Hey, so. Sorry about the title. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be creatively inclined, or something— I don’t really use Reddit? This is actually my wife’s account.
So, I guess I should preface this a little. I’m an urban explorer. I’m sure most of you know what that is, but in case you don’t, that just means I just explore abandoned buildings. Not on a professional basis, obviously: I actually just work an office job.
Anyway, pretty sure that’s enough background noise. I meant to say all that to clarify how I found this. I was out exploring this old abandoned outpost my friend had mentioned over lunch, and thank the distance, it was out in the woods near my house. And, well, I found this journal. It’s pretty banged up, but I’ll try my best to transcribe it.
5/1/22:
It’s finally my birthday! Well, it was my birthday. Now I’m just laying in bed. I turned 13 today, can you believe it!? It’s like I’m all grown up now! And even better, my family finally got me a diary, with a lock and everything! Mom and dad always said no when I asked, asking me “what I possibly had to hide”, but my cousin snuck it over to me at the end of the party.
But that’s not even the best part!
(There’s, uh, a polaroid here? I assume it’s the dog they’re talking about. Looks like a Doberman. Real cute, too.)
Mom and dad got me a dog! And not just a stuffed animal, either! A real, live Doberman! Dad said that if I got a dog, he wanted it to be able to protect me from anything. Skinwalkers, mostly, but also stuff like wendigos. My dad is Navajo, but he knows a lot of other stories from the other tribes, too! My mom always brushes them off as silly little tales he tells to scare me, but sometimes I see weird things when my sister, Lola, and I go to play outside. Mom says its just our imaginations, but dad always tells us to come inside, anyway.
Sorry, got a little off track there! I named the dog Tyee. My dad says it means “leader”, or “big and superior”. I think it’s perfect for her, even if it’s a boy’s name. She’s my big and superior guard dog! Mom wanted me to name her Lucy, but it doesn’t feel the same.
Mom says it’s time for bed, so I better hide this under my bed. She’d be really mad if she saw it. And so would dad, now that I think about it.
Goodnight, diary!
Elu
5/4/22:
Today was so awesome! For the first time, mom and dad let me and Lola go out by ourselves. It was really fun: the other neighborhood kids came around and we played Duck, Duck, Goose and everything! Tyee really liked playing with everyone else.
Well, actually… that’s not entirely true. We did play games, and Tyee had a fun time, but… Lola, I wasn’t paying attention and she went out into the woods! And I didn’t even notice until it was her turn to be it in tag, so I had to run back and tell mom and dad Lola went off and didn’t come back.
Mom was really mad and drove off to find her, and dad stayed back. He keeps telling me it wasn’t my fault, but I was the one not paying attention! He came in a few minutes ago: I was crying. Again. Guess I haven’t stopped crying for a while.
The tears are getting on the pages. Maybe I’ll write again later. I don’t wanna ruin everything by getting it all wet.
5/5/22:
Mom found Lola. I know I should be a lot happier, believe me, I do! But she’s been acting different.
She’s quieter. Not the same. I keep asking her to play, but she doesn’t answer! She just stares at me. I stopped asking, but it’s really lonely without her. Mom and dad are arguing more and more.
“She won’t stay out of the fucking woods, Nayati!”
Sorry. I know that’s a bad word.
It’s all so scary.
I want mommy and daddy to stop arguing. I want Lola back.
All I have is Tyee.
5/20/22
Mom found the diary.
She hid it really, really well. That’s why it took me two weeks to find it! Well, I didn’t find it. Dad gave it to me before he had to leave.
Mom says dad’s leaving for a little bit until things calm down. But I don’t think it’s his fault. Lola didn’t start acting weird because of dad! And she’s worse, now. She won’t leave her room. Well, I guess mom keeps her in there a lot: to keep her away from the woods again. But even when mom wants her out for dinner, she won’t leave.
I miss Lola, but she’s still there! But I don’t think it’s her.
Oh. It’s dinner again.
5/22/22
I’m not at home anymore.
Lola went into the forest again yesterday. Mom didn’t even try looking for her again: the last time, she was in her room. She was crying.
I don’t want mommy to be sad. So I have to find Lola.
I took Tyee with me.
Tyee’s my guard dog, right? Whatever scary thing got Lola in these woods… Tyee will get it.
5/24/22
Tyee ran away yesterday, and she came back, just like Lola did! But she’s acting… weird.
She’s all raised on her hackles, no matter what. There’s barely anything around! Not even the wind or the snap of the twigs to scare her.
5/27/22
I don’t like Tyee’s eyes.
5/31/22
I found her. I found Lola. But Tyee and her are looking at each other like they know something I don’t. What’s wrong with them? What’s wrong with Tyee? Did something bite her?
I don’t like Tyee’s eyes.
I don’t like Tyee’s eyes.
I don’t like Tyee’s eyes.
Why does Tyee have our eyes? They’re not doggy eyes. They’re Lola’s eyes. They’re my eyes.
(Sorry to barge in. There’s another polaroid here. It’s frantic. The dog’s eyes are so eerily fucking human, you can barely tell them from Lola’s. At least, I think that’s Lola?)
There’s something wrong with my dog.
And it isn’t rabies.
Shit, uh. That’s where the journal ends. Bunch of smudges, too.
It’s been a while since I had this transcription drafted, and all that. I’ve looked at the missing person’s database since: Lola and Elu Hathale-Foster. They’ve been missing since May, and fuck— it’s June, now? I think I saw them on the local news.
Those poor kids.
I’m gonna email a copy of these entries to the police, and hope they find them. Their bodies, or something, at least, Jesus. I have a drive to go on: give this journal to the kid’s father. I’m sure he needs the closure, desperately.
I… probably won’t be continuing this. It’s between the family now. I guess this is more of a warning for anyone in my area. The forest wasn’t very far away from me, so it’s somewhere around 576 XXX Dr.
I should lay this out flat: I got lucky. I found the journal. I ran. I ran fast, and hard. And I’ll be damned if I didn’t look back.
Don’t go into the woods, and if God forbid you do:
Watch out for Lola.
And watch out for Tyee.
I don’t think it’ll matter if you have your rabies shot or not.