Entry #11 - the Hidebehind

Sometimes being alone is better than the alternative...

North American Folklore

Catchphrase:

“Now, you see me… now, I eat!”

Picture from: https://abookofcreatures.com/2017/02/06/hidebehind/

This type of monster is called the Hidebehind. The specific hidebehind I’m writing about today is Sheryl. She roams a large swath of forest in the Pacific Northwest. She is mostly motivated by hunger. She can’t resist a person hiking alone in the woods. She’s drawn to their lonely energy and enters a kind of hungry trance when she encounters a lonely heart. She’s got a taste for loners and only goes after humans who travel the woods in solitude.

Hidebehinds shows up in several novels and films. My favorite appearance is in Gravity Falls, an animation series I adore. The short animation focuses on the hidebehind as a monster who terrorizes lumberjacks and loggers. It is true that Sheryl goes after those who cut down trees. There are two things Sheryl loves above all things – trees and the taste of human intestines. At some point, she decided to combine her passions. Cutting down a tree in her forest is not advised. She is not the only hidebehind but she’s the only one that I know personally. According to Sheryl, most of them are not fond of person who mess with trees.

Hidebehinds get their name because they stalk their prey for a long time before making a kill. They follow them for miles, making little noises here and there from behind, but never revealing themselves until the very end. When their prey turns to search for them, they hide behind a tree, seeming to disappear completely. So, you will never see a hidebehind until it is way too late.

Hidebehinds are completely covered in dark hair. They do not wear any type of clothing. Sheryl looks a lot like a very tall, slender bear. Her razor-sharp claws are designed to disembowel her victims which she does swiftly once she decides to catch them. It’s really very gory. I prefer sweets but I am not going to yuck anyone’s yum.

It’s been said alcohol can protect you from this creature, being drunk will help you when they attack. Sheryl doesn’t like the taste of booze but she doesn’t realize that you’ve drank it until you’re already dead. So, really alcohol will just keep her from eating you, not killing you.

One power a Hidebehind possesses that is never discussed is their power to take over a human’s proprioception. This is a human’s sixth sense or their ability to sense their body’s orientation in its environment. A hidebehind can render a human completely unable to understand how to move through the forest, making them even easier prey for this ravenous monster. As if someone following you isn’t terrifying enough.

Here is a story about one of the many humans Sheryl has stalked through her vast and beautiful forest. It’s called “Circle Back”.