Liz's Story

Liz's imaginary friend

   TW (Child abuse, teen pregnancy)

    "Ellen Shorts. Tape one. July 22 of 2002.  Doctor Brown, ID 136455597. Go ahead Ms. Shorts"

       "Where do I start? Well, Liz has always been a good kid. She's so smart, and kind to everyone. She'd never hurt a fly. It started around her 7th birthday. She had been begging for a party, but we had just moved into a new house and I wasn't comfortable with people being there yet. Not to mention how far the drive would be. We had just moved to Wisconsin all the way from Texas, so there was no way her friends could attend, and she hadn't made any friends there. However, she said one would show. She hadn't talked about them before we moved here. We lived alone near the woods. No houses had been around for miles. I assumed she had met him at a store. She claimed he was her friend, Surrender. I didn't recognize his name. I decided against it. School started soon after. On her first day, she came home crying, saying the other kids were being mean to her for having an 'imaginary friend from the woods'. Of course I talked to her teachers. They said she had...odd behavior. I didn't understand what they meant. She'd always been an ordinary girl. The bullies only got worse throughout the year, so I pulled her out for homeschooling. While it was hard to work both jobs, teach, and do housework, I did it because I loved my daughter. She got better. Her smiles were more genuine and she didn't cry as much. However she still talked about Surrender. The summer after, she spent a lot of her time outside. She seemed to enjoy playing in the woods. I never let her go to far, in fear of wolves and coyotes. One day, after I called her in for dinner, she didn't come home. I called three times that night. I began to worry. I decided to call the police department, as I go investigate. They were against it, but I didn't care. They were 30 minutes out and my baby was missing. I wasn't risking anything. I went in after her, calling her name. She didn't answer. I looked around frantically, beginning to cry. I heard a small noise from behind a bush. I'm desperate hope, I ran to it. There she was, laying there, covered in blood. I called her name, she wasn't awake. She has bruises and cuts all over her. I checked for a pulse."

     "How did you know how to check for a pulse? What was going through your head? We're you worried about something watching you?"

     "I am...was...a nurse. I'm not sure what I was thinking. I just knew I needed to save my daughter, at all costs. I couldn't focus on anything other than that."

      "So, what did you do next?"

      "I heard the paramedics, but I was too far away. They couldn't hear or see me. I had to pick her up and carry her to them. She slightly groaned at the pain. I ran as fast as I could, and it paid off. I rode to the hospital with her where she was rushed into surgery. She had a broken arm, but other than that, she was fine. They said she had been attacked by wolves. And while she was running, she tripped and broke her arm. But they never mentioned why there were no bite marks or why there were no wolves when I arrived. I didn't think too much on it at the time, though I should have. She was discharged a few days later. I took her home, and didn't allow her outside. About a week later, the day before her 8th birthday, I heard a loud crash from the kitchen. I ran out there, ready for a fight, but it wasn't someone trying to break it, rather it was Liz, trying to sneak out. She had knocked over my flower vase when climbing out the window. I opened the door and watched as she ran into the woods. I followed, worried about her safety."

    "What exactly were you expecting? Did you know what she was looking for?"

    "I was scared she'd be attacked again. I just thought she was mad at me for not letting her go play."

   "Did you find out where she went?"

   "I did. See, when I finally found her, I grabbed her hand, angry that she would run away like that. But when I looked at her hand, I noticed that it was pitch black. And unlike a hand, it had no fingers. I later learned it was a tentacle. I followed the tentacle up. A small gasp escaped my throat as I realized that the...thing...I was holding was a 10 foot man with no face. Before I knew it, I was falling. I hit my head on a sharp rock before everything went black. When I woke up, there was a warm sensation surrounding me. I slowly opened my eyes. I was laid on a long log that seemed to have been sanded down. My head had been bandaged up. I winced as I sat up. I had a headache and was dizzy. As my vision slowly came back to me, I looked around for Liz. She ran over to me, grabbing my hand. She called my name. I asked her what happened. She smiled saying her friend Surrender had scared me. She claimed I had 'fallen asleep' after looking at him. She moved out the way. He was sitting across from me. He had a white face, completely expressionless. No eyes, mouth or nose. He had nothing. I looked at him in shock. He had on a grayish blue sweater and long black pants. It stricked me as odd because it was the middle of summer. I was shocked, but not scared. See, I'd have met him before."

    "You met him before? Like, before Liz?"

    "Yes. I knew his father...I met Slenderman when I was about 13 years old. At first, he was wanting to take me away to kill me, however he ended up falling in love with me. I fell for him too. After a year, he asked me to run away with him. My family had never been good to me. My mother beat me and more often than not, she'd leave me in the basement for months, never letting me out unless to eat a few slices of spam. I decided that I'd go with him. I knew it would probably end with my death but I didn't care. Anything would've been better than living with that family. He helped raise me, let me live a normal life with him. We got closer. When I got older, I realized I loved him too. When I turned 18, he accidentally got me pregnant, and that's when I had a baby boy. Surrender. We decided it would be best for me to leave. It would've been bad if someone knew slender had gotten a human pregnant. So after he was born, I left. That's when I met Bo. He and I got married and had Liz but when Liz was 2, Bo got diagnosed with Lung Cancer, and died not long after. I raised Liz all on my own after that."

     "Did you explain this to Surrender? How did he react?"

    "He was in tears. I don't think he handled it well. Liz looked shocked. I don't think she understood what exactly that meant. Surrender asked if I was really his mother. I nodded opening my arms, hoping for a hug. He stood up, nodded at me, and walked away. Liz called to him. I looked down. I knew he didn't want to see me. She did too. I took her by the hand, feeling utterly defeated."

"You gave birth to that monster? Why would you feel any motherly love towards it?"

"He is not a monster, Doctor Brown. He is my son. If you wish for me to participate in your little experiment, you will refrain from calling my son, a monster. The way I see it, the only monsters in this story is you and Zalgo"

"Who is Zalgo?"

"A few days later, Liz hadn't talked to me. We both became depressed. I tried to cheer her up for her birthday but she didn't talk to me, nor did she come out of her room. That was until Surrender came back. He came and knocked at my door. When I saw him, I couldn't look him in the eyes. Well, where his eyes would be. He laid his hand on my shoulder and kneeled down to meet my gaze. He apologized and hugged me. I began to cry. I held onto him as tight as I could. I remembered what it was like to hold him for the first time when he was born. Liz heard the door and came out of her room to see. She ran to me, hugging me. She asked if he really was her big brother. I nodded. I looked up at him, smiling. But he was hurt. He had been bleeding. A real bad gash across his face. I brought him inside to clean and bandage him up. He explained that a man named Zalgo had been hunting Slenderman, his father, for years, and he decided to go after him to hopefully lure his father out. He also explained that Zalgo had been the one to hurt Liz that night. I was angry. He had hurt both my children in the matter of a few months. But there was nothing I could do. I was getting ready to go find Slenderman when you and your men raided my house and took us all hostage."

"Hostage is a...strong word. You are completely free to leave, however your daughter will suffer the consequences of your action."

"Oh what a choice"

"So your minds made up, isn't it? Perfect. Ellen Shorts. End of tape 1. Doctor Brown, ID 136455597."