The Journal

A shadowy figure in a pale gown standing at a curtained window at night, backlit by glowing blue light, hands raised to its head, face obscured.

My Nocturnal Visitors: Allies or Adversaries?

Eleven weeks in, the dread has turned into something else. The dreams feel less like dreams and more like contact. But I keep circling one...

Arthur Mills
A dark human silhouette pressed behind a translucent sheet, one hand splayed against it, the figure blurred and reaching through pale gray fabric.

Candle Face Victim #10: The Devil's Mark

A spirit comes in angry, not sad, and keeps to the shadows. In life she mocked Candle Face at a café, even showed off a...

Arthur Mills

The Empty Lot Next Door: The Origin of Candle Face

Before the nightly visitors, before the investigation, there was a boy named Ray and an empty lot next door. This is where Candle Face began:...

Arthur Mills
A single lit candle with a tall, steady flame against a solid black background, wax dripping down its side.

Candle Face Victim #9: Sacrificed by Her Friends

A girl young enough for high school steps out of the portal, angry rather than afraid. At a graduation slumber party she'd mocked Candle Face....

Arthur Mills
A dark figure standing in a dim hallway, backlit by a burst of golden light and haze, face lost in shadow, an old door and framed pictures alongside.

Candle Face Victim #8: A Paranormal Investigator's Encounter

This spirit was once a paranormal investigator who came to Austin certain Candle Face was a hoax, and published a blog post saying so. She...

Arthur Mills

Candle Face Victim #7: She Believed, But Would Not Obey

This one always believed. Candle Face knelt at the foot of her bed for years, then began demanding she bring in the disbelievers. She refused....

Arthur Mills

Candle Face Victim #6: The Man Who Ignored the Flyer

A man in a business suit steps out of the portal. In life he trusted logic, results, and control, and he brushed off a ragged...

Arthur Mills

Candle Face Chronicles: The Lost Souls Investigation

Thirty years of investigative work, and nothing compares to this. The Lost Souls are victims of Candle Face who come to me at night with...

Arthur Mills

Candle Face Victim #5: Too Late to Believe

A young woman came to my bedside in a hurry, like she had no time to lose. She'd heard the stories at a group home...

Arthur Mills
A hooded figure in a long robe standing in a dark hallway, backlit by red light and drifting smoke, face hidden in shadow.

An Interview with a Candle Face Believer: Mr. Smoe

The believer finally goes on record. Mr. Smoe says Candle Face came to him at his lowest point in 2002, took his pain, and sent...

Arthur Mills
A narrow creek running through green trees and brush in daylight, with a dirt bank and a chain-link fence separating it from a grassy park beyond.

Candle Face Chronicles: The Creek and the Shadow

The Mr. Smoe interview ended early when I pushed on how a compassionate ghost could also harm people. He wants to review the tape before...

Arthur Mills
A dark, empty downtown alley at night, lit by a single street lamp, lined with old brick buildings, dumpsters, and a distant lit high-rise.

Candle Face Victim #4: The Homeless Man with the Limp

A man with a limp came to my bedside. He'd lived on the streets of downtown Austin, where people traded stories about Candle Face as...

Arthur Mills
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