C is for curiosities that creep into legends.
CALVADOS CASTLE
This French fortress became the stage for serious poltergeist activity during the 1870s. A husband and father kept a meticulous diary, recording every detail of the ordeal his family endured. One entry describes a night visit that began at 2 a.m.: a being rushed up the stairs from the entrance hall to the first floor, along the passage, and up to the second floor, with a loud tread that felt inhuman. Everyone heard it. It sounded like two legs missing their feet, walking on stumps. Then loud blows echoed on the stairs and on the door of the green room. After a year of such disturbances and other haunting events, the family decided to leave the castle for good.
CAULD LAD OF HYLTON
In 1609, Lord Robert Hylton is said to have stabbed a stable boy with a pitchfork and disposed of the body in a pond. The boy’s ghost later haunted Hylton Castle, which is now deserted in England. The term cauld means cold, and the young man’s spirit was nicknamed the Cauld Lad because it cried that it was cold and needed warmth. Those living and working in the castle would enter rooms to find ashes from the fireplace still warm, moved to the floor and laid upon, leaving a visible outline of a body behind. The haunting persisted as a chilling reminder of unresolved tragedy within the ancient walls.
CH’IANG SHICH
In Chinese folklore, leaving a corpse unburied for any length of time is thought to invite evil spirits that may animate the body at night and hunt the living. When daylight returns, the spirits either depart or are trapped, and the body eventually ceases its movement. This belief reflects a deep concern with ritual clean lines between life and death, and the forces that resist proper burial.
CHUPACABRA
Accounts of the Chupacabra vary widely in appearance, with some describing a reptilian figure and others a hybrid between a large rat and a dog. Regardless of form, the creature is said to attack livestock and drain their blood. Reports of Chupacabra violence have emerged across North, Central, and South America. The creature remains elusive and is not recognized as a species by mainstream science, leading many to wonder if it represents an unidentified animal or something more extraordinary.
CRYPTOZOOLOGY
Crypto zoology is the study of beings whose existence has not yet been confirmed. This broad field includes entities such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Mothman, the Jersey Devil, and the Chupacabra, among others. Researchers in this area examine eyewitness accounts, folklore, and potential physical evidence to assess what might lie beyond established science, often inviting both skepticism and curiosity.