December 21, 2023
Aware that I can’t assist the lost souls by myself, I’ve been actively seeking help from paranormal experts, mediums, and psychics through various online platforms. My search has extended across Facebook, Reddit, and even the Darknet - a realm I’m familiar with due to my past as a private investigator working on missing persons and human trafficking cases. I aim to find someone capable of interpreting the messages I receive from my nightly visitors. Unfortunately, my efforts have mostly led me to groups preoccupied with minor phenomena like orbs (mere floating dust specks) and indistinct ghost-like images in photos, often the result of pareidolia, which is the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns or figures in random or vague visual information. These groups seem to shy away from genuine hauntings and other substantial paranormal occurrences. This reluctance makes me increasingly sad and responsible as I struggle to find assistance for my nocturnal visitors. My sense of duty grows, along with a deepening sense of despair, as I continue my quest to help them.
At last, I received an intriguing call from a paranormal investigation team. Intrigued by the unusual dreams I’ve been having about Candle Face’s victims; they offered their expertise to help decipher them. We convened over a three-way video call, during which I detailed Candle Face’s lore and the unsettling dreams plaguing me. The team suggested a thorough investigation, proposing to explore my old Austin neighborhood and the notorious creek, a hotspot for Candle Face sightings. This investigative venture is slated for mid-to-late January, a prospect that intrigues and unnerves me.
That night, I chose to sleep in the living room, a change from my usual routine of sleeping in the upstairs guest bedroom for the past half year. This sleeping arrangement allows my wife to sleep alone while recovering from surgery after surgery. My son, visiting for Christmas, took over the guest bedroom, where my ghostly visitors usually enter the house for their visits. To facilitate the potential visit of my nighttime guests, I left the kitchen light on. This created a shadow in the distant corner of the living room, serving as an entry point for any spirit if they decided to visit. As I drifted to sleep, the shadow in that corner seemed to dance along the walls, casting shadowy shapes that my tired eyes struggled to define. One of those shadows, nestled in the farthest corner, began to stir with a life of its own. As I lay on the brink of sleep, the shadow morphed and solidified into a figure—a spirit, appearing as a woman in her thirties, standing a striking 5 feet 8 inches tall.
She approached the couch with a grace that defied the normal bounds of the physical world. “It’s my turn,” she announced softly, her voice echoing with a ghostly tone. Her story, she explained, was propelled to the forefront due to recent events. She revealed herself as a former paranormal investigator who had investigated the mysteries of Candle Face in the mid-2000s. Her presence was linked to my conversation with the paranormal investigators just the day before. She implored me not to pursue the investigation with the paranormal investigation team or at least to refrain from mockery. The spirit warned of danger, especially to the paranormal investigator, who adds a taste of comedy to the team’s investigations. She then expressed a desire for her family to find peace and for others to heed her warnings about investigating Candle Face too deeply.
With her introduction complete, the room fell silent, and the spirit began to recount her story:
As a paranormal investigator with a natural skepticism, I’ve always approached legends and ghost stories with a critical eye. My latest venture brought me to Austin, Texas, to explore the infamous legend of Candle Face, a supposed ghostly child said to haunt skeptics and non-believers. Armed with my equipment and a healthy dose of doubt, I was ready to debunk another myth.
Over several nights, I attempted to summon Candle Face at various reputed locations. I tried Ben Howell Drive, the nearby creek, and Lady Bird Lake, where Candle Face is said to have drowned many of her victims. I used every method in the book, from traditional séances to modern technological setups, but to no avail. There was no sign of the ghostly child, mysterious occurrences, or unexplained phenomena. My conviction that Candle Face was nothing more than a local legend grew stronger with each failed attempt.
Convinced of the story’s falsehood, I wrote a detailed blog post on my website. In it, I declared Candle Face a myth and mocked the legend for its lack of substance and ability to fool the masses. I went to bed that night feeling triumphant, having exposed another baseless ghost story.
However, that night, everything changed. As I lay in my hotel room off Congress Avenue, the shadows in the corner began to shift and swirl. Paralyzed with fear, I watched as a figure emerged from the darkness. It was Candle Face, her charred form more terrifying than any description I had read. I couldn’t move or scream as she mocked me for my disbelief and for fearing what I sought to uncover. With a haunting laugh, she vanished, leaving me in shock.
The following day, I saw that dozens had read my article. I contemplated correcting it to indicate that Candle Face is real, but my pride got in the way. “It’s too late,” I thought, “the damage is done.”
Back home in San Antonio, the real nightmare began. Candle Face revisited me, this time in my own bedroom. She was furious that I hadn’t corrected my article. She promised a unique retribution: to create a story about me and distribute it to her believers, a scared paranormal investigator who became the haunted.
She began to recite her story about me:
The Hunter Becomes the Haunted
Behold the tale of the skeptic who dared to doubt me. You sought to expose me, to unravel a mystery you deemed false. But now, the hunter becomes the haunted.
You thought you were brave, seeking out shadows and spirits. Yet, when faced with me, your courage crumbled like ash. Watching you paralyzed with fear was amusing, contradicting your bold claims.
I have decided your fate, dear paranormal investigator. Since you refused to correct your story, I shall create my own about you. Your story will be eternally haunting, and my image and laughter will constantly be in your mind.
Each night, as you try to sleep, you will hear my voice and see my charred face in every shadow. You will long for peace, but it will elude you, just as the truth did.
And when the burden becomes too much, you will reach for pills to still your heart; remember, it was your disbelief that sealed your fate. You will be a warning to all who dare to investigate me.
This is not just a story; it is a reality you created with skepticism. You wanted to find the truth, and now you live it. You are a skeptic, haunted by the very thing you sought to disprove.
Remember my name and face, for I am now a part of you, a shadow in your mind, a laugh in the dark. This is the price of your disbelief, the cost of your mockery.
You are mine now, dear paranormal investigator. Your story ends with me. {End of Candle Face's story}.
I lived in constant fear, haunted by Candle Face’s presence and tormented by her laughter. I wish I had corrected my article when I had the chance. Candle Face, a legend I sought to debunk, has become my haunting reality. I deleted my website and destroyed my equipment. I withdrew from all. But the pain didn’t withdraw from me.
After enduring a year with Candle Face’s haunting form and relentless voice echoing in my mind, I reached for a bottle of pills, seeking an escape from the torment. But even in death, I found no peace; I’m now trapped among others who denied her existence, each of us eternally bound to the consequence of our disbelief. In these shadowed worlds, I’m haunted by profound remorse, realizing too late the truth of Candle Face’s power, a truth I once arrogantly denied.
Having finished her testimony, she retreated, stepping backward towards the corner from which she had emerged. Once again, she cautioned me against proceeding with the planned paranormal investigation in January, expressing her desire to prevent further harm.
Personal Note to My Readers
This encounter with the spirit of a former paranormal investigator, who was surprisingly aware of my conversation with a paranormal team just hours earlier, gives me a great idea. If spirits are indeed attuned to our daily activities and conversations, exploiting this connection to help them is possible. Understanding that our actions and words might directly influence the spirit world and vice versa, I’m considering ways to use this interaction proactively. Perhaps by speaking out loud about their stories or seeking solutions to their unresolved issues during the day, I could give them the desired attention or resolution. This concept of spirits responsive to our actions suggests a dynamic and interactive relationship between our world and theirs. It's a notion that deepens our understanding of the paranormal and offers a potential pathway to aid these spirits. By consciously engaging with their presence during my daily life, I might be able to assist them in finding the peace or closure they need. This experience has fundamentally shifted my approach to the paranormal, hinting at an interconnected existence between the living and the spirit world far more active and responsive than previously thought.
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