Nothing is scarier than stepping inside a place you thought was abandoned.
For those of us who like to go on adventures, chances are we have already stumbled upon places that were once bustling with life.
Old office buildings, concert halls, and houses. They all sparked fear into kids and curiosity in the older ones.
An abandoned home with a perfectly manicured lawn in Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 location was previously used as a mink farm 🥺 pic.twitter.com/SwekEy3mcs
— The Tourist (@__The_Tourist__) March 23, 2022
As years passed, these structures collected moss, dust, and legends that were quietly passed around by neighborhood kids.
And as people avoid these places, there are some who are more than willing to uncover their stories.
One such person is Leslie Muir.
Muir is a photographer who specializes in photographing abandoned places around Ontario.
On her Twitter account, you can see the myriad of photos that can evoke sadness, curiosity, and nostalgia.
“Every room and every object has something to say,” she said to Great Big Story, “You never know what you’re going to find or who you’ll find.”
And find someone she did.
Exploring abandoned places is not for everyone.
Besides the gossip of ghosts and other legends, there are real dangers waiting under rotting pillars and creaking floorboards.
Other places may not be as structurally sound and others became home to people of ill-repute.
This danger became a real threat in one of her explorations. What started as a random trip to an abandoned house became so much more than she could hope for.
Muir has always passed by an abandoned house.
“About a year ago I was driving home,” she recalled to Great Big Story, “Had seen this house a million times. Never thought to stop. It was just another abandoned house.”
Pieces of lives still linger in this abandoned home in rural Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/LHvekGRW4o
— The Tourist (@__The_Tourist__) April 6, 2022
At that moment, she decided to make a U-turn and finally gave in to the call of the abandoned.
She stepped out of her car and began taking pictures of the house.
Secrets from the second floor 🏚
Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/NjZzgKhYc8
— The Tourist (@__The_Tourist__) April 6, 2022
“When I went inside it was still an abandoned house to me.” She recalled to the documentary channel, “It was dark, there was stuff everywhere, any sign that you saw would have led you to believe that nobody lived there.”
Or so she thought.
As she went in deeper to discover other places in the house, she heard a radio. That in itself would’ve spooked out the bravest of explorers but not Muir.
A bedroom from an abandoned time capsule, located on the back roads or rural Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/R3yBbNzdOC
— The Tourist (@__The_Tourist__) March 23, 2022
Then, that’s when she heard a timid hello from the corner. People would’ve bolted out but Muir came closer. The voice came from an old man.
Lawrence has been living alone for years.
Besides being lonely, Lawrence also endured a fracture to the head and loss of vision in one eye.
eHe was in a rough shape, as Muir described and she knew this man needed help.
Now, Lawrence is living in a retirement home. It was a big difference from his previous home where he lived in solitude, darkness, and helplessness.
Lawrence admitted Muir changed his life.
“I always have been a loner.” He said to Great Big Story, “She brightened my life up.”
Lawrence also described her as a really good friend. And indeed she was.
Because at the moment when she could’ve abandoned Lawrence, she made sure that he got not only the help he needed but a companion he can trust.
Learn more about this beautiful twist of fate in the video below!
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