Black Memories


On the porch was a package, with no labels or return addresses, but instead it was covered in black x’s and obscure hieroglyphics. Over the front of the package was a chaotically scribbled symbol that resembled a pair of eyes. I don’t remember hearing the delivery truck. I trudged into the cold, brushed the dusting of snow off the top of the case and brought it inside. My name was scrawled in black marker over one side of the box. Who had left this on my door step? Inside the box was a camera, and with it was an old cassette tape that went with it. The tape was labeled “The Beginning.” Under the camera equipment was a message, etched in the same handwriting that my name was written in on the front. It simply stated “Watch this”. I followed the instructions, and put the tape in the camera to play it back. As the tape played, the memories that had once eluded me came flowing back.


It was the first recording from my new camera, the one I had been saving for. We decided to go for a walk out to the old tree house in the woods, the one we built when we were younger. It had snowed the night before, but the sky had cleared up by this evening. The fresh covering of snow only measured up to a few inches.

From the tape I saw that we began recording as we crossed the road, from Sebastian’s house into the woods. Sebastian wandered in between two tall, looming trees. It was the beginning of the path through the forest.

We were wandering the woods, and it wasn't long before we wound up losing our way off the trail. We weren't worried, this “forest” was so small that you could walk a quarter mile in any direction and find a way out. Still, something about these woods looked different from the camera. But, it didn't matter; we needed to see if that tree house was still up.

Sebastian and I were too busy messing with the camera to be worried anyway. We wanted to see what our new camera could do. At this point the tape became fuzzy, and I could hear the white noise of static, which was strange for a brand new camera.

I thought I had stopped recording, you could see from the tape that the camera was swinging back and forth in my hand, focused on something off the trail behind us. Then, suddenly, the tape paused.

The tape froze on an unknown figure behind us in the woods, about ten feet behind us in the woods. Whoever they were, they were very close for us not to hear them. Most of his body could not be seen, obscured by the large trunk of an oak tree. I could see that they appeared to be a man in black hood. The face is what really had me frightened. I wasn't sure if it was really his face or if he was wearing a dark mask. However, one feature stood out among the rest. His eyes were glowing bright red, and he had a thin smile that was just barely visible. The red was so bright that it reflected on the tree trunk and on fresh snowfall. It was clearly the brightest light in the darkness, and I wasn't sure how I didn't see him before. He stared into the camera, mockingly, as if he knew I was watching.

After a few moments of stuttering, the tape picked up again, mid screams. I could hear footsteps, slowly getting quieter. From what I could tell, the camera had been dropped into a snow bank, and all that was visible was a few spindly saplings just off the trail. The camera static grew louder once again, until finally the tape completely cut out.


The tape left me with a lot of questions. Why couldn't I remember these events before? Who left this tape on my door, and why were they being so mysterious? Who was this man in the woods and why did we run from him? I knew the next step was to show this to Sebastian, to see if he remembered anything that happened. I called Sebastian on my cell, and as I listened to the dial tones play in my ear, I noticed something outside my house. Up on the hill, in the dark, I could see someone leaning out from behind the largest oak tree. It was the man with the bright red eyes; he was staring down at me. I wanted to look away, to tell myself I was seeing things, but I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Even from my house, I could see his devilish grin, the same one I saw on camera.

“We’re sorry, but your call cannot be completed as dialed.”