You know the story, some sort of “creepypasta” that revolves around what appears to be a normal suburban town with one fateful secret. And with that classic line, “We don’t know much about them, but we know not to go near them.” I have my own version, except this isn’t something you’d find on some “Animated Horror” YouTube channel. This was something that happened, and something that I swear was very, very real.
So, okay. We don’t know much about them, but we know not to go near them. You got me. The thing is, these aren’t a secret. They are called “The Wood Men”. It’s not mysterious men in the branches, or people actually made of wood. They’re these strange trees– imagine a wizard, but double the height, and completely wooden. That’s basically what they are. Your typical deciduous tree, but instead of branches, there’s simply a wood cone. They resemble that weak tree after a strong January storm, which knocked over a power line, or a child’s crappy drawing of a spear. The thing is, we know that they aren’t trees. Whenever you see one, the next day, it won’t be in that spot. It just… vanishes, or moves around.
Now that you get the basic sense of what these things are, I would like to clarify that they are not a threat. Though we don’t go near them, or at least that’s what our parents tell us, several of those rash High Schoolers have, in fact, touched them. Some even dared to film it and put it on social media. Others tell their little siblings, which tell us. However, there’s no tree-man attacks or mysterious curses that follow. There’s only two really mysterious things about these encounters. One being that they’re video proof that The Wood Men move, as they are not in the same spot the day after as proven by comparing footage. The other is admittedly stranger. Veering on eerie, I’d say. Everyone’s descriptions of what happens when they go up close to The Wood Men are different. Even people who go in groups. I once overheard my older brother and his friends arguing about what they saw. Some said the bark was all horizontal. Two said it just got really blurry. And the creepiest one stated that they saw their friend’s face, coincidentally the same one who had moved away and never wrote back. I am somewhat dubious of the last one, though, as that guy also lied about getting a girlfriend (ew).
The thing is, strange things have begun to happen (yeah yeah I know you’ve totally never heard that one before). It’s not missing kids or vanishing pets, though. The Wood Men have just been getting… closer. Until recently, we’ve only ever noticed them from a distance. At the end of the road, within the shadow of a distant cloud, or far off a hiking trail. Now, we see them everywhere, closer and closer. A couple days ago, the entire class panicked because they saw one a couple feet from the window. Mrs. Kakoti didn’t understand. She didn’t live here. I do, though, and I woke up one night with that dreadful feeling that something else is watching you. I noticed in the mirror by the bed that one of The Wood Men was right by my window. And as I was so close, I noticed that it seemed to be… changing colors. I mean, it was ultimately that desaturated brown of an elm, but there was this faded overlay of red to orange and back to red.
The locals began to grow worried. Some said they were cursed, others just thought we were being paranoid. A majority decided that this town already had its fair share of strange things, and “teleporting trees” seriously didn’t make it look any better. One night, nearly everyone decided to set out in three massive parties, spreading out across the woods and streets, axes and torches in hand. No one found any, despite the search remaining strong for the rest of the month. When we did find them, we didn’t have any tools with us, and they were far away. Once someone brought an axe or hatchet, it would have just turned out to be some blurry brown amalgam in the distance. We even began carrying binoculars with us on our day-to-day and learned how to use stones to chop down trees. It appeared like the town suddenly despised The Tree Men.
Then one day some of my classmates and I saw something off in the woods on our way back from school. It was a fake Tree Man, carved out from a dead log. It was surrounded by candles and pictures of random people. Maybe worshippers. Maybe some crazy guy wanted those people gone. I had no idea, but the next day the police were investigating the site. It turns out that inside the fake Tree Man was a clay carving of a child.
Somewhere in the hysteria, summer break had come. No one really expected it, as we were all so engulfed by The Tree Men. However, seasonal activities and joys had taken over the town’s panic. Tree Men were nowhere to be seen. I still remember how to make handmade axes, though, which I guess could be a fun little thing about me to share to my future wife. Or it could be used now, as there’ve been recent sightings of something else off in the distance, watching, men in the branches. Except they aren’t men.
They’re clay carvings of a child.
The one that moved away.