The Watcher in the Cornfield

The cornfield stretched endlessly, rows of tall, dry stalks swaying in the cold October wind. Jenna and her best friend, Ryan, trudged along the dirt path, flashlights flickering in the dark.

“This was your idea, genius,” Ryan grumbled. “We could be at home watching movies, but no, you had to chase some dumb urban legend.”

Jenna rolled her eyes. “If you didn’t want to come, you didn’t have to. I’m telling you, people have seen it. The Watcher is real.”

“Yeah, sure. A creature that watches you from the corn and picks off anyone who gets too close? Totally believable.”

Jenna ignored him and kept walking. She’d heard the stories since she was a kid. Farmers disappearing, their homes abandoned, strange whispers carried on the wind. And always, someone claimed they’d seen glowing eyes deep in the corn.

As they ventured further, the wind died down, leaving the air unnaturally still. Their flashlights cut narrow beams through the stalks, but the darkness seemed to press closer with every step.

“Creepy,” Ryan muttered, shining his light into the corn.

A rustling sound made them both freeze.

“Probably just the wind,” Jenna whispered, though her voice shook.

“There’s no wind,” Ryan shot back.

The rustling grew louder, moving closer, circling them. Ryan swung his flashlight wildly, but the beam caught only more stalks, bending and swaying as if something unseen moved among them.

“We should go,” Ryan said, his voice tight.

Jenna hesitated, but the fear in her chest was undeniable now. “Okay, let’s—”

A low growl cut through the silence.

Both of them froze, their flashlights trembling. The sound was guttural, like an animal, but deeper, more guttural than anything they’d ever heard.

“Run,” Jenna whispered.

They bolted down the path, their feet pounding the dirt as the growl grew louder, now joined by the sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps.

Ryan glanced back, and his scream cut through the night.

“Don’t look!” Jenna shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward.

But it was too late. Ryan stumbled, his flashlight tumbling to the ground. Jenna yanked him up, and they ran again, but the footsteps were closing in.

The corn ahead parted, and Jenna skidded to a stop. A figure stood in their path.

It was tall, impossibly tall, with a twisted, skeletal frame. Its skin was pale and stretched tight, and its face was featureless except for two glowing yellow eyes. It tilted its head, watching them with an unnatural stillness.

Jenna felt paralyzed, her breath caught in her throat. Ryan whimpered beside her.

The figure took a step forward, the ground seeming to shudder beneath its weight.

Jenna snapped out of her trance and grabbed Ryan’s arm. “Run into the corn!”

They plunged into the stalks, the dry leaves cutting their skin. Behind them, the creature crashed through the field, its growls growing louder.

“Keep going!” Jenna screamed.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way, and they tumbled into an old irrigation ditch. Jenna hit the bottom hard, pain shooting through her leg.

She looked up, her heart pounding as the creature loomed above the ditch’s edge, its glowing eyes fixed on her. It didn’t move, just stared.

Then it turned and vanished into the corn, its growl fading into the distance.

Jenna and Ryan sat in stunned silence, too terrified to move.

The Watcher had let them go.

But as they limped back toward town, Jenna couldn’t shake the feeling that the glowing eyes were still watching.