11 Weird Real-Life Events That Could Easily Be Urban Legends

Some encounters are so bizarre that when we try to share them, others just can’t believe us. But what if these stories are more than just odd coincidences? In this article, 11 people recount their most mind-boggling experiences, moments they’re certain are beyond ordinary reality.

• This was 20 years ago. I woke up, and the first thought that came to mind was “Call out of work.” I ignored this and continued to get ready for work in the bathroom. I was home alone.
  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow in the hallway. It walked right by and disappeared. Freaked out, I shut my bathroom door and continued blow-drying my hair.
  Once finished, I go to open the door, and it won’t open. This has never happened to me before or since. There is no lock on the door.
  I start to panic because I’m locked in the bathroom, and I’m pulling frantically on the door to try to get it to open. It was like someone was holding the door shut.
  Then all of a sudden, it releases. Like someone or something let go. I look and there’s no one in the hallway. I hurry and drive to work, now in a rush. During my commute, I got into an accident.
  My question is, was this Shadow person trying to protect me by keeping me locked in the bathroom? Or was it trying to hurt me? Whenever I tell people this story, they laugh like I’m crazy. © gaga_applause / Reddit

• The first flat my ex and I lived in had a weird thing that would happen maybe 3 or 4 times a week.
  At night, usually between 10 pm and midnight, it sounded like someone pulled open every cupboard and drawer in the kitchen and threw everything inside them on the ground at once. Just an utter cacophony of plates, glasses, pots and pans, and cutlery being thrown all over the kitchen.
  Naturally, you’d run into the kitchen to investigate. Every time, nothing was disturbed. Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.
  The lounge was directly across from the kitchen (there was even a little hole in the wall so you could see into the stove area from the lounge) and had no door separating them, so if you were watching TV on the couch and heard the noise, you could literally be standing in the kitchen in about 2 seconds.
  The noise also never woke our cats up either. Eventually, we got used to it and ignored it. © princecoo / Reddit

• This happened about two years ago. There are a lot of stray cats in my neighborhood, and a few of them have chosen me to be their owner.
  So when I was outside feeding my hoard of about 8 cats, I heard a strange noise coming from the houses that line up against a fenced off forest behind my neighborhood, it sounded almost like a cat in pain and I brushed it off as 2 cats fighting and went back inside (this happened in the morning).
  Then, at maybe 5 or 6 pm, I was sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner, and I had the window next to the table open since the breeze was nice outside. Then I started to hear the noise again, it sounded exactly the same as the first few times I heard it.
  I decided to text my friend who lived just a few houses down from me, asking if he wanted to go check it out, cause it sounded like a hurt cat. He immediately said yes, and we started walking over to the forest area where we heard it. The cries started to get louder, not just because we were getting closer, but because the thing was getting louder.
  As we were about 20 feet from the area where we suspected the sound was coming from, the cries were no longer those of a cat. The cries turned into a loud screech that sounded eerily human. We both looked at each other for maybe half a second before immediately running back to my house and locking the door behind us.
  We told my mom and grandma, who brushed it off as nothing and didn’t seem to take us seriously. I have no idea what it was; it could have been something paranormal, or simply just a mentally ill person, but whatever it was, I know that I didn’t imagine hearing it. © Starseeker09 / Reddit

• I noticed a weird bump on the wall behind the kitchen in my new studio. A contractor accidentally broke through it and found a narrow hallway that led to a tiny room. The landlord denied its existence, but it was clear that someone was living there at some point.
  The air inside the tiny room was thick and stale, as if it hadn’t been disturbed for decades. Dust settled on old furniture that seemed out of place: a small, worn armchair, a rickety table, and a single candleholder with melted wax that had long since hardened.

• My backpack was sitting on the edge of the couch, unzipped. And a book I had in there just jumped out. In front of my eyes. I still have absolutely no idea how it was possible.
  But it happened. There was nothing else in the backpack or anything that could have caused enough force to make it move like that. Still one of the weirdest things I’ve seen. © solarShep / Reddit

• Only my dad believes me, but when I was really young, maybe 5-6, I was in my childhood bedroom, and my bed faced my TV and the door, which was always left open. Every once in a while, I would see a little head peek from the side of the doorway.
  I say little because whatever it was, it was very short. I would never see this looking straight at it, only from the corner of my eye, and whenever I would look, it would just disappear. Except for one time when I looked, and the head didn’t disappear, but instead pulled back.
  When I got a little older, I would tell my parents about it, and apparently, my father used to see the same exact thing when he was a child too. My mom thinks it was just my little imagination, but I remember this clearly as a day. © Ok_Artist_8262 / Reddit

• 4 years ago, I went to a cousin’s birthday, which was on a farm. The thing is, while my cousins and I were searching for those scorpions that shine with ultraviolet light, I felt someone touch my back, like trying to push me, but without strength. And you might say, “Could be one of your cousins,” and that’s what I thought, until I turned around and there was none.
  I was a little far from where they were searching. I felt a chill crawling down my spine, but I ignored it. I only told a few about what happened that night, and in the morning, everyone knew about it. © AirApprehensive**68 / Reddit

• When I was a kid (about 7-8) we were in between homes and briefly stayed with my dad’s aunt. Weird, creepy things happened on a regular basis, but we just tried to ignore them.
  One day, I walked into the kitchen to get some juice, and as I was pouring it, suddenly every drawer and cupboard in the entire kitchen all opened at once. I was so scared and confused, I just stood there, completely frozen.
  After a minute or so, I closed all of the cupboards and drawers, walked out, and tried to convince myself it never happened. © Forsaken-Ad-3440 / Reddit

• This happened when I was 7, I’m 30 now, and I still think about it.
  I was at a friend’s house, and my grandma told me to be home by 6 pm. Ended up staying past 7, so she came over to get me. I felt kinda bad, but I just grabbed my bike and rode home ahead of her while she walked.
  When I got home, I went in through the kitchen, and there she was. My grandma, head down, silently chopping something on the counter. I remember this weird cold rush hit me out of nowhere. Something just felt...off.
  I sort of panicked and ran out of the house and found my real grandma just turning the corner, still walking home. We walked in together. The kitchen was empty. No one was there. I still don’t know who or what I saw, but I know I saw it. © reshinksleepy / Reddit

• I thought ‘hello’ and put my hand on a rock. I then felt it vibrate beneath my hand. I thought it might have just been my blood in my veins or something at first.
  However, it was undeniable that I felt it — kinda like a buzz of energy. It was at a waterfall, at a place I believe must have been a sacred site. The rock I touched was worn as if, over the years, many people had sat on it.
  And I took a photo right after and saw ripples in the water that were clearly coming from the rock. I don’t know if my wife fully believes me, but this experience has convinced me that there is some very real power that exists in nature, and that rocks are alive. I’d like to go back to that place one day. © cuddling_dogs / Reddit

• I was babysitting my niece overnight while my sister worked. She was almost 3 at the time. She had been cranky all night and didn’t fall asleep until close to 10. I put her in her bed and went into the living room to watch TV until my sister got home.
  It was a small condo, so there was one hallway with the bathroom and both bedrooms attached to the living room. Around 1 am, I’m just hanging out on the couch, and I see my niece walking down the hallway. I got up off the couch, and she turned around and ran back to her room. I go to check on her, and the door is still closed, but I didn’t hear anything close.
  I open the door, and she’s passed completely out on her bed, as if she hadn’t ever woken up. No one else in the place, no pets. Freaked me out enough to leave the living room TV on and just sleep in the room with her. © pizzaduh / Reddit

It’s unimaginable to think that someone you trust with your child’s safety could put them in danger, especially when they promised to protect them. Here’s the shocking story of how a mother-in-law’s babysitting turned into a dangerous situation nobody expected.