Unbelievable But True: 45 Shocking Stories That Defy All Expectations

Grew up in a rural area of the southwest in the 80’s. There was an older woman with a thick European accent, she lived alone in a small house and was always nice to us kids. She was the only person who gave out full size candy bars during Halloween (that was a big deal back in the 80’s). But she also drank…heavily, like crashed her car a few times around town but not at fast speed (an old huge Ford LTD and not at fast speeds), and the sheriff’s always just took her home. Rumors spread amongst us kids that it was strange the way our parents/ adults acted around her. One day in the small local store I was standing in line with my dad and she was standing behind us, I was about 8, I looked back and said to my Dad “that’s the lady that gives out full size Hersey candy bars on Halloween!” She smiled, my father turned and thanked her and looked at her arm, he looked spooked, then he quickly offered her to go ahead of us in line thanking her again. Side note my family’s Catholic. When we got in the car I asked him about the woman, he then explained “those numbers tattooed on her arm,” he paused “what have you learned about WWII?” He then tried the entire ride home and later at home to explain the horrors of the holocaust to a 8 year old kid. It made sense why all the adults always treated her with a different type of respect. Even the Sheriffs, I always thought it was cool. Later I remembered people would volunteer to help her with her yard work, drop off groceries, get her packages, etc. me and my friend would mow her yard for free.

VincentMac1984 , YuriArcursPeopleimages Report

US Midwest. Rumor has it that way up the old road out of town, somewhere in the woods, was a satanic cult that held seances and other mystical rituals by firelight. Scared the w*****s out of us kids, and our parents wouldn’t let us ride our bikes anywhere on that road. Decades later I was working on a commissioned history project for the town and talked to the old man who owned the oldest homestead in the county–way back in the woods along that road. While photographing the creek that ran through the stone foundation basement of the home, which the settlers used for water generations ago, I noted the burned out tea candles everywhere. Guy lit up and said yeah, back in his younger days he and his wife used to host elaborate costume parties at the property, often by candlelight for the fun of it. He’d heard the rumors of the satanic cult and thought it was hilarious, so he and his friends ran with it and held parties in monks robes and had bonfires and lived it up. He still laughs about it, and now, so can I!

User , worldsbetweenlines Report

Rumour about a local businessman who tried to end it all and was rescued. Some weeks later he ran into a burning building and rescued two young children, sustaining severe burns in the process. A few months ago I saw him in the pub on the green, all of the skin in his face and hands had melted and he had skin grafted everywhere. Happiest man in the pub. What a hero.

wailingghost , erictompkins Report

I have two. Both about elderly men. First, there was an elderly man that could be seen walking all over town. Long gray beard. Usually seen in tattered clothes. “Walking Man” or the “Silver Bullet” were nicknames for him. The rumor was he was actually really wealthy but lots of people just assumed he was homeless because he was always walking, carrying groceries or whatever. Well, about a year before he passed, it came out that he was actually one of the wealthiest residents in our town when he donated millions to local youth programs and schools. Turns out, he just liked walking a lot and placed no value on material things like clothes and cars. Second, there was an elderly man who was actually homeless . The rumor was that he drank himself crazy some years back and just never got help. He was in and out of jail a bunch but always seem to be given some slack by law enforcement. This truth is tragic. He did drink himself crazy out of necessity. He was a paramedic. One night he responded to a wreck that turned out to be his wife and daughter had been hit by a distracted driver speeding on a narrow road. Neither survived. Understandably, he was never ok after that. He would sometimes check the pizza shop I used to manage for spare slices. Broke my heart that all I could do was offer him some free pizza. Hope you can rest in peace now, Red.

Spo_Ofzor , ayosake Report

I grew up where there were some signs of Native Americans. I started believing that this one particularly beautiful spot had to be sacred, and probably was a burial ground. I’d convince my friends to hold hands in a circle and try to commune with the dead. After I got a bit older I was super embarrassed that I’d ever done such things. A few years later a Native American came but and told us how sacred the land was that we owned, and asked permission to hold peyote rituals with his tribe and others on our land. To this day they still come out and set up a teepee and drum all night, absolutely flying on hallucinogenics. Turns out I was right

ReasonablyConfused , andrewtneel Report

Okay so this wasn’t one that I heard as a kid but there was rumor around the college my wife works at that the chemistry professor was actually the father of the literature professor’s baby. A couple of the students asked her about it and she admitted that yes, the father was the chemistry professor. The students were scandalized. Until she explained to them that said chemistry professor was her husband and this would be their second kid. Apparently, it never occurred to the kids at this small Midwestern college that couples didn’t always share a last name.

oldjudge86 , lightpoet Report