The following is a true story.
It was a Sunday evening way back when your Overlord and Saviour's voice still hadn't broken. My mum and dad had rightly ordered my sister and me to bed for school the next day, but little did they know, I had come to dread bedtime.
Not because I had to get up at 7am the following morning (though I very much loathed that part — especially during winter).
Rather, back then, I had a thing for horror.
That summer, I’d sneakily watched The Blair Witch Project at my friend’s house, and for reasons I still can’t explain, it scared the bejesus out of young Watson. Something about the stickmen dangling from gnarled branches, the VHS recorder, and the creepy cabin kept me up well into the wee hours.
So much so that I had to sleep with the radio on and my bedroom door ajar to let in the hallway light.
Oh yes, your Overlord and Saviour was more akin to an Underlord and Wuss back then.
This little act of mine?
I kept it up for weeks.
Then came that Sunday night.
I was lying in bed, staring at the reflection on my glass shelves, which gave me a perfect view of the hallway. I could always see when my sister left her room or when my parents came upstairs.
That’s when I saw it.
A slender, female apparition left my sister’s room and walked straight past mine.
I knew something was off by the way my skin bumped over.
Being the fearful 13-year-old I was, I yanked the duvet over my head and stayed there until the hot air became unbearable. When I peeled off the sheet, there was nothing there. Only a light.
I waited a few minutes and then bolted to my sister’s room.
To my horror, I found her right there, lying on her mattress, earbuds humming music.
I shook her awake. “Lauren, did you leave your room? Just now?”
She groggily denied it.
I turned toward the hallway where I had seen the figure.
Nothing. 😳
I’d always felt something was a little… off about our house. Even our dogs occasionally acted strange upstairs, gazing at nothing in particular. But if a spirit did pass through that night, it wasn’t a bad one — otherwise, I imagine we’d have been haunted far worse.
That experience deepened my love and fear of horror, especially ghost stories. 👻
It’s probably why, during my second season as an author, I found myself writing supernatural thrillers like Sticks and Stones and Abbey Ruins (among other unpublished titles).
Unlike traditional haunted house tales, however, this duology takes place in the woods — very much inspired by The Blair Witch Project.
Sticks and Stones follows Trevor, a bereaved father searching for answers after his daughter vanishes in the forest.
Abbey Ruins… well, let’s just say I’ll leave that one for you to discover.
I’ve had readers tell me how much they enjoyed these books over the years, and now, thanks to the power of digital voice, this chilling duology is available as an audiobook.
Take a listen here, if you dare:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/the-curse-of-abbey-ruins-the-duology-e-books-1-2
DJJW
P.S. What's the creepiest thing you’ve encountered?