Collin Bishop-Karney

I'm sharing this story now because, as an adult, I still refuse to go into the woods, and I just want to warn you that there are malevolent things that happen in the trees, far from the view of cameras. So if you do decide to go camping, just be safe and watch your back.

I'm sharing this story now because, as an adult, I still refuse to go into the woods, and I just want to warn you that there are malevolent things that happen in the trees, far from the view of cameras. So if you do decide to go camping, just be safe and watch your back.

The excitement of returning to Shiprock filled me as the car crested the last hill, revealing the familiar landscape that had always been a part of my childhood memories. The desert stretched endlessly, bathed in the deep golden light of the setting sun, and there, nestled against the dusty horizon, lay my grandparents' house.

The excitement of returning to Shiprock filled me as the car crested the last hill, revealing the familiar landscape that had always been a part of my childhood memories. The desert stretched endlessly, bathed in the deep golden light of the setting sun, and there, nestled against the dusty horizon, lay my grandparents' house.

It had been years since I last visited the reservation, and I felt a mix of nostalgia and curiosity as we pulled up the long dirt driveway. My mother smiled, but her eyes seemed to hold something deeper, something unspoken. I tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the warmth of the reunion ahead. The evening was everything I'd hoped for at first.

It had been years since I last visited the reservation, and I felt a mix of nostalgia and curiosity as we pulled up the long dirt driveway. My mother smiled, but her eyes seemed to hold something deeper, something unspoken. I tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the warmth of the reunion ahead. The evening was everything I'd hoped for at first.

Laughter, stories, and the comforting aroma of fry bread wafting through the old trailer. My grandparents greeted me with open arms, and my aunts and uncles arrived soon after, filling the small living room with the sounds of family. We shared stories from the past, tales of old mischief and local news.

Laughter, stories, and the comforting aroma of fry bread wafting through the old trailer. My grandparents greeted me with open arms, and my aunts and uncles arrived soon after, filling the small living room with the sounds of family. We shared stories from the past, tales of old mischief and local news.

The night was moving smoothly, but I couldn't shake a sense of unease that lurked beneath the surface, an energy that seemed almost tangible. And then, perhaps out of ignorance, I asked the question that changed everything. Hey, are skinwalkers real? I blurted out between bites of fry bread, a casual curiosity slipping out without a second thought. The room fell instantly silent.

The night was moving smoothly, but I couldn't shake a sense of unease that lurked beneath the surface, an energy that seemed almost tangible. And then, perhaps out of ignorance, I asked the question that changed everything. Hey, are skinwalkers real? I blurted out between bites of fry bread, a casual curiosity slipping out without a second thought. The room fell instantly silent.

It was as if I had opened a door no one wanted to look through. My grandmother's face seemed to age in that moment, her eyes growing dark, and she shook her head slowly. Her hands trembled as she placed her cup down on the table, her gaze meeting mine with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

It was as if I had opened a door no one wanted to look through. My grandmother's face seemed to age in that moment, her eyes growing dark, and she shook her head slowly. Her hands trembled as she placed her cup down on the table, her gaze meeting mine with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

you shouldn't speak of such things she said her voice almost a whisper the warning clear the mood in the trailer changed instantly the warmth vanishing as if someone had extinguished a fire my grandfather gave me a look a mix of disappointment and fear before standing up and quietly retreating to his room my aunts and uncles followed suit murmuring good-nights their faces tense my mother scolded me softly

you shouldn't speak of such things she said her voice almost a whisper the warning clear the mood in the trailer changed instantly the warmth vanishing as if someone had extinguished a fire my grandfather gave me a look a mix of disappointment and fear before standing up and quietly retreating to his room my aunts and uncles followed suit murmuring good-nights their faces tense my mother scolded me softly

telling me that there are things better left unsaid. I nodded, feeling an uncomfortable knot form in my stomach. The once lively trailer now seemed empty, and an unsettling quiet fell over the house. I tried to brush it off as just nerves, just the stories getting to me. But that night, lying on the couch, I couldn't sleep. The trailer felt too quiet, the air too thick,

telling me that there are things better left unsaid. I nodded, feeling an uncomfortable knot form in my stomach. The once lively trailer now seemed empty, and an unsettling quiet fell over the house. I tried to brush it off as just nerves, just the stories getting to me. But that night, lying on the couch, I couldn't sleep. The trailer felt too quiet, the air too thick,

the desert wind whispered outside its low moan seeping through the thin walls shadows stretched long and deep across the floor flickering in the dim glow of the hallway nightlight i couldn't shake the feeling that something was out there just beyond the thin curtains in the deep empty night of the desert

the desert wind whispered outside its low moan seeping through the thin walls shadows stretched long and deep across the floor flickering in the dim glow of the hallway nightlight i couldn't shake the feeling that something was out there just beyond the thin curtains in the deep empty night of the desert

i turned over trying to force myself to sleep but every creak every rustle seemed amplified my heart thudding in response i squeezed my eyes shut but my mind raced the stories my mother used to tell me came flooding back Stories of creatures that wore the skins of animals, that lurked at the edges of the light, waiting for the curious and the careless.

i turned over trying to force myself to sleep but every creak every rustle seemed amplified my heart thudding in response i squeezed my eyes shut but my mind raced the stories my mother used to tell me came flooding back Stories of creatures that wore the skins of animals, that lurked at the edges of the light, waiting for the curious and the careless.