They Thought It Was a Lost Child….. Until They Looked Inside the Tent
They Heard a Child Crying in the Woods Then the Voice Came From Inside Their Tent The Last Weekend of October was the perfect time to get away from the busy city
Ryan Mitchell, Jessica Parker, Tyler Brooks, and Hannah Collins piled their camping gear on the backseat of Ryan’s car and set off toward Black Hollow National Forest
Their weekend plans included exploring the beautiful lake, and hiked the trails surrounding the area. Dark clouds rolled in, and the temperature dropped slightly but by sunset the four campers had set up two tents next to a clearing
A fire crackled in the middle of their campsite, and the five best friends laughed, telling embarrassing stories from college
Tyler joked around, saying that if the group heard any ghosts that night, Ryan would be the first to scream. Everyone laughed, but little did they know the sound of laughter would be the last sound they heard that night
As night creeped over the forest, the landscape seemed to change. The calls of birds grew faint, and even the pesky insects grew quiet
Ryan tossed another log into the fire when a loud CRUNCH, CRUNCH came from somewhere deep in the trees
The group tried to brush it off, maybe it was a deer, or another camper, but the noises continued as the footsteps trailed around their campsite Jessica shot a glance toward the forest and muttered that she thought someone was watching them
Tyler chuckled nerviously and picked up his flashlight. Relax guys, he said, it’s probably nothing. As he said this, no one could miss the sarcasm in his tone
A few minutes passed, and Hannah slowly opened the zipper to their tent. She held up her flashlight, and peered out into the clearing. The beam of light swept over the treetops, bushes, and shadows, but nothing seemed to be watching them
Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of a young child’s voice came from deeper in the forest. Please… help me
she whispered. Jessica gasped and stood up. There’s a child out there! she cried. Ryan grabbed another flashlight and started walking toward the trees when Hannah grabbed his jacket with both hands
Her face had turned deathly pale Don’t go, she hissed. Ryan blinked at her in confusion. A child needs help. Hannah shook her head slowly My grandfather was a forest He told me that if you hear a child crying in these woods at night, you should never follow her voice
The whole group stood in silence as the muffled sobbing continued. Tyler shot a nervous glance toward the trees. Maybe someone’s messing with us, he muttered
Just as he said this, the child’s sobs suddenly stopped. A tense hush fell over the forest, and the group could hardly hear the wind Jessica suddenly pointed toward two large pines about fifty yards away
Suspended between these two trees was a dark figure. The group was too stunned to move. It wasn’t walking, just standing there
Watching them. No one could see its face, only the shadowy shape of it. Ryan stepped forward. Who’s there? he shouted. Instead of a reply, the figure raised an arm, hanging from its side was a dirty little teddy bear
Suddenly the campfire erupted in a loud noise, and the flames shot up. Jessica’s heart pounded in her chest, as Tyler took a step back but kept his eyes on the dark figure
Once again the child’s voice cried out. Please help Ryan aimed his flashlight beam toward the trees, prepared to see some creepy figure lurking behind the branches, when Hannah grabbed his arm with surprising force
She whispered something that made everyone’s blood run cold. The voice… isn’t coming from the woods. Ryan gave her a strange look.
What do you mean?
Hannah slowly turned toward their campsite. It’s coming from inside our tent
Every set of eyes turned toward the tent at the same time
Sure enough sitting in the corner was a muddy teddy bear
No one moved for the next few seconds. Ryan slowly walked toward the tent, Tyler followed right behind him with the flashlight Jessica stood near the fire her pulse still racing. Ryan reached for the tent fly when suddenly his camera strap caught his eye
The camera on the ground had snapped a picture, the bright flash filling the tent with light. For a fraction of a second, that’s all they needed to see, because right there, sitting in the corner was the same dirty teddy bear.
just saw hanging from the trees in the next instant, the flash was gone, and so was the teddy bear.
Everyone ran to the car, leaving thousands of dollars worth of camping equipment behind.
Branches slapped against their faces as they sprinted back down the trail, not stopping until they reached the ranger station almost two miles away.
The park rangers listened closely to what had happened, and the four campers soon returned to the forest just before sunrise
The sight that met their eyes sent shockwaves of horror down their spines. Everything was exactly where they left it. The two tents sat undisturbed, and the fire had died down
There were no tracks leading to the campsite, only their own footprints The five campers left at first light, vowing never to return to Black Hollow National Forest, but as the sun rose the next day, someone working at the ranger station found a small muddy teddy bear next to the cold ashes of their campfire.
No one could explain what, or who, the child was. Even to this day, Ryan, Jessica, Tyler, and Hannah refuse to speak of that night
However, every year around the last weekend of October, several hikers near Black Hollow National Forest have reported hearing the faint wispers of a scared little girl
Lesson
Sometimes, the most frightening mysteries can’t be solved.
The best thing to do is listen to one’s instincts. Curiosity can lead to very scary situations. If you think something is wrong, you should stick with a group
Not every mystery needs to be solved, and sometimes, walking away is the most brave thing you can do.