The following is a collection of short Halloween stories for our “Dead Air” broadcasts.
West Viriginia
Customers of Rock City Cake Company in downtown Charleston are talking about more than its decadent cupcakes. Ever since the current owners moved into the old building, strange and unsettling events have unfolded. Like a 2×4 flying off a balcony with no one nearby, a sealed Dr. Pepper can shooting out of a painting and crashing to the floor, and a chair moving on its own. Employees also describe cold drafts, the eerie feeling of being watched when the shop is empty, and flickering lights. It turns out there was a fire in this location where a department store once stood that claimed the lives of seven firefighters. Business is good with guests seemingly coming for the haunts as much as to suffice their sweet tooth.
Unknown Location
When Sarah’s daughter sold the creepy picture of an embroidered horse online, she thought that was the end of it. It was sent to the buyer who left a glowing review. But here’s where it gets weird. The package was returned in the mail with the same wrapping, handwriting and picture inside untouched. People are speculating that the artwork, which was found in a thrift shop, is cursed and warn the family about trying to get rid of it again. Was this a true case of the paranormal or just a misunderstanding?
Massachusetts
Old North Church is the oldest standing church in Boston where beneath its historic steeple lies something far darker. A small, unmarked package arrived at the church’s doorstep earlier this year with no name or return address. Just a postmark from San Jose, California with a short, typed note under the shipping label. Inside was a single brick covered in dust. The note read: “My husband took this from the crypt. We have had a string of bad luck and we want to return the brick”. So of course, staff put it on display for all to see. They call it “The Cursed Brick”. Some say it hums with energy. Others swear they feel a chill when they walk by. Beneath the wooden pews rest the remains of over eleven hundred souls from soldiers to sailors and citizens of old Boston. Some say their spirits never truly left. So when that brick vanished, perhaps taken as a souvenir, it did not go unnoticed.
Mexico
A late-night movie in Mexicali ended with more than just the closing credits. After the showing, an employee walked into the empty theater lobby and heard the chilling sound of someone crying. Filming as he searched for the source, his camera swept past a pillar and for a split second, a head seemed to peer out at him before vanishing.
The sound of a galloping horse is unmistakable. But imagine if there wasn’t anything there, at least anything that you could see. Before dawn in a town in Mexico, people heard just that, the sound of hooves racing down the street. They checked their cameras and saw a dark figure on horseback gliding through the night and disappearing without a trace. There’s speculation that this could be “El Charro Negro”, or the “Black Horseman”, a spirit said to ride the roads after midnight searching for souls who’ve lost their way. They say if you ever hear galloping behind you when the streets are empty, don’t look back.
Indiana
The Willard Library in Evansville is known for more than just good books. It has a resident spirit known as the Grey Lady. Sightings at the historic Victorian Gothic building began in the 1930s when a maintenance worker reported encountering a woman in a grey shawl who vanished before his eyes. Some believe she may be the daughter of the library’s founder. Over the years, staff and visitors have reported cold spots, the scent of perfume, strange noises, objects moving on their own, and the feeling of being touched. Recently, security cameras captured a locked door mysteriously opening and shutting. Staff confirmed it had been locked before and after the incident, leaving no clear explanation.
Zimbabwe
A bus parked for months in the Chitungwiza area has become the center of claims of paranormal activity. Residents say the bus comes alive at exactly 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. when its headlights mysteriously switch on without anyone inside. Witnesses report hearing music, seeing ghostly passengers, and even a conductor calling for riders. Some believe the bus is haunted by its former owner who died after being run over while repairing it. Many locals are convinced the spirit of the dead still lingers in the vehicle.
Ecuador
A lawmaker claims the nation’s capital in Quito is haunted. A photo taken inside the National Assembly shows a janitor at work and behind him is the unmistakable face of a pale figure peering out. Video also shows a dark shadow gliding down the halls and through windows. Staff told the lawmaker it was the ghost of a girl who’s said to wander the fifth floor and leave behind a strange scent whenever she appears.
India
A headless figure in the school bathroom sent high school students in Tripura to the hospital. The kids reportedly fainted and collapsed after seeing the jet-black figure. Other students and staff say they’ve had similar encounters. The bathroom is reportedly linked to unexplained deaths, leading parents to calls for it to be dismantled.
China
Viral video from Hong Kong apparently shows a ghostly figure disappearing into the night. A driver stopped their car to avoid hitting the stumbling, long-haired woman in white as she drifted past the vehicle at a zombie-like pace before vanishing. The area is near where seven sisters drowned themselves at sea. Legend has it their spirits transformed into rocks that line the shore. Could one of them be out for a late-night stroll?
Argentina
In a video from Banda del Río Salí, surveillance cameras were recording as a “man” walking down the street vanished without a trace with government agents looking on. Local authorities confirmed the footage was not altered. Was this a camera trick or a real-life specter? Your guess is as good as mine.
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