Decemystery (2024) 14: The Brisbane Gremlin

 

Have you ever had one of those days when you didn’t want to do something, but you knew you had to do it because if you didn’t do it, you’d feel like a sloth? That’s me as I type this. As of writing, I got done with the previous Decemystery entry, and a part of me wants to do little more than slack off by playing a Pokémon ROM hack. Maybe Renegade Platinum; I’d like to do a playthrough where none of my Pokémon faint.

Alas, not writing will make me feel irritated at myself for being lazy. As such, I must continue the grind; I need to write more. Some may say that it’s unhealthy to push myself to write when I want to take a break. I concur, but I have a secret weapon to get the best of both worlds. It’s called “making sure the upcoming stories are easy enough to write so I don’t stress myself out.” By doing this, I won’t exhaust myself, and I can also have the time of my life without worrying about overworking myself.

I attribute this tactical move to Douglas MacArthur, who I’m pretty sure once said something along the lines of, “Duty, honor, country, write about simple things to make life easy.” I’m pretty sure he said that before the infamous Battle of Time Constraints.

Anyway, now that you know my mindset for today’s write-up, let’s get down to business. While I may be in the mood to slack off, I’ve had my heart set on today’s story because it was one that I was really eager to cover from the get-go. Then, when I was reading it over, I realized something rather bizarre.

I’d picked out the wrong story.

Indeed, when I was making a Google Document of links for stories I’d cover, I’d mistakenly copied the wrong one (likely due to being half asleep since I often gather stories before I go to bed) and hyperlinked it. However, upon reviewing the story, I found that it was far more than adequate for this month.

As for the other story, I’m sure I’ll find it again one day. Who knows, maybe while writing about this mystery, I’ll have stumbled across it again and worked it into the schedule. It’s not like there have been several stories that I’ve already scrapped due to not feeling like writing about them.

I digress, though. Yesterday, I briefly mentioned sightings of children seeing gremlins. Today, we’ll be talking about one such incident. Come along, dear reader; it’s time for us to head to the Land Down Under and investigate the mystery of The Brisbane Gremlin!

Decemystery (2024) 13: The Mummy on the Bed

 

Ah, this story. There’s a weird history with it. It was on the schedule for last year’s Decemystery duology, but I scrapped it in favor of something else. I forget which story it was, but regardless, there was also the mounting pressure of having to write so much in so little time.

When this year rolled around, though, I didn’t plan on covering it. Then, when I revised the schedule, I did—until I didn’t. After the mammoth-sized write-ups “The Nickelodeon Hamster Wheel Broadcast” and “The Man From the Box,” the thought of covering a third mystery from Reddit sounded as appealing as salmonella. Simply put, I dreaded the idea of having another write-up that’d end up being far longer than I originally intended it to be—and that would leave me utterly drained.

However, after yesterday’s case, I opted to look over this story again out of sheer curiosity. As I did, I realized that it was nowhere close to as long as the aforementioned two. In fact, it’s remarkably short; it’s roughly the length of a story from About but with a few replies (only six, with half of them being from the original poster).

So, after much consideration (by which I mean I acted out of pure impulse), I figured I’d re-add it to Decemystery 2024’s schedule. In doing so, I’m confident that this story has had roughly the same number of date changes Duke Nukem Forever did prior to its release back in 2011. I promise it won’t be anywhere near as mediocre as that game was.

Anyway, aside from taking us back to Reddit, this case is also the first time since the original Decemystery that I’ll be discussing a story related to a mummy. Yes, it’s been six years since I’ve discussed anything related to them; I’m in disbelief that it’s taken me this long to talk about them. So, come along; let’s dive into the belly of one of the Internet’s most controversial websites once more and go over the oh-so-fantastically named story of The Mummy on the Bed!

Decemystery (2024) 12: The UFOs High Above Artjärvi!

 

In the past, I’ve talked about how much I love my friends. This love hasn’t changed while I’ve been absent from writing; if anything, my love for them has only grown because they’ve supported me through the numerous hardships I’ve endured. Likewise, I’ve done my best to help them out—even if it’s through simple gestures.

Writing articles dedicated to my friends is one of those simple gestures. While it may be a bit self-indulgent since I can’t guarantee it’ll make them happy, I do like to think that offering them something to read can help take their mind off of simple troubles, whether it be stress from college, work, or anything else of that nature. If nothing else, it’s the perfect reason for me to stop procrastinating!

Last year, a few of the Decemystery duology entries were dedicated to friends. One of them was for a Finnish friend of mine, Nea, whom I’m very close to. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I’d cover another one for her—or any other friends, for that matter. However, given the worry that she, along with my other friends, expressed during struggles I had earlier in the year with my bipolar, I figured it’d be rude of me not to do something for them.

So, when I was piecing this year’s Decemystery back together, I opted not only to dedicate another story to her but also picked out a few other cases that I knew would make my closest friends happy. Most of those friends are from one collective group, though, so the story dedicated to them will come much later in the month (much like last year).

Anyway, let’s get to today’s story. Well, if you read the title, you know what to expect. It’s time for more UFO goodness; I can’t help but have a sweet tooth for these stories. While some may be frustrating (like the one I went over the day before yesterday), so many of them provide me with a wonderful amount of material to work with…

And then there’s today’s story.

This is a head-scratcher of a case. I can’t quite put into words what it is, but this sounds like more than a UFO sighting without it ever becoming more than one. It’s practically one sentence away from being an alien abduction story—one that’s simultaneously told from the perspective of someone who witnessed an alien abduction and was abducted by aliens.

But, hey, don’t take my word for it; I’ll showcase it to you myself. Grab your passport, and let’s take a trip over to Finland, dear reader! It’s time to dive into the story of The UFOs High Above Artjärvi! Why’d I add an exclamation point to today’s write-up? Because I felt like it, that’s why!

Decemystery (2024) 11: The Durham Force Field

When it comes to Fortean mysteries—or any type of mystery, really—there’s something about ones that lack much, if any, information that makes me excited. It’s something I’ve come to love in the past couple of years; it sets off a fire inside me that causes my mind to wander.

Now, sure, I hate making an abundance of assumptions, but I do enjoy a good rabbit hole—especially when I’m one of the first people to go down it—if not the first person to do so. There’s a certain thrill to it if that makes sense. If it doesn’t, then perhaps I enjoy covering ridiculous stuff a bit too much.

Regardless of how I feel, there’s one place that best exemplifies this thrill, and that’s what’s known as the “Fortean Map.” If you’ve been visiting this blog since 2021 and haven’t stopped under the assumption that it’s dead, thanks to the content droughts that have plagued it ever since 2022, then you might be familiar with that name. If you aren’t, it’s a massive map that someone made; it’s filled with a plethora of mysteries from across the planet.

As it stands, I’ve visited it a total of four times: twice for Decemystery 2021 (where I wrote about “The Elevator Riddle” and “The Signal of Isla Han Samar”) and twice during last year’s Decemystery duology (where I covered “The Groves Kurt Incident” and “Terry Lopi’s Disappearing Barn”). This year will mark the fifth and sixth times I’ve visited it.

Now, each time I visited the map in the past, I’ve covered something that I now refer to as a “Fortean Map Enigma.” They’re stories that have little to nothing about them available on the Internet. In the previous four write-ups, I’ve labeled them as stories made up by the map’s creator for fun. Today, however, all of that’s about to change because there’s a new possibility at play, and it all but makes me want to go back to the previous four write-ups and reexamine them with a fine-toothed comb.

So, for our inaugural visit to the Fortean Map, we’re taking a trip across the Atlantic Ocean and going to good ol’ England—northern England, to be exact. It’s here where we’ll find something labeled The Durham Force Field. On its own, that name is fascinating and would pique my interest. However, the summary given makes border on irresistible. In fact, I considered writing about it last year. However, I believe I swapped it out with Terry Lopi’s case.

Ah, but I digress. Come along, dear reader. Let’s discuss another Fortean Map Enigma and find out how everything’s about to change with these cases!

Decemystery (2024) 10: The “Butterfly” UFO of Willow, Alaska

 

Here’s a fun fact for you, dear reader: I’ve never had a schedule for Decemystery that has remained the same from the moment I began work on the inaugural write-up to the capstone. The reason for that is because of that thing called “time constraints,” and maybe the desire to cover some other story because it intrigued me more than another one. ADHD will do that to you.

More often than not, it’s due to time constraints. When you’re consistently on the clock, sacrifices must be made, and that can lead to seeking out a shorter and simpler case to fill a slot. That’s what happened today—and I think it’s easy to see why if you read yesterday’s entry. The Man From the Box left me mentally fatigued, so I needed something that would be easier and would make me feel less stressed.

Boy, I wish I could say that today’s story provided that.

With something like the Man From the Box, the exhaustion came from how much there was to it and how disappointed in myself I was for not knowing what I believed were crucial details. I’m sure this disappointment will remain when these write-ups go up, and I’m still working on the tail-end of Decemystery 2024 (unless I get really lucky and manage to finish it before December 10). Regardless, the exhaustion I felt originated from my own shortcomings as a person; those shortcomings are something I can overcome, though. I hope to do so when 2025 rolls around.

In the case of today’s Decemystery entry, the exhaustion and stress were brought about by something much more comical. Every now and then, there are stories I find that make me feel like I’m trying to decipher ancient texts or I’m piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. In other words, the grammar or punctuation (or both) are terrible.

That’s the case with today’s story.

Some may ask why I’d bother writing about a story that stresses me out. Well, this one’s special. It’s not only a peculiar UFO story; it’s one that I was able to make sense of somewhat easily. It also has a plethora of baffling details that I believe will make for a fun read and will allow me to have far more fun than I did with yesterday’s story. So pack your bags, dear reader, because we’re headed to America’s Last Frontier! This is the story of The “Butterfly” UFO of Willow, Alaska!

Decemystery (2024) 9: The Man From the Box

 

So, here’s a fun little story for you. Today’s write-up was set to be a part of Decemystery 2022 before all of that fun stuff with brain fog happened. I then had it lined up for last year’s duology and got very close to beginning work on it. However, if memory serves, I figured it’d be way too much work, so I decided to forego it.

Now, it’s October. I’ve been slowly progressing through these write-ups—by which I mean that I still have 24 of them to go (counting this one). I’m looking at my schedule and notice that today’s story is one of the five “purge survivors.” If you don’t know what those are, I scrapped Decemystery 2024’s original schedule, though five stories survived. Why did that happen?

Brain fog. Again.

Anyway, seeing this story’s name made me wince a bit. The momentum I’d built up from the previous two write-ups was something I’d hoped I could hold onto; they were brisk and easy to cover. This one’s almost certainly not going to be either of those things due to the websites we’ll be visiting.

For a brief moment, as I sat on my bed, I considered delaying this story for the third year in a row. Not only would it save me a lot of time, but it would take some stress off my back. However, I knew if I did that, it would only prolong the inevitable (which would be a full-blown delay into next year). So, ultimately, I opted against that. I didn’t want this to become another version of Julia or Shades of Death Road (both of which have been on my to-do list since 2019).

However, that’s not the only reason I didn’t want to push this story into next year. Personally, I believe this to be one of the strangest and creepiest supposed firsthand accounts with the Fortean one can find online. So, I think it’s about time we finally look over the story of The Man From the Box. Come along, dear reader; let’s take a look at a case that’s been collecting dust in the recesses of my archive of mysteries!

Decemystery (2024) 8: The McDonald's Blob

 

When I started this blog, I had zero intention of covering unsolved mysteries. Absolutely none. That was a spur-of-the-moment thing I did for reasons I don’t even remember. The inaugural Decemystery back in 2018 was something I vaguely recall doing for the heck of it; the exact reasoning is now in and of itself a mystery. If I did mention it at any point, it’s been lost amidst the sea of other stories I’ve covered—and I dislike the original Decemystery because of its poor quality.

This impromptu decision to write about a mystery a day eventually led me to slowly but surely amass a backlog of over 5,000 mysteries I’d like to cover. I’m unsure if I’ll write about them on this blog. It’s more likely that I’ll write a series of books where I cover them, but that’s a story for another time in the far distant future. For now, let’s get back on track.

While I have fleeting memories of Decemystery 2018, most of them are of no importance and amount to little more than me typing away haphazardly without much thought about what I was doing. I believe there were a few times I considered abandoning the project, but I thought that wasn’t worth it. Besides, I thought it’d be cool if I completed it—and I did!

That said, while I view the quality as poor nowadays, I recall wanting to do Decemystery again in 2019. Except, then I didn’t; I canceled it. Then, like an indecisive buffoon, I uncanceled it.

Once again, I can’t remember the events that led to the cancellation because I deleted the blog post. I’m sure there was some reason related to mental health or time constraints, but it matters not because I managed to complete it without missing a day.

That brings me to the point of this retrospective intro. Whenever I reflect upon the evolution of this blog, there’s something that stands out to me—namely, the aforementioned Decemystery 2019.

Indeed, the Decemystery that nearly got thrown out the window is arguably the most pivotal moment in the blog’s history. Why? Well, it was the Decemystery where I opted to broaden the stories I covered. I didn’t stick to normal unsolved mysteries; I began including entries from the “Conspiracy Iceberg,” an iceberg chart that has a plethora of conspiracy theories on it.

This can be seen right out of the gate. The inaugural entry of Decemystery 2019 was “Golf Rumors,” a popular Conspiracy Iceberg entry that has more variants than I care to count. I also went over four other stories that month: Cameraheads (which has since been solved as it was a piece of lost media), The Patterson-Gimlin Massacre (which I want to rewrite), “Is Lord of the Rings Based on a True Story?” (again, I want to rewrite that one), and Project Blue Beam.

Adding on to that, I also covered the 2006 Volleyball Incident, which I’m pretty sure was going to be a part of Decemystery 2019 but was nixed for reasons that elude me. Look, it’s been five years, and I don’t have a journal. I’m sorry.

So, what does all of this have to do with today? Well, I wanted to make Decemystery 2024 special. I’ve had an arduous year, and I didn’t want to keep going through the archives of About like I didn’t care anymore. So, I figured I’d go through the two Megalists I wrote and find five of the weirdest conspiracy theories to cover.

And boy, oh boy, I succeeded. Believe me when I say that I looked for the weirdest stories; I made sure that they made the five cases we discussed last year look like child’s play.

So, with all of that in mind, I say it’s time that we celebrate not only the wonderful month of December but also celebrate the evolution of this blog throughout the years. And it all begins with the wonderfully weird story of The McDonald’s Blob! Come along, dear reader; let’s see what lurks in the shadows of those iconic golden arches!