Decemystery (2024) 26: The Ghost Who Took a Pair of Socks

 

Here’s an odd story: I was looking through my Google documents to see if there would be an easy case to cover. As I’ve made explicitly clear a multitude of times throughout this month, I’ve been strapped for time—and this has been no more apparent than right now. I’m writing this on Christmas Eve; it’ll likely be finished tomorrow, the day before it goes up.

Anyway, while looking through old documents, I came across this one. I barely remembered, and I can’t even recall why it wasn’t deleted.

I’m serious; I have no recollection of this story outside of it briefly being considered for last year’s Decemystery duology. It isn’t on sustained_disgust’s Obscure Unsolved Mysteries Iceberg. I don’t recall telling any of my friends about it. It’s just here, in a document, with one sentence that was written on November 30, 2023. It reads as follows:

Okay, so I had no plans to cover another story from “It Happened To Me,” but I found one mere minutes ago that was way too good to pass up.

Well, a year later, I guess the story wasn’t as good as my younger self thought it to be.

Or maybe it is, and I didn’t give it a fair chance. Today, I want to find out with you, dear reader. This month has been filled with a lot of twists and turns, but none will be more unique than exploring a remnant from last year’s Decemystery duology that even I, the writer of these articles, forgot the origin of.

So, I invite you to accompany me over to the United Kingdom as we investigate a weird ghost story that sounds closer to a comedy short. This is the case of The Ghost Who Took a Pair of Socks. I’d tell you to hold onto your socks, but I don’t want to attract the specter we’re looking into.

Hey, where’d my socks go?

Decemystery (2024): Bonus Entry: Apollo 11 Landed on the Wrong Moon

 

This write-up is dedicated to my friends, family, and to you, dear reader. Thank you all for your patience, understanding, and unwavering support. I hope I can one day make it up to you all.

Hello, dear reader! Merry Christmas! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, then happy holidays! Regardless of how you celebrate today, I hope your day has been fantastic. My day has been great, if exhausting.

Anyway, it’s Christmas Day, which means it’s time for us to go ahead and start up this year’s Decemystery Bonus Entry. For those who are new to this blog, the “Bonus Entry” is what I consider a “Christmas gift” from me to you, dear reader! 

Now, originally, I had a much different story picked out. However, it was way too big to cover in such a time timeframe. In fact, I’m amazed I even considered the original tale. I’ll hopefully get around to it next year because I’m a huge fan of it and the various mysteries that surround it.

After that, I considered another Conspiracy Iceberg entry, which would’ve brought the total number of stories from there up to six instead of the promised five. However, I quickly scrapped it because I didn’t feel confident enough in my abilities to finish it in time. Again, I’ll hopefully cover it next year. But it isn’t a top priority of mine.

That left me in a bit of a bind because as the deadline for Decemystery 2024 looms over my head like an executioner’s axe, I needed a story—and I needed it now. I didn’t want to pick any old story since Bonus Entries are often something special to me; they’re meant to be cases that I think are extra special and unique.

Unfortunately, most of the stories I have left didn’t fit the criteria in question. The keyword there is “most” because two of them did. One of them is one I’ve teased a couple of times this month. The other was the capstone entry for this month.

I went with the latter.

Yes, that’s right. Today’s story was intended to be the final entry for Decemystery 2024. However, I’ve opted to shift it to the Bonus Entry spot. To be honest, I think it fits both perfectly well. It’s got all of the requirements: It’s zany, baffling, outlandish, and just plain silly. I love it, baby!

So, for Decemystery 2024’s Bonus Entry, I invite you, dear reader, to come along and take a trip with me to the Moon! It’s up there where our penultimate journey to the Conspiracy Iceberg shall occur; it’s time to discuss the idea that Apollo 11 Landed on the Wrong Moon!

Decemystery (2024) 25: “We’re Gonna Be a Family Again Soon.”

 

When I made Decemystery 2024’s schedule, the plan was to have it be the biggest and best one ever, complete with stories that would leave you absolutely floored. This didn’t happen for reasons I’ve made abundantly clear throughout this month; I’ve bemoaned my mental health enough to where I’m sick of seeing the words get typed. Despite that, I still type them. Why? Don’t ask questions I can’t provide answers to, dear reader.

As a result of those issues, I uprooted the entire schedule but kept five of the original stories. The first was “The Triangle Creature,” which I only kept because of the name. Seriously, that name is amazing.

The second was “The Man From the Box,” which I was so close to not covering. Funnily enough, I also think it’s one of the main reasons why I fell behind schedule. It took a while to write, and while it was fun in hindsight, it also screwed me over badly.

Anyway, the third story was “bubbles.avi,” and I just now realized that I missed the opportunity to make a Bubble Buddy joke in the write-up. You know, the character from that one episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. I mentioned SpongeBob in the meme theory, but I failed to make the most obvious joke! This is what happens when you’re racing against the clock.

The fourth and most recent “purge survivor,” as I’ve called these write-ups, is “The Hawaiian Chupacabra,” which I think is one of the best articles I’ve ever done. I’m still so happy with it, even if I did digress quite a lot when discussing the Chupacabra itself.

Those four stories are the ones that survived the “purge.” Now, at long last, it’s time for the fifth one…

Which was actually scrapped because I fell behind schedule. Well, the original story was.

Yes, in a year filled with schedule changes, the original fifth survivor was taken out behind the shed and Old Yeller’d with some buckshot. I then had to dig up the corpse of another story to take its place—and that wording was not intended, given what you’re going to read later. My subconscious is screwing with me, and it’s only 2:36 in the afternoon.

Anyway, the story I opted to dredge up is from 4chan. Yes, we’ll be revisiting the site that I had no plans to revisit after I wrote about “A 4channer’s Disturbing VHS Discovery.” Why? Because I refuse to lose to the concept of time. I am far too arrogant to lose to clocks and calendars, dang it!

So, how do I intend to celebrate Christmas Day with you before we get to the Bonus Entry tonight? Well, you see, this isn’t any ordinary scary story. This is one that I said I didn’t think I could do justice to due to the time constraints. However, I’m feeling motivated, energized, and, above all else, eager to share something truly horrifying with you.

This is a story that does not bear a title. It does not bear any images. It does not bear anything other than one truly unsettling phrase; it’s a phrase that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

“We’re Gonna Be a Family Again Soon.”

Decemystery (2024) 24: The Hopping Creature of Gardnerville

 

It’s Christmas Eve, the night before the happiest, jolliest, most wondrous time of the year. I wonder what I’ll be doing that day. I hope it’s nothing stressful!

Anyway, if you read the write-up on “The Day the Earth Screamed” the other day, you’d know that I said that I had “easier stories” to fall back on if I needed to switch up the schedule for this month if it came to that. Lo and behold, yes, it did; today’s story wasn’t intended to be covered. I had another alien account in mind, but I’m at the point where I want to be done with writing so I can stop treating clocks and calendars with the same level of fear that I’d treat being cornered by a pit bull.

Because I want simple stuff, I went over to About, my favorite defunct online repertoire of stories; the despair I feel whenever I’m reminded of that is enough to turn me into a Sock and Buskin mask. God, I need to find more websites like it.

Oh well, I can do that when I’m not racing against the clock. So, what’s today’s impromptu tale of strangeness? Well, honestly, I don’t really know. It’s one that I picked out at pure random and went with because the title was interesting to me.

No, really, that was why I went with it. I’ve mentioned in the past—but I don’t think recently—that I’ve covered some stories because of their name. Even if I haven’t read the case, I’ve gone ahead and said, “I want to cover that,” to myself. This has backfired on more than several occasions, but since when have I ever learned my lesson? I’ve done Decemystery since 2018 (2022 doesn’t count) and have yet to learn how to temper my workload.

I digress, though; today’s mystery takes us over to Nevada, a state that—strangely enough—has yet to be featured on this blog outside of a write-up from 2019 where I (haphazardly) covered the theories surrounding Stephen Paddock, the man who perpetrated the 2017 Las Vegas Massacre.

However, when it comes to cryptids or UFOs, Nevada has been noticeably absent. It’s been mentioned numerous times, thanks to Area 51, but it’s somehow slipped through the cracks otherwise.

No longer, though! Today, we’ll be discussing something that I call The Hopping Creature of Gardnerville. Come along, dear reader; it’s time for us to head on over to one of the United States’ most culturally notorious states, a place that has become synonymous with gold, gambling, and oh-so-many more salacious things. Strap in because the land of Sin City is finally getting the spotlight shone on it!

Decemystery (2024) 23: The 2006 Fort Pierce Alien Abduction

 

Once upon a time, there lived a doe-eyed lad who enjoyed UFOs and all things associated with them. He’d go to the library and borrow tons of books related to UFO sightings, the Roswell Incident, and Area 51. He’d read them over and over and would watch all sorts of specials on UFOs and the fantastical theories surrounding them.

As time went on, the lad came to love the stories so much that he would tell his friends and family about them. His friends weren’t as interested in the topics; they were more interested in sports. The lad’s family, meanwhile, liked that he’d found something he enjoyed oh so much.

That lad was me, Vertigo, the fellow who operates this blog. After growing up loving anything and everything related to the unknown and mysterious, I am now living my dream of writing about it. Well, I’m living it when my mental health isn’t restricting me to staring at my Android screen while time ticks by.

Ah, but I’m not here to dwell on my personal struggles; I’ve done that more than enough throughout this month. No, I’m here, once again, to mention just how much I love the topics that I write about. I’ve made it no secret that I relished reading and watching everything I could about cryptids, ghosts, UFOs, and more. While the topic of ghosts has become one of my lesser favorites as time has gone on, the others have remained at the forefront of my mind.

The subject of UFOs is probably the one that I enjoy thinking about the most. The idea that we’re alone in the universe is as terrifying as it is bizarre. It’s also fascinating to wonder what they may think of our humble blue planet. Too bad they won’t respond to our calls. Someone’s got to be home! Right?

Oh well, the topic of extraterrestrial life deserves its own write-up one day—preferably when I have a year or two to write it and finely craft it from the ground up. For now, I’ve got individual reports from people who have seen UFOs and aliens—and in some cases, reports where they’ve even made contact with the extraterrestrials!

That said, I’m not missing anything, am I? Nah, that’s crazy. How could I possibly forget anything? It’s not like I haven’t repeated myself nonstop about how human memory is fallible and unreliable.

Oh, wait, I’m wrong on both fronts. My memory sucks. Also, I’m forgetting alien abductions.

Indeed, while I may be rather outspoken about my doubts regarding alien abductions as an adult, I was fascinated by them as a child. I’m not sure if this contradicts what my past self said, but I’ll gladly correct the record. There was a part of me that was intrigued by the story of Betty and Barney Hill as a child. I always wondered what happened to them and if they were truly the victims of an alien abduction.

I don’t remember when my views on the subject changed. If I had to guess, I’d say that it was a few years back. The seeds of doubt were always there, but something finally reaped them, and I’ve become increasingly doubtful of the legitimacy of most abduction claims.

I digress, though. What does this have to do with today’s write-up? Well, if you’ve been keeping up with Decemystery 2024, you’ll remember that last Tuesday, I said that I’d be covering two cases related to alien abductions. Today, we’ll be discussing the second one. Like last time, I want to see if this story can throw me for a loop and make me wonder if maybe, just maybe, my stance on alien abductions isn’t correct.

I don’t see any reason to delay any further, so come along, dear reader; let’s take a trip down to Florida and investigate The 2006 Fort Pierce Alien Abduction. I really need to think of better names for alien abduction stories. Eh, maybe next year. For now, I want to focus on seeing if this will be the alien abduction case that changes my outlook on the matter at hand.

Decemystery (2024) 22: The Day the Earth Screamed

 

Okay, let’s see. I’ve got Queen playing. It’s a quarter after noon. I’ve barely eaten. I have a bit of chocolate milk and Pepsi…

And it’s the first day of December.

For the sixth time around—five if you wish to count the Decemystery duology as one entity (as I’ve said in the past: I don’t)—writing Decemystery has dragged into December. This series has siphoned my love for the final month of the year because of how often I find myself looking at the clock while cursing my brain for being as metaphorically blended as a milkshake.

Lucky for you and me, dear reader, I happen to love writing, so I’m not upset. I’m only deeply pissed off on a very personal level that I don’t wish to discuss because that anger is between me and something that was outside of my control. All I’ll say is that it’s like being mad at the weather—if the weather were controlled by the biggest jerk you knew.

Anyway, what does that have to do with today’s write-up? Well, oddly enough, quite a lot. When I began working on Decemystery 2024 back in mid-August, I knew that it was going to carry into December. The only way it wouldn’t is if I approached it half-heartedly. That wasn’t something I intended to do. I did that in 2020, and it remains one of my greatest regrets because I think the quality of most of the write-ups is horrendous.

However, I had a contingency plan for this year, and it was similar to the one I had for last year. That was to make the final stretch of stories simple; they’re ones that I knew I could cover without much trouble. If anything had to be changed, I had even easier ones to fall back on (which, as of writing, I may have to do, albeit begrudgingly).

That brings us to today’s write-up. I consider it a part of that contingency plan. It’s simple, straightforward, and hails from the Conspiracy Iceberg. It’s also one that I don’t believe was ever considered for last year. If it was, I have no way to find out since I deleted the finalized schedules for both Decemysterys. How fitting that the plans I had for a blog dedicated to mysteries are becoming mysteries themselves.

Oh well, I digress. It’s time for the fourth Conspiracy Iceberg entry to be examined, and it’s one of the best-named out there. It’s known as The Day the Earth Screamed, and it’s appropriately named because all I want to do right now is scream. God, please, let 2025 be the year I can spend this month in peace.

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!