When thou comest to the high mountains, if thou seest any of the dark watching men,

go not near to them nor try to speak to them.

And forget not thy prayers.

That was no bizarre Bible passage. It's an excerpt from American literary giant John Steinbeck.

You know, author of Grapes of Wrath, of mice and men, high school English class reading.

And in that excerpt he's described High School English class reading.

And in that excerpt, he's describing one of the eeriest pieces of American folklore I've ever had the misfortune to come across.

The Dark Watchers. These entities are elusive.

In fact, no one really knows what they are.

But I can tell you this, they inhabit the wilderness near California St. Lucia Mountains, and they only come out at dawn

and dusk, that liminal space at the bleeding edge of day and night. But if you do catch a glimpse,

as Steinbeck warns, keep your distance, and for the love of God do not speak to them.

But we'll get to why that is later.

I first heard about dark watches on a trip to Big Sir. I'd come there to finish a graphic novel,

as my grandfather used to call them funny books that had been living in my head for far too long.

You see, my kids were young then. that had been living in my head for far too long.

You see, my kids were young then, and life was hectic.

Everything felt like a distraction that took me away from writing.

So I rented out a cabin, no cell reception, no Wi-Fi. There was barely electricity. By day

two I was still struggling to start when a tear in the wallpaper caught my eye. I swore there was some kind of handwriting behind

it. So I peeled it back to find a sentence that made my blood run cold.

Watch the dark and they will watch back.

...