Slenderman Stories

The Thing in the Yard

My friend Anna called me and asked if I could take over a babysitting job for her. Anna had the lead in the school play, and she had to go to dress rehearsal.

"I can't babysit!" she moaned into the phone, "they'll give away my part if I skip rehearsal!"

Anna and I both knew that the theater teacher, Mr. Olsen, wouldn't actually give her part to someone else if she missed rehearsal. Anna was overly dramatic about everything. Her dream was to go to a nearby college that was well-known for its TV/radio program. The college had its own TV station, and Anna was convinced that if she could get a part in one of them, she'd be discovered by a big Hollywood agent.

I had never met the family that Anna was supposed to babysit for, but I agreed to take the job. "You owe me big time," I told her as she gave me the name, address, and phone number.

The Callahans were new in town. They had a formal event to go to and they needed someone to watch their 7-year-old daughter, Emma, for a few hours. They were willing to pay me fifty dollars, and they promised to be home before midnight.

Emma was a sweet little girl. She had curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was just learning to read, and after her parents left for the night, we settled in on the couch with a Junie B. Jones book. Emma was very adamant that I not help her in any way.

"Mommy says I have to sound it out," she said matter-of-factly.

After finishing the book, I put Emma to bed and then went back downstairs to watch TV. I found a nature documentary about meerkats (hey, it was either meerkats or Kardashians) and started to watch. I was only about 15 minutes in when the TV suddenly lost its signal. The screen filled with white static. I was flipping confusedly through the channels when Emma came into the room, dragging along her blankie.

"There's a monster outside my room," she said in a small, shaky voice. Her face was pale and I noticed that she was shivering. I turned and glanced out the window behind me.

The waning moon was half-hidden by clouds, but it was still light enough for me to see the back yard. The Callahan's back yard was large and bordered on a thickly wooded area. A knee-high stone fence separated the yard from the woods. There was a small plastic playhouse in the center of the yard.

Something was standing next to it.

It stood on two legs, like a person, but seemed too tall and gangly. Its legs were abnormally long. I didn't get a good look at it, as it turned and darted into the woods, stepping over the fence as if it wasn't even there.

I didn't want to believe that I'd seen it. Heck, if Emma hadn't started screaming, I think I would've been able to convince myself that I had just imagined it. I grabbed Emma, pulling her in close to me and trying to shush her. My mind was racing, but I knew one thing: I needed to call the police.

The TV suddenly flipped back on. The screen showed Emma's empty bedroom. It was as if a camera had been set up outside of her closed bedroom window. A low gravelly voice spoke.

"We are coming." The voice was soft and raspy, as if whoever was speaking was trying to whisper and shout at the same time.

I jerked away from the television, scooping Emma up into my arms as I did so. She was screaming again, burying her face in my shoulder. I remembered seeing a landline in the den, so I ran into the next room.

I picked up the phone but didn't hear anything. Whatever was messing with me had somehow cut the phone lines. Emma clung to me, pressing her face into my leg and screaming hysterically. Somehow, above Emma's shrill wails, I heard a faint tapping sound coming from behind me. I turned.