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"One was about 13 years old; the other one was about "She told me that no one knows,” he said. "The people nine.” who found that out aren't here to tell about it. She said At the time, Besand, a Missourian, was studying at the they could have been anything from demons to fairies." University of East Anglia in Norwich. That night, he | He asked her why they would want him to go willingly walked home from a friend's flat when he went by a _ with them to the cemetery. cemetery, and that's where he encountered the kids. "I "She said that they could just want something from me walk past this cemetery every time I go to his house," or they could have taken me to their realm," he said. Besand said. "She also told me that I did the right thing by running This night, two small, thin figures approached him. —_ away, and that I'm never going to find out what they were "They were both wearing hoodies," Besand said. "The — so I'm better off just going on with my life and not older one said that they were trying to find the graveyard thinking too much about it." and that they were lost." But the age of the children and the time of night | Unanswered questions bothered Besand. "I figured it was odd that young kids The common thread connecting all black-eyed-children were hanging out in graveyards at this time of night," he | encounters is fear—a deep fear that the victim said. "But...] agreed to take them there. They asked me _ experiences before noticing the solid-black eyes of the very politely.” individual. What is this trepidation? Although black As Besand escorted the boys to the cemetery, he __ sclera contacts give the wearer the appearance of black- noticed that the older boy's hair eyed kids, they don't account for was unnaturally black and "his the fear. Neither do the eyes of a skin was porcelain-white and drug user. The lucidity of these veiny". Then Besand saw the children is also inconsistent with eyes. "They both had eyes that These words snapped the behaviour of people on Wie he Te anaes Besand out of his trance ae there's the demand for an the most distinct features. It and he started running. invitation: like a Hollywood was like they had no souls or vampire, these black-eyed kids nothing inside of them." When he looked back, the seem to lack the ability to enter When they reached the children had vanished. your space without invitation. In cemetery gates, the older one many accounts, those who asked Besand to accompany encounter black-eyed kids feel them. "I told them no, I was compelled to obey these well- going home," he said. "He asked spoken, confident children. me again to go in with them. | still told him no.” Reports of extraterrestrial abductions don't include this The younger black-eyed child began to appear nervous. need for an invitation. "{He had] this look of anxiety about him," Besand said. However, demonic entities do. According to Christian "Then the older one stopped asking me. He started to _ tradition, demonic entities—the fallen angels of the Old make a demand for me to go into the graveyard with Testament—need a free-will invitation in order to inhabit em.” Then the older child's demeanour changed. "The — a human host. rustration on this kid's face was trying to be hidden Pranksters? Drug addicts? Extraterrestrials? Demons? behind one of the most evil grins that I ever saw," Besand The Occam's razor principle states: "When you have two said. "My heart was pounding in my throat at this time as competing theories that make exactly the same e older one said ‘We wouldn't harm you' with that grin _ predictions, the simpler one is the better." Unfortunately on his face." in the paranormal world, no theory is simple. oo The grin, Besand found, was hypnotic. "Oddly enough, was becoming more drawn to him and I was thinking | About the Author: at I should go in with them," he said. Journalist and author Jason Offutt covers all kinds of "Then the silent younger kid said something that scared —_ paranormal topics on his blog, http://www.from-the- e hell out of me.” The younger one said, "We shouldn't — shadows.blogspot.com. His books include Darkness Walks: be doing this.". These words snapped Besand out of his The Shadow People Among Us (2009) and Haunted Missouri: rance and he started running. When he looked back, the — A Ghostly Guide to the Show-me State's Most Spirited Spots children had vanished. (2007). His next books, What Lurks Beyond and About a week after his encounter, Besand went into a — Paranormal Missouri, will be available in (northern) spring magic shop whose owner was Wiccan. “I told her my 2010. story of the black-eyed children,” he said. "She told me Jason Offutt can be contacted via his postal address (PO that | wasn't imagining anything." Besand asked her what — Box 501, Maryville, MO 64468, USA) and via email at they were. jasonoffutt@hotmail.com. "She told me that no one knows,” he said. "The people who found that out aren't here to tell about it. She said they could have been anything from demons to fairies.” He asked her why they would want him to go willingly with them to the cemetery. "She said that they could just want something from me or they could have taken me to their realm," he said. "She also told me that I did the right thing by running away, and that I'm never going to find out what they were so I'm better off just going on with my life and not thinking too much about it." and he started running. When he looked back, the children had vanished. About the Author: Journalist and author Jason Offutt covers all kinds of paranormal topics on his blog, http://www.from-the- shadows.blogspot.com. His books include Darkness Walks: The Shadow People Among Us (2009) and Haunted Missouri: A Ghostly Guide to the Show-me State's Most Spirited Spots (2007). His next books, What Lurks Beyond and Paranormal Missouri, will be available in (northern) spring 2010. Jason Offutt can be contacted via his postal address (PO Box 501, Maryville, MO 64468, USA) and via email at jasonoffutt@hotmail.com. 64 * NEXUS These words snapped Besand out of his trance FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com