According to John Hyatt, a professor from Manchester Metropolitan University and director of the Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD), fairies do exist. For the past two years he has been taking pictures of them, which he claims are genuine and not altered in any way. In his own words:
     "It was a chock when I captured them, I did a double shot. Then I left and took some photos of flies and mosquitoes and they simply didn't look the same. People may decide for themselves what is it. The message for them is to approach the pictures with an open mind. I think it's one of those situations when you need to believe to see it. A bunch of people who saw the photos came to tell me that they brought a little more magic to their lives."
     So far, the pictures were posted in the social media and are causing quite a debate. They will also be exposed throughout spring in an exposition called "Rossendale Fairies" in the Whitaker Museum in Whitaker Park, Rossendale. The name is a tribute to the fairies of Cottingley story, where two Bradford students claimed they photographed fairies in their garden and, 60 years later, they confirmed it was a fraud.
      Hyatt, however, admitis that the cratures he photographed aren't like the characters of traditional stories.
     "Everything is stereotyped. Life grows everywhere. I don't believe they are just smaller versions of us who go to their houses to take a cup of tea in the end of the day. From my experience, they were just having fun and dancing in the sunlight. These are just beautiful images and beauty can make people believe."
     What about you? Do you think these fairies are for real? Tell me in the comments!

~Ally

     I'm not a huge fan of macabre curiosities, but this case got my attention and it's probably going to cause me a fair share of nightmares.
     The number of people who are born with deformities every year isn't so small as we tend to think, and siamese twins aren't so uncommon either, but Mordrake's case was something remarkably unique. His anomaly had something more about it, which Mordrake himself described as "demonic".
     Mordrake was a man who had everything to be happy: he was an heir to an important English noble title (which he never claimed), a very talented musician and a brilliant gentleman. But, in the back of his head there was another face. And if you think it was always still, think again. It could laugh and cry, and sometimes whisper, which disturbed poor Edward deeply. Some reports claim that it was very unconfortable to look at the demonic face: people said that the eyes seemed to express inteligence and anger, and that they also followed them slowly, as if studying those who looked upon it. Others say that the face sometimes showed a sarcastic smile, as if it wanted to show an occult hate. It was almost impossible to observe it for long.
     The man suffered deeply with confinement and solitude, and said it was impossible to live with that "demon". He often asked doctors to take the second face away, but they refused, since Edward would die in the surgery. He ended up killing himself at 23 years old, but no one knows certainly how (some say it was poisoning, others say it was a bullet in the middle of the demonic face). In his suicide note, he asked that the second face should be removed from his head before he was put to rest. This final request was attended and he was buried in a cheap earth grave without any headstone or sculpture, also according to his wishes.

~Ally

     Pretend for a moment that you are a millionaire - or, if you are, consider your current financial situation. Now imagine you came across an advertisement to buy an island called Poveglia, in Italy. Sounds good, right? But what if I told you that that's the most haunted island in the world? Would you buy it anyway?
     True story, dear readers. Turns out that the island of Poveglia is actually for sale and it's claimed to be very very haunted. Although it is in one of the most popular tourism locations in the world, between Venice and Lido in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, Poveglia rarely sees any visitors. This now uninhabited 17-acre piece of dry land was used in the past as a dumping ground for plague dying victims. And, not so long ago, it was home to a mental hospital run by a cruel doctor who performed lobotomies on patients with crude tools like hand drills, chisels, and hammers. Oh, yeah, and he later threw himself from the hospital tower after claiming he'd been driven mad by ghosts. Iaiks. No wonder it is said to be haunted by tens of thousands of tortured spirits!
     The island has remained closed to visitors in recent years with access strictly restricted by the Italian government, but now they are offering this macabre location (sometimes described as "island of madness" and "hell") for sale in a bid to reduce the country’s  public debt.
     Given its fame, the island has become a draw for supernatural investigators searching for signs of the rumoured spirits, the most famous of which is a plague victim called Little Maria, who it is claimed stands crying looking out across the lagoon towards her home.
     So far, it seems that the main plan for the decrepit building is to transform it into a luxury hotel, though a group of architects and planners have launched a campaign to buy the island in a bid to stop the further privatisation of the lagoon.

~Ally

      Cloudy-rainy days like today are simply perfect to stay at home and learn more about monsters and cryptids, don't you think?
     Today's subject is the Flatwoods Monster, also known as the Braxton County Monster or the Phantom of Flatwoods; an alleged unidentified extraterrestrial or cryptid reported to have been sighted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States on September 12, 1952. Stories of the creature are an example of a purported close encounter of the third kind (for those of you who didn't quite know what that means: a close encounter of the third kind is a UFO encounter in which an animated creature [humanoids, robots, and humans who seem to be occupants or pilots of a UFO] is present).
     There are various descriptions of the entity, but most people agree that it was at least 10 feet (3 m) tall and that it had a red face which appeared to glow from within, and a green body. Witnesses described the creature's head as having bulging, non-human eyes and as either being shaped like a heart, or as having a large heart shaped cowling behind it. The creature's body was described as being man-shaped and clad in a dark pleated skirt; later described as being green. Some accounts record that the creature had no visible arms, while others describe it as having short, stubby arms; ending in long, claw-like fingers, which protruded from the front of its body. Associated with the Flatwoods Monster it was described a large, pulsating, red ball of light that hovered above or rested upon the ground. Ufologists believe that it may have been a powered craft that was piloted by the entity.
     The encounter happened like this:
     At 7:15 PM on September 12, 1952, two brothers, Edward and Fred May, and their friend Tommy Hyer (ages 13, 12, and 10 respectively) witnessed a bright object cross the sky. The object appeared to come to rest on land belonging to local farmer G. Bailey Fisher. Upon witnessing the object, the boys went to the home of the May brothers' mother, Kathleen May, where they reported seeing a UFO crash land in the hills. From there, Mrs. May accompanied by the three boys, local children Neil Nunley (14) and Ronnie Shaver (10), and 17-year-old West Virginia National Guardsman Eugene 'Gene' Lemon, traveled to the Fisher farm in an effort to locate whatever it was that the boys had seen.
    Lemon's dog ran ahead out of sight and suddenly began barking, and moments later ran back to the group with its tail between its legs. After traveling about ¼ of a mile (400 m) the group reached the top of a hill, where they reportedly saw a large pulsating "ball of fire" about 50 feet (15 m) to their right. They also detected a pungent mist that made their eyes and noses burn. Lemon then noticed two small lights over to the left of the object, underneath a nearby oak tree and directed his flashlight towards them, revealing the creature, which was reported to have emitted a shrill hissing noise before gliding towards them, changing direction and then heading off towards the red light. At this point the group fled in panic.
    Upon returning home Mrs. May contacted local Sheriff Robert Carr, and Mr. A. Lee Stewert, co-owner of the Braxton Democrat, a local newspaper. Stewert conducted a number of interviews and returned to the site with Lemon later that night where he reported that "there was a sickening, burnt, metallic odor still prevailing". Sheriff Carr and his deputy Burnell Long searched the area separately, but reported finding no trace of the encounter.
    Early the next morning; on Saturday September 13, Mr. A Lee Stewart visited the site of the encounter for a second time and discovered two elongated tracks in the mud, as well as traces of a thick black liquid. He immediately reported them as being possible signs of a saucer landing based on the premise that the area had not been subjected to vehicle traffic for at least a year. It was later revealed that the tracks were likely to have been those of a 1942 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by local Max Lockard, who had gone to the site to look for the creature some hours prior to Stewert's discovery.
    After the event, Mr. William and Donna Smith, investigators associated with Civilian Saucer Investigation, LA, obtained a number of accounts from witnesses who claimed to have experienced a similar or related phenomena. These accounts included the story of a mother and her 21 year-old-daughter, who claimed to have encountered a creature with the same appearance and odor a week prior to the September 12 incident; the encounter reportedly affected the daughter so badly that she was confined to Clarksburg Hospital for three weeks. They also gathered a statement from the mother of Eugene Lemon, in which she said that, at the approximate time of the crash, her house had been violently shaken and her radio had cut out for 45 minutes, and a report from the director of the local Board of Education in which he claimed to have seen a flying saucer taking off at 6:30 on the morning of September 13 (the morning after the creature was sighted).
     Not long after encountering the creature, several members of the September 12 group reported being overcome with similar symptoms which persisted for some time, which they attributed to having been exposed to the mist emitted by the creature. The symptoms included irritation of the nose and swelling of the throat. Lemon suffered from vomiting and convulsions throughout the night, and had difficulties with his throat for several weeks afterward.
     A doctor who treated several of the witnesses is reported to have described their symptoms as being similar to victims of mustard gas, though such symptoms are also commonly found in sufferers of hysteria, which can be brought on by exposure to a traumatic or shocking event.
     What do you think it was? Check out the video above to get more information about this eerie story!

~Ally

     Thanks to the unbelievable heat that seems to be always present in the town I live, I always wonder if I should buy myself a hand fan or not. After I discovered that it was used as a sort of a secret language in the 18th century, however, things got a little more interesting! So, as I know you're probably wondering which sign meant what in those days, here is a quick list!
    As most of us know, in that period the hand fan was both utilitarian as well as decorative. There were many kinds of fans, from the extremely plain paddle fans made from paper or wood, to the most ornate made of the finest silk and adorned with fine embroidery or painting. A lady was never seen in public without her fan, for it was not only used as a device for cooling oneself, but also as a means of discrete and quiet communication, as I said. What is most interesting (and romantic!) about it, though, is that both men and women understood the "language of the fan" and used it to communicate some very private sentiments while in the midst of some very public places.
     Some of the most commonly understood fan gestures were:

• A fan placed near the heart: "You have won my love."
• A closed fan touching the right eye: "When may I be allowed to see you?"
  

• The number of sticks shown answered the question: "At what hour?"

• Threatening gestures with a closed fan: "Do not be so imprudent"

• Half-opened fan pressed to the lips: "You may kiss me."

• Hands clasped together holding an open fan: "Forgive me."

• Covering the left ear with an open fan: "Do not betray our secret."

• Hiding the eyes behind an open fan: "I love you."

• Shutting a fully-opened fan slowly: "I promise to marry you."

• Drawing the fan across the eyes: "I am sorry."

• Touching the finger to the tip of the fan: "I wish to speak with you."

• Letting the fan rest on the right cheek: "Yes."

• Letting the fan rest on the left cheek: "No."

• Opening and closing the fan several times: "You are cruel"

• Dropping the fan: "We will be friends."

• Fanning slowly: "I am married."

• Fanning quickly: "I am engaged."

• Putting the fan handle to the lips: "Kiss me."

• Opening a fan wide: "Wait for me."

• Placing the fan behind the head: "Do not forget me"

• Placing the fan behind the head with finger extended: "Goodbye."

• Fan in right hand in front of face: "Follow me."

• Fan in left hand in front of face: "I am desirous of your acquaintance."

• Fan held over left ear: "I wish to get rid of you."

• Drawing the fan across the forehead: "You have changed."

• Twirling the fan in the left hand: "We are being watched."

• Twirling the fan in the right hand: "I love another."

• Carrying the open fan in the right hand: "You are too willing."

• Carrying the open fan in the left hand: "Come and talk to me."

• Drawing the fan through the hand: "I hate you!"

• Drawing the fan across the cheek: "I love you!"

• Presenting the fan shut: "Do you love me?"

     Now excuse me while I get a fan and become the weird girl with the fan in the next party.

~Ally

     Ever wondered how body language can influence our lives? Check out this documentary and learn more about it and how you can use it in your favor!

~Ally

     Back when I was in fourth grade, there was a day when the teacher asked us to read about and learn Morse Code. As all the other kids in class, I quicly read it, memorized some of the signals and soon forgot everything. But, since you never know when aliens could suddenly attack Earth and cut out our communications ("Independence Day", anyone?), I thought it would be useful to remember how the hell to use it. So there you have it. o  - o  o - - -  - - -  -o - - !

~ o- o-oo o-oo -o--

     Not that canonic lores mention it, but if I had to choose a time to become a werewolf (yes, that's the kind of question that populate my mind every single day), it would have to be on the Blood Moon. This time, though, I wasn't so lucky, since the sky this morning was very clouded where I live. Plus, I don't know of any cases of lycantropy nearby, so the chances of stumbling upon a werewolf and getting bitten were so small I didn't feel like getting up in the middle of the night. It will have to wait until next time!
     Anyway, the phenomena known as Blood Moon or Red Moon is caused by a lunar eclipse - when the Earth stands between the Sun and the Moon -, and, before it disappears, the Moon's light turns red because of the sunlight being tinted by Earth's atmosphere before it hits it. It's a beautiful and yet somewhat terrifying spectacle. I mean, can you imagine what ancient people thought about it? Some people say the Blood Moon happens before important and sometimes tragic occurrences in the world... Guess we'll have to wait and see!

~Ally

     A mummy of an Egyptian woman dating back to 700 A.D. has been recently scanned and revealed a tattoo on her thigh that displays the name of the biblical archangel Michael! The discovery, announced by researchers at the British Museum, was made during a research project that used advanced medical scans, including Computed Tomography (CT) images, to examine Egyptian mummies at a number of hospitals in the United Kingdom last year.
    The woman’s body was wrapped in a woolen and linen cloth before burial, and her remains were mummified in the desert heat. As deciphered by curators, the tattoo on her thigh, written in ancient Greek, reads Μιχαήλ, transliterated as M-I-X-A-H-A, or Michael. Curators at the museum speculate that the tattoo was a symbol worn for religious and spiritual protection, though they declined to offer additional details.
    According to the researchers, “like Greeks and Romans across the Mediterranean, the portion of the population that was literate was fascinated by the shapes of letters and delighted in making designs with letters in names. Hence, we have the odd shape of the tattoo composed of the letters.”
    Placing the name of a powerful heavenly protector on one's body by a tattoo or amulet was very common in antiquity, they said. “Christian women who were pregnant often placed amulets with divine or angelic names on bands on their abdomens to insure a safe delivery of their child”. The researchers also claim that “placing the name on the inner thigh, as with this mummy, may have had some meaning for the hopes of childbirth or protection against sexual violation, as in ‘This body is claimed and protected.’ Michael is an obvious identity for a tattoo, as this is the most powerful of angels.”

~Ally

     While reading the book series "The Mortal Instruments", I stumbled upon the word "Nephilim", which in the books means the race of the Shadow Hunters - a mix of humans with the blood of an Angel. You can than imagine my surprise when I saw this word while I read about fallen Angels for yesterday's post!
     According to traditional religious belief, Nephilim can be considered the offspring of the "Sons of God" (the Angels) and the "Daughters of Men" (human women) before the Deluge according to Genesis 6:4. The name is also used in reference to giants who inhabited Canaan at the time of the Israelite conquest of Canaan according to Numbers 13:33. A similar biblical Hebrew word with different vowel-sounds is used in Ezekiel 32:27 to refer to dead Philistine warriors.
     This became a very complicated subject, and it can be analyzed through many angles: for example, the New American Bible draws a parallel to the Epistle of Jude and the statements set forth in Genesis, suggesting that the Epistle refers implicitly to the paternity of nephilim as heavenly beings who came to earth and had sexual intercourse with women. The footnotes of the Jerusalem Bible suggest that the Biblical author intended the nephilim to be an "anecdote of a superhuman race". Some Christian commentators have argued against this view, citing Jesus's statement that angels do not marry. Others believe that Jesus was only referring to angels in heaven.
     What about you? What do you think the Nephilim are? As for me, I think I'll continue with the Shadow Hunters view, at least until I gather more information about this subject!

~Ally