 My friends and I were checking out this abandoned shack and found this note. I'm not sure what to think of it. The paper was yellow and falling apart. We tried asking around town, but no one knows who used to live there. I figured this was the best place to share it. There's a crazy old woman that lives outside of town. Her small cabin is covered in kudzu and briars. If he didn't know it was there, he'd probably just walk right past it. She never goes into town. Sometimes you can catch her outside, hanging bundles of sticks and dead flowers around her shack. You might see smoke rise from a hidden chimney, but that doesn't happen often. Kids dare each other to get close to the cabin. Sometimes they snatch some of the hanging sticks and dash away before she sees them. There are rumors that she's a witch that eats little kids, that she will put a curse on anyone that comes too close. Others say she's a hermit that's hiding in the woods because she killed someone. None of them are true, of course. I would know because I started them all. I'm the crazy old woman in the shack. I started the rumors to keep others safe and to protect my own identity. I'm afraid that safety has been compromised, so I'll tell my story as a cautionary tale to others. I'll be dead by the time anyone reads this, so there's no need to worry about me. You'll have bigger things to worry about. This nightmare started several years ago. I didn't have any siblings or a family of my own. My parents lived several hours away and weren't the type to stay in touch. I lived in a not so nice city. It wasn't a very pleasant place to live, but it had the most amazing library. I would spend hours there. I remember the first time I walked in, the woodwork and architecture took my breath away. The sheer amount of books was incredible, aisles and aisles of pages just waiting to be read. It was beautiful. I worked as a receptionist at a stressful law firm at the time. Getting off work and heading to my safe space at the library was a wonderful feeling. I would rent dozens of books and grew close to the librarian. She is perhaps one of the only people that might miss me. One day after work, I walked into the library, I nodded to the librarian and headed to what I considered my chair in the corner of the room. It was plush and comfy and right next to a large picture window. Even though the view wasn't great, I enjoyed the way the sun shone through it, landing right on whatever book I had in my lab. I had finished my most recent read and was on the hunt for a new book. One in particular caught my eye. It had a burgundy spine with golden swirls curving down the edges. I pulled it from the shelf and looked at the cover, a collection of untold tales. There was no author, only the title. I was so intrigued, so I sat down and started to read. The short stories were fun and unique. Some resembled popular fairy tales, but most were stories I'd never heard of. I rented the book out for a couple days. It didn't take me long to read through them all. I finished the last story. Before bed one night, I sat the book down on my nightstand and fell asleep. The next morning as I was getting ready for work, I went to grab the book so I could drop it off at the library, but it wasn't there. I searched my small apartment. I knew I'd put it next to my bed. But I couldn't find it. I was already running late for work, so the search would have to wait. When I got home, I found the book exactly where I put it the night before, laying on my nightstand as if nothing had happened. It wasn't there this morning. I triple checked. I couldn't figure out how a book could disappear and show back up. The thought of an intruder bothered me, but surely I would have heard or seen something. It was then that I noticed the bookmark, a simple red ribbon poking out of the pages. I didn't use ribbons to mark my place, and why would I need to? I'd finished reading it. My hands started to shake as I opened the marked page. I couldn't believe it. It was a new story, one I hadn't read before, but I'd been through the entire book. Every page, how could a new story just show up? In thin black lettering at the top of it, red, deep, dark, eyes. I was confused to say the least. I didn't understand. But here I was with a disappearing book that spawns new stories overnight. I had no choice, but to settle in and read. The story was short. More like a poem. It was unlike the others, which had a bright, light-hearted theme. This one seemed sinister, even though the words themselves were innocent. After all these years, I have it permanently ingrained in my head. I won't tell you the whole thing, no, that would be a disaster. I will tell you some, however. Always to be safe, don't read this out loud. He travels at night, searching for friends. His mission is simple, but will never end. His long legs are nimble, with arms that can bend. Deep, dark, eyes. When you hear his whisper, please don't cry. Just look at his face, and smile real wide. He'll be with you always. You cannot hide. You have a friend with deep, dark, eyes. That's the first and last stanza. Trust me, the middle is even creepier. I'm only telling you this so you understand, hopefully. Maybe it will help you look out for it. I promise you won't be in danger. For now, I figured that as long as you don't read the entire thing, it won't come. I felt ill when I finished reading it. I had goosebumps, and the room seemed colder. I immediately shut the book and threw it on the counter. Why would something like that be in a fairy tale book? I decided to take it back first thing the next morning. While returning the book, I mentioned to the librarian the out-of-place story. She thought it sounded odd, and asked me to show her. I turned each page, but I couldn't find it. I got frustrated, and I tried to tell her I wasn't crazy. It really had been there. She laughed it off and told me to take a break from reading for a couple of days. I gave her the book and left. I was angry at her and myself. I knew I didn't imagine it. It wasn't a dream. But how could an entire book vanish and new stories just appear? The thoughts trebled me for days, but eventually I put it out of my mind. For about a month, things were normal. Then I started to hear things. It started at home. I would hear someone say my name when no one was around. That happens to everyone from time to time, so I didn't think much of it at first. It turned into an everyday occurrence. I got concerned and went to the doctor, but they told me I was simply overworked and needed rest. I took a week off work. It was nice for a couple of days, but the whispers remained and got even louder. I would hear soft TV static and think I'd forgotten to turn the television off. But it was always off. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking someone had spoken in my ear. But of course, I was alone. I noticed I was only affected while at home. I didn't have any issues at the library or at work. I started spending more time out of my apartment. I worked overtime and would stay at the library until it closed, even on my days off. Only my luck ran out and whatever I'd summoned found out where I was. The incessant whispers would plague me at work and the library was no longer my safe space. The whispers and noises were now accompanied by shadows dancing in the corner of my vision. Always seeing something dash by, but nothing ever being there, it was making me paranoid. When I closed my eyes, I could feel the whispers brush my skin as if someone were just inches from me. I went back to the library and searched for the book, but I couldn't find it. I even asked the librarian, but she hadn't seen or heard anything about it since I turned it in. I did as much research as I could. There wasn't any record of the book or the story. I posted on forums and blogs and didn't receive any real answers. The cops couldn't do anything. What would I tell them? I'm hearing voices. I lost my job because I couldn't get enough sleep to keep up. I decided to move and that eventually worked. The noises and shadows finally left me alone. I could start over and be free. It didn't last long though. Slowly, things became what they were before. I moved around for years, running from this invisible menace. Everywhere I went, eventually it would follow. I had an idea one day. I decided to disappear. Maybe I could lose whatever had been following me if I tried hard enough. I only packed a few items and took off. I crisscrossed the country. I drove for days and days. I would only stop when absolutely necessary to sleep. When I found a small rural town, I parked my car on the side of the road and started to walk. I have no idea how long or far I walked. I just kept going until I arrived at an abandoned building. It had fallen in on one side and moss covered the stone foundation. It looked like no one had stepped foot in it in a century. It was perfect. I made it my home. I never trimmed the weeds or vines that took over. They helped me hide. I started rumors about the shack to keep people away. I would hang bundles of sticks and dried up flowers in the nearby trees as protection and to freak people out so they wouldn't bother me. I've been here for 10 years and the silence has been bliss. But that silence ended last week. The sounds started like the quiet buzz of a bee. It grew to be ringing in my ears. The ringing became constant and I could no longer sleep. Then the ringing turned to static. The kind of static when your TV has lost signal or when the radio cuts out. Then the shadows returned. I would catch the leaves moving from time to time. Everything was so much worse than before. This morning I saw it for the first time. I noticed a shadow and when I turned to look at it, it didn't dart away. It stayed there, perched on the wall in the corner like a spider. Its legs and arms bent in unnatural ways that made my stomach turn. Its only facial features were two large black circles. They were empty and deep. A shade of black that swallowed any light or color. It slowly turned its head to the side. The static in my ears got so loud I could feel blood trickle down the sides of my face. I started to cry. I blinked tears away and it was gone. It's getting dark out. My ears are still bleeding and my head feels like it might explode. I know whatever it is. It'll be back. I have no one to reach out to besides no one could do anything. After I'm gone it will try to find another. I'm not sure what will happen next. If you ever come upon that cursed book, burn it. Update It's been a while since we explored that shack but check this out. I was looking for a book to do my book report on and I think I found the poem the note was talking about. It was in a different book though. What do you think? He travels at night searching for friends. His mission is simple but will never end. His long legs are nimble with arms that can bend deep dark eyes. No one knows where he comes from or where he goes. He has no mouth and he has no nose. His voice is a hum, a buzz that grows deep dark eyes. When you read his story you call his name. You made a choice. You cannot change. He'll be here soon. Be not afraid. Deep dark eyes. He doesn't want to hurt you but his voice might sting. The human ear is a fragile thing. Don't run away. Embrace the ring. Deep dark eyes. When you hear his whisper please don't cry. Just look at his face and smile real wide. He'll be with you always. You cannot hide. You have a friend with deep dark eyes.