The Little Old Church In The Bush

So, you all have read my strange encounters of the supernatural. Some you don't believe (The 4th Floor and Agna) so be it but the story I want to relate to you happened not too long ago. The story I'm about to tell happened during the Lockdown of '21. Though I wasn't meant to go no more than 5km from where I live, I thought eff that and jumped in my old '78 Holden Kingswood, threw in my swag, esky (filled with beer, of course) and borrowed my best friend's little Jack Russell for company. The weather wasn't hot, in fact it was raining but I was bored so eff this, threw the dog in, beer and food in esky, swag and off I went. I love the bush. Read some of my earlier stories and you'll see that most of my supernatural experiences seem to happen in the forest. It was the last thing really on my mind. The dog was stoked, I was stoked.

Yea I stopped here and there, either to take photos of the landscape or of old abandoned farmhouses that dotted the landscape, or let Dog out so he can have a shiat or a wee. It was getting on near dark and needed somewhere to camp for the night. I found a dirt road and decided to follow it, see where it ends and maybe set up camp. Well, bugger me, that road went on forever, over small causeways, through small patches of forest until I reached near the end of the road where Dog and I discovered an old church.

I was surprised by this as it was about the last thing I expected. I had no idea what religion the church was, all it was this little old church out in the middle of nowhere. Something about it bothered me, what I don't recall (early onset of dementia? My friend teases me on that) I got out and with Dog (not his real name, by the way) we both explored it. It was, of course, run down, oddly smelt of burnt wood but yet couldn't see any burnt wood. Don't think it'd seen Mass for one hell of a long time as windows were broken, some of wood was rotted, and the roof was rusting.

Dog and I found a way in through the old vestry... Now, like Cher once sang, if only I can turn back timeeeee...well, I would've just then and reverse back and drive the hell away from that place but I wasn't to know. The church still had pews and the pulpit where the vicar or priest gets up and does his "magic trick" as he spits brimstone and fire (LOL). Even found a tattered bible, which I left as it was already eaten by mice and rats. Dog was getting nervous about something. He kept pushing himself into me as if saying "can we get the eff out here?" so I took the hint and left. But I took one looked around and suddenly felt unseen eyes watching me. That creeped me so I quickly hurried out with Dog pushing his way before me as if saying "dogs and children first, mate."

Camp was set up, food was ready, beer to be drunk, Dog was a bit nervous about something but he enjoyed his Chicken Necks and was munching on a bone. I was rolling myself a spliff (hey I am out in the middle of nowhere so why not?) when we both heard what sounded like singing, children singing but out of key coming from the old church. I have no idea what the song was but it was weird. Dog started growling as the singing got louder. There was even an organ playing but yet there was none in the church. I looked at the beer I was drinking and was tempted to tip it out. Then... It all went quiet.

The rain eased off ages ago so I sat there in my canopy of a tarp over the car and tent attached, it was silent then... They started to sing again. I thought I heard a panicking voice of a man. I should've went and explored but NO BLOODY WAY was I leaving the campsite. This time the singing stopped and didn't return. I didn't sleep that night.

The next morning dawned grey and wet. I already had the Kingswood packed when Dog needed to do his morning pee and crap. So I followed him on a bit of a walk when we came to a graveyard with old headstones leaning over. Most headstones were dated back to the 1920s and it hadn't seen a burial since then. I walked through and noticed that each headstone was deliciated to a child. Another thing about the headstones that each child died the exact same day. Then I started to hear singing again. I was out of there, so was Dog.

I found out a bit later that a church back in the 1920s was destroyed by bushfire. Inside the church a Sunday school was happening. No one survived...Here's the catch. Went back there about three weeks back, there was no sign of the church. The grave yard was still there but most of headstones were worn away, hard to read. It was the same road that Dog and I took. I'm still bemused.