Some stories crawl under your skin and refuse to leave. Whether eerie, mysterious, or downright chilling, these short tales linger long after you’ve finished reading—as if they’re waiting to happen again. Here’s a collection of ten unsettling real-life stories that are strange enough to feel like headlines from tomorrow’s paper.

Story 1

My wife texted me, “Pick me up from work now. It’s urgent.” When she got out, she looked confused to see me. She said, “I never texted you.” I showed her my phone, but we both froze.

A new text suddenly popped up. It said, “Your wife is pregnant! Congrats!” It was sent from an unknown number. Her color drained. She shakily reached into her pocket.

I froze when she showed me a pregnancy test. It was positive. My wife said that she found out this morning at work, and she didn’t tell anyone… not a soul! She was going to make it a surprise for me and reveal it tonight after dinner.

So, she insisted that she never texted me. We still have zero clue who the sender of both texts was, but we get an eerie feeling every time we think about it.

Story 2

At my grandparents’ house one summer, I saw my grandfather eating at the kitchen table late at night. I greeted him, grabbed water, and went back to my room. Moments later, he emerged from his bedroom, asking who I’d been talking to. The table was empty. I still get chills thinking about it. © Lucanthethird / Reddit

Story 3

I sometimes save email drafts without sending them. Twice, I found replies—cordial, accurate responses to messages I never actually sent. No logins showed up. I changed passwords. Nothing stopped until I deleted every draft. Now, I only write in Notepad first… just in case.

Story 4

When my younger brother was five, he once told me, “When I was you, I had that toy too.” I laughed—until he described items I owned and lost as a kid. Later, he claimed he never said any of it. But how did he know?

Story 5

The night my older brother di.ed, we heard three loud knocks at our door around 3 a.m. across the hall, and the normally aggressive Rottweiler howled in fear.

No one was there. Later, my aunt told us she felt someone knock at her door the same night, and she thought it was him. © caprismart1978 / Reddit

Story 6

At three years old, I would sneak out at night to brush my doll’s hair and sit with my “imaginary friend” who came from the attic.

He played with my hair while I played with my doll’s. Years later, I found out he wasn’t imaginary—just a man secretly living in our attic. © Cuteness_Overload- / Reddit

Story 7

One night as a child, I said goodnight to my parents and closed my eyes. In what felt like seconds, my dad was shaking me awake, and it was morning. No time seemed to have passed at all. It’s never happened again, but I still remember how surreal it felt. © SuperSlowMo22 / Reddit

Story 8

During kindergarten, I used to see my grandfather standing by the road as the bus dropped me off. I told my mom about it several times. The twist? He had died two weeks before school even started—and right near that very road. © Bookwormgirl991 / Reddit

Story 9

As a kid, I saw what looked like a truck driver walking through our dark playroom. I leapt at him and hit the floor. When I turned on the light, no one was there. I never saw him again, but I remember every detail, even now. © ArcaninesFirepower / Reddit

Story 10

During a hotel stay, I set my alarm for 8 a.m., but at 4:15, I was woken by a loud beep from the clock radio I hadn’t touched. I turned it off and went back to sleep. The next night, in a different room, the same thing happened. Now, I unplug every hotel clock as soon as I check in.