Decemystery (2024) 27: The Bent Key

 

Well, this is disappointing. Today’s story was intended to be about something that I had teased in the inaugural write-up for this month. It was the story of a mother and son (or daughter; I’m pretty sure I got the details wrong) who shared the same dream. I was quite eager to cover the story until I realized I had 27 pages of material I needed to comb through.

The story I had planned for today originates from the Forteana Forums. I cannot—by any stretch of the imagination—write the entire thing in one go without sacrificing my physical and mental well-being. I may be willing to push myself past my limits, but this would’ve required me to stay up for over 24 hours if I wanted to put a dent in the story. As such, I’ve opted to put it—along with an absolutely bonkers UFO case—on the back burner until next year.

To say that I’m disappointed would be an understatement; I hate that I teased not one but two write-ups and had to yank them at the last second because I didn’t think to cover them sooner. But, hey, it’s not the first time that I’ve had to make schedule changes. I know it won’t be the last, either.

So, how does that tie into today’s write-up? Well, initially, I had no real worthwhile replacement. Given I had to make this change at the very last moment (I’m serious; I was at a Christmas get-together when I made the change), I had no idea what I’d do.

Ultimately, I decided I’d grab a random story from About—my favorite go-to source for random stuff to cover and call it a day—and hope that the apology I gave would be good enough. Yeah, I know that isn’t the best look, but I’m stressed beyond belief, and my brain isn’t exactly “all there.”

However, everything changed when I stumbled across one case: The Bent Key. At first glance, that title is about as uninteresting, lame, and innocuous as can be. In fact, it sounds like it doesn’t belong on a website like About, which has hosted such baffling cases as “The 20-foot-tall Monster in Montana” and “One Man’s Conversation with a Cat.”

To a degree, that assessment would be correct. This story isn’t as wild or outlandish as the other stories I’ve covered from there. However, it has one thing every other case lacks. What is that thing? Well, why should I spoil it? Come along, dear reader; let’s dive into the case of one man’s bent key and see what makes this special.

Decemystery (2024) 21: A 4channer’s Disturbing VHS Discovery

 

Something I’ve expressed a great deal of interest in doing is covering more stories from 4chan. Primarily cases from the site’s paranormal board, /x/, though I’m open to writing about tales from just about any board if it’s adequately strange enough.

Now, I have a feeling there are more than a few of you who find that idea rather silly. After all, 4chan is notorious for hoaxes and pranks; as such, covering the innumerable Fleshgait, UFO, cryptid, and ghost stories will result in me labeling the case a hoax more often than not.

However, the reason I want to start writing about the stories isn’t because I care about their veracity. Instead, it’s because I think the stories are just outright interesting; I find them creepy, and I’d like to share many of my favorite greentext horror stories with you. They’ve provided me with a lot of enjoyment throughout the years, and I think it could be fun to dedicate write-ups to them.

Last year, I covered a story called “The Screaming Stars,” which—aside from the numerous Conspiracy Iceberg cases that I’ve covered—remains the only greentext story I’ve covered on this blog. For those unaware, greentexts are the stories that utilize the > symbol prior to a sentence.

Now, originally, I’d planned to make Decemystery 2024 the year that I’d begin this trend. I had three stories picked out that I was eager to cover. However, they were all scrapped because I wasn’t confident I could do them justice. In hindsight, I’m sure I could’ve covered one of them and brought it to life in spades, but I digress. There’s always next year.

Despite wiping those three choices from the schedule, I still wanted to cover one spooky story from 4chan. So, I went looking for one. My options were plentiful, but one stood out to me. It’s a case that doesn’t feature anything I mentioned earlier; we’re not going into the realm of the paranormal or supernatural today, dear reader. No, today, we’re tackling something that falls into a rather unique category. It’s a creepy tale that leaves me feeling uncomfortable.

Hailing from /x/, this is a story that I called A 4channer’s Disturbing VHS Discovery. It’s one that I’m pretty sure I heard a great many years ago. And now, at long last, I’ll finally begin what I hope will become a tradition like with the Conspiracy Iceberg. Come along, dear reader; it’s time for us to journey to the Internet’s most infamous image board and see what terrifying tale awaits us in its archives this time!

Decemystery (2022.3) 27: That Time Someone Saw Mickey Mouse

 

Growing up, I was a big fan of Disney. Mickey Mouse was one of my favorite things, as were Mickey’s friends. I also adored Winnie-the-Pooh; I still do to this day. The Hundred Acre Wood is easily my favorite place in the entire world of Disney.

So color me surprised when I saw a story featuring ol’ Mickey Mouse in real life. This was a story I didn’t intend to cover this month, but I simply couldn’t wait. So let’s take an impromptu trip to Disney World. This is the magical story of That Time Someone Saw Mickey Mouse! Yeah, it’s gonna be one of those stories.

Decemystery (2022.3) 12: The Groves Kurt Incident

 

Snow: it’s that thing I remember loving when I was a kid. Then, as I got older, I began to hate it since it was a herald of unbearably cold weather and, more often than not, ice. Still, as a child, I remember going outside and pretending I was Godzilla and the snow was a city. I’d also make snowballs and throw them like they were bombs. Yeah, I can’t say I was a very imaginative youngling, but it provided a bit of entertainment until I’d go inside and pass out from a hard day’s work (see: being a child).

Despite all of that fun, I can’t say I recall ever being involved in a snowball fight. I was a loner of sorts when I was young (not that things are much different than nowadays). The kids who lived near me were into sports and other athletic activities, while I was more of a bookworm and loved video games. Sure, they enjoyed the latter, too, but they still liked sports games. Even when they played things that weren’t throwing balls around like candy, they still liked throwing balls around in the digital world. Eh, to each their own.

My point is I do wish I got to partake in a large-scale snowball fight like I always saw in the cartoons I watched. It always seemed like a bunch of fun—though I would definitely hope it didn’t involve some snot-nosed brat putting ice or rock into one of the snowballs. I sure as heck wouldn’t have wanted to get stitches for a gash on my face—or worse, end up like one of the folks in today’s story.

Two years ago, I covered a story called The Elevator Riddle, a story that I sent to Jason Carpenter, the host of Dead Rabbit Radio. In that write-up, I mentioned another story: The Groves Kurt Incident. When I had Decemystery 2022 planned, I was going to cover that story, but we all know how that went. Lucky for me, I have two brain cells that aren’t fighting for third place in a marathon, so today, we’ll be covering that story for Decemystery 2022.3! So come along, get your snow gear on, and let’s take a trip over to Illinois; it’s time to investigate the story of killer snowballs! No, seriously.

Decemystery (2021) 26: Peggy and the Giant Talking Cockroach

 

Cockroaches are… not exactly the most appealing insects out there. I’ve only ever seen one in my life and it was outside of a hospital in New York City. It took a moment for me to register what it was since it was out of the corner of my eye, but when I saw it fully, I remember shuddering and thinking it was the ugliest thing I’d ever seen. Thankfully, it was dead (I’m guessing the staff had sprayed it with RAID or it froze to death since I believe this was in autumn/winter).

Of course, that’s just my own little experience with them. I hope I never see one again—and if I’m unfortunate enough to see one, I hope it’s dead. Though I mean, that’s just me; I’m terrified of insects (let alone any creepy-crawly). You, on the other hand, may really like them.

One thing I think we can agree on though is that giant insects aren’t exactly the most pleasant thing to think about. Besides being something straight out of an old-timey B-movie, they’d also likely see us as food. It’s because of that that I’m sorry to say that today’s story, which I call Peggy and the Giant Talking Cockroach, deals with precisely that. This is gonna make my skin crawl.

Decemystery (2021) 23: The Signal of Isla Han Samar

Today’s story is yet another one from the Forteana Map. It, much like the story of the “Elevator Riddle”, has virtually nothing on it. However, I opted to still cover it for two reasons. The first is that I wanted something else that was rather easy to cover (I stand by the excuse I gave when talking about the Elevator Riddle: I’ve had a rough year, please cut me a break). The second is that it doesn’t appear that anyone—not even Dead Rabbit Radio—has talked about this story. So, I figured it could be fun to be the first person to cover it.

At least, I believe I’m the first person to have covered it. If I’m not, I feel silly for missing whoever did. They didn’t appear in either Google or Bing’s search results, no matter how many times I tried to look up information on this story.

Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start from the beginning. This is the story of the Signal of Isla Han Samar.

Decemystery (2021) 19: Shirtwood Forest

Forests, to me, have a very creepy air to them. You’re potentially miles from civilization and you have to be on the lookout for wildlife that may not take too kindly to strangers in their territory. That, coupled with the many legends that surround forests (be it shapeshifting creatures, demonic bipeds, or regular old Bigfoot-type creatures), and you’ve got yourself a place that can make you become really paranoid. Though even if we’re to ignore all of that, there’s something about forests that can be really eerie. I think it’s the fact that they’re generally very quiet. That always puts some folks (myself included) on edge.

There’s more to forests than just legends though. A great many killers have used them to dispose of their victims, treasures can be buried there, and the Blair Witch calls one her home. Though for today, we aren’t here to discuss any of that. No, today, we’re here to talk about something a lot more innocuous, yet simultaneously unsettling—in my opinion at least. I found the story on the ObscUrban Legend Wiki (because I apparently can’t find stories anywhere else) and the High-Strangeness Wiki. It’s known as Shirtwood Forest, and it’s a really bizarre… thing. So come along, it’s time to go clothes shopping.

Decemystery (2021) 16: The Dog That Jumped Out of the Wall

Dogs: they’re called man’s best friend. They’re loyal, loving, can be hunting partners, and will protect their owner to the death. Sure, not every dog is a saint (some are closer to Cujo), but by and large, dogs are great animals and are fantastic with people of all ages. Well, so long as they aren’t pit bulls.

That said, dogs have a lot of superstition and enigmas around them. Whether they be the infamous Black Shuck or the fantastically named “Snake-Headed Dog”, you can count on there being something strange involving our furry-friends if you look long enough into anything cryptozoological or paranormal/supernatural.

Today’s story has to do with the latter; this is a supernatural story through and through. I call it the Dog That Jumped Out of the Wall. What drew me to it? Well, the name; you can sell me on nearly anything if the name is crazy enough. Now that you know that one of my friends will send me the craziest possible story and say, “please write about this”. Ah well, whatever; let’s begin!

Decemystery (2021) 15: The Money in Matt and Wendy Jameson's Backyard

Amidst a sea of really absurd and depressing mysteries, it’s sometimes hard to remember that there are stories out there which are more uplifting or light-hearted in nature. Today, I want to take a moment to bring attention to one. It’s short and doesn’t involve anything more than a strange event which began as quickly as it ended. This is the story of the Money in Matt and Wendy Jameson’s Backyard.

Decemystery (2021) 9: The Flying Mist Mattress

Every now and then, I find it really fun to pick something out that’s really weird to cover. I’m pretty sure I’ve said that before, but I don’t care: it’s good to always remind people (and to tell newcomers to this blog). So for today, I want to cover something I found that’s called the Flying Mist Mattress. No real introduction needed; I think the name speaks for itself.

Decemystery (2021) 7: The Jetpack Men of Kazakhstan and Los Angeles

Jetpacks are really fun to think about. You strap ‘em on and with the press of a button, you can take off into the sky and fly around. It’s almost like you’ve got wings, except you need not flap them to keep soaring. Nay, you just hold that button down and rise up. Finally, short people can reach the top shelf at the local Wal-Mart!

In real life, jetpacks do exist, but their usage is rather limited and as far as I’m aware, they aren’t something you can easily purchase. A quick Google search yields that a JB10 Jetpack, made by the Jetpack Aviation Company, costs a staggering $290,000 over here in the United States. Meanwhile, their JB11 Jetpack has a starting price of #340,000. So I guess if you’re filthy rich, you could buy one, but I doubt it’ll come in much use in your day-to-day life.

With that said, jetpacks would have quite a bit of use in the military and certain other fields. After all, having an aerial advantage over your land-restricted enemy would be amazing. Though again, I don’t believe there’s ever been a scenario where a jetpack unit has been deployed into a warzone. Hopefully one day, I can hear about how Delta Force defeated some bad guys while dabbing through the air.

I digress; let’s get to the point. While jetpacks are a reality, but not to the full extent that your favorite piece of entertainment media may showcase, there have been some weird encounters with folks using jetpacks. In fact, there are two stories from two areas—at two separate times in history—involving “Jetpack Men”. So come along, let’s talk about the Jetpack Men of Kazakhstan and Los Angeles.

Decemystery (2020) 18: That Time the Monster From Jeepers Creepers Fell From the Sky

 

So far this year, I’ve refrained heavily from extremely silly, nonsensical stories. Sure, the Venusian Scorpion was a fairly outlandish and goofy concept, but at its heart: it still had something to base itself off of. There were supposed images of the entity in question and it did come from someone who you could call reputable. He had credentials, he had experience, and he was at least respected by other fellow scientists.

Because of this lack of a black sheep story, I figured that today, we could go ahead and dive into the realm of something that’s so absolutely batty, you’d think it was an elaborate troll. Something so absurd… it’s more than likely not real, but who cares? It’s still technically a mystery and gosh darn it, I’m gonna relish in every nanosecond of this story’s goofiness. Let’s talk about that time the monster from Jeepers Creepers fell from the sky.

Decemystery (2020) 14: The Creature in the Dining Room

 

Top of the morning to you, dear reader, from the United States. Today’s mystery is going to be a unique one as it won’t be something you’ve heard of—unless you’re friends with me. That’s because it’s a personal story; a mystery that has perplexed me for a large portion of my life. I’ve always referred to it as the creature in the dining room. That’s because I saw it in my dining room and it was some sort of creature. I know, top tier naming. Anyways, let’s get right into it.

Mystery: The Cloud Giant

The photo in question by Nick O'Donoghue.

Let’s take a trip up into the skies as it’s where our story takes place. It’s a rather short one and certainly far from the most extraordinary, though I still think it still offers something unique. I found it on the ObscUrban Legend Wiki and it’s simply titled the Cloud Giant. Let’s take a gander.

Mystery: The Tunguska Event

Aerial view of the Tunguska blast site nowadays.

Death from the skies!

This is what seems to make tabloid headlines every few months. NASA or some other space agency (though it’s almost always NASA) supposedly says that there’s a “killer asteroid” headed our way in X years. When it hits, we’re all dead! Just like the dinosaurs before us, we will be wiped out by a giant space rock and there’s nothing we can do about it.

These claims are, of course, clickbait. No one from NASA has said that there is a dinosaur killing sized chunk of space rock that will crash into our happy little planet and make us all enter the Forever Box. Alas, we can’t let facts get in the way of some good clicks for sensationalistic journalism.

Still, that doesn’t mean that our rocky friends from space haven’t hit us before. Every year, a plethora of meteors strike Earth, but they’re either too small to do any damage or burn up as they enter our atmosphere. In other instances, they do land, but are unnoticeable or make for a good viral video because they light up the sky.

In some rare instances, they actually do some damage and kill a lot of life. One good example of this is 99942 Apophis, a 1,080 foot wide asteroid that caused a pretty big scare when it was said it may hit Earth in 2036. An asteroid the size of Apophis typically strikes Earth once every 80,000 years. It wouldn’t cause an extinction level event mind you, but folks on YouTube and tabloids would have you believe otherwise since they made it out to be a doomsday rock from the high heavens.

A comparison of the Empire State Building and Eiffel Tower to 99942 Apophis.

Nowadays, they say that Apophis has a 1 in 150,000 chance of hitting Earth on April 12, 2068. These chances are subject to change and given that’s not for another 48 years (rounded) as of the time of this writing, one can bet that it’s likely we’ll either be able to send Apophis to Mars, Venus, or just straight out of the Solar System. Or, even more likely, Apophis will whoosh by our planet and go on its merry way.

Though what if it didn’t? What if it—or another still sizable asteroid—were to hit us? What would the damage be like?

As I said before, there have been asteroids that have hit Earth. There have also been meteors and comets. The thing is: it’s very rare, but when it happens, people definitely know. The devastation can be tremendous and the loss of life can be unbelievable…

Unless it lands somewhere remote, where the loss of life is minimal and nobody really notices it. This is  the case of today’s story, which has become known as the Tunguska Event. While many have come to accept the theory that what caused this incredible event was a comet, some remain unconvinced. As such, we’re going to take a look and see if we can discover the truth behind it all. So let’s dive in!

Decemystery (2019) 24: Gary Sudbrink's Phone Calls

I can't find a photo of Gary Sudbrink. So here's a Man in Black.

Information on this case is as scarce as can be. Despite it being something that one would think UFO researchers would latch onto like there’s no tomorrow, there aren’t many videos available on YouTube related to this story. As such, most of what I’ve grabbed is from a few Reddit posts. So without further ado: this is the story of Gary Sudbrink’s Phone Calls.

Decemystery 21: The Infamous Beacon of Hate

A shortwave radio.

Mysteries come in all shapes in sizes. Sometimes, they’re ghost ships. Other times, they’re unsolved riddles. Then there are unsolved murders and disappearances. However, not all mysteries have some sort of malice behind them. Sometimes, they’re just weird things that happen or are found that nobody can explain the origin behind. Case in point: The Infamous Beacon of Hate.