Night Visitors

No, Mr. Ghostie.

 

Unless your name happens to be Casper,

you most certainly cannot keep me!

Picture this:

You're lying in your comfy bed at night contemplating something or other, half asleep, when suddenly the mattress shifts underneath you as if someone's weight had just settled beside you, but you KNOW that you're the only one there...

 

 

 

 

Or are you?

Ghosts or spirits aren't bound to darkness, they don't just come out at night. In fact, they can show themselves whenever they want. The thing is that people who are not as sensitive to their presence as a medium would be, mostly experience them at night. Especially when they're in that semi-conscious state between sleeping and awake. It's then, in that transition between sleep and wakefulness, when our cold brains begin to warm up or vice versa, that we become more receptive to everything around us and often notice things that we normally wouldn't.

When they have enough energy in them, spirits try to communicate with the living. Most choose the passive-aggressive method and just jump into our dreams and manifest themselves as a series of signs or symbols with which they convey their message. Others are less preoccupied about preserving our mental health and go about things in a more direct manner, like Bruce Willis' character at the end of the Sixth Sense when he talks to his wife while she's asleep.

The problem is that a few of them tend to exaggerate or get frustrated when they receive no obvious reaction or acknowledgment of their attempts. That's when the real fun starts. Beds shake, covers come off, a grab here or there and coldness ensues.

What can one do in such a situation?

Personally, I've recurred to the “shut your eyes and hope it goes away quickly” approach. Thankfully, it has worked out well thus far.

Here's a little diagram to help you out before you go to sleep tonight:

 

 

 

 

Evil Clowns

 

'Cause I can't look at a sewer without seeing his clown face!

 

[Not Johnny's - duh - read on...]

OK, so an evil clown isn't really any kind of supernatural entity... or is it?

Let us explore...

What makes a clown? What are they, if not ordinary [not so well adjusted] human beings dressed up for the amusement of children and their families?

 

 

Red noses, painted faces, rainbow colored hairdos and psychotic smiles.

 

If all of that wasn't enough, add the fact that they go around having laughs at your expense [and what weird, shrilly sound their laughter is].

Pop culture is brimming with freaky looking clowns provoking all kinds of anxious reactions in children as well as adults.

Fear of Clowns is not that new [Coulrophobia, is the official term]. I guess it always had to be present, although the name wasn't formally acknowledged until the eighties and it doesn't really show up in texts on its own.

Wiki says that, "... clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found the clown images to be quite frightening and unknowable", and I couldn't agree more.

Most of us shed these uncertainties behind our fears as we grow into adulthood, but there are those that carry a remnant of it ways into their grown-up lives.

Who can blame them?

 

 

Harlequins, I can tolerate, but clowns... there's just something about them.

In The Simpsons episode, "Lisa's First Word", Homer tries to build a bed for Bart after he outgrows his crib, and makes him one with the giant face of a clown as a headboard. The not so fun bed triggers insomnia in Bart, who keeps repeating "can't sleep, clown will eat me". The phrase became an Internet meme and has inspired the Alice Cooper song, "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me".

Scary? Yes.

Supernatural? Not exactly there yet.

Movies then? You must already guess where this is going.

 

Let's have a looksie at our old friend Pennywise. [You know, the pirate toothed monster clown from the movie adaptation of Stephen King's infamous "It" novel].

 

 

The nameless being exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown [looking a LOT like poor Bozo] in order to attract its preferred prey, young children.

 

[So it's not an actual clown, but since it chooses to

assume the exterior form and appearance of one,

I'm making it fit into this category.]

 

Clowns are supposed to be funny, friendly characters that liven parties and amaze in circuses. Even though we may be instinctively afraid of them, of the unknown person behind their painted mask, our brains always try to make sense of things by letting us know that, "it's okay, they're harmless".

 

 

But, then a movie like It or Poltergeist comes out and we're back to square one, right back to where we started, scared little kids waiting for our mommies to come and take us away from the scary looking dude in the Rainbow Brite costume.

 

 

In conclusion, most clowns are creepy as hell!

[I mean, what's with the ridiculous dancing and the jumping around and the blatant disrespect of boundaries and personal space? Not to mention the thing with the balloon animals!]

Hey, but at least Sam's evil clowns turn to glitter when you whack'em.

 

Black Dogs & Hellhounds

 

Who let the dogs out?

[What, too cheesy?]

 

The dog is the oldest domestic animal, "man's best friend" and all that, its relation to humans can be traced all the way back to the Paleolithic period.

Early literature implies that dogs have a connection with the Otherworld. This is not unique to hounds though, as many species of animals have clear associations with the spirit realm. However, archaeological evidence and mythology brings recurring examples of a very specific role for dogs. They seem to be the "psychopomps" or guides on the paths to the Otherworld.

Black dogs are almost universally regarded as malevolent, and a few are said to be directly harmful. Some, however, like the Gurt Dog in Somerset and the Black Dog of the Hanging Hills in Connecticut, are said to act benevolently.

 

The nocturnal apparition commonly known as the Black Dog, is often said to be associated with the Devil and its appearance, regarded as an omen of death. Supposedly, they're larger than normal dogs and often have large, glowing eyes.

They are frequently associated with electrical storms, crossroads, places of execution and ancient pathways.

The origins of the Black Dog are difficult to discern. It is impossible to ascertain whether the creature originated in the Celtic or Germanic elements in British culture. Throughout European mythology, dogs have been associated with death. Examples of this are the Cŵn Annwn, Garmr and Cerberus, all of whom were in some way guardians of the underworld.

To feed the association with evil, or hell as the case may be, I'll single out Cerberus, Hades' guardian at the gates of the underworld in Greek mythology. The three headed monstrosity that made sure that no wayward souls ever escaped the river Styx.

Hellhounds, on the other hand, though similar in all their attributes, stand on their own. In my research, I've found that most of the myth is actually deeply rooted in Christian beliefs. Almost everywhere I looked they were referred to as the dogs of hell.

I stick with that theory - clearly biased by full seasons of Supernatural and my love for Dean Winchester [surely, you know Dean] and his plight on the third one. I've often said that being so hot should be a sin, but that thing with the hellhounds dragging him to hell was ridiculously dramatic, Sam or no Sam.

[*grumble* Stupid deal]



It seems a bit unfair though that even if they are a ghostly essence, they can still cause physical harm to their target. Poor Dean never even saw them coming, the mangy bastards!!!

 

Wouldn't blame him if he got stuck with some degree of PTSD and freaked at every black dog he saw after that.

 

 

Back to the canine profile used to portray either of these entities and their rabid ways. In all the information I found, none of it mentions a motive or a cause behind it. What do you think, lack of love and care?





*ding* Light bulb moment!

Let's experiment, shall we? Someone [that isn't me] adopt a Black Dog puppy and raise it with tender loving care and all that other fluff. Maybe then the end result would differ, save a few lives and whatnot.



Who's up to the challenge?! o.O

 

Excuse me if you're one of those, "must love dogs", people. But, I can't help to find some of them creepy.

[Remember that resurrected zombie dog from Pet Sematary 2? That scene where the kid wakes up in the middle of the night and finds it sitting on the rocking chair gave me nightmares. No dogs coming into my bedroom after that, no siree!]

The fact that I was bitten by one that sneaked behind me doesn't help their cause. Sure, it was old and had only two frail fangs left in its mouth, but still, it hurt like hell and the huge bruise it left marred my calf for weeks.

It was sort of funny because it was this round purple nasty looking thing with only two little holes on each side. I told people that I got attacked by one of the vampire dogs from Blade Trinity.

 

 

What's ironic is that just this morning I was followed home by a stray puppy. At first I was all like, “don't look at its eyes, don't turn your back on it, crab step away from it, sloooowly”, but it never stopped following me.

It waited outside my door all freaking morning and evil Elmyra that I am, I took pity on it and fed it. Now it won't leave my house and it keeps wagging its tail while it looks at me with those huge happy eyes.

It is so CUTE and I am so screwed...

But don't start hating dogs on my account, there are a few lovable figures out there, you know, like: Benjie, Marmaduke, Underdog, Beethoven, Marley, Krypto, Buddy, Padfoot, Cujo... wait...