So we've been camping quite a bit this summer. And by 'quite a bit', well, we've basically been every weekend so far. I guess that after so much crummy weather this year, the thought of staying home on a weekend just isn't appealing. There's something so nice about simply gathering around the campfire at night and talking sans TV, internet, phone reception, etc.



We've taken to telling ghost stories by the campfire at night and it's become something of an addiction. I managed to find a few decent collections of ghost stories so far. They're mostly intended for younger audiences, but we find that we can enjoy them just as much. And then there's the creepy pasta.

I know that it's been around a while, but we only recently discovered it. For those of you who are as slow on the uptake as I am, creepy pasta is an internet meme of sorts where the object is to come up with an original short story (emphasis on short) that will scare the living bejeezus out of you.

Here's a few examples in case you're interested:

A Bad Dream
"Daddy, I had a bad dream."

You blink your eyes and pull up on your elbows. Your clock glows red in the darkness — it's 3:23.

"Do you want to climb into bed and tell me about it?"

"No, Daddy."

The oddness of the situation wakes you up more fully. You can barely make out your daughter's pale form in the darkness of your room. "Why not, sweetie?"

"Because in my dream, when I told you about the dream, the thing wearing Mommy's skin sat up."

For a moment, you feel paralyzed; you can't take your eyes off of your daughter. The covers behind you begin to shift

The Photograph
One school day, a boy named Tom was sitting in class and doing math. It was six more minutes until after school. As he was doing his homework, something caught his eye.

His desk was next to the window, and he turned and looked to the grass outside. It looked like a picture. When school was over, he ran to the spot where he saw it. He ran fast so that no one else could grab it.

He picked it up and smiled. It had a picture of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had a dress with tights on and red shoes, and her hand was formed into a peace sign.

She was so beautiful he wanted to meet her, so he ran all over the school and asked everyone if they knew her or have ever seen her before. But everyone he asked said "No." He was devastated. When he was home, he asked his older sister if she knew the girl, but unfortunately she also said "No." It was very late, so Tom walked up the stairs, placed the picture on his bedside table and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night Tom was awakened by a tap on his window. It was like a nail tapping. He got scared. After the tapping he heard a giggle. He saw a shadow near his window, so he got out of his bed, walked toward his window, opened it up and followed the giggling. By the time he reached it, it was gone.

The next day again he asked his neighbors if they knew her. Everybody said, "Sorry, no." When his mother came home he even asked her if she knew her. She said "No." He went to his room, placed the picture on his desk and fell asleep.

Once again he was awakened by a tapping. He took the picture and followed the giggling. He walked across the road, when suddenly he got hit by a car. He was dead with the picture in his hand.

The driver got out of the car and tried to help him, but it was too late. Suddenly he saw the picture and picked it up. He saw a cute girl holding up three fingers.

So far those two are my favorites, but if anyone knows of any other good ones, please let me know. Happy camping!