Candle Face Victim #8: A Paranormal Investigator’s Encounter

Subjects of Interest:

• Candle Face Chronicles

• The Lost Souls

December 21, 2023

I’ve realized I can’t handle the lost souls on my own, so I’ve been actively searching for paranormal experts, mediums, and psychics across various online platforms. I’ve posted on Facebook, Reddit, and even ventured into the Darknet—a space I became familiar with during my years investigating missing persons and human trafficking cases. I’m trying to find anyone who can interpret the messages from my nocturnal visitors.

Unfortunately, my search mostly leads to groups fixated on minor phenomena like orbs (which are often just dust) and hazy “ghost” photos that are usually just pareidolia. They shy away from genuine hauntings or heavier paranormal situations, and it’s disheartening. Every dead end makes me feel even more responsible for these spirits, and I worry I’m letting them down.

Finally, I got a call from a group of paranormal investigators intrigued by my nocturnal visitations. During a three-way video call, I explained Candle Face’s background and the unnerving visions haunting me. They recommended a full-scale investigation of my old Austin neighborhood and the creek where sightings of Candle Face have been reported. We plan to do this sometime in mid-to-late January, and while I’m curious to see what we might learn, I’m also anxious about what we might encounter.

That same night, I slept in the living room instead of my usual spot in the upstairs guest bedroom. My wife, recovering from multiple surgeries, was sleeping alone for comfort, and my son—home for Christmas—was using the guest room where the lost souls typically appear. I left the kitchen light on, casting a faint shadow in the far corner of the living room, just in case another spirit showed up.

As I started to drift off, one of those shadows shifted along the walls until it took on the form of a woman in her thirties, standing around five feet eight.

She approached the couch with a kind of grace I can’t quite describe. “It’s my turn,” she said quietly, as though the moment was meant just for her. She explained that her visit was prompted by the call I’d had with the paranormal team earlier. She was a former paranormal investigator from the mid-2000s who once investigated Candle Face. She pleaded with me not to involve the new team—at least not if they plan to treat the situation lightly. She warned of real danger, especially for the male investigator who likes to bring humor into his work. Before beginning her story, she asked that her family find peace and urged others not to dig too far into Candle Face’s history.

This is her story:

As a paranormal investigator, I approached legends and ghost stories with a skeptical eye. When I heard about Candle Face, I figured it was just another urban myth. I came to Austin determined to debunk it.

Over several nights, I tried everything—séances, tech setups, visiting places like Ben Howell Drive, the nearby creek, and Lady Bird Lake, where people claimed Candle Face had drowned her victims. But nothing happened. No strange phenomena, no flickering lights, not even a cold breeze. I became convinced the story was just folklore.

Emboldened by the lack of results, I wrote a blog post declaring Candle Face a hoax. I even mocked the legend, calling it one of Austin’s more imaginative but unfounded ghost stories. I went to bed that night feeling triumphant, ready to move on to the next case.

That same night, the shadows in my hotel room started to move. At first, I thought it was exhaustion playing tricks on me, but then she appeared. Candle Face. Her charred figure was worse than any description I’d read. She mocked me for my disbelief and the fear I couldn’t hide. Her laugh—it wasn’t human. And then she vanished, leaving me frozen in place, questioning everything.

The next day, I thought about updating my article to reflect what I’d seen, but my pride stopped me. “What’s done is done,” I thought.

Back home in San Antonio, she came to me again—this time in my bedroom. She was furious. She demanded I rewrite the article, to acknowledge her, to spread her story. When I refused, she made her own promise: to create a story about me and send it out to her believers.

She began to speak, reciting my fate like it was already written:

The Hunter Becomes the Haunted

Behold the tale of the skeptic who dared to doubt me. You sought to expose me, to solve a case you deemed false. But now, the hunter becomes the haunted.

You thought you were brave, seeking out spirits. Yet, when faced with me, your courage crumbled like ash. Watching you paralyzed with fear was amusing, contradicting your bold claims.

I have decided your fate, dear paranormal investigator. Since you refused to correct your story, I shall create my own about you. Your story will be eternally haunting, and my image and laughter will constantly be in your mind.

Each night, as you try to sleep, you will hear my voice and see my charred face. You will long for peace, but it will elude you, just as the truth did.

And when the burden becomes too much, you will reach for pills to still your heart; remember, it was your disbelief that sealed your fate. You will be a warning to all who dare to investigate me.

This is not just a story; it is a reality you created with skepticism. You wanted to find the truth, and now you live it. You are mine now, dear paranormal investigator. Your story ends with me.

-----

I lived in constant fear, haunted by Candle Face’s presence and tormented by her laughter. I wish I had rewritten that article. I deleted my website and destroyed my equipment, thinking I could escape her, but the pain followed me. It never stopped.

After a year of living with her haunting me, I reached for a bottle of pills. Even in death, I’ve found no peace. I’m trapped now, alongside others who doubted her. Remorse consumes me, knowing I dismissed something that was all too real.

With her testimony given, she stepped backward into the corner of my living room. One last time, she pleaded with me to call off the paranormal investigation in January or, at the very least, to ensure the team approaches it with caution.

Personal Note to My Readers

My encounter with this former paranormal investigator—who somehow knew about my conversation with a ghost-hunting team just hours earlier—has sparked an idea. If spirits really do sense our daily actions and conversations, maybe we can use that awareness to help them. It appears that our words and deeds in the living world can influence them—and vice versa.

I’m now thinking about actively engaging these spirits throughout my day, by mentioning their stories aloud or trying to address their unresolved issues whenever possible. Perhaps, by showing them direct attention or actively seeking solutions, I can give them the relief they’re searching for.

This concept—that spirits respond to our actions in real-time—paints a much more interactive picture of the paranormal than I once believed. Embracing that relationship might be the key to helping these souls find the peace or closure they need. This experience has drastically changed how I approach the paranormal, revealing a living and reactive connection that binds us all.