The Watcher in the Woods

That sound you hear in the woods camping? It's never just the wind. Last October,

we found that out the hard way. Huddled around our campfire in a forgotten Appalachian clearing,

we were interrupted by the heavy crunch of footsteps beyond our firelight. Not the playful

rustle of deer. Something—or someone—was lurking. When we shone our flashlights,

there was silence. Bears don't linger in silence. Daybreak revealed the chilling truth.

Fifty feet into the trees, I uncovered a hidden pit beneath a camouflaged tarp.

Supplies. Rope. A sleeping bag. And those photos. Dozens of polaroids

pinned to the dirt. All taken from the woods as people slept in their tents. The last shot?