A family's peaceful holiday took a bizarre and unsettling turn when they discovered a painting bearing an almost exact likeness of their seven-year-old son hanging in a remote Swedish bed and breakfast.
The Unsettling Discovery
The Stevenson family, who had relocated from the UK to Sweden two years earlier, were returning from a skiing trip and needed overnight accommodation during their long journey home. They chose what mother Jennie Stevenson described as an "isolated" B&B, hoping for a restful stopover.
As they prepared for dinner in the shared dining area, the family's daughter suddenly exclaimed, "Mum, there's a picture of Barney on the wall." When Jennie examined the artwork more closely, she discovered a portrait that bore a striking resemblance to her youngest child, seven-year-old Barney.
An Uncanny Resemblance
The painting, entitled 'Flowers in the Meadow' by Swedish artist Carl Larsson, depicts a young girl surrounded by blooms while wearing a hat. Despite the subject being female with long hair, the facial features and overall appearance created what the mother described as a "disconcerting" similarity to her son.
"We all felt thoroughly unnerved by the discovery," Jennie explained. "Finding what looked like a portrait of our child in this remote, old-fashioned establishment with creaky floors was certainly unexpected."
Family Reactions and Theories
Fortunately, while the parents found the situation unsettling, young Barney himself found the entire episode amusing. The family managed to maintain their sense of humor despite the eerie circumstances.
Jennie recounted on social media platform X: "Just arrived at our secluded rural BandB to find a painting of our youngest child depicted as a small girl. There's absolutely no terrifying precedent for this, so it's probably fine."
Social Media Speculation
The mother's post sparked considerable discussion among fellow social media users, with many offering their own theories about the strange occurrence. One individual suggested the mysterious papery noises the family heard during the night might be "the child trying to escape the painting."
Another user enquired about potential supernatural elements, asking: "Any witches nearby?" To which Jennie responded with Swedish folklore knowledge: "In Sweden, Easter is when all the witches fly to the Blue Mountain, so I'm going to assume yes?"
The B&B Experience
The family described the accommodation as having an "old-fashioned" atmosphere with characteristically "creaky floors" that added to the overall eerie ambiance. Jennie noted waking at one point to what she described as "a terrifying papery noise (think riffling of pages or a deck of cards)" but reassured that "we all survived" the unusual overnight stay.
Despite the unsettling discovery and strange noises, the family maintained their composure and managed to find humor in the bizarre situation. The incident serves as a memorable, if somewhat spooky, addition to their travel experiences in Sweden.
