John,
who chased it into a gulley. John saw it with it's feet moulded
round the top of a rock and it's arms round a treetrunk. He described it as about 1.25 metres tall, with a huge oval head,
large orange eyes and with a skinny body with spindly arms and
legs. Was the creature an unknown type of animal or an alien
visitor?
In 1940, Patrick Walker was part of a team working round the
clock to build a bridge over the Niagara River. One wild, stormy
night, a bucket suspended from a crane knocked Patrick into the
fast flowing river. With the mighty Niagara Falls just
downstream, Patrick was declared drowned. Two years later, his son fell into the same river. Melting snow
had turned the river into a raging torrent, and he was swept
away. As he neared the edge of the Falls, he felt strong arms
moving him, against the current, towards the shore. He heard his
father's voice saying "Hold on to me and don't be afraid. I'll
take care of you." The boy, who couldn't swim, was carried to the
safety of the riverbank. He was in no doubt that his father's
ghost had saved his life.
In Washington, on two days in September 1978, huge quantities of
an unexplained green slime fell from the sky. The Journal of
Meteorology reported that, as the weird slime splattered down, it
injured farm animals, damaged plants, and covered cars. The roof
of a 12-storey building was covered in the green goo, showing that
it had fallen from a great height. No official explanation has
ever been offered to the slime-covered residents of Washington DC!
Happy to have moved into their new home in Virginia, the
McConnaughty family started unpacking their belongings. They
found a portrait of a distant aunt, Florence White. Sadly,
Florence had died before the portrait was completed so there was
hardly any colour in it. They hung the picture anyway, and from
that time, ghostly voices were heard by the family. Even more
amazing was the fact that the picture became more colourful every
day, until it was transformed into a glowing fully coloured
picture!
When the sturdy Iron Mountain river-boat left Vicksburg in 1872,
it carried 52 passengers and towed two big barges of cotton and
molasses. It set off down the mighty Mississippi, southbound for
the heartlands of Louisiana. Some time later, the captain of
another paddle steamer was horrified when his boat nearly collided
with two drifting barges. These had evidently been cut loose from
the Iron Mountain. Later it was discovered that the Iron Mountain
had vanished without trace on the river, along with the
passengers and the entire crew. Despite endless searches, no
wreckage was ever found, nor any bodies or bits of cargo ever
washed on to the riverbanks. No-one has ever solved the mystery
of the vanishing Iron Mountain.
No-one knows where she came from or who she was, but Marie
Laveau, known as the Voodoo Queen danced in Congo Square, New
Orleans, as early as 1830. She was believed to be able to cast
spells and even to control the weather. When two Frenchmen were
sentenced to be hanged, their friends asked Marie for help. She
promised that the men would not be hanged. On the day of their
execution, a wild storm broke and the wet nooses slipped from the
men's necks as the scaffold platform fell.
In the 1890s, Marie was still holding voodoo rituals and because
she still looked like a young woman, people thought she was
immortal. But die she did, and her ghost is often seen in the St.
Louis cemetery. Her old house at 1020 St. Ann Street is also said
to be haunted by the Voodoo Queen and her followers.
General Beauregard was a southern commander during the American
Civil War. The house where he lived in New Orleans - 1113 Charles
Street - is said to be haunted by a whole army. Although the
general had won many victories early in the war, his army
suffered a bloody defeat at the Battle of Shiloh. Local legend
says that a ghostly Confederate army can often be seen inside
their old commander's house.
Texan cattle ranchers still get spooked when the ghostly tale of
two brothers is told around the campfire. One day in 1890, Zack
and Gil were bringing in the herd when they spotted an
outstanding young bull. He was such a fine animal that both Zack
and Gil wanted to keep him. They argued so much that Zack, in a
terrible rage, shot Gil dead. Zack felt so ashamed of his crime
that he felt he couldn't keep the calf. Instead, he named it
Murder and let it loose to roam the wilderness. When the calf
died, it's ghost lived up to the name and brought terror and
tragedy to cowboys who came near it. Today Texan's farmers better
watch out - if the tale lives on after 100 years, perhaps the
ghost does too!
In the siege at the Alamo in San Antonio in 1836, thousands of
brave soldiers lost their lives. One young woman looked on in
horror as her heroic husband suffered a fatal blow to his chest
from an enemy's sword. Over a century later, her wailing can
still be heard from behind the walls of the basement. People say
that the sound is so disturbing that those who hear it start
crying too! Ghosts torment this battle-scarred town, believed to
be one of the most haunted places in America. At the Menger
Hotel, the spirit of Sallie White, a chambermaid shot by her
husband in 1876, roams the fourth floor in a long skirt and a
bandana. Another ghost has been seen knitting and reading a
newspaper! Elsewhere, at the theatre downtown, a chef had to be
rescued after a sprightly spirit pushed him into the kitchen
fridge!
A giant winged creature swooped over terrified Texans in 1976. A
man from Raymondsville ran for cover when the bird with a wing
span of 6 metres grabbed his clothes with it's savage claws. He
escaped it's clutches but was almost blown over by it's gigantic
bat-like wings. A month later, three teachers were driving to
school when the creature lunged at their car. When they got to
school, they identified the creature from an encyclopedia as a
pteranodon - thought to be extinct millions of years ago.
When the sun goes down at Marfa, beams of light run across the
mountain like a grass fire. They bounce around, vanish, only to
re-appear again. Sightings have been reported for more than 100
years, ruling out the possibility of car headlight beams. Locals
believe the Marfa lights could be ghosts of massacred Indians, or
ghost campfires of destroyed wagon trains. Some say they are
guiding lights to buried treasure. So desperate are people to
find out the real truth, cowboys gallop up to them in the desert,
drivers chase them in their cars, and pilots fly into them - all
without success. Only time will tell.
Legend has it that if you park your car over the railway tracks
on the Loop 410 intersection in Southern Texas, ghosts will push
it uphill out of the way of an oncoming train. The ghost tracks
got their reputation after a terrible tragedy years ago, when a
train collided with a school bus packed with children. Some people
say that if you pass the spot, the children's fingerprints will
shine on your bumper to help you get home safely.
A landlord in South Troy has a terrible time renting out his
house because it was hunted by a nuisance ghost. Every night at
midnight, a white bearded man would clomp downstairs from the
attic and tap on an old painting in the sitting room with his
cane. Tenants were so terrified, they all moved out. Eventually
Sam moved in and the same thing happened. The old man banged hard
on the painting ten times and trudged back upstairs. Sam was not
afraid and realised the old man might be trying to tell him
something. He went up to the painting, removed it from the wall
and found a hollow cavity as big as his fist. He stuck his hand
in and pulled out 50,000 dollars. The ghost was never seen or
heard again.
Rumours abound that Lake Champion is about to flood. Nearby
residents are terrified because they believe that Champ, the
mighty lake monster is lurking in it's waters. Hundreds of people
reckon to have spotted him over the years. If the stories are
true, then he is a mighty ugly monster, a three humped, 17 metre
long Loch Ness look-a-like with a white spotted tongue. If the
rumour is true, and the lake floods, will Champ escape and cause
havoc? Only time will tell.
Fifth Avenue in NYC has been home to some strange folk. The
Hermits of Harlem were two brothers who rarely left their
apartment except after midnight to stock up on junk. When police
raided their home in 1947, they found 136 tons of junk reaching
up to the ceiling. It included 14 grand pianos, an antique car
and human specimens, preserved in glass jars. The Hermits had
boarded up their windows and cut off the power supply. They even
devised booby traps that would bring their junk tumbling down on
any intruders. When police delved deeper into the junk, they
found two bodies - the Hermits had been caught in one of their
own traps.
If ever you're in New York, you will probably hear the rumour
that giant sewage- feeding alligators lurk in the city sewers.
Apparently, in the 1930s, New Yorkers used to buy baby alligators
and keep them as pets, but when they got too big and began to
bite, they flushed them down the toilet! City sewers became their
breeding and feeding grounds, so the story goes. Police have
caught a few of the baby ones, but that has never settled
people's fears that giant alligators are thriving in subterranean
New York.
In 1957, a mum from Long Island was at home with her son when
everything around them went 'pop'. Nearly every bottle in the
house exploded leaving a gooey mess of shampoo, bleach and
perfume all over the walls and carpets. The same thing happened
week after wee. Reports say that the fun and games really took
off when someone called the police. Sugar bowls dashed through
the air, a heavy bookcase tumbled over and a bathroom cabinet
spun 180 degrees. Faulty electrical circuits and planes overhead
were ruled out as possible causes. The prime suspect - a
poltergeist - was never found.
A giant Lizard Man who reeks of rot, has seriously goofy teeth
and evil, glowing eyes, is believed to lurk in the swamps of
South Carolina. Christopher Davis was allegedly the first
unsuspecting human to have a close encounter with the terrifying
beast in 1976. Reports said he was repairing a flat tyre on
Scrape Ore Swamp when the 3 metre tall, mossy armed scaly beast
lunged towards him. Christopher jumped in his car, locked the
doors and drove off with the Lizard Man in hot pursuit. With a giant grunt, the green monster hurled himself on the roof
and locked his three big fingers and long black nails round the
windscreen. The driver managed to swerve and knock the Lizard Man
off balance. His fingers clung to the door handle for several
spine-chilling seconds before he fell. Christopher breathed a
huge sigh of relief as the Lizard Man crawled away back into the
swamp.
The most famous attraction on Pawley's Island in South Carolina
is the Grey Man, a resident ghost. For the last hundred years
before every major hurricane, he has patrolled the beach to warn
people that they are in danger, so the islanders claim. Those who
see him and flee the island return to find their homes untouched.
Those who don't are doomed, apparently. According to local
legend, the Grey Man was a 19th century lover who sunk to his
death in quicksand on the way to see his bride. The bereaved girl
was strolling along the windy beach one day, when his figure
appeared before her and warned her to leave the island because
she was in danger. She obeyed and returned the next day to
discover that a major hurricane had flattened most of the
island's houses and literally washed families out to sea.
Miraculously, her magnificent plantation home remained undamaged!
The Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina is crawling with ghosts,
locals claim. The most famous ghost is the Lady of the Lake, who
is often seen crossing the water at night in her ghostly white
canoe, carrying a luminous lamp. Fishermen believe she is the
ghost of an Indian maid who died just before her wedding day.
When swamp ghosts are not on night duty terrifying the local
fishermen, you can bet Foxfire is. Foxfire is a burning methane
gas that escapes from decaying bogs at night and lights up the
sky.
A killer plant that grows in Wilmington, North Carolina, could be
an alien. Many think that the ferocious Venus Fly-trap landed
from outer space with a meteorite because it lives on hot craters
in the ground. The meat-eating plants lures insects and small
animals with the smell of it's sweet nectar, traps them with it's
leafy lobes, captures them by locking together it's teeth and
then dissolves them whole.
A huge sailing ship, with five magnificent, snow-white canvasses
held at full mast, was found beached in the sand in North
Carolina early one morning in 1921. When people searched the
ship, they found no-one except for a grey cat. The sailor's bunks
were still made up and their food lay cold on the plates.
Coastguards at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse were dumbfounded. The
previous night had been calm, no distress signals were heard and
no lights seen. The ship was later identified as The Corroll M
Deering. The vanished crew was never found.
Tom had been out of town for a few days, and was driving back
home to Los Angeles. He was tired, it was getting late and a
light rain was starting to fall. The road was dark and deserted
and, as he passed through some woods, he had to strain his eyes
to see where he was going. Suddenly, his headlights caught something white at the side of
the road. Slowing down, he spotted a young girl in a light-
coloured dress. Although she wasn't hitch- hiking, Tom stopped
his car and asked her if she would like a lift. She said that she
lived in a town which Tom would pass through along his route. The young girl climbed into the back seat, saying that she was
very tired and would like to sleep for a while. She looked cold,
so Tom offered her his jacket from the seat beside him and she
put it on. An hour later, Tom pulled up at the address she had given him,
and turned round to tell the girl that they had arrived. The back
seat was empty... the girl and his jacket had gone... how? He had
not stopped the car once since he had picked the girl up.
Confused, Tom sat in the car wondering what to do. He decided to
see if the people who lived at the address the girl had given
could shed any light on what had happened. He walked up the
neglected path and rang the bell. The door was opened by an elderly woman. Tom started to tell his
story, but by the time he had finished, it seemed a very unlikely
tale even to his ears. The old woman, however, didn't seem very
surprised - just sad. She asked Tom to wait and went inside the
house to fetch something. As Tom waited, he began to regret
ringing the doorbell in the first place. The woman returned with a framed photograph of the girl who he
had picked up. The woman told him it was a photo of her daughter
who had been killed in a car crash five years before, near the
spot where he had picked up the young girl earlier, and that she
thought she was trying to return home. Tom was stunned. He
mumbled his sympathy and returned to his car. When he got home he
looked everywhere for his jacket until he realised he had lent it
to the girl. The next morning, feeling braver, Tom decided to go the library
to look up the old papers to see if the story was true. He found
both the report of the accident and the girl's obituary. Every
word the old woman had said was true. On his way home, he had to pass the cemetery where the girl was
buried. It didn't take him long to find the grave, for there, to
his amazement, was his jacket, draped over the headstone!
After supper one night, a group of friends scared each other with all sorts of spooky stories. One boy, Gerry, told the tale of weird old Mr. Masters, who used to stare out over Lake Pontchartain, night after night. "He was buried last week, but no- one was brave enough to go along to the cemetery! He was buried alive and you can hear scratching noises coming from his grave!~ Whilst everyone tried hard not to look scared, Gerry continued "And if you hang around near his grave, people say that Mr. Masters will leap out and kill you!~
"Huh! What a load of old rubbish!~ replied another.
"Well, I bet no-one here would dare to go there!" taunted Gerry. But one of the girls said she would. Gerry gave her a wooden stake, saying "Drive this into the ground over Mr. Master's grave, so that we'll all know that you really did go there!"
The group felt a little guilty letting the girl go alone, so when she did not return an hour later, they all trooped off to the cemetery to find her. They found the girl, dead, beside the grave. Somehow, she'd managed to stake herself to the ground on top of the grave. The police thought she had tripped and hit her head on the gravestone, but Gerry said, in a whisper, "Perhaps Mr. Masters got her after all!"
This is all for this issue - next issue we will look at the strange events reported from Australia. Sweet dreams!