Robert the Doll

          Robert is a cursed doll that rests at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. The doll was first given to an artist named Robert Eugine Otto when he was a boy in the late 1800's and he named the doll Robert while he went by Gene. The doll was said to have terrorized Gene's family and eventually, after Gene grew up, terrorized his wife into insanity.
          In 1974, a woman named Myrtle Reuter purchased the Otto House. She kept Robert as a companion but eventually donated the do to the museum in 1994, saying that the doll was haunted. Visitors to the museum who want to take a picture of the doll must first ask Robert for permission. If they don't, or if they mock Robert in any way, shape, or form, Robert is said to lay a curse on them. It's not really worth the risk of possibly being cursed, right? So just to be on the safe side, if you visit Robert, respect the doll and remember to ask permission before taking it's picture.
          This topic is Educational because this just adds onto the list of reasons why I personally will never have any dolls in my home in the future. No Thank You. It is also Enlightening, and a bit frightening, about how really anything or anyone can become cursed.

Annabelle the Doll

          In case you have not heard of this famous story, or the movie based on this story, let me explain. At the Warrens Occult Museum rests a Raggedy Anne doll that is said to be cursed with a demon. The doll was purchased from a hobby store as a present to a young woman named Donna. Upon receiving the doll, she adored it, not knowing the horrors to come. During the weeks after receiving the doll, Donna and her roommate noticed the doll changing positions and moving to different rooms on its own.
          A seance was held, and the identity of the spirit controlling the doll said it's name was Annabelle Higgins, a little girl ho died on the property. But the spirit lied. It was a demon who continued to torment the roommates until they finally had professional help with performing exorcisms. The doll was taken away as well and now rests at the Museum, in a special made case which is forbidden from being opened by anyone. (The full story can be read at http://www.warrens.net/Annabelle.html ).
          This story could be considered Emotional because it can cause fear of knowing that paranormal incidents actually happen. It could also be considered Entertainment because of the horror film that was based on the true story.

Satan's Hollow

          Down in Blue Ash, Ohio, rests a supposed gateway to hell named Satan's Hollow. This is a dark place of paranormal activity. The old, graffiti covered storm drain used to be a meeting place for a satanic group to meet and conduct different kinds of dark rituals. The local legend says that the group somehow managed to open a doorway to hell.
          Many odd sights and sounds have been reported about the location. Screams at night have been heard and different figures have been seen. The most common appearance is known at the Shadow Man. The Shadow Man looks exactly how it sounds. It is a humanoid figure but is all black. The Shadow Man is said to be a demon that guards the small, graffiti'ed tunnels of Satan's Hollow.
          Paranormal investigations have been conducted in these tunnels. You can view on YouTube some footage that was taken inside the tunnels by "Believe" A Paranormal Experience ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLoE0n5iu3g ). There is also more information at https://creepycincinnati.com/2011/11/10/satans-hollow/ .
          This topic is Educating and Enlightening because it's not often that we run across something as strange as a supposed gateway to hell, especially not one that is so local.

Hoia Baciu Forest

          The Hoia Baciu Forest (pronounced hoya bachu) is located in Romania. This forest is considered one of the most haunted forests in the world and is often referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of Romania. Many strange reports about this forest have been filed from ghosts appearing in photos, to UFO sightings, to local lore saying that the devil himself lives in the forest. 

          Skeptics might say the accounts are bogus, but others beg to differ. People brave enough to enter this forest claim to have high anxiety levels, dizziness, scratches, and unexplained burns. Witnesses have also reported strange balls of light, oddly warped trees (some appearing like fish hooks at the base of the trunk, also with unexplained char marks on them), and unsettling voices and giggles coming from nowhere.

          This forest is a paranormal high ground. If you want to read more stories, here is the link where I got the information: https://hoiabaciuforest.com/

          This forest Evokes Emotion because reading about it made me feel uneasy but also intrigued to want to visit this location. The stories about this forest are becoming more and more popular around the world.

Dehli Purple Sapphire

          The Dehli Purple Sapphire is a stone from India that is supposedly cursed. The stone itself is also not sapphire at all; it is amethyst. The stone wad found in the Temple of Indra in 1857 by British explorers during the Indian Mutiny.
          Indra is the Hindu god of War and it is said that a curse was placed on the stone when it was removed from the temple. The explorer who removed the stone had terrible luck along with his family, supposedly because of the gem. Every owner who has had possession of the gem has also had terrible luck.
          This gem is Enlightening because of the knowledge that is learned about the gem itself and some of the Hindu culture.

SCP Foundation

          The SCP (Secure. Contain. Protect.) Foundation first came about in 2007. It is made up of many researchers, agents, and doctors.The foundation's job is to locate and record various and unnatural creatures and objects, which they refer to as SCPs. The most famously known creature within this foundation is SCP173. This SCP is also nicknamed "The Sculpture" because of its appearance. It is a humanoid statue supposedly made of rebar and concrete. It has short limbs, a bloody face, and bizarre green, circular eyes. This SCP, if visited, requires a minimum of three people in its cage at one time because there must be constant gaze locked on it at all times. If all eye contact is broken, this SCP moves at lightning fast speed towards the living subjects and kills them.
          There are hundreds more SCP's that are just as dangerous including a lizard like creature, the size of a human, with sharp claws and razor teeth that draws it's next prey close by mocking the voice of it's previous victim. This particular creepypasta has resulted in a game about the foundation called SCP Containment Breach. There are videos of different gamers playing the horror game on YouTube if you are interested, but I warn you: do not watch it at night.
          I felt that this story, or creepypasta, was Entertaining. I myself got too scared playing the game myself but I enjoyed watching others play it. It gives a horror movie feeling because you never know when the next jumpscare is coming.

Anna Baker's Wedding Dress

          In Blair County, Pennsylvania, stands the Baker Mansion. It may seem fancy on the exterior, but within the walls of the mansion holds something sinister. In the mid 1800's lived a woman named, you guessed it, Anna Baker. She was born into a wealthy family but met a lower class iron worker. The two fell in love and planned a wedding in secret. After she had bought her dress, however, her father found out about the relationship. Upon learning of the relationship he grew furious and forbade the wedding from ever taking place.
          After that, Anna refused to marry any possible higher class suitors that her father introduced her to. She became very angry and bitter for the rest of her days until she died in 1914. Her dress now hangs in her old room and is occasionally seen moving behind the glass. Which wouldn't seem to be odd, except for the fact that it is in an air-tight case. It is said that the dress moving is a result of Anna's spirit dancing her wedding dance that she was never able to have.
          This story was Educational because of the history of the Baker Mansion. It informed me of a mansion that I have not yet heard of.