12 Childhood Stories That Are Too Creepy to Explain

4 hours ago

Some childhood memories are sweet. Others? Not so much. Sometimes, kids experience things that simply can’t be explained—things that linger in the back of their minds for years. Even as adults, they can’t quite shake the feeling that something strange really did happen. Here are some of the creepiest childhood stories people still can’t explain!

[edited] When I was little, I had the same nightmare over and over. I’d be at my grandmother’s house—it was always dark and cold. I’d walk down the hallway, but before I could reach the end, I’d freeze. A tall man in black would appear. I could never see his face, but I knew he was looking at me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t escape.

After months of this, I finally told my mom. She burst into tears. She had the exact same dream. Same hallway. Same man. Since she was a child. And when she told her mother about it back then, my grandmother had said the same thing—it had haunted her too.

[edited] In 3rd or 4th grade, I saw something I still can't explain. My friends and I were playing outside, running in and out of the house in some game that involved hiding and chasing. At one point, I was searching for them and wandered into the backyard, which sloped into woods and a creek.

That’s when I saw it. Across the ravine, there was this creature—dog-like, but off. No ears. Bright white. No visible mouth. It wasn’t looking at me at first, but as I stared, it slowly turned its head and locked eyes with me. Large, black, almond-shaped eyes. No other features. Just a smooth, white, four-legged body, shaped like some eerie mix between a dog and a seal. I don’t know how long I stood there frozen, but eventually, I screamed and bolted. I found my friends, dragged them back to the spot but whatever I saw was gone.

Looking back, maybe it was just my brain struggling to interpret a regular animal. Maybe a neighborhood dog I’d never seen before. But in that moment, it felt real. Too real. The image is burned into my mind. Most of the neighborhood kids laughed at me for it, but my best friend believed me. And at the time, that meant everything. - © thegreatbadger / Reddit

[edited] Back in middle school, I was walking home across a bridge when I heard someone call my name from behind. I turned around, expecting to see someone but there was nothing. No one was there. I shrugged it off and kept walking. Then, out of nowhere, a woman pulled over and rolled down her window. She looked panicked. She asked me to check if the kid who was near the bridge was okay. I just stared at her. There was no kid. No one else had been on that bridge with me. I was completely alone. - © Embarrassed_Gift_707 / Reddit

[edited] When I was four or five, I had a dream that the small pine tree outside my bedroom window flew into my room and twirled around like it was dancing. When I woke up the next morning, my floor was covered in pine needles. - © Just-Examination-136 / Reddit

[edited] When I was around 9 or 10, I was getting ready for school while my friends waited in my house. My mom was in the kitchen when I saw an old man walking down the stairs wearing a long brown coat and a top hat. He walked straight into the kitchen. I asked my mom who he was, and she just stared at me—there was no one there. None of my friends saw him either, even though they were right beside me. So creepy. - © Unknown Author / Reddit

[edited] I’ve always been prone to night terrors, and they’ve followed me into adulthood. But when I was a teenager, I had one that still unsettles me. In the nightmare, there was an older woman who I assumed was a witch. She had taken one of my friends or family members, and I was chasing her, trying to get them back. She looked like any older woman with long wavy gray hair, a few wrinkles, and milky white skin, but her eyes were a bright, unnatural yellow. She wore a black hoodie, and at some point, the nightmare shifted. Suddenly, I was no longer the one chasing her. She was chasing me.

I woke up to someone downstairs yelling at a football game. I sat up in bed, light spilling into the room, but the nightmare hadn’t fully ended. I could still see her, receding into my closet with one finger pressed against her lips as she gently whispered, “shhhh.”

For a few seconds, I was frozen. Then I told myself it was just my brain adjusting to being awake. The fear passed, but I can still see her clear as day, disappearing into my clothes. - © Dragonborn83196 / Reddit

[edited] When I was young, my great-grandfather passed away. That same day, everyone gathered at my great-grandparents' house to comfort my great-grandmother.

While my brother and I were put down for a nap, several people saw his ghost standing over us. He was watching over us, telling us that he loved us and wanted us to have a good life. - © ima-bigdeal / Reddit

[edited] Back in elementary school, I was waiting for the bus at the end of my driveway when a car pulled up next door. A man got out, whistled, and—out of nowhere—a raven soared down from the tree and landed on his arm. Without a pause, he got back in the car and drove away. I told people what I saw, but no one ever believed me. - © lbl51879

[edited] My sister had an imaginary friend named Sally, but she only ever saw her at my grandparents’ house. She would play with her all the time, running up and down the hallways, talking and laughing like she was with a real person.

One afternoon, as we were getting ready to leave, my sister refused to go because she was having too much fun with Sally. My mom, thinking nothing of it, told her that Sally could come home with us. My sister ran down the hallway and had a full conversation, trying to convince her friend to come along. When she came back, she looked disappointed and said Sally wasn’t allowed to leave.

Curious, my mom asked what Sally looked like and how old she was. Without hesitation, my sister described a seven-year-old girl who had an accident outside the house a few years before my grandparents bought it. - © tresjoliessuzane / Reddit

[edited] My mom passed away when I was three. The night she died, while my dad was with her and the ambulance workers were there, my cousins came to pick me up. As they carried me out of the house, I saw people everywhere—figures standing in the rooms, lingering in the hallways. I did not recognize them, but I knew they were family, and I could feel their grief.

Years later, I asked my dad who had been there that night. He told me no one had come except my cousins. There had been no family in the house.

I have had other strange experiences connected to my mom after she passed, but this one has always stayed with me. - © paradoxkittens / Reddit

[edited] My sister and I shared a room, and during a bad thunderstorm one night, she got scared, so we decided to share a bed. We both still had our teddies and soft toys, but there was not enough room for her dinosaur teddy. I reached over and placed it on the floor.

A loud clap of thunder shook the house, and when we turned back to say goodnight to the teddy, it was gone.

We searched everywhere, but we never found it. I have a very clear memory of an old lady staying in our guest room. I used to crawl under the bed and playfully grab at her feet. She would dangle them down, pull them back up, and laugh at me.

Years later, I asked my family who she was. I always assumed she was a relative or a family friend. But when I brought it up, everyone just stared at me. No one had ever stayed in that room. I remember her vividly. I know I did not imagine it. Maybe I mixed up where I met her, but still… that memory has always stuck with me. - © Ruckus_Riot / Reddit

Some stories are such a mystery! If you want to read more creepy stories that can't be explained, check out these 12 stories of people who claim to have experienced paranormal activity.

Preview photo credit Embarrassed_Gift_707 / Reddit