BERMUDA TRIANGLE SOLVED?

A scientist thinks he has cracked the code of one of the most enduring mysteries of the modern world – the Bermuda Triangle.

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an area of the Atlantic Ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico and Bermuda that is best known for its stories of ships and airplanes that seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

Conspiracy theories on their disappearance include everything from magnetic forces to aliens to methane bubbles to even the Lost City of Atlantis.

Australian scientist and author Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki explained this week that perhaps the legends aren’t as mysterious as they seem.

"Well, if you go to the facts, they come from both the United States Coast Guard and the massive insurance company, Lloyd’s of London," he told FOX Weather meteorologist Amy Freeze. "Both of them reckon that there’s no extra losses of ships or airplanes in that area."

Kruszelnicki added that, as a percentage, the disappearances are comparable to losses of ships and airplanes in other parts of the world.

"Some years a bit more, some years a bit less," he said. "But it averages out the same."
The mystery of Flight 19 in the Bermuda Triangle.

No one knows the exact number of disappearances that have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle, but common estimates include about 50 ships and 20 airplanes. Among those include the doomed Flight 19, a group of five torpedo bombers that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle. Kruszelnicki explained that Flight 19 took off in early December 1945 on a training mission because World War II had just ended, and the U.S. Navy was teaching their aviators a new trade.

"In charge of them was Lt. Charles Taylor, who, on two occasions, was such a bad navigator that he got lost at sea," Kruszelnicki said.

Kruszelnicki said that Taylor tried to get someone to cover his shift but was unsuccessful. He was also seen traveling without a watch which "was very unprofessional."

"Once out at sea, he then did not follow the standard lost at sea procedure with regard to the training mission," Kruszelnicki added. "And instead of heading back to the west, he kept on going east, further out into the Atlantic Ocean, ran out of fuel and vanished."

Kruszelnicki said the original story of the Bermuda Triangle was written by Vincent Gaddis and appeared in the science fiction magazine Argosy.

Author Charles Berlitz followed up with a book called The Bermuda Triangle, and then author Larry Kusche debunked all the stories in 1980, referencing both the Coast Guard and Lloyd’s of London, according to Kruszelnicki.

The size and depth of the ocean may have been fueling the flames of the Bermuda Triangle, according to Kruszelnicki.

"Another fact to be felt, beside the massive number of storms, is the fact that the ocean goes down to, not 5,000 feet – 30,000," he said. "When it’s going down, it’s staying down."

There’s also a slight chance that something beneath the ocean waters could be responsible for the loss of some ships.

"There is a microscopic chance of something called methane clathrate," Kruszelnicki said. "Which are methane gas bound in ice could bubble loose from the ocean floor, come up to the surface and then have a shower of bubbles appearing at the surface."

Kruszelnicki said that experiments conducted by Australia’s CSIRO (the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) showed that with model ships if enough bubbles are coming to the surface, the density of water is reduced.

So, Kruszelnicki said there’s a slight possibility that a situation like that is instrumental in some of the disappearances "but very remote."

CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT WERE ACTUALLY TRUE

There are so many conspiracy theories out there. You have to read each out to see if they could actual happen or not. For example, regarding the Hollow Earth theory I am not too sure about that one. However, I believe that the Kennedy assassination had more than one gunman. Here are a few conspiracy theories that were proven true...

1. Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

In 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service conspired with the Tuskegee Institute to create a phony syphilis treatment program. The experiment, which involved lying to almost 400 African-American men who had been diagnosed with syphilis, was initially only supposed to last six months. It took until 1972 before the public became aware of the research and the government was forced to investigate and shut the program down.

For 40 years these 400 men were often given dangerous chemicals and offered painful and unnecessary medical procedures under the guise of actual treatment. The fact that penicillin had become a known cure for syphilis was hidden from the patients so that the researchers could learn more about the disease. A government panel eventually deemed the study “ethically irresponsible” and in 1974, a class action suit was settled out of court for $10 million with lifetime health benefits for the surviving participants.

2. Operation Snow White: The Church of Scientology Versus The U.S. Government

During the 1970s, 5,000 covert agents from L. Ron Hubbard’s Church of Scientology conspired to perform the largest infiltration of the U.S. government in American history. The church infiltrated 136 organizations including the IRS, the DEA, foreign embassies and other government agencies. They installed wiretaps and stole hundreds of documents with the hopes of protecting their church and from paying millions of dollars in taxes.

The U.S. government fought back. In July of 1977, the FBI organized a raid of various Scientology locations involving 156 agents. The raid uncovered the group’s illegal actions against the government as well as additional conspiracies against other perceived enemies of the church. On December 6, 1979, Operation Snow White ended when Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of L. Ron Hubbard, and 10 other high-ranking Scientologists received five-year prison sentences. L. Ron Hubbard remained an “unindicted co-conspirator” and spent the rest of his life in hiding.

3. CIA Assassinations

In 1975, after the Watergate scandal, Senator Frank Church helped form the precursor to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Commonly referred to as the Church Committee, their purpose was to investigate the CIA and FBI to ensure that they were operating within the law. The Committee quickly discovered that the CIA had started a hit man business.

The CIA were responsible for the assassinations of Mossadegh in Iran, Allende (below) in Chile, as well as other leaders and revolutionaries in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Asia. They made their assassinations appear like car accidents, suicides, cancers, and heart attacks. When their declassified “Heart Attack Gun” wasn’t necessary, they would just shoot their targets with actual bullets. While all of this is part of the congressional record, it’s still common for people to laugh this one off as a nutty conspiracy theory.

VIDEO BREAK: SON BEHEADS FATHER

THE BEHEADING OF MICHAEL MOHN

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania man charged with fatally shooting then beheading his father and posting it on YouTube said on the stand recently that the killing was “Plan B” after trying to arrest his father for what he called false statements and treason.

Justin D. Mohn, 33, took the stand in a suburban Philadelphia courtroom on the third day of his trial on murder and other charges stemming from the Jan. 30, 2024, homicide of his father, Michael F. Mohn.

Mohn, dressed in a blue sport coat, shirt and tie, with his arms shackled to his waist, spoke clearly without any apparent emotion for more than two hours of direct testimony and cross examination.

Responding to questions from his attorney, Steven Jones, Mohn said he shot his father in the bathroom of the family's Levittown home after telling him he was going to arrest him. Mohn said his father, who he said was an experienced martial artist, told him he would kill him before he let that happen and reached for the gun.

“Unfortunately, he resisted,” Justin Mohn said, adding: “I was hoping to perform a citizen’s arrest on my father for, ultimately, treason."

He described a list from his notebook, shown during the trial, that had the lines “Boom” and “Slice” as his “Plan B,” and said he expected his father to go along with the citizen's arrest.

He said he differed politically from his parents, describing them as on the left. He told the court he believed his father wanted to stop him from becoming a politician similar to President Donald Trump and that his father gave false statements in an unrelated civil case Justin Mohn brought in federal court.

Asked why he beheaded his father, he said he wanted to send a message to federal government workers to meet his demands, which included their resignation as well as the cancellation of public debt, among other things. He said he didn't do it out of hatred for his father or to cause trauma to his family. His mother, Denice Mohn, cried in court at the end of the direct questioning from his attorney.

“I knew something such as a severed head would not only go viral but could lessen the violence,” Justin Mohn said.

Prosecutors said Mohn shot his father with a newly purchased pistol, then decapitated him with a kitchen knife and machete. The 14-minute YouTube video he posted was live for several hours before it was removed.

Mohn was arrested later that day after scaling a fence at Fort Indiantown Gap, the state’s National Guard headquarters. He said in court he knew it was wrong to jump the fence at the site. Prosecutors said he called for others to join him in attempting to overthrow the U.S. government.

Mohn had a USB device containing photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions for making explosives when he was arrested, authorities said.

He also expressed violent anti-government rhetoric in writings he published online, going back several years. Earlier in the trial, the judge heard from Justin Mohn’s mother, who said police came to the house he shared with his parents and warned him about his online postings before the killing.

Denice Mohn testified that she and her husband had been offering financial support and guidance as Justin Mohn looked for a job.

Prosecutors described the homicide as “something straight out of a horror film.” They said Justin Mohn killed his father — who had been an engineer with the geoenvironmental section of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District — to intimidate federal workers, calling it a “cold, calculated, organized plan.”

The YouTube video included rants about the government, immigration and the border, fiscal policy, urban crime and the war in Ukraine.

In court, Michael Mohn was remembered as a good neighbor and supportive father. In the video posted on YouTube, Justin Mohn described his father as a 20-year federal employee and called him a traitor.

During a competency hearing last year, a defense expert said Mohn wrote a letter to Russia’s ambassador to the United States seeking to strike a deal to give Mohn refuge and apologizing to President Vladimir Putin for claiming to be the czar of Russia. The judge ruled Mohn was competent to stand trial.

Evidence presented at the trial included graphic photos and the video posted to YouTube. The judge warned members of the public at the trial about the images and said they could leave before the photos were shown. The proceedings are known as a bench trial, with only a judge, not a jury.

While awaiting trial on murder and terrorism-related charges, Justin Mohn admitted in writing more than 11 times that he killed and decapitated his father in an attempt to incite a violent overthrowing of the U.S. government.

In letters to, among others, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and conservative political pundits Sean Hannity, Joe Rogan, Alex Jones and Tucker Carlson, Mohn shared that he killed his father, a semi-retired federal employee, while attempting a citizens arrest for treason.

"The federal government destroyed my life and they are destroying America," Mohn wrote in a July 2024 letter to then GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump...

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THELMA TODD

There are a million unsolved mysteries of classic Hollywood. One such mystery involving one of the most beautiful starlets was of the 1930s was the mystery of Thelma Todd. Throughout the late '20s and early '30s, Thelma Todd was one of the most prominent comedic actresses in film. She is perhaps best remembered for her roles in the Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers, as well as a slew of Charley Chase's short comedies and Laurel & Hardy films.

On the morning of Monday, December 16, 1935, Todd was found dead, wearing a mauve and silver gown, mink wrap and expensive jewelry in her chocolate-colored 1934 Lincoln Phaeton convertible inside the garage of Jewel Carmen, a former actress and former wife of Todd's lover and business partner Roland West. Carmen's house was approximately a block from the topmost side of Todd's restaurant. Her death was determined to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. West is quoted in a contemporaneous newspaper account as having locked her out, which may have caused her to seek refuge and warmth in the car. Todd had a wide circle of friends and associates and a busy social life.

Police investigations revealed that she had spent the previous Saturday night (December 14) at the Trocadero, a popular Hollywood restaurant, at a party hosted by entertainer Stanley Lupino and his actress daughter Ida. She had a brief but unpleasant exchange there with her ex-husband, Pat DiCicco. However, her friends stated that she was in good spirits and were aware of nothing in her life that suggested a reason for her to commit suicide. She was driven home from the party in the early hours of December 15 by her chauffeur, Ernest O. Peters.

LAPD detectives concluded that Todd's death was accidental, the result of her either warming up the car to drive it or using the heater to keep herself warm. A coroner's inquest into the death was held on December 18, 1935. Autopsy surgeon A. P. Wagner testified that there were "no marks of violence anywhere upon or within the body" with only a "superficial contusion on the lower lip." There are informal accounts of greater signs of injury. The jury ruled that the death appeared accidental, but recommended "further investigation to be made into the case, by proper authorities."

A grand jury probe was subsequently held to determine whether Todd was murdered. After four weeks of testimony, the inquiry concluded with no evidence of foul play. The case was closed by the Homicide Bureau, which declared the death "accidental with possible suicide tendencies." However, investigators found no motive for suicide, and Todd left no suicide note.

Todd's memorial service was held at Pierce Brothers Mortuary at 720 West Washington Blvd in Los Angeles. The body was cremated. After her mother's death in 1969, Todd's remains were placed in her mother's casket and buried in Bellevue Cemetery in her hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts...

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JIMMY HOFFA: 50 YEARS LATER

Former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared on July 30, 1975, but while he is presumed dead, in the nearly 50 years since his disappearance, no one has successfully found his body. Maybe he was buried in the foundation of Detroit's Renaissance Center. Maybe he wasn't. Still, it's a question that's occupied people's minds for decades — Where is Jimmy Hoffa buried? Later this month, we may find out, because a three-person team of independent investigators claims they now have the answer, WLNS reports.

Investigative reporter Scott Burnstein has been working with Richard Convertino, a retired federal prosecutor and Nove Tocco, a former mobster who later became an informant, and they recently announced an event on July 23 at Macomb Community College, where they plan to reveal what they've found. According to the event's website, tickets are $30 each, and attendees will get an "80-minute multimedia presentation concluding with providing attendees the actual name of the person who killed Jimmy Hoffa." The site also promises "[n]ever-before-seen photos from FBI investigative files, video reels, and news reports from the national-television archives in New York City" and will conclude with a Q&A session.

You'd think any information they uncovered would probably be something you'd want to bring to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not reveal in a presentation at a community college that costs $30 to get into, but when the Detroit News asked Burnstein that exact question, he claimed the FBI "already knows," adding, "They might not come out and say it, but the FBI has come to the same conclusion we have."

If this event were announced by three random people, it would be easy to brush it off as a handful of true crime enthusiasts looking to make a quick buck, but there's actually reason to believe the three guys in question might have actually figured it out. Burnstein is a journalist and organized crime historian, while Convertino has a history of going after the mob and prosecuted at least one case involving Detroit-area mobsters who were accused of being involved in Hoffa's disappearance. Meanwhile, Tocco may be a snitch who allegedly retired from the mob, but it's still reasonable to assume he knows people who know people.

So maybe they really do have it all figured out. That would be pretty neat. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to finally get the answer to a 50-year-old mystery? On the other hand, for decades, people have claimed they know who killed Hoffa and where he was buried, and nothing has come of it. So it's probably best not to get too excited just yet. Instead, let's just wait and see what they have to say later this month.

It's also entirely possible they figured it out, and the truth just isn't that interesting. I mean, would it really be that shocking to learn Hoffa was killed by someone working for the Provenzanos, and they let some hogs get rid of his body for them? Mystery solved, sure, but that isn't nearly as cool as burying the body in the foundation of the Ren Cen. Regardless, we'll all have to wait until July 23 to see what these guys actually have...

THE CONFESSION OF THE IDAHO COLLEGE MURDERER

Bryan Kohberger's full one-page murder confession has been released by county officials, but it didn't provide an explanation or motivation behind his crimes. Kohberger admitted to breaking into an off-campus house near Idaho State University, stabbing and murdering four college students in November of 2022.

Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, suffered stab wounds from a knife not yet recovered. Kohberger's DNA was found on the knife sheath lying next to Mogen's body.

In the document published by the Fourth Judicial District Court, Kohberger admits to four counts of premeditated first-degree murder, as well as one count of burglary...

BIGFOOT: KNOWING FACT FROM FICTION

Of course with real genuine Bigfoot stories, there's bound to be people attempting to make up fake ones to stir up buzz. What are some things in sightings/encounter stories that make you think their fake? Here are some of the items I have run across with studying and researching the Bigfoot mystery through the years.

I won’t discount people’s experiences, but I immediately tune out when people start talking about telepathy or them walking in and out of this dimension.

I’m personally of the mind that they’re flesh and blood creatures if they are real or have existed in the past. I heard Les Stroud once, I think on Sasquatch Chronicles, talk about how one was telepathically communicating with him that it was sleeping. I’m not saying that wasn’t his experience, but it honestly made him sound a little insane versus the times I’ve heard him tell stories about hearing hoots and howls in remote places.

People sometimes report orbs and lights…those don’t turn me off as much but I’m not sure they’re Sasquatch related. There are definitely some strange things out in the deep forests. I’m not sure we understand it all, but I don’t think it necessarily means it’s all connected.

I usually get very sus when there is a video that begins and ends for no reason. So you're filming a legendary creature for several seconds and you just hit 'stop' for no reason whatsoever? It's literally right there, non-threatening, and 50+ yards away walking away from you in open terrain....and you stop recording for no reason? You might have something to rival the Patterson-Gimlin film... and you decide to just magically stop recording for no reason 

Another thing that's always suspect are random solitary pictures of an alledged Bigfoot, but there is no lead up to the picture, what you were doing or the Bigfoot doing that led up to the snap shot. Yes you may have a legit pic, but no lead up info to your picture is bad faith 99.9% of the time.

For me, it's usually when the story seemingly gets more elaborate and outrageous the longer the storyteller talks. Like in a podcast episode I listened to recently, a man claimed he saw a female and a young one from 100-150 yards away while sitting with his back to a boulder (in Idaho?). Then the male appeared out of the trees, saw the "witness", crossed the 150 yards in a few seconds, and cornered him against the boulder, where they had a face to face staring contest. During the staring contest it blinked in code at him so he blinked back in that same code and they kept staring and it kept turning its head side to side... and I turned the podcast off. I can only appreciate a creative writing project in the correct context.

Is Bigfoot real or fake and will we ever know the truth...

MYTHS AND MYSTERIES OF INDEPENDENCE DAY

The Fourth of July is upon us, and whether you’re gathering with friends for a barbecue, enjoying local festivities, or simply taking a moment to reflect at home, it’s an ideal time to reconsider some of the traditions and assumptions surrounding America’s most patriotic holiday.

Like almost all holidays, Independence Day has many myths. Here are six, along with the facts behind them:

Myth No. 1 – On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain and announced the formation of the United States of America.
False. The formal vote to declare independence was taken two days earlier. It was not until early August that enough delegates signed the document to make it official. On July 4, the document was merely read aloud to a crowd outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The last delegate, Thomas McKean of Delaware, didn’t sign until January 1777.

Myth No. 2 – Thomas Jefferson was the sole author of the document.
False. Jefferson was one of five contributors to the language. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman were the other delegates who made equal contributions to the wording. Jefferson put pen to paper (in this case, parchment) and has mistakenly been credited with being the sole author for all these years.

Myth No. 3 – There were fireworks on July 4, 1776, to celebrate the document and the newly formed nation.
False. Fireworks weren’t used in an official celebration until July 4, 1777, one year later.

Myth No. 4 – Betsy Ross designed and made the first American flag.
False, in part. The Philadelphia seamstress made one of the first flags, but the design was created by George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross (her late husband’s uncle) and presented to her around the time of the Declaration.

Myth No. 5 – The Declaration of Independence galvanized the colonists to rally for the idea of a revolution against the British and the creation of a new nation.
False. Not all colonists supported severing ties with the crown. Four delegates from New York refused to vote on July 2, 1776, when the body decided to create the document. In North Carolina, several Loyalists were imprisoned and exiled to prevent them from undermining the patriotic cause. An estimated 60,000 to 80,000 Loyalists left the colonies during the American Revolution, either returning to the UK or fleeing to places like Canada.

Myth No. 6 – The Liberty Bell cracked during the celebration on July 4, 1776.
False. The Liberty Bell is connected to the Declaration of Independence and Fourth of July celebrations, but not because of its famous fracture. It was just one of the bells that rang out on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia.

The Liberty Bell continued to chime during events celebrating the document for years. It also tolled to mark the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, and the gathering of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. During the early 1800s, the Liberty Bell became a symbol among abolitionists, earning its moniker. In 1846, a small crack was repaired so the bell could be rung to commemorate George Washington’s birthday. Soon after chiming on Feb. 22, 1846, the crack widened, silencing the bell forever...

THE SMILING MAN IS REAL

 This story is from a writer on Reddit. I am not sure if this is true or not but it gave me chills...

The Smiling Man is real. I’m not saying this as some twisted way to gain attention. This isn’t clickbait or some cruel joke either. This is a warning for anyone who finds themselves walking alone in the darkness of the night. He is still out there, prowling whatever street or alleyway for his next victim. Before I tell you about the night that left me scarred for life and subjected me to an existence of constantly looking over my shoulder, I will need to provide a little backstory.

I’m twenty-six years old and live in a major city. I won’t reveal the name of it in case any thrill seekers get any dumb ideas. I work long hours in an office in the middle of the city. The parameters of my job are not important. I spent four years performing the same routine. Get up, take the bus, work, take the bus, come home, repeat.

The day that it happened was like any other day. I took the bus to work, listening to the Archive 81 story for the umpteenth time. I was particularly tired that day due to my upstairs neighbor hosting a get together. I had to fight the urge to drift off so I wouldn’t miss my stop. Thankfully I didn’t and I trudged my way into the office. The workday was pretty normal. I completed mind draining tasks while trying not to drift off. The first unexpected event of the day occurred when my boss asked me to work overtime on a proposal with him.

My normal route to the bus station was a ten-minute walk through a police patrolled park and a couple blocks of alleyways and side-streets. Usually, the sun hadn’t completely set when I walked this path. Since this wasn’t a normal night, the sky was pitch black. The traffic lights were still on, but there was virtually no traffic. I brushed this off to it being late and everyone was already cozy in their homes.

When I entered the park, the silence was deafening. I couldn’t even hear any sounds of nature. No crickets, no birds. Just the sounds of my feet hitting the pavement. I felt slightly anxious by this but wasn’t all that concerned. Every time I look back on my stroll through the park, I cringe at my lack of concern. Even in the dead of night, I would’ve at least heard crickets. But there was nothing.

By the time I exited the park, I was approaching the structures that signaled my entrance back into the city. I wanted to take a shortcut to the bus stop as I didn’t want to spend any more time in the dark. So, I turned down a short side-street as a way to cut my journey in half. The second I turned onto that road; I saw him.

My blood ran cold. At the far end of the street, on my side, was the silhouette of a man dancing.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was the smiling man from the story.

The rational side of my mind tried to reason that it was some drunk guy, but I knew what I was seeing. I mean, the story was about an insane person stalking an unsuspecting man on a nightly stroll. That could actually happen in real life. It was happening right in front of me.

Speaking of the story, he was exactly the way the original author described. His dance was similar to a waltz, in which he indeed finished each box with an odd forward stride. As he danced closer, he passed under a lit lamp and my fears were confirmed.

Although I saw his features for only a split second, I knew he fit the author’s description to a tee. He was tall and lanky, about six eight. The old suit he was wearing was similar to the one I was wearing, except slightly looser and lacking a tie. He had thin shoulder length black hair that swayed in the midnight air as he waltzed closer.

It was his face that scared me the most and I will be forever haunted by it. His eyes were wider than humanly possible, head tilted back slightly, staring off at the night sky. The “painfully wide cartoon of a smile” was stretched across his lips, his teeth as white as the moon. I stood there for what felt like hours, paralyzed and staring in disbelief. I spent my whole life consuming horror stories like it was candy, but never once had a reason to believe any of it was real. Yet here it was. Dance walking towards me.

The realization that he was still coming closer snapped my body out of its trance. I remembered the author’s mistake of attempting to pass him, so I turned back the way I came and went down another side-street. I tried walking as swiftly yet quietly as possible. I feared that provoking him in any way could instigate a chase and I wasn’t ready for that.

When I entered the other side-street, I increased my pace to that of a power walk. I repeatedly glanced over my shoulder, fearing I would see his head poke out. But he was nowhere to be found. I decided to briefly watch the sidewalk in front of me. The idea of him jumping out in front of me covered me with goosebumps. The street and sidewalk in front of me were completely empty. I crossed the street of a small four-way intersection while looking both ways. I realize now my mistake of not looking behind me while doing so.

The second I made it across, I glanced behind me and stopped dead in my tracks. On the opposite corner of the four way stop from me was the same smiling man. He had one arm wrapped around a light pole while the other hung loosely at his side. He was leaning forward, his arm barely keeping him from toppling over. He was facing me but still looking skyward, his devilish smile still wide on his lips. How did he get there so quickly? How did I not hear him? I knew that he moved fast in the story, but this was ridiculous. I was utterly petrified and stood there for some time, watching him as he stared off at the sky.

My mind wandered a bit while I stared him down. I recalled how in the story, he cartoonishly tiptoed towards the protagonist until stopping a car length away. I quivered over the thought of what happened after that scene. But you probably predicted that my experience didn’t match his. It was much worse.

I watched in a mix of utter disbelief and pure terror as he let go of the lamppost. And then he started moving toward me again. He took slow, graceful steps, dragging his feet across the ground with the backfoot shooting into the air, as if he was skating across the concrete. His arms swayed side to side as he did so. And then he stopped again, in the middle of the intersection. Still looking at the sky, still smiling.

At this point, some of you reading are yelling at me to simply make a break for it. But I couldn’t. I just stood there completely frozen. I once read that severe anxiety and fear could cause someone to literally freeze, unable to move even if they wanted to. That was what happened to me. I desperately wanted to flee and not stick around, but my body wouldn’t listen.

Similar to the protagonist, I found my voice. I decided to choose my words carefully to avoid an incoherent whimper escaping my mouth. I took a deep breath and asked him, “Who are you?” I stuttered as I said this. The fear in my own voice made me feel much more afraid. But the man didn’t respond nor move.

After about a minute of dead silence, I asked another question, “What the hell do you want?” My fear increased some more as I sounded like I was on the verge of tears. But he still didn’t react at all. He just stood there in the middle of the road, still smiling.

After what felt like forever, I had the urge to say something else. I will forever regret saying what I said at that moment. I told the man, “I’m not afraid of you.” The shaky tone in my voice didn’t sound convincing. I almost didn’t believe myself.

What happened next is what utterly destroyed me. It still haunts my dreams to this day, and I hope no one ever has to experience this kind of fear.

Almost a minute after speaking, the man’s head slowly tilted down. His head stopped and was perfectly upright, eyes staring directly at me. I watched in horror as his smiling face slowly morphed into one of absolute rage. His smile turned upside down, his teeth still visibly glowing in the moonlight. His eyes were still as wide as before, his eyebrows furrowing into a big frown.

This was enough to break my paralysis. He must have known I could move again as he lunged towards me. I ran as fast as I could down the street, tears streaming down my face. While running, I looked behind me and was horrified that the man was giving chase, anger still cemented on his face. I ducked into an alleyway and continued running. I ran out of that alleyway, on another side-street, and down another alley. I was hoping to lose him in the twists and turns, but I didn’t. He was too fast. And he was gaining on me.

I turned down one more alley and saw I was fast approaching a chain link fence. It was too late for me to slow down or turn back, so I leapt off the ground and latched onto the fence. The fence shook as I scrambled up it as fast as I could. I pulled myself up onto the top, not looking back. I managed to throw my right leg over when suddenly, a hand grabbed my left leg.

I was too scared to turn and face him as he tried pulling me down. I resisted his efforts, but he was proving to be very strong. During the tug of war, I felt an incredible sensation of agonizing pain erupt from my leg. The sudden pain gave the pump of adrenaline I needed to tug with all the strength I could muster. The man’s grip on my leg released and I let myself fall to the ground on the other side of the fence. My right ankle exploded in a fiery pain.

I pulled myself up to my feet, struggling to keep balance due to my injuries. I turned towards the fence and saw him. He was standing there; his face having returned to the initial smile. His head was still upright, staring me down through the holes of the fence. After what felt like forever, he tilted his head up to the sky again. He turned around, very slowly, and began dance-walking away. Just like that.

I bought a gun and signed up for firearm training. I fear the smiling man will come back for me. If it is switching cities, looking for victims, I want to be ready if he decides to settle an old score. The author motivated me to write this story to you now. To warn you that the smiling man is still out there. Although I can barely call him a man. Monster or devil seems more fitting. I hope to God none of you stumble upon him. So, I'm begging you. Don’t go out into the city in the dead of night. You may never know what monster lurks in the darkness...

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