12 Unsettling Events That Left Permanent Scars on People’s Lives

Some occurrences challenge our understanding, raising more questions than answers. Whether it’s an odd tale from a trusted friend or an eerie experience we’ve faced ourselves, these unsettling moments tend to stick with us. Talking about them can bring a sense of release and even provide healing, much like how those who shared their stories with millions online found comfort.

• Growing up, there was always one room in our house that was off-limits. The door was locked, and my parents never mentioned it. My siblings were too scared to ask, and the topic was always avoided.
  One afternoon, I found the key hidden in an old chest in the attic. With my heart pounding, I turned the key in the lock, half-expecting something to happen. When I opened the door, I was shocked to see the room empty, except for a single chair facing the wall. There was something about the way it sat there, so deliberately placed, that sent a chill down my spine.
  As I stepped inside, the silence felt unnatural, like the room had been waiting for something or someone. Just as I was about to leave, I heard a soft click behind me, like the door was locking itself. I spun around, but the door was still wide open. The next day, the room was locked again, as though nothing had changed. No one could explain it.

• When I was a child, I lived in a house with a very large, two-story-high entryway and a long staircase leading to the entrance. Across from the staircase was a large, antique mirror.
  I was alone in the house, my mother and siblings were out for groceries, and I was listening to music when I stopped to look at my own reflection.
  I saw myself in the mirror’s reflection descending the staircase. I ripped my headphones off and turned around, but I, of course, was not there. No one was. © ca***balking / Reddit

• My family owns a decent-sized horse boarding facility, and when we first had it going, we used to do a bed check as a family. Bed check is just making sure all the lights and fans are off, as well as looking at the horses for injuries, and if they had blankets during the winter. Well, we had just got back from eating out, and it was a moonless night during fall. As we stepped out of the truck, this large light gray mass stood up and took off, loping towards our pastures. It was about the size of a single-cab pick-up truck. It made no noises other than it hitting the ground as it ran. The only other proof that it was real to us was the horses that were turned out that night, screamed and stampeded across the pasture it had jumped into. We did a double count of all the horses that night, and not a single one was missing. I still have yet to see it again, and I hope I never do, or at least there is some explanation for it. © Volcacious / Reddit

• So, I was staying at my aunt’s house in Mexico. My cousin’s room had two beds, so I slept in there. I remember not being able to sleep well, and I had a bit of pain coming from my thighs. I had sweatpants on and somehow had scratches on my inner thighs. Almost like a bunch of cat scratches. My aunt came in and searched the bed for anything, but never found anything that could’ve scratched me. She also noticed that I had a bit of bruising on my neck, as if someone had tried to choke me. It was just me and my cousin...definitely freaked me out, and I rarely ever go visit my aunt anymore. If I do, I stay for a few minutes only. © tamingmoon / Reddit

• I’ve lived in the same apartment for years, and every night without fail, I hear a faint tapping noise coming from the walls. At first, I thought it was just the house settling, but it became too regular to ignore—always at the same time, like a clock ticking in reverse. One night, I decided to investigate. I took a flashlight and tried to find the source, but when I checked the walls, there was no sign of anything that could make that sound. It stopped for a while after that, but the moment I moved my things out to leave, the tapping started up again. It hasn’t stopped since.

• I was driving home from vacation, and it was late. I was tired, but I didn’t feel like I was going to fall asleep. All of a sudden, I heard a voice say “WAKE UP,” and instantly I snapped awake, with a feeling like I just had a good rest, I was wide awake. Turns out, I was falling asleep at the wheel. (Windy roads would’ve been fatal most likely).
  
  Voice didn’t sound like anyone I knew, but whoever/whatever it was saved my life that day. © SmallTownJerseyBoy / Reddit

• I was at home by myself when I was 14. My mom was grocery shopping, and my brother was at his friend’s house. My phone rang, and it was my grandma. She was screaming, “WHAT’S WRONG? WHAT’S WRONG?”
  I convinced her everything was okay. She told me that my mom had just called her, repeatedly saying, “HELP, THE KIDS!” My mom came in, called her back, and convinced her that nothing had happened.
  We went to my grandma’s because she was still shaken. She showed us our number on the caller ID, which was impossible. © Unknown author / Reddit

• My sister and I were home alone in the living room when, all of a sudden, it sounded like 1,000 plates came crashing out of the kitchen cabinets. We looked at each other and took off running into the kitchen. There was nothing broken.
  We opened all the cabinets and went through everything, trying to find broken dishes, but everything was perfectly fine. We always get weirded out thinking about this. © discover-luke / Reddit

• It was late when I opened the door to my apartment, and my landline rang. I barely used it, so I was surprised to hear it. I picked it up, thinking it was a wrong number, but what I heard made my blood run cold. It was a voice that whispered my name—so quiet, so unsettling.
  I brushed it off, figuring it was some prank call, but then the voice started saying things only I could know—details about my day, my thoughts, things I hadn’t shared with anyone. It felt wrong, like someone had been right there, watching me. My heart raced as I slammed the phone down, hoping to shake the feeling. But the next day, the same number called again.
  This time, I called it back, desperate for an explanation, but the line was dead. “This number has been disconnected,” the operator said, the words ringing in my ears. That was the last time I ever heard from the voice.

• My ex-wife and I bought an older house from the 1930s. We were renovating and had put some baseboards in the basement, painted them, and left them to dry overnight.
  The next morning, we looked at them, and it seemed like someone had taken a sharp knife and dragged it down the entire length of two of the baseboards, almost 8 feet each. The “blade” had gouged through the new paint, old paint, primer, and right down to the wood. It was just the two of us in the house. © dBasement / Reddit

• I was once sitting on the couch with my boyfriend and heard the words “I love you.” Then my boyfriend goes, “I love you too.” I was so utterly confused because I wasn’t the one who said “I love you.” My mouth was shut.
  I remember hearing and feeling the vibrations of words and sound being produced, but I wasn’t the one who did it, and neither was he. It sounded like a feminine voice, coming from right in front of my face, but no one was outside the window or in the room with us. It was really creepy. I still think about it. © TenderN***leBender / Reddit

• When my daughter was 6, she used to pull out the same kitchen chair every night. I’d push it back in, but by morning, it was out again, facing the hallway. I asked her why once, and she said, “It’s for the woman who reads.” I figured it was just her imagination. Years later, while replacing the chairs, I found a note taped under that exact one, a torn book page with a message in my sister’s handwriting: “Don’t be mad. I needed to see her grow.” My sister vanished ten years ago. My daughter doesn’t remember the chair or the woman. But now I’m not so sure she was imagining anything.

What starts as a completely ordinary day can quickly spiral into something unrecognizable, like a scene straight out of a suspenseful thriller. These gripping stories, full of shocking twists, will have you questioning what’s real and what’s not.