Good night

Camping with friends are fun, especially if it’s your first time camping. But the fun quickly disappears when you realise you’re not as alone out there as you thought you were…

Transcript

This is Unnerving…

Ghosts, creatures, monsters, aliens, mother nature, and humans. We all have a story about one of these things that are unnerving. Some might give you goosebumps, while others will leave you with a knot in your stomach.

The stories I tell are real experiences from people across the globe, and some are listener stories.

If you would like to share your story with me, send it to unnerving13@gmail.com. Please remember to like, share, subscribe, and follow for more.

**

I went on my very first camping trip when I was 19. Growing up, we always stayed in chalets when we went to the bushveld or on fishing trips. Neither of my parents had any interest in “roughing it”. Then an opportunity arose when my best friend, Johan, asked if I wanted to go on a camping trip with him and some of our other friends before class started in January. I agreed right away, and my mom went with me to go buy a tent, sleeping bag, and some other camping stuff. On 5 December, we left at about 3am. It’s a 3-hour drive from Randburg to Standerton, and we wanted to get set up nice and early. There’s a big dam just outside of Standerton called Grootdraai Dam, and Johan knew of a nice spot. As we drove in through the gate, I got an uneasy feeling. We drove past dilapidated and abandoned buildings, an old rusted-up playground, and the washed-out dirt road took us through thick forest and tall grass. We eventually got to the spot, and I realised that “roughing it” meant no electricity, no running water, no toilet facilities, nothing. Well, too late to turn around now.

We set up our camp, had a good laugh at my failed attempt to pitch my tent, cast our fishing rods, and I finally started relaxing a little bit. I actually ended up having a lot of fun. We caught quite a lot of fish, took a swim, built a nice bonfire, and made a lovely dinner. I crawled into my tent well after midnight, and everyone started yelling “Good night!” to each other. It almost felt like a scene from that sitcom, The Waltons. I turned off my little lantern, and it was the darkest dark I’ve ever experienced. I struggled to fall asleep that first night. I heard sniffling around my tent, twigs breaking, footsteps, and whispers. I knew it was all probably just wild animals or my friends getting up to go pee or have a smoke, but for a first-time camper it was still unnerving. The next morning, I could actually see the little pawprints of a jackal, and found a quill of a porcupine that had waddled through our campsite. That night we did the same thing. Everyone in their tents yelling “Good night!” at each other, and I fell asleep much easier. I woke up at around 3am to footsteps right outside my tent, some sniffling, and something pushing against the side of my tent. Figuring it was just the same as the previous night, I ignored it and went back to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I went out to see what little pawprints I could spot. I was horrified when I saw human footprints all around my tent. I asked if anyone was trying to prank me, telling them it wasn’t funny at all. I was met with concerned faces, and Johan said we should probably set up a perimeter alarm with some fishing line and empty cans. This is South Africa, after all, and we didn’t want to take chances with any uninvited guests. The day flew by, we had fun, we set up a perimeter alarm and tested it, then crawled into our tents. “Good night!”, Johan yelled. Everyone else started yelling in response, I laughed and relaxed, yelled my response, and then my body turned to ice. A deep voice whispered in my ear. “Good night…”

I screamed, ripped open the zipper, and ran out of my tent. Johan ran towards me with his flashlight and shone it into my tent, but it was completely empty. Then we heard the cans jingle and saw a small, crouched figure running off into the trees. I decided to sleep in one of the cars that night, and the guys took turns to stand watch. We were obviously not alone out there. The next morning we decided to cut our trip short and started packing up in silence. When the tents were empty, we were horrified to see muddy footprints inside every single tent. We never went camping on that side of the dam again, instead opting for the fenced-in, well-kept side with 24-hour security. 

**

That’s all for today. May the sun warm your face, and the moon light your way. Share your thoughts in the comments, and let’s get a conversation started.