Folklore Chronicles of the Unusual (Part Two)

Story : The Mysterious Incident by the Pond

This is a story my friend told me, and it's truly bizarre! Let me narrate it in his words:

One day, a few of us friends were playing hide and seek by the pond near the village. As evening approached, the water's surface began to ripple slightly, and the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie.

We were all having a great time and paid no attention to the abandoned cottage nearby, seemingly forgotten by everyone. However, just before one of my friends found me, I heard a faint sound, as if someone was whispering inside that cottage.

A chill ran down my spine, but curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to investigate. As I approached the cottage, the voices became clearer, a creepy murmuring, and I thought I heard the words "don't come." I froze, my heart pounding.

Nevertheless, my curiosity pushed me forward. When I pushed open the cottage door, a wave of cold hit me, and I felt like I had stepped into an icy cellar. I shivered but still managed to make out a blurry figure in the corner.

My heart raced, and I could almost hear its pounding. The figure became clearer, and I saw it was an old woman in ancient attire, her face pale, her eyes empty. I wanted to scream, but I found I couldn't utter a sound.

Suddenly, the woman turned her head, locking her gaze onto me. I felt immobilized, as if held by some mysterious force. I was truly terrified, feeling like I was about to be sucked into those bottomless eyes.

However, just as I felt helpless, she let out a piercing scream, and the entire cottage filled with eerie black mist. I managed to escape the cottage in the commotion, drenched in sweat. I sprinted back to my friends, shaken.

I told them everything that had just happened, and though they were skeptical, none of them had the courage to go near that abandoned cottage. Since then, I've never dared to approach the cottage by the pond. Every time I hear something similar, it sends shivers down my spine. After all, that eerie experience is something I'll never forget.

Story Two: The Shadow Unleashed by a Shaman

This is a story my second uncle told me about his childhood. Back then, in our village, there was a woman known as a shaman who could summon spirits. My second uncle, being young and skeptical at the time, didn't believe it until he had a firsthand experience that left him convinced.

One day, he and a group of friends attended a festival in a neighboring village, where the shaman was performing. He stood at the edge of the crowd, watching her dance wildly, her demeanor incredibly eerie. Suddenly, she turned and locked eyes with my second uncle. He felt an inexplicable fear, unable to break eye contact with her.

Her gaze seemed to penetrate his soul, and his heart started racing, as if an invisible hand clenched around it. He wanted to move away, but his legs felt rooted to the spot.

As the shaman's dance grew increasingly frenzied, the entire scene seemed to warp, and the people around him appeared blurry and indistinct. Suddenly, a powerful force seemed to erupt from her, and my second uncle felt as if he'd been struck, nearly losing his balance.

Then, as abruptly as it had started, the shaman stopped dancing, freezing in place. Her eyes, once filled with an eerie light, became vacant, as if all life had drained from her. My second uncle struggled for breath, as if an invisible hand was tightening around his neck.

At that moment, the shaman let out a piercing scream and collapsed to the ground. Her eyes regained clarity. People rushed to her aid, and my second uncle finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had awakened from a nightmare.

Later, the shaman told my second uncle that while performing her shamanic dance, she had felt a powerful, malevolent force trying to possess her. She had fought it with all her might and, in the end, triumphed, returning to her senses.

Listening to my second uncle's story, a chill ran down my spine. Although I hadn't experienced what he described, I could sense the malevolent presence he felt. It deepened my respect and awe for the mysteries of shamanic rituals. Perhaps some things are indeed real and far more frightening than we can imagine; we simply remain unaware.