The spooky story of a ‘creepy’ portrait has been the talk of the small town of St Leonards-on-Sea this week.
The painting – the origin, subject, and artist of which are unknown – was initially donated to the Hastings Advice Representation Centre (HARC) shop in the town.
It features a headshot of a child wearing a red dress and an unnerving expression.
It has now been bought and returned two times, though – with customers claiming it was ‘possibly cursed’ and had a ‘creepy aura’.
Shop owner Steve told The Telegraph he immediately noticed the eyes ‘follow you around the room’ after he received the donation from a middle-aged man, alongside some other frames.
The woman who bought it ‘came in two days later and said, “I’ve got to get rid of this picture.”‘
A second customer bought it shortly after, but ‘came back shaky and distressed’ and said she ‘never wanted to see the damned thing again’.
Steve said: ‘The last person was terrified, she couldn’t have it, but then she saw it had so many views she changed her mind. She thinks now it’s got some sort of monetary value.
‘This morning she rang me up saying, “I bought your picture, can I have it back?” She’s decided she’s no longer scared and she can put up with it.
‘She wanted to buy it back and she had it back for free.
‘None of them [the picture’s former owners] wanted a refund. We priced it at £25 and £20. It said “cursed” and we thought it was, so it did everything it said on the tin.’
The ‘scary’ portrait received widespread attention after a photo of the shop window went viral, as the picture had been displayed with a note reading: ‘She’s back! Sold twice and returned twice! Are you brave enough?’
Several people speculated about its past and why it may have needed to be returned twice to the same charity shop.
Some advised the owner to ‘burn it’ and others compared it to the 2001 horror film The Others, in which unsettling children interact with ghosts.
But the big question is – would you dare buy it?
