Hello, My name is Mike and I’ve been doing garden work for about 15 years. I have never had any abnormal jobs other than your typical creep who wants you to watch you trim the hedges. other than those types of jobs my 15-year career has been normal… until a week ago. I got a job from some rich executive who has a hobby for gardening and shrub art. He had a nice mansion not too far from Los Angeles. I usually work in the Bakersfield area but the pay for this job was too high to decline. it was only about an hour and a half drive so it was totally worth it.
I arrived at the house in front of these fancy silver gates. I walked over to the intercom and pushed the button to call inside. It was silent for a few seconds until a voice came from the other end.
“Hello There”
“Yeah, Hi. uh- I’m here for the gardening job”
“One moment”
A few seconds later the gate slowly opened.
“All of the equipment is in the little shed right of the main fountain ahead of you. the owner has left you a note on the table in there”
“Ok thank you”
I walked into the property and turned towards the shed. I crept open the old, wooden door and entered. Inside was a bunch of gardening equipment that I was to use for my Job. There was a little wooden table in the corner of the shed. On top was a note written on a piece of crumpled looseleaf. The note had an old coin resting on top of it. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Then I started to read the note.
“Hello
I am the homeowner, Mr. Glensworth. I have left you this note to make sure you do the finest job you can on my prized shrubbery. Before you get to work there are a few rules I need you to follow.
#1. Make sure the blades of the saws are fully secured before starting. I want very precise cuts. there should be no wiggle room for the blade to move.
Fair Enough…
#2. Never enter my house for any reason. I don’t care what the situation is. DO NOT ENTER! the only time you shall enter is if rule 10 applies.
Uhm… sure
#3. if an older, balding gentleman wearing a suit exits my home and tries to talk to you, IGNORE HIM. just continue with your duties and he will eventually wander off.
Strange…
#4. If you hear someone call your name, you didn’t. just ignore it.
Is this some sort of joke?
#5. at some point during your time here my dog will approach you. if his tail is wagging rub him on the head until he walks away. if his tail isn’t wagging drop everything you’re doing and leave. you will still be paid for your time. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REFUSE TO PET MY DOG. IT WILL BE ANGRY
This dude is a creep
#6. if a maid asks you if you would like anything to drink, decline. IT will try to poison you…
It?
#7. If you hear a screech coming from the forest get inside the shed as fast as possible, sit down on the floor and close your eyes stay in that position until a second screech is heard. It will get you if you do not.
What the F— is this guy talking about?!
#8. There’s a chance that a limo will enter my property. if this is to happen enter the back of the limo. try to remember the path you took. it will take you to a random location within a few miles of my home. once you get dropped off try to make your way back. if you get lost then the best thing for you to do is pray that your death is quick.
Death? this better be some not be some sick F—ing joke
#9. If a man approaches you claiming to be me then kill him. That is IT. Do not kill him if he says “Rule #9” that is the real me. It’s rare that the real me will be there so make sure.
I don’t like this…
#10. This rarely happens. in the case that all the staff comes running out of my home you need to enter. find a bathroom and look in the mirror.
#10a. if you see yourself then exit the home and continue your duties as normal.
#10b. If you see no reflection close the bathroom door and be completely silent. If IT enters the room do not react or move. IT may circle around you, Whatever the case do not react at all. it’ll eventually leave. once it leaves the bathroom look in the mirror again. repeat this process until you see yourself in the reflection.
This can’t be real, right?
I placed the note in my pocket and grabbed my gear. I headed out to the first shrub and started to work. about 10 minutes in I heard my name in the distance. I was about to look but I remembered rule #4. Horrified, I Continued to clean up the shrub. about an hour went by and nothing unusual happened. I was around 20% done with the job when I heard panting behind me. Suddenly a loud bark made me jump and yelp. I turned around and saw a golden retriever with a purple collar, his tail wagging steadily. I put the saw on the ground and started to pet the dog. 5 minutes passed and the dog didn’t move. After about 10 minutes he stood up and walked away. “Finally” I thought.
As I watched the dog happily trot away I saw an older, bald gentleman in a suit hastily walking in my direction. Fear washed over me. I quickly picked up the saw and got right back to work. I heard the sound of footsteps stop behind me. “Excuse me, sir”. His voice sounded like how you think a British Monarch would speak. He repeatedly spoke that phrase for about 7 minutes when he finally stopped. I heard him stroll away. Relief hastily washed over me. I continued to do my job. Some time passed without any event happening. “This has to be some TV prank right?” I thought. Just as this left my brain an elderly woman tapped me on the shoulder. It really spooked me. I quickly gazed towards her. Her wide smile was unsettling. “Would you like something to drink? a water maybe?”. Her voice was frail. I was really parched and could definitely go for water but I knew what would happen. “No, I’m ok. thanks though”.
She Turned around in a perfect 180, the smile never left her face. I was curious as to where she was gonna go so I watched as she walked away from me. When she got to the fountain I expected her to turn right and head into the home. But she never. She kept walking Straight, towards the woods. When she reached the edge of the property her head quickly flicked in my direction. she was now staring at me, Her smile now faded. I jumped and quickly turned around. I Took one or two deep breaths and look back. She was gone… as if she faded out of existence. Now I was really creeped out. I started to get back to work. At this point, I was about halfway done. I kept working knowing that every branch I cut got me closer to freedom from this hell.
As I finished a shrub I heard a loud screech come from the woods on the other side of the property. It was similar to an elk call but stayed at the same pitch for an extended period of time. I dropped the saw while it was still on and made a break for the shed. I slipped on the grass a few times before I reached the shed. I shut the doors, sat down, and closed my eyes. My heart was racing at a thousand miles. as I sat in the darkness I heard scratching at the door of the shed. Suddenly another screech blasted through the property. I heard something quickly shuffling away. I stood up and opened the shed door. For a split second In the distance near the woods, I saw a black blur fade away into the trees. I was frozen in place. after about 10 seconds I snapped out of it. I got back to work, my heart still racing.
I was almost done with my job when the roar of an engine blasted behind me. A limo slowly peeled into the property. I sighed. I dropped the hedge trimmers I was using and walked towards the limo. As I opened the door I peered up at the woods. Standing behind a tree was the maid I saw earlier, smiling again. I got spooked and practically jumped into the back seat. I shut the door. I felt the limo begin to move. I looked out the window as we did a U-turn. “Remember the path I take” repeated in my mind. The ride totaled about 10 minutes. I had a basic idea of the path we took. I started to walk back to the home. After about 30 minutes of walking, I saw the opened silver gates. I sigh of relief came out of me. This hell was almost over.
I could see the remaining shrubs in front of me. only about 10 more. I started to trim a shrub when I heard a door swing open. I looked behind me and saw all the staff run from the home, out into the woods. I quickly sprinted toward the front door and entered the house. I ran up the fancy staircase and started opening every door I could see. Finally, I came across a bathroom. I sprinted in and dazed into the mirror…
nothing…
There was no reflection. I slammed the door shut. I slowly backed up from the door and stayed still, being as silent as possible. after about 2 minutes The golden door knob started to twist. the door swung open with aggressiveness. Then I saw IT. It looked like a normal human. the only difference was it was completely naked, about 8 feet tall, and didn’t have any facial features. it was just smooth skin where there should be eyes, a nose, and a mouth. it crept into the bathroom slowly. My heart felt like it was gonna pop out. It started to get closer and closer until it stopped. Its face was about a foot from mine. I felt like crying but I knew that would be a death wish. It started to circle me slowly and steadily. it circled me about 5 times then it crept out into the hall, then down the stairs. I slowly turned around to face the mirror. As I peered over my shoulder I could see my own eyes wide open, staring back at me. The relief washed over me like a tsunami. I eventually exited the house and returned to my duties
The last shrub had one more branch to cut. I pushed the saw against it. I watched it fall to the ground. I unplugged the saw and watched the cord bounce on the damp grass. As I looked up towards the fountain I saw a man walking towards me. I froze in place. He came up to me and introduced himself as Mr. Glensworth. I was relieved to see him but then rule #9 phased into my memory.
“He didn’t say rule #9” I thought
I quickly picked up the hedge trimmers from my belt and shoved them into Its head. It didn’t bleed. it just fell to the ground like a ragdoll, still smiling. I stepped over its body and started to walk towards the fountain. I pulled out the note to make sure I didn’t forget anything. I went over the note and I thought it was done. That’s when I spotted a small arrow in the bottom right corner of the note. I flipped the note over. on the top line of the page there was one more rule.
#11. You must throw the coin that was on top of this note into the fountain before leaving. once thrown a taxi with no driver will pull up in front of the gates. get in the back seat and close your eyes, then count to ten. once the countdown ends open your eyes and you will be inside your own car. once this happens you are relieved of your duties.
I took the coin out of my pocket and stared at it. I threw it into the fountain water with a flick. Behind me, the sound of a car horn blasted through the street. I turned around and there, parked by the gate was a cab. I headed up to it and got in the back seat. I shut my eyes and started to count
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, …”
I paused, then said the final number.
“10!”
I waited another few seconds then I opened my eyes. I was pulled over on the side of the road inside my car. I peered over at my GPS. Just above the little car icon that showed my position read the words “Bakersfield”. I was home.
This happened about a week ago. I haven’t really been able to sleep. I can’t get the image of IT out of my mind. I’m writing this post because I need some closure. has anyone ever heard anything remotely close to this? I can’t find the mansion on google maps anywhere. Am I going crazy?! Did I dream all this?! Was I drugged?!?! I don’t know. But ill never forget what happened to me.