this happened when I was a kid so some of the details are a little fuzzy but I still remember the important parts I grew up in Nebraska and I used to bike to school every day because my parents were always working it was just easier that way we lived in a rural area surrounded by farmland and the route to school took me past this massive cornfield looking back it probably wasn't that big but it was the kind of place that looked like it went on forever especially when you're a kid our house was on the
other side of the field but my parents were always clear about one thing don't cut through the corn field they were worried I'd get lost without a cell phone and I didn't really question it I'd seen how easy it was to lose your sense of direction in there so every day I'd stay on the main road and bike all the way around it I didn't have many friends that lived near my house so I'd always bike alone I didn't mind the longer rides I actually developed a love for biking from doing it so often I'd
go for bike rides on the weekends even when I didn't have to I don't remember what day of the week it was but it was definitely a week day because I was biking home from school I was biking home like normal when the chain on my bike popped loose I don't remember how it happened but it just came off completely and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't figure out how to pop it back into place my dad had taught me how to fix my bike but nothing I tried worked I was stuck and
the thought of walking all the way home with my bike and toe sounded awful like I said I didn't have a phone back then so it wasn't like I could just call my parents for help I wasn't going to ask for a ride from a random stranger driving by either I knew better I was on my own that's when I looked over at the cornfield walking the normal route home was going to take forever but cutting through the cornfield would save me a ton of time I knew my parents had warned me to go in
there but I figured it couldn't be that hard to find my way through after all I just needed to walk straight right so I made up my mind and pushed my bike into the cornfield telling myself it' be a quick shortcut at first it was fine the path I found between the rows of corn was narrow but it was clear enough to walk through the stalks towered over me and I remember there being a gentle breeze that day imagine walking through a corn field as a child the stalks feel 10 times higher and everything feels
10 times bigger it started to make me feel a little uneasy the corn also blocked out a lot of the light and it was oddly silent in there I can't remember why but every so often i' look behind me I'm not sure what was scaring me but I remember just wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible after another few minutes I started to pick up on a faint rustling sound coming from the corn just a little ways off the path I stopped and listened trying to convince myself it was just the wind
it didn't sound like the wind though it stopped but as soon as I started walking I heard it again this time it was a little louder and a little closer I started to think it could have been an animal stalking me but I didn't know what kind of animal would be making that much noise I remember struggling to breathe wishing I had never got into that corn field at all I picked up the pace walking faster but I didn't want to leave my bike behind I kept telling myself I was being paranoid but every few
minutes the rustling came back like whatever it was was keeping Pace with me eventually the rustling stopped and I felt a wave of relief maybe 10 or so minutes passed without any strange sounds at the next juncture I decided to switch rows just to be safe I turned a corner and standing right there in the middle of the path was a man he was just standing there arms at his sides staring at me he didn't look like a farmer or anyone who belonged out there his clothes were dirty and torn and he had what looked
like long scratches on both arms I don't know how else to describe them they were just long marks that looked etched into his arm I froze not knowing what to do but then he spoke he asked me if I was lost in a low and raspy voice I didn't respond I was glued to the spot he then took a step toward me and told me he'd help me find my way home I felt like I was in sleep paralysis I literally couldn't move every instinct in in me screamed to run but I couldn't he started
walking faster his hands outstretched toward me and that's when my legs just took over I dropped my bike and ran as fast as I could he started chasing me and shouted that he just wanted to help me I did not stop running I could hear him crashing through the corn behind me yelling for me to stop every so often I ducked into one of the Corn stocks and crouched down in a ball with my eyes closed I tried to make myself as small as possible I truthfully thought I was going to die he was holding
something that looked like a rope in his hand as he passed he muttered to himself I'll find him I'll never forget those words for as long as I live I stayed hidden for what felt like hours my legs were cramping and my whole body was trembling but I didn't dare move until I was sure he was gone when I finally crawled out of the Corn and made my way home I was shaking so badly I could barely walk it was dark by then I eventually found my way home I ran in sight of my parents
who were worried sick about where I had been I told them everything my mom was in tears and my dad looked like he was ready to kill someone by then though there wasn't much they could do that man was long gone my dad went out to look for my bike but it was nowhere to be found they got me a new one a few days later and life went on a few weeks later something else happened that ultimately made us move out I got home from school one day and there sitting on the porch was
my old bike the one I had left in the cornfield I don't remember who was more freaked out me or my parents my parents didn't feel safe with me in that house anymore so we quickly moved out of there my parents don't really mention what happens but I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it I was 28 I had been trying to chase my dreams of being an author by writing for a popular newspaper but things didn't work out I had just returned home to help my aging parents on the Family Farm it
wasn't exactly what IID planned for myself after leaving home years ago but they were getting older and managing the place on their own was becoming more of a burden the farm was quiet and isolated surrounded by vast fields of corn that stretched out for miles in every direction the nearest neighbor lived about a 10-minute walk away a small farm run by an older woman who'd been living there ever since her husband passed away a few years back life was slow out there and I didn't mind that at that point in my life slow was exactly
what I wanted things were pretty normal for a week or two I was starting to get used to the routine of managing the farm and the slower pace of life was really beneficial to me I had a ton of free time on my hands to think and write which was how I spent most nights I'm not sure what it is but I'm most productive and creative at night so I took advantage of that I'd get the farm stuff out of the way well before the sun went down and then sit at my computer until I
couldn't keep my eyes open anymore I had opted to stay in the tiny bedroom on the third floor so that I wouldn't bother my parents with the strange sleep habits I liked it up there it was cozy and quiet and the window gave me a beautiful Muse likee view of the farm but after about another week I started noticing something odd every evening just before Sunset I would see a figure standing at the far edge of my parents cornfield between two rows of corn at first I didn't think much of it I assumed it was
someone from the neighbor's Farm maybe checking on their land or surveying the crops they weren't actually on my parents' property so it's not like they were trespassing or doing anything technically illegal it was just kind of odd though the figure didn't move or make any kind of gesture just stood there almost like a scarecrow or mannequin I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman hell I couldn't even tell if they were facing me it was unnerving sure but I figured it was nothing to worry about despite the eeriness of it all I noted
that the scene would definitely make a cool photo a shadow against the golden backdrop of the evening sky and Fields of corn that stretched on forever a few more days passed and the figure kept appearing always around the same time always around the same spot just standing there one night I watched it extra closely just to make sure it really wasn't a scarecrow eventually I did notice it move which confirmed that it was a person it was strange but I kept telling myself it was harmless I even thought it might be the neighbor The Old
Woman My Mother often mentioned I hadn't seen her since I'd been back but maybe she had a reason for being out near our property either way there was only so much harm an elderly woman could really cause it's not like she posed a threat to my my parents or their property of course if that were true I probably wouldn't be writing this all down in hindsight it probably wasn't wise to be so nonchalant about the situation things started to change over the next few days the figure began getting closer each night I'd see it between
two different rows of corn always closer to the house it was still silent and still un moving but it was definitely closer each night I was sure of that I still couldn't make out any details about them from that distance but things were getting serious now whoever was out there was deliberately getting closer and closer to my parents' property after two nights of this I decided I had to do something the next morning I told my parents about what I had been noticing the past few weeks my mom brushed it off and told me that
it was most likely the neighbor's son who had always been a bit of an oddball according to her to call him an oddball was a bit of an understatement but my mom was always want to put things nicely to my surprise they didn't seem concerned or even weirded out they told me that I should just let him be as he's harmless one evening as I was working late in the barn I glanced toward the edge of the field and felt my stomach drop the figure was no longer at the far edge of the cornfield it
was standing just outside the property line much closer than before a cold chill ran through me I wiped my hands on my jeans and feeling a mix of unease and frustration I decided to approach it I needed a better look I walked to the edge of the field and yelled who's there but as soon as I got close the figure turned and sprinted between a row of corn I went to chase it but as I was turning the corner I literally saw him dive into a row of corn disappearing from sight my heart was pounding
as I stood there scanning the field but there was no way I'd be able to find him it's not like I was going to start searching blindly through the cornstalks I was really freaked out out at that point even if that had been a troubled kid I don't think I was comfortable with him on the property the next morning I headed over to the neighbor's Farm hoping to clear things up the old woman answered the door so I just asked her bluntly without sugar coating things she seemed really confused when I told her about what
was happening she shook her head slowly and told me she hadn't been outside after dark for weeks because of her health she told me that she could barely get around let alone walk to the edge of her land I then asked her about her son she told me that he left home years ago and hadn't lived with her since I froze as she told me that I could feel my skin start to itch whoever I had chased the day before wasn't her son it was a complete stranger I left her farm with a growing sense
of dread whoever or whatever was lurking near the cornfield wasn't from her place I immediately told my parents about what she told me and they grew concerned my mom suggested calling the police but my my dad insisted that would be a waste of time since they hadn't actually done anything illegal my dad instructed me to stay awake and wake him up should that person come back which I agreed to for the next few days nothing happened like the figure wasn't there anymore which was a relief maybe they had noticed me confronting my neighbor or maybe
they had simply decided not to return after being chased either way I was relieved later that week I was out in the barn finishing up some chores when everything went dark when I say dark I mean it the entire Farm was suddenly plunged Into Darkness and the power cut out without warning all the lights inside and outside the house flickered off I never carried my phone on me in the barn so I was truly blind my heart started racing I had a feeling I knew what had caused the outage I fumbled in the dark for
the flashlight I knew was nearby somewhere after finding it I sprinted out of the barn and toward the house before stopping in my tracks I wanted to run inside but knew that would be the Cowardly thing to do I was about to run around the house to check the breaker man when I heard it there was a faint rustling sound coming from the cornfield the realization hit me that person was on my property within mere feet of me I turned and swept the beam of flashlight across the field trying to be as quiet as possible
for a moment nothing happened just the same rustling sounds but then out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of movement I jumped and shakily pointed my light toward the source there just a few feet away from the barn was a man I could see that now it was a man with a few patches of hair on an otherwise bald head he was wearing overalls and staring directly at me with this menacing look I glanced down at his hands he was holding a rusty Garden TR fear took over me and I ran
to my horror I heard him began to chase after me I sprinted into the cornfield hoping to lose him in there I turned to see him in full Pursuit running as fast as he could I turned a corner and before he could see I fell on dove into a row of corn I sat there with my heart racing trying to cover the sound of my breathing a few seconds passed before I saw that guy run past me it was the most terrifying moment of my life I wanted to make a dash for my phone and
call the police but I was too afraid I sat there silently for a few minutes contemplating the situation and my life eventually I got out of my hiding spot and ran all the way back to the house which was still cast in pitch black darkness I called the police and woke my parents up the police searched the property and found nothing they did however find the source of the outage someone had dumped a bucket of water on our breaker man which tripped the whole thing the next day I helped my parents install some added security
measures and even went as far as to tell the neighbor to be careful I was only on the farm for another month but nothing happened in that time frame it killed me to leave my parents alone on the farm with some psycho lurking about but I had to move on with my life they hired a farm hand to deal with the chores so I wasn't really need it anymore this was by far the most bizarre and unsettling experience I've ever been through it's something I still think about a lot I recently moved to Iowa to
get away from things I got some deadend job that pays a decent Buck it's not so bad I'm definitely not going to stay out here forever but the peace and quiet is good for me there's a lot of Farmland around here which I'm sure doesn't surprise any of you the rural environment is definitely not something I'm used to coming from the city and all but I'm slowly adjusting to it about 6 months ago I found a modest home with dirt cheap rent that I lived in for a few months while the house itself was small
the property was actually pretty big I had a lot of land in the backyard more than I knew what to do with I'm not sure if it was a farm or abandoned but there was this massive corn field that sat right next to my house like the field ended at a little wooden fence that sat a few feet from the physical structure you could practically touch the outside of the house and the fence at the same time that's how close they were as you could probably guess I didn't have any neighbors despite what you might
think I found the isolation really peaceful sometimes in the evening I found myself staring into that field from the window reflecting about my life as the stalks billowed gently in the wind I probably would have stayed in the house for a longer period of time had it not been for what I'm about to tell you it was a windy October night one of those cold nights that makes you want to sit in the comfort of a warm bedroom and look out the window at the wind blowing things around I actually like being outside when the
weather's like this I know I'm a little odd in that regard there's just something about shoving my hands in my jacket pockets when it's cold that makes me feel good I was smoking a cigarette on The house's back deck surveying the yard one more time before going back inside I was almost finished when I heard it a scream it wasn't the kind of distant animal cry you hear sometimes out in the country no this was different it was sharp high-pitched and unmistaken ably human it sounded like it could have been a child maybe a young
boy the sound echoed from the cornfield just beyond the house without thinking I ran inside grabbed my hunting rifle and went back out I'm not sure what came over me but there was no way I was going to ignore a child that was potentially in danger as I was running toward the cornfield the scream came again louder this time I stopped in my tracks scanning the dark but I couldn't see anyone I called out to the kid asking him to scream again so I could find him silence adrenaline was surging through me at that point
I jumped the fence picked a random row of corn and ran alongside it using my phone shitty flashlight to see I kept yelling out but that kid never yelled back eventually I realized I was in over my head I called the police and explained to them what I had heard before returning to my house waiting for them to arrive when the officers arrived I insisted on helping them search the field they let me help which I was grateful for we searched for at least half an hour calling out to that kid the whole time he
never yelled back though there was nothing out there no Footprints no signs of movement not a single trace that anyone had been in that field eventually we gave up the officers told me to call again if I heard anything and left I was frustrated but what could I do part of me wondered if the whole thing had been a prank which sort of made sense I'm sure the kids out there struggled to occupy the hours it just made me sick to think that someone would prank another person like that as much as I tried to
convince myself that it had all been a prank I couldn't relax after that little did I know that the situation was about to go from a 1 to a 10 as I was upstairs getting ready for bed something from outside the window caught my eye it was the last thing anyone would ever want to see outside a bedroom window a faint orange glow I rushed to the window and I felt my stomach drop off in the distance there were small Flames rising from the cornfield flickering wildly in the dark I remember yelling holy [ __
] over and over I knew I had to do something the fire wasn't huge but I knew it would spread fast with how windy it was out there I sprinted down the stairs while calling 911 practically screaming into the phone I grabbed the hose from the side of my house turned it on jumped the fence and sprinted into the field I prayed that it would be long enough to reach the fire I was soaked by the time I reached the fire but I didn't care I knew the fire department would take forever to get there
I was the only hope I sprayed the Flames as best I could doing everything I could to contain it I was unbelievably lucky that it hadn't spread more quickly I was able to put it out completely in just a few minutes I leaned down to catch my breath wondering why in the world this [ __ ] was happening to me as I stood there drenched in sweat and water I caught movement from the corner of my eye I turned and nearly died right on the spot there was someone at the upstairs window of my house
they were in my bedroom without thinking I dropped the hose that was still spraying water and sprinted toward the house I threw open the door and burst into the kitchen only to freeze in place the entire room was trashed my fridge and cabinets were all open and a bunch of my dishes had been smashed on the floor it was [ __ ] crazy and I didn't know what to think I barely had time to process the chaos when I heard the front door slam I spun around and ran to the front door but by the
time I got there whoever had been inside was gone I rushed outside again but they were nowhere in sight I didn't have the energy to chase them I actually thought I was going to pass out from how chaotic the sequence of events had been a few minutes later the police and firefighters finally showed up I told them what had happened and they took things much more ser seriously this time around attempted arson is a serious felony and they treated it like such a bunch more police officers and even some police dogs were brought out to
conduct a more thorough search but once again they didn't find anything clearly they had enough time to escape on foot for a few weeks I couldn't sleep every Creek every rustle in the night set me on edge I slept with my hunting rifle on the floor next to me every night until I was able to move out I kept thinking about what had happened happened it didn't make any sense but what gets me the most is that first scream it makes me sick to think that there might have actually been a child in danger not
even 100 yards from me
