This week: Nobody is there Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
Quote for the week:
"Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there!
He wasn't there again today,
Oh how I wish he'd go away!"
~ From "Antigonish" by William Hughes Mearns |
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What do you think is more dangerous, an enemy you can see or one you cannot? A monster that you can see might be able to frighten you with its appearance, but you will have the advantage of knowing where it is.
An invisible enemy could be right in front of you without you even knowing. Since you can't see it, your imagination might make it more frightening than it actually is. It is also extremely difficult to fight what you cannot see.
One bizarre reported attack by an unseen foe was the strange case of Clarita Villanueva, which happened in the Phillipines in 1953. In one version of the story, two Manila police officers arrested Clarita, a young homeless woman, for prostitution and vagrancy. As they made the arrest, Clarita suddenly fell to the ground screaming. Witnesses reported seeing bite and slash marks appear out of nowhere on the skin of her arms, legs, and neck. The apparent attack continued as she was placed in the police car and taken to the jail.
Similar attacks appeared to happen over the next two weeks as she was incarcerated. Clarita was the only person who claimed to be able to see her invisible attackers. She described two assailants, one over six feet tall and the other about three feet tall. Both were extremely hairy, and had long pointed teeth and big feet. The police believed she was either on drugs or insane, but could not find an explanation for the wounds. Clarita was examined by a doctor who stated that he did not believe the wounds were self inflicted. Eventually, an exorcism was performed on Clarita, after which all attacks reportedly stopped.
Some psychologists at the time believed that Clarita might have suffered from a mental illness in which her mind psychosomatically inflicted wounds on herself. However, the existence of this sort of illness has never been proven. Others claim the attacks were a massive hoax perpetrated by the police, the prison doctor, the mayor of Manila, and the clergyman who reportedly exorcised Clarita. Others believe the story is nothing but an urban legend which never happened at all.
Even horror creatures that are visible are more frightening when you cannot see them. When planning a horror story, consider keeping the evil entity "off camera" as much as possible. Ratchet up the suspense and fear for your readers by having the villain taunt the main characters from a hidden position before bursting in to the scene. No matter how frightening the evil character's appearance is, the readers will get used to it if it is visible too often.
Something to try: Write a horror story that includes an invisible assailant. |
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