(Based on true events)

In my youth, I had always been a fan of the unknown and unexplainable. I'd search up YouTube videos on the stuff, and take enjoyment out of even the creepiest of videos, like the fake 3:00 AM challenges, or even settle down to give myself heebiejeebies with a good creepypasta. There was one in particular that shook me to my core. An "Amazing World of Gumball" creepypasta titled: "The Grieving", which I heard tell of in a compilation of stories. To keep it short and sweet, the story is about a boy who was home alone with his brother who watched a particular eerie episode of Gumball.... At the end of the story, however, was what REALLY got to me... At the end of the story, the younger brother dissapeared without a trace, never to be found again.... After hearing this relatively new creepypasta (to me at least), I decided to do some research on said episode to see if it was real, which is silly I know but you'd be surprised how much truth is buried with stories like those! After seeing that people had actually SEEN the episode air, I got chills, and decided that I've had my limit on creepypastas for a day.... It wasn't until the next day, however, did my curiosity about the episode catch up.... It was a crisp Friday morning, and my brother and I had missed the bus for school, meaning our mom had to drive us. I was sitting in the back with him when I finally HAD to know what was in the episode! Keep in mind, I was the tender age of twelve, and eldest of three children at this time! So, like any curious preteen, I looked up the episode in full- no reaction videos, no encounter videos, the RAW footage of the episode, and I didn't even make it a minute into the episode when a decapitated Anis (the pink rabbit girl) flashed onto the screen, scaring me so bad that I had dropped my phone into the floorboards! Thankfully, my mom had the radio on blast, so they never suspected a thing, and I slowly used my ear bud cord to fish my phone back to me with trembling hands. I put the episode out of my head, and the rest of the day went smoothly. That Saturday though was when it took a turn for the potential worst... I was sitting in the floor with my youngest brother in my lap, watching Cartoon Network as my middle brother was in the kitchen. My mom was working, and so I was left to babysit the two as the eldest should. My youngest brother and I had just finished Adventure Time (if I remembered) and I saw that Gumball was on next, so I decided to wait until the episode was over before cartoon surfing on Nickelodeon; BIG mistake on my part as the episode started out with a warning.... the same warning played out at the beginning of the creepypasta...... the read aloud, and I quote,

"Warning! The episode you are about to see is a lost episode creepypasta called "The Greiving". Those who have watched this episode are known to come up missing and/or dead. Viewer discretion is advised."

I just about crapped myself as my blood ran cold, and you're probably thinking I just let the episode play out like the generic idiots in the creepypasta stories that end up cursed or killed right? WRONG! I knew how that story ended, and I'd be DARNED if I was just gonna sit there, and let it happen to me! I quickly jumped into action, covering my youngest brother's eyes to advert him from any trauma, and yelled for my middle brother across the room as I sternly commanded, "Turn it off! Turn it off, NOW!" Confused my brother took the remote, and tried to change the channel as he asked, "What? What is it?" But I told him to shut off the T.V., which reluctantly he did. I instructed the boys to keep the T.V. off until mom got home, and my middle brother was expecting an explanation- which I couldn't give while the little ears in the room were still present. Once my youngest brother was out of the living room, I brought my middle brother to the kitchen, and explained the reason I had him turn off the T.V.; even telling him about Friday Morning's events with the episode as I trembled and came to near tears. Needless to say he was disturbed... I felt better with them watching T.V. now that mom was home, but we stayed lip tight about the situation. I thought it was a one time thing and we survived! I was DEAD wrong, because Sunday afternoon we were watching Cartoon Network when the SAME EXACT WARNING PLAYED ON THE SCREEN! This time, I was furious as I grabbed the remote, and changed the T.V. to an episode of SpongeBob instead, deducing that it was safer for my youngest brother until mom got home from work again. Years later, when my middle brother and I was in High School, we sat in the library with my boyfriend to eat lunch (which the librarian allowed). My brother and I talked about the episode with him, and my brother did research to find that the creepypasta was only a sick prank pulled by Cartoon Network..... I still to this day beg to differ as I wondered what would happen if I didn't change the channel or turn off the T.V., still crying to this day even writing it for you, the reader. So here's a little caution advice from me, if you get done reading and researching a story, and suddenly that story starts to play out before you- don't take it lightly, and DEFINITELY turn the T.V. off, especially if a kid's episode starts with a warning.