I woke up one morning with confidence. That was my first mistake. I stretched, looked around, and thought, You know what? Today I'm going to get things done. Somewhere, the universe spit out its coffee. I had a whole plan. Laundry. Cleaning. Groceries. Yard work. Maybe even organize that one cupboard where I've been throwing... Continue Reading →
The Friend Who Just Showed Up
When Claire’s life started falling apart, she did what a lot of people do. She told everyone she was fine. She was fine when her car broke down. Fine when work became overwhelming. Fine when her relationship ended. Fine when she discovered that crying while eating cereal over the kitchen sink technically counted as dinner.... Continue Reading →
Borley Rectory: The House They Called the Most Haunted in England
Borley Rectory stood in the quiet village of Borley in Essex, England, an imposing Victorian home that would eventually earn a chilling nickname: “the most haunted house in England.” Long before paranormal investigators arrived with notebooks and cameras, however, the people who lived within its walls were already telling strange stories. The rectory was built... Continue Reading →
This Week In Chaos: I Survived Another Week. Nobody Is More Surprised Than Me
There are people who wake up in the morning refreshed. They stretch. They drink water. They meditate. They journal about gratitude. They stand beside a sunny window holding a tasteful ceramic mug while quietly contemplating all the wonderful possibilities the new day may bring. I wake up and immediately wonder what fresh bullshit the universe... Continue Reading →
One Weed, Zero Dignity: The Yardwork Disaster
I went outside to pull one weed. That is important to remember. One. Weed. It was growing beside the front steps, looking smug and disrespectful, and every time I walked past it I thought, I should really pull that. So Saturday afternoon, armed with absolutely no plan whatsoever, I marched outside, grabbed the weed, and... Continue Reading →
The Lunch Waiting for a Stranger
Every morning before work, Daniel stopped at the same little deli. He ordered the same thing almost every time: a turkey sandwich, an apple, and a coffee large enough to convince him that being awake was a reasonable idea. And almost every morning, he passed the same man sitting near the entrance to the subway... Continue Reading →
The Baldoon Mystery: Something Terrorized a Family in Upper Canada
In the early years of the 19th century, along the waterways near what is now Wallaceburg, Ontario, stood the farm of John T. McDonald and his family. It was an isolated place surrounded by woods, marshes and farmland, the sort of landscape where darkness could feel especially deep once the sun disappeared. Toward the end... Continue Reading →
Deep-Fried Disaster: The Day the County Fair Fought Back
I went to the county fair with exactly three goals: eat something deep-fried, win an unnecessarily large stuffed animal, and leave without becoming part of an incident. Two out of three seemed realistic. The trouble began eleven minutes after we arrived. My friend Rachel spotted a booth selling deep-fried pickles and immediately announced, “We should... Continue Reading →
The Picnic That Started With a Sandwich
When Emma woke up Saturday morning, she decided she was going on a picnic. There was no special occasion. No birthday, anniversary, or celebration. The sun was shining, she had nowhere she needed to be, and there was an unopened jar of strawberry jam in the cupboard that seemed like a perfectly reasonable excuse to... Continue Reading →
Something Crossed the Trail: The 1995 Carmacks Sasquatch Encounter
In the summer of 1995, two teenage girls headed into the woods near Carmacks, Yukon, looking for a little privacy. They crossed a gravel road and followed a trail leading toward a small lake, eventually finding a place to sit among the trees. It was broad daylight, reportedly sometime around two in the afternoon, and... Continue Reading →