Mickey mouse horror story

This all happened years ago when I was in my early teens. My parents and I went on vacation to New York that summer. We stayed in an Airbnb somewhere in Manhattan and had a lot of fun for the first couple of days. One night, we decided to visit Times Square, which was obviously a very popular spot for tourists. When we arrived, it was already very crowded, and it was hard for me to believe that so many people could be in one spot, making it difficult to navigate around. By that time, I was old enough to have a phone, so my parents didn’t mind if I wandered around by myself, as long as I kept them informed of where I was and didn’t leave the area completely. While my parents looked at things that didn’t interest me, I strolled around and took photos of various things that caught my eye. There were all kinds of people around: tourists, locals, homeless people, cops, drunkies, druggies, and performers. Even people dressed up in costumes. There was everything you’d expect to see in Times Square. Among the many interesting people, one person, in particular, caught my eye. It was someone dressed as Mickey Mouse, but there was something strange about this Mickey. The face of the costume looked off; it was honestly kind of creepy, which felt strange for a Mickey costume. I couldn’t help but stare at the guy, and the more I looked, the creepier and weirder he seemed. It got even eerier when I noticed that the guy was staring back at me. Out of everyone else there, the whole situation felt weird and freaky. I was having a stare-off with Mickey Mouse. Just as I was about to turn away, the Mickey Mouse started charging towards me, screaming and yelling in my face, demanding payment for taking a picture. I tried to explain that I hadn’t taken any photos, but he just kept yelling, accusing me of taking a photo and demanding 20 bucks. Panicking, I tried to break free from his grip, but he wouldn’t let go, continuing to demand payment. After a few moments of struggling, I managed to break free and run into the crowd. Everyone watched me in awe as I sprinted away from the maniac. I thought for sure that Mickey was going to chase after me, but when I looked back, he was just standing there, staring at me. I eventually found my parents a few meters away, taking pictures of the skyscrapers. I decided not to tell them about what had happened, not wanting them to worry. I persuaded them to head home early, and my dad got us an Uber back to the Airbnb. I chose to sweep the incident under the rug and act like it never happened. Later that night, when everyone was asleep, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep due to nightmares about the creepy Mickey Mouse. Every time I was about to fall asleep, a picture of that creepy mask would flash in my mind, startling me awake. To make things worse, I started hearing noises in my room. I tried to ignore them and sleep, but the noises only got louder. Suddenly, I woke up in fear, convinced that something was in my room. My heart raced as I looked around and saw something in the corner of my room, shrouded in darkness. It looked like the same scary Mickey Mouse, standing there and staring at me like a creep. I was petrified, unable to understand how he had found me. I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things or if the psycho had somehow broken into the Airbnb. Then, out of nowhere, Mickey Mouse charged at me, grabbing me by the collar again, demanding payment. I screamed for help, but he just shook me around, continuing to demand money. The Mickey Mouse then pushed me away and ran out of my room. A few seconds later, my parents rushed in, asking what was wrong. I quickly explained, and my dad immediately called the cops. By the time they arrived, the Mickey was gone, but they found him a block down the street and arrested him. It was all over after that, but it took years before I stopped having nightmares about Mickey Mouse. I’m still traumatized by that night and don’t think I’ll ever fully forget it. This story was inspired by a real incident involving a man dressed as Mickey Mouse who was arrested in Times Square for harassing a teen. The culprit allegedly harassed the victim and his father for money for a photo they had never taken. The culprit's name was never disclosed, but it was mentioned that he had stalked the teen and was taken into custody after the outburst.