Unhinged Mind

November 12th, 2015

2:32 AM

There is no rest for me tonight. Outside, the wind was wailing with another blizzard on its way. I am in a cabin deep in the woods, far away from anywhere, totally off-grid. I find that the wind closely resembles the sound of a screaming woman. It's driving me crazy with the number of times I've tossed and turned, so preoccupied with falling asleep that the effort itself is what is keeping me awake. Thus, I return to this diary once more, a man half-crazed with exhaustion, yet I have the urge to record these thoughts.

Earlier this morning I found a new set of footprints that traveled past my front door. Upon closer inspection, I found that whatever it was, had four feet and was traveling quickly. I couldn't help but question if the animal had survived the harsh night. This place was like none other, It was very barren, cold, and dark. From what I've learned, the only true predators out here are wolves and bears. Considering these footprints, this animal should be in hibernation. I took several photos, underneath each, I posted small captions and uploaded them accordingly.

In the afternoon, I traveled throughout the surrounding forest. The faint signs of life had whispered all around me, bracing for the coming blizzard. The branches reaching upward, gathering any bit of sunlight they could; the bark of the Aspen, deprived repeatedly by what was likely a small herd of deer; the piercing call of an eagle, circling patiently as it hunted for its dinner. The wonders of nature, even in the dead of winter. It seems the world never truly sleeps.

My own dinner had been a heated can of beef stew and several small pieces of bread, smothered in butter. I only brought enough supplies to last me three months, I'm slowly learning how to ration them. I suppose in a way I should be grateful for this solitude, for this is the best chance to study over Christmas break, so that I may record and publish my findings for my journal. Even so, it can get eerie at times. Moreover when I cannot sleep.

Before making another futile attempt at sleeping, I feel the need to record one more interesting aspect of today's trek, as I am certain it will fade from my memory in due time. Upon my return just before twilight, I found what looked to be initials carved into an Aspen tree, not more than ten meters from my front door. I'm almost certain it was not there when I first left, the slobby letters that resembled an M and an E were just about the size of my hand and surely, I would have noticed them when I first left this morning. Maybe I was so preoccupied with the journey that I simply passed right by it without noticing. When looking out the front door I could see them, Bizarre and interesting. Maybe I have a neighbor…

November 14th, 2015

10:23 PM

The blizzard went on for the past two days, making leaving this cabin impossible. Outside my window it has been nothing but white; the world has gone quiet, blank as a fresh canvas. I've attempted multiple times to go to bed early, but to no avail. Being caged up within these four wooden walls has not done me any favors. My body is restless but my mind is completely preoccupied with my lack of progress, the halt of my research, and a single small streak upon my only window. The window adjacent to my front door has a line drawn in the frost down to its dead center. It was around a foot long, as if someone has pressed their finger on the glass from the outside and swiped downward. It reminded me of old memories of me doing this as a child, except as a child I would draw or write my name.

Did someone come up to my window last night? I have tried to make reasonable assumptions: maybe a small chunk of snow fell off the roof and grazed the glass on its way down. Or somehow the wild wind had blown something against my window and I just didn't notice. But a quick assessment had proved neither of these thoughts was possible, as below the snow was smooth as the rest of the ground. There wasn't a pile of snow, no stick, or any foreign object laying on top of the snow. I have settled on the likelihood that whatever it was is buried beneath the snowdrifts, as the accumulation has been swift and steady while the blizzard rages on.

I stay awake tonight, still wondering what else may the snow have hidden?

November 15th, 2015

1:13 AM

A snowman! These writings are becoming somewhat of a habit of mine now. I'm not quite sure why, but I feel more inclined to write my thoughts as the night slips into the morning hours. This night I am more justified in it, after the events that aspired this morning. I was happy to see that the blizzard had finally ended upon waking up. Not too long after getting up, I foolhardy tried to shovel a path outside my front door. The process was very slow, and I was so preoccupied with the task at hand, I failed to notice the latest addition to my wintry landscape. At first glance, I thought I was hallucinating, that the sunlight's glare against the snow hindered my vision. But to my utter surprise situated just by the tree that had the mysterious initials was a snowman facing my cabin. The sight of the snowman, and thinking of it now, makes my heart drop.

Someone or something is out here in this wilderness with me, someone who no doubt finds these intrusions on my privacy quite entertaining. Even now, I cannot make any sense of it; there are no towns or cities remotely near me. The only means of transportation is the use of a snowmobile. From my research on the habitats of the Alaskan wildlife had deemed it necessary that I would be placed literally in the middle of nowhere. One idea is the possibility of campers, but that quickly left my mind, at this time of year, simply did not seem possible.

The only humans that are remotely close to me are those in Alyeska. Though, Alyeska is around two hundred miles away from my current location. Where the hell would they be staying? What's the point of coming out here? It can't be they are here just to mess with me. I can barely sleep as it is. As soon as I saw the snowman, it had a grin made out of pebbles on its mouth, out of nowhere a powerful feeling of rage came out of me. I barreled through the snow and knocked off the head of the snowman.

From where I sit now, I can barely make out my newly decapitated friend. It seems silly, but I feel a strange sense of satisfaction that I got whoever built it back, as petty as it sounds. Maybe now I'll be able to get some much-needed sleep.

November 15th, 2015

12:36 PM

It's back! I don't know-how in the world that this is possible, but the damn thing is back. I woke up late this morning, very sleep-deprived, I went about my usual routine before heading outside to begin a small hike into the woods. Right when I got outside there it was, head back in place. I'm not quite sure how this happened, no one has been around me. I'm sure of it this time because there aren't any tracks in the snow. Please, let this record show that I didn't dream of any of this.

November 16th, 2015

2:51 AM

I've decided that I will not be sleeping tonight. I am going to be keeping guard, with only my raging thoughts and endless cups of coffee to keep me awake. Whoever is doing this is not going to be allowed to continue. I can't sleep, I can't focus, I can't relax. Is it a harmless prank? This is having a vast disadvantageous effort on my studies and I absolutely will not allow this to continue. As I write this, I pause ever so often to glance out the window, just to ensure that damn snowman doesn't reappear. I completely destroyed it earlier this morning, after I got back from my journey. Truth be told, a snowman can't build itself. So I will sit here, all night if I must until I catch whoever is doing this in the act. I've given it some thought and realized that it would be certainly feasible for someone to be camping out nearby. Even though it's in subzero temperatures, I've heard some of the locals do it with extremely expensive camping gear. But why would they go to such extremes just to mess with me?

There's only one thing I truly do not understand. The other times it was easy to trace back the lack of evidence to the blizzard, or the consistent snowfall. But for the life of me, I can't figure out how they managed to do it this time around without leaving any footprints. It was also in the middle of the night. Is that really how far they are willing to go for such a stupid prank?

I need some sleep, my mind is a complete mess. Once this is all over, I'm going to sleep for an entire week.

November 18th, 2015

1:05 AM

Every single time I knock down the damn thing, it comes back. Each and every time I never see or hear anything. Someone is out there, someone is watching me, even going so far as to taunt me. No matter how many times I knock down the snowman, he keeps coming back. I've tried so many times, I've finally given up. His daily resurrections have completely shaken me to my core, I have to get out of here. Just my luck, a massive blizzard is on the way. Which means I'm effectively trapped in my cabin for the foreseeable future.

I do not feel safe here…

The wind is howling once more, earlier tonight I could do little but stare into the coming darkness. I sat waiting for the door to burst open, or the window to shatter or some ghost to appear beside me. I sit here, wondering if the isolation is driving me mad? If somehow, everything that I'm seeing is my imagination. The cold, the dark, the complete solitude, from what I've read, these things play tricks on our minds. I cannot explain the absolute fear I suddenly have. These pranks have been completely harmless, as unnerving as they are. They haven't really done any harm to me, but yet the eeriness of it has sunk into my bones. In the rare moments, I finally fall asleep, all I do is dream about it.

I am very afraid.

November 21st, 2015

12:00 AM

I have seen something that I cannot possibly explain. It defies description, defies logic, defies every law of man. God help me, God help me, I don't know what to do!

I've completely barricaded the door, to make matters worse the blizzard has knocked out my fire, the only source of light I have. The thing, or whatever it is, is circling around my cabin as I write. It's trying to find a way in, and no doubt it will succeed. The ear-piercing scream it makes is like something from the depths of hell.

Whoever finds this must know the truth of what is out here. Forget about all of what you've been told, because what I am seeing will haunt me to my dying breath.

It's at my door, It's removing my barricade! The photos and all of the evidence are under my -

The entries ended there.