‘Ghost who cannot be named’ spotted in Bolingbrook (Fiction)

Several Bolingbrook residents claimed they encountered the unnamable ghost terrorizing the United States by attacking anyone critical of it.

The residents, who asked that their last names not be published, described a ghost with flames in its eye sockets and a forked tongue. All of them reported the ghost demanded to be called a champion of free speech. When they refused, the ghost said they would suffer his wrath. 

Steve, a longtime Bolingbrook resident, claims the ghost frightened his employer into firing him. “All I did was write a post that (name redacted) organized efforts to blacklist college professors. It said it was a champion of free speech and demanded that I prove it wrong. I said its threats proved him wrong. It replied that it was going to visit my boss. Now I’m unemployed. More free time to protest Trump, I guess.”

Becky, a new Bolingbrook resident, claims the ghost banned her X account. “All I did was quote something (Name redacted) said that I thought was racist. Then it appeared, and said most blacks were inferior, except for its black friend. When it asked me to prove it wrong, I mentioned Dr. Charles Richard Drew, the man who pioneered blood banking. It disappeared, and X suspended my account. I’ll miss Grok.”

According to sources in Bolingbrook’s Department of Paranormal Affairs, the ghost has targeted over 20,000 people globally. The sources fear the ghost becoming more powerful every night. 

One source urges residents to consider two options if they encounter the ghost. “You could praise it. Like saying it did politics right when it was alive. Or you could stand your ground and tell it off. But I’d only recommend that if you’re a millionaire.”

Also in the Babbler:

ICE agents stopped from raiding Clow UFO Base
Space Force paratroopers conducting “Urban War Games” near Naperville
Weredeer pack joins ICE
God to smite Bolingbrook on 9/25/25

Note: This is a work of fiction. All opinions expressed are my own. They do not reflect the views of any organization I work for or of my employer. 

My upcoming Urban Fantasy novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, is available for preorder. If you like Urban Fantasy, like the Dresden Files and Welcome to Night Vale, you’ll like Revenge. It’s part of the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories books, which are available through all retailers. 

Update on my new novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

I took a break from Freethought Blogs to edit Revenge of the Phantom Press, my Urban Fantasy novel set in suburban Chicagoland. After I submitted my edits, I submitted the manuscript to the next editor to clean up the text. Then in October, I’ll submit it to the final editor for cleaning in remaining errors.

The current release date is for January 1st, but I think March might be the release month. I’ll make a decision soon.

When I started writing this sequel to The Rift, one of the themes involves the dangers of authoritarianism and the dangers of blind trust secretive organizations. I honestly, didn’t expect the story to be this relevant to today’s events as it’s turning out to be.

You can preorder Revenge of the Phantom Press eBook edition and receive it as soon as it’s published. Think Dresden Files, but without the MMC making creepy comments about women.

 

Operation Midway Blitz begins in Illinois

An AI generated image of President Donald Trump recreating the village attack scene in Apocalypse Now. Chicago's skyline is in the background, along with flames and helicopters.

President Trump failing to be funny with his “Chipocalypes Now” post.

Last Saturday, Trump declared war on Chicagoland, where I live. Even if he was joking, I didn’t find it funny. Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced the start of Operation Midway Blitz. Hundreds of federal agents will be operating out of Navel Station Great Lakes starting this week. Their raids will, most likely, include the surrounding suburbs and the collar counties.

Already there are deceptive or mistaken posts on social media. As now, there are no National Guard troops deployed in Chicago. Nor is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson circling the salt trucks to block ICE agents.  Also, Chicago police officers are not siding with protesters blocking Customs Processing facility. That facility is in Broadview, IL, a suburb of Chicago, and the police are helping federal masked agents enter and leave the building.

I will give credit to Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Johnson for not backing down to Trump. However, it’s not the dramatic resistance the click baiters make it out to be. If sounds too good to be true, that’s a sign to be careful before sharing any posts.

For more information about protests and action alerts, Hands Off Chicago is the coalition coordinating the grassroots response to the ICE raids.

While I’m not a full time citizen reporter, I’ll do what I can to provide updates when I learn about them.

 

Mentour Pilot rocks Clow UFO Base (Fiction)

By Reporter X

In front of a packed audience of humans and aliens, Petter Hörnfeldt, known as Mentour Pilot on YouTube, delivered a presentation on famous interstellar spacecraft accidents. The audience treated his presentation like a rock concert.

At one point, an alien yelled, “You rock, Petter!”

Hörnfeldt chuckled and replied, “I’m just doing my best to keep the skies safe for humans and other intelligent beings.”

During the presentation, the audience cheered, projected holographic lighter flames, and called out Hörnfeldt’s famous catchphrases. Some shouted “Free Bird!”

“It’s coming,” Hörnfeldt replied. “Don’t worry.”

The audience cheered for several seconds in response.

One incident Hörnfeldt discussed involved a UFO accidentally flying into the atmosphere of TrES-2B, the darkest exoplanet in the galaxy.

Hörnfeldt said, “Now, at this point, the crew should have tuned into the warning beacons orbiting TrES-2B. Because TrES-2B wouldn’t have appeared on their visual sensors or their radar.”

The audience replied, “But that didn’t happen!”

“Yes,” Hörnfeldt said with a smile. “It didn’t happen. Instead, the high mind set the autopilot to orbital velocity mode.”

“Remember that!” 

Hörnfeldt smiled again. “You guys are superfans.”

Like most YouTube influencers, Hörnfeldt mentioned his sponsors during his presentations.

“Now, at this point, many beings would pray to a higher power to save them. But. What if you don’t believe in a higher power, and you’re facing death? That’s where today’s sponsor comes in. Escape Velocity, your destination for atheist content across the galaxy. They’re the exclusive interstellar distributor of content from Freethought Blogs and The Orbit. In fact, if you subscribe to Escape Velocity right now, you’ll receive a free copy of Greta Christina’s Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to do with God. Now, where was I?”

An alien shouted, “Why does every YouTuber have to put ads in their presentations?”

Hörnfeldt shrugged. “I have a family to support.”

The alien replied, “I wish humanity would hurry up and evolve out of capitalism. Ads are so annoying!”

After the last presentation, Hörnfeldt asked, “What do all these stories have in common?”

“Nobody died!” the audience replied.

“Exactly. So, fly safe up there.”

Hörnfeldt left the stage, and the audience cheered and projected holographic flames. In response, Hörnfeldt returned. For the encore, he did a presentation about PIOSEE, a decision method used by airline crews.

“You’ve been a great audience,” said Hörnfeldt. “Don’t forget to use code ‘Mentour65’ to get a 10% off a Clow human abduction license.”

Before Hörnfeldt’s presentation, Chloe Howe, the creator behind the Disaster Breakdown YouTube channel, was the “opening act.” Howe delivered a presentation about the Roswell UFO accident. 

“You may have heard the cover story,” said Howe. “A scout craft crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, killing all on board. The US military conducted a crude autopsy before Majestic 12 could see the bodies. A delegation from the Interstellar Commonwealth arrived in Washington DC, and the rest is history. But that’s not quite right.”

According to Howe, the craft was on a diplomatic mission, not a scouting mission. While entering Earth’s atmosphere, they detected two enormous balloons. Though the balloons carried sensors to detect nuclear tests, the captain assumed they were human spacecraft sent to greet them. When their transmissions weren’t answered, the captain ordered their ship to move closer. While the crew was distracted by sending transmissions, their ship collided with the balloons. The impact opened a cargo door, and four humanoid mannequins were sucked out of the ship. The balloons were a total loss, but the craft, though crippled, landed without incident. The army surrounded the ship, their weapons pointed at the craft. The captain stepped outside with a translator.

Howe said, “These were the first words spoken from the Commonwealth to humanity: ‘Don’t worry. Our insurance will cover this.’”

Howe, after concluding the presentation, said, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must flee the ongoing disaster that is the United States. But please, subscribe to my Patreon, so I don’t have to shill for Ground News.”

Note: This is a work of fiction. All opinions expressed are my own. They do not reflect the views of any organization I work for or of my employer. 

My upcoming Urban Fantasy novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, is available for preorder. If you like Urban Fantasy, like the Dresden Files and Welcome to Night Vale, you’ll like Revenge. It’s part of the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories books, which are available through all retailers.