WNC Scary Stories: Among mannequins

IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE...: "As I searched the space, I noticed that all the costumes and the mannequins seemed to be looking in our direction," notes APD officer Adam Roach. "It was very unsettling." Photo from iStock

Editor’s note: For Halloween, we asked our readers to share the scariest things they’ve experienced in our area. Readers came through with shivery accounts of mysterious occurrences, including this one below.

In 2008, I was on patrol for the Asheville Police Department when I was called to the old costume shop on Haywood Street for a break-in. When I got there to take the report, I noticed there were a lot of costumes and mannequins up against the walls throughout the shop.

According to the clerk, when she came to work, she discovered that someone had broken in through the skylight and stolen things from the office. However, there was evidence that things had been moved around in the main area as well, where the costumes and mannequins were stationed.

The clerk was by herself, and she told me that she felt a presence inside the building. She was concerned the suspect was still there. As I searched the space, I noticed that all the costumes and the mannequins seemed to be looking in our direction. It was very unsettling. And as I continued the search to see if someone was hiding, I became less and less convinced that we were, in fact, alone.

There were so many costumes and mannequins I lost track of where I had checked. Needless to say, I convinced the clerk to leave for the day and I stayed with her until she did. I’d never gotten chills from work until that day and thinking about it now still gives me chills.

 — Adam Roach, Woodfin

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