Bizarre dreams that come true, ghostly apparitions, and shared hallucinations. Have you ever had that feeling of being transported to another dimension? These real-life stories of strange and uncanny experiences from Quora and Reddit could be straight out of Twin Peaks.
1. Lucky Charm
Back when I was in third grade, I misplaced my jacket at a roller skating rink. There was a lucky rabbit's foot in the pocket, a charm I picked up from the skate shop there. Some months later, my mom, who's adopted, managed to locate her birth mom and half-sister.
The first time I headed over to my just-discovered aunt's place, she mentioned she had a jacket that might be my size.
And you'll never guess: enough happened to be my lost jacket, with the rabbit foot charm still tucked away inside the pocket.
Freepik,freepik
2. Paranormal Activity
One day, I woke up and noticed that my prized camera, which is quite expensive, was sitting on the couch across from my bed. This didn't make sense to me since I am always cautious about it and remember keeping it in my cabinet due to its value.
I went over, picked it up, switched it on, and shakily pressed the button to browse the photos. My heart felt like ice. There was an overwhelming collection of photos showcasing me in my slumber.
Shockingly, they appeared to be captured from the back of the very couch the camera was placed on. The images left me thoroughly disturbed and shaken to the core that I broke down in tears.
Considering the fact that I live alone, this was profoundly unsettling. There were simply countless images of my peaceful sleep. The photos seemed to have been captured using a "quick snap" mode, which allows the camera to take roughly a photo every second.
What baffled me later was realizing that my camera wasn't equipped with the "quick snap" feature. So, technically, it shouldn't have managed to capture any photos in this way. The digital time stamps on the photos indicate that they were all taken between the hours of 2 and 3 in the morning.
To date, I have been unable to discern what happened, who moved my camera to the couch, and how the camera managed to utilize a feature it didn't even have. I saved those eerie photos on a USB and every time I revisit them, they still give me the creeps.
3. Lucky Escape
Back in 1977, I remember a particular event like it was yesterday. I was on leave from work, staying at home with my newborn baby, but still needed to earn a living. Hence, my mother got my younger sister and me to do the heavy and dirty work at her antique store while she babysat her first grandchild.
One summer day, my sister and I found ourselves working at Mom's antique shop. A shipment of European oak furniture had just arrived which required cleaning, polishing, and fixture application.
In walks a charming young man into the shop who commences a conversation with my then 17-year-old sister. His name was Ted Smith, which coincidentally was my mother's maiden name, a fact that led to a chuckle on our end. The conversation involved the three of us, but he was more keen on my sister.
He decided to buy an armoire, but would need to fetch his truck as he was driving an old VW Beetle. He cheekily asked us out for dinner which we declined—me due to my baby, my sister due to her boyfriend.
He further requested for me to accompany him to pick up his truck while he dropped his Beetle off for a service. I declined due to my nursing duties. Though persistent, he couldn't convince us to leave the store.
In a last-ditch attempt, he offered to return around 10:00 pm to pick up the armoire but we made it clear that the shop closes at 6:00 pm. Still not defeated, he suggested we meet the following day at dawn, which again was declined. By now, he was raising red flags and my sister and I were getting spooked.
Despite being desperate for the sale, we finally decided after his two-hour loitering, that we had enough and needed to get back to our duties. As the day drew to a close at our 6:00 pm closing time, we found his Beetle outside and declined his repeated offer for coffee, heading home instead.
In an instinctive decision, I decided to accompany my sister home, not wanting her to drive off alone with 'Ted' still lurking about. At that point, we drove off and didn't dwell on the day's events until the following year when his picture showed up in the news.
That was when we discovered 'Ted' was actually Ted Bundy. Recounting this sends shivers down my spine. My sister and I occasionally reminisce on our luck that day, realizing we could have been his abductees.
4. Final Destination
*My phone alarm interrupts my afternoon snooze*
"Hey, are you on your way? We're all waiting for you".
I glance at the clock, and it's already 6:17 pm. I was supposed to rendezvous with them at 6.
"I JUST WOKE UP! I’ll arrive around 6:45-ish. Why don't you guys grab dinner first?"
For the next 15 minutes, I morph into a whirlwind to get ready and hail a taxi to the mall.
While en route, disaster occurs. I'm in a car crash. I have a vivid memory of a car flipping over in front of my taxi and colliding with the cab I'm in. Then I recall drifting out of consciousness. Oddly enough, I wake up at 5:17 pm, the same day, before all this transpired.
Later, around 6:45 pm while dining with friends, we hear of a nearby car crash involving a flipped car. Strangely, there seemed to be no taxi involved this time. It felt uncanny, like a message from my alter ego in a parallel universe, warning me about what would have occurred if I had not woke up when I did.
None of my friends bought my story, but it sure makes for a fascinating tale.
5. Dead Ringers
Before my ex-husband and I parted ways, while we were still living in sunny California, I had a real love for browsing thrift stores. One particular day, I was in a store on Venice Beach and in the "miscellaneous" bowl, I found a very unique earring. A handmade piece, it was designed to look like a seashell and it had a black pearl hanging from it.
The way the earring was made meant it could only be worn in the left ear. It looked like a project someone had made in a class, but I found it charming, so I bought it. I thought that, if nothing else, I could use the pearl for something else. I purchased it for a mere 25 cents back in 1979.
So, that earring ended up in my "spare pieces" box. Time passed, I got divorced, met someone new, and we moved first to Hollywood, then on to Albuquerque in 1988. One day, as I headed to a bookstore, I noticed a sign for a 'GARAGE SALE'. Being the thrifty shopper I am, I had to go check it out.
The woman running the sale had a large wooden bowl filled with an assortment of beads, rings, and other little trinkets. As I was sifting through these odd treasures, I noticed a peculiar earring. One that resembled a "seashell", complete with a black pearl hanging down—designed to fit the right ear, handmade just like the one I had! Excitedly, I showed it to the woman, saying, "I have an earring at home…that looks just like this!" Her reply really took me aback.
She looked a little confused and replied, “Really, darling? I don’t think so. My ex-boyfriend made them for me as a project...I lost one of them years ago.” She looked at me thoughtfully, “It was far from here... in California...on a beach name that remind me of Italy."
“Venice Beach?" I asked, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. She nodded eagerly. Despite the unusual circumstance, I asked her to "wait here.” Then I returned with the twin earring. They were indeed a perfect match! I offered to return my earring so she could have the complete pair again, but she declined, stating, “I never really liked him that much. You keep them, sweetheart.”
And so I do, proudly owning this handmade pair of earrings, separated by hundreds of miles and nine long years, yet miraculously reunited in the most random way.
6. Hold The Phone
One night, I had a dream about a phone number I didn't recognize! But the most peculiar part of the story happened after I woke up. I often have vivid dreams, but it's not common for me to dream about numbers—I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen numbers in dreams and they're usually just 3 or 4 digits.
This was different though, a full 10-digit number from my dream, starting with 9 and ending with 1, filled entirely with 9s and 1s. The numbers were crisp and clear in my mind, drawn in bright red against a stark white background. Waking up, I jotted down the series, and it occurred to me that it might be someone's real phone number.
Driven by intrigue, I dialed the number from my dream and it rang! I quickly hung up as soon as I realized it was a working number. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued further as to who this mystery number belonged to. My online searches turned up empty, so I turned to a friend at a telecom company.
My friend informed me that the number belonged to a VIP, and their personal details were not publicly available. This just added fuel to my curiosity. Now, you might think it's strange to call a mystery number and ask for the owner's identity, especially one you saw in a dream! But that's exactly what my curiosity led me to do.
A woman answered my call. When she asked why I was calling and I told her about my dream, I braced for a surprised reaction. But instead, she calmly told me, “Hmm, okay, I understand. However, I feel it's not the right time to reveal who I am. You will know when the right time comes. Okay? Bye”.
Seriously?!
This mind-boggling incident took place in early 2010. I haven't called that number again. I still don't know whether the woman was just pulling my leg or was deadly serious. As for the 'right time to know her', it's yet to come. To this day, it remains the most uncanny and mystifying event in my life.
7. Ken You See What I See?
When I was a kid, I used to say hello to Ken every time I left my grandma's house. He was her neighbor in Hartlepool, right beside the North Sea, always stationed by his bay window gazing at the waters. We never had long conversations, just shared friendly waves before I hopped into the car.
On this particular day, I was walking down my grandma's steps. My mom was still at the door, chatting with grandma. I cast a glance back and saw Ken in his window, his face alight with a big smile and waving, as usual. I waved back.
Ken then rose from his chair, gave a thumbs-up, and strolled towards the end of his room. As my mom descended the steps, she quizzically asked, "Who were you waving at?" "Ken," I responded. I can still recall the color draining from her face, yet she held her tongue.
Only after several weeks had passed did she muster the courage to reveal the truth: Ken had died a few days before that visit to grandma's house. I don't subscribe to the notion of ghosts, but I know I saw Ken that day. The stripes on his gray sweater are still etched in my memory, as is his wave and the sight of him rising from his chair.
Ken lived alone. There wasn't anyone else in that house.
Freepik, user18526052
8. Small World
When I was around 25 years old while teaching English in Tokyo, I became part of a football team with a bunch of other folks from Britain. We used to kick around the ball each weekend. After one of our games, we were just hanging out, having a couple drinks, and I started a conversation with Dave, the star of our team. I got curious and asked him about his origin.
"Plymouth," he responded.
I was astonished. "That's a bizarre coincidence. I'm also from Plymouth! Which part of Plymouth are you from?"
He said, "Plymstock."
I was surprised and delighted. "Oh my goodness, this is unbelievable, I used to live in Plymstock when I was just about 10. By any chance, which school did you attend?"
"Goosewell Junior," he revealed.
You could've knocked me over with a feather. "Are you kidding me? That's my old school! How old are you, Dave?"
"I'm 25," he replied.
By this point, it had dawned on me that we possibly might have been classmates.
"Dare I ask your last name?"
"Rowe," Dave said.
It was then it all clicked—and I was gobsmacked. I remembered him. He was the headmaster's son. He had been in my class! And here we were, 15 years later, on the other side of the globe, somehow playing on the same football team!
How extraordinary is that?
Steven
9. Sammy Who?
One of the most peculiar experiences I've had involved bumping into a babysitter who used to look after me when I was a little four-year-old. That's not too unusual, right?
However, let's take into account that this babysitter only took care of me from time to time during my short stay in Idaho. When we moved away, we lost touch altogether. Now, here's where the story takes an unexpected twist: Years later, in a café, in GERMANY, she pulls me aside and asks if I was "tiny Sammy."
Boy, did that blow my mind!
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10. I Smell A Rat
Just a few years back, my brother and I shared a two-bedroom apartment in Shepherd’s Bush, London. It used to be a basement so entering required walking down some steps. There was a public garbage area right outside where trash bags were left to the mercy of the city’s tiny, furry creatures (spoiler alert!).
My small room was beneath the bathroom, mosaic-like patterns of mold dotting its walls – a testament to how fancy our place was. Ironically, the rent we paid could have easily afforded us a 12-bedroom mansion anywhere else in the country.
One disastrous day, I was awoken by a frantic scratching sound from the bathroom. On investigating, I stumbled upon an unexpected visitor, a four-legged rodent that was trying to do something we never dared: use the bath.
Apparently, the rat had tumbled in and was trying unsuccessfully to climb the bathtub's slippery sides. Seeing my horror-stricken face, our guest only grew more frazzled and we'll just say he had a messy accident.
My brother joined the spectacle and together we assessed our bizarre predicament. Despite the shock, we both have a soft corner for animals and chose not to harm our unexpected tenant.
My brother sacrificed a bag he no longer needed. The rat lunged inside, leaving a trail of mess behind. We then decided to release the rat in a distant area, using the city's reliable public transportation.
So there we were, sharing a bus ride with a bagged rat on a weekday morning. We exited near a park, found a discreet spot, and let our little friend out. He was reluctant to leave the newfound shelter, but with a little nudging, he darted into a nearby hedge without any gratitude.
Just when we thought our adventure was over, another rat (looking eerily similar to the first one) darted inside our house as we opened our front door. This proved our rat problem was serious.
Digging around our place, we discovered some holes from where the rats were entering. And this happened right before we were set to move out!
Our feelings towards rats turned to anger with this second surprise. But our plans for retaliation had to wait due to our schedules—uni for my brother, work for me.
Things got worse when one morning my bare foot came in contact with a live rat in the kitchen. Later we found more rats hidden in dark corners and cupboards. With the infestation confirmed, we resourcefully bought heavy-duty rat traps and poison.
We discovered that rats had a thing for peanut butter, so we had our bait. Once set, it didn't take long for our plan to work. The unfortunate nocturnal visitors met their doom via traps and poison within days.
As a parting shot, I quietly left a rat caught in a trap for my brother to deal with on my way to work. Well, that's karma for abandoning me and your girlfriend, bro!
Despite the turmoil, we managed to get our deposit back before the possible stench from any deceased rats inside the walls would have made itself known. Apologies to the future tenants, but it probably wasn't exactly an upgrade from the previous state of the flat.
Two pretty weird days for the record books.
11. Super Recognizer
So, I recently had the pleasure of introducing a new business contact to a client. Straight away, the client announced that he already knew my colleague—the guy had been his tour guide in New Zealand sixteen years prior! Despite a now present beard and graying hair, our friend was recognized in seconds—and mind you, we're over in Brazil!
Incredibly, some folks seem to have this astonishing knack for recognizing faces, even with barely any clues. We were truly impressed. Later, I had the chance to chat to our colleague. He shared that his dad also shared this remarkable trait. He told me about how his father can spot acquaintances in fast-moving cars, only by stealing a momentary glance from a window.
He can even identify someone at a quick glance, even if they're tucked away in a dimly lit pub. How he manifests this ability, he can't explain—but he surely does.
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12. A Murder Of Crows
When I was eight, my dad got me a couple of lovebirds. I just couldn't get enough of them. I'd spend every waking moment taking care of them, watching them, making sure they were okay. They were amazing to watch, with their bright yellow feathers that had blue specks on them. Even to this day, I remember how amazing those little birds were.
But a few months down the line, everything changed. The female bird suddenly died, leaving us all heartbroken. When we took her away, the male bird wouldn't eat. He became agitated and aggressive, not letting me clean his cage like before, refusing to eat. All he'd do was lie at the bottom of his cage, not moving.
As a young child, I couldn't understand what was going wrong. Then I got this idea that maybe the bird was mourning his freedom, so I decided it was time to set him free. Without telling mum and dad, I took my little feathered friend up to the roof.
The moment we got there, some crows spotted us. My bird was thrashing about in his cage, and I thought he was simply keen to be free. But when I opened his cage door, he wouldn't come out. I tried shaking the cage, tipping it a bit, nothing. He wouldn't move.
Eventually, I tipped the cage so he had no choice but to come out. I thought I was doing the right thing, despite my young age, and was glad to see him spread his wings. But things were about to go horribly wrong.
Suddenly, the crows swooped down and pursued him. I was petrified. I screamed, cried, threw stones at the crows, but nothing helped. In just a couple of minutes, my bird was gone, overwhelmed by the ruthless crows.
This incident traumatized me for years, and even now it makes me unsettled to think about it. I got back home, tears streaming down my face, and found solace in my sister's arms. She explained to me why city birds don't survive in the wild and how lovebirds grieve for their partners.
However, the whole horrifying episode taught me a painful yet valuable lesson. You can't always protect everyone, and sometimes, they don't need protection. Having good intentions doesn't always mean you're doing the right thing.
13. It’s Raining Men
Just 10 days back, I made a personal commitment that needed significant time dedication and I know how time-consuming dating is. So ten days back, I told myself to put dating on hold for the next six months and focus on my objective.
A day later, there I was, makeup-free, a loose ponytail swinging around, an old comfy sweater draped on, and in leggings, trying to find my way home in the big city. Being a newcomer to Toronto and not gifted with a sense of direction, I got lost. A charming, tall Englishman, passing by, saw me struggling.
He was a self-employed, independent, witty man who helped me find my way using Google Maps on his phone. Turned out, he was staying in a hotel near my condo and he kindly walked me home. "Fancy a drink sometime?" he asked near the courtyard. When I shared that I didn't drink, he suggested getting coffee instead.
How peculiar and out of the blue.
Fast forward to five days after that, I was coming back from work, smelling like grime and exhaustion. I'd removed my smeared lipstick and was feeling weary. On my way to the grocery store, an attractive, young man interrupted my mission to buy bread and juice. He asked about my Friday night plans.
"Buying groceries," was my reply. To my amusement, he joined me in the store and we shared a pleasant time together. He worked for Microsoft, visiting from LA, and was even wittier than the Englishman. We ran an errand together. He then carried my groceries home where we ran into a friend I hadn't seen in ages. He graciously excused himself, and the next day, he texted asking to see me again.
What an unexpected surprise.
Two days back, I rushed, panting and drenched from the rain, to a car showroom. A well-dressed and affable gentleman there was helping me test drive an elite car. As I navigated the luxurious machine on Toronto's rainy streets, he calmly guided me through its features.
Before leaving, he asked me out for dinner, saying it's got nothing to do with cars of course.
Now, that's something unusual and unpredictable. It made me think, the things I stopped pursuing seemed to pursue me in return. “If only this could happen with money,” I mused.
But, let's be real, I don’t think my rent is going to magically take care of itself if I say: I'm not going to work for the next six months! That, honestly, wouldn’t be strange or surprising.
14. I Feel Your Pain
So, here's a peculiar thing that keeps happening to me. I feel like I ought to share it, even though it might sound a bit out-there. The most recent event was just last Tuesday when I was at work. All of a sudden, there was this unusual feeling in my throat.
It was brand new, not something I'd experienced before. It lingered for a while then just vanished after about half an hour. I had a chat with my wife about it when I got home, and she suggested it might be acid reflux. She often gets it, but it was a first for me. She suggested I take an acid reducer before bed, but I forgot. In the end, the discomfort didn't return.
Fast forward to Friday. I'm on a video call with my mom who lives a few states away. We hadn't caught up in a while. She mentioned she'd had an endoscopy that week, which took me by surprise because she hadn't mentioned it to me. So I asked when the procedure was, and it lined up exactly with when I had my strange throat sensation on Tuesday.
You might say it's a coincidence if it happened just once or twice. But there have been so many instances of this kind of thing, with people close to me like my wife, my kids, my parents. I'll suddenly feel a sharp pain, like I've bitten my lip, even though I haven't.
Later, I’ll pick up my kid from school only to find that they've busted their lip in a playground fall just a few hours earlier. Another time, I got a sharp twinge in my ankle while sitting at my desk. It was gone after 30 seconds, but half an hour later my wife phoned me. She’d stumbled at work and twisted her ankle, which a friend was taking her to get checked out (thankfully, it was just a sprain).
You obviously don't go around sharing stuff like this with everyone you know. I thought people might slowly begin to distance themselves from me, thinking I’m a bit strange. It's not exactly everyday chat, it's more of an "I was taken by aliens" or "I've seen Bigfoot" kind of conversation.
15. Heavenly Creatures
Here's a fun story that gets retold in our family quite often—it's really something! I mean, I was so young at the time that I honestly can't recall any of it. Anyway, here it goes.
Once upon a time, when I was just a toddler, barely stringing sentences together, I was idly playing with my toys on the floor. My mom was there with me. Out of the blue, and with utmost seriousness, I looked up at her and said, "When I was in heaven, a lady told me that you'd be the ideal mommy for me."
The gist of what I said was that, before I was born, I was up in heaven and an angel decided which mom I would get. When mom probed a little further, asking me to describe the woman in my narrative, I gave a description that spooked her.
The lady I described seemed to perfectly match my mom's great-grandmother! Every little detail, down to the color of her eyes. Now, here's the kicker—I had never met my great-great-grandmother or even seen a picture of her. Intriguing, isn't it?
16. Good Will Hunting
My aunt, who devoted her life as a missionary in Africa, gave me a unique painting that one of her patients crafted. It depicted a quaint scene of his hometown—merely a trio of humble huts, surrounded by scattered trees, and local vegetation. This was all back in 1968. He had inscribed on the back: "To my friend Charlotte. Jos Nigeria 1966."
Fast forward to my divorce in Wisconsin, which by all accounts, went smoothly. My ex-wife claimed her belongings while I packed up my own odds and ends. Coincidentally, we both found ourselves starting fresh in different parts of Florida.
After setting up my new place, I was hit by the startling realization—my treasured African painting was missing. When asked, my ex-wife told me she had sold it in a moving sale, a piece of news I took, quite frankly, badly.
Several years later, married anew in Jacksonville, Florida, I found myself accompanying my thrift-loving new wife on her frequent shopping excursions. During one such trip to Brunswick, Georgia, about 23 years post-divorce, we stopped by a Goodwill.
Strolling past a fellow shopper sifting through pictures, I noticed a familiar sight. It was a painting that bore striking similarity to mine. Politely, I asked if I could inspect the painting she just set aside. Turning it over, I found the familiar inscription—and it caused me to let out a surprised cry.
The woman, startled, assumed I’d unearthed a valuable artwork. I quickly filled her in on the painting's journey and showed her the personal message on the back. For a mere three dollars, I welcomed it back into my possession.
According to the Goodwill tag, the painting had found its way to the shop on August 10th, 2022. Somehow, over the span of 23 years, it traversed from Madison, Wisconsin, to Brunswick, Georgia.
17. What To Expect When You’re Not Expecting
A girl messaged me out of the blue to find out if I was interested in having a child with her. She wasn't speaking figuratively...She literally meant having a baby together. We hadn't spoken in a long time, and her message left me wondering if she was joking. But to my surprise, she really meant it.
She passionately wanted a child. She was single at the moment and had lost her patience with white guys. She was confident that our child would be incredibly adorable. These were her reasons. I lightly joked around to change the subject, yet she remained earnest. I then wondered aloud if she was under the influence, but she simply ignored my comment.
18. Mafia Motherlode
One day, my daughter and I took on a project of revamping a home I'd purchased, located in an area with a rich, old-time mob history. As we worked, we started taking off the light switches on the wall.
Stunningly, each of these switches turned out to be much more than it seemed—they were all hiding secret compartments behind them. Imagine our surprise when we discovered an array of ancient gold coins and silver dollars. Even more amazing, there were two pure silver bars.
That was truly a day to remember.
19. Broke The System
The day my 7th-grade board examination results came out, my results were put on hold. I was at my grandma's village, relishing my summer holidays, when I saw an empty space next to Maths in my report card.
Everyone around me jumped to conclusions, either thinking I'd forgotten to put my name on the exam or had failed it. Everyone, except my dad, that is. Their reactions didn't faze me, I just sat back comfortably. A few days later, my brother solved this puzzle—he called the school board.
It wasn't a mistake on my part, the server simply couldn't display triple-digit scores. I'd actually aced the test with a flawless 100. Despite this commotion, I remained unbothered. I'd love to regain that level of self-assurance.
20. Sleep On It
Back in my high school days, I had a pretty wild experience. I'd come home from school and was tackling my math homework. There was this one problem that I just couldn't crack. I mulled it over countless times trying to figure out the solution but kept hitting a dead end.
Eventually, tired and frustrated, I decided to give it a rest until the next day. After having dinner, I went to bed, the unsolved problem still swirling around in my thoughts.
I'm not entirely sure what time it was, but at a certain point, I found myself completely relaxed, the math problem clear as day in my mind. Out of the blue, I noticed a book beside me.
I grabbed the book and, lo and behold, found the exact solution to my math problem in it. Pure joy washed over me. Closing the book, I fell back asleep. I woke up at around five in the morning with a sudden recall of the solution. But then I thought, where was that reference book?
I was left dumbfounded—I glanced around the bed, but the book was gone. Luckily, I still remembered the answer to the question and successfully completed my homework, all while musing over my surreal dream. That's when I understood it was my own brain playing the hero, cleverly bridging the gap between reality and dreamland to give me the answer.
It was a real revelation about the amazing capabilities of my mind. After that, I tried to repeat the feat whenever I was stumped, hoping a good night's sleep would deliver the answers, but it sadly never did again.
21. A Stream Come True
Wow, you won't believe this, but it's totally true. One morning, I stirred and immediately felt an extraordinary urge to use the bathroom. I had to go pee... and fast! I darted to the toilet, the sight of it was like finding buried treasure. "Yes, Asad, go for it," I told myself. "Just let it out…"
And so, I did.
Suddenly, a warm and wet feeling spread through my pajamas. Ah, the relief of peeing after holding it in for so long! It's such a fantastic sensation. As the sensation intensified, my vision started to get wavy and dim. What on earth was happening?
Then, it hit me! I woke up. There I was, realizing this was all a dream… well, sort of a dream. The reality, unfortunately, was that in my dream, I was merrily peeing into the toilet, but in reality, I was wetting the bed. I had not only ruined my sheets but my mattress as well. I, a 16-year-old guy, had peed the bed.
My mom stared at me with an "are you kidding me" look on her face. My dad just gave me this "You wet the bed? Huh... okay then" expression. My brother wasted no time blabbing to our cousins about my early morning misadventure. What a way to kick off the day. Talk about a red-face moment.
22. Sister Act
One of my work friends tied the knot with a lady from Ohio, who I knew had a twin sister. Interestingly, I was on a visit to my sibling's place which is in Granville, Ohio. While partaking in a family outing to the mall there, I spotted someone who looked exactly like my friend's spouse, standing no more than 20 feet away.
Naturally, I felt compelled to approach her. I introduced myself by saying, "Hi, you might not know me, but I'm acquainted with your sister." I reckon the situation seemed weirder to her than it did to me.
23. Running On Empty
Back in 1996, I found myself in a difficult situation: I had just left University prematurely and was headed back home, essentially beaten and broke. I had an old Jeep Comanche loaded with all my belongings and a daunting drive of 200 miles ahead of me.
I managed to get a loan of $20 from a friend for fuel and embarked on my journey home. I made it so close, just 30 miles away, when my tank ran dry. I pulled into a gas station come rest-stop, and was hit with a wave of despair. I was so close yet so far, needing just $5 more for gas. And even though I was desperate, I couldn't drown my father in more disappointment by asking him for help.
I started digging around my truck for change, anything that could help. And surprisingly, I found an assortment of discarded "loyalty bucks" in my glove compartment for a gas station that I seldom used. As luck would have it, it was the precise gas station I found myself stalled at. $4 of these "loyalty bucks" coupled with $2 I found in loose change was just enough to fuel up and slip in a soda for the final stretch of my drive.
Jumping ahead 20 years, I managed to turn my life around—becoming a lawyer. As fate would have it, I was hired as an outside counsel by the very same gas station chain that rescued me all those years ago. I was able to share my tale of near heartache and fortunate twists with the President of the company.
Freepik,wayhomestudio
24. Stomach Fake
When I was around the age of 10, I decided one day that I didn't want to go to school. So, I hatched a plan and pretended to have a bellyache, hoping my Grandma would let me stay in. I've never been good at telling fibs, so she tried to catch me out. She warned me that if I was too ill for school, she'd be making a doctor's appointment for me.
Fast forward three hours, and I found myself in the emergency room about to have surgery. Turns out, my pretend sick day was actually a blessing—because I had a case of appendicitis. It had become so serious that if I hadn't been brought in that exact day, there was a real risk of my appendix rupturing—which could have been life-threatening.
And to think, I felt entirely normal that morning. Who would have imagined my play-acting would actually save my life...
25. Curb Your Enthusiasm
When I was around the age of 12, my friend and I joined his parents for a vacation in Lake Tahoe. They had a stylish condo based in Incline Village. One particular day, we decided to stroll over to the local bowling alley, which required crossing a busy street using a crosswalk.
As we were nearly at the far curb, a car suddenly charged towards us, nearly striking us.
In the blink of an eye, we found ourselves safe on the sidewalk, as if we'd been transported several feet forward. We each gave the other a puzzled look.
"You didn't leap over, did you?"
"No, I didn’t. Did you?"
"I didn’t either."
The next hour passed in a haze of confusion. We didn't recall any sudden push, nor did we feel subjected to any external force. It felt as if one moment we were amidst the traffic, then instantly we were safe on the sidewalk.
Freepik,freepik
26. Waist Of Time
So there I was, in my room, getting ready for work and switching pants. I had taken off my belt and once I had my other pair of pants on, I went to put my belt back on. But, it had vanished. There wasn't anyone else in the room, and I'd only put it down on the floor. I spent a solid 10 minutes hunting for it, but no luck. It's been a decade now, and that belt still hasn't resurfaced.
27. The Helicopter Fairy
I find this recollection to be quite peculiar, mostly due to the fact it happened such a long time ago. It feels as though there must be some errors in my memory. I was just a little kid, at the supermarket, when I spotted a small toy helicopter, about the size of a hot wheel car. For some reason, it caught my fancy, but I didn't buy it. Nevertheless, the memory of it has stayed with me.
Several nights after that, I dreamt that I was playing with this very helicopter. Realizing I was dreaming, my young naive self believed that if I stashed it under my pillow in the dream, I'd find it in the same spot when I woke up. So, once I woke up, I excitedly checked under the pillow for the helicopter.
Surprisingly, the toy helicopter was exactly where I had left it in my dream. As a child, it seemed perfectly logical and I didn't question it. However, looking back now, I am left baffled, wondering how that toy helicopter ended up under my pillow in reality.
28. Just A Flesh Wound
In 2008, I was hit by a car moving at about 50-60 km/h. It was absolutely my fault—I wasn't cautious enough when I was crossing the street. But I experienced a miracle—I survived the accident without any broken bones and, amazingly, I managed to stay on my feet. (Mind you, I definitely winced pretty can't deny that).
My knees and leg were sore for a couple of days afterwards but beyond that, I was fine. I still find it bewildering how I could be hit by a car moving at a considerable speed like that and come out of it with just a few bruises.
Freepik, prostooleh
29. Nice Kitty
My buddy was tinkering with his dirt bike in the garage, his folks were out so the driveway was vacant. I decided to go into the house to nab a cold drink but also wanted to check on his cat, which I haven't spotted all day. As I entered the office room, I call out for her, suddenly, a low-pitched man's voice imitates a "Meow" right in my right ear.
In shock, I dash and scour the ground floor trying to figure out who the heck just did that. Couldn't find a soul.
30. Must Be Ninjas
My girlfriend stepped out of the shower and beckoned me into the restroom to show me something on the mirror. A cold shiver ran down my back immediately. An eerie, distinct handprint was visible on the mirror.
I was living solo and she was the sole visitor I had for nearly two years. We both compared our own handprints with the mysterious one on the mirror, but they didn't match at all. I'm still clueless about how that handprint got there.
31. Statue Deja Vu
I maintain a brilliantly clear recollection from my childhood of perching atop my dad's shoulders and gazing at the New York City skyline from the Statue of Liberty.
32. Slip ‘N Slide
During a late night drive at 60 mph on the highway, I unexpectedly skidded on black ice. Back then, I used to drive a hefty 1-ton cargo van. It slammed into the guard rail and toppled over. You wouldn't believe it—I emerged from the van completely unharmed! Even more incredible, the van was still good to go and only made me 30 minutes late for work.
33. Take A Deep Breath
So here's a real shocker. Both my lungs had collapsed, more than halfway too, but that's not even the surprising bit. I was out and about as if everything was just fine. The only reason I figured out something was wrong with my lungs was because I heard some weird bubble sounds in my chest and decided to get it checked out at the ER.
Not a single doctor had a clue as to why this would happen.
And the weirdest part? They were totally dumbfounded when they realized I was managing to walk, laugh and generally act like everything was norma.
34. Yellow Solo Cup
During my elementary school days, our school cafeteria had these milk-filled cups for lunch. Crimson, emerald, azure cups aplenty. BUT...just one golden-yellow cup. It was like a mini quest for the holy grail, with everyone battling it out for that one yellow cup, a tradition extending back for years.
Then one night, I had this dream. A dream where our cafeteria had finally stocked up on yellow cups. Strangely enough, the very next day...
An ocean of yellow cups appeared before us.
35. Shared Scare
When I was just a kid, I woke up to a terrifying sleep paralysis dream involving a dark figure with red eyes standing at my room's entrance. That sight has stayed in my mind and I've referred to it as the "boogeyman". One day, while scrolling through online forums, I stumbled upon a user's painting of their own "sleep paralysis demon". The depiction was strikingly similar to my own nightmare.
A series of comments followed where people claimed they'd experienced the same haunting vision. It's a thought that unsettles me every time.
36. Wait For The Other Shoe To Drop
I was hanging out in the kitchen with my girlfriend and her daughter at their house, just chatting away. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted one of my shoes, previously removed near the door, suddenly falling from a height of about two feet, seemingly out of nowhere.
Both myself and her 10-year-old daughter witnessed it, but my girlfriend missed the action. To this day, I can still recall the thudding noise it made as it hit the floor and toppled onto its side. Then I had a dark thought.
The only explanation I could think of was the presence of a ghost. It's something I've always believed in, though I've never actually experienced an encounter until now.
37. Number Slumber
When I was in grade school, every weekend, I had this recurring dream that would start on Saturday nights. I'd go to bed and then, I'd wake up in the early hours of Sunday feeling sick and end up throwing up. The dream was always filled with a mix of numbers, nothing more. Just scattered, random numbers everywhere.
I've always found it peculiar that this same sequence of events would repeat every weekend—the same dream followed by feeling ill and eventually throwing up. There was never any sign of being unwell before this happened or afterwards.
The whole experience always leaves me puzzled, wondering if it was some sort of bizarre coincidence.
38. Don’t Be Alarmed
One evening, while browsing online, I stumbled upon a post where the original poster was experiencing strange hallucinations, until it was suggested in the comments to check for a potential carbon monoxide leak. That tip may well have saved their life. As I settled into bed that night, it hit me that I hadn't checked if the smoke detectors in my new home were also carbon monoxide detectors. I made a mental note to do so in the morning.
To our shock, we awoke at around 6 AM to the sound of our alarms ringing out and a recorded voice warning us of a carbon monoxide detection. Without wasting time, we gathered our child and pet and immediately evacuated our home, retreating to our car parked in the driveway. We promptly called the fire department for assistance.
Upon their arrival and inspection, they stated that they couldn't find any evidence of a carbon monoxide leak. However, they suggested that the alarm might have malfunctioned due to depleted batteries, a common occurrence.
Reflecting back, I realized I should have checked earlier, especially having lived in a newly-constructed house for five years. Moreover, this wasn't the first time I had come across that Reddit tale.
So, in hindsight, there was a pretty straightforward explanation for the commotion caused: an unlikely but plausible coincidence. But as a result of this experience, I found myself investing a sizable sum into a collection of Nest Protect devices. This way, I'd receive a polite notification on my phone whenever my alarms’ batteries were running low.
39. Right On Cue
While strolling through a university town between bars, I suddenly felt a thud on my back. I spun around to discover a cue ball rolling along the pavement. Yanking out the next five minutes, I paced up and down the street attempting to find out who had thrown it or what had occurred. My search was fruitless, and to this day, I'm still in possession of the mystery cue ball.
40. Pandemonium
Once when I was young, I dozed off on the sofa and found myself waking up in the dead of the night. As I ventured towards the kitchen, I sighted the dark silhouette of a woman donning a bun and glasses. She seemed to head into the kitchen and then, my heart skipped a beat—a loud clatter of pans echoed.
Scurrying into the kitchen, I found it empty with everything intact. Perhaps, I could've dreamt up the mysterious figure, but the puzzling thing was the cacophony of pans wrecking the silence, a sound only I seemed to hear. Everyone else slumbered on, undisturbed.
41. Receiving Live Updates
I faced someone in the room, a near stranger, and found myself blurting, "My sister is getting engaged this instant," with no prior intention of saying anything. They courteously asked why I made that remark, leaving me to simply shake my head and respond with, "I have no clue."
Days later, it turns out that my prediction was on point. At the same moment on the other side of the globe, my sister had indeed accepted Mr. Right's proposal. Interestingly, I wasn't even aware she was in a relationship.
42. Ghost FM
Back when I was 10, I had this small radio and a comfy bean bag chair in my room. One night, just as I found myself drifting off to sleep, the radio channel began flipping all by itself. As if that wasn't spooky enough, I then heard my bean bag chair crumple like someone had just sat down on it.
Honestly, I've no clue what triggered this. But boy, did it give me a good scare!
Freepik, asierromero
43. Time Flies
Once upon a time, I was an avid fencer. I can vividly recall being at a tournament, due to fence against another contestant. The victory benchmark was attaining five points before the other side.
Much to my surprise, after securing what I thought was a single point, the game's official signals that the bout has concluded and that I am the winner.
This left me perplexed for a moment, but I noticed my competitor conceding to the decision. He even saluted and approached me for a congratulatory handshake, which made me accept the situation. On checking the scorecard, I saw my score—5 against his 2.
Strangely enough, I seemed to have lost track of a good four or five minutes. Since then, I don't remember such an incident repeating. Yet, for the past 20 years, I often find myself wondering what genuinely transpired that day.
44. Don’t Test Me
During my 8th semester at IIT Madras in India, I had essentially lost all interest in my studies. That's when this odd thing happened.
Despite having only attended the first lecture of the term and skipping the rest, my 'A slot' professor surprisingly let me take the final exam! Normally, if your attendance isn't sufficient, you get a W grade, meaning you have to retake the course.
With zero preparation, I decided to give the exam a go. I quickly realized that cheating was my only option, and fortunate for me, an old buddy was sitting right in front of me in the exam. I cheated just enough to secure an 'E' grade, which was exactly what I needed to pass the course that semester.
In truth, I was pretty pleased. All I had done was shown up for the first lecture, enrolled myself, and taken the end-term exam to pass the course. On my way back, I bumped into the guy I had sat next to on the first day of class and asked him how the exam was. His response shook me. He said, "What exam?" I said 'A slot', and he replied,
"Man, it's going to start in about an hour, at 1 PM." That's when it hit me: I had just taken an exam for the wrong course! I'd gotten mixed up over the course title, resulting in this whole mess. I wound up taking a morning 'A slot' course exam while the one I was meant to sit was scheduled for the post-lunch slot.
The most bizarre part was needing to explain to the professor of the mistaken exam why I'd done so well on his test. Usually, you explain low marks! Later that afternoon, I sat the 'Information theory' test, which thankfully, was the correct one!
45. Twilight Zone
One night around 2 am, I was driving home. Considering I lived deep in the countryside, I was navigating the familiar back roads. I spotted a car appearing to approach from a distance over a hill.
But as I drew closer, it strangely seemed stationary, as though it was just lingering right past the crest of the hill. Given the distance when I first spotted it, I figured it should have emerged from behind the hill by now.
I decided to stop and wait, hanging around for about five minutes. The whole scenario was quite peculiar, especially considering the lack of houses in the vicinity. Motivated by intrigue and a sprinkle of fear, I drove towards the car.
Suddenly, its headlights shone absurdly bright before shocking me with utter darkness. I noticed a strange blue emission lingering in the air over the road where I assumed the car was. "I must be losing my mind," I concluded.
The strange blue aura appeared similar to ozone combustion. Stranger still, the same bizarre incident recurred when I had my friend with me at the exact time and location. It was quite an astounding experience for both of us. Now, we tend to sidestep that peculiar reminiscence.
46. Time Warp
I used to have a job at a café, just a short stroll from my home. I usually took the walk, getting to the café in about 10-15 minutes. As a creature of habit, I liked showing up early so I could relax and enjoy a coffee before my shift began.
On this particular day, I left my house with time to spare—a whole 45 minutes early. I peeked at the clock right before stepping out—it was exactly 2:00.
When I arrived at the café, my boss confronted me. He asked me why I was late, something that didn't make sense to me. I glanced at the clock; it read 3:00, an whole hour after I had left my house. It was inconceivable that my usual 10-minute, five-block commute could turn into an hour.
I was completely stumped. After my shift, I went home and checked all the clocks. They were all functioning and showed the accurate time. It was a one-time ordeal that, thankfully, didn't repeat.
47. Men In Black
Growing up, my dad ran a cozy little garden store. After school, I'd hang out behind the cash register until closing time. One day, an unusually tall man dressed head-to-toe in black—similar to a trench coat—strolled past my dad, shot me a smile, and ventured into an employees-only section. As a seven-year-old, I immediately sprang up to deter him.
This particular area was used to store fresh deliveries. I went in, rounded a corner, and stood agape. The man had vanished into thin air. There were no hideouts, no exits; he had simply disappeared. Intrigued, I urged my dad to review the security tapes that evening.
All they showed was me hopping to my feet and sprinting off, eventually darting out of view. Strange occurrences indeed; I never felt quite at ease in that shop again.
48. Cat Man
Once, when I was at university, this guy at a party had a horrible experience. What ensued was quite unbelievable—he definitely had one too many toppled over from a balcony on the third floor. He just brushed himself off and strolled away like he'd merely slipped on a banana peel. It was genuinely one of the most bizarre and outlandish experiences I've ever witnessed in my life.
49. The Informer
A while back, I found myself working with two FBI agents who handed me a large sum of cash. They told me upfront they weren't going to report this to the IRS and that was up to me to do, which was quite an odd situation.
Years prior, I had been doing some independent cybersecurity work. I had unearthed a huge cyber attack against an American web host company named iPower Web. The company's servers had been completely infiltrated by hackers who had installed a DNSchanger malware known as W32/zlob. This ended up affecting about 200,000 websites hosted by iPower.
This discovery put me in the spotlight within cybersecurity circles. What unfolded next was quite surreal.
I received an email from someone introducing themselves as part of the FBI's cybercrime unit. They expressed an interest in discussing my blog posts. To reassure me, the person suggested I look up the phone number of the FBI San Antonio field office and ask for them. I did just that.
After reaching out to the FBI office, I had a chat with the person who emailed me, and next thing you know, I was a confidential informant for the FBI. I continued my research into the malware network, but stopped sharing my findings online. Instead, I would send this information to my FBI contact.
Fast forward a few years, the people behind the original hack were apprehended in Tallinn, save for one who fled to Russia. They ended up serving prison time for their crimes. The FBI decided to reward me for my efforts, but because of my status as a confidential informant, they paid me in cash to protect my identity.
The whole episode was pretty intense. The agents asked to meet me in a public place. Two agents hop out of a Chevy SUV. Both of them watched as I received the money, and they both signed a document confirming the transaction. They told me it was my responsibility to report this to the IRS, and then they left.
That was probably the most bizarre experience in my life. It's unlikely anything in the future will ever match up to that level of weirdness.
Freepik,freepik
50. Matilda?
I'll never forget when my daughter was just a little girl. Whenever she got upset, strangely enough, something in the kitchen would break unexpectedly. It happened way more than your average accident, and the items that broke did so in ways we just couldn't explain. I remember, once, very early one morning, I was telling her she couldn't have some leftover cake from the night before.
Just as she turned cross, I heard an odd "plink" noise coming from a cupboard. I opened it up and discovered that the top plate from a pile was mysteriously cracked in several places. We haven't seen anything like this in recent years, thankfully. Now she's 24, and I joke about it from time to time, playfully warning her boyfriend not to upset her.
