Mom Rents Old House for a Night, Finds Her Little Son’s Carbon Copy in Painting Inside

A family of five checked into an old property while returning from a ski trip during their vacation. Little did they know that sitting at the dinner table together that night would lead them to a spine-chilling discovery.

Jennie Stevenson was driving with her husband, Jethro, and their three children when they stopped by a remote property for the night. The house was located in a quiet place, but the family didn't suspect anything unusual until they entered it.

The Stevensons had been living in Sweden for the past two years. They went on a family vacation to have a good time, unaware they would return with an eerie memory after spending the night at their rented cottage.

Exploring the Quiet Property

After entering the old-looking house, the Stevenson family stowed their bags in their rooms. Then the mother of three explored the house and stumbled across an unusual sight. She saw the guest bedroom locked from the outside. Since the property was an Airbnb, the owner should have left all doors unlocked, but the lock on the door raised questions.

Without thinking much about the locked bedroom, Jennie and Jethro sat at the dinner table with their kids, Dita, Morty, and Barney. Jennie recounted what happened next:

"My daughter said, 'Mum, they've got a picture of Barney on the wall!'"

The Creepy Painting on the Wall

Having a picture of her son on the wall of a rented cottage they'd never been to seemed far-fetched, but Jennie couldn't agree more when she saw it.

Soon after Stevenson shared her spine-chilling experience with the world, it caught the attention of many news outlets.

When her daughter pointed towards a painting by Carl Larsson, who passed away in 1919, she saw an image of a girl holding flowers and wearing a cowboy hat. The girl had a familiar serious expression on her face, one she would soon realize oddly resembled her son Barney's. The family was spooked—the girl in the painting was Barney's carbon copy!

Sharing Her Experience with the World

Jennie revealed her son would often make a serious face whenever she clicked his photos, and the girl in the painting had the same expression. Shocked at the uncanny resemblance, the mother of three posted a photo of Barney alongside the girl's picture on her social media profiles on April 8, 2023, stating:

"Disconcerted to arrive at our B&B and discover a painting of our youngest child depicted as a small girl."

After noticing the unusual resemblance between the two photos, a netizen on Twitter asked Jennie how her night went. She replied, "Woke up at some point to a terrifying papery noise (think riffling of pages or a deck of cards), but we all survived."

People Were Concerned

While other people shared similar personal experiences in the comments section of Jennie's Twitter post, a one with the username localnotail, posted an overlay image by combining the two photos and asked:

"Is it too late to find another place to stay...?"

The overlay clearly illustrated how similar Barney and the girl in the painting looked. The resemblance was enough to send a shiver down one's spine, but Jennie said she and her family safely left the Airbnb the following day. They didn't experience anything suspicious except hearing a "papery noise" in the middle of the night.

The Online Reaction

Soon after Jennie shared her spine-chilling experience with the world, it caught the attention of many news outlets. They published her story on their social media pages, where netizens shared their opinions. Here are some of the comments they left:

"So I had a weird moment like this the one time on the Blue Line leaving O'hare airport into the city. I sat across from someone who looked like me to the point that I asked my mom if she had given one away! To this day, I wish I had gotten the girl's attention - to be like, "Do you see what I see?" Crazy… [sic]"

― (@Laura Schmidt) April 13, 2023

"That's the perfect start for a horror movie script."

― (@Carla Conti) April 13, 2023

"Probably long lost family connection."

― (Brandy Robison-Strawn) April 13, 2023

"I would immediately leave."

― (@Robin Shappelle Suda) April 13, 2023

Spotting a photo of a girl in an unknown property who looks like your son's twin is a frightening experience, but we are impressed by how well Jennie handled the situation.

What do you think about this story? Have you ever experienced something similar? We'd love to read about your frightening encounters in the comments section.

Click here to read another story about a woman who adopted a girl who came to her on a rainy night. Months later, she meets the girl's carbon copy on her front porch.