- ONE TINY STEP BEYOND DEPARTMENT -

Children's Encounters With the Unknown

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- FULL FATHON FIVE DEPARTMENT -

Park Ranger Films China's "Loch Ness monster"

Fairies are a well-known staple of folklore and modern children’s literature: supernatural beings who were thought by people of previous ages to inhabit the pastoral landscapes of Europe. But while belief in such creatures might be assumed to have no place in our modern, rational world, it seems fairies don’t really care, as new research has found that some people still regularly have encounters with them.

In fact, more than ‘some’: in the newly released, 400-page-long Fairy Census, 2014-2017 (free PDF download), some five hundred fairy experiences from the modern day are detailed. They were collected over the last few years via an ongoing internet questionnaire about who sees fairies, when and why.

The Fairy Census questionaire was designed not only to just let the respondent relay their experience; it also sought to understand the phenomenon better by looking for common elements. As such, questions included the location of the experience, whether other people were present (and if they too experienced it), the time of day, the duration of the experience, the mood of the fairy, how often the experiencer has had other supernatural experiences, any special state of consciousness before the experience, and any special phenomena connected to the experience such as loss of sense of time or strange sensations.

In the PDF, the experiences, recorded between 18 Nov 2014 and 20 Nov 2017, are divided into five sections based on geography: Britain and Ireland; North America; Europe; Australasia; and the ‘Rest of the World’. Editor Simon Young, a British historian who has written extensively on the topic of folklore, says that the Census is being released in PDF format free of charge in the hope that it will allow and encourage others to undertake their own research into the topic of fairies.

Here’s just one of the many experiences, which readers of my essay “Her Sweet Murmur” (on the sounds heard during paranormal experiences) will likely find quite interesting (the first paragraph is a summary of the aforementioned elements of the experience related to location, time etc.):

    "358) US (Oregon).Female; 2000s; 21-30; inside a private house; on my own; 9 am-12 pm; less than a minute; friendly, mischievous, ‘not sure, they seemed to want to be near me’; occasional supernatural experiences; no special state reported; a sense that the experience was a display put on specially for you, unusually vivid memories of the experience.

    "It was around 10 or 11 am in the early summer of 2002, and I was in the bathroom, just starting my bath. It was so warm and bright that I had the small window open, and the breeze was coming right in from the backyard. (There was never a screen on that window because it was a little high up, and too small for a person). I shrugged off my robe, and sat down on the tub edge, waiting for the tub to fill. Quite suddenly, a flickering cloud of little lights came right in through the window and, as though attracted to me, flew close, almost touching, around my head and shoulders.

    "I was so shocked that my brain just froze! There was a tickle in my nose, and something in my understanding just clicked. I said out loud, and I mean, LOUD, (though as a twenty-nine-year-old woman such a thing had never occurred to me as being within the realms of possibility or even reality) ‘Hey! Faeries! Go away!’ And I tossed my head and flicked my wrist. The cloud of little lights zoomed off a little bit away from me, then gathered close together, for just a second, and I almost heard a sound, but it wasn’t quite a sound, really, more of an impression that there was communication between them that I could very nearly hear, like a buzz or a high frequency whine or bells shimmering like when they bless the Host in Mass – and then they flew as one, right out the window again!

    "I was so surprised that I jumped up, naked as a jaybird, shut the window, and yelled out to my husband to come to the bathroom. My knees were too wobbly to support me just then. Whew! Never thought I’d get a chance to tell that to someone who didn’t think I was NUTS!!!"

For the skeptical readers, editor Simon Young notes that while previous well-known ‘fairyists’ such as Evans Wentz and Marjorie Johnson set out trying to prove that fairies exist, he does not have this ambition – he is just trying to understand the phenomenon better. Nevertheless, he is “convinced of the sincerity of the vast, vast majority of respondents”. While in four or five cases he suspected that the respondent “made up the account for fun, or found themselves bored late at night on the internet with a whisky”, Young says that after reading hundreds of accounts “you get a feel for patterns within impossible experiences”. He nevertheless included the suspect accounts, “because I can hardly edit out experiences that smell rotten, to my subjective and possibly flawed judgment”.

To dig a bit deeper into fairylore beyond the accounts in the Census, be sure to get the companion book featuring essays from Simon Young and other folklorists and historians, Magical Folk: British and Irish Fairies, 500 AD to the Present, available now from Amazon US and Amazon UK. And you can head over to the Facebook page for the Fairy Investigation Society to find out more about research into fairy sightings, both ancient and modern.

Source: The Daily Grail
https://www.dailygrail.com/2018/02/fairies-continue-to-be-seen-in-the-modern
-day-according-to-this-new-research/

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Britain has a long history of lycanthropy - from the tale of the notorious Flixton Werewolf that terrorized the north of England more than a thousand years ago, to the strange sagas of the Hexham Heads, the Abbotsham werewolf, the wild Wolfman of Lynton, and countless others.

But quite possibly nothing compares with the incredible wave of wolfish-weirdness that has recently descended upon Britain's Cannock Chase - a large area of forest land in central England, and a location that has become a veritable hotbed for encounters with big cats, ghostly black dogs, Bigfoot-like entities, and now werewolves.

On April 26, 2007, the Stafford Post newspaper (which covers the area in question) stated the following: "A rash of sightings of a 'werewolf' type creature prowling around the outskirts of Stafford have prompted a respected Midlands paranormal group to investigate. West Midlands Ghost Club says they have been contacted by a number of shocked residents who saw what they claimed to be a `hairy wolf-type creature' walking on its hind legs around the German War Cemetery, just off Camp Road, in between Stafford and Cannock. Several of them claim the creature sprang up on its hind legs and ran into the nearby bushes when it was spotted."

The newspaper continued:

"Nick Duffy, of West Midlands Ghost Club, said the stories of werewolf sightings in Chase area were something that he had encountered before. He said: 'The first person to contact us was a postman, who told us he had seen what he thought was a werewolf on the German War Cemetery site. He said he was over there on a motorbike and saw what he believed was a large dog. When he got closer, the creature got on his hind legs and ran away.'"

The Post quoted Duffy as adding that: "I’ve spoke to many witnesses and I know when they are putting it on. But what struck me as strange about this was the way he told it. I'm in no doubt that he was telling the truth."

The creature was also apparently spotted by a scout leader walking over the forest land earlier in April. The man, who the Post stated did not want to be named, said he saw what he initially believed was a large dog prowling by the bushes. It was only when he got into his car to drive away that he realised something weird was afoot.

He said: "It just looked like a huge dog. But when I slammed the door of my car it reared up on its back legs and ran into the trees. It must have been about six to seven feet tall. I know it sounds absolutely mad, but I know what I saw.”
 
And last week, both the Chase Post newspaper (whose official website is home to countless weird animal reports from the area) and the Birmingham Post ran the following story:

A tribe of subterranean creatures who surface on Cannock Chase to hunt for food could be behind a rash of 'werewolf' and Big Foot sightings near Stafford.

And the mysterious beings could also be responsible for a string of pet disappearances, it has been claimed.

West Midlands Ghost Club, our area's top paranormal investigation group, say they have been contacted by a number of shocked eye-witnesses who claim they have come to face to face with a 'hairy, wolf-type creature' at the beauty spot.

A scout leader and a local post man are amongst the 'credible' witnesses to contact the club. Theories behind the sightings range from a crazed tramp to aliens.

But now another paranormal expert has put forward the theory the sub-human beast is not a werewolf at all - but a Stone Age throwback.

The investigator, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: "Strange sightings in this area have been made over many years by civilians, military, police, ex-police and scout leaders on patrol.

"Some incidents have been reported and logged but others not - some people don't want to be classed as 'mad'.

"The strangest rumour has come from a senior local resident who believes the mysterious intruders to be subterranean," he told us.

"The creatures have made their way to the surface via old earthworks to hunt, for example, local deer."

And, on the surface, the far-fetched tale could be easily dismissed. However, our expert added: "It's a fact that there has been significant mining activity under Cannock Chase for centuries.

"And it's a fact there is a high rate of domestic pet disappearance in the area --especially dogs off the lead...just ask anyone who walks their dog near the German War Cemetery..."

Nick Duffy, a lead member of West Midlands Ghost Club, told us he was intrigued by this new theory: "It's as likely as any of the others - so it could well be," he said.

Source: Monsterusa/icstafford
http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/2007/05/do-werewolves-roam-woods-of-england.html

http://icstafford.icnetwork.co.uk/news/localnews/tm_headline=cannock-chase-cavemen
-claims%26method=full%26objectid=19117948%26siteid=87875-name_page.
html#story_continue

For decades, people have claimed disturbing encounters with supernatural humanoids that have one thing in common: their maniacal smiles. We’ll begin with the story of a man named Woodrow Derenberger, better known to his family and friends as “Woody.” Susan Sheppard, a writer on, and researcher of, the paranormal  says: ” It was shortly after 6 p.m. in the evening, when Woody Derenberger was driving home from his job as a sewing machine salesman at J.C. Penny’s in Marietta, Ohio to his farmhouse in Mineral Wells, West Virginia. The ride home was overcast and dreary. It was misting a light rain.”

Susan continues: “As Derenberger came up on the Intersection of I-77 and Route 47, he thought that a tractor trailer truck was tailgating him without its lights on, which was unnerving, so he swerved to the side of the road and much to his surprise, the truck appeared to take flight and seemed to roll across his panel truck. To his astonishment, what Derenberger thought was a truck was a charcoal colored UFO without any lights on. It touched down and then hovered about 10 inches above the berm of the road. Much to Derenberger’s surprise a hatch opened and a man stepped out looking like ‘any ordinary man you would see on the street – there was nothing unusual about his appearance.  Except the man was dressed in dark clothing and had a ‘beaming smile.'” There was, however, something not quite right about that smile.

The strange figure said that his/its name was Indrid Cold. Certainly, Cold is the definitive sinister, smiling thing. He was an enigmatic character who played a significant role in the Mothman wave that dominated Point Pleasant, West Virginia from 1966 to 1967. Cold’s crazed and eerie smile never left him, something which provoked fear among those who encountered him. He still surfaces to this day – much to the cost of those who cross his path. Indeed, in my new book, The Black Diary, Susan Sheppard talks about her very own encounters with what may well have been Cold, in the early 2000s.

The Hat Man is a Man in Black-type being that appears in shadowy form; not unlike the infamous Shadow People – to whom the Hat Man is almost certainly related. On many occasions, however, the Hat Man appears in regular, human form, wearing a black suit, and sometimes a long overcoat or a cloak – always black, too. Most noticeable about this creepy figure is, of course, his hat. Sometimes, it’s a fedora, other times it’s an old style top hat. Occasionally, it’s more like a cowboy hat. But, regardless of the kind of headgear, it’s always present and always black.

Many of the encounters occur while the victim is in a distinct altered state – that of sleeping. Angie had just such an encounter in Leominster, Massachusetts, on September 6, 1994, as she told me late on the evening of October 8, 2014. Her reason for contacting me was due to the fact that, quite out of the blue, she had suddenly begun to dream of the events of twenty years earlier – and dream of them almost every night for a couple of weeks. Angie was sleeping when the mysterious thing disturbed her sleep by manifesting in her bedroom and staring at her with a menacing smile on its pale, ghoulish face. For a few moments, Angie was unable to move. As she finally broke the spell of paralysis, however, the Hat Man was gone.

Jaye P. Paro was a woman who had a number of bizarre, UFO-themed encounters in May 1967, in upstate New York. At the time, she was a host on Babylon, New York’s WBAB station. On one particular day Jaye decided to take a walk. It was barely dawn, and the town in which she lived was still shrouded in shadows. As she walked passed a particularly dark alley, a Woman in Black loomed into view, as if from nowhere, or from some nightmarish realm.

Then, out of the blue, came a black Cadillac, the absolute calling card of the MIB and the WIB. It came to a screeching halt next to the two women, and out of one of the rear doors came an unsettling-looking character. It was a man dressed in a dark grey suit, with what was described as an “oriental” appearance, and who sported a disturbing smile. The driver seemed almost identical in appearance. The man with the fearsome smile shook Jaye’s hand and said, “I am Apol.” Jaye said that holding Apol’s hand was like holding the hand of a cold corpse.

Should you ever encounter one of these disturbing entities, it’s probably best to stay away from them – and as far away as possible. Their smiles are most definitely not of the inviting kind.

Source: Mysterious Universe
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/06/smiling-sinister-and-supernatural/

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Bikita is rapidly becoming poltergeist central. Either that or credulity is running rampant in that small rural corner of Zimbabwe.

In an earlier post I described how the Musirinofa family from Muhura village in Bikita claimed to be living in constant fear of being assaulted by stones whenever they set foot outside their home.

That spook may now have a neighbour. According to the a report on Bulawayo news site B-Metro on 24 May, the Makuwe family of Bikita was being haunted by a mysterious force that started fires, threw stones and insulted them in a strange voice. The strange events so scared the family that they left their rural home and moved to a built up area. They believe the attacks may be either a spiritual attack or the work of an avenging spirit, the uzimu or ngozi.

Nineteen year old Obey Makuwe told B-Metro reporter Gibson Mhaka:

“We are living in fear. We are afraid the remaining structures will also burn down at any time, hence some family members ran away and people are always asking me why I remained behind. We do not know what wrong we have done to deserve such pain and mysterious occurrences in our family. The rocks have been falling mysteriously from the sky for months and are not just damaging houses but have also caused physical injuries to us. We are also being insulted by strange voices whenever we try to put out the fire.”

According to Obey, the events started in January 2017:

“This fire is mysterious because it is not a result of an electrical fault or bush fires. One just notices that fire from nowhere; it will start burning and before you know it, it has started destroying houses. This started in January last year, but no life has been lost since the outbreak. I don’t know the meaning of this strange fire which cannot be traced to a cause”.

A neighbour of the Makuwe’s believes the outbreak was supernatural: “Maybe it is ngozi (avenging spirit) or something else” he said. “It is quite abnormal for fire to appear from nowhere and start destroying properties within the family”.

Reporter Gibson Mhaka told the Cropster that he felt the family was sincere. While visiting the house he claimed to have heard the the strange voices. Their photographer was also pelted with stones – from nowhere.

I asked Gibson what did the voices sounded like. He told me: “They sounded male and words were not properly coming out. It was like someone who was hallucinating… the photographer and some guys who have accompanied us to the house at the instigation of the Chief also heard the strange voices.”

Chief Mpakwa said the incident was a first for the area. “We fear for the worst. It is unbelievable that houses can be burnt without any cause. This is scary not only for the family but for the whole village. We call upon those who have better knowledge on things like this to come and assist this family and the community,” Chief Mpakwa said.

Source: The Fortean
https://thefortean.com/2018/06/10/mysterious-fires-voices-stones-in-bikita-zimbabwe/