u/Lanky_Ad1120

I used to live in this old apartment complex that always felt… wrong. I can’t fully explain it, but the place had this heavy atmosphere that made me uncomfortable even during the day. Weird noises at night, elevators stopping on random floors, that kind of thing. It was one of those apartment buildings built above a busy shopping area, so underneath the apartments there were grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, and fast food places. There were always people around during the day, which somehow makes this feel even stranger to me now.

One afternoon I was walking home from school. My school was like about 10 minutes away from the apartment so I would often just walk home. As I got close to my apartment building, I noticed a little kid standing near the entrance. She looked about 3 years old. What immediately felt strange was that she was completely alone. No parents nearby, no one calling for her, nothing.

At first I didn’t think too much about it. Since the area downstairs was always busy, I assumed maybe her mom or dad was in one of the shops nearby and she had wandered a little too far.

I walked into the lobby toward the elevator. The elevator door in this building had a glass panel, so you could still see outside while waiting. The whole time, the little girl just stood there staring directly at me.

Then she smiled.

Not waving. Not playing. Just standing perfectly still smiling at me through the glass while the elevator doors slowly opened.

I remember getting this horrible feeling in my stomach. Something about it felt deeply wrong. I got into the elevator and right before the doors closed, she was still standing in the exact same spot, smiling.

I never saw her again after that.

Honestly, what bothers me the most now isn’t even the creepy feeling. It’s that I never stopped to help or call someone. At the time I convinced myself her parents had to be nearby, but looking back, seeing a 3-year-old alone like that was really strange. Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve done something instead of just walking away.

Maybe it was completely innocent and I was overthinking it because the apartment already creeped me out. But even now, years later, I still think about that moment sometimes.

Hi everyone, I’m still a bit confused about something that happened during a visit to a temple in India and wanted some perspective.

My husband and I went to a temple while travelling. I was wearing a long brown dress with sleeves and full coverage down to my toes, so I believed I was dressed modestly and respectfully.

For context, we are Indian — my parents were born in India and later moved to Australia, so I’ve grown up with Indian culture at home and have visited India before.

I’ve also been to temples in the past wearing more western-style clothing (still modest and appropriate), and I’ve never had any issues before.

When we tried to enter this particular temple, an older woman at the entrance refused to let me in. She was very firm and physically blocked the entrance while trying to stop us from going in. She also pushed me several times while doing so, which felt quite uncomfortable and upsetting.

We eventually managed to enter and once we reached the main area where the deities are, everything changed. The temple priest was very kind and welcoming, and since we are newly married, he even gave me bangles as a blessing, which was a really lovely moment.

What confused me even more is that when we left the temple later, there was no one at the entrance at all and nobody stopped us.

I’m trying to understand if there’s some dress code or cultural rule I may have missed, or if this was just one individual being overly strict at the entrance.

Would really appreciate any insight.

Hi everyone, I’m still a bit confused about something that happened during a visit to a temple in India and wanted some perspective.

My husband and I went to a temple while travelling. I was wearing a long brown dress with sleeves and full coverage down to my toes, so I believed I was dressed modestly and respectfully.

For context, we are Indian — my parents were born in India and later moved to Australia, so I’ve grown up with Indian culture at home and have visited India before.

I’ve also been to temples in the past wearing more western-style clothing (still modest and appropriate), and I’ve never had any issues before.

When we tried to enter this particular temple, an older woman at the entrance refused to let me in. She was very firm and physically blocked the entrance while trying to stop us from going in. She also pushed me several times while doing so, which felt quite uncomfortable and upsetting.

We eventually managed to enter and once we reached the main area where the deities are, everything changed. The temple priest was very kind and welcoming, and since we are newly married, he even gave me bangles as a blessing, which was a really lovely moment.

What confused me even more is that when we left the temple later, there was no one at the entrance at all and nobody stopped us.

I’m trying to understand if there’s some dress code or cultural rule I may have missed, or if this was just one individual being overly strict at the entrance.

Would really appreciate any insight.