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Educators Reveal Their Parent Teacher Conference Horror Stories

You can predict a lot about a parent from a kid.

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And teachers often have to deal with both in a very concentrated fashion. Unfortunately teachers tend to get the brunt of the blame, always. And user u/TheLegend1125 asked Reddit to share their own horror stories:

Teachers, what was the worst parent/teacher interview you've ever had to sit through?

Here were some of the craziest horror stories.

When The Dog Bites

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Pre-school teacher here. My first year as a lead teacher I had a student who bit, scratched, pulled hair, slapped and punched both students and teachers, including myself. Every day we were essentially beaten up by this 4 year old. Leading up to the conference my boss advised me to keep a log of everything this child was doing, each time he slapped or bit someone, each time he yelled out a cuss word, etc.

The entire conference was this child's mom going through my behaviour log of her child and laughing. She told me that he had never exhibited that kind of behaviour and was a perfect angel. She told me she had never even seen him angry. She laughed in our faces.

Minutes later, the child's grandmother, whom the parent and child lived with, called the school and told me all the things she knew her daughter wouldn't, which included the child giving the grandmother bruises, banging her head into her headboard, dropping books on her feet, biting, scratching, pulling, and punching both his mom and the grandmother.

Poor Thing

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I was senior management at a private school and we had some insane helicopter parents who insisted their 4 year old daughter was a genius. They wanted her fast tracked THREE grades ahead. Nobody could reason with them and they carried this big binder of 'tests' they'd paid for to prove their case. Now, she was a sweet kid but very shy and _seriously _afraid of failure. Huge red flags to be honest. They were at the point of suing us and I drew the short straw for talking them off the ledge. It was last day of the school year, my own kids were waiting for us to start the holidays (they went to the same school) and I was stuck for two hours with them, trying to persuade that them that they were damaging their child and that moving an already nervy little kid away from the few playmates she had would be catastrophic. I went through every test paper, used every tactic I could think of and eventually called the meeting to a close on an 'agree to disagree' basis - but refusing to move her higher up.

The next day, first day of the holidays, my Director got an entire transcript of the conversation which they'd secretly recorded and a demand to have me fired. They must have stayed up all night as it was before auto transcribe tech was available.

My Director called in the lawyers and I had to forward all the slanderous emails they kept sending me in case of court action. We had an internal tribunal with them when school opened after the holidays and they lost their case. We never saw them again as they moved out of the area. I often think about that little girl and hope she's doing ok. :(

Abuse Begets Abuse

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I remember as a kid I went to a parent-teacher conference with my dad for my older brother. He went to a pretty bad high school in a rough area. So for one of the classes, the mother ahead of us goes with her son. Her son was this big, scary looking, gangster kid (this is the mid nineties in NYC). The teacher looks up at them and says, "I'm sorry I have no idea who he is. He's never shown up to class and cuts everyday."

The mom turns her head and looks at the son and I see him go from having this smug, nonchalant attitude to having the fear of God suddenly on his face. The mom takes an umbrella and starts beating the kid right in front of the teacher. The teacher gets immediately flustered, but has no idea what to do. The kid starts apologizing profusely to his mom and to the teacher. His mom then grabs him by the ear (she's at least a couple inches shorter than him) and drags him out of the classroom. The whole time the kid is just saying he's sorry.

Expensive Conflict

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I was a teacher at a private tutoring company that catered to children with Autism and dyslexia who had major problems with reading. It was expensive, like $140 an hour, and children were required to do at least 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. It comes out to like $2k a week. Anyway, I was sitting in one of the p/t conferences with some of the admins, and the conference turned from their child's progress to how they were going to pay for it. It was horrifying to hear, that these parents are planning on taking a second mortgage out on their house, that they've sold some jewelry...this damned company was driving people into the ground, financially. I quit about two weeks later.

Difficulty

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My wife's first teaching job was at a rural high school. Most of the parents couldn't be located or contacted, so it was a miracle when they would show up for parent/teacher conferences.

One student, the oldest of 6, had not turned in any work and failed every test. It took several attempts, but his parents were finally able to come in. My wife met with them and her principal joined her as I guess this family had a history in the town.

My wife expressed her concern for the kid's future and his goals beyond school. The parents screamed at her and the principal saying they were successful with out a high school diploma and didn't believe their kid needed to be here. The only reason they were making him go was because CPS had threatened to take him away from them.

Kids Don't Always Take After Their Folks

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I had a model student conference after two really tough conferences, so I was looking for a breath of fresh air and assumed his parents were as awesome as their child. I was wrong. They had decided to get a divorce right before conferences. They spent the entire conference arguing over who would have to take their child. More than once in my career I wanted to adopt a child, and this tops the list. I saw him a few years later and he was the same confident, thoughtful, intelligent kid.

College Moms

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I had to inform them that it wasn't in fact a parent/teacher conference.

Student asked to meet to discuss his recent exam grade. Cool. He shows up basically being dragged in by his mom, who proceeds to rant at me for a solid 5 minutes about how unfair the test must be because "her special little guy" (her words) couldn't possibly deserve a C.

He was a junior in college and I was his TA.

When she finally let me speak, I informed her that I didn't meet with parents and it was actually against regulations for me to discuss his grades with her, and asked her to leave. She hit the roof, started screaming and tearing up his exam, and was eventually escorted out by campus security.

How?

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Lets see, there are 3 that come to mind.

First, it was heavily implied I was racist (I'm black, and was teaching at an all black school), and the parent said "God would get me for my behavior"

There was the one where I basically offered almost irrefutable proof this kid cheated on a test. (It was a math test, he showed no work, had all the right answers to a different version of the test, and you couldn't even get those answers with the numbers provided). She said quote "You say he cheated, he says he didn't, I don't know who to believe"

Finally, and this was both bad and good. A mom basically was blaming me for her kids bad grades (as happens fairly often). I actually really liked the kid, he was just lazy. He jumped in the conversation and said "Mom, don't blame Mr. Illini02, you never make me do any homework at home". That pissed her off, but she couldn't really say much more.

Isn't It True That...

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Parent was a lawyer and wanted to grill me as if I were on the witness stand. Based on that encounter, I'm not sure they were a very good lawyer.

Complaints

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Kid refused to do any work or take tests. She was failing, obviously. Said the work was too hard (it was a third year Spanish honors course for those going onto dual enrollment college course senior year).

Her father was insistent that he come in to learn the material that he would then teach his daughter. I was really thrown by that one. Took about twenty minutes to convince him that the arrangement would be unsustainable.

English Kla$$

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I used to teach senior English for ten years. It was pretty much the only class anyone had to absolutely take senior year, unless they were behind on their 3 math or science courses. The course was specifically British Literature and I tried to make it as interesting as possible for students. I tried to challenge students and prepare them for college-level work, but I also allowed students to turn in late assignments for points off (my district also unofficially required us to accept late work, as failed students=less funding.)

I posted all assignments on the class website for all students to access in the event of an absence, held tutorial once a week, updated my online grades weekly, and contacted parents when students were failing. I did all of this, because in the event a student fails, you have to provide supporting documentation that you tried to help them.

Every year, I had two or three male students (I don't know why it was usually guys) who wouldn't complete any assignments. These kids usually had overbearing mothers who would constantly harass me and find every excuse in the book to present some fault of mine to my principal as reasoning their son shouldn't be failing. These parents' usual excuse was that they "didn't know" their kid was failing, despite the access to online grades, my phone calls, letters home, etc.

On one such occasion I was called into a meeting with a mother a month prior to graduation. Her son had failed first semester and I was a bit surprised to see her, because she had been fairly nonchalant in our previous phone calls, saying things like, "If he fails, that's on him." Well, this lady pulled out the big guns for this Hail Mary meeting.

She first said I never called her and she didn't know her son was failing. I presented my documentation on our phone calls and quoted what she said, word for word. She then stated that I was too tough on students and wanted to fail her son. I reminded her that I hold weekly tutorial for students, post all assignments online AND give students time to work on assignments in class.

Then, she went on about not knowing her son failed first semester until it was "Too late," because his report card was sent to the wrong address. My principal pulled up their information and read back the address. She commented, "Yeah, that's my sister's house." My principal asked her for her current address and she gave it. He paused, then said, "Ma'am, your address is outside of our attendance zone."

Realizing the mistake she made, the lady got quiet for a moment then snapped, "(My son) will make up all of the work he owes for your class and attend every tutorial for the remainder of the year," and he did.

Illiterate Fashion

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I work in public school education with a nonprofit organization. Sitting in a parent-teacher conference with the principal of the school, mom, and the kid. The kid is in 5th grade. The principal tells the mom point blank that her child can't read, which is true. The kid could barely write his own name and couldn't read anything except basic sight words. The mom laughed and said "my kid doesn't need to know how to read, he wears Polo."

I was speechless. I had no idea a parent could be that ignorant. I still think about that kid every few days and how hard his mom is making his life.

Kelvin Ain't Just A Temp

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Was grading tests for a teacher while there was a parent/teacher conference going on (the teacher asked the parents beforehand if I could be there as the kid was three years younger than me and I didn't know him) They are talking for a bit and I start to notice the teacher pronouncing it "Kevin" and the parents are adding an "L", "kelvin", but I assume ya an accent or something. The parents start to become very dramatic, going on and on about how the teacher needed to go to the kid outside of class to make sure they were doing their homework (ugh) and such, and at the end the teacher stands up to show the parents a piece of writing from the student. Parents take it and read, look at each other and say to the teacher "this is someone named Kevin, our son is KeLvin", then proceed to get very upset with the teacher because he wasn't their child's actual teacher, when THEY were the ones who came into HIS classroom to talk about their son. It nearly made me pass out repressing my laughter before they left

F For Flirting

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I was a substitute teacher then. Special needs class, so there was more meetings with parents than normally. Normally I just saw the mom, she would pick up her kid on Fridays. She was a little bit demanding and stuck up, but nothing I couldn't handle. Talked really badly about her husband when we had parent teacher meeting and when I called to tell what happened during the day (some people think these meetings/phone calls are their therapy sessions. Once she talked for 1.5 hours... I just didn't have the courage to make her stop). So her husband, child's father starts picking him up on Fridays. Okay, nothing unusual. Then he comes to the parent teacher meeting and starts asking what I do on my free time, am I seeing someone etc, just made me uncomfortable even though he didn't actually say anything rude or offensive. All this time his wife was sitting next to him!

Accidentally met him in a bar after that... He tried to buy me drinks and flirted with me. At that moment I realised he tried to flirt with me when his wife was sitting next to him in a parent teacher meeting.

B For Bad

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High School teacher here ...

Had a parent teacher conference with two parents and their daughter. She had been achieving a steady "B" average in my course through her own efforts and hard work. She had long been a "classified" student, with a number of small issues that had caused her to struggle academically - until she matured and found ways of better managing her issues. I had her a a junior, and she was doing well in my challenging course - and seem proud of it. Then came the meeting. Her parents clearly had used the system as a way of providing their daughter with every academic advantage they could, bullying school staff along the way to create an academic plan that made it nearly impossible for the girl to not score a 95% or better in all her courses. I have never seen a plan so designed for academic success, with no intention whatsoever of helping the student develop the skills needed to survive in the world outside of school. I tried to make clear to them that she was doing very well in the course without the various supports in place, and that she was quite pleased with her accomplishments, but they could not care less. All they could focus on was the final grade being below their 95% expectation. We went back and forth for a while, with them presenting very angrily and with veiled threats. I did not back down, and the parents finally had her removed from my course. Luckily, my administration backed me - even complimenting on my willingness to stand against them as many had not before. The girl ended up taking the course over the summer in a far easier setting.

It was very disturbing to see parents so bent on their version of her success that they ignored the real progress she had made. They viewed the district as an enemy - an obstacle to navigate instead of an opportunity. I can only hope that the girl found her own path as she became an adult, but I can assure you that her parents hindered her growth and failed to give her the future they imagined for her.

Thanks, Obama

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A student claimed bias in grading. She and her father later emailed me, the principal, the board of education, and Barack Obama. Obama was president at the time, but no, he didn't reply. Thanks, Obama.

Learned Behavior

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I had a parent storm out of an IEP meeting because we wouldn't agree to put an aggressive student back in to a public school setting. We also had issues with the student running out of the school building and angrily stalking around the neighborhood when the slightest thing upset him. The parent just started crying and stormed out, yelling at us that he wouldn't be able to experience prom.

We all just looked at each other in realization that our student 100% had learned this behavior from his parent.

Displays Of Unkindness

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As a student teacher, I was placed in a multi-age gifted & talented classroom (fifth and sixth grades.). My mentor teacher was phenomenal, loved by all and incredible at her job.

One little girl in our class just could not keep up. She was simply not at the level of advancement that the other kids were. She was a happy, mellow kid who didn't really care, but her mother pushed her super hard and refused to believe she wasn't the height of giftedness. At the conference, I witnessed this mother berate and blame this incredible teacher, including telling her all the other parents were taking about how bad she was (lies.) It ended with my mentor teacher having tears in her eyes. This woman did it all in front of her 11-year-old daughter, who was silently miserable the whole time.

Sacré Bleu

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I used to teach year 4 (8-9 year olds) in London. There's a lot of immigrant families in the area I taught at and it made for a very interesting classroom. Unfortunately, due to the British curriculum, I had to teach a foreign language to my class and the school had chosen French as the language. Good for me, I speak it reasonably well and definitely well enough to teach 8 year olds how to say where they live and what they do at the weekend, not well enough to do parent-teacher meetings in French to all the Congolese parents from my class. Several of the children went home and told their parents how I spoke French. One dad in particular decided that he would only speak French to me and I had to try and tell him why his daughter wasn't doing as well as he expected in a language I don't speak fluently.

People Share The Absolute Worst Reasons To Have A Baby

Reddit user callmevicious asked: 'What is the worst reason to have a baby? Why?'

baby smiling and lying forward
Photo by Jason Sung on Unsplash

Chances are you've heard phrases like "our little miracle" or "bundle of joy" or something in a similar vein.

Those phrases are usually used to refer to babies.

When someone really wants a baby, and has the financial means, emotional support, and maturity to raise said baby, then they should definitely have one. Bringing a life into this world, or taking care of a life that has no one else to care for them, is wonderful.

However, wanting (and being able to support and take care of) a baby is the only good reason to have one.

Not because you think it's what you're supposed to do, or you want to make your parents happy by giving them a grandchild, or because you think it'll keep your marriage together, or any number of other reasons people will give you.

Chances are you've probably also heard the saying "Every child deserves parents, but not all parents deserve children."

That can be very true if you have a child for any other reason than truly wanting one.

Redditors know this all too well and are ready to share what they think are the absolute worst reasons to have a baby.

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Words matter.

That is a life truth ignored far too often.

I know emotions can run high.

But we really need to acknowledge how we use language toward one another.

It can have a life long-lasting effect.

Think before you speak. That is one of life's greatest mantras.

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Everyone jokes about not liking small talk and how ridiculous it is to talk about the weather, sports, and the traffic all the time.

But compared to the most uncomfortable questions someone might ask, those dull topics might be the way to go.

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These Redditors saw things they were never meant to see. From horrific accidents to awkward moments, these sorry bystanders were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whether they walked away with a traumatizing memory or a delightful story, these cautionary tales are here to remind you that you can't control what life throws into your line of vision.

1. Playing Dress Up

In 1968, I was 11. My mom's brother had just retired and been divorced. He and my five cousins—three boys and two girls—moved in with us for a few months while he looked for work and a place to live. I have one brother, so it's a pretty full house. One day, the adults were all out, so I thought the kids were out too. I hung out in my room and decided to go downstairs.

I left my bedroom and noticed that my parent’s bedroom door was closed, which struck me as unusual. So, I opened it. There standing in my mother’s underwear in front of the mirror was my teenage male cousin. There was an awkward pause, and then I just closed the door. I never mentioned the incident to him or anyone else until very recently.

hammershiller

2. Bad Working Conditions

I used to be an exterminator. One time, I had to go to an apartment for a monthly treatment. I knocked on the door. A guy yelled to come through the back door, so I did. Well, the guy’s house was hoarded. And he was just lying on his back on a table looking at the ceiling and eating canned cat food with his bare hands.

I got out of there so fast and then called my boss to tell them that I couldn't treat his apartment. It scarred me for life.

jescott17

3. Way Out Of Left Field

woman wearing brown Easton baseball mitt playing baseballPhoto by Rachel Barkdoll on Unsplash

My ex-wife played on a lady’s softball team in our little city. I drove and watched her play from the bleachers. The husbands made their own team and sometimes played on the adjacent ball field. After the games ended, husbands and wives said their goodbyes then went home. She was only on that team for less than a year.

One night, one of her teammates invited us and another couple to their home. I didn’t know any of them but went along with my wife. The three wives were chatting up a storm in the little dining room while I sat on their couch playing with their pet waiting for my wife to go home. The other husbands were somewhere else.

They played on the same softball team so they were already friends. I decided to wander from the living room. I found myself in the foyer looking out the front door for a few minutes. Then I turned and meandered my way into the kitchen. It was like I hit a brick wall, but the picture of the two men is etched into my memory.

Still in their team uniforms, they were in a tight embrace sharing the most passionate kiss that I had ever seen. The man facing me noticed me then instantly shoved the other man away. I just turned on my heel and walked back to the front door to resume my staring at the street thinking they were going to hurt me. They never did.

I just stared out the front door until my wife was ready to leave. I can’t remember if we said goodbye, but I never said a word to my wife. I definitely was not supposed to see that.

MWFTE

4. Delivering The Sad News

I delivered newspapers when I was 14. I had the route for the blocks around my house, so it was easy for me to do without a car. One day, I was walking down my street on my route when I saw sawdust on the road soaking up the large and long puddle of liquid on the road. I just assumed that there had been a car accident.

I thought it was probably there to soak up gasoline or something, so I continued. A few neighbors were out talking about a block down, and they asked me if I heard what had happened. I handed them their newspaper and told them that I hadn’t. They told me that something happened to my elderly neighbor across the street.

This sweet kind woman was in her nineties and had been showing signs of memory issues. Everyone knew she shouldn’t have been living on her own. Her husband had passed a few years earlier, and she had just met a new man around her age who picked her up and took her out to dinner and to church. It was the sweetest thing.

And she was very happy again. So, that day, she was late trying to catch the bus and about to miss it. She was on the wrong side of the street for the bus stop, so while the bus was paused at the stop sign, she grabbed the side rearview mirror to get the driver’s attention. But the driver didn’t have to look that way.

He didn’t notice her and hit the acceleration. She was dragged along the asphalt until the driver heard her screaming. That's when all the horrible puzzle pieces clicked into place. It hadn't been gasoline that the sawdust was there to absorb; it was her blood. I had to walk by it going home and realizing what she went through left me hyperventilating behind my house sobbing.

aahmazed

5. Bittersweet Realization

When I was a kid close to Christmas, I’d spent the year being good and asking for an electric toy guitar. I was playing hide and seek with my brother and hid in a refrigerator box in my mom's room. As soon I got in, I knew I messed up. There it was—the guitar that I’d dreamed of all year. My mom heard me and came in.

In one moment, I ruined my surprise and found out Santa didn't exist.

Downundermonkey

6. Big Show Off

two men riding on jetskiPhoto by Ludovic Gauthier on Unsplash

My friend and I lived on an island and were out on his little boat going for a ride. One guy on the island had just bought a Jet Ski and had purposely splashed us as we were leaving the dock. There’s a line of big rocks piled up to shield the boats from big waves by the dock that also blocks people from the open water.

On the other side of the rocks was where our ferry came in to dock. We saw the guy on the jet ski riding at a high speed to the dock. He was trying to get between two rock piles, but there was a cable running between them just below the surface. He hit it, and the cable ran up the front of his jet ski, decapitating him.

TylerDuuurden

7. Poking Around

When I worked for my dad, I’d meet him at the station in the morning. One time, there was a man there begging who came over to us. Luckily, my dad handled him well. He looked like a homeless man and gave off a weird vibe. We’re just about to leave the station but looked back one more time to make sure the man was okay.

He was talking to a young woman still begging. We were listening to their conversation, and the woman aggressively refused to “help” him. After this, the man pulled out a knife and attacked the woman. Fortunately, she was wearing a big jacket, so the wound wasn’t severe, but we immediately called for emergency services.

iTzRainDude

8. On The Inside

I was little at a children's festival where the big show starred the Bananas in Pyjamas. I was too short to watch but decided to follow them at the end. I peeked in to see if they were still there. That's when I learned that bananas may have been in those pyjamas, but inside those bananas were bored, annoyed teenagers.

little_flowers

9. Where’s The Party?

boy riding bicycle beside India gatePhoto by Dewang Gupta on Unsplash

Back in middle school, my friends and I always went to my best friend's house to hang out. One time, they texted me to come over, so I just assumed that was where they were. I went to my best friend's house very often, so it was quite normal for me to walk into their house without knocking or even ringing the doorbell.

We lived in the same neighborhood, so I quickly biked over to his house. I casually walked in assuming everyone would be in the basement gaming. As I walked to the stairs, I passed the bathroom. The door was open, and inside was my best friend's dad taking a dump. Needless to say, my friends were at a different house.

Nipnickels

10. Turning A New Leaf

One New Year’s Eve just after all my parent’s friends had gone home, we heard rapid knocking at the door. There was a woman in a pink and white coat who was shivering and stammering in Spanish. My dad, who’s fluent, began calming her down while taking her into the house. My mom came to his side, and then reached out to touch the woman's jacket.

When she lifted her hand, she had a horrifying revelation...She realized that the jacket wasn't actually multi-colored. The pink was blood, and she was shivering from the shock of a broken arm. My dad had calmed her down enough to get her to tell us what happened while my mom called the emergency number. She said that she and her brother had hit an ice patch.

It happened a mile away on a steep hill, and they went over the bank to the bottom. My dad and I grabbed our coats to go find the car. When we found it, my dad went down the hill first after firmly telling me to stay where I was. Being a stupid teen, I went down after a few minutes and when the car came into view, I learned why he’d told me to wait.

The car was wrapped around a tree, and the poor guy’s head was twisted all the way around. That sight still haunts me to this day whenever I drive on cold nights.

Qant00AT

11. Surprise Staring Contest

I was a sales rep and looking for a meeting room in a rural hospital’s pathology department. I got lost. I was opening doors to find someone who could help me. I opened a door and saw a non-human primate suspended by its wrists with all its skin flayed off. Presumably, it was a primate cadaver used for anatomy lessons.

But it was still terrifying for me to see. The skull had no skin, but the eyeballs were still there. It appeared to be staring at me when I entered the room.

I_Transmogrify

12. We Have Company

white and red wooden house miniature on brown tablePhoto by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash

When I was growing up, my parents were looking to buy a new house. There was this new neighborhood under construction nearby, and my mom had seen a model that she liked. So, the realtor said that one was halfway through its construction, but she could bring us to take a look around so we could get an idea of the space.

We all hopped into the realtor’s car to go see the house. She showed us the first floor then brought us upstairs. Then, in one of the bedrooms, we happened upon something that scarred my mother for life: A man without a stitch of clothes on going at it. It was impossible for him to not have heard us coming up since the house was echoey already.

Well, my mom screamed, the realtor screamed, my dad shouted, and I just started to hysterically laugh. The guy grabbed his clothes and ran past us out of the house.

mrsheikh

13. Road Rage

I was driving to a concert years ago with my brother and two friends. We’re driving along and noticed this sedan in the right-hand lane about half a mile in front of us swerving. We figured that maybe they were also going to the concert and pre-gamed too much. So, my brother drove next to them to see what we could see.

As we approached, handfuls of papers were being thrown out the passenger window. Confused, we sped up and were just about to pass them on the left. We saw it’s a couple in their 50’s inside. The husband who was driving was just throwing major punches at his wife right to her face in the passenger seat while he steered.

Time felt like it stood still for a minute. We drove alongside them with me in the passenger seat window rolled down flailing my arms around and yelling trying to get the guy’s attention. Both of our cars were going over 50. Another car came, and together we managed to box the sedan in and get him down to a slow crawl.

Meanwhile, my friend was calling for officers who showed up within what seemed like an instant. They took our statements and brought the guy in. The rest of the ride to the concert was very quiet.

USMCseth

14. Surprise Viewing

I’m a guy and once had to deliver a note to the girl’s gym teacher in high school. She was in her office, which was connected to the girl’s locker room by a window. I knocked, and she told me to come in, which meant that nobody was in the locker room. I gave her the note, and she began typing something on her computer.

Just then, my best friend, who she somehow didn't notice, walked right in front of the window. My jaw dropped. She wasn't wearing a shirt. Instead of the expected course of action of covering up and running, she just smiled and waved, and then walked off seductively. When I met her after school, she wasn't even bothered.

Zer0DarkFlirty

15. Spot On Casing

white and black short coat dog running on water during daytimePhoto by Angelo CARNIATO on Unsplash

Once, our dog was barking viciously when it was close to midnight. The dog could only move around in the backyard and normally barked at cats in the front yard. But this time, something about his bark sounded different. So, I walked to the window to see what was going on. When I looked outside, I saw a strange man looking back at me.

We both froze, and after a few seconds, he ran off. A few weeks later, when we came home after work, all our electronics and expensive stuff was gone.

HeartStoneTV

16. Pest Control

I was on a trail backpacking and stayed at a multi-story shelter, which was like a barn. These shelters were notoriously overrun by rodents, so things have to be stored in trees. Most times, it’s a group of strangers sharing the barn, which made it a great way to make new friends. One morning, I woke up to a huge thud.

I thought it was my imagination but kept hearing it. I peeked my head down the ladder and saw a guy sitting really still with a headlamp pointed at some peanut butter crackers. What I saw next was absolutely gruesome: A rat approached the crackers, and he slammed a knife into it. Then he took it and piled it onto a stack of other rats who’d met the same fate.

It creeped me out a lot, but the guy was rather chill for what he did and made everyone coffee the next morning. He had totaled over a dozen rats, and then we had a funeral pyre for them.

very-edge-of-space

17. Street Smarts

One day, I was coming home from my school, and there, in between two buildings, were three big guys beating up another guy. The guy was on the ground and had blood all around his head. One of them noticed me and walked over. He was wearing an orange ski mask and pulled it off. He got on one knee, so he was on my level.

This massive guy stared me straight in the eyes and said, “this is a bad guy. We’re teaching him a lesson, ok?” I nodded very fast; I was so scared. He smiled at me then said to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone what I saw. I nodded again, and he told me to go home. I obeyed and took off running all the way home.

When I got there, I just sat on my porch shaking. I realize now that the fact he took off his mask was to make me feel less scared. But if he was a different person, he could have taken off his mask because he didn’t care if I saw his face. He would have made sure I didn’t live to remember.

mrchill_26

18. What To Do

a couple of men standing next to an ambulancePhoto by Mat Napo on Unsplash

I’m a medic. There was a woman in the middle of nowhere on the roadway who called for emergency with her phone. We got there, and she’s totally out of it. All she knew was her name; she didn’t even know what state she was in—she thought she was in Florida. There was snow on the ground. We called the only number on the phone.

The guy who answered said he didn’t know her but would come pick her up. We thought something felt off. So, we took her back but didn’t know what to do with her after treatment. Putting two and two together, we realized that this girl had probably been trafficked and whoever had been in charge of her was done with her.

They had probably injected her assuming she would overdose and then dumped her on a rural road in the middle of winter. A woman later showed up claiming to be her friend and wanted to take her. Thankfully, the hospital did not allow that, and officers sat with the woman to keep an eye on her. It happened several times.

pokemon-gangbang

19. Hands Off

I witnessed a man beating on this woman. So, I went and grabbed my dog and my brother, and we chased him off. The saddest part was that the woman came back with three men who were aggressively trying to find the money she somehow got off the guy. Apparently, she’d thrown it into the bushes before we had chased him off.

They were super scary, and we did not get involved with the three guys who she knew or owed money even though they were rough with her. Luckily, I didn’t see any of them strike her, or I might have repeated my earlier behavior and ended up getting a bad beating.

ItsJussaMe

20. Early To Arrive

My office contacted a co-worker’s apartment management when they hadn’t heard from him. The superintendent checked and found him gone from a heart attack. I had to get office equipment and files he had. When I got there, he was still in his recliner; the funeral home hadn't picked him up. I did not have a pleasant day.

1964GamerBro

21. Out Of the Woodwork

Zombie arms reaching around a treeThings People Don't Think About Enough During A Zombie ApocalypsePhoto by Simon Wijers on Unsplash

When I was little, my family lived outside a city in the woods. We had a nanny stay with us when our parents were away. One day, it was only me, my sister, and my nanny at home, and we were playing outside. Then, out of the forest near our house, a bunch of people came walking out slowly like zombies towards our house.

They tried climbing the fence, but they were too out of it to do so. The nanny called our mom who immediately came home from the city and took us all to our grandparents. What we found out later sent a chill down our spines. Apparently, there was some drug-infused party going on not too far from our home where two people overdosed and one was fatally attacked.

Snapeeh

22. Behind Closed Doors

My uncle was babysitting me when I was a kid and brought me to work with him for the day. He was a landlord for some buildings in a city at the time and had received complaints from the neighbors that an elderly woman had not been seen for a while. She lived on the ground floor, and her door was locked from the inside.

So, he had me climb in through the window to open the door. I crawled through the window, and, being naturally curious, followed the awful smell instead of going straight to the front door. In the bedroom, I found this lady’s body face up on the ground. The place was a mess, so I’d assumed the smell was something else.

I bolted to the front door and watched them take her away in the ambulance. I don’t know anything else, and I never really talked about it. It was a weird day.

Wellick342

23. Dr. Jekyll Will See You Now

I was the first appointment of the morning at my dermatologist’s office and was sitting in the corner out of view of the receptionist’s desk. The doctor went to her behind the counter and started reaming her out about some situation I couldn’t understand. But he was screaming and was so nasty to her that it shocked me.

Then not ten seconds later, he opened the door and came out doing a jig whistling and all, “aw shucks, good morning, Miss,” as he usually did. I had whiplash from the complete turnaround. I stopped seeing him because the transformation was that scary.

sanibelle98

24. Insides And Out

white and red helicopter flying near mountain terrain during daytimePhoto by Marc Wieland on Unsplash

Some guy drinking and driving was hit by a car right in front of me in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. His condition was unstable, so the trauma helicopter was on its way. I was holding a sheet with another person so onlookers wouldn't see what was happening. And, well, it was nothing I wanted to see.

I heard his ribs crack from the CPR. Then something wrong happened, and the trauma doctor had to open his chest right there. I have no medical background at all and saw some things that I was never meant to.

oxide-NL

25. Splash Works

I was driving a friend to the airport. There was a trail of motorcyclists out for a ride. One guy collided with the side of a truck, cracked his head wide open at highway speed, and went end over end brain exposed. Two motorcyclists were blocking his body, but it was hard to miss the reddish brain-stain on the highway.

jhilsch51

26. Paying The Price

On my way home, I was looking at a busy street from the subway platform. And I saw this guy known well to be a scammer for throwing himself in front of cars for cash. But that day, he threw himself in front of an expensive car that struck him hard. He flew into the 4-way intersection with a look of shock from the pain.

A truck passing through couldn’t slow down in time, and I watched as it crushed his head driving over him. It looked like a watermelon exploding. It's crazy seeing an actual human who’d existed for decades just stop existing in a few seconds.

stakedrivers

27. Give Me A Hand

person grinding pipe steel wool photographyPhoto by Karan Bhatia on Unsplash

One morning, someone using an angle grinder woke me up. I knew it was my younger brother who usually used it to cut stuff. A few minutes later, I heard a noise of liquid splashing just like in the horror movies. I wasn't sure if it was a dream or not because I was half asleep. Seconds later, my brother came into the room.

He held his right hand with his other hand to keep it on his arm. He looked at me and told me to help him stay alive. I was in shock and then grabbed something to put around his arm and called the emergency number. But I was so shocked that I could barely talk. I put myself together and told the operator what happened.

So, we waited for the ambulance. I don't know how long it took them to arrive, but all that time, I sat there with my brother trying to keep him awake. I watched how slowly the light in his eyes faded. He passed out a few times. When the ambulance came, I got out of the house to get some air while they did their stuff.

The first thing that I saw was the angle grinder with the power cable cut off and a long line of blood. There was no time for them to get him to the hospital fast enough, so a helicopter came. My brother survived. He can move his arm and carry things but lost most of its dexterity which sucks because he’s right-handed.

re3fla_

28. House Rules

When I was younger, I worked at a hospital delivering food to patients. I walked into a psych room unknowingly, and there was a crazy lady sitting in a chair holding a bedpan full of poop. And let me tell you when I say crazy, this woman had a look in her eye that I have never seen and don't ever want to see again. She said, "if you don't get out of my dwelling, I'm gonna throw this on you, little boy!"

I'd have never been so freaked out in my life! So, I dropped the tray and ran out.

Efrnzy

29. Symbolic Gesture

I watched a show that described a tattoo located on a specific part of the body that identified the person’s gang and time served. I thought nothing of it. The next Monday, I was offloading equipment for a job, and as I passed a piece of gear to a new freelancer, I saw the exact tattoo in the exact place from the show.

He saw me recognize it, and for a short chilling moment, we paused. Then I grabbed the next piece of gear and decided to stop watching gangland shows.

oddsonni

30. Hard-Hitting

low-angle photo of blue buildingPhoto by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

I was working in an office at the bottom of an apartment building. I was out having a smoke between phone calls and heard a noise from above. I looked to see a middle-aged woman coming straight down. I put my back against the wall then just watched the impact as it made a sound that I'll never forget. I slowly approached her body.

I thought that there might be something I could have done to help. But her color and pool of blood told me right away that there was nothing to be done. I ran inside and called emergency. Officers arrived to file a report, and I closed up and went home.

Lefebvre525

31. Mother Nature

My family had dogs since I was a kid, so when I saw a stray cat with her kitten, I knew not to approach her. I was observing mama licking the baby’s head from afar when suddenly I heard crunching noises. I wasn’t sure what happened at first then I saw that the baby no longer had a head. I was afraid of cats after that.

SwordfishScared101

32. Up-Skirting Justice

My friend and I were at an anime convention when a guy behind her bent down and took a close-up picture of her butt. I chased after him and made him delete the picture. But I knew deleted photos are saved to another folder and told him to also delete it from there. He had hundreds of non-consensual photos on his phone.

I could tell; They were all taken from inappropriate angles of girls who weren’t looking. He left quickly after that and reported him and his friends to security. Hopefully, they were found and kicked out but probably not.

LaneBerry

33. Shaken To The Core

low angle photo of high rise apartment buildingPhoto by Marla Prusik on Unsplash

Our first apartment was on the ground level with windows looking out to the brick-paved courtyard. I used my home as a daycare and was in the living room watching two toddlers. That was when I heard a loud sound from outside. I felt the thud through the floor. It sounded like someone had dropped a heavy box from above.

I looked out the living room window to see what junk got tossed out a window. I couldn't really see anything so stepped out into the lobby. After opening the door leading to the courtyard, I saw the body of the man who had just jumped off the roof.

benbraddock5

34. Friendly Neighborhood

When I was little, I lived out in the middle of nowhere in a town that had a population of about 30 who all lived several miles apart. My dad and I were out walking the gravel roads. I was wearing my Spiderman costume, which I insisted on always wearing. We approached this old overgrown road that was only just visible.

We walked down it, and to my surprise, there was an old abandoned house that looked straight out of a horror movie. We went inside where my dad noticed fresh food and signs that someone had been living there. He said that we needed to leave, so we quickly headed back home where I had a warm bowl of macaroni and cheese.

My dad talked to the countless numbers of officers and found out that someone had escaped prison and had been squatting there. The mac and cheese was the best gift to give a young superhero.

ChickenNuggz4lyfe

35. Dirty Jobs

I used to work for an animal shelter. One year, there was a huge hoarding case with over a hundred dogs and twenty cats. All of which had been living inside a tiny little house. They were all also very inbred with dirty, matted fur covered in their own waste. I got a chance to see the binder with pictures of the house. It was one of the most disgusting things I had ever seen.

Every square inch of the house, save for a spot on the couch and bed where the owners sat, was literally covered in filth. There were holes torn in the walls by the cats to avoid the dogs. They lived there, so the walls were destroyed with cat poop spilling out. The floor was covered in over half a foot of poop urine, dirt, and other garbage. But that wasn't the worst part.

There were also pictures of the bodies of dogs and cats in all different stages of decomposition.

thylocene06

36. What’s The Deal

brown and white concrete buildingPhoto by Peter Herrmann on Unsplash

I met up with my dealer who asked if I could pop inside his house while he dealt with something. We never hung outside our deals, but he was chill, so I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal. The yard was full of kid’s toys. I knocked on the door, and some girl answered and let me in. The smell and smoke hit me right away.

It was so thick that it was visible in the air. At first, I was uncomfortable with two little toddlers running around in their diapers and young people like myself, including my dealer, sitting on the couches obviously out of it. My guy took my money then told me to wait a bit longer. He went out a door to a staircase.

He was only gone for a couple of seconds before I heard shouting coming from upstairs. They were yelling in mixed English, so I could only make out, “who do you think you are” and “you a big man, ya?” There was an audible crashing around, so it was clear that a fight had broken out. But not one person in the room reacted.

I didn’t really know what to do. After a couple of more minutes, my dealer and two other slightly older guys came through the door. My guy had clearly been slapped around. There wasn’t any blood, but there were big red marks around his eyes that definitely became black. One of them gestured at me, and my dealer nodded.

He handed me a baggy and asked if I needed anything else. I thanked him and said there wasn’t, so he gestured towards the door. I walked to the door and gave my dealer a look. He smiled at me but was clearly stressed out. The other guy was standing behind him with his hand on his shoulder staring at me as I walked out.

Jordanc369

37. Got You

I had gotten into it with my dad. I was 20 living at home, but I knew everything. My dad told me to leave. So, I did. At 3 AM, I was at my cousin’s door. Usually, he let me in right away no questions asked no matter the time or day of the week. This time, he opened the door, let me in, then told me to stay where I was.

He went down the hall of the apartment, and when he opened his bedroom door, I saw something that made my stomach drop: There was a beaten and battered woman sitting there. He gave me a wad of cash and told me to beat it. I turned to leave, and as I went to close the front door, I heard the person say to my cousin that she couldn’t talk anymore because of how bad her face hurt.

osiris775

38. Bad Cellar Point

When I was younger, my family was going through a tough time. My parents and us four kids were living in our car. One day, my parents drove us somewhere where there were a lot of kids. We ran around and played with them. I sat down on the tornado shelter door for some rest, and the kids told me to stay away from there.

They told me that the basement was where the bad kids have to stay. I was freaked out, so I ran to find my mom. When I found her, she was talking to a lady. I waited for them to finish because I wasn't supposed to interrupt adults talking. My mom said something to her about my older brother and me coming to stay there.

It’d be only my older brother and me—not my younger brothers. She told her that we’d be back the next day. Then, as we’re driving away, I told my parents about the scary cellar, and my mom turned around and looked at me. She looked terrified. We never went back to that place, which I later found out was an orphanage.

If I hadn't told my parents about the cellar, they would have given me and my older brother up. About a year after that, we got into some income-based apartments, my dad found a job and my mom started nursing school. Still, decades later, storm cellars freak me out a bit.

Ma_Awesome

39. Traffic Stop

man holding steering wheelPhoto by Maxwell Ridgeway on Unsplash

On a family vacation in Mexico, we were on an excursion tour on a school bus. The tour guides were handing out free drinks. We were having a great time being loud. Suddenly, there was a lot of traffic, and we stopped. Some of us started hooting and hollering and complaining about stopping and just being jerks about it.

We finally got to the problem. Another tourist family on ATVs had crossed the train tracks, but the kid got stuck and was hit. We saw his body on the road partially covered by a stained sheet. His family around him was sobbing. He couldn’t have been more than nine years old. It got very quiet after that.

starri_ski3

40. In For A Ride

When I was in fifth grade, my friend and I would stay up all night playing games, and then around sunrise, we'd go walk around town before everything woke up. One time, we took a shortcut behind an old abandoned theater that was overgrown and had a parking lot that was full of old abandoned cars from the '50s and '60s.

We were into old hot rods and stuff at the time, so we peered into the windows to see what kind of shape they were in. Surprisingly, for how faded and rusted the outsides were, the seats and dash of some of the cars were intact. We noticed one of them had the window halfway down, and we got excited to get a better view.

We both poked our heads in and saw movement. In the same instant, we heard a grizzled voice yell, "GET OUTTA HERE!" We realized it was a homeless man who'd been sleeping in the car. We ran as fast as we could, scared out of our minds.

kirksucks

41. Short Takeaway

My brother and I were staying at my grandma's house for the day. We were sitting in a room facing the street and saw a guy walking. Out of nowhere, four men jumped out of a white van that pulled up next to him. They grabbed him, closed the door, and sped off. Our grandma berated us for lying after we tried to tell her.

Seraph2593

42. Seeing A Holy Ghost

brown 2-story buildingPhoto by Graham Ruttan on Unsplash

When we lived in a rough neighborhood, my parents sent me to a Catholic high school. They thought sending me there would be better for me. It was the first week of school, and I asked to go to the washroom. I casually walked my way over there, and the first thing I saw was a girl holding a needle. I froze in my tracks.

When she looked up at me, she screamed at me to get out. So, I turned and walked straight to class stunned.

Olspac

43. No Vacancy

When I was a kid, I needed to use the only restroom at a bookstore. I knocked, and no one responded, so I opened the door. There sat an older woman, completely frozen, staring right at me. I apologized and closed the door. I really had to go. Thankfully, an employee noticed that I was antsy and waiting for a long time.

So, he knocked but no answer. He asked a female employee to take me to the staff restroom, and I was happy. We were still there when the commotion started by the restroom. The woman had sadly passed while on the toilet. I had nightmares about it for a while and saw the school psychologist. I was definitely traumatized.

FallenAutumnLeaflet

44. House Of Horrors

Back in middle school, there was an open secret that this small, shabby house down the road was where men could “have a good time.” Sometimes big men stood in front of it, and a friend who lived next door could see into the backyard and told me that there were often scantily clad women laying around, tanning in the sun.

One early winter morning, I was on my way to the bus stop for school. It was still dark and snowy. I always walked past the house and had never seen anyone around, but this morning, there was a fancy black car parked across the road from it. Two men in suits were next to it while a woman in a dress knocked on the door.

I crossed the road with my head down, figuring they wouldn't pay attention to 13-year-old me going to school, and they ignored me as I walked by. I heard one tell her to keep trying when the door didn’t open. She did not look happy. My heart was racing, but as soon as I was on the bus with my friends, I forgot about it.

nimpasto

45. Pop-Up Pastor

man in gray button up long sleeve shirt holding microphonePhoto by Matthew Ball on Unsplash

I worked as an alarm technician and had a service job to set up a customer’s smartphone. Well, I had to use my work phone to do it because the internet browser on his phone was locked up with dirty adult sites. But that wasn't the worst part. While chatting, I found out that the man was actually the pastor of a church. He and his wife were very nice.

I felt more awkward than creeped out, but I don’t think I was supposed to see that. Why he gave me his phone, I’ll never know. He didn’t even seem to care.

wintermoon138

46. Still Life Photography

I was taking photos through my window in my student apartment. I was looking at the yellow window lights from the building in front of me when I saw a male neighbor suddenly grabbing a woman and sitting her on a table making out with her and then opening her legs. But then, they saw me with my camera still in my hands.

He stared at me while he closed the blinds. I think they thought I was being a pervert.

mynameisleii

47. Scary Movies

Our town had a mom-and-pop video rental store. It was a nice small place where my dad sometimes took me on Tuesdays or Fridays to pick out a movie. Back then, I was obsessed with Back to The Future and almost always picked it when I had the chance. One time I got it and brought it home then went to my room to watch it. The only problem was, the video was not a movie at all.

Someone had recorded a snuff film over the tape. It took me several minutes of watching it to realize what I was seeing. I ran out screaming and crying and told my dad. He ended up fighting one of the weird guys that worked at the video store, and I think officers may have even taken the guy in.

PointlessPoem

48. The Headless Horseman

I was driving on a road in between fields on a cold autumn evening. It was dark, and there was mist in the air just like in a horror movie. Suddenly, this creature walked in front of my car. A huge creature with almost no recognizable features. My old car didn’t have very good headlights, but it had functioning brakes.

I managed to stop a meter in front of this monstrosity by approaching slowly. It had the shape of an animal, but it was enormous. Its head was higher than the roof of my SUV while standing on all fours. It had a huge chest, almost no stomach, an enormous moving neck, and the head...The head! It had NO EYES nor a mouth.

Even with the headlights, I couldn’t see any of its features. It was somehow absorbing most of the light. It was like most of the creature had no hair—just some solid plate-like skin. It moved its faceless head to look at me and then back. Then with two long steps, it walked into the field and then disappeared into the mist.

I immediately stepped on the gas to get into the safety of the city. I talked about this with many people, but they all just said I was making it up or had no idea what it could have been. But a few years later, I talked with my ex about it who lived close to where I saw the creature, and she finally shed some light on that disturbing night.

There was a farm where a horrible man lived. He was known for neglecting and mistreating animals. Before officers took him in, there were some incidents when his animals jumped over a broken fence in search of food and to get away from him. That day I had seen a horse. A hurt, suffering horse with incredibly long hair.

motorbiker1985

49. Team Reassemble

I was calibrating medical x-ray equipment in an emergency room of a level 1 trauma center. I heard the usual sounds—voices, doors opening, chairs shuffling—but then I heard this kid crying. He was actually screaming with what sounded like a very powerful set of lungs. I guessed he could’ve been around high school age.

Everyone was moving quickly as they normally did, but their faces showed grave concern. When one of the techs had a moment, I took the chance to ask if it was a kid who fell from his treehouse. He shook his head then said it was a full-grown man who came in, “some assembly required.” I could not resist and took a peek. Big mistake.

A man of over 6’ and 200lbs wearing a leather jacket lost his arm just above his elbow, and one of his legs was twisted in the opposite direction it was supposed to be in. It was a visual that I will never get out of my head. With that much blood, I can still smell the iron permeating the air. But that’s what I get for looking.

CatDaddyWhisper

50. What's In The Bag?

I grew up in a house with woods and a bike trail behind it where I spent most of the time with the other neighborhood kids. We were all between 12-14, and each had our own fort in the woods that we built with our best friends. We did our best to keep our forts hidden, so even the other kids didn’t know where they were.

One day, we’re outside and watching who was coming through on the trail especially listening out for when we heard bike tires. A car recently fatally hit one of our friends, and we all thought that he’d just show up again on the trail on his bike. So, we always ran out of the woods to the trail whenever we heard tires.

We heard some pass by and ran out to see who it was. We saw this out-of-shape adult man without a shirt on with a bag slung over his shoulder. He was riding away from us so didn’t know we’re there. We noticed that he gave off a whole creepy vibe, so we kept watching. He went a little further and pulled off to the side.

He walked into the woods with his bag and then returned a few moments later without the bag. He grabbed his bike and got back on when my friend yelled, “What’s in the bag?” He looked down the trail and saw one or more of us. Then he started coming right for us, cycling down the trail in our direction at a much faster pace than he did before.

We all booked it into the woods, but because none of us were familiar with where each other’s forts were, we didn’t end up running to the same places to hide. We split up and hid in our respective forts. I cannot remember how long we hid for. I just remember hearing movement not too far away but not knowing who it was.

When we finally came out of our hiding places, the man was nowhere to be found. We eventually walked down the trail to where he’d ditched the bag but couldn’t find anything. We just assumed that he’d gone back and grabbed it when he left.

skiimear