I’ve (23M) been putting off going for a psych eval even though I know that seeing things isn’t normal. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put this on r/offmychest or into r/advice, so I’m just going to drop it here since this sub seems like a combination of both.
I know this post is already ramble-y but getting into everything is really difficult for me because admitting to seeing the things I’ve seen is not easy, and I don’t want to admit that my mind might be slipping. I guess I’ll just get it over with for now.
It all started a couple weeks ago, on a camping trip in the mountains. I used to go every few weeks, but the last time I’d been there was an accident involving several schoolchildren who had wandered off the path and ended up at the bottom of the mountain. I’m not really superstitious, but I had witnessed what happened and going back there was a daunting prospect, especially since I was the only witness and therefore considered a suspect. Either way, I booked a weekend off to try to cause some kind of exposure therapy I guess.
Walking up the path that I’d taken before was fine. I didn’t feel any different, and I wasn’t seeing things. Yet. After a good four hours or so of hiking I found a clearing to set up camp in. I re-hydrated some food, replied to some messages, all of the usual camping things. I’d planned to hike for an extra few hours the following day to make up for letting myself get out of shape, so I turned in early for the night.
This is when shit gets weird and I know I should seek help but I just want to know if others have experienced this.
I woke up just as the moon was almost fully ascended. That’s normal for me, kind of. But then I started to hear things. Whispering. Like little kids whispering. Obviously it’s normal to hear animals and shit at night but now that I think about it, there weren’t any animal sounds that I remember. Just whispering.
I laid there for a few minutes, trying to figure out if I’d left my radio on or something and it was malfunctioning. Eventually, I got up and opened the tent to see- nothing. The whispers stopped. I decided that my mind was being overactive and left it at that. Closed the tent, got ready to get back into my sleeping bag and get ready for the next day. As soon as I put one foot in the sleeping bag, I heard a childlike giggle. Creepy.
I opened the tent and immediately the silence resumed. I stood there, all kinds of thoughts racing through my head while my heart went nuts. That’s when I saw them. Five little sets of eyes by the trees, all at varying heights off of the ground. I shut the tent and tried to sleep while the whispering continued.
The entire next day I felt like I was being followed, and I’ve felt like that since. I see shadows out of the corner of my eye. I hear giggling, whispering, like those kids are playing some sick little game with me. I feel like I’m going crazy and nothing has helped, not even holy water or any of that shit.
So yeah I’m kind of looking for advice? Or asking if anyone else has experienced this, I guess. Have you ever been haunted by children you’ve killed? It never happened to me before.
Edit: Answering some questions. Yes, I’ve booked in with a psychotherapist, no I’m not answering questions about the kids or where it happened because I’m already a suspect. Yes it really happened, this is not a troll post. I camp alone because I enjoy solitude. I’m closing the comments thread now.