Urban Legends: Black Eyed Children

 

So we are most of the way through October and I haven’t put any spooky content up! Not like me at all, I know. Over the last couple of months I have developed some very painful swollen hands that have made me not want to do a lot of things like type for my blog posts or do my makeup like I usually do. I have an appointment with a rheumatologist in November for the suspected rheumatoid arthritis. 

With that being said, I am going to type things as I feel up to it, and I will probably have some spooky season content through November. Then as long as I’m pushing spooky season back I’ll probably do it as long as I feel like through the next year as I had a few topics I wanted to talk about in October 😂! Those who know me know that I’m obsessed with all things spooky, so there is no shortage of topics for me to write about!

In this post, I’ll be talking about an urban legend - but not just any urban legend - one that gained it's popularity right here in Abilene, Texas. That’s right, we’re cool enough to have our own urban legend that has spread all over the country and is actually something that people go hunting for. Now, knowing what I do about them, I have no idea why anyone would want to go hunting for them. They are nothing like bigfoot, they aren't something that you would really want to go and photograph, where as you technically could! They are something that you may have even had an encounter with before, potentially without even realizing it. They are: the black eyed children.

Before I get into the origins of the black eyed children and how they have a connection with Abilene, I’m going to talk about what you are probably all wondering:

Who or what are black eyed children?

Black eyed children are children of either sex, or entities appearing to be children. They are typically aged around 7 to 16 years old, have very pale wax-like skin, and wear dated clothing from what usually looks like the 40's or 50's - although this is not always noted in written encounters. When they first approach you they look down and avoid eye contact, but when they look up at you - they have pitch black eyes. 

What are these strange children?

We aren't really sure. There are arguments that they are demons, especially when you hear what when you are approached by one (more on this later). Others say that they could be ghosts because of their dated clothing and seemingly coming out of no where, but that theory also has holes in it after listening to even just a few encounters people have had. One of the more accepted theories is that they are aliens, but the question is why bother us in that way? There are so many other ways that make more sense - just looking at alien abduction encounters tell you that. Trying to figure out what exactly they are just brings more questions than answers. 

Now brings the big question: what do they want?

Usually in pairs, sometimes in groups of three, black eyed children will approach you in your home or car at night. As they approach people have described experiencing unnerving terror. They will then come and knock on your door, and if you ignore them your windows, and violently bang around you until you answer them. 

They will either ask you to get into your car for a ride (usually to your house, strange hmm?), or into your household. They will say that they are lost and need to call their parents or that their parents are on their way and they need a place to wait for them. They are very insistent that they have to enter your space, and if you say no, they will give you the guilt trip and demand entry. They will also specify that they cannot enter unless you give them your permission (reminds you of demons there, don't they?).

Even the toughest of men have reported being afraid of letting these children in, but there was something about them that pulls you towards them. Like a magnet physically pulling you to them even though all other instincts tell you to run the other way. Most people do not understand the fear, they are just kids after all, what harm could they do? Despite that, most documented encounters people give into the fear of the demanding children with the black eyes and refuse entry.

There are the select few that let the children in. Other than the kids acting strangely and animals fearing them, nothing bad happens while the kids are there. It’s when they leave that things go bad. Sometimes only moments after the children leaving things will start happening. Chronic nosebleeds and migraines, electrical problems, cancer, pets going missing and dying, are just some of the problems that people have been reported soon following allowing black eyed children into their spaces. 

So now that we know a little bit about the who and the what of the black eyed children, let’s talk about their connection back to Abilene! In 1996 an Abilene reporter, Brian Bethel, had his own encounter while parked in his car on N. 1st St., wrote about it and posted it on the internet. From there, his story went viral and people started talking about their own encounters. Him sharing his experience created a whole genre of stories and experiences that people talk about on various internet forums.

Brian Bethel was on N. 1st St. near the old Westwood movie theater for those who have been around long enough to remember when it was there 😀. Now this was a time before you could pay all of your bills over the internet, so inconvenient I know! So that he could pay his bill, he was parked writing a check in his car to drop it off at his internet provider. That was when two boys, around the age of 12, appeared out of nowhere and knocked on his driver-side window.  

The encounter went similar to the typical black eyed children experience that I described. He describes feeling irrational fear. The boys wanted a ride to go get money to see a movie that was playing at the movie theater, but when Bethel looked at the sign - they were already playing the last showing of the night and by the time they got back the movie would be nearly over. When he finally saw their “coal-black eyes” he knew he had to get out of there and quickly rolled back up his window and left. 

To read Brian Bethel’s full first hand encounter click here

To learn more about the black eyed children, check out these YouTube videos:

Here is a podcast episode dedicated to them!

Have you or anyone you know had any encounters with black eyed children? Leave a comment down below and tell us about it!