Ottawa, ON - Local woman Rachel Simpson received quite a shock earlier this week while flipping through her vacation photos just outside the Black's Photography shop in the Rideau Center.  "They were pictures from my vacation in Atlantic Canada, mostly of relatives.  We had a big family reunion type thing," she explained.  "And then I came to this photo..." (at right).  The photo, of Ms. Simpson and several of her cousins, reveals an eerie man lurking in the background. "I have no idea who he is or what he's doing hovering there behind us, but it's sure freaking me out."

While Ms. Simpson has yet to come to any conclusion regarding the meaning of the eerie man, a digital enhancement of the photo (below) reveals that the man is drinking a Moosehead beer and smoking a cigarette.  "Perhaps he was foraging for more beer and smokes.  Or maybe he's part of some sort of cult that goes around sneaking into other people's pictures, freaking them out.  I sure don't know."

Ms. Simpson contacted local law enforcement but she was informed that there are currently no laws against lurking in the back of people's pictures.  "By the Jesus, there should be," stated Ms. Simpson.  "Now I can't pose for a picture without worrying that there's some eerie man lurking behind me.  It just isn't natural."

Ms. Simpson plans on laying awake at night worrying about the eerie man for several more weeks, finally forgetting about him, and then punctuating the next few years with vivid flashbacks of the man accompanied by chills and cravings for ice cream.

 
 

Copyright 2000 The Upper Canada Chronicle