This week, we’re looking at the most outrageous real life stories on the internet (links are in the headings). What would you do if this happened to you?
Man asks ex-wife to stay in his home as a housekeeper for him and his new girlfriend
At first, you want to file this one firmly under Man Wants to Have Cake and Eat It. But as always with these things, the whole picture is just a little bit weirder than you’d think. A millionaire businessman and his wife divorced in the 1990s, but continued to live together as friends in their home – you know, as you do. They treated the divorce as “just a piece of paper” and continued to live together as man and housemate, presumably.
Fast forward to about 2010, and the man has met someone else. He wants her to move into his mansion, which she does. Then, for some reason, he thought it would be a grand idea to hire his ex-wife to be “some sort of housekeeper”.
How did the ex-wife react? She sued him for half his fortune – and won. The judge agreed that for all intents and purposes, the divorce had just been a piece of paper and that the arrangement was like a quasi-marriage, meaning that she was entitled to not just half of what the ex-husband earned until the divorce, but half of what he had earned up until that point. The judge granted the ex-wife £6 million, much more than she would have gotten when they originally divorced.
Which, as far as we’re concerned, is getting off pretty lightly for such cheek.
Family left petrified after being told house is haunted by 200 demons
Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, this story is a bit spooky. From the moment that Latoya Ammons moved into rental house in Indiana, America, with her three young children, odd things would happen around the home. The lights would flicker, and swarms of dead flies would appear on the porch. They would hear footsteps behind them, but no one was there when they turned around.
Mum Latoya didn’t think much of it, until her children started to be affected. She claimed that her son would growl in an unearthly manner. One day, she walked into her daughter’s bedroom to find her floating over her bed!
And Latoya’s not the only one who claims to have witnessed these activities – a nurse and a social worker both claim to have seen the son crawl backwards up the wall, and police captain Charles Austin says officers saw phantom shapes in the window when they knew no one was in. He even took photographs of the ghosts, but their images disappeared from the photos over time.
When Latoya had a psychic come in to find out what was happening, the psychic said there were more than 200 demons possessing the house. So Latoya brought in a Catholic priest to perform the exorcism rituals – which he had to do four times.
So what do you think? Is it overactive imaginations or a couple of people trying to get some attention for their town? Or do you think it’s something much more other worldly and sinister?
Dog left to die on railway helping little boy overcome one of the world’s rarest illnesses
Imagine being Owen Howkins, an eight-year-old boy living in Basingstoke with a genetic disease that affects only about 25 people in the world – and only himself in the UK. When he was 18 months old, his parents, Will and Kim, noticed that his muscles were really well developed, despite his being unable to crawl or walk. Eventually, Owen was diagnosed with Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome, a disease that causes muscles to stay permanently tensed. As a result, he cannot walk, he often has trouble breathing and his body can’t grow properly.
As Owen got older, he began to realise how different he was to other children. He couldn’t stand up by himself, and he needed an oxygen mask at night, so he couldn’t participate in many childhood social activities. At school, he was often kept inside during playtime, as teachers feared he might get knocked over. His grades suffered, and he simply began to withdraw into himself.
Then one day in 2012 his father had a brilliant idea. He and his new partner Colleen had one rescue dog that Owen seemed to like. Perhads another one would bring him out of his shell slightly more. They searched a pet adoption website when they found Haatchi.
Anatolian shepherd dog Haatchi had had a bad start in life, too. He was found abandoned on railway tracks after being hit by a train. Vets who treated him had to amputate his back leg and tail following the impact, and they saw he had also suffered some severe blows to his head. But something about this giant dog spoke to Will and Colleen, and they decided to bring him home to see how Owen would react.
From the first moment they met, there was a connection between them. Haatchi almost instantly understood that Owen was exceptional and needed a soft touch, so although Haatchi lolloped excitedly over to greet the boy, the dog stopped and gently put his head in Owen’s lap to say hello.
For Owen’s part, his love of the dog was instantaneous. Colleen later said everyone in the room could almost feel the atmosphere changing, and things did change quite radically. Owen, who had been difficult about taking his medicine, became more amenable when he saw how well Haatchi took the pills he needed following surgery. Haatchi would encourage Owen during physiotherapy, giving him sympathetic licks when Owen was in too much pain, which helped Owen push himself harder. Owen’s grades began to improve, and he even vowed to walk again “with the help of his special dog.”
Since then, Owen and Haatchi have won special recognition at Crufts, were presented with an Animal Action Award from Queen guitarist Brian May, won a prestigious Braveheart children’s medal and the Dog of the Year award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. They’ve also appeared on many television shows and have a book telling their story published – Haatchi and Little B by Wendy Holden.
With each other, it’s clear these two can overcome their tough starts and physical limitations, which is more than anyone expected.
These real-life stories are by turns funny, scary and full of hope, but what do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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