Rare Diseases : Dercum's Disease

Dercum's Disease

Dercum’s disease is an extremely rare disorder characterized by multiple, painful growths consisting of fatty tissue (lipomas). These growths mainly occur on the trunk, the upper arms and upper legs and are found just below the skin (subcutaneously). Pain associated with Dercum’s disease can often be severe. Pain may be caused by these growths pressing on nearby nerves. Dercum’s disease mainly occurs in adults and more women are affected than men. In some cases, affected individuals may also experience weight gain, depression, lethargy, and/or confusion. The exact cause of Dercum’s disease is unknown.

Symptoms of Dercum syndrome


The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Dercum syndrome includes the 8 symptoms listed below: 

• Painful skin lumps 
• Asthenia 
• Headache 
• Absence of menstruation 
• Bruises 
• Reduced sweating 
• Reduced skin sensitivity 
• Fatty skin lumps

What causes Dercum disease?

The understanding of the cause and mechanism of Dercum disease remains unknown. The origin of the pain is obscure, and the disease is better known as a description of its symptoms rather than as a physiologic or metabolic process. The fatty deposits (lipomas) cause nerve compression and result in weakness and pain.

Some cases reported in the literature have suggested possible causes for Dercum disease, such as the use of corticosteroids, a disturbance of endocrine function, or a genetic cause since it seems to run in some families. Some researchers have suggested that Dercum disease is an autoimmune disorder (a condition that occurs when the body's immune system attacks normal, healthy body tissue). However, no single cause has been pinpointed.

What do we know about heredity and Dercum disease?

Dercum disease has been reported to occur in families, and in some of these cases it seems to be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait (this means that one out of a person's two copies of the gene, inherited from one parent, is altered). However, most reported cases of this condition are sporadic (the only case to occur in the family).

What is the treatment for Dercum disease?

There is no "cure" for Dercum disease. At the present time, treatment for this condition is symptomatic, meaning that it focuses on one symptom at a time rather than the whole condition. Depending on the person, options can include weight reduction, surgery for the most painful lipomas, and medications to control pain. Liposuction has been used in some cases.

Sources : 
http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/rare/10-rare-diseases3.htm
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/d/dercum_syndrome/symptoms.htm
http://www.genome.gov/17516629

Rare Diseases : Paraneoplastic Neurologic Syndromes (PNS)

 Paraneoplastic Neurologic Syndromes (PNS)

Paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes (PNS) are a group of conditions that affect the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves and/or muscles) in patients with cancer. The term "paraneoplastic" means that the neurological syndrome is not caused by the tumor itself, but by the immunological reactions that the tumor produces. It is believed that the body’s normal immunological system interprets the tumor as an invasion. When this occurs, the immunological system mounts an immune response, utilizing antibodies and lymphocytes to fight the tumor. The end result is that the patient’s own immune system can cause collateral damage to the nervous system, which can sometimes be severe. In many patients, the immune response can cause nervous system damage that far exceeds the damage done to the tumor. The effects of PNS can remit entirely, although there can also be permanent effects.

Epidemiology

PNS are rare diseases occurring in less than about 0.01% of patients with cancer. Only the Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome is relatively frequent, occurring in about 1% of patients with small-cell lung cancer  

Classes : 

* Endocrine - can be related to : 

                          > Cushing`s Syndrome

                          > Syndrome of Inappropriate Anti-Diuretic Hormone

                          > Hypercalcemia

                          > Hypoglycemia

                          > Carcinoid Hormone

                          > Polycythemia 

                          > Hyperaldosteronism 

* Neurological - can be related to :

                    > Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS)
                    > Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration
                    > Encephalomyelitis
                    > Limbic encephalitis
                    > Brainstem encephalitis
                    >Paraneoplastic Opsoclonus (involving eye movement)-Myoclonus
                    > Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
                    > Polymyositis

Diagnosis and management

PNS may affect any part of the central and peripheral nervous system, the neuromuscular junction and muscle. They can be isolated or occur in association. An important point to keep in mind is that none of these disorders are specifically paraneoplastic, as each disorder can also occur in patients without cancer. The incidence of malignancy in patients with potential PNS varies depending on the disorder and ranging from 5 to 60%. In almost 80% of patients, the PNS antedates the diagnosis of cancer by several months to several years. Most tumors are diagnosed within 4–6 months. It is accepted that the risk of cancer development decreases significantly two years after diagnosing PNS and becomes very low after four years. All these data explain why it is often difficult to recognize a given neurological disorder as paraneoplastic.

Treatment

The different subtypes of PNS are defined by the presence or the absence of paraneoplastic antibodies and the type of antibodies. Management and treatment should be tailored to each subtype. For example, patients with SCLC and PCA have different course of the neurological disorder, response to treatment, tumor prognosis and cause of death, according to the presence or the absence of Hu-Ab. Patients with Ma2-Ab generally develop limbic and brainstem encephalitis with testis tumors, but patients with Ma2-Ab and additional antibodies directed against other Ma proteins develop additional cerebellar symptoms and have tumors other than testis neoplasms. The mean survival time for patients with SCLC and CV2-Ab is 2.5 times longer than for patients with the same cancer, similar neurological symptoms and Hu-Ab. All these data suggest that the type of the immunological stimulation against the tumor can determine a specific course of the neurological disorder and give information of whether the immunological response against the tumor is more or less effective.

However, PNS rarely improves with immunomodulatory treatment as in the majority of cases the neurological symptoms are due to neuronal damage. The early and non-reversible destruction of neural structures by the inflammatory process accounts for both the severity of most PNS and for the usual ineffectiveness of immunomodulatory treatments. The best chance of at least stabilizing the syndrome is to induce a complete response of the tumor. Although immunotherapy is rarely effective, the use of intravenous immunoglobulins, steroids or plasmapheresis is indicated because a few patients have been reported to improve with these treatments. Patients with Tr-Ab and Ma2-Ab and testicular cancer are more likely to improve than those with other antibodies.

Sources : 

http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/rare/10-rare-diseases2.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2011/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Nervous+system+paraneoplastic+syndromes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1868710/

Rare Diseases : Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a neurological disorder characterized by destruction of the myelin, an oily substance that helps protect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, also known as central nervous system (CNS) white matter. It is caused by a virus called JC virus (JCV), named after the initials of the patient in whom it was first discovered. The virus is widespread, found in at least 85% of the general adult population. It remains inactive in healthy individuals and causes disease only when the immune system has been severely weakened, such as in people with HIV/AIDS, or hematological malignancies, and in organ transplant recipients who receive immuno- suppressant medications to avoid rejection of the transplanted organ. Altogether, PML occurs in approximately one in 200,000 people.

The term "progressive" in PML means that the disease continues to get worse and often leads to serious brain damage. The term "multifocal" means that JCV causes disease in multiple parts of the brain. However, it is possible for an individual with PML to have only one brain lesion instead of several lesions. The term "leukoencephalopathy" means that the disease affects mainly the white matter of the brain or myelin, although there are some rare cases in which the gray matter neurons is also involved.

Is there any treatment?

Currently, the best available therapy is reversal of the immune-deficient state, since there are no effective drugs that block virus infection without toxicity.  Reversal may be achieved by using plasma exchange to accelerate the removal of the therapeutic agents that put patients at risk for PML.  In the case of HIV-associated PML, immediately beginning anti-retroviral therapy will benefit most individuals.  Several new drugs that laboratory tests found effective against infection are being used in PML patients with special permission of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Hexadecyloxypropyl-Cidofovir (CMX001) is currently being studied as a treatment option for JVC because of its ability to suppress JVC by inhibiting viral DNA replication.  

What is the prognosis?

In general, PML has a mortality rate of 30-50 percent in the first few months following diagnosis but depends on the severity of the underlying disease and treatment received.  Those who survive PML can be left with severe neurological disabilities.

What research is being done?

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and other institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conduct research related to PML in laboratories at the NIH, and support additional research through grants to majorresearch institutions across the country.  Much of this research focuses on finding better ways to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure disorders such as PML.

Sources : 

Annals of Neurology (Author[s]: Mateen, F. J.; Muralidharan, R.; Carone, M.; Van De Beek, D.; Harrison, D. M.; Aksamit, A. J.; Gould, M. S.; Clifford, D. B. et al)

http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/rare/10-rare-diseases1.htm
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pml/pml.htm

Wedding Bells (a poem)

Wedding Bells 

She greets me with a sweet smile
a typical girl I knew away from some miles

A usual conversion I knew that would end
but in this time all I know is that this won't ever mend

Just like a star that fallen down from the sky
I know my dreams for her and me are too high

Instead of giving up in this tiring love
I go on and tried to risk all that I have

For her who was my blanket when I'm cold
now she's just a story that was never told

I just wish that she'd still look back and kiss me
cause she don't know how I miss the times were teasing

And now that she love somebody else
it hurts that soon I'll be hearing weeding bells

Cause now it hurts so much inside
the tears and pain that I can't hide

If all I can do is pretending
then it's easy to say her love for me is never ending

Maybe it was just not fate
but this heart of mine will still wait

Pain is inevitable I know
but these feelings for her I won't be tired to show

And now were on our separate ways
I'd still be here up to the end of days.

------

Originally sent to me by my ex-boyfriend, after the breakup, though I am not married yet. Too much drama, right. XD

Disclaimer : He may got this from another source, but I wasn`t aware. No copyright intended. 

Other Side

While brushing your teeth in the evening, you catch a glimpse of your wall mirror, covered in fingerprints. 

Annoyed, you grab a towel and rub at them. 

They remain. 

Upon closer inspection...

...you realize that they seem to be on the other side of the glass..

What is the illuminati?

Introduction

Many people request us what is the illuminati, their members and what they do, because most teens in this modern times use the word as some sort of magical groups controlling the world which includes all popular people (LOL). That's why we decided to write this article, to end the confusion of the real meaning of the Illuminati.

History

The Illuminati (plural of Latin illuminatus, "enlightened") is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, anEnlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776 to oppose superstition, prejudice, religious influence over public life, abuses of state power, and to support women's education and gender equality.

In subsequent use, "Illuminati" refers to various organizations claiming or purported to have unsubstantiated links to the original Bavarian Illuminati or similar secret societies, and often alleged to conspire to control world affairs by masterminding events and planting agents ingovernment and corporations to establish a New World Order and gain further political power and influence. Central to some of the most widely known and elaborate conspiracy theories, the Illuminati have been depicted as lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings and levers of power in dozens of novels, movies, television shows, comics, video games, and music videos.

Illuminati of Bravia

Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati of Bavaria on May 1, 1776 on the principles of his early training as a Jesuit. Originally called the Order of the Perfectibilists, "its professed object was, by the mutual assistance of its members, to attain the highest possible degree of morality and virtue, and to lay the foundation for the reformation of the world by the association of good men to oppose the progress of moral evil."

Illuminati Conspiracy

In the late 18th century, reactionary conspiracy theorists, such as Scottish physicist John Robison and French Jesuit priest Augustin Barruel, began speculating that the Illuminati survived their suppression and became the masterminds behind the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

During the interwar period of the 20th century, fascist propagandists, such as British revisionist historian Nesta Helen Webster and American socialite Edith Starr Miller, not only popularized the myth of an Illuminati conspiracy but claimed that it was a subversive secret society which serves the Jewish elites that supposedly propped up both finance capitalism and Soviet communism in order to divide and rule the world.

Freemasons

Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest secular fraternal organizations, which arose in late 16th- to early 17th-century Britain. Over the years a number of allegations and conspiracy theories have been directed towards Freemasonry, including the allegation that Freemasons have a hidden political agenda and are conspiring to bring about a New World Order, a world government organized according to Masonic principles and/or governed only by Freemasons

The esoteric nature of Masonic symbolism and rites led to Freemasons being first accused of secretly practicing Satanism in the late 18th century. The original allegation of a conspiracy within Freemasonry to subvert religions and governments in order to take over the world traces back to Scottish author John Robison, whose reactionary conspiracy theories crossed the Atlantic, and during the 19th century influenced outbreaks of Protestant anti-Masonry in the United States. In the 1890s, French writer Léo Taxil wrote a series of pamphlets and books, denouncing Freemasonry, charging their lodges with worshiping Lucifer as the Supreme Being. Despite the fact that Taxil admitted that his claims were all a hoax, they were and are believed and repeated by numerous conspiracy theorists, and had a huge influence on subsequent anti-Masonic claims about Freemasonry.

Real Members of the Illuminati

Adam Weishaupt (Professor)
Adolf Von Knigge (Baron)
Xavier von Zwack (Lawyer, Judge and Electoral Councillor)
Christoph Friedrich Nikolai (Bookseller)
Westenrieder (Professor)
Hertel (Canon)
Thomas Maria de Bassus (Baron)
Johann Simon Mayr (Composer)
Dietrich (Mayor of Strasbourg)
Johann J. C. Bode (Privy Councillor)
William Bon Buche (Baron)
Saint Germain de Constanzo (Compte De Marquis)
Ferdinand of Brunswick (Duke)
Ernst of Gotha (Duke)
Johann W. Goathe (Author)

The list above is just the short list, there are 67 names published 10 of them are professors, 13 nobles, 7 were in Church and 3 lawyers, the rest are government officials, merchants and military officers.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)#Illuminati
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/stauffer.html
http://www.cephasministry.com/history_of_masonry_3.html
http://illuminati-order.com/
http://www.illuminati-order.org/index2.html
New England and Bavarian Illuminati (Author: Vernon Stauffer)
http://www.publiceye.org/apocalyptic/Dances_with_Devils_TOC.html
As it true what they say about freemasonry? (Author: Arturo De Hoyos)
http://www.webcitation.org/5w47O6KyR

Fireworks

Author: Tyrion Lannister

Date: December 21, 2012

In a few hours, the year would end. Not that I have a particular attachment to it. To be honest, I don’t really care.

Everywhere I look, there are kids that light firecrackers. Most of them don’t even know that they could lose several, if not all, of their fingers with just one miscalculation. But perhaps, they’re not that different from me. Ignorant. Naïve.

I found myself climbing the stairs of the overpass we used to frequent. Remember when I told you that I like climbing high places? This piece of concrete supported by a few pillars over the avenue near your place and decorated with green paint, stuck bubble gums, and broken liquor bottles, provide the best view of the sunset as well as the passing cars and people from down below. And at night, the hazy street lights give out a gloomy glow, illuminating what’s left of the day that passed. Somehow, it replicates the night I finally set everything straight and confessed my feelings to you.

Hmmm.

Do you remember when I told you about the origin of love? I know you never really liked reading stories and all, but I was happy that you listened, even if my storytelling was not as romantic as I intended it to be. Aristophanes, from Plato’s Symposium, set the story in the ancient times, when there were still three races: the children of the sun, who were like two males glued back to back; the children of the earth, who were like two conjoined females; and the children of the moon, who were a male and a female.

They were powerful creatures, as they could see all around them. They started to scale the heavens and set war against the gods. But Zeus, who doesn’t want to kill them and deprive himself of worship and offerings, launched his thunderbolts and cut them in half, separating them into two. Apollo then stitched the wound, but left a bit, the navel, which didn’t heal, in order to remind them of their treachery. They were then scattered around the earth, with a feeling of emptiness, until they find their other half.

When they finally find their other half, they become whole again. We call it love.

A few years ago, I found you. And I felt whole. People say it’s not like the movies. But for me, the wind singing a melody, the slow motion movements of the world around us, and the nervous beating of my heart when I see you, are all true. I was finally able to write again, with you as my muse.

We were able to get closer together. Even if we were studying in different universities, we would go home together and pass by the same dirty green overpass. Before we sleep, we would exchange text messages that, now that I think about it, perhaps I misunderstood. I found myself falling for you.

But everything changed when I finally confessed my feelings for you. I’m never really good at spoken words. I even rehearsed it a thousand times. I’m pretty sure I did a good job. And yet, your words pierced my soul whose very existence I doubt until that day. All of them, the wind singing a melody, the slow motion of the world, were taken away.

“There’s someone better than you.”

Emptiness.

I hated every waking hour for the reason that I was awake. All day I would stare in front of my laptop, hoping that my fingers would move, and waiting for words that would never come out. At night, I would stare at the oblivion that is the ceiling of my room, wasted by scattered bottles of beer and vodka, and intoxicated by the memory of who we were and what we could have been. I would sleep, with the thought that I could never be enough to replace your whoever.

Then I wake up again and curse myself, curse the scattered yellow papers and liquor bottles, curse my incompetence, curse the cobwebbed ceiling, and curse the world and my very existence.

The noise, the firecrackers, and the trumpets blown by the kids brought me up in this place. I look up at the sky and saw the orange glow of smoke and city lights. Every now and then, fireworks would envelope the night—sudden bursts of light that luminesce for only a fraction of a second, and fall into the darkness.

Perhaps Aristophanes was wrong in his metaphor on how love works. There are times when love makes you feel empty, even when you finally found your other half. Perhaps love is more similar to fireworks in the sky. They would radiate and light up the sky for a little time, and then they disappear into oblivion.

I found myself climbing the railing of the overpass. It wasn’t a particularly cold December 31, but I was high enough to feel the wind brush against my cheeks. Remember when I told you that I like climbing high places? It makes me feel superior, being above the cars and people passing by. It’s just sad that I couldn’t see the sun set from this overpass again. But I guess I’ll just settle for this night, amidst the hazy streetlights and the fireworks that you love, the only witnesses of my confession.

Do I have some final words? I don’t know. I love you.

I’m falling.

Hmmm.

 

And I thought my life would flash ahead of me before I die. But the only thing I see is your face. Your smile frozen in time as we sat over the freshly-mown grass of the amphitheater.

I’m falling.

Into the darkness.

Into oblivion.

Dysphoria

In the dark past before history began, humanity learned to fear. Huddled in the darkness on the plains of Africa, our earliest ancestors listened as lions stalked through the night around them. Deep in the caves of Europe, later men kept watch around their fires in the snowy winter, telling stories of horrors living hidden in the gloom outside. In the Middle East, just as the Sumerians began to scratch cuneiform on stone tablets, farmers sacrificed their livestock to demons they believed lived in the desert. 

Over time, we’ve learned to control our fears. To take them down to size. The lions in Africa were held back by fences of barbed plants, then hunted down with guns to near extinction. The horrors in the snowy winter of Europe were cast aside by the retreat of the glaciers and by the flaming torch of human progress. The demons living in the sand lost their sacrifices as time went forward.

In the twenty first century, we have the internet, we have half-mile high buildings, we have networks of roads spanning continents and air traffic going around the world. We look to horror stories, thrill rides, and late night television gore-fests to satisfy our psychological need for fear here in the western world. It’s almost like fear is a toy for us now; we only know true fear a few times in our adult lives.

But all of those terrifying stories our ancestors told around fires? All of the things they saw when they looked out into the blizzards of the ancient past? They aren’t gone. Where the lights don’t reach, where the shadows dominate, they still live. They crawl in their eternal crypts, dreaming horrible, dark dreams as the ages pass them by. Outside of the range of cell phones, away from all the commercial flight paths and shipping lanes, where no one can see, they build their kingdoms. Underground, they feast on whatever crawls by them. Nightmarish masses of twisted flesh and muscle, dark even against the darkness, they wait...

...because one day, the lights are going to go out again, and they aren’t ever going to come back on.

Genetic Memory

Many classic horror icons, such as Giger’s xenomorphs, Silent Hill’s Pyramid Head, and other disturbing creatures, share common characteristics. Pale skin, dark, sunken eyes, elongated faces, sharp teeth, and the like. These images inspire horror and revulsion in many, and with good reason. The characteristics shared by these faces are imprinted in the human mind.

Many things frighten humans instinctively. The fear is natural, and does not need to be reinforced in order to terrify. The fears are species-wide, stemming from dark times in the past when lightning could mean the burning of your tree home, thunder could be the approaching gallops of a stampede, predators could hide in darkness, and heights could make poor footing lethal.

The question you have to ask yourself is this:

What happened, deep in the hidden eras before history began, that could effect the entire human race so evenly as to give the entire species a deep, instinctual, and lasting fear of pale beings with dark, sunken eyes, razor sharp teeth, and elongated faces?

Just be careful out there...

Window

In the dark of night, I would advise you to not look out your window. When you look out dark windows, you see everything you have ever feared and everything you have ever dreaded. 

The impossible is possible and exists within the dark void. Nothing can be seen, but everything can be imagined. Ridiculous and surreal faces that look as if they know your deepest, darkest secrets; decaying heads of the damned that moan and grunt; and all your greatest fears do, in fact exist out there.

You are safe, though. It is merely a window. You can only see them, but they can't get you from your dimension.

BUT, there is one thing: You are VULNERABLE, out in the open.

What do I mean, you may ask?

Your reflection--it allows you to co-exist with them.

Just... DON'T BLINK.

Clap Clap

One day, a young married couple went hiking in the mountains. As the sun began to set, they realized that they were lost. The wife was getting worried, but her husband tried to calm her down and assured her that they would eventually find their way back to their car. However, after walking for hours, they still had no idea where they were. 

It was growing dark and the man and wife were getting desperate. They didn’t have a map or a compass with them and all of the trees looked the same. Just when they were about to give up hope, they came across an old cabin in a clearing.

The cabin looked as if it had seen better days. It was dilapidated and seemed like it hadn’t been used in a long time. Some of the windows were cracked and broken and a lot of the tiles had fallen off the roof. The husband knocked on the front door but there was no response. When he turned the handle, it slowly creaked open.

Inside, they found it was in a bad state of disrepair. There was very little furniture and the floor was covered in a thick layer of dust. As the couple cautiously looked around, they noticed a strange atmosphere and a peculiar musty smell. 

The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with graffiti. Written in red paint, the words, “DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!” were repeated over and over again.

The man and woman were unnerved. With a shaking hand, the husband reached out to touch the wall. He was horrified to find that the paint was not yet dry.

The couple were very frightened, but they had nowhere else to go. They knew that the mountain was dangerous at night and there were lots of wild animals prowling the woods. Despite the creepy writing on the walls, they decided to stay the night. 

Going upstairs, they found a moth-eaten mattress that was covered in stains. The husband and wife wrapped themselves in an old piece of carpet to keep warm and tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. They lay down together on the mattress and eventually managed to fall asleep.

Sometime after midnight, the couple were awakened by a strange rustling noise. It sounded like someone or something was moving around outside the shack.

“Did you hear that?” asked his wife. “I think there’s somebody out there.”

Her husband listened for a while, but he didn’t hear anything. He got out of bed and walked over to the window. It was too dark outside to see anything. Opening the window, he stuck his head out.

“Who’s there?” he called nervously.

There was no answer.

He was about to go back to bed when his wife said, “Maybe it’s someone who can’t speak…”

The husband returned to the window and said, “Is there anybody out there? Clap once for YES and twice for NO.”

He strained his ears to listen. The stars twinkled in the night sky. The crickets were chirping loudly. 

All of a sudden, he heard a loud CLAP! 

The man turned to his wife and said in surprise, “You were right. There’s someone out there.”

He leaned out the window and his eyes scanned the darkness. he couldn’t make out anything in the pitch black. 

“Are you the owner of this cabin?” he asked.

CLAP! CLAP! 

“Are you a man?”

CLAP! CLAP! 

“You’re a woman, then?”

CLAP! CLAP! 

“Are you human?”

CLAP! CLAP! 

A chill ran down his spine. He swallowed hard and croaked, “Did you come here alone?”

CLAP! CLAP! 

“How many are with you? Clap once for each person…”

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The Voice

If you ever are in an area of absolute quiet, still your breathing and move not a muscle. After a few seconds, you will notice that the silence has a sort of “sound” of its own, a kind of empty ringing tone. This is nothing unique; everyone will hear this, given the proper setting. An informed person will tell you that your brain is trying to interpret the lack of stimuli to your hearing and so creates a bit of a filler sound. This ringing sound actually serves a more arcane purpose, covering up a noise we are not meant to hear. This noise is not impossible to hear, and if you are persistent you can effectively “break” the cover-up sound.

The next time you are silent and hear the ringing, shout at the top of your lungs for about half a minute, then be abruptly silent. It will be different for everyone. Some will hear nothing different for dozens of tries. Others might pick up soft murmuring. A special few auditory heroes might clearly make it out on the first attempt. What you will hear is a voice that relays an account of events about to happen in the immediate future. It’s like a sportscaster relaying the events occurring 10 seconds into the future.

As time goes on, you will be able to make out this voice under increasingly noisy circumstances, to the point that it can be heard at any time by just concentrating. Such ability would doubtlessly be invaluable, no? You will be able react to any immediate danger, relate to people around you with greater ease. No one would ever surprise you. Now, of course you are wondering what sort of horrible catch this ability entails. Perhaps the tone of the voice is so horrible that it will drive you mad, or maybe the voice will only predict your death over and over again.

Of course this isn’t the case, though; it’s a normal voice, your ears receive it no matter what, and it’s simply a matter of noticing. 

But there is a danger. 

For you see, where there is a voice, there is a body. 

And just like you will notice new sounds, so shall you notice new sights. 

More importantly, YOU will be noticed.

______________________________

*This creepypasta can be found at creepypasta.com.

Bouncing Ball

There was a babysitter who was hired to take care of a little girl. That night, after the parents left, the babysitter allowed the girl to watch a horror movie on television. Half-way through the movie, the little girl said she wanted to go to the toilet but she was too scared to go on her own.

The babysitter didn’t want to miss the movie so she came up with a solution. She gave the girl a rubber ball and told her to keep bouncing it while she was on the toilet. That way, the babysitter would know she was OK. The little girl did as she was told and the babysitter listened to her high-pitched voice singing “Bouncy, Bouncy, Bouncy…”

Half an hour later, the babysitter started to wonder why the little girl hadn’t come back. She still heard the singing coming from the toilet: “Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy” but now the little girl’s voice sounded deeper. The babysitter reluctantly got off the sofa and went to check if everything was OK.

When she opened the bathroom door, the babysitter was horrified to find a mental patient sitting on the floor, bouncing the little girl’s head on the ground and singing “Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy…”

_________________________________________________

*This creepypasta can be found at hellyeahhorrormanga at Tumblr.

*Mental patients suffer from many of these signs (in alphabetical order): Anger, Antisocial Behavior, Anxiety, Appetite Disturbances, Avoidance, Body Image Problems, Compulsions, Confusion, Cravings, Deceitfulness, Delusions, Denial, Depression, Dissociation,

Euphoria, Fatigue, Fears, Flashbacks, Grandiosity, Grief, Hallucinations, Histrionics, Hyperactivity, Identity Confusion, Impulsiveness, Intoxication, Jealousy, Learning Difficulties, Mania,

Memory Loss, Mood Swings, Movement Problems, Nonsense, Obsessions, Offness, Panic, Paranoia, Physical Complaints and Pain, Psychosis, Religious Preoccupations, Self-Esteem Problems,

Self-Mutilation, Sexual Performance Problems, Sexual Preoccupations, Sleep Problems, Sloppiness, Speech Difficulties, Stress, Suicidal Thoughts, and Trauma. (James Whitney Hicks, M.D., Yale University Press Health and Wellness)

Kisaragi Station

In 2004, a 2ch user called Hasumi posted in the middle of a thread entitled "POST ABOUT
STRANGE OCCURRENCES AROUND YOU: THREAD 26."

Below the cut is the 2ch log of the incident.
________________________________
98 ：Hasumi：2004/01/08 23:14
This may just be my imagination, but is it okay if I post?

99 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:16
Go ahead

100 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:18
»98
What’s going on?

101 ：Hasumi：2004/01/08 23:18
I’ve been riding the train for a little while now, and something’s strange.

104 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:19
Hmm

107 ：Hasumi：2004/01/08 23:23
It’s the same train I always take, but it hasn’t stopped at a station for about 20 minutes. It always stops after 5 minutes, or 7 or 8 minutes at the most. The only people riding it are me and five others, but they’re all asleep.

108 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:23
You’re not going to get off the train or anything like that, are you?

111 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:25
You sure it’s not an express train or anything?

112 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:25
»107
High-speed train?

114 ：Hasumi：2004/01/08 23:29
Like you’ve said, there’s the possibility that I’ve gotten on the wrong train. I’ll hang in there a little longer. If something else weird happens, I think I’ll ask you guys for advice.

115 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:35
Well for now, why don’t you go to the front car
and find the conductor?

116 ：anonymous：2004/01/08 23:40
It’d be terrible if something happened to the conductor. Go check on him!

118 ：Hasumi：2004/01/08 23:44
It doesn’t look like we’re going to stop soon so I’ll go check.

126 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:00
There are blinds or something over the windows so I couldn’t see any conductor. I’m on Shizuoka’s private railroad.

131 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:02
»126
What if you try knocking on the window?

137 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:08
I did, but there was no reply.

146 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:13
Can you see what’s outside the window?
Like names of other stations you pass by or something

153 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:19
We’ve slowed down a bit since coming out of the tunnel. Although there isn’t usually a tunnel… It’s the train that starts at Shin Hamamatsu (Station).

156 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:23
It looks like we’re going to stop at a station.

157 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:24
You’re not going to get off, are you?

160 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:25
We’re stopped at Kisaragi Station now. Should I get off? I’ve never seen or heard of this station before.

162 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:26
You should definitely get off

165 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:28
Stay on until the final destination

166 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:29
It’s probably left already, right

161 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:26
»Hasumi
What time did your train leave?

167 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:29
I got off. It’s an unmanned station. The train I was on left at 11:40, I believe.

168 ：Machida Bodyguard：2004/01/09 00:30
I can’t find anything on Kisaragi Station…
Anyway, that means Hasumi’s train has been going for an hour?
Alright, I’m really taking a bath now.

170 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:32
Kisaragi Station’s not turning up anywhere…

176 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:34
I thought I’d try taking the train back so I looked for a timetable, but I couldn’t find one. The train’s still here – would it be safer to get back on? And as I wrote that, the train left.

181 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:36
Are there any buildings nearby that look like there may be people in them?
It’s cold so take care of yourself.|

182 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:36
I’ll leave the station and look for a taxi or something. Thank you.

183 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:36
That’s a good idea
Be careful

185 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:39
The last train of the night arriving at an unmanned station -
I doubt it will be easy to find a taxi

186 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:41
And thus, Hasumi became a resident of a second dimension

187 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:41
There was no taxi or anything. What should I do

190 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:43
»187
Find a station attendant or GO to a police box

191 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:43
Dial 110 (police)?

193 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:43
How about calling a taxi company?

194 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:43
Ya got no choice but to go to a police box

195 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:44
If there’s a phone nearby, look up a taxi company in the phone book

22004 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:48
I called my house and asked my parents to come pick me up, but they don’t seem to know where Kisaragi Station is either. They said they’d look it up on a map and come get me, but I’m kinda scared.

209 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:50
What about the other people?
Were you the only one to get off the train?

213 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:52
＞Ms. Hasumi
I looked up the station on the internet, too, but I can’t find any station by that name. You’re sure you’re in the vicinity of Shin Hamamatsu?
I’ll try Yahoo

214 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 00:53
I looked for a public phone but there isn’t one. The other people didn’t get off the train, so I’m alone now. The station is definitely called Kisaragi.

217 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:56
Sometimes public phones are outside of stations.

220 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:56
Why don’t you leave the station for a bit?

221 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:57
After investigating a little,
the station could be written as “鬼” (demon) and read as “Kisaragi”…

225：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:00
»221
Demon Station…
Creepy~

218 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 00:56
Are you a game nerd? When I Googled it, I got a game.

223 ：cell phone person：2004/01/09 00:59
Post the stations before and after Kisaragi. Don’t tell me they’re not on a sign somewhere.

229 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 01:01
What do you mean by a game? The next and previous stations aren’t written anywhere.

249 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:08
Walk along the highway until you get home.

256 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:11
If you start running now, you might be able to catch up to the train!

258 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:11
Since it’s a station, there should be houses or something around it right?

259 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 01:12
You’re right. I panicked and didn’t realize that. I’ll walk along the highway and wait for my parents to call. I just tried to look up info on the town via i-mode, but I kept getting a “point something” error. I want to go home.

261 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:12
»257
Whether this is a hoax or not, I’ll put forth some serious attempts to get this solved.

280 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 01:18
There’s really nothing nearby. All I can see are fields and mountains. But I think if I can find and follow the highway, I can get home, so I’ll try my best. Thank you. I don’t mind if you think this is a hoax, but if I get into more trouble, may I ask for advice again?

283 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:18
»280
Sure
For now, just be careful

285 ：Machida Bodyguard：2004/01/09 01:19
Of course~
Be careful that your cell phone battery doesn’t run out. It’s your lifeline now.

286 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:19
»280
Don’t go the wrong way.
And be careful in the tunnel

296 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:22
Will cell phone signals reach a place that has nothing there?
I think you should stay at the station…

303 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:24
All alone at an unmanned station on a cold night
Maybe soon the lights will go out and it’ll really be pitch black…

304 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:25
The highway is an even more pitch black trap. There’s a tunnel ahead, too, right?

305 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:25
Still, maybe it was safer to wait at the station until sunrise…

308 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:26
This is bad

317 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 01:30
I got a call from my dad. We talked for a while, and he told me that if I really didn’t know where I was, I should call 110 (police). I’m a little hesitant, but I guess I’ll call them and ask them to come get me.

358 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:43
I think it’d be easier to travel when it gets light…

361 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:45
You’re waiting all alone in the middle of the night?
In an unfamiliar, mysterious place…

362 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:46
»361
Can you make it through the tunnel on your own in the middle of the night?
On a highway in an unfamiliar, mysterious place…

363 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:46
Can you really walk along a road you’ve never seen before in this cold?

380 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 01:55
I called 110 and tried my hardest to explain my current situation, but they thought it was a prank and got mad at me. I was afraid, so I apologized…

382 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:56
»380
Why would you apologize
Just give up for tonight
Wait for the first train in the morning

388 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:58
What’s it like around the station? Is there anything there?

386 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 01:57
I can hear something that sounds like taiko drums in the distance, as well as what I think are bells. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore

391 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 01:58
For now just go back to the station, Hasumi
If you get lost, going back to where you started is the best thing to do

395 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:00
This is just the beginning…

396 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:00
Taiko drums and bells…?
(´･ω･`)　
Bam bam ring ring

400 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:01
They’re just having a festival or something

401 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 02:01
You may think I’m lying, but I’m so frightened I can’t look behind me. I want to go back to the station but I can’t turn around.

406 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:03
»401
Run. Don’t you dare turn back.

420 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:08
You can’t head back to the station anymore.
You’ll get taken away.
Just run for the tunnel!
It should be closer than you think.

422 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 02:09
I heard someone behind me shout, “Hey! It’s dangerous to walk along the highway! Stop that!” I thought it might have been the station attendant, but when I turned around there was a man with only one leg standing about 10 meters behind me. Then he disappeared. I’m so scared, I can’t move.

426 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:11
»422
That’s why I told you not to turn back. Run

423 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:09
»Hasumintan
Calm down and listen to me, ok?
Head towards the sound of the taiko drums
There must be someone playing those drums

424 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:10
»420
Where are you trying to make Hasumin go?

433 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:12
»424
You’re wrong, Hasumin is going to be taken away NOW.
So if you ever want to go back, you should go back now.

428 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:11
If it was only one leg, how do you know it was “a man”?

429 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:12
»428
…She meant a man who was missing one leg.

436 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:13
It must have been a man who lost his leg on that highway

435 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 02:13
I can’t walk anymore, and I can’t run. The sound of taiko drums is getting closer.

445 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:17
»Hasumi
Just wait until day breaks
When it gets light, you won’t be afraid

446 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:17
You should’ve stayed on the train

452 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 02:20
I’m still alive. I’m bleeding from when I fell, and I’m tightly holding on to my heel that broke. I don’t want to die yet.

487 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:32
Well one thing’s for sure – things aren’t going to get better any time soon

488 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:32
»Hasumin
If you make it through the tunnel, you’ll be safe
Once you come out of the tunnel, let us know right away

492 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 02:35
I called my house. My dad said he’d call the police, but the sound is getting closer.

500 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:38
Just pray that the sound isn’t coming from the train
Though it may be too late

516 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 02:45
I somehow made it to the entrance to the tunnel. The name is “Isakan”. The sound is getting closer so I think I’ll summon up some courage and head through the tunnel. If I make it out safe and sound, I’ll post again.

520 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:46
»516
Good luck

522 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 02:47
This is the end.
The train and the station are gone.
There’s nowhere left to return to.
No one to follow.
The sound you hear is an illusion you’re creating yourself.
Run to the other side of the tunnel.
If you stop, you’ll be trapped between worlds, left to suffer.

562 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 03:10
I’m out of the tunnel. There’s someone standing in the distance. It looks like I was right to follow your advice. Thank you. I’ve been crying so my face is a mess; I could be mistaken for a monster.

566 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:11
Wait, Hasumi!
Keep away!

569 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:12
Stop, I tell you! That’s not good!

570 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:12
Someone standing there at this time of night?
That’s suspicious…

586 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 03:20
Sorry for worrying you. This very kind person has offered to give me a ride to the closest station. There’s apparently something like a business hotel there. Thank you all so much.

588 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:21
Hasumin, there’s something I want to ask you.
Where are you? Ask the kind person the name of the town.

590 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:21
Is he really kind?
He might be scarier than anything else

593 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:23
Well, there you go.
So, what is that place?

596 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:25
That person sound fishy!
Why would he be next to the highway at this time?
I’m sure he was disposing of a body or something
When he met you, Hasumin
Run!!

606 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 03:29
When I asked him what the name of this place is, he said it’s called “Hina”. I don’t know if you’ll believe me.

607 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:29
Hasumin, get out of the car!

610 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:29
Sorry, Kasumin [sic]. Where is Hina?

621 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:36
That’s strange
For a creep to give a ride to a girl walking along the highway at this time…
I wonder what he did

623 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 03:37
We’ve been heading towards the mountains. I can’t imagine there’s a place to leave a car there. He won’t speak at all anymore.

627 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:40
Nothing good can come from meeting a creep this late at night.

628 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:41
Maybe he won’t talk because you’re staring at your cell phone all the time.

629 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:41
Hasumin, this is bad
Did you tell your parents that you made it through the tunnel?

631 ：anonymous：2004/01/09 03:41
Ms. Hasumi
Please dial 110
These may be your last words

635 ：Hasumi：2004/01/09 03:44
My battery’s almost out. Things are getting strange so I’ll look for my chance and run. He’s started mumbling nonsense to himself. I’ll make my move. This will be my last post.

※ “Hasumi” did not appear again after this post.
_______________________________________
*The original 2ch thread is linked here: http://llike.net/2ch/fear/kisaragi.htm

*Originally in Japanese text, the thread was translated by LiveJournal's mikanseijin (http://mikanseijin.livejournal.com/986.html).

*This creepypasta can be found at hellyeahhorrormanga at Tumblr.

*2channel (2ch for short) is a Japanese textboard which was launched in 1999.