Decemystery (2022.3) 31: That Time Professor Oak Kidnapped A Child

 

Content warning: this write-up contains mentions of child sexual abuse.

This month has been filled with an absolutely massive amount of weirdness. From space penguins to vampiric caterpillars and tongue monsters to dancing bulls, this December takes the cake as the strangest of them all. Though, as is the case with Decemystery, I’ve saved the oddest story for last. For the capstone of Decemystery 2022.3, I have whatever you can call this story.

Despite being a rather harmless series on the surface, Pokémon has had a bizarrely large amount of controversy surrounding it throughout the years. While nowadays, it’s primarily criticized for the lackluster graphics and, in the case of the two most recent releases, polish, its early days had some other criticisms. From one side, you had PETA lambasted it for animal cruelty. On the other side, you had some religious groups accuse it of being Satanic for teaching evolution.

Today’s story will take us back in time to that time period, a time when video games had controversies that didn’t involve loot boxes and microtransactions. No, it was a simpler time. So to round off this Decemystery, let’s discuss That Time Professor Oak Kidnapped A Child. This one’s going to be a doozy.

Decemystery (2022.3) 14: The Canadian Spiderbat

 

This write-up is dedicated to my friend, who goes by Jimbo. I hope you enjoy this wonderfully weird story, bud!

The idea of merging two animals into one is one that I must concede is quite amusing. Just imagine if I fused a puffer fish with a turkey or a walrus with a giraffe. Perhaps it’s just me, but I find it rather entertaining. Unfortunately, it isn’t always entertaining; there are those combinations that result in something rather horrific. Today’s story is one of those instances.

After having health issues for the seven thousandth time this year, I was lounging around on my bed doing what I do best: playing Pokémon. Once I realized that I should be preparing to write again, I decided to read. During this reading, I stumbled across the story of The Canadian Spiderbat. With a name like that, I knew I had to write about it right away. So, with a brain that’s still reeling from a week of recovery, let us take a dive into the unknown!

Mystery: Wendigo

Good morning, dear reader. At least, it’s morning as of the time of this posting. Let’s take a trip into the woods together. It’s a terrifying place full of mystery; a desolate land where one can become attuned to nature. However, it’s also a land of danger. Wild animals reside here and while most are docile, this is their home and should you get too close to, say, a mama bear and her cub, you can find yourself ending up like the Grizzly Man.

Today’s story is going to be a rather short, brisk one. After the monstrously lengthy tale of Jack the Ripper, I want to take a moment to sit back, relax, and channel our inner demon[s] into a story. I wish for you to do just this; look inside of yourself. Unleash all of the anger and wrath inside of you. Now go clean up the mess you made; your home is a wreck.

All done? Good, now that you have manifested a Wendigo, start running. That thing’s going to eat you, your family, your puppy, and your neighbors. Seriously, run. It’s right behind you and it smells of blood and copper.

Decemystery (2019) 17: The Phantom Fleet of the Great Lakes

A creepy ship. I don't know the artist though, so I'm unsure as to who to credit.

Last year, we covered a few maritime mysteries. This year, we'll be covering two more. To start, we’re headed to the Great Lakes to search for some ghost ships. This is the story of the Phantom Fleet.

Mystery: Jerome of Sandy Cove

Brief preface: I dedicate this blog entry to my friend The Bricklayer. Happy birthday, Brick!

Now then: every now and then, there comes a story that reads more like a short story rather than a real mystery. The Man from Taured is a great example of this: a story passed around decades after it happened and no mention of the incident prior to that.

But while that mystery may be more firmly rooted in myth than reality, the world is filled with many unidentified individuals; the United States having as many as 40,000 according to Wikipedia. Some of who are later definitively identified and their stories finally closed. Those that aren't are typically the victims of foul play, their bodies either too badly decomposed for positive identification or nobody coming forward to identify the body as a friend, acquaintance, or loved one.

Then there are stories like Jerome of Sandy Cove. A story that reads more like The Man from Taured, only it's verifiable it happened.

Decemystery 31: The Murder of Blair Adams

A picture of the man in question.

2018 has been a crazy year, and this month has celebrated many crazy mysteries. We've discussed everything from the mind boggling internet mystery that is Cicada 3301 to the legendary Voynich Manuscript. But, I've saved the best for last; a mystery so insane, so bizarre that it never fails to leave me speechless.

That mystery is the murder of Blair Adams.

Decemystery 22: The Highway of Tears

A billboard warning women to not hitchhike.

One of my goals with this miniseries was to practice giving information without rambling and repeating myself over and over. So, when I went out and planned in what mysteries I'd do, I wanted a bit of a challenge with what I had. Some of them have been easier than others, while others have been a bit too much for me to tackle due to the amount of detail in them and me not being able to condense it well enough in my eyes. That said, I made sure to keep one of those that I viewed as being “too difficult”: the Highway of Tears.

Decemystery 15: The Inkerman and the Cerisoles

Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me!

Disappearances are nothing new. They happen for an array of reasons. Sometimes someone wishes to run away from the life they have and start anew; their previous life having been mired by misery and misfortune. Other times, the person (or persons) were the victim of foul play—or simply got lost and died to exposure or dehydration/starvation. Or the wildlife got them.

Then there are instances of planes going missing. Engine failure or getting lost happens—and yet despite what the media lead you to believe, airline travel is still the safest way to travel. Regardless, the legendary disappearances of Flight 19 in the Bermuda Triangle and Amelia Earhart captivate and scare people to this very day.

However, on the opposite end of the spectrum of normality is the disappearances of ships and/or their crew. I've always found ghost ships to be really dang creepy. Sailors spend their lives out at sea, navigating weather and the vast oceans. For all intents and purposes, their disappearances shouldn't happen easily. But they do, and they're easily some of the most unsettling unsolved mysteries out there. And as luck would have it, thanks to my friend Tyler, I have a few of them I want to go over this month. With any luck, I won't fall victim to my own random disappearance due to life getting in the way. That said, our first venture into this topic: the Inkerman and Cerisoles.