What’s Lurking in the Woods

Apr 26

September 3, 2024

Today was the first day of school and I think high school might treat me better. Middle school was terrible with there being so much drama and not having friends. Now that I’m at Mclean, there’s new people from other towns I can meet and possibly become friends with.

Mom made a big deal out of the first day of school, as she always does. She made me and Lucas take a photo in front of the fireplace with signs saying first day of 5th grade and first day of freshman year. Lucas put a bunch of Minecraft stickers on his sign surrounding the sloppy black text. Mine was much simpler with the word freshman underlined because Mom said I should emphasize that I’m more grown up now.

Because I am more grown up, Mom and Dad thought I could bike to school. It makes sense because Mclean is only two miles away, but I wish they would drive me to school. I didn’t have anything happen to me today, but who knows what people will think of me when they find out I bike to school. Lucas is lucky that Mom can drive him in the nice air-conditioned car.

The first bike ride went okay, though I was worried that a car could hit me on the road. Most of them gave me room and passed me as I biked in the small bit of pavement on the right side of the white line. The breeze helped a lot to keep me cool.

There’s a lot more options for classes at Mclean, so I’m taking some more fun classes like biology, drawing and painting, and wellness. Also, I’m in all the honors classes so I don’t have to deal with stupid troublesome boys that just goof off for the whole class. There are a few kids that have a similar schedule to me that I don’t know, so hopefully I can get to know them better and perhaps be their friend.

I sat for lunch by myself on one end of a table, but the group of girls at the other end of the table invited me to join them. They said they were from Truevill and I asked what it was like there. One girl with bleached blonde hair in a ponytail said there’s not a whole lot to do, but that she likes to go on the tire swing by Lake Lorre, the big lake that’s in Truevill and Geene. I mentioned that I had never been and the girls giggled, surprised I’d never been there. One of the brunettes at the table suggested that we could go there together on the weekend. I thought about it, but declined because who knows what hijinks goes on there. They also seemed similar to girls at my middle school, being fake nice and perfect but secretly complaining about you behind your back to everyone in their group.

Hopefully the rest of the week isn’t hot because I don’t want to arrive at school with pit stains on my shirt and be called out for it.

Elise

September 13, 2024

Lucas was freaking out about today being Friday the 13th at breakfast. I don’t think that he understands that it’s a hoax, but that’s not what his friends at school told him. Mom had to explain to him that he was going to be okay and it was just a thing from a movie. Lucas still brought his Minecraft sword to school in his backpack. “Just in case,” he said. I doubt a foam sword would do him any good against Jason, if he somehow became real.

Something strange did happen to me though, on my way home from school. I was biking home and I thought I saw some red glowing eyes coming from deep within the woods on Stuart Street, but after I blinked a few times they were gone. My eyes were playing tricks on me, which sometimes happens; I see colored dots for a few seconds.

The friendship mission might be over soon. I met this group of gamer nerds through one of my classmates in my art class. The guy, who was quite shy, had some really cool drawings in his own sort of animated style. I complimented him on them and he explained that they were characters from his and his friends' Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Sitting with them at lunch, they explained their DnD campaign, in which they were trying to gather some crystals to make Heaven and Hell even again as Hell monsters were starting to take over the world. I thought it was very interesting. I will see if they continue letting me sit with them and if something becomes of it. They all seem really nice and genuine, which is refreshing.

Elise

September 17, 2024

I saw the red eyes again on my way to school! They didn’t look like the hazy colored dots I sometimes see. They felt real, like glowing and staring into my eyes! It scares me a little, but I think I’m just imagining it.

I’ve done a lot of research on Dungeons and Dragons, and I think I’m prepared to talk about it more with the guys I’ve been having lunch with. This also could be why I think I’m seeing these red dots because I’ve been looking up the monsters that are in the game. The cover of the new monster manual has a glowing eyed monster called the Beholder, so that definitely could be impacting my mind.

Classes have been fine. Wellness has been interesting as we are focusing on mindfulness and what you can do to help yourself. I tried one of those anchoring exercises that our teacher taught us during homeroom and I think it helped. It also helped that during English class today, one of my classmates spilled their thermos and it was full of coffee. She had a big stain on her shirt and pants and had to go to the nurse. It was funny, but I didn’t laugh. That would be rude. Then Mrs. Reuter gave us a whole lecture on why we shouldn’t be drinking coffee at such a young age, which scared some of my classmates when she pulled up an article and said it could cause diarrhea, nausea, and insomnia. It was funny to watch their facial expressions turn to shock and horror.

I asked Dad about coffee and he said that I shouldn’t drink it until I get older and that he felt bad for my classmate. Dad thinks her parents are irresponsible to allow their kid to drink coffee, which makes sense if the parents knew.

It’s going to rain tomorrow and I asked Mom if she could drive me to school tomorrow. She said no because she has to watch Lucas, which makes sense. I then asked Dad and he said no too because he had an important meeting he had to get ready for. I hope I don’t get sick from it.

Elise

September 18, 2024

The red eyes were there again! This time I think they were following me!! I was turning onto Stuart Street and there they were, right at the intersection. The rain made them glow even more. I kept looking to the side and they were always behind me! I thought the rain might have impacted my mind, but I don’t think so. I think they’re real.

I called Mom when I got to school, but she didn’t believe me. She said that they were probably hunters with lights to see in the rain. But red lights? That makes no sense. I told my new friends at school about it, but they just joked around about it, saying that Mothman was following me. It made sense in my mind that it was Mothman, but it couldn’t be. He isn’t real. Also I don’t live in West Virginia. I live in Minnesota.

Dad begrudgingly picked me up from school two hours late because I was too afraid to bike back. It was also pouring rain now, not the steady rain that it was in the morning. He understood when I said it was pouring, not because I saw something in the woods. “It’s just your imagination,” he said. But it’s not! I don’t think so.

Elise

September 19, 2024

Mom and Dad wouldn’t drive me to school this morning. I begged and begged, but they didn’t believe me. Lucas said it reminded him of Enderman in Minecraft, that if I don’t look directly in the eyes, it won’t hurt me. I tried that, ignoring it after seeing the red orbs when turning onto the street, but it didn’t help. I looked back when I went left to go on Pine Acre Road to check if there were any cars, and it was still there!

I called Mom when I got to school and she didn’t believe me, again. Said it was probably the colored dots I sometimes see. I told her that it wasn’t that, that it was real, but she didn’t budge. There was no point paying attention in school when there was something actually there. Maybe it was Mothman, but it can’t be. Mothman isn’t real. I’m in Minnesota.

Instead of eating lunch, I went to guidance for help. Maybe they could understand that this thing, whatever it is, is real. The middle aged woman who I’d never met before asked me about why I was afraid of it. I said that it was looking at me and following me. She thought it could be a manifestation of a fear I have related to someone in my life. I tried to tell her it was real, but she wouldn’t budge on thinking it was in my head. She then asked if I was bothered by someone who wouldn’t leave me alone, suggesting my parents. Mom and Dad aren’t like helicopter parents and I told her as much. Then she thought it could be another person in my life. I couldn’t think of anyone.

Dad was parked in front of school when I left to go home. I guess the guidance lady called my parents about our talk. He said that he was worried about me and decided not to have me bike to school anymore because of my mental state. Thank God.

Elise

September 27, 2024

Dad’s been driving me to and from school now for a week and it’s been good. I haven’t seen any glowing red eyes since then and my grades are improving. The guidance lady made me see her again on Wednesday and I told her that I wasn’t seeing them anymore since not biking. She thought it could have been something about biking to school that bothered me and was manifesting into what I saw.

Mom and Dad had a talk with me after school Wednesday and apologized for making me bike to school. They thought it would be good exercise but my fears about being alone on the open road made it hard for me. I never had those fears, but I didn’t tell them that. I just said thanks and was glad that they listened to my concerns.

School’s been fine, but I think those guys I’ve been sitting with don’t really think of me in their group. They talk a lot about things they do outside of school together. It makes me feel lonely and unwanted. I want to talk to them about it, but I’m too afraid to. Been afraid of a lot of things recently.

Elise

September 28, 2024

I saw it again! It was outside my window!!!!!

Mom and Dad went on a date and I was in charge of Lucas. We watched The Incredibles, which he enjoyed, and then I told him to go to bed at 9. I went to my room next door and I put on a YouTube video about how all the Pixar movies were connected. When that movie was finished, I went to pull the blinds down to go to bed and it was in the trees behind the backyard!!!

It’s not Mothman. I could see the shape of it. It’s a large blob like the slime from Hotel Transylvania. It was like a black red glowing eyed blob in the woods behind my house. It’s real and it’s following me!!!!

I’m really scared. I wanted to call Mom and Dad but I knew they wouldn’t believe me. I just shut the blinds and am hoping that it will be gone in the morning. Mom and Dad came home soon after and now I’m about to go to bed. I want it gone, please.

Elise

September 29, 2024

It’s there. I open the blinds and it's there. Just staring at me, not moving at all. I can feel it watching me, even when I’m not in my room. I was eating breakfast in the dining room and I could see it through the sliding door. I tried to ignore it but I couldn’t. No one in my family noticed anything and I saw Mom look in that direction and notice nothing. Is something wrong with me? I’m trying to do homework but I can’t focus. Everytime I look, it keeps getting closer. I think.

Elise

Am I going insane? It’s getting closer. It’s in the backyard. It’s opening the sliding door

Norford Police Department,

Norford, MN

Incident Report #7390254042 Report Entered: 9/29/2024 22:17:42

Case Title Location Apt/Unit #

14 Reservoir Lane, Norford, MN

Date/Time Reported Date/Time Occurred

9/29/2024 20:45:00

Incident Type/Offense

MURDER FIRST DEGREE c 609.185

Reporting Officer Approving Officer

GROSSI, ADAM (385) PERNA, STEVE (176)

Persons