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A handpicked collection of ghostly tales, but be warned, if read during the witching hour they may conjure up more than simple nightmares.
The hour of 3AM is a strange time. Known in Western culture as the witching hour, it is said to be a time when mystical creatures such as witches, demons, and ghosts are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful. Its origins can be traced back to the Catholic Church, when no prayers were read between the hours of 3AM and 4AM, making it the perfect time for evil forces to appear. So be warned, the following stories of ghosts, spirits and otherworldly encounters are best enjoyed in daylight hours. Reading these tales at night could conjure up more than simple nightmares, especially if read during the witching hour.
From tales of strange lights shining in the night to a man in a top hat who appears when danger looms. Here are 13 of the scariest true ghost stories you should never read in the dark.
1. Imaginary Friend
"When I was younger, I had an imaginary friend who lived in this massive antique dresser. I vividly remember him telling me stories, although I have absolutely no recollection of what they actually were. I remember one day talking to my parents about it (dad traveled quite a bit so he wasn't up to date with what I was into) and when I started telling him about my dresser buddy, he wanted to know his name. It was something innocent like Peter but I can still see him going white in the face as I told him. I then drew a picture of Peter for him. The very next day, my dad and my uncle took out the dresser and burned it.
It wasn't until a few years later when I found out my dad's little brother (my uncle) also had the same friend with the same name who lived in the same antique dresser. After a few months of the typical imaginary friend stuff, my uncle started having night terrors and couldn't sleep because of Peter. It got so bad that they had to move him out of his room before he managed to get back to normal." – TonyFX
2. Cabin in the Woods
"The first time I moved away from home I lived in an old cabin-like house that I rented really cheap. I never had a good nights sleep in there. I always tossed and turned and woke up several times during the night. But it wasn't until after a few weeks things started to get weird.
In the beginning, it was just small things that I didn't really think too much about, like keys missing and cups and plates not being where (I thought) I had left them. Then I started waking up in the morning to find various drawers opened and things laying around like someone had been in a hurry searching for something. I even came home to a wide open main door and decided to change the locks. But even then, when I was home, with the door locked, I could walk past and just in the corner of my eye see the door slide open.
One time I was catsitting one of my friend's cats and it would just sit for hours in the middle of the room and toss its tail from side to side and watch as if it was following something around the room with its eyes. Creeped me out. If you can only imagine what it felt like to see the cat slowly following something that "floats" randomly around the room and finally stop, right beside you.
After a while, I just could not live there anymore and finally moved out." – spudcake
3. The Disconnected Number
"A few years ago my brother would get a call on his cellphone around 2:00 – 3:00 A.M. every night. He would answer and it was this hellish sounding noise. Like static mixed with screams. He changed his cell number after a month of this and it stopped.
Then after a week or so it began again. The exact same noise. Exact same time. Finally one day he decided to back dial the call. It was an old man that had no clue what he was talking about. Still, the calls persisted. If he didn't answer, it would call a few more times. No messages were left. He decided to say screw it. Ended his contract with his phone company, switched to a new one, and then got another new number. You guessed it, the screaming static calls continued after a short delay. By this time he was terrified every night. Unsure why this was happening. He back dialed the number again and got a different person. Around this time he lost his job and his phone. The calls stopped of course. His phone was disconnected now.
