Darkest of Dreams explores Mothman and other terrifying creatures
Do y’all know about the Mothman? Let me catch you up. Back in the Sixties, residents in Point Pleasant, WV, began reporting something weird. Then weird became terrifying. Two couples out for a drive said they were chased by a large flying creature with glowing red eyes. They raced to the police. Police and residents went looking for the creature, which was described as a man-sized moth with glowing red eyes, but they didn’t find anything.
There were more sightings, but the creature was not found. A year later, the creature, named the Mothman, thanks to the popularity of the Batman TV series, was seen above the Silver Bridge, just before it collapsed. The bridge, which connected Ohio and West Virginia over the Ohio River, buckled during rush hour. The collapse killed 46 people, two of whom were never found. Engineers and investigators determined the cause of the collapse was a defective eyebar in a suspension chain. It was also determined that it carried heavier loads than planned and it had been poorly maintained. But because the Mothman had been reported above it, people blamed the creature for the collapse. Mothman became a harbinger of doom.
Mothman was suspected by a wildlife biologist from WVU to be a sandhill crane separated from its flock. But that’s not as creepy as a terrifying moth-like man stalking the night, is it?
I first heard about Mothman when I was a DJ at Marshall University’s WMUL radio station. From there, I kept the stories in the back of my mind, percolating. Then I had the chance to write about it for the Darkest of Dreams, a cryptid anthology. Instead of doing the usual third-person point of view, which I did try, I kept coming back to first-person and telling the story as a monster-hunting road trip between two friends. And instead of making up characters, I based “Red Eyes in Darkness” on an imagined road trip between myself and my friend Aaron, with significant creative liberties taken, of course!
If you want to learn more about Mothman, there’s a movie, a fiction book and a museum–all dedicated to him.
What’s a cryptid? And how do I say it?
It is pronounced: cryp·tid | \ ˈkrip-təd \.
Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild but they are not believed to exist by mainstream science despite their finest researchers’ mysterious, consistent disappearances.
Darkest of Dreams, author and writing coach Audrey Hughey’s brainchild, includes stories from fourteen authors. Not only does it include Mothman, but it also features sasquatch, witches, doppelgangers, and a banshee. Details of the Kickstarter, which doubled its goal in 24 hours, can be found here.
What’s in the book?
Stories and authors featured in Darkest of Dreams include:
Tina Glasneck’s A Vampire’s Act
Being famous has never come with a more deadly price when evil makes a final curtain call for Sam Dolomite.
Courtney Konstantin’s Hanging by a Thread
Taking on the end of the world alone felt like her only option. But when a hive of zombies catch her scent, relying on another living person and a sailboat, might be her only chance at survival.
J. R. Frontera’s Paid in Full
When a suspected banshee threatens an innocent young woman’s life, Mr. Peter Gallows is charged with sending the creature back where it belongs. But is it merely a fairy spirit gone astray? Or is there something more sinister at play?
Two by Audrey Hughey:
Eyes of Madness
Three poor teens only wanted to strip the copper wire out of the abandoned farmhouse, but they awake a vicious creature. Can they make it back to civilization alive?
Disappearance at Sleepy Creek
When a little boy goes missing, Lena volunteers to help find him. But the ancient Appalachian mountains hold more mystery and darker secrets than she could have imagined.
MT Decker’s Give the Devil His Due
As a storm closes in on New Jersey, dark forces gather for a showdown of the century. Win or lose, the pine barrens will never be the same.
Rod Galindo’s A Pleasant Fiction
A trio of Bigfoot-hunting friends make the discovery of a lifetime… only to awaken something far more dangerous than a Sasquatch…
Andre Gonzalez’s The Final Flash
If the rumors are true, three friends are about to have their lives changed forever. Deep in the Southern woods, they set out to pursue a centuries-old secret. Their discovery leaves them stranded with a force of evil none of them were ready to encounter.
Two from Taryn Noelle Kloeden
Ouroboros
A pioneer woman flees a beast that hungers for her flesh as memories of her family’s horrifying past unfold. Will she survive the night when the monster–and her guilt–threatens to eat her alive?
The Monster of Lake Bakwansek
A podcaster investigates a string of disappearances near a lake said to hide an ancient beast. But she will soon discover a much more horrifying truth lurks beneath the small town’s placid surface.
K. McCoy’s Eyeshine
A famous author goes off into the wilderness to write the ending to their popular romance series. But as they pen the end to that fairytale, they find themselves face to face with something straight out of their nightmares.
Stephen Wertzbaugher’s Love is a Many Splendored Thing
Frank Weaver, the disgraced former sheriff of Custer County, Colorado, thought his nightmare ended when he killed a Manananggal masquerading as his wife. But a year after putting the tattered edges of his life back together, Frank’s torment begins again when the Manananggal, unwilling to let him go, returns to claim what she believes belongs to her.
Linda Bloodworth’s Brother Beware
William Dufferin tried to be a good brother. Except a quasi-god-like Sasquatch kidnapping his younger brother and all his fears becoming real wasn’t the plan.
Two from Nan Sampson
The Dying of the Light – (Note: I heard Nan read this and it gave me chills!)
Every Breton knows the dangers of wandering the roads after sunset. But wolves, cutthroats, and the Sun King’s tax collectors are the least of Cadec Carodeg’s fears as he treks home after a week’s work in the city. The Night Shepherd also stalks the countryside, hungering for his lost sheep, and as Cadec leaves the tavern where he’s gambled away his pay, he’s certain the eyes of the creature are upon him. And the sun is sinking fast.
Ill Met by Starlight
How far will an aspiring young artist go to win back her very existence when someone who looks like her, acts like her, and says they’re her takes over her life – and lives it better? Pushed to the brink, Melisa squares off with the darkness inside. But is it too late to alter fate?
Alyanna Poe’s Children Don’t Belong In the Forest
When Stella goes missing in the forest, she stumbles upon an infamous witch. The hag takes the young girl to her cabin to adopt her as her own, and when Stella runs away, she discovers a dark secret about her village. Read more in Alyanna’s blog post.