Micah Ackerman's Blog, page 2

THE HORNET SPOOKLIGHT AND THE DEVIL'S PROMENADE

Before I get into today's blog post I want to let you guys know that I'm running a few sales. My short story "The Man with the White Face" is FREE on all channels. You can pick it up in the kindle version by clicking on this link:     

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IQCYU46 

I'm also having a sale on my new novel "The Third Gender" for the next couple of days. It will be only $1.00 until Wednesday, March 18th. You can get it by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QMZRAAK



In the middle of swamp country on the Oklahoma/Missouri border appears an unexplained phenomena called the Hornet Spook Light. The light seems to hover above the ground anywhere from a few feet in height to ranging high above the tree tops. here is the description from wiki:

" The Spooklight is commonly described as a single ball of light or a tight grouping of lights that is said to appear in the area regularly, usually at night. Although the description of the light is similar to that of other visual phenomena witnessed throughout the world, the term "Spooklight" when standing alone generally refers to this specific case. Numerous legends exist that attempt to describe the origin of the Spooklight, one of which involves the ghosts of two young Native American lovers looking for each other."

The light has been reported since the mid to late 1800's with the first documented case occurring in 1881. Which seems to disprove one theory that states that the Spooklight is nothing more than passing car lights on a nearby interstate. There wouldn't have been car lights back in the 1800's and even if it was argued that "wagon lights" were the culprit it's hard to believe that wagon lights could be seen above the trees.

The are that has the most sightings is a long dirt road just outside of the small community of Hornet, Oklahoma. This area is referred to by locals as "The Devil's Promenade." Other theories or explanations for the mysterious light range from swamp gas to certain atmospheric conditions similar to the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
The website AmericanLegends.com has this to say about the Spooklight:

"The ball of fire, described as varying from the size of a baseball to a basketball, dances and spins down the center of the road at high speeds, rising and hovering above the treetops, before it retreats and disappears. Others have said it sways from side to side, like a lantern being carried by some invisible force. In any event, the orange fire-like ball has reportedly been appearing nightly for well over a one hundred years. According to locals, the best time to view the spook light is between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and midnight and tends to shy away from large groups and loud sounds."

The Paranormal stories are many. The first is of a lost prospector who died in the area carrying a lantern. The land in that area is rich in Zinc and Lead and back in the 1800's many prospectors came to the area and were often lost in the swamp or possibly even killed by Indians or their greedy compatriots. Another story states that the Spooklight is residual spirit energy that was left from the attrocities committed on "The Trail of Tears" and that Indian spirits have come back to make sure that no one forgets.

Here are a few more stories again from the webiste AmericanLegends.com:

"Other interesting legends also abound about the light that provide a more ghostly explanation. The oldest is the story of a Quapaw Indian maiden who fell in love with a young brave. However, her father would not allow her to marry the man as he did not have a large enough dowry. The pair eloped but were soon pursued by a party of warriors. According to the legend, when the couple was close to being apprehended, they joined hands above the Spring River and leaped to their deaths. It was shortly after this event, that the light began to appear and was attributed to the spirits of the young lovers.

Another legend tells of a miner whose cabin was attacked by Indians while he was away. Upon his return, he found his wife and children missing and is said to continue looking for them along the old road, searching with his lantern.
Others say the Spook Light is the ghost of an Osage Indian chief who was decapitated in the area and continues to search for his lost head, with a lantern held high in his hand."

Sightings of the Spook Light are common, sometimes even reported to be seen inside vehicles. A few people, who have been walking along the road at night, have even claimed to have felt the heat of the ball as it passed near them.

So what do you guys think the Spooklight really is?

Here is a video for your viewing pleasure about the Spooklight

SHADOW PEOPLE AND THE HAT MAN: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

On a couple of occasions I have posted blogs about shadow people and more specifically "The hat man." The responses to those blogs were amazing. People from all over the world left comments that described their personal experiences and sightings in vivid detail. Some of the stories are absolutely terrifying.

So after reading all of your accounts I started writing a short story called "Shadow People." The story is about a man named Jabari who has witnessed Shadow People on a couple of occasions. They always precluded a tragedy. His life starts to get comfortable and he almost forgets about the shadows... almost.

Jabari's new wife is pregnant with their first child and he starts to see the Shadow People again. He fears for the safety of his soon to be family and searches out a way to rid his life of these unwanted and horrible creatures. In the process Jabari is introduced to Dr. Prado a demonologist, together the two men face off against the apparitions. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the story is now available on Amazon.com click on the link below to get it!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UB84UDO


Here are some of the eyewitness accounts that have been posted on this blog. Thank you to everyone who posted, your stories were so inspiring.

Posted by Juan on July 7th 2014:

"The hat man. The other day my sister in law was telling a tale about slender man and I stated that I had experienced with a similar apparition many years ago. We looked up slender man and told her that is not the figure I saw years back. Then I looked up dark figure in coat and hat and the pictures and drawings are exactly what I saw. I was astonished by how many people have seen this figure. My first encounter was about 13 years ago when a presence woke me up. I saw a tall lanky man in a coat and a wide brim hat standing next to my bed looking at me. I jumped up thinking someone had broken in and started swinging at the figure only to catch air. This is when I realized this was a ghost or something. He vanished. In coming weeks I was awoken by his presence about 3 more times and every time he was standing there looking at me. Never moved never made a sound but I could clearly make him out. I have not seen him since. Nothing bad ever happened but I will never forget the eerie experience."


Posted by Spencer on November 2nd 2014:


"The Hat Man visited me 3 or 4 times when i was 9 years old. I'm 57 now. I remember like it was yesterday. But I hadn't thought about it for many many years until someone on coast to coast am w/ George Noorey mentioned shadow people and the Hat Man. That got my attention FAST!!! My experience was like so many others. Wake up late at nite. Dark figure of a man in a trench coat and that hat. Standing in the doorway observing me. and i could tell he was really there but not. I couldn't see thorough him but he didn't seem solid. If that makes any sense?? And he would just stand there. That's all he ever did. I got the idea for some reason that he was of some importance that i couldn't comprehend. I always pulled the covers over my head when i got tired of looking at him. I would still like to know what the hell the Hat Man is all about. I'm amazed that it is reported world wide."


Posted by Brandi on September 27th 2014:

"It was late at night when I had finally gone to bed and I don't quite remember the exact date nor day of the week, but it was sometime in the school week and not the weekend. I do not remember if there was anything special about the night other than the fact that I did not dream, which is EXTREMELY rare for me. Instead, I had been abruptly awaken in a sweat and had some kind of adrenaline-spike, breathing hard and scared for some reason. The most horrifying part was that I could NOT move, which absolutely terrified me just as much as the fact that I could see a tall man, dressed in a black trench coat and sharp-rimmed hat just like how everyone has been describing him. Unfortunately, my vision is terrible and I require my glasses if I want to see any facial features from that distance, but of course I had been sleeping so I did not have my glasses to aid me and even if I had, I was completely paralyzed at the time, unable to do anything but think. Not even scream. 

Anyways, so the man's features were unknown to me and it was pretty blurry, kind of shadowy like people have been saying. However, I could have sworn that he he had long-ish, kind of wet hair that was almost shoulder-length. Here's where the True Blood possession moment."

Posted by Querube on October 23rd 2014: 

"For years I tough this only happened to me, and now just doing some research I found this blog.

I must say, this was the most surreal experience I had in my 30 years of life, I was only 13 years old when I was seating in my kitchen alone, eating a bowl of cereal and watching tv like any normal kid just waiting for my parents to arrive from work. (this was around 3pm)

Suddenly I felt the urge to watch the hall next to the kitchen, and I saw this super tall shadow wearing a trench coat and a hat, not a regular hat, but a really old one, a top hat of the 20s or 30s, he didnt have legs, he was floating across our hall, and went straight to our door and dissapeared.

I never saw his face, I just saw him so clearly, I started screaming and crying, I was so terrorized by this thing, whatever it was, I called my father crying on the phone telling him what just happened, he was so scared he tought a thief was in the house, but I told him that thing vanished in our front door.

This was the most terrifying day of my life, it was so real, I still cant understand what happened, I never saw him again, and I hope Ill never see him ever, Im a really analytical and logical person.

I hope some day I can find an explanation of who is this man that appears around the world, its more scary now that I know Im not the only one.

*Sorry for my english, I dont live in the United States, Im from Panama."



Posted by Cierra on December 31st 2014:

"I have seen the hat man one time. I am just now finding out that this is a common entity people have been seeing. About a year ago my boyfriend and a buddy of mine were at my house. My buddy left around 11 or so. The side door next to my room is hard to shut just right. Basically only myself and my family know how to close this door properly. My mom woke me up in the middle of the night screaming that the door was wide open. She was very angry closed the door and went back in her room. I drifted back off to sleep. I woke up shortly after terrified. I felt something was not right. I tried to nudge my boyfriend without making sudden movements but he would not wake up. At the foot of my bed was the hat man. He just stood there staring at me. I stared back at him unable to move or even blink. He may of stood there for a few minutes. He smiled at me and disappeared... but I could not see his face he was only a silhouette. Somehow I knew he smiled at me and I could see it. Kind of hard to explain. After he left my room I had this feeling that he took something from me. I don't know what it was but the feeling was extremely over whelming. Not physically but he definitely took something from me. I think that the door being open in the middle of the night may have invited him in. I have not seen him since that night."



Posted by Marz on January 1st 2015:


"I was for Years old so 1984. We were in a parking garage, my mom left me in the car to go get her check or something. I seen him clear a day. He was about 6'5 long trench coat black lIke Josey Wales type hat. Red eyes and I mean like fire red. I've been looking for this guy forever and now all.of a sudden it a phenomena everyone is talking about. I thought I was the only one who seen this Thing. I remember smelling smoke like electrical smoke really badly. He had long claws and scratch the cars he walked through. Then next thing he was gone. So two years go buy and I see him again in the same parking garage. This time I asked my mom why this guy she works with is so scary and I explained it to her and she said she don't work with anybody in that description especially with red eyes. She blamed it on movie my sister watched with me to scare me. I researched not one movie or show ever featured this Haman guy I looked for months every twighlight zone every night gallery tales from the crypt, nothing so I know I wasn't daydreaming and I say that cause it always occurred around like 3 in the afternoon. I'll never forget him I've had nightmare about that apparition for my entire life....."



To read more of these stories you can go back in the archives and find the two shadow people blogs or follow this link.


http://www.micahackerman.com/blog/the-hat-man-paranormal-phantom-of-death-or-hoax#comments



In other news:


My novel "The Third Gender" is now ranked on the Amazon Best-seller list. It's the first time it has made the list in it's categories. Thank you so much to everyone who has bought a copy. I appreciate every single reader.

DYSTOPIAN MOVIES ON NETFLIX: TWO SOLID PICKS

Before I get into today's blog post I wanted to let everyone know that today I am doing FREE days on some of my short stories, so if you haven't had a chance to get them... now's the time.

DeathWalk - my take on the zombie genre

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J81PJOE

and

The Manuscript

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J6GUH52

Both will be FREE on Amazon today. The two stories are also free on all of the other sales channels, so if you have Kobo, Apple ITunes, Scribd and or Nook. You can pick them up there as well!

Every so often I post reviews about hidden gems or decent movies I find among the endless piles of dreck on Netflix. I almost always stick to horror, sci-fi and most of all Apocalyptic/Dystopian types of films. I write Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian novels so... Today I would like to review two such movies that I found. One of them was a mainstream release, but it's been awhile since its been in everyone's "to watch" list. The second movie is definitely more of a Indie film. Both were recently added to Netflix and I think both are worth watching.

The first movie is the remake of Robocop. If you guys are fans of the original movie you may have mixed feelings about this remake. The original Robocop was gritty and raw, it pulled no punches. The remake is designed to appeal to a broader audience. It's slick and everything from Robocop himself to the "drones" are done up in a flashy way. I think the movie works as a standalone Sci-Fi movie more-so than a remake. The stories are similar, but the original story line was altered some to get rid of some of the drugs and violence. The remake is set in a future that doesn't seem so far away, crime has risen in the United States to heightened levels and the feeling is there that regular cops just aren't enough.

Robots are being used to fight foreign conflicts and we see a glimpse of them in action fighting insurgents in some Middle Eastern war zone. The robots are doing such a good job overseas, that there is call at home to use them on the crime riddled streets. This almost seems like a statement on our own militarized police forces of today, where armed personnel carries are used in some large cities. In the movie the problem is that the American public doesn't like the idea of highly armed robots walking around when they don't feel emotion. So the creator of these military robots comes up with the idea of putting a man inside the machine. So along comes our main character Detective Murphy. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but Murphy becomes so much more than even his creators can handle.

Like I said above; I think that the remake works on many levels as a piece of entertainment. There are some problems, but the acting is top notch. We have Gary Oldman as the doctor who is in charge of the melding of man and machine. We also get Michael Keaton as the head of the company Omnicorp. who runs the robot campaign and comes up with the Robocop idea. I liked the movie, but in my opinion it doesn't hold up to the original. Is it worth watching? Absolutely. The second movie I wanted to review and let you guys know about is an Indie film called Young Ones. This movie was a really unexpected gem. It's set in a not so distant future where the United States is thrown into a seemingly endless drought. Farmers are left fighting for survival in a desert wasteland. They need to get water diverted to irrigate their dusty patches of sand so they can grow food to survive. The film is divided into three parts based on the three main characters. 


The first part centers around Ernest Holm who is a rancher and a father. He has fought through the drought and has fought through his own demons (alcohol). His biggest asset is the fact that he has a donkey. Ernest is desperately trying to convince the builders of a pipeline to divert water onto his farm. He trades with these "contractors" and it's a very rough world. Ernest is played by Michael Shannon and I think he's the best character in the movie. Shannon plays the part with grit and sympathy. It's a great piece of acting.


The Second part of the movie is about Flem Lever a man who is in love with Ernest's daughter. He is willing to do anything and everything to survive. His father had been kicked off the land which Ernest now owns. Flem also has to fight through his own demons and ends up caught between his own conscience and what he feels he must do to survive. Flem is played by Nicholas Hoult and again the acting is solid. This movie has a lot of surprises and like I said above I don't want to spoil it for you.


The third part of the movie is about Ernest's teenage son Jerome. Jerome must skirt the line between knowing all of the secrets of the film and protecting his older sister. He's also trying to be a teenager at the same time. It's a very complex back story and again the acting is superb. Jerome is played with tenderness in a inhospitable world by Kodi Smit-Mcphee. I have a feeling that we will see Kodi go on to a really solid acting career.


I really liked this movie. While you can tell the budget isn't of blockbuster status the acting and direction is very appealing. We see many different advanced technologies from robotics to futuristic ways to treat paralysis. At first the way that the movie was divided into three segments annoyed me, but in the end all the stories were basically one and it worked on many levels.


WORMWOOD SEQUEL UPDATE:   I know that a lot of my readers are eagerly awaiting the launch of the sequel to Wormwood. The book should have been out by now and that was the plan, but life kind of got in the way. I had personal trouble (divorce) and I wasn't able to write to the standard that I feel the sequel deserves. Now things are going much better for me and the sequel is back in full swing. The release will be delayed until the spring, but it most assuredly will be out eventually. I apologize for the delay.

THE REAL STORY OF THE TOWN THAT LOOKS INTO HELL

I'm having a sale on my novel "Wormwood" in honor of Valentines and President's Day. For the next few days the ebook will only be 99¢ Here's the link:   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KN7WEW2 

For today's post I want to talk about one of the strangest places in the United States. If you guys have seen the horror movie "Silent Hill" it was based on Centralia, Pennsylvania. In 1981 Centralia had a population of over 1,000 residents. The last time the population was measured (2010) it had dropped to only 10. So what has made the residents leave?

Underneath Centralia are huge deposits of coal. Since 1962 those deposits have been burning. A massive mine fire was somehow ignited below the town, causing cave ins, toxic fumes and even eruptions where the fire is visible through the ground. This is from wiki:

"The first hypothesis is that an unsealed opening in the pit allowed the fire to enter the labyrinth of abandoned coal mines beneath Centralia. Joan Quigley argues in her 2007 book The Day the Earth Caved In that the fire had in fact started the previous day, when a trash hauler dumped hot ash or coal discarded from coal burners into the open trash pit. She noted that borough council minutes from June 4, 1962, referred to two fires at the dump, and that five firefighters had submitted bills for "fighting the fire at the landfill area". The borough, by law, was responsible for installing a fire-resistant clay barrier between each layer,[clarification needed] but fell behind schedule, leaving the barrier incomplete. This allowed the hot coals to penetrate the vein of coal underneath the pit and light the subsequent subterranean fire. In addition to the council minutes, Quigley cites "interviews with volunteer firemen, the former fire chief, borough officials, and several eyewitnesses" as her sources."


One theory is that somehow the excavation created the fire.


"This was a world where no human could live, hotter than the planet Mercury, its atmosphere as poisonous as Saturn's. At the heart of the fire, temperatures easily exceeded 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit[540 degrees Celsius]. Lethal clouds of carbon monoxide and other gases swirled through the rock chambers."

—–David DeKok, Unseen Danger: A Tragedy of People, Government, and the Centralia Mine Fire (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986)




The combination of the burning fires and government pressure has forced the people of Centralia to leave. The Government started buying up properties through eminent domain. In fact legislation was passed condemning all of the buildings that stood in the small town.

So what is left?

Centralia has become a ghost town. Abandoned buildings and sink holes are everywhere. The mines had run for miles under the ground throughout the town and they continue to collapse and expose new fissures of gas. The town has become somewhat of a tourist attraction and there are even rumors that the cemeteries have collapsed and the dead walk.


The trees have been burned out and there are area where you can actually look into the earth and see the mines. Some visitors have described it as looking into the depths of hell.


Here is a documentary about the mine fires and Centralia in general. I really recommend it, it's quite a compelling story.
In other news: My short story "The Shadow People" is almost finishing. It is quickly reaching Novella lengths. I should have it out within a month. The stories and comments that you guys have posted in the Hat Man and Shadow People threads have been quite the inspiration. Keep them coming!

Why Preppers and Survivalists deserve your respect not ridicule.

Most of you who follow this blog know that although I write about a range of subjects from Sci-Fi to Horror, but my biggest love is writing about apocalyptic events. Late last Spring I published my first novel "Wormwood" which was about a man who takes a crash course in Prepping to prepare for a imminent nuclear attack (if you're interested click on the book cover next to this post). Since writing that book many members of the "survival" community have not only embraced the book, but have become friends of mine. I've learned so much from all of these wonderful people.

My issue today is with many others out there who disparage this community. I have heard snide remarks about preppers and how they are the lunatic fringe. How they are all a bunch of gun-toting, anti-governments wingnuts. This blog post is an answer to those people.

Reasons why Preppers are a great resource for this country and other places they reside and why they deserve your respect.

1. Preppers are innovators, they come up with better and more efficient ways of completing mundane tasks. For example I saw a water purification system online that was designed by a Prepper. It used many ordinary household items like coffee filters, charcoal and even small stones. The filter was portable and could be attached to the top of a 2 liter soda bottle.

2. A lot of Survivalists and Preppers are hunters and fisherman. Now some animal rights people will say how awful that is while pulling on their leather shoes and using their animal tested shampoo. In reality Hunters and Fisherman do more for local wildlife than all the enviro groups combined. Fishing Licenses, Hunting Licenses and other permits add enormous amounts of money to needed state agencies that help manage and protect wildlife. Groups like the RFA and other fishing groups help keep shore access open and often will be the ones cleaning the beaches. Fisherman also help NOAA and NMFS keep track of fish stocks.

3. Most survivalists know basic first aid and keep medicines handy. This helps in everyday situations like car crashes or even when someone has an allergic reaction. People might think it's silly until a good Samaritan steps up and performs CPR or provides an Epi-pen while your throat closes. They also stockpile meds like insulin and antibiotics. Think about what will be in shortage in any catastrophe.


4. Preppers find new ways to grow their own food. A Facebook friend of mine has a hydroponic garden in his den (and no he isn't growing pot). He supplies his kitchen with herbs and fresh vegetables throughout the year.

5. Preppers and survivalists are good for the environment in other ways, like using alternative forms of fuels. Not only do a lot harvest downed trees for firewood, but a few even use left-over cooking oil and convert it to Bio-Diesel.

6.  Stockpiling food also helps in local catastrophe's. Think about Hurricane Katrina, the Tornado's in the Heartland and Super Storm Sandy. There were some people who were able to ride out these tragedies. This not only helped because it allowed first responder's to get to people like the elderly, it helped by keeping government accessible to others.

7. If you're not a Survivalist or Prepper and the shit does hit the fan where will you run? probably to the nearest neighbor that is a Prepper. 

8. Preppers and Survivalists are always learning, they stay up to date on world news, they talk to one another and they read up on everything from treating a snake bite to building a fallout shelter.

9. They teach their kids. Preppers and Survivalists teach their kids to respect nature, to know how incredible it is and how unforgiving it can be. Want your kids to get off the Xbox? Teach them to set up a tent or to build a shelter in the woods. Take them for a walk along the beach or show them how to bait a hook.

So the next time you watch a show like "Doomsday Preppers" or see a Survivalist site on the web, try and remember these people don't want the end to come. They don't necessarily think it's happening soon.... But they do think it COULD happen and isn't it better to look strange to some people now than to starve to death?

THE HORRIFYING STORY OF THE BUNNY MAN... AND HIS GHOST

First I want to thank everyone who downloaded my FREE short stories over the week. It was a major success and I hope everyone enjoys the stories. I also am still giving away FREE short stories if you join my Mailing List. To join simply CLICK HERE and leave the message FREE story. I will send you the file for one FREE short story.

I also wanted to let everyone know that my NEW novel "The Third Gender" is on sale at a reduced price. The novel along with Wormwood is FREE to all members of Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime. You can get "The Third Gender" at the reduced price by CLICKING HERE.


One of the most popular Urban Legends or Ghost stories in the Washington D.C. area is that of The Bunny Man. Like a lot of Urban Legends it is based on a series of actual incidents. The story began back in 1970 when there was a reported attack beneath the Colchester Underpass. The story goes that two people were at least threatened by a man wearing a bunny costume and wielding an ax. 

Here is the story of the first incident which occurred in Fairfax, Virgina from Wikipedia:



The first incident was reported the evening of October 19, 1970 by U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Bob Bennett and his fiancée who were visiting relatives on Guinea Road in Burke. Around midnight, while returning from a football game, they parked their car in a field on Guinea Road to talk. As they sat in the front seat with the car running, they noticed something moving outside the rear window. Moments later the front passenger window was smashed and there was a white-clad figure standing near the broken window. Bennett turned the car around while the man screamed at them about trespassing, including "You're on private property and I have your tag number." As they drove down the road they discovered a hatchet on the car floor.

When the police asked for a description of the man, Bob insisted he was wearing a white suit with long bunny ears, but his fiancee remembered something white and pointed like a Ku Klux Klan hood. They both remembered seeing his face clearly, but in the darkness they could not determine his race. The police returned the hatchet to Bennett after examination. Bennett was required to report the incident upon his return to the Air Force Academy.


The incident was investigated by local police, but no charges were filed as they could never find the culprit. The story spread both through the press and by word of mouth. Later that year a second report was filed. Again here is the story from wiki:

"The second reported sighting occurred on the evening of October 29, 1970, when construction security guard Paul Phillips approached a man standing on the porch of an unfinished home in Kings Park West on Guinea Road. Phillips said the man was wearing a gray, black, and white bunny costume and was about 20 years old, 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, and weighed about 175 pounds (79 kg). The man began chopping at a porch post with a long-handled axe, saying "All you people trespass around here. If you don't get out of here, I'm going to bust you on the head."

The Fairfax County Police opened investigations into both incidents, but both were eventually closed for lack of evidence. In the weeks following the incidents, more than 50 people contacted the police claiming to have seen the "bunny man." Several newspapers reported the incident of the "Bunny Man" eating a man's run-away cat"


Where the story gets really strange is when you look further back in time. Supposedly back in 1904 a bus carrying prisoners from an Insane Asylum in Clifton, Virgina. The bus crashed and multiple prisoners were killed. Some of the prisoners escaped into the surrounding forest. A massive manhunt ensued and all, but one of the inmates were eventually found. Shortly after the crash residents of the area surrounding the Colchester Underpass started finding large amounts of skinned or mutilated rabbits hanging from nearby trees.

The police were called and investigated the area. As they searched they came across many "hanging rabbits" and something else -- the hanging corpse of Marcus Wallster. Wallster was hanging in a nearly identical fashion as the rabbit remains. After finding the body officials named the missing inmate... Douglas J Grifton.

Grifton was dubbed "The Bunny Man" by both the police and the media. After a lengthy search, officials located Grifton by the underpass. Rumor has it that while Grifton was about to be apprehended he ran into the path of an oncoming train and was struck and killed.  Since Grifton's untimely death rabbits have been found hanging around the underpass, especially around Halloween.

For some reason "The Bunny Man" has become associated with Halloween and reports of a man wearing a large Bunny suit continue to this day. The story suggests that the "Bunny Man" haunts the area around the tracks and specifically the underpass itself.

While researching the topic I came across this from the Fairfax County government website: 

"For more than 25 years stories of the Bunny Man have been kept alive primarily amongst our teenage population. Over the years the story has evolved into a ghost story suitable for parties, camp outs, and any occasion that such tales are exchanged. It was at one such gathering in 1976 that the author first heard it told. The Bunny Man was said to be responsible for the deaths of two disobedient children in the Clifton area. Others were rumored to have disappeared, and there was talk of animals found horribly mutilated. I never saw the Bunny Man myself, but then I never strayed into the woods at night, especially not near the Bridge"


I looked into this part a little and I found rumors that suggest that children have gone missing in the area of the Colchester Underpass and that two bodies of children were found hanging from the underpass itself... just like the rabbits. The rumor says that the children were murdered with an ax by a local hermit. I haven't come across any official reports or press excerpts to back up this part of the story.

THE GHOSTLY CASE OF THE SUSCON SCREAMER: REAL OR HOAX?

All this week I have been doing FREE short stories. Today my short story "Death Walk" is FREE, it's my hopefully unique take on the zombie genre. It's my favorite short story out of the handful I've published. I hope you like it too!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J81PJOE

I also wanted to let everyone know that my new novel "The Third Gender" is available for only $3.99 and FREE for Kindle Unlimited and Prime members


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QMZRAAK

For today's blog post I thought I would take a look at an Urban Legend that could be true from nearby Pennsylvania. The story is about an apparition called the "Suscon Screamer" and it is associated with a particular bridge in Pittston PA. According to the legend if you park under the "Black Bridge" (a now defunct train bridge) A woman dressed all in white will appear in your rear view mirror. The woman will scream an ungodly ear-shattering shriek and disappear into the night.


The story goes that a woman who was scorned by her lover hung herself from the bridge. She now haunts the area surrounding Suscon Road including the nearby forest and bridge. Eyewitness accounts state that the ghostly apparition would often float out of the woods and either cut across the road moaning or if you parked under the bridge she would howl like a banshee.


This is from the HauntedHistory website:


"There's many a tale speculating just whose apparition haunts the area. One story has it spooked by the ghost of a woman jilted at the altar who with a loud scream hung herself from the bridge. Another says she was a teen killed on her prom night who's still trying to hitch a ride home. Yet another says it's a mother and child who died in a car crash while rushing to the local hospital. One more claims that it's cursed by the ghost of a girl that escaped from an insane asylum and leaped to her death off the bridge, landing in the traffic below."

For more than 40 years the same phantom has been seen walking eerily along the road, running through the woods or appearing in the car mirrors. The apparition always is on the same stretch of road between Dupont and Mountain Lake. The strange thing is that the area is also known for its fair share of Sasquatch and other Cryptid sightings. Here is another Excerpt from HauntedHistory:

"In May of 1976 a family had a different encounter of the spooky kind with an odd creature. They were visiting a nearby lake and saw a family of four, 6' tall, hairy critters looking a lot like Bigfeet wandering around. Maybe it's a Suscon Sasquatch.
Whatever it is, it's supposed to have the most piercing, ear splitting shriek in all of spookdom. Just honk your horn three times when you get under the old bridge site if you need proof. According to local lore, a spirit will appear a'screaming."


Here is another part of the cryptid legend that I found over at Paranormics.com :

"One of the more popular versions has it that the tiny town is haunted by a porcine swamp monster that emerged from one of the surrounding bogs. In the 1970s, the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader reported that a local hunter heard something tramping around through the trees. Through his binoculars, he saw something.…about 6′ long with a long snout. It weighed about 200 pounds and was gray in color. It had webbed feet with long claws and had a huge head…the ground was clawed up as if 100 turkeys had gone through. This sighting was actually investigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, although the hunter refused to take the investigators to the area due to fear of the monster. The hunter did, however, say that the creature he saw was neither bear nor coyote."




In my opinion this story is very similar to that of the Melon Heads and other small town Urban Legends: The area was probably known as a hot spot for teenagers to go and drink copious amounts of Iron City. I think local adults came up with a story to dissuade these youths and the legend grew from there.


So what do you guys think?


Here is a short video:


I forgot to add above, tomorrow (02/16/2015) my short story "The Man with the White Face" is FREE.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IQCYU46



Also if you like this blog and would like to help keep it going you can purchase one of my books and/or join the mailing list by CLICKING HERE

THE CREEPY TRUE STORY OF THE HIGHGATE CEMETERY VAMPIRE

Prior to today's blog post I would like to let everyone know about some giveaway's that I am doing this week. Today you can get my short story "The Manuscript" absolutely FREE on Amazon. Simply CLICK HERE  

Then on Weds. and Fri. I have other FREE shorts for your reading pleasure. I also still have my new novel "The Third Gender" on sale and you can get it by CLICKING HERE 

To find out about all of my giveaways and sales on both "The Third Gender" and "Wormwood" you can join my mailing list by CLICKING HERE

All of the above helps support this blog and helps keep it going... So now that all of that is out of the way, Today's blog is another creepy look into our recent past. It's the rumored true story about a vampire that lurked in the Highgate Cemetery in London, England back in 1969 and throughout the early seventies. It all started in 1969 when dead animals started being found throughout the Cemetery grounds. The animals were mostly pets like dogs and cats, but some were wild animals like squirrels and deer. The animals had been completely drained of blood.

Soon locals started watching the Cemetery a little more closely and reports of a tall, thin, darkly dressed figure emerged. Individuals that came in close contact with the figure stated that evil surrounded him and he had a hypnotic stare. On particular witness stated that after coming in contact with the figure he became disoriented and couldn't find his way back out of the Cemetery. He ran into the figure again and became paralyzed unable to lift his feet from the ground. After a short time the mysterious figure simply vanished into thin air. After the account the media became involved. after the reports hit the press "Vampire Hunters" from across Europe flocked to the graveyard.  the vampire Hunters dug up several graves, but nothing concerning was found. Local officials demanded that the Cemetery be closed at night and would be regularly patrolled to keep out the enthusiastic Van Helsing wannabe's. Slowly the reports of the Vampire tapered off.

Here is the story of the initial publicity from wiki: 

"The publicity was initiated by a group of young people interested in the occult who began roaming the overgrown and dilapidated cemetery in the late 1960s, a time when it was being much vandalized by intruders.[2]On 21 December 1969 one of their members, David Farrant, spent the night there, according to his account written in 1991. In a letter to the Hampstead and Highgate Express on 6 February 1970, he wrote that when passing the cemetery on 24 December 1969 he had glimpsed "a grey figure", which he considered to be supernatural, and asked if others had seen anything similar. On the 13th, several people replied, describing a variety of ghosts said to haunt the cemetery or the adjoining Swains Lane. These ghosts were described as a tall man in a hat, a spectral cyclist, a woman in white, a face glaring through the bars of a gate, a figure wading into a pond, a pale gliding form, bells ringing, and voices calling.[3] Hardly two correspondents gave the same story."



Later that year and into 1970 more dead animals began appearing, this time in the form of several foxes that were again devoid of blood. A couple of locals were very persistent and insisted that a "King Vampire of the Undead" lurked in and among the graves. The two local men were Sean Manchester and David Farrant. Here is their story... again this is from Wiki: 

"A second local man, Seán Manchester, was just as keen as Farrant to identify and eliminate what he and Farrant believed was a supernatural entity in the cemetery. The Hampstead and Highgate Express reported him on 27 February 1970 as saying that he believed that 'a King Vampire of the Undead', a medieval nobleman who had practised black magic in medieval Wallachia (Romania), had been brought to England in a coffin in the early eighteenth century, by followers who bought a house for him in the West End. He was buried on the site that later became Highgate Cemetery, and Manchester claimed that modern Satanists had roused him. He said the right thing to do would be to stake the vampire's body, and then behead and burn it, but this would nowadays be illegal. The paper headlined this: 'Does a Vampyr walk in Highgate?"


On Friday March 13th (yes Friday the thirteenth) a reported mass vampire hunt ensued. The hunt was announced on the news and spectators from all over England came to the Cemetery to watch the exploits of the hunters. They had planned to find the vampire's coffin and stake the creature in the heart. Local Police tried to keep the throng of people out of the Cemetery, but the hunters simply climbed the walls and fences. here is Manchester's account of the hunt which varies somewhat from other reports.

"In later years, Manchester wrote his own account of his doings that night (The Highgate Vampire 1985; 2nd rev. ed. 1991). According to his narrative, he and some companions entered the cemetery, unobserved by the police, via the damaged railings of an adjoining churchyard, and tried to open the door of one particular catacomb to which a psychic sleepwalking girl had previously led him; but try as they might, it would not budge an inch. Failing in this, they climbed down on a rope through an existing hole in its roof, finding empty coffins into which they put garlic, and sprinkling holy water around.[10]  Some months later, on 1 August 1970 (Lammas Day), the charred and headless remains of a woman's body were found not far from the catacomb.[11][12] The police suspected that it had been used in black magic. Soon after this incident, there was a noticeable surge in both Farrant's and Manchester's activities. Farrant was found by police in the churchyard beside Highgate Cemetery one night in August, carrying a crucifix and a wooden stake. He was arrested, but when the case came to court it was dismissed.[13]"


So in the end nothing was proven either way. Farrant and Manchester maintain their claims and there have been a few books written on the entire episode. In my opinion this was probably a combination of hoax and circumstance. The entire are had been used by "satanic" worshipers and I believe they may have sacrificed animals there resulting in the bloodless animal corpses found. I think that Farrant and Manchester took advantage of this and other local legends and used the publicity for their benefit.

What do you guys think?

THE VELA INCIDENT: GOVERNMENT SCREW UP OR UFO?

Hi everyone, I want to apologize about the sparsity of blogs lately. I will attempt to get my proverbial shit together and post blogs at least once a week. Again the best way to support this blog and to help keep it going strong is to buy one of my books or to join the mailing list and receive blog, book, sales and giveaway updates.

Today's blog is about a historic event known to many as the Vela incident or the South Atlantic Flash.

On September 22, 1979 an aging American satellite known as Vela 6911 recorded a strange phenomena over an area where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean merge. The satellite picked up two distinct flashes that resembled only one occurrence -- a nuclear detonation. These flashes caused chaos throughout the US government and by all accounts Jimmy Carter crapped his pants. The government held emergency meetings and checked the reports from other satellites. It was the height of the cold war and a nuclear test would violate the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty which was signed by The US, The Soviets and Great Britain. According to the other orbiting satellites however, no detonation had occurred.

It probably would have been written off as a malfunction, but astronomers recorded an atmospheric shockwave that could have only been created by a nuclear blast. Heads started to spin around on their axis' at the Pentagon. On top of that the US government's Hydrophone network detected a very clear echo of an explosion.

The explosion was said to be small, perhaps as small as three to six kilotons. The biggest mystery was that the most likely culprits of the test were South Africa and Israel, but both denied any involvement. This is from Wiki: 

"Well before the Vela Incident, American intelligence agencies had made the assessment that Israel probably possessed its own nuclear weapons.[31] According to journalist Seymour Hersh, the detection was the third joint Israeli-South African nuclear test in the Indian Ocean, and the Israelis had sent two IDF ships and "a contingent of Israeli military men and nuclear experts" for the test.[1] Author Richard Rhodes also concludes the incident was an Israeli nuclear test, conducted in cooperation with South Africa, and that the United States administration deliberately obscured this fact in order to avoid complicating relations with South Africa.[2] Likewise, Leonard Weiss offers a number of arguments to support the test being Israeli, and claims that successive US administrations continue to cover up the test to divert unwanted attention that may portray its foreign policy in a bad light.[3] In the 2008 book The Nuclear Express: A Political History of the Bomb and its Proliferation Thomas C. Reed and Danny B. Stillman stated their opinion that the "double flash" was the result of a joint South African-Israeli nuclear bomb test.[32] David Albright stated in his article about the "double flash" event in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that "If the 1979 flash was caused by a test, most experts agree it was probably an Israeli test".

Another theory that is popular among the Sci-Fi and UFO crowd is that this event was caused by a crashing or exploding UFO. The fact that no radiation was found is often the evidence used to support this claim. Also why didn't the other satellites pick up this explosion. It was either a huge red flag that other satellites didn't pick this explosion up, or a red flag that Vela malfunctioned. It's pretty scary to think that during a time of heightened nuclear security no one knew who detonated a bomb, if it was even a bomb or what exactly caused the large double flash.

What do you guys think? Is this an International cover-up? UFO crash?

In my opinion it was an Israeli test that was done with the aide and permission of South Africa.

Time Travel, Alternate Dimensions Or Hoax?

Some news before I get into today's blog post. As of right now my new novel "The Third Gender" is ranked #68 in its Science Fiction category. The book is now on sale for only 99¢ so if you haven't had a chance to grab a copy... now would be a great time. The book will never be cheaper. Here is the link  : Click Here

Today I want to talk about two very strange incidences involving men that were either very confused or the products of hoaxes. The first man was named Rudolph Fentz. Rudolph showed up in Time Square one evening in June of 1950 at about 11:15pm. Witnesses saw him dressed in fashions from the eighteen hundreds. He seemed to be lost, confused and completely disoriented. Within a few moments he was hit by a Taxi and died from his wounds.

These are the contents that were found in his pocket at the morgue while attendants were examining his body. This is from Wiki:

"The officials at the morgue searched his body and found the following items in his pockets:

A copper token for a beer worth 5 cents, bearing the name of a saloon, which was unknown, even to older residents of the area; A bill for the care of a horse and the washing of a carriage, drawn by a livery stable on Lexington Avenue that was not listed in any address book; About 70 dollars in old banknotes; Business cards with the name Rudolph Fentz and an address on Fifth Avenue; A letter sent to this address, in June 1876 from Philadelphia. None of these objects showed any signs of aging."

Now there have been reports that this was all a War of the Worlds type thing and the entire story comes from a Science Fiction short story written by Jack Finney. It's reported that way on Wiki, but according to newer information, the short story came out after this incident occurred and may have been based directly on eye witness reports. This is from the site coolinterestingstuff.com:

"The Twist :in 2007 a researcher working for the then Berlin News Archive, found a  newspaper story in the archives from April 1951 reporting the story almost as it reported today. This newspaper archive was printed some 5 months before the short story sourced as the origin.  Whats  even odder, a number of researchers have claimed to have found evidence of the real Rudolph Fentz, and proof of his disappearance aged 29 in 1876."

So was Rudolph Fentz and his death a product of involuntary time travel? Imagine a man who walked through a wormhole in the late 1800's... What would happen to a man who is use to carriages and horses if he were to be propelled into a busy Time Square with cars?

The second story is different, it's a case of a man who's identity was not known. He showed up at the airport in Tokyo, Japan in July of 1954. The man was a normal looking man by most standards, but for some reason airport security became very suspicious of him. When the man was questioned he produced a passport from the country of Taured. The problem was that there has never been a country called Taured. The passport appeared to be authentic and was stamped from countries all over Europe. The man claimed that the country of Taured had been around for more than 1,000 years.

Here is the story from coolinterestingstuff.com:  

"It’s July 1954; a hot day. A man arrives at Tokyo airport in Japan. He’s of Caucasian appearance and conventional-looking. But the officials are suspicious.On checking his passport, they see that he hails from a country called Taured. The passport looked genuine, except for the fact that there is no such country as Taured – well, at least in our dimension.

The man is interrogated, and asked to point out where his country supposedly exists on a map.

He immediately points his finger towards the Principality of Andorra, but becomes angry and confused. He’s never heard of Andorra, and can’t understand why his homeland of Taured isn’t there. According to him it should have been, for it had existed for more than 1,000 years!

Customs officials found him in possession of money from several different European currencies. His passport had been stamped by many airports around the globe, including previous visits to Tokyo.

Baffled, they took him to a local hotel and placed him in a room with two guards outside until they could get to the bottom of the mystery.  The company he claimed to work for had no knowledge of him, although he had copious amounts of documentation to prove his point.

The hotel he claimed to have a reservation for had never heard of him either. The company officials in Tokyo he was there to do business with? Yup, you’ve guessed it – they just shook their heads too . Later, when the hotel room he was held in was opened, the man had disappeared. The police established that he could not have escaped out of the window – the room was several floors up, and there was no balcony. ?

He was never seen again, and the mystery was never solved."


So what do you guys think? Is it possible that this man somehow crossed over from a parallel dimension?


Here is a short video about Rudolph Fentz: