11 “Glitches in the Matrix” That Left People Doubting Reality

With everything from bizarre coincidences to surreal instances of déjà vu, some situations are so unusual that they make us question whether we exist in a simulated reality. Regardless of whether you subscribe to beliefs in the supernatural, parallel dimensions, or merely a string of unbelievable coincidences, the stories below will prompt you to reflect on the genuine essence of our reality.

• My wife was pregnant, but it ended in a miscarriage. We were really blessed to get pregnant again soon after, and we had a beautiful, healthy baby girl. When she turned 5, our daughter came to me one day, eyes wide with wonder, and told me about a vivid dream she had — in it, a mysterious girl told her that she was her older sister, but she didn’t get to be her sister in this life.
  Our daughter said the girl was sad that she never got to meet my wife and me, or be her sister. As I listened, chills ran through me because I swear—we had never told her about the miscarriage.

• Last night, my husband was out with his mates, and I was home alone with the dogs. He had left his house keys at home, and I told him to text me when he was on his way so I could unlock the door. At about 11:30 p.m., I was reading when I heard my husband’s voice at the door saying, “Hey babe.” The dogs didn’t move, and I responded, “Yeah, one second.”
  I got no reply, which was unusual, as he would normally say, “No worries,” or something similar. I froze when I realized he hadn’t responded. I texted him, and he told me he was still at his mate’s place.
  The feeling I had after saying “one second” was gut-wrenching dread—it was like my blood ran cold, and I have no idea why. It took me a good hour to calm down. My husband arrived home about two hours later. I’m certain it was 100% his voice. © Timely-Discussion90 / Reddit

• When I was thirteen years old. I was in the shower when I heard my dad calling my name right outside the bathroom door. It was as clear as day, and the voice got louder and louder. It became so loud that I quickly got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around myself, and opened the door.
  But nobody was there. I froze in fear because my dad and mom had left hours earlier—the house was empty. To add to the creepiness, a few weeks before that, a friend and I had brought an Ouija board into the house and played with it. © Big-Independent-3379 / Reddit

• Once, when I was about 16 years old, my little brother, little cousin, and I were joking around with a cassette recorder, planning to try to talk to and record spirits. I jokingly called out, “Joe?” trying to get my boyfriend’s attention from the next room. To our surprise, we all clearly heard him respond, "What?"—but he wasn’t home. It was strange, especially considering we had just been talking about spirits. It sounded just like him.
  The second time this happened, I was in my 20s, alone in my apartment. I suddenly heard my boyfriend yell my name—like it was right in my ear or possibly in my head. Just half a second later, my phone rang, and I knew it was him before I even checked. When I answered, there was no emergency; it was just a normal call, despite the urgent way I had heard my name being called. © Aberdean13 / Reddit

• I was on my way to meet my mom — there was only one road and we both were walking and talking on the phone telling each other where we are, yet we never met. When I said, “Mom, I’m here and here,” she told me she already walked past this. Broad daylight, my mom had deep red hair so it was not easy to miss, almost no people on the path... Mom was terrified and when we met, she hugged me extra tight because she was afraid we would never see each other... ©
  Forsaken_Piglet7517 / Reddit

• My sister was driving from out of town to visit me, so I decided to take a nap before she arrived. While I was napping, I suddenly heard her voice say, “I’m here.” Startled, I woke up and called her to see where she was. She told me she’d be there in 10 minutes. © DaSpatula505 / Reddit

• I was in my car leaving work when I saw two coworkers walking together to the parking lot. But as I got closer, only one of them was there. Later, I told her that the other coworker had gone “invisible” to me. She was surprised and said she had been with the other coworker the whole time, waving goodbye to me and confused when I didn’t acknowledge her. © Ok-Towel-1296 / Reddit

• My wife and I were hiking at the top of Sandia Peak in New Mexico. She was walking behind me on the trail, and I turned around to tell her something—but she was gone. POOF. Vanished, nowhere in sight.
  I freaked out and started yelling her name. I swung back around to look ahead of me, and just as I did, she suddenly said from behind me, “Why are you screaming at me? I’m right here!” She was right behind me the whole time. I thought I was having a stroke. © ObjectReport / Reddit

• One day, I heard my stepmom walk through the front door and greet the dogs. Then I heard her ask, “You all want to go outside?” The dogs were gruffing, so I stepped out of the bathroom, ready to greet her. But there was nothing—no one there. The dogs were in the living room, panting. I just hopped out of there.
  Later, my dad and stepmom both started hearing each other’s voices calling their names for weeks. When they went to respond, the other spouse would look confused because they hadn’t said anything at all. © Illustrious_Pickle78 / Reddit

• I grew up in a house where the second-floor bedroom (where my sister slept) had a railing overlooking the living room (where I slept). It wasn’t uncommon for her to yell something down to me from her room—usually something she wanted to tell me before she forgot.
  One day, I heard her calling my name repeatedly. When I responded with “What?” she didn’t answer and just called again a minute later. Frustrated, I stomped up to her room, ready to confront her, only to find her dead asleep—clearly, she hadn’t been yelling at all. © swampthingfromhell / Reddit

• A year ago, I was in my sister’s room, waiting for her to come play Legos with me. I heard her walk up to within a few meters of where I was, then leave. But I felt the floor shake as if she had been right next to me, so I followed her. I got to the living room just before she did, only to hear her ask our mom if I was home. © TeryVeru / Reddit

In this article, others on Reddit share their unsettling mysteries and haunting experiences that continue to linger in their minds to this day.