Can we have a thread where we share unlikely but true stories?

[letsgowiththat]

I'll start.

My (non English speaking) DGF received an email (in English) from the solicitor of a man who claimed to be the son of a long lost relative from Africa claiming he was basically of princely status and there was an inheritance waiting for my DGF and his siblings.
So basically like the Nigerian prince scam.

Except it was all true and it was a relative who escaped my DGFs home country as he did not want to be drafted into the war and ended up never contacting anyone again and building a small empire in Africa, getting married (multiple times) and having DCs. He willed a small part of his accounts to my DGFs by then deceased mother who was his cousin and then it got passed down and split between my DGF and his siblings by default. Not life changing money but one of our favourite stories to tell!

The majority of the emails was done through google translate as well

Does anyone have any "sounds like a lie but is true" stories they'd like to share?

I have a few. The first one. A few years back I was at the ticket counter at Euston with a friend heading to a hen night in Liverpool. Already at the counter was an exceptionally tall young man - over 6.5 feet and my friend said he looks like Peter Crouch. Five minutes later Peter Crouch entered the ticket hall.

Remembered something else. I used to be a fan of Gary Glitter. This was in the '70s so obviously there was nothing in the press about what a horrible man he was. When his backing band branched out on their own as the Glitter Band, as a young girl, I really fancied one of them from afar.

As a twenty-year-old I met and married my first husband, who was a sound engineer. Because of him I ended up on a big wheel in Great Yarmouth with a member of the Glitter Band, and I was sitting there thinking, 'he's not the one I fancied but I'm still on the big wheel with a member of the Glitter Band.'

Hope someone relates to this. I'll start from when I can remember. Picked up a £20 note in a busy street, felt lucky so bought a lottery ticket and won £70.
Picked up £10 in Sainsbury's but someone was next to it so gave it to them but realised from his reaction it wasn't his, but he took it anyway and no thank you. £10 on an embankment, £15 on a towpath, another £5 different towpath. €200 in a plastic wallet with a card with an unusual name. Searched fb and sent msgs to the 4 people I found asking if they'd lost something at a certain area. No replies and one even blocked me. Left my number at the a shop close to where I'd picked it up, nothing.
A wallet with £80, and literally nothing with a name. Saw someone drop £5 on the bus and called out, seemed as though no one else could see it as I had to keep pointing. Another guy £5 out of back pocket, ran after him and he was grateful. Lady dropped her rolex watch, ran after her and had to convince her it was hers, £5 at a wine fair. Pound coins in the snow. Picked up a lottery ticket and got £5 off it. Last one, was sitting in a cafe, guy next to me left a jewellery box on the counter, I thought it was empty. As I was about to leave, took it thinking I'd repurpose it. As I push my chair back in, there's a receipt on the floor, was a brand new diamond necklace for twelve thousand pounds. Receipt had an initial and surname, and I'd seen which direction he'd gone. Spent the afternoon phoning all the companies in that building...finally found him, not easy as it was a popular name. Very abrupt on the phone, sent his PA to meet me and she practically grabbed it from me, no thank you and off she went. I don't purposely walk around looking down searching, somehow my eye just goes there. The embarkment one was a few feet away and I wasn't even sure it was money at first. As I got closer I thought someone else would pick it up before I got to it, but people were just walking right past it. Same as the Borough one, so many just not seeing it. Began to creep me out when most people I told said they'd never picked up any. These are just a few vivid ones.
Also bought a high brand purse online, got sent 5 of them!!! Called and no one seemed to want to deal with it, made out I was trying to con them. My partner hired a car, when he tried to get it returned, they said it wasn't theirs and had no record of it. Called head office and no one wanted to know, wouldn't pick it up. Reference numbers drew a blank. Have all the paperwork etc. This is recent so still chasing.

Not that far fetched, but I was on holiday once when I suddenly spotted a popular guy from my secondary school walking towards me on the street. He was carrying a portion of chips and spotted me just as a seagull dive bombed him and knocked the chips out his hand. He looked at me with this expression of "don't tell anyone about this" and I just smiled and kept on walking before texting my group chat of school friends to tell them.

Speaking of lost wallets...

I was once out walking the dog and found a wallet on the ground with no money in it, but someone's identity of various kinds, some of which seemed not to match together. There was only one address, so I went there but it was a student house and he hadn't been heard of, so when I had taken the dog home I took the wallet to our local police station (not much trouble, it was about forty yards from my front door) to hand it in.

There were two people already there, looked like father and son, reporting something, so I waited for them to finish -- and something the father said sounded familiar. So I said "Erm, is your son's second name John?" which was the second name on one of the bits of identity in the wallet. There was a stunned pause, and the cop stopped writing in the ledger he'd been filling in while I said "if you can tell me his first name and surname I'll give you his wallet." Yes, it was the son's wallet. And the man had just offered a twenty-five pound reward for it, which he insisted on giving me. (And the cop sighed and crossed out what he had just written down.)

I decided I was going to go hiking, my first time since lockdown. One of the mountain ranges is approx 70miles away so I drove there and parked up. Sat for about 30mins and then decided to go to a different carpark to climb a different mountain. Was driving into the new carpark when my brother came running down the lane. He'd just climbed the mountain and was heading home.

Was so weird. I convinced him to come hiking with me (he's super fit, didn't even phase him) so I had some company on my hike and it was brilliant. Don't think many people actually believed we hadn't planned to meet up. If I'd sat in the original carpark for 30seconds more or 30secs less we'd have missed each other (think he wished we had 🤣🤣)

I had a dream a friend was pregnant with twins. One of them was a boy and she was "but I don't know what to do, I have a daughter already but I don't know anything about boys!"

Told her this the next day while laughing about it. "I am pregnant" she says, "5 weeks"

It was a boy

Thought of another couple

My dad was in hospital having a blood transfusion and got talking to another guy. He mentions me (I was a small child then) and about my love of reading. My dad is useless with names by the way! The guy who he got talking to died, and my dad came home from hospital. Some time later a woman turns up at our address and asks for me. Being a child my dad is "er who are you?" It was the partner of the guy from hospital and she handed over a poem that he wanted me to have
The guy was Roald Dahl, and it's an unpublished poem of his I have

My parents ran a restaurant in Berkshire and a guy came in. My parents got chatting to him and got on the subject of horses and how I was horse mad (I would have been about 10)
"I have stables" he says "let's sort a date and she can come and look, you can have a tour"
We went and were at this bloody palace of a stud yard/stables and I didn't realise the significance as I was so young
It was the stables of sheikh mohammed al maktoum

I love all your stories. This is just a tiny coincidence but i thought I'd share anyway. I got back into reading over lockdown and was sorting through some books this morning. I had a couple of books by a young author called Beth O'Leary, which I really enjoyed. I just thought I'd Google her name to see if she's written anymore, and her third book is being published ... today!

QueenPaw I'd love to read the poem!

Ran into someone in Piccadilly who I first met in Pyramid Hill, Australia.

The population of Pyramid Hill is less than 500 people.

We're hoping to be released from our shop lease early to relocate it if another retailer will take it on. We had a viewing the other week with a very keen couple who want to move their business from an expensive place to ours.... got chatting and it turns out their business is a clothing alterations franchise where I worked for the previous franchisees a few years back.... hoped it was a good omen but we're still waiting for movement.....

@gobackanddoitproperly unfortunately I can't share it as it's the only copy! I never have it on display for the same reason

@Tals812

Hope someone relates to this. I'll start from when I can remember. Picked up a £20 note in a busy street, felt lucky so bought a lottery ticket and won £70. Picked up £10 in Sainsbury's but someone was next to it so gave it to them but realised from his reaction it wasn't his, but he took it anyway and no thank you. £10 on an embankment, £15 on a towpath, another £5 different towpath. €200 in a plastic wallet with a card with an unusual name. Searched fb and sent msgs to the 4 people I found asking if they'd lost something at a certain area. No replies and one even blocked me. Left my number at the a shop close to where I'd picked it up, nothing. A wallet with £80, and literally nothing with a name. Saw someone drop £5 on the bus and called out, seemed as though no one else could see it as I had to keep pointing. Another guy £5 out of back pocket, ran after him and he was grateful. Lady dropped her rolex watch, ran after her and had to convince her it was hers, £5 at a wine fair. Pound coins in the snow. Picked up a lottery ticket and got £5 off it. Last one, was sitting in a cafe, guy next to me left a jewellery box on the counter, I thought it was empty. As I was about to leave, took it thinking I'd repurpose it. As I push my chair back in, there's a receipt on the floor, was a brand new diamond necklace for twelve thousand pounds. Receipt had an initial and surname, and I'd seen which direction he'd gone. Spent the afternoon phoning all the companies in that building...finally found him, not easy as it was a popular name. Very abrupt on the phone, sent his PA to meet me and she practically grabbed it from me, no thank you and off she went. I don't purposely walk around looking down searching, somehow my eye just goes there. The embarkment one was a few feet away and I wasn't even sure it was money at first. As I got closer I thought someone else would pick it up before I got to it, but people were just walking right past it. Same as the Borough one, so many just not seeing it. Began to creep me out when most people I told said they'd never picked up any. These are just a few vivid ones. Also bought a high brand purse online, got sent 5 of them!!! Called and no one seemed to want to deal with it, made out I was trying to con them. My partner hired a car, when he tried to get it returned, they said it wasn't theirs and had no record of it. Called head office and no one wanted to know, wouldn't pick it up. Reference numbers drew a blank. Have all the paperwork etc. This is recent so still chasing.

These are just extraordinary! I reckon gamblers would pay you a fortune just to stand beside them in casinos.

Love this thread!

Ooh I've got another one,

I had never met anyone with the same birthday as me, although I know people with the same birthday as everyone is my family, many friend duplicates, and I know people with birthdays a day or two either side of mine.

It was my birthday, I'd just started a new job and been invited to some drinks reception thing after work.

I went along and was trying to network, chatting to this man. He said he had to go because it was his sons birthday and he was taking him for pizza. I said 'wow, it's my birthday too, I've never met anyone with the same birthday as me!', so man beckoned his cute 7 Yr old kid over (kid and mum had arrived to collect dad for dins).

The man introduced me by saying 'hey son, I'd like you to meet someone with the same birthday as you, say hello boysname'. Crazy thing is I am a woman but I also have that specific boysname as my name.

So the first ever time I met someone who had the same birthday as me, was on my birthday AND they had the same name as me.

My boss was the little girl I saved from drowning 19 years ago in her granny’s pond (my granny’s ndn at the time). I wasn’t aware it was her until a year after she took the job. We’re both living in the same small area 2 hours away from where the incident happened.

I had a dream a couple of nights ago that my ds was going to get back with his ex, I was very against it and told him so, he got back with her anyway and I was really pissed off. I cant really remember what happened, but I remember saying "I told you so" in the dream. I was so annoyed when I woke up I messaged a friend and told her the vague details and that I was still really irritated ds hadn't listened to me 🤣 it was a very realistic dream.

Ds came over for dinner tonight, told me he had been having really odd dreams. Turns out the same night I dreamt he got back with his ex, he dreamt that, and then she went on to trash his house and steal his stuff.

I showed him the messages I sent to my friend (he didn't believe me when I told him) he was pretty shocked, as was I.

Not the most exciting story, but pretty weird all the same. (I wasn't in his dream telling him off and then being smug though )

I worked with a man many years ago who told me his pregnant auntie turned a tap on and a newt came out making her jump. When the baby was born it had a birthmark in the shape of a newt

From my nephew earlier:
"I have just been to the petrol garage for fuel and I saw 2 police officers were watching a woman who was smoking while filling her car up. I thought, is she stupid, crazy, or both, especially with the police standing RIGHT there?! 😓. I minded my own business put 30 quid in and went inside to pay. As I was paying I heard the daft bitch screaming!! I’m talking violent death screams! I looked outside and I saw that this woman's arm was on fire!!!! She was swinging her arm, running around. I ran outside, the police had the woman on the ground and they were putting the fire out!! Then they put handcuffs on her and put her in the police car. I was a bit shocked, couldn't believe they arrested her, surely she ought to be in an ambulance, not a police car? Me being nosey as I am, I asked the policeman what they were arresting her for.. He looked at me, dead serious, and said, " waving a fire arm " ."

@Maggiesfarm

@MapGirlExtraordinaire

Ooh I've got another one,

I had never met anyone with the same birthday as me, although I know people with the same birthday as everyone is my family, many friend duplicates, and I know people with birthdays a day or two either side of mine.

It was my birthday, I'd just started a new job and been invited to some drinks reception thing after work.

I went along and was trying to network, chatting to this man. He said he had to go because it was his sons birthday and he was taking him for pizza. I said 'wow, it's my birthday too, I've never met anyone with the same birthday as me!', so man beckoned his cute 7 Yr old kid over (kid and mum had arrived to collect dad for dins).

The man introduced me by saying 'hey son, I'd like you to meet someone with the same birthday as you, say hello boysname'. Crazy thing is I am a woman but I also have that specific boysname as my name.

So the first ever time I met someone who had the same birthday as me, was on my birthday AND they had the same name as me.

Lesley/Leslie❓🤔

A few years ago I met a new friend. Very quickly had a strong feeling that this person should be in my life, I felt so warm towards her, she just felt like family. My dh and her dh hit it off too and the kids get on like a house on fire. All good.

So over the last few years we have realised there are a crazy amount of similarities between us. We both have mothers with the same name, and our brothers have the same medical condition. My friend and I have the same reasonably rare set of medical conditions (3 different ones), our eldest children are under paediatrics for the same things as each other, then our youngest children have the same 3 allergies. It is utterly bizarre and when combined with the fact that we just click and get on like sisters, and our families have just meshed together.. it feels like more than a coincidence.

@Stormwhale
There will be a genetic connection there I suspect. You should explore family trees.

My mum is a bit woo. Very superstitious, and gets very edgy when babies are due. She'd never name a baby, buy things for the baby till they are born etc.

On my second we were told during pregnancy that the baby was not growing right. I'd recently moved to the other side of the world and didn't want to worry mum, so didn't tell her.

I had a rotten pregnancy and went 2 weeks over my due date. Mum got an awful feeling (superstitions and an overactive imagination are a bad mix). She decided to pop down the village for milk as apparently she needed to fly to Australia for my funeral (again, not sure why she thought I was dead!). She slipped on ice and broke her wrist. The exact time my daughter was born. I rang her from the birth suite around 30 minutes later and she was on her way to the clinic to get it plastered.

My daughter loves the story. We tell her every birthday.

Less dramatic, I moved to Australia when my first child was 6 weeks old. Mum came with us. She joined a local church for the time she was helping me settle in. A few of the congregation asked her if I was the Irish girl with the baby. Mum said no. I eventually met the "Irish girl" and we became very good friends. Her son and my son share the same birthday but as he was born the start of the day in oz and my son was born the end of the day in Ireland, they were born 36 hours apart.

Oh and my mum's a witch, she's born on Halloween