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He Lost His Head

 

The year was 1999 and my ex husband and I were living in Missouri then. My boys were just babies then, 3 and 1. We had found a charming old farm house in the country and the rent was very affordable. It was a two bedroom home that was situated at the top of a hill and you had to drive up a long gravel drive way to get to it. On the property were several old farm buildings. One could tell that in it's day it was top of the line. I assumed by the metal awnings over the windows that it was a thriving farm in the 1940s or 50s. But we fell in love with it and settled right in. We didn't live there long, if I had to guess probably no more than 5-6 months.

In the beginning nothing seemed out of place and we were quite happy there. Although at night I would go and sit in the screened in sun porch that overlooked the old buildings and always felt like I was being watched. You could always hear noises coming from the property at night, but that's to be expected. Needless to say I would make my smoking trips limited. We had moved in around May or June and Halloween was just around the corner.

My ex husband and I were out in the yard with the kids and looking at the old original well that had been sealed shut and wondered why they quit using it. The owners had dug a new well and put a well house around it. I don't remember why we ended up standing in the well house, but there we were looking down into the well. I made a comment on how creepy it was and wondered how deep it went. As we're looking down into this black hole my ex husband says, "wait a minute I think I see something." With that he climbs in just a little and then after a few minutes, comes back out with something wooden. He hands it to me and I look it over. Because it was near Halloween I assumed that one of the previous occupants had made a halloween decoration. I decided it would be perfect out in the front yard and leaned it up against the fence. Not giving another thought. That is when it began.

I had noticed our oldest boy, who was 3 at the time start to detach from his brother. I would find him in different parts of the house playing by himself and talking to someone. I kindof wondered why he had quit playing with his brother, but didn't think too much about it. This went on for a little over a week's time.

One afternoon it was lunch time and I had called him into the kitchen to eat, he came in engaged in full conversation with no one. I asked him who he was talking to, now mind you he was 3 and his vocabulary was limited. He answers, my friend. I say oh that's nice buddy, is your friend nice and he replies with a nod. More curious I ask what does he look like, he then shrugs his shoulders and says he has no head. I will admit that I was caught off guard by this. Following this conversation I wouldn't allow him to play alone anymore and he had quit talking to this imaginary friend during the day and once again would play with his brother.

It went on like that for the next 2 or 3 days and I thought that perhaps whatever was going on had passed, that is until I woke up in the middle of the night to him (the 3 year old) crying and shaking me. I assumed he had a bad dream and carried him back to bed. When I would put him back into his bed he would just sit up and tell me he didn't want me to leave. I would sing him some songs and reassure him that it was only a dream. He would eventually lay back down and go to sleep. This had become a nightly ritual for about a week.

During this week in the day I decided to play a game of hide and seek with my boys as we did all the time. I stood in the hallway and counted to ten. In this hallway there was an odd cupboard that was the length of the hallway but only about 3 feet in height. As I was counting to ten I hear this cupboards doors open and naturally I think that the boys had chosen to hide there. So after reaching 10 I call out ready or not here I come and start heading towards this cupboard, which I noticed one of the doors was cracked open. Completely convinced that my kids were hiding in there I tip toe to it and swing open the doors with a BOO. To my surprise, they were not there! I found it a bit odd, but that is all. When I found the boys they had been hiding in the back of the house in the laundry room.

That night I awoke to my oldest boy screaming in his room. I rushed down the hall and into his room to find him sitting up in his bed shaking and crying, he seemed very upset. I asked him if he'd had a bad dream and he tells me no. I then ask him, why is he crying. He then points to a set of cupboards in his room. These cupboards went all the way up the wall but near the bottom there was one oddly sized cupboard, it was pretty small. Maybe big enough to fit a couple shoe boxes. The door was open and he was pointing at it. So I walk over and shut it. He still just sits there staring at it and crying. I ask him what's wrong with the cupboard, he tells me that's where his friend stays. I tell him that would be impossible since the cupboard was so small. He tells me his friend won't leave him alone. I ask him what does his friend want. What he said next sent chills down my spine. He tells me that his " friend " was searching for something. I ask him what his friend was searching for. He tells me, his head. This was pretty unsettling for me to think that my son was being troubled by such a thing at such a young age. I decided to become kindof aggressive with this friend and asked my son what his friends name was. He says George. So out loud in a very confrontational voice I say,'ok George I know you want to find your head but my son is only 3 and needs sleep, he cannot help you find it and you need to leave him alone or you will have to deal with me.' My son kindof laughed, I guess he thought it was funny watching his Mom yelling like that. I tucked him and told him that if George tried to bother him again to tell him to leave him alone. Which proved to be ineffective.

The nights to follow I would wake up to my son screaming in his room, only this time when I would enter his room he had hid his under his bed. He would not open his eyes until I picked him up and turned on the light. He claimed that George would not let him sleep and was mad. In order for all of us to get some sleep, I decided that moving the boys into my room was best. That seemed to work for the rest of the time that we lived there.

On one of the last days that we were there, we were out in the yard and the boys were playing as we had done so many times. I had forgotten about that wooden " gravestone " my ex husband had pulled out from the well previously, but here I was sitting on the porch and something urged me to really look at this piece of wood. I could see that there was writing on it that was faded and had noticed it when we found it, but I hadn't truly read the writing before just kind of glanced at it and put it in the yard for Halloween decor. Like I said I was just sitting there staring at it with the most overwhelming urge to go and read the writing, so that's what I did. As I began reading I felt my heart sink. The name carved into the wood was George, along with a last name and birth and death date. At the very bottom there was a passage that was mostly worn away making it impossible to read, however the last few words remained intact and it read;he cannot rest until he finds his head! I had my ex husband put that thing back where we found it.

We packed up our things, loaded it into the trailer and left that place as quickly as possible. Eventually my oldest boy quit having night terrors and things returned to normal. I had hoped that if it was never brought up he would forget it seeing as he was only 3 when it happened, but years later when he was about 13 or so he brought it up and had some questions. I was stunned that he could remember that.

About a year ago I wanted to see if anyone was living there so I looked it up on google earth and it is no longer there. I wonder if George ever found his head.

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The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Dar77, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

valkricry (49 stories) (3286 posts) mod
 
3 years ago (2021-09-02)
fromfactorytofactory,
I reread my comment and it does seem like I was inferring you did not know the difference. I'm so sorry! That was not my intention.
I often think auto-correct should be called auto-wrong. And it does indeed seem to have a mind of its own. πŸ˜‰
Don't be mistaken or mislead, I'm not saying I believe the story, nor calling out its OP. I'm just saying I know for a fact that some weird things have been writ on markers - even the wooden ones.
However there are somethings that just can't be over looked; like why would it have been ditched in a well? It's WOOD, if they -whomever they are- wanted rid of it why not burn it? And how would one know, when writing an epitaph, that poor old George couldn't rest until he found his head? That part really smacks of Halloween dΓ©cor (as well as being an overused trope). And - if it really was a grave marker, does that mean there's now an unmarked grave on the property?
fromfactorytofactory (guest)
+3
3 years ago (2021-09-02)
valkricry mod, my Autocorrect is often possessed by Keith Richards. I do in fact know the difference in epithet and epitaph.
This story is so made up it's embarrassing to read. I remember something very similar being posted in Reddit paranormal, but being taken down and reposted to no sleep (a scary short fiction board). Read into that what you will. It is amazing to me that any adult with reason could post this, or believe it.
Wood headstones ceased mostly after 1873, and few survive.
Funny tombstones or creepy aren't really comparable to this. And those would be set in granite or marble.
valkricry (49 stories) (3286 posts) mod
 
3 years ago (2021-09-01)
fromfactorytofactory, I think you mean epitaph which is written on a tombstone. An epithet is a nickname or a description of someone.
People do put some weird stuff on their headstones. Some are really funny. For instance a monument in the Tombstone, Ariz., Boot Hill Cemetery reads: "Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a forty-four. No Les. No Moore." Not too hard to imagine someone might mention a lost head.
Merv Griffin's says, "I will NOT be right back after this message."
I would like to know the dates on it though. Because they just don't use wood anymore. I think they stopped using them so much around 1873...
fromfactorytofactory (guest)
+2
3 years ago (2021-08-31)
This is as fake as the day is long. The description of the wooden marker pretty much cinched it as a made up story. You expected folks to actually believe, that a wooden marker exists with an epithet about never finding their decapitated head?
Dar77 (10 stories) (64 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-08-10)
Lady-glow πŸ˜† you are a woman after my own heart! And that is truly something to ponder on. Believe me while we were living IN the situation, my main focus was my son and getting out of there. But I myself have wondered many things about George and that piece of wood in the well. If you're ever traveling and wish to investigate the property further or deeper the address is 911 Baxter St. Neosho, Mo. It would be the property at the top of the hill πŸ˜‰ please do let me know if you find anymore answers 😁
Dar77 (10 stories) (64 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-08-10)
Luciajacinta, I am glad you enjoyed reading of our experience. As far as my writing seeming theatrical, it is my way of talking/writing. My children also take after me in this way. I quite enjoy it. You ask how my ex husband was able to climb down in the well and where he found the wood in the well... My life has been riddled with unbelievable and unexplainable things, just weird all together and my ex husband fell nothing short of this. He just kind of climbed down the rocks, in the dark & found this wood marker. I'm not here to try to make anyone believe me, I just simply enjoy sharing my experiences with others 😁
Dar77 (10 stories) (64 posts)
+1
5 years ago (2019-08-10)
Eerie69, it definitely was unsettling and something that will follow us for the rest of our lives! As for the wood we discovered, it looked pretty old. I wish I had more answers for you but I do not, however I have personally wondered these same things. The original property where we lived is either torn down or just sitting abandoned at the top of the hill. When you type 911 Baxter St. Neosho, Mo. All you get is a small newer little house they built at the bottom of the hill. I am curious if the house on the hill and the old farm buildings still remain.
Dar77 (10 stories) (64 posts)
+1
5 years ago (2019-08-10)
Unexplained, thank you & I am glad you enjoyed the read 😊 I have also wondered about George and wonder if anyone other than my family had to deal with him! As far as my boy explaining how George could verbalize whilst missing his head... The thought never crossed my mind. Perhaps his head was somewhere near by πŸ€” Not sure. I figured my son was already traumatized enough as it was [at] 3 that the less I discussed George, the better.
Dar77 (10 stories) (64 posts)
 
5 years ago (2019-08-10)
ErickYanez, I too truly hope that George was able to find his head! Considering that the property is no longer inhabited, I highly doubt it. I am glad you enjoyed reading of mine & my son's experience & appreciate your invitation, however I will have to decline. I am a humble woman and only wish to share our story here and with family and friends. You could say health and age keep me tied down. Thanks again!
lady-glow (16 stories) (3190 posts)
+1
5 years ago (2019-08-06)
I wonder if, somewhere else,there's another headstone with the inscription "George's head cannot rest until he finds his body".

What would be creepier to witness walking/rolling around - a headless body or a body-less head? πŸ€”
LuciaJacinta (8 stories) (291 posts)
+4
5 years ago (2019-08-06)
I really enjoyed this story. But, it seems a bit theatrical to me. I don't see how your husband could climb into the well. Were there steps? Or did he just hang on to the side? Also where did he retrieve the headstone from? Was it in well water? How could a wooden headstone not decompose in water or in general over time?

The inscription seems odd too. I believe a name and date but the part about losing his head is weird.

If this is all true... Pretty scary tale.
Eerie69 (5 stories) (19 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-07-27)
This is definitely scary! Feel sorry about what happened to your eldest son and happy for you guys that things just went back to normal after moving out.

Just a quick question, do you have any idea as to how old the piece of wood your ex husband got?

Or, do you think it has to do something with the old tenant there or perhaps the owner? Please shoot me an email for information.

Dingding111517 [at] gmail.com

I would highly appreciate it ❀
Unexplained (2 stories) (122 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-07-26)
Just one question. Did your son ever explain how 'George' was able to speak to your son while headless?
Unexplained (2 stories) (122 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-07-26)
Excellent story, well written and very atmospheric. I wonder what happened to 'George'?
ErickYanez (4 posts)
+4
5 years ago (2019-07-25)
Hi there!

Chilling story! Hopefully George has found his head already...


My name is Erick YÑñez, I'm a reporter from Mexico City. I work for a podcast produced by the WNYC (New York's Public Radio) called Spooked, which is also a spinoff from the award winning show 'Snap Judgement'. It's a show about paranormal experiences in the voices of the people who lived them. This is the link of the show:
Https://spookedpodcast.org

I'm wondering; would you be interested to chat with me via skype, hangouts or phone so I can get to know the details of the story and evaluate if it's a good fit for our third season?

Thanks in advance!

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