A haunting encounter at the heart of a geolocation challenge
It's not just the prices around Capitol Hill that can be terrifying
If you want to feel scared right now, you don’t have to read a ghost story — just take a look at the housing market! Still, because it’s October, I would be remiss not to include a spooky story alongside a geolocation challenge, and this particular one I heard is truly bananas.
Now, I recently posted this picture, and asked Twitter to identify where it was taken:
This was the first person to correctly identify the exact location:
Awesome work!
Justin came next, and by disclosing his methods, he brought us to an important point: Real estate listings are an OSINT nightmare just as the market right now is a financial nightmare.
This is a good tip for those of you who are selling your house — or just bought a house — and think that not publishing the address will automatically keep a creepy stalker off your trail. When you have the general location and Google Maps, you don’t need the exact address to figure out the spot.
You don’t even need the distinctive Capitol Hill architecture pictured in my shot. All you need is a little bit of perseverance.
Having said that, I picked this location for a very specific reason. North Carolina Avenue SE (the SE stands for Southeast to all of you out-of-towners) is absolutely gorgeous and a great place for a walk.
It’s also the site of one of the creepiest stories I’ve ever heard from a fellow DC resident.
Here’s my brilliant artist’s rendering of what went down:
… Or I should probably just tell you guys:
So. A few years ago, a friend of mine was walking home down the avenue. It was a dark autumn night, well past the time when people in Capitol Hill walk their dogs or hang out. DC is not the safest city in the United States, but this part of Capitol Hill is generally pretty safe, plus we weren’t having the massive crime wave we are having now. Plus, my friend is a big, mean-looking guy who knows how to fight (but don’t let that description fool you, as he is a sweetheart).
I’m saying all this in order to point out that my friend was not at all anxious or spooked, as I would have been. He was taking a casual stroll and enjoying the quiet.
Because it was so quiet, he soon heard footsteps behind him. He didn’t think much of it at first.
But as he was walking on down, something began to set him off. It was the way the footsteps sounded. Like they were dragging a little. And while that alone shouldn’t have been terrifying, it just didn’t sound right.
My friend stopped and turned around. He didn’t see a thing. The avenue is not exceptionally well lit, but it’s not pitch black out there either. There wasn’t even a shadow or an outline of a person.
My friend kept walking.
The footsteps resumed. They were dragging and yet somehow gaining on him. He was beginning to get unnerved — and also annoyed at himself for being unnerved. Remember, he was and is a big, tough-looking guy. He was and is in the military, on active duty. He didn’t have a reason to feel afraid, but he was afraid.
It was deadly quiet on the avenue as he peered into the darkness and again saw nothing.
He resumed his walk and the footsteps resumed too, and it was either his anxiety, or they were genuinely getting closer. As he got to the 9th St. crossing, he stopped and turned around one last time. He felt exasperated, but also more and more nervous. There were no other people around. Nothing about the situation felt right.
My friend said, “Who the fuck is out there?”
There was no answer. But just like that, a dead bird plopped down on the ground just a few feet away from him with a smacking sound.
That was when my friend took off running and he didn’t stop for an entire block. He wasn’t listening for footsteps anymore. He just ran as if his life depended on it.
When he got to the next crossing, it didn’t seem too dark anymore. A big group of people passed him. They were chattering among themselves, probably leaving some house party, a couple of large dogs with them. The dogs were acting like nothing was amiss.
My friend felt stupid and embarrassed. Still, when he made it home, he could barely get to sleep for the longest time.
To this day, he swears to me that he wasn’t drunk or otherwise impaired. He isn’t sure what was going on. He doesn’t believe in ghosts. “But maybe I should believe in ghosts” is how he put it.
This location is my first spot on my journey of exploring DC spots where weird phenomena occurred. The best part? We’ll continue with this journey well after Halloween. And maybe even have a little meet-up, hopefully, after we finish.
So mark this spot on your maps. And go to sleep tonight knowing that there are probably no ghosts. Maybe.
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