Folklore Spotlight: Unlocking the Secrets of Black-Eyed Children

K.J. Edwards describes herself as a single mom in her mid-30s from Texas. Edwards' magical influences are varied, and pull primarily from her Irish heritage and relationship with nature. You can find Edwards on the web at HausofHighWitchery on Etsy.

Imagine you are home alone late one night, when you receive a knock on the door. Curious, you walk over and peer through the peephole. You become alarmed when you realize there are children at your door.

You open the door to see what they need when they ask, “Can we use your phone?”

You want to let them in because, well, they are children after all. But something doesn't feel quite right to you. When you hesitate, they become agitated, becoming insistent, “you must give us permission to come inside!”

At this point, you begin to notice something is off about their faces. You gasp when you realize that it's their eyes! There is no colored iris, no white sclera. All there is empty blackness.

Who or what are black-eyed children?

Black-eyed children generally appear as children between the ages of six and sixteen. They have pale skin and completely black eyes. They always ask for seemingly harmless favors. But it's a ruse, because, like vampires, they must have your permission to enter your dwelling or car. Some people believe that they are able to put their target in a hypnotic-like state in order to get what they want. For those who are not transfixed, feelings of intense fear, dread and panic have been reported.

Black-eyed children were first reported as having been encountered in Abilene, Texas, by Brian Bethel. He claimed that he had a run-in with them late one night, where they asked him to give them a ride. When he refused, they became very upset. He noticed himself reaching to let them in the car, and instead pressed the lock button and was able to drive away.

There have also been sightings of black-eyed children in Cannock Chase, England.

There, a mother and her daughter were walking in the woods when they heard the screams of a child. When the mother and daughter turned towards the sound, a girl no more than 10 years old suddenly appeared before them. She was covering her eyes with her hands, and when the mother asked her if she was okay, the girl removed her hands to show two completely black eyes.

So, what are they? Are they actually children? Or are they something else?

Many people who have had encounters with them report having the same visceral reaction that people have when they encounter evil or demonic entities. Others believe the ability to transfix or hypnotize their targets reflects more of the attributes of an extraterrestrial being. In the case of the Cannock Chase encounter, one theory suggests they are the ghosts of children who either died of diphtheria or were the victims of known child serial murderer Raymond Morris.

So in conclusion?

Trust your intuition. We are all born with this innate connection to the energy around us.

When something disturbs the natural energy around you in an abnormal way, it will “sound the alarm.” You will start noticing you have that feeling where all your hairs are standing on end, or you break out in a light sweat. Maybe your hands become clammy or your heart starts to race, but you know for a fact that something is not right. Listen to that alarm system. It is what keeps you safe from all kinds of things, and especially from those things that are not...natural.