I Live In The Supernatural Capital Of The World... [Part 1]

I’ve been living my life in a city unlike any other. You haven’t heard about it. You can’t have. Its name is Ebanar and it’s located in the north of England, close to the border between it and Scotland. It’s a place where you wouldn’t expect to find a settlement of this scale, surrounded on all sides by pine tree forests with only three major roads leading in and out. If you were to come here for a visit, it would seem like a totally ordinary city.

That is until you went to leave.

You see, nobody can remember that Ebanar exists. If you are told about it, you’ll think it’s a joke. If you actually start to believe it, it’ll be wiped from your memory the second the conversation ends. If you stumble upon the city whilst out travelling, you will leave the area remembering it as nothing more than a forest. It isn’t on any traditional maps since cartographers can’t remember it. Digital maps? Satellites? Sure, in those cases you can see it, but once you look away it’s as if you never did. Have any of you ever watched Doctor Who? It has these alien creatures who you only remember when looking at them. Ebanar essentially functions the same way. Realistically it shouldn’t be possible. I mean, an accurate-in-scale city sitting in the middle of the United Kingdom? Surely somebody would remember that, right?

If that’s what you’re thinking right now, then you’d be wrong. Phenomena like this is why we’ve begun calling it the ‘Supernatural Capital of the World’. I won’t lie, the majority of you who read this won’t remember it. That’s just how the city works. Still, some of you won’t forget. Some of you will be able to remember what I’m saying. For this to happen, you need to have fulfilled one of two conditions.

The first of which is that you are born here. Naturally, that makes you a citizen of the city. You can freely leave and you will never forget it. Oh, feel free to tell the world about our secret metropolis. Go on the evening news and proclaim it to the nation. Make a YouTube video proving its existence. It will fall on deaf ears.

The second condition is that you have a blood relative who was born in the city. This can be an obvious relative like your parents, but it could also be a relative who you aren’t even aware of. It’s almost like you have a blood tie to the city itself. This is what I’m banking on. I need to get awareness about this city out to the masses and I’m hoping some of you fulfill this condition. If you remember all of this after you finish reading, this is the explanation.

Now that I’ve told you about the city, you might be wondering about me. Who the hell is this random guy claiming there’s a whole modern city that the world doesn’t know about? Well for starters, my name is Nick. I’m a twenty year old university student studying law. Can’t say I’m particularly interested in the subject, but my parents pushed me towards it so I figured I may as well try. I wasn’t born in the city, but my parents were. They moved back here pretty soon after having me as they thought it would offer me a more interesting life. They were right, but not in the way they had hoped. I live in an apartment complex with a few friends. It's nice knowing they’re chilling in the same building as me since it means I don’t have to go and roam the streets if I get bored of my own company. 

Anywhere else, the biggest threat on the street is getting mugged or being hit by a car. Here in Ebanar though, the dangers range from normal and mundane to very much not normal and mundane. You could still get mugged or run over, but you could also be turned to stone by the light of a streetlamp simply by walking under it. I don’t think anything like that has ever actually happened but my point is that it could. In the supernatural city, you never really know what might happen.

I want to share a few of my own experiences living in Ebanar. All of these happened recently. Like, within-the-last-week kind of recent. Now, I’m not just randomly deciding to share my experiences in the hopes that someone remembers. I could have done that years ago but didn’t see any point. No, I’m sharing them because it seems like weird events are happening more frequently. Most of them are harmless, but some of them are… Well, they’re scary. Some are scary in a ’creepy’ and ‘life-threatening’ kind of way. Others are scary in a ‘well-that-was-fucking-weird’ kinda way. It’s honestly reached the point where it's starting to affect my daily life. I could just leave, but once you’re tied to the paranormal it tends to follow you everywhere. Plus, I’ve already paid my tuition and there’s no escaping that.

Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll start with something small just to set the stage. Nothing crazy, just something that freaked me out while it was happening.

I start my day by taking a quick shower and getting changed before going into my kitchen for breakfast. My apartment isn’t huge but it comes with all the essentials. There’s enough space for me to live my life and I have a nice view of the building across from me. By ‘a nice view’, I mean I get to stare at a grey, unchanging wall with a couple of windows. Maybe people live there, but I’ve never seen the lights come on.

Anyway, breakfast. Students aren’t exactly known for their great diets and I’m no different. I usually just throw two slices of bread into my toaster and call it a day. It isn’t glamorous but it works. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it or something like that. Although, that’s the thing. My toaster was broken despite it working perfectly the day before. It fried the bread into charcoal in seconds. It looked as if I had tossed the bread into a pit of fire and left it there.

Obviously my toaster was trash. I threw it away, along with the lumps of coal that some might consider toast. After that, I went about my day. I went to classes with my friends, did some law work (if you could even call it that) and came home. That day was rough. When someone tells you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, take their word for it. Only when I got back to my apartment, the toaster was back.

What.

How the hell was it back? I threw it into the trash outside my apartment block. Someone must have picked it up and carried it up five flights of stairs, picked my lock and put it back where it was. But that’s outrageous; nobody in their right mind would do that. How would they even know which apartment the toaster was from? It isn’t like I had my name and address printed on the bottom of it.

I called up my friend, Sean. Unlike me, he was born in the city and was used to the weird shit that tended to happen. Sean lived two floors beneath me but he did actually know where I lived. It wasn’t out of the question that this was an attempt to prank me.

“Nick, I only spoke to you five minutes ago,” he answered.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just, you don’t know how to pick locks do you?”

For him to have gotten into my apartment, that was the only way he could have done it without leaving a mess behind. Well, he could have come in through the window but that somehow seemed much less likely considering I was on the fifth floor. Sean could very well be Spider-Man but I’m yet to prove it.

“Funny that you ask that.” My curiosity peaked. “I actually picked my own lock the other week. I locked myself out like a dumbass.”

“Yeah, you really are. You picked my lock just to bring back a broken toaster I threw out? How did you even know it was mine?”

He paused for a moment, but then he laughed. “Sorry, man. I wanted to see if you’d believe a spooky ghost had possessed your toaster or some shit like that.”

So it was him. The mystery had been solved. This devious little man had broken into my apartment all for this and I wasn’t going to have it. Only I was going to have it, since I soon found out that he wasn’t actually responsible. I threw the thing out once again.

The following morning, I went about my usual routine. I showered, got dressed and entered the kitchen. The toaster was back. It was sitting on my counter like nothing had even happened. Not only that, but it looked like it was slowly shifting along the counter towards my room. Seriously Sean, what the fuck? He was a good friend of mine, but breaking into my apartment twice is a bit much. Obviously I called him to ask him what his game was. It was still early, but I didn’t really care.

“You broke in again? What the hell, man?” I yelled the moment he answered my call. His voice sounded like I just woke him.

“H-Huh? I’ve got no clue what you’re on about.”

“The toaster is back. You picked my lock in the middle of the night and brought it up here.”

There was a long pause. He was probably collecting his thoughts, but at that moment I pictured him as a deer in headlights.

“It wasn’t even me the first time, mate. I was fucking with you.” he explained, making my eyes widen. “When could I have even broken in yesterday? We were together on campus the entire time.”

The worst part is that he was right. We really had been together the whole time.

“Look, maybe Emilia did it? She lives on the same floor as you so it’d make sense,” he suggested, as if he could sense my unease.

Emilia was another friend who was taking the same university course as us. This apartment block was an extremely popular choice among students due to its proximity to the campus, but it was pure luck that placed us on the same floor.

“Emilia? N-No, we were with her all day too. Besides she’s not really one for pranks. Or breaking and entering. That seems like more of your thing.”

He feigned offence. “Hey, just because I know how to lockpick doesn’t make me a criminal.”

My peace had been shattered. My only two friends who knew where I lived were not responsible. This meant that either someone I didn’t know was breaking in, or my toaster was possessed. To be honest, I wasn’t sure which was worse. On the one hand, somebody could have broken in last night and watched me sleep. On the other hand, my toaster might be actively attempting to move towards my bedroom so it can fry me like the toast I love to consume.

Fuck this.

I threw it out my window. You know, the only window I have which stares out at a boring grey wall? I watched it fall five stories down to the alley below, shattering into little blue pieces. I’m going to assume you’ve seen a few stories like this before? Ones where an item keeps coming back after being thrown away? I’m sure you’re expecting me to say that the toaster returned after being destroyed, but it didn’t. That would’ve been stupid.

It was destroyed and that was the end of it.

To this day I still have no explanation. Well, aside from blaming the city. That’s what people here use as an excuse when they can’t explain something. If something weird or creepy happens to you here, most people just shrug and say ‘it’s just one of those things’. That’s what Sean usually does, anyway.

I actually asked Emilia about it the next time I saw her. All she had to say was, “I wouldn’t have gone into your room even if it was unlocked,” which was nice of her.

Still, it freaks me out imagining what would have happened if I didn’t destroy it and kept throwing it out. Eventually it would have reached my room and I really don’t like the thought of an evil toaster frying my ass while I sleep.

So, that’s the first thing that happened to me in the last week and it’s by far the most tame. I will never forget the potential ass-frying I could have gotten but tragedy was averted here. This next one was much stranger and is honestly the main reason I’m writing this.

It was Saturday and I’d gone onto the campus to finish up some work. Usually, you wouldn’t catch me dead on campus during the weekend but we had a deadline looming. That’s the true horror of this story. Deadlines.

In all seriousness, I was there all day. By the time I was leaving it had already gotten dark. The law building was practically empty aside from a few other students who were presumably in the same situation as me, having left all of their work to the last minute. I know the feeling. I was ready to get the hell out of there since it was almost beginning to feel like a liminal space, all the other students seemingly going off to whatever classroom they needed to use. One student was still standing around by the entrance though. He was looking around at the buildings and flyers that were posted on the wall and I couldn’t tell whether he was simply lost or inspecting the place.

I began to approach him and that’s when I recognised who it was. It was Tom, one of the most respected students at the university. He’s considered to be a genius, even if he is a little eccentric. The guy dedicated his life to his studies in a way that’s almost admirable. I wouldn’t call us friends, but we have spoken on occasion thanks to Emilia knowing him. I think they went to the same highschool but I’m not certain on that.

“Uh, hey, Tom. You, uh, lost or something?” I asked. Tom was a bio-engineering student, so I wasn’t sure what he was doing standing in the law building entrance at almost midnight.

He turned to face me, a smile on his face. “Nick! Hey, buddy! What are you doing here?”

“My work. I’m a law student.”

“Right! I’m here for the same!”

“You’re here to do work? In the law building? As a bio-engineering student?”

“Yep. I sure am.”

I laughed. I didn’t know why he was looking around like a lost dog, but who was I to question what he was up to?

“Right. I’m guessing you’ll be here all night so I’ll get out of your way,” I said, beginning to make my way towards the exit.

That’s when he stopped me. “You know what, Nick? Let me walk you home. This city… It isn’t normal, you know?”

Oh trust me, pal. I know. It’s only been three days since the possessed toaster incident. For all I knew the spirit from the toaster could have transferred into Tom’s body.

“Uh, okay. Why not?”

In all seriousness, Tom wasn’t a bad guy. He was a little strange but he got things done. I’m not sure what exactly his course entails, even now. Bio-engineering isn’t exactly a common choice. It was kind of strange actually. The faculty never released his work. Typically when a student does something amazing, the university will release it so they can brag about their students. In Tom’s case, it was different. They kept that shit under lock and key.

We began walking. Once we left the campus grounds, I noticed that the streets were unusually quiet. Typically there’d be a few traffic jams blocking the streets, but tonight there was an even flow of cars. It was nice.

“Don’t you have work to do or something?” I asked.

“Don’t we all?” He answered. I shrugged. Touche, "Besides, I couldn’t leave someone like you to walk alone at this time.”

I turned to him, confused as to what he meant by that, “Someone like me?”

He smiled but kept his eyes forward, focused on the path ahead of him, “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure you got home safely. I think you’ve got a bright future ahead of you, Nick.”

I laughed, “I don’t know what the hell you’re on about, man.”

“We all do, really. The future is looking amazing for all of us.”

He looked up to the night sky as he said that. Like I said, eccentric. He stopped talking for a moment, just staring up to the stars as we walked in silence. Absolute silence. No, I mean it. There were no cars. No other people walking by. No birds.

Nothing.

I decided to break that silence.

“Um. What makes you say that?” I asked, his gaze returning to the path.

“Just being optimistic.” His smile slowly dropped, “Tell me, Nick, have you noticed that there haven’t been any cars for a few blocks?”

“U-Uh, yeah, I-”

He interrupted me, “Then keep your eyes forward and don’t look around.”

He spoke with a seriousness I had never heard from him. It was as if a flip had switched or a second personality had taken over. Fear struck me as if I knew deep down something was wrong, like I knew something would happen if I disobeyed and started looking around.

The silence was everywhere.

There was zero wind. The typical buzzing of the street lamps was absent. The quiet flowing you would hear beneath a manhole cover was muted. Our footsteps were so loud in contrast to everything else, sounding like bullets echoing across the empty streets.

It remained like this for a few streets. I could actually hear my own heart beating in my chest, a steady ‘thump-thump’, ‘thump-thump’. I knew we were nearing my apartment block and I honestly couldn’t take it anymore. Just as we were passing a park a few streets away from safety, I took a quick glance around. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t keep staring forward not knowing what’s around me.

I glanced to my right. The street was empty aside from some parked vehicles with no drivers. The buildings across the street had their lights on but nobody was inside.

I glanced to my left, past the iron fences and into the park. It was extremely dark and I couldn’t see shit, although I could see something else.

I think I saw a figure. No, I know I saw a figure. There was the silhouette of a man standing near a bench. I really couldn’t tell what he was wearing but it looked like a suit. Not a fancy suit, but a suit similar to what Agent 47 would wear. His face was completely obscured by the night but my gut told me he was watching us. He was the only person we’d seen in ten minutes, how could he not be looking at us?

I knew right then that I had seen something I shouldn’t have. I turned away and returned my eyes to the path, but the panic was overwhelming. That wasn’t all. Right before I looked away, I could have sworn there were multiple of them. I could have been wrong. It could have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but I swear I saw the outlines of other people standing alongside him.

It wasn’t just the figure that scared me though. What also unsettled me was how calm Tom was with the whole situation. He brought up the absence of cars like he had noticed ages ago but simply hadn’t cared to mention it. Not only that, but he knew exactly what to do as if he had experienced this exact scenario before.

Even after we had passed the park, the feeling of fear didn’t leave. If anything, it was getting more intense. My instincts were screaming to get out of there, but where the hell would I go? Should I hide in a dumpster? What am I even hiding from? Tom? The figure (or figures) in the park didn’t seem to be moving. Hell, they might not have even been figures. They could have been rocks for all I knew.

Just as the feeling of fear began to reach its peak, my apartment building came into view. There were a few people outside smoking. I have never been so relieved to see another person in my entire life. The second I saw them, the fear vanished and cars began driving by like nothing had ever happened.

Tom frowned. Did this guy enjoy the feeling of life-threatening fear or something? What a psychopath! I’m only joking. Although, his reaction was and is still confusing to me.

“Well, here we are. Home sweet home!” he exclaimed, talking as if our walk back from campus had been entirely uneventful.

“What, so we’re just not gonna talk about that?” I asked, stopping outside the entrance to the building.

He appeared confused, “Hm? What are you talking about?”

I hesitated. Why was he acting like he couldn’t remember it? This guy had some of the highest grades out of the whole student body. He was a literal super-genius. Unless he’d suddenly been hit by early onset dementia, he should have no problems remembering things.

“The-The cars disappearing, the pedestrians disappearing, the birds disappearing, everything fucking disappearing! You-”

His face dropped, staring at me with dead, threatening eyes. “What are you talking about?”

I went silent. What the fuck.

He patted me on the shoulder, gave a jovial smile, before walking off. “Have a good evening, buddy!” he called as he left.

What.

The fuck.

Seriously, I’ve never had anything like that happen to me here before now. Usually the supernatural shit only involves one person. This involved both me and Tom, with Tom seemingly knowing about it beforehand. No, perhaps he didn’t actually know about it beforehand and simply picked up on it quickly? 

And who the hell were those people in the park? Like I said, I could have just been seeing some big rocks in the dark and mistaking them for people, but I’ve walked past that park in the day many times and have never seen any large rocks in that area.

If any of you actually remember this after reading it, please let me know. Ebanar exists and weird shit is happening here. I’m sure those of you that can remember will have questions. I don’t blame you.

The stories I’ve written here only cover half of the last week. I’ve got more to tell, but it’s getting late. For now, I should really be getting ready for my classes tomorrow.