The "original"

As far as I can tell, this is the first reported case of black-eyed kids. I’ve seen it linked from a few other sites, and it being the first is the general consensus. This of course does not mean that it was the first case, only that it’s the first that seems to have been spread around the internet.

Brian Bethel's FAQ on black-eyed kids can be found here.
Archives of the original mailing list thread is here.
Brian Bethel seems to be a newspaper reporter, which gives him a bit more credibility than just another random person on the internet. I definitely suggest reading his original explanation of what happened, but for those that are too lazy to read more than a few words, I will summarize.

In either 1995 or 1997 (assumed from mentioning a Mortal Kombat movie in theaters), Brian drove to the offices of his internet provider to drop his payment off at their offices. He arrived at the offices at around 9:40 pm and began to write his check for the payment when someone knocked on his window. There were two boys wearing hoodies, 10-14 years old, standing outside of his car.

Suddenly, Brian felt an overwhelming sense of dread come over him; there was something wrong with the boys. He stayed, though, to see what they needed. He rolled down his window.

One of the boys said they wanted to see a movie but needed to go back home to get their money. In other words, they wanted a ride. The boy who spoke was extremely confident compared to other children his age, which was unsettling. The second boy looked nervous and guilty, but didn't say anything.

The speaker continued to calmly ask for help, but his tone and mannerisms didn't quite seem natural. He asked to be invited into the car, implying an invitation was necessary for them to get in. And that's when Brian finally looked him in the eyes and realized that, unconsciously, he had started unlocking his door. He also noticed the kids' eyes were pitch black.

Once the look of fear overtook Brian's face, the speaker began to speak louder and more angrily. That's when Brian decided he needed to leave, and so he quickly reversed out of his spot to head out of the parking lot. But not before giving one look back to make sure they weren't following him.

They had disappeared. There was no sign of the boys anywhere in the parking lot.


This post was made in early 1998, so the stories of black-eyed kids have been around for about 13 years now. It happened in Abilene, Texas. I'm not sure if any of this has any meaning, but it's good to keep track of.