A Compilation of 33 Incredible Stories

By Marsden Kerrington Kray

We have all heard the expression that fact can be stranger than fiction. This collection of short stories may indeed prove this idea to be true. About half of these stories have been experienced by myself; the remaining stories have been retrieved from friends, relatives, family history records, medical colleagues, and military officers. How is it possible that I could have encountered such strange occurrences during my lifetime? I believe it is because I attended ten different schools before high school graduation; attended universities from East to West Coast, USA; was exposed to numerous different cultures; and developed friendships with a plethora of unique, interesting people.

Read these stories, and some of your questions about life and its meaning may be answered, and ask yourself the question: Have I ever experienced any unusual stories that are as incredible as these? I bet the answer is yes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684980567

Book preview

Introduction

We have all heard the expression that fact can be stranger than fiction. This collection of short stories may very well prove this idea to be true. During my life, I was exposed to a plethora of cultures, universities, religious traditions, medical experiences, military friends, and family history. As a result, I have written these unbelievable stories from my memory for your enjoyment.

I must also mention that about half of these stories were actually experienced by myself. I must also add that the names and places found in these stories were changed to protect personal identities. These stories may also trigger contemplation of life’s questions as well as provide entertainment.

Do you have any stories or experiences that are tantamount to the tales found in this book? I bet the answer is yes. Now you can believe what you read.

Part 1

Spiritual/Paranormal

The Curious Life of Ollie Johnson*

As I sit and ponder the stories of my ancestors, how they have been handed to me from generation to generation, one story stands out above the rest. It deserves to be documented and told to my posterity. So I present to you a story that is curious, compelling, and a little bit eerie. I give you Ollie Johnson, my great-great-great-uncle who had an amazing but peculiar talent!

Ollie Johnson was a robust man who stood over six feet tall with a thick black-and-gray-peppered beard that lay across the top of his long peacoat. He had deep dark set eyes that could look kind and gentle or portray a gaze of fierce determination. His voice was low and gruff with a slight British accent, and he could link words together that made most scholars envious.

He never married, never had children, which he regretted, but had numerous friends and acquaintances all over the world. You see, he was already married to the sea. He was one of the finest sea captains from early America and would cross the Atlantic pond to Europe six to eight times a year. He had sailed many ships from perilous storms and energizing pirates; he would simply outrun them! One could frequently find Ollie walking the streets visiting the taverns for about a two-week duration in major US ports, then he would return to the sea for four to six weeks.

Ollie had a hobby that he enjoyed very much. He had an insatiable appetite to read—particularly, topics related to science, history, politics, and classical Arts. He was frequently found discussing matters of state of explaining a phenomenon that would baffle the average intellect. He knew every bookstore in every major US port, and bookstores knew Ollie.

One day, he landed in Boston, and after securing his captain duties, he headed for the old Boston district to visit one of his most favorite book stores. Once he stepped inside the store, the proprietor recognized Ollie, and they greeted each other with a warm embrace. They both delighted in intellectual conversation ranging from new inventions to politics.

While Ollie gazed at the books on the shelf, occasionally taking one down for closer examination, the proprietor said, I almost forgot. A frail elderly gentleman came to my book store last month with three books I was supposed to give you.

Ollie said, I did not order any books.

The proprietor assured him that the books now belonged to him, whether he ordered them or not. Ollie then replied, How much are the books?

The proprietor answered, They are free, since they were never mine to sell.

Ollie finally agreed to accept the books.

The three books were most curious. The two books on the bottom were bound in brown paper, so there was no advertising on the surface to suggest the books’ content. The top book was bound in leather with an elevated embossed design of a closed human eye, and on the back side of the book, the embossed eye was open. All three books were bound tightly with the tailor’s yarn. Ollie graciously took the books and bought two other books introducing the various uses of steam power. He walked swiftly to his apartment, where he could indulge his mind in reading and learning more of the world’s mysteries.

Those three free books completely captivated Ollie’s thoughts. He read all three books in about three weeks, which caused him to miss his command of a square-rigger ship to Lisbon. As he read, he would frequently stop and contemplate the information he was assimilating, and a mental transformation began to occur in his mind. He gained an insight that was most peculiar; one might say it was a gift. With the equations, instructions, and mystical messages obtained from the books, he could calculate the time and day of your death. It was apparent the two brown paper books were preludes to enlightenment to understanding the secrets of the larger leather book.

He told his friends and acquaintances of his newly acquired talent, and everyone lined up to have the date of their demise determined. It was quite a social event with laughter and jokes permeating the air as Ollie’s solemn face repeatedly announced the death sentences (per our genealogical records he calculated on the time of death of about thirty people with 100 percent accuracy).

After the first three friends passed away at the precise time Ollie predicted, a feeling of depression and dread swept over the remaining friends who had had their deaths calculated. Ollie now realized this was more of a curse than a gift. He performed about five more calculations and then vowed to never figure on one’s death again. He felt that knowing the time of your death altered your future actions by robbing you of happiness and filling your mind with impending doom. Let it be known that he was resolute about receiving no payment for calculating someone’s time of death; he felt it was immoral to gain wealth from the misfortune of others.

About two years had passed since he made his vow to stop calculating death, and things were beginning to return to normal. Occasionally, a stranger would find him and ask to be figured on for his time of death, but Ollie would respectfully decline.

One evening, while Ollie was enjoying a meal at the tavern called The Shipwreck’s Gala, a tall man accompanied by a younger man approached Ollie’s table and introduced himself as Milton Nobler and his assistant Darby Hall Smith. He was looking for Ollie Johnson. Milton was a prominent accountant in the community, and he wanted to ask Ollie for a favor. He wanted his life calculated for the time of his death. Ollie politely informed the stranger that he no longer performs those calculations; it causes too much anxiety and sorrow. Then it started. Milton pointed at Ollie, calling him a fraud and a charlatan Milton jumped up on the table, shouting accusations at Ollie, emphasizing ridicule, insults, and slander. This was not a one-night confrontation; Ollie had to endure this ridicule for six nights in a row. Then Ollie finally snapped, stood up, and with a firm voice exclaimed, All right! I will figure your time of death—but remember, you asked for it.

Ollie needed some information before he could commence his calculations. He asked Milton’s date of birth, his highest level of education, his number of near-death experiences, his medical problems, his belief in God, weight, height, and age. With the information received, his fingers began to write the equations while filling in the product and sum. He demonstrated unusual clarity in writing with such large fingers, and all the extensive math calculations were figured in his head.

After writing equations and numbers on a page and a half, he began to slow down, and a feeling of gloom and despair came over his face as he circled the last calculation. He told Milton, I have some bad news: you are going to die in four days on Sunday morning at ten o’clock.

Milton threw his head back and laughed, losing his balance momentarily as he stepped backward. Milton proposed a bet of $100 which was a handsome bet for those days, that he would still be alive in five days, thereby proving that Ollie’s calculations were no more than a cheap parlor trick. Milton also interjected that he had a medical checkup from a local doctor two days ago, and he was given a clean bill of health. Ollie, still upset that his honor was in question, agreed to the bet. Both men gave $100 to the owner of the tavern, who would deliver the $200 prize to the winner on the fifth day.

For the next several days, Ollie would occasionally cross paths with Milton, who constantly