The Jersey Devil

Do you have a favorite cryptid? As a native New Jerseyan, mine is definitely the 13th child of Old Mrs. Leeds, otherwise known as the Jersey Devil. I finally got to make it into a custom, including with a map of the Garden State as a tuft of hair on its chest.

Available now at my Etsy!

Hello boys and ghouls,

I have some very exciting news to announce: 365 Days of Terror has found a new home on Patreon!

What is Patreon?

Patreon is a simple way for you to support 365 Days of Terror while also gaining exclusive access to monthly stories, live chats, A.M.A. threads and much much more! And, yes, while it is a subscription service, I promise you it won’t set you back. In fact, as little as $1 a month will grant you FULL access to ALL of my monthly stories. That’s cheaper than a tall cup of coffee at Starbucks - and better for your health too!

For full details and to subscribe, please visit www.patreon.com/365daysofterror. You can also message me here with any questions or concerns you may have, if you’re unsure about joining. Please note, however, that all future posts will be exclusive to Patreon!!!

Hope to see you there soon!

The Mongolian Death Worm is a mythical creature said to live in the Gobi Desert of Asia. It is commonly described as a red, sausage-shaped worm that is approximately two feet in length. According to the stories, it can kill from a distance by spewing acid on its victims or in some cases, by giving off an electrical discharge. To touch the worm is also said to cause instant death or severe injury. Needless to say, the Mongolian Death Worm is NOT something you want to encounter while traveling the lonely sands of the Gobi Desert.  

A big thank you to all for all of your Likes, Reblogs, and Story Submissions. Keep on spreading the nightmares! 

Located on a hill in northern California is a tree known by the locals as “The Hanging Tree”. Its story is a gruesome one…

Several years ago, a local football team went up to the old tree to unwind after losing the big homecoming game. Being good sports, they invited the winning team to join them. A few members of the other team took them up on that offer and made the long trek to the top of the hill. Once there, they got drunk and began taunting the losing team over their loss. Seeing their rivals so drunk, the losing team came up with the perfect plan for revenge. They stripped the members of the rival team naked and tied them to the old, gnarled tree. They then left, leaving their rivals to fend for themselves overnight. The next morning they contacted the remaining rivals, telling them where they could find their friends. When the remaining players arrived at the hill they were met with a gruesome sight. Their friends were hanging from the old tree, their bodies completely skinned. It is not known what happened to them during the night but the tree is now said to curse anyone who touches it.

Do you dare touch “The Hanging Tree”?

“The Hanging Tree” is said to sit upon a large hill known as “The Top of the World”. Its exact location is unknown but it’s said to be somewhere in northern California. If you happen to find it, please don’t touch it!

El hombre del saco, or Sack Man, is a boogeyman-like figure that collects disobedient children in a large sack and devours them. He is typically described as being skinny and incredibly hideous. The legend of el hombre del saco hails from Spain though similar legends do exist worldwide. In Brazil he is commonly known as o homem do saco. In this version of the legend, he does not eat the children but sells them. Needless to say, children worldwide are urged to be on their best behavior lest the Sack Man get them!

When I was a kid there was an urban legend going around about some Russian engineers who had discovered an underground chamber while drilling in Siberia. Curious about their find, they lowered a heat resistant microphone into the ground. What they heard was terrifying. It was the sound of a million souls in agony. They had discovered Hell. Or so the story went. Of course the story was an obvious hoax but to younger me it was the gospel truth. (For those curious about it, there was another version that took place in Alaska that featured an appearance by the devil himself!)

Then submit it [here] or at [email protected].

Are The Black-Eyed Children Real? Supernatural Profile

It’s late at night. You hear a knock on the door. You look out the peephole and can make out two short figures standing outside your door. If you are brave enough to open the door you will come face to face with two young children. One could be as old as sixteen, the other only half that age. They are dressed in antiquated clothing. A sense of dread overcomes you as you look upon them. They ask to be let in so they can call their mom. As they insist you realize that they both have solid black eyes. So do you let them in?

You may already be familiar with the contemporary phenomenon of the Black-Eyed Children. Stories about them have been floating around sites like Reddit for years. So are the Black-Eyed Children real, and if so what are they?

My Introduction to The Black-Eyed Children

I remember the first time I ever heard of the Black-Eyed Children. Though I’m a big fan of the supernatural I’m a pretty staunch skeptic. I love supernatural fiction, and I enjoy hearing about supposed real encounters with ghosts and ghouls. Ultimately, I’m a nonbeliever. Among my circle of acquaintances that puts me in a minority. For years, I worked in a restaurant kitchen and many of my coworkers were the type to believe everything they read online or saw on YouTube. I was conversing with a dishwasher who bounced from one conspiracy theory to another. After going on about some guru who could cure HIV and cancer out of nowhere he says to me “you know about the little kids with the black eyes that show up at your door wanting to be let in right?”

I’m like “What? Kids with black eyes?”

“Yeah, the black-eyed kids.”

Like I did on many other nights when I went home I looked up this crazy story I heard at work. Normally within minutes on such nights, I can link the stories to creepypasta style fiction or some type of scam, like with the guru. My initial research of the black-eyed children proved to be no different. I found the stories to be both creepy and fascinating but I ultimately passed the stories off as just another example of creepypasta.

In the years since I’ve repeatedly stumbled upon more and more stories of the black-eyed children. My current preoccupation with them started the other night. Quite often at night after watching whatever show we are currently binging my girlfriend and I watch random videos on YouTube. That night I was scrolling through PBS Monstrum videos. In each short video, the awesomely brilliant Dr. Emily Zarka tackles everything from mythical monsters to cryptids. After going through several episodes I came upon her video on Black-Eyed Children aptly entitled “Don’t Let Them In.”

Before seeing the Monstrum video my girlfriend never heard of the phenomenon before. Since watching it, I myself, at least mentally, have been haunted by the Black-Eyed Children.

The Brian Bethel Incident

The earliest reported case of the Black-Eyed Children took place in Abilene, Texas back in 1996. That night seasoned journalist Brian Bethel sat in his car parked in front of a movie theater. Busy going through his checkbook he didn’t sense the two children outside his car until one knocked on his window. Fear set in the moment he rolled down his window though he knew not why. One child appeared to be about twelve and the other nine. Both wore pullover hoodies. One of the boys was curly-haired and olive-skinned while the other was redheaded and freckled.

Bethel’s dread intensified when one of the boys asked for a ride. The boy claimed they wanted to see the Mortal Kombat movie but forgot their money at home. Bethel told them that the movie already started, and they wouldn’t make it back in time. The children grew insistent, but as his unease grew Bethel finally realized both kids had soulless black orbs for eyes with no white showing. Terrified Bethel rolled up the window, and started the car. One of the children banged on the window pleading that they couldn’t come in unless they were invited. As he sped away Bethel looked in his rearview mirror seeing no sign of the children.

Bethel initially only shared his story through email with a handful of friends. Inevitably the story leaked online, and once it did others came forth with tales of their own encounters with Black-Eyed Children. Most of the accounts follow a similar pattern. Though many accounts tell of a solo child typically, a pair of children aged from six to sixteen show up outside their door or car late at night. They are often dressed antiquated. They ask to be let in often to use the phone. They instill a sense of dread. Of course, they all have solid black eyes.

Bethel has never wavered in his story, and to this day insists it’s true. Since his account found its way online tales of Black-Eyed Children that purportedly predate his encounter have emerged.

The Cannock Chase Sightings

In September 2014, the tabloid, The Daily Star, ran stories of sightings of a black-eyed girl in the Cannock Chase area of Staffordshire, England. These stories drew the attention of paranormal investigator, Lee Brickley. He would report an account of a local woman. While out with her daughter she heard a terrifying scream that she thought came from a child. She searched for the child before noticing a girl dressed in white standing behind her. The girl stood there covering her eyes as if playing peekaboo. When the woman tried to talk to the lone child the girl removed her hands revealing her completely black eyes. The woman jumped back and grabbed her daughter only to find the black-eyed girl gone.

Strangely Brickley claimed his own aunt encountered the same black-eyed girl 30 years before in 1982. According to Brickley, his aunt heard a yell for help before spotting a young girl dressed in white running the opposite way. She caught up to the girl, placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder. The girl turned around, looking at the woman with her black eyes. The girl broke away, ran off, and disappeared.

In 2015 video from a drone flying over Cannock Chase surfaced on YouTube. The video captures what some believe to be the black-eyed girl of Cannock Chase. I leave it to the reader to decide how believable the accounts by Brickley or the video are.

What Happens If You Let The Black Eyed Children In?

In virtually every account of the Black-Eyed Children, I’ve come upon the terrified witness refused their wishes. They wouldn’t let the Black-Eyed Children in, wouldn’t let them use the phone, or if encountered outside fled from them. I only came across one story where someone actually let them into their house.

This story surfaced in January 2016 of an encounter a Vermont woman claimed took place approximately a year earlier. While a blizzard raged outside she heard a loud bang on her front door. She peeked out the window and could see a trail of footprints leading to her house. As the knocking continued she nervously woke her husband who went to answer the door.

Outside they found a boy and a girl, both around eight years old. Neither was properly dressed for the cold weather. Though disturbed by the sight of the two children concern set in and she ushered them inside. Their presence spooked her cats with one feline hissing as they walked by. Whenever the woman tried to talk to them they respond the same way. “Our parents will be here soon.” She made the children hot cocoa. It wasn’t until she tried to hand them the cocoa that she realized to her dismay that their eyes were giant jet-black pupils.

Soon the two children asked to use the restroom and she showed them the way. As she waited on them her husband developed a nose bleed. Shortly thereafter the power went out. As she attempted to tend to her husband she saw the children standing in the dark hallway watching her. “Our parents are here,” they told her before making their way out the front door. Before closing the door behind them she watched as the children walked to two men dressed in black suits standing outside a black car. The children entered the car followed by the men before it disappeared into the snowy night.

In the following months, the woman’s husband was diagnosed with aggressive skin cancer. She too claimed to develop health problems as well stating she was in the worst condition of her life. She holds no doubts her and her husband’s ailments are connected to their encounter with the two black-eyed children.

So What Are The Black Eyed Children?

There are many theories on what these Black-Eyed Children are. Various beliefs suggest that the Black-Eyed Children are ghosts, vampires, demons, or aliens. Going back to the Bethel case and many of the accounts since the “let us in” aspect does invoke the vampire myth of them having to be invited in. The account of the Vermont woman also merges the tale with the much more prevalent urban myth of the Men in Black.

So are the Black-Eyed Children real? Again I’m a skeptic. If the original account by Brian Bethel is true I would suggest that he simply had a strange encounter with some creepy kids late at night, and his imagination got the better of him. I suspect many of the accounts online, if true, are likewise random encounters with unfamiliar kids. Let’s be honest kids can be both mischievous and weird. Add fear, poor lighting, possible grogginess, or even drunkenness into the mix and those weird kids may look like black-eyed aliens. I also suspect the vast majority of accounts are not at all true, and nothing more than creepypasta fiction.

Nevertheless, the Black-Eyed Children have entered the public psyche. They have joined the ranks of other urban legends like the Men in Black. They have also invaded pop culture. They are now a whole slew of novels featuring the Black-Eyed Children as well as a handful of films.Aftershock has released a fairly popular and critically acclaimed comic series called B.E.K Black Eyed Kids, which chronicles the origins of the Black-Eyed Children.

Regardless of my personal beliefs, I find accounts of the Black-Eyed Children to be fascinating. I may take these tales with a grain of salt but that doesn’t change the fact that I have spent many nights doing nothing, but reading up on them. So what are your thoughts? Please let me know. I would also love to hear some firsthand accounts of the Black-Eyed Children. Do you have your own Black-Eyed Children encounter you are willing to share? Please email me at damien@thenocturnalkeep.com with your story.

Now if you’ll excuse me…there is someone knocking on my front door.

LORETTA DEVINE

After starring in the classic URBAN LEGENDS movies and guest starring on the beloved SUPERNATURAL tv show, the talented Loretta Devine returned to Horror last year in the spine-chilling movie SPELL directed by Mark Tonderai. #BlackHorrorMonth#BlackHistoryMonth#Day13