Phantoms and Monsters

Brunei: Legends of Horror
One of the Oddest Accounts I've Ever Read....
Family Discovers Mysterious Bunker In Basement

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 02:18 PM PDT

brunei.fm - This series continues its journey to depict the tales of two other individuals who claim to have encountered supernatural entities at different locations in the Sultanate. Similar sightings can be traced back to the legends of old, centuries ago, but its true existence will forever remain a mystery.

THE WHITE SANDS

Most Bruneians nationwide are familiar with this urban legend. Countless tales of horror have been whispered in the air and some, experienced first-hand, the terrifying occurrences in this place. Peter, a local businessman, was more than happy to share his story and it revolved around 'the white sands' leading up to . Road users often pass by-this area when heading off to the Belait District or neighbouring Malaysia.

Peter claims that his close encounter happened on the eve of New Year as he traveled home to be with his family in Seria. Festive songs played on the radio as he sang along to the medleys, grateful that he will finally spend New Year with his loved ones for the first time in five years. Not long after he reached the area, did a disturbing sight catch his attention. Glancing at the counter clock, it was a little after I am. "Why is she walking alone at this hour?" Peter asked himself. He stopped the car by the roadside and approached the seemingly oblivious woman who continued walking even after Peter called out to her. Concerned that the woman might need help or a ride, he attempted to speak to the woman. "Excuse me miss, do you need help?" Peter asked. She stopped walking and turned slowly towards him. Her long black locks covered her pale face as she gestured towards a junction and pointed to a deserted rest house nearby. Seeing as though something was amiss, Peter stepped back and asked, "Are you alright? Are you heading that way?" The woman simply nodded.

"Please let me give you a ride," he said and opened the front passenger door for her. As he turned to face the woman, she suddenly disappeared and was nowhere in sight. Shivers ran down his spine as he stared at the pitch-black darkness, the silence becoming somewhat deafening. Instead of panicking, he drove off and continued his journey without ever looking back. "It frightened me out of my wits," Peter said before concluding his story.

THE FISHERMAN'S FRIEND

A common pastime amongst people of all ages — this famous sport has provided an excellent opportunity for families and friends to bond and spend quality time together. Such was the intention of a young student who invited his friends for a 'boys night out' fishing along one of the well-known rivers in the district.
In this story, Khairul re-calls the horrifying events, which occurred on that fateful night. As they set out on their journey at quarter past midnight, the group of three were feeling absolutely jubilant, having just completed their public examinations. The humid clouds, which swelled above them, did not look promising and projected an impending thunderstorm. That of course, failed to hinder the group's journey. After setting up their fishing rods, they decided to hunt for their quarry near the jetty and waited patiently for the 'rewards'.

"It was a dark, eerie night and although my instincts told me something wasn't right, I didn't want to be a party-pooper," Khairul said.

An hour or so passed when something tugged heavily at the fishing reel. "Guys, I think we caught something big!"

Samad shouted excitedly but as he attempted to pull in his catch, he found – nothing. "Maybe you didn't place the bait properly," Shahrol suggested. Confused and bewildered by the strange episode, Samad took out a tackle box to replace his reel and used live prawns instead of worms. "Hope this will work better," Samad said and cast his bait into the river. Out of nowhere, a gust of cold wind blew gently in his direction. He turned his gaze towards Khairul, who was sitting quietly by the riverbank. "Hey Khai, you alright?" but received no response. "What's wrong with this fellow?" Samad asked himself and decided to approach his seemingly quiet friend. While he was talking to Khairul, two men emerged from the parking lot. At first, Samad thought they were anglers looking to enjoy a fishing expedition but as he looked closely, he noticed that the two men were none other than his buddies. "If Khairul is there, who in the world is beside me?" Samad thought and without thinking, he ran towards his friends without looking back.

Samad struggled to contain himself and was practically hysterical. He told them about his ordeal and instead of comforting him, they laughed. "There's no one here besides us. I think you watch too many horror films, my friend," Khairul said. Furious and agitated, Samad marched into the parking lot and chose to wait for his 'ignorant' friends in the car. The two continued fishing and was not at all bothered by the incident. As they laughed away to the jokes and tales of their youths, they were distracted by what seemed to be a thousand flickering sounds. To their amazement, a shoal of fish splashed furiously against the water as if it were sending a signal. At that instant, something tugged at their fishing reel but instead of catching a big fish as they had anticipated, an amputated head hung on their hook, covered in dark, murky slime. Shahrol instantly tossed the rod into the river and watched as the head floated towards the jetty.

The two stood frozen in their tracks as they caught sight of a 'supernatural' being dressed in black sitting by the jetty without a head. It then leaped into the water and crawled to shore before vanishing into the woods. Without hesitating, the two ran towards their car leaving all the equipment behind. Samad was sleeping contently in the back seat as they drove off. The return home turned out to be a bizarre odyssey as they began hearing disembodied voices coming from the back. As the two boys turned around, they saw the paranormal entity clinging onto the back of the vehicle. Shahrol turned on the radio and recited prayers to ward off the spirit. None of the three coveted to sleep alone that night.

"This episode has triggered months of restless nights for us and sometimes, we sense a strange presence especially when either three of us are alone. We have definitely learned a lot from this and will probably go fishing only in the afternoons," Khairul said before concluding the group's terrifying tale.

NOTE: This is the second part of a series of ghostly tales from the Nation of Brunei...Lon

Brunei: Legends of Horror

One of the Oddest Accounts I've Ever Read....

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 01:35 PM PDT

Several weeks ago, I called a reader who contacted me and wanted to discuss an incident his late father had written about. After a lengthy conversation and several emails, he agreed to forward the text. This is one of the oddest accounts I have ever read though I was intrigued by the possible implications:

Lon - my name is Ken and I am a reader of your blog. I would like to share a disturbing encounter my father wrote about. He passed away last year and had kept a journal which I found in his safe. There was a separate sheet of paper, folded with an envelope and placed in the journal. I suspect it was a letter he had intended to send at some point. It was dated October 25, 2002, though there was no addressee. By that time, we had moved to Arizona. My mother said that my father claimed he had a terrifying personal encounter but never told her the details. My father was a very serious, private and devout man who didn't indulge in drink or other vices. Because of his sincerity, my mother and I believe this story to be true. The following text was in the letter.

Dear Sir

In the summer of 1996, I was living with my family in northern Orange County, California. My wife was visiting relatives so I decided to go out for a bite to eat. I had just finished a late dinner at a local restaurant and started walking through a vacant parking lot. As I walked I saw an square-shaped lighted object hovering overhead. The UFO came closer but I could not hear any sound. There was also a pulsating white light located on the bottom. After a few seconds, the object simply vanished. I was stunned and stood there for a few minutes wondering if the object would return.

I continued to walk through the lot, coming to the entrance on the backside that led into an alley. As I walked through the well-illuminated alley, I noticed ahead of me a strange creature looking through a row of hedges. I stopped walking and crouched down behind a car so the creature could not see me. I realize that the description will seem ridiculous, but this is what I witnessed. The creature was about 4-5 foot tall and a bit frail looking. He wore a one-piece light blue bodysuit that had an iridescent look to it. It wore high black boots that seemed to glow from the bottom. The face had a well pronounced chin, tiny round eyes, holes where the ears should had been and a large bald head. As I watched, the creature looked like it was having trouble walking.

I continued to watched as it looked around the hedges and in a garbage can, then disappearing behind a garage. After a few seconds, I heard strange popping sounds. I continued to crouch down by the car wondering if the creature would come back. After a few minutes my curiosity got the best of me, so I raised up and started to slowly walk in the direction of the garage. As I neared, a tall hairy ape-like creature emerged from behind the garage into the alley while looking directly at me. I was stunned as my legs gave way and I dropped to the ground in horror. It had no clothing, with large, long hairy arms and red glowing eyes. In a weird way, this 'thing' didn't look solid, almost like a ghost or hologram. It made a few grunting sounds, turned around and started to run down the alley towards the woods at the dead end.

When I arrived home, I realized that my walk and encounter on the way lasted over 2 hours, though the distance of the restaurant and my house was only a few blocks. I wondered if I should report the incident but thought it was too ridiculous and I would never be believed anyway. Later, I told my story to my pastor as well as a friend at church, but both refused to take it seriously. I went back to the alley several times to see if any evidence could be found, for example, the light blue body suit and boots since I was sure that this was a metamorphic event.

Through the years, I began to wonder if this creature was actually a Bigfoot or Sasquatch. I have never heard any conjecture of Bigfoot as an extraterrestrial but I suppose it is possible. Can you elaborate on my experience? Please forward copies to other experts if you feel it is appropriate. Sincerely (unsigned)

NOTE: I want to thank Tom for coming forward though, he had several concerns about his father's account being published. Ken did ask that if anybody has information on this event or, specifically, if his father (Kenneth, Sr.) may have contacted anyone in reference to the event to forward it...Lon

One of the Oddest Accounts I've Ever Read....

Family Discovers Mysterious Bunker In Basement

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 11:06 AM PDT

dailymail - A few drinks and a little idle curiousity have led to the discovery of a hidden chapel under a family home.

The Farla family were having a celebration on Good Friday when they decided to check out a metal grid in their Telford home in Shropshire.

Ever since Pat, 52, and Diane Farla, 43, moved into the detached Victorian building three years ago they'd wondered what lay behind the metre-long rectangle which lay alongside a wall.

After pulling it away they found a hole which was just big enough for Gareth Farla, 20, and his uncle Matthew Lathan, 25, to squeeze through.

In the centre of the room lay a wooden cross which appeared to have fallen down after rotting away.

Matthew said: 'We only discovered it because we were drunkenly fooling around and decided to have a look at what was beneath the grid - It was amazing.

'Everyone was hovering around with excitement.

'The first thing we came across in the middle of the basement was an old, open chest and in it were old newspapers and bottles dating back to the 1930s.

'There were also hooks hanging from the ceiling which could have been used to hang meat.

'At one end of the cellar was a sort of mesh or cloth which was damp.

'There were also some sort of brick seats around the walls which looked like something you might find in a church.'

The surprises continued as exploration went on and someone spotted some stairs at the back of the basement.

Gareth added: 'When we spotted the stairs in the room we tried to find out where they led to.

'There was more cardboard and we broke through that and it came out to a cupboard in our dining room.

'It's strange it's been there and we had no idea. We were just storing the hoover and blankets, we couldn't quite believe it.

'At that point everyone else came in and saw it.

'We're not sure what the room was used for, but the crosses and layout suggest it might have been a chapel.

'We didn't like to touch the stuff too much as we would like someone to come and tell us what it is.'

The family plan to get in touch with local history groups who might be able to shed some light on their discovery.

The Farla said the deeds of the detached house dated from 230 years ago and they believe that at some point it had been used as a pub.

Richard Westwood Brookes, historical documents expert for nearby Shropshire auctioneers Mullocks, said: 'If the deeds are over 230 years old and the room dates back to the 1700's, there's a chance it could have been used as a Catholic hideaway or for other nonconformist religious groups.

'There's a possibility a room like that could be used as a clandestine Catholic church as you couldn't be a Catholic during that time - you would be persecuted and executed.

'It may well have been a Catholic priest hole - but it all depends on what the age was.'

He added that if it had been built during World War II it could have been a type of bunker.

Mr Westwood Brookes said: 'Churchhill had a secret army of hand-picked men who stayed behind and would launch a sabotage operation in case the Nazis won the war and ruled Britain.

'They often stayed in underground bunkers similar to these.

'They were treated as cowards because they stayed behind [instead of going to the front], when in fact they were the bravest of the brave - because if Hitler would have won, their life expectancy would have been about three weeks because locals would have ousted them to keep the peace with the Nazis.'

In addition to their underground discovery, the superstitious family think they may have released some sort of ghost or spirit after a mysterious photograph was taken shortly afterwards.

'After we discovered the basement, we went back upstairs and were taking some pictures,' said Gareth.

'We took a picture of Matthew's pregnant girlfriend Karen. When the pictures came out their was something white on the photo right by her belly.

'My mother thinks it's an orb, as the rest of the picture is clear apart from by her belly.

'And my nan Peggy is quite superstitious and she thinks it could be something there. It could just be a coincidence, but it seems quite strange.'

NOTE: The original title suggested that this may be an ancient chapel when, in fact, it is something quite different. The following comment was later posted with the article:

"We lived there 1981-96! The 'cross' is some rotten wood left over from 1986 building restoration that we didn't clear out... The house was a public house "The Barley Mow" late 1800s-early 1900s, and we thought the raised cellar sides are the stillages for the barrels. Gas lighting was added after construction, so there would have been ledges for oil lamps in the cellar.

We reckoned the house was constructed in the mining and industrial boom early 1800s, rather later than Catholic persecution. The front door used to lead into a hallway, with the door and stairs down to the cellar straight ahead - no apparent attempt to conceal. There are footings for an earlier, smaller building under the dining room, now covered with concrete - could have been anything."

Family Discovers Mysterious Bunker In Basement

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