Ghost Stories

The Man in the Top Hat

A young boy is our hero of this story.

A tall dark man in a top hat and carrying a staff is our other character.

Here we go!!

A young boy, a fourth grader to be exact, was walking home from school one day by himself. He didn't have any friends because everyone considered him a weirdo for claiming to see spirits. Arriving at a crossroads, he stopped for a tall man with a top hat and a short walking stick was walking across his path.

The man didn't even spare the boy a glance as he continued on his way. The boy thought no other of the man as well as he too, continued on his way.

Tap tap tap. One foot in front of the other. The boy never stopped walking.

And hence arrived at another intersection.

A man wearing a top hat and carrying a walking staff walked in front of him again.

It's the same man from before...? The boy thought slowly.

The man glanced down at the boy and his lips stretched into a wide smirk and kept walking, not barely missing a step.

The boy continued on his way, feeling uneasy all of a sudden.

And arrived at yet another crossing and stopped, watching a man wearing a top hat and carrying a walking stick walk past him.

Oh no...! The boy thought, fear worming his way into his heart.

This time, the man was smirking so widely it seemed to split his face in two. He was looking at the boy fully this time, his red eyes hungry looking.

This CAN'T be a coincidence!
Well, it has to be. Or he's a stalker.

The man continued walking however, walking his long stride. The boy stared awhile after him, his heart pounding.

Shrugging, the boy resumed his blank expression and started walking again.

Knowing that he was approaching another crossroads, the boy slowed. Will he meet the stranger again, he wondered. And what will the man's expression be this time....?

The boy stopped at the crossing and....

The boy can't remember how he got home that day. And to this day, he still is left in the dark.

There's a legend in Japan that if you meet the same person at three crossroads in a row (with no one else around), you are then DEAD on the fourth turn.