Listen to ““SILHOUETTES” by Scott Donnelly #MicroTerrors” on Spreaker.
SHOW OPEN:
Welcome to Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids, where it’s always the spooky season – full of chills, thrills, and spine-tingling spooks! Micro Terrors are family-friendly frights for those ages 8 and up. And while our stories are for younger ears, we are still talking about things that go bump in the night, and some children may not be able to handle what others can. Parental consent is recommended. Now… for tonight’s MICRO TERROR!!!!
SILHOUETTES
NOTE FROM THE NATIONAL SERVICE OF PARK RANGERS AND FORESTRY:
What you are about to read and/or hear was found written in a spiral bound notebook which was turned over to the National Service of Park Rangers and Forestry by a logger at an undisclosed location. Locations and names have been redacted for the safety of certain individuals and the purposes of the preservation of this well-known, heavily traveled and respected national park.
AUTHOR’S ENTRY…
When I was only eight years old, my mother went missing on a family camping trip. My father took us into the middle of the [REDACTED} National Forest. It was beautiful; still is and always will be. Our first evening out seemed normal enough.
We made a fire, my dad told ghost stories, we ate hot dogs and baked beans, and then turned in for the night. We all bunked up in the same tent. What I remember most of this part was the rocky ground beneath my sleeping bag and the smell of the fire burning outside.
At some point in the middle of the night, I remember waking up briefly. The inviting scent of the fire was gone and replaced with something much more nauseating; like sewage or old trash. But being half asleep, that was the extent of it. I rolled over and didn’t wake up again until the morning.
When I woke up, my dad was frantic. He had rushed out of the tent and I could hear him running around the campsite, crunching through the leaves and sticks on the ground. He was calling out for my mom, but she never answered. At some point in the night, my mom walked out of our tent and was never seen again.
There was a search party — a pretty extensive one — performed by the [REDACTED]. It lasted for days. The entire forest was combed but there was no sign of my mom; she was just gone.
Over the next year, my dad was struggling. He was a great dad but couldn’t hold it together without my Mom by his side. I felt neglected; he worked a lot and I was usually pawned off to my aunt and uncle or sent to a friend’s house for days. Then one day, almost a year exactly from that fateful camping trip, my dad asked me if I would like to go camping there again to honor Mom on the anniversary that she left us. I could tell how the grief was tearing him apart inside. He couldn’t even ask me without tears in his eyes. Even though I didn’t want to and thought it would be bad for both of us to knowingly put ourselves in such a mentally vulnerable state, I agreed. And to a certain degree, I’m glad I did. It was the last time I ever saw my Dad.
We arrived at the [REDACTED] National Forest in the morning, hiked the south [REDACTED] trail and found the location that we had camped in a year earlier. We set up camp, made a fire and ate hot dogs. As much as my dad was trying to recreate that night, it felt all wrong. The somber aura defeated any possible notion of fun and enjoyment. When the sun disappeared behind the beautiful [REDACTED] mountains you always hear so much about, we retired to our tent, leaving the fire to burn out on its own.
The hike was enough to wear me out, so I fell asleep fast. I had a feeling my dad struggled, but eventually he was out too. I was awoken a couple of hours later by that same stench of sewage and trash sifting into my nose. This time, I sat up, unnerved by how similar the night was to when my mom vanished. I didn’t move much, just took in the sounds outside the tent. Crickets, an owl in the distance, the rustling of the trees and bushes in the breeze — it was all normal. Then, I heard a stick snap as if it were stepped on.
A squirrel or deer, perhaps? My mind even teased a bear. I nudged my Dad, but he was sleeping hard. I decided to unzip the tent and peek out to see if I could see the animal, but it was way too dark. The stench though, was overwhelming, like whatever it was coming from was very close by.
I didn’t see anything at first. Our fire had completely burned out, so all that was left was a very faint red glow from the wood that was still intact. The night was cold and mostly quiet. I awaited the sound again, but wasn’t hearing anything.
The woods that surrounded our camp were so dark that even shadows were hard to distinguish from the night. There didn’t seem to be anything around. But something had to be; something made that noise. Something was emitting that horrid odor.
I decided to grab the flashlight from beside my dad, creep back to the unzipped portion of the tent and press the button to ignite it.
The beam was bright and vivid. It shot straight out into the treeline. Immediately within the grasp of the light, I saw a tall, lanky gray figure perched on a fallen tree. Its large, bugged-out eyes absorbed the light and reflected back like the headlights of a car. Whatever it was sat in a way that looked like it was folded up; its long, boney legs stretching up over its head. Once it was blasted by my light, however, it quickly deployed itself from the prone position and scuttled off into the woods.
A chill shot through me, numbing my body, and I fell backwards, landing on my dad. He woke up with a start.
“What? What is it?” he frantically asked.
“There’s something out there! Something was outside the tent!” I exclaimed.
My dad didn’t hesitate to believe me. He grabbed his coat, another flashlight, and a gun he hid underneath his pillow. With the urgency in which he acted, it was almost like he was prepared for something like this to happen. He ventured out into the night, instructing me to stay put. I did as he said and waited for him to return. Only, he never did.
I waited impatiently for nearly two hours. There wasn’t a single sign of him returning. No crunching in the brush, no voices, no gunshots — only silence in the night. I was more than worried for my dad’s safety by this point. I grabbed my flashlight and tossed on a coat, trekking out into the forest to find him. I didn’t know where to look and I wasn’t familiar with the area like my dad was, so naturally I found myself wandering around aimlessly in the dark forest.
I did finally come across something though — the same, wretched stench that accompanied the being outside of our tent. That’s when I slowed my search. If that ‘thing’ was close, I most certainly didn’t want to see it again. The startling visual I had of it the first time was still crystal clear in my head; it made me shiver, nervous to see it again.
I crouched down behind some bushes and flipped off the light. I wanted to call out to my Dad, but I was afraid of what would respond. The thing was getting closer, its disgusting tang growing stronger rather than fainter. My heart was racing and I closed my eyes. Then, a heavy wind blew through the woods, plowing me with such an overwhelming gust of the odor. I gagged, vomit teased the bottom of my throat. I stood up and flipped on the flashlight again. Sure enough, that thing stood within the circle of the light; tall, mostly featureless and intimidating. Its eyes glowed a blinding white and it emitted a crackling sound that morphed into a high-pitched wail that echoed throughout the forest. Startled, I spun around to run, stopping immediately as my light caught the silhouettes of several more of the beings standing within the trees. I shined it to my right next, but there were more silhouette figures lurking unnaturally. Some seemed to levitate, others stood in awkward positions, never once moving. To my left was my only way out. I ran and didn’t stop until my legs gave out. I collapsed to the forest floor, trying desperately to catch my breath. As I lay there, my chest hurting from the cold, I fell asleep.
I awoke when I heard voices calling out for my dad and I. When I opened my eyes, it was morning. The bulb in my light had burned out and my body felt stiff and cold. I sat up and used every ounce of strength I had to call back to the voices. It was a search party led by Richard [REDACTED] of the [REDACTED] National Forest Park Rangers.
I told them what had happened, but they didn’t believe me. Richard [REDACTED] was useless. Be sure he knows what was at stake. He’s the reason our incident was never released to the public. To protect the precious park. This park is all but precious. STAY AWAY from the [REDACTED] National Forest. There are things here that can’t be explained. They stalk the woods at night, watching campers. They lure them, take them …and I don’t know where they end up.
As of this writing, that is.
I am writing this on the [REDACTED] of January, 20[REDACTED] from a location south of the [REDACTED] hiking trail in the [REDACTED] National Forest in the great state of [REDACTED]. I am thirty eight years old now. I come to this location every year on the anniversary that my mom first went missing. I write this same note, almost verbatim, every time I’m here, hoping that if something happens to me, someone will find this note and finally know the truth about what has been happening here for the better part of thirty years (possibly even more). Statistically this park has the most unsolved disappearances in all of [REDACTED]. Coincidence? I doubt it. And with people like Richard [REDACTED] covering it up, the truth will never come out. That only means more and more people will unknowingly fall victim to these …entities.
But this time, as I write this by lantern light, the stench is growing more and more overwhelming. They’re out there, watching me from the darkness, waiting to take me as they took my parents and so many others. After years of loneliness, obsession and an unwavering sense of dread that has hovered over me like a leeching storm cloud, I am finally going to find out what happened to my parents.
I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Stay away — far away — from the [REDACTED] National Forest. And if the powers that be fail to appropriately warn the public, there’s no telling how many more people these things will take.
You could be next and not even realize it.
Signed, [ILLEGIBLE]
A REMINDER FROM THE NATIONAL SERVICE OF PARK RANGERS AND FORESTRY:
The preceding document, although alarming in nature, is not supported by evidence of any kind. The name of its author was obstructed by natural elements and could not be verified. The National Service of Park Rangers and Forestry has looked into this matter and found nothing to corroborate the alleged details of the specific occurrences mentioned. We can assure the public that our parks are safe and void of any unnatural phenomena. With our scenic views, luscious hiking trails, breathtaking mountains and sparkling springs, our park is said to be the perfect getaway from the stresses of the daily grind. We look forward to taking you far away from that.
We hope to see you soon.
-Senior Park Ranger, Richard [REDACTED]
SHOW CLOSE:
Thank you for listening to Micro Terrors!!! Join us each Saturday for another scary story! For more fun, visit our website at MicroTerrors.com where we also have spooky games you can print out and play — like wicked word searches, mysterious mazes, and more! MicroTerrors.com is also where you can find us on your favorite social media and even send in your own scary story for us to tell! Plus, you’ll learn more about our author, Scott Donnelly, who has other horrors for both young and old! I hope you’ll join me again soon for Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids!
Hits: 9