Monday, October 3, 2011

Black Eyed Kids

The first account of the Black Eyed Kids first hit the internet on January 16th, 1998, when journalist, Brian Bethel, describe his encounter with two strange pre-teens.  The two teens approached his vehicle, wanting a ride.  The two boys, who were otherwise dressed normally and appeared normal, gave off a sense of danger, and dread.  As Bethel refused to give the boys a ride, they became more and more insistent, and Bethel was able to distinguish that they both had jet-black eyes...no pupils, no iris, just the entire eye black.

And thus, the legend of the Black Eyed Kids was born.

Although still largely attributed to being an urban legend, scores of "sightings" have since been reported to various paranormal websites and forums.  Each of these experiences, as far fetched as they may be, report very similar elements.

In each case, the kid, or kids (they often travel in pairs) appears to be between the ages of 12-18.   In each case, the BEK approached the witness either at the witness's home or vehicle, asking for entry.  When entry is denied, they grow increasingly persistent, while the witness is growing increasingly afraid.  In all cases, these kids are described as being very intelligent, articulate, confident and, well...creepy.  These kids are said to almost exude a sense of foreboding, fear, and anxiety.  They appear to be dressed in normal, contemporary clothing, but the eyes are always described as being completely black.  Allegedly, Portland, Oregon had several reports from run-ins with the BEKs and the Creepy Cleveland has reported a sighting in Northern Ohio.

No one knows who or what the BEKs are, or where they came from, but Rosemary Ellen Guiley has recently put forth a theory that these beings are the offspring of a djinn and human parent.  The insistence to enter a witness's home or car, however, is reminiscent of vampire lore, and some even believe the BEKs to be some type of alien or alien hybrid.  Legend goes that anyone who does admit the children into his/her car or home will surely wind up dead,  but apparently no one has ever fallen to the BEKs' requests...or at least, no one ALIVE has!

I've never had a personal encounter with a BEK, and honestly, when the phenomena was first reported, it seemed like the ONLY reports were coming in from one man's personal experiences, and I just thought that it was a fictional creation or a misidentification.  I still don't know exactly what to believe, and thought that the BEKs follow a similar story line as the Slender Man.  We KNOW Slenderman started as a fictional character, but afterwards reports started coming in from all over and from fairly honest people that hey had actually seen this entity!  The same started happening with the BEKs, and years after those initial reports, it seems like the BEKs have recently found a new generation to terrorize.  Therefore, I think as time goes on, we're gonna start seeing a LOT more of these stories popping up in paranormal circles.

Whatever these black eyed kids may turn out to be, its interesting to point out that there are several disorders that give the appearance of a black eye, or lack of a colored iris.  The cause of these can be anything from genetic, to induced by injury:

Mydriasis is otherwise known as a blown pupil and is where the pupil stays fully dilated, giving it the look of drowning out the iris.  Head injury, eye injury, and even sexual arousal can all cause varying forms of mydriasis.

Aniridia is an absence of the iris usually caused by a genetic defect, but can also occur due to injury.  Again, the lack of an iris give the eye a black look as the pupil is the more prominent feature.

Scleral Melanocytosis affects mainly Asian children, and includes black or gray spots in the sclera.  Similarly, Nevus of Ota is almost like a birthmark that can affect the sclera, causing a small spot, or a nearly full darkening of the white of the eye and everything in between (see picture).  There are some other pigmentation disorders, including melanoma, that can have a similar affect, but these seem to be the more popular issues.

Nevus of Ota

Here is a list of other diseases and disorders affecting the sclera, some of which can cause a blackish appearance in extreme cases, but its important to note that most eye doctors swear that they've never seen a case where the actual sclera (the white part of the eye) has turned completely black, especially in the case of an otherwise healthy, "unmarked" child.  They are, however, quick to point out that this look is easily achieved through the use of widely available contact lenses, as seen below:

Black contacts-Source
 



BEKs

Top Photo property of Barry Napier

6 comments:

  1. Hei. I was reading up on the black eyed kids and I stumbled over a blog which has two posts, which are not about them, but mention black eyed children.

    This blog is rather odd, makes you shiver and wonder, if you have the time to read it all.
    Anyway, the first reference to the black eyed children is in a post named “old town” – which is about the town of “Sighisoara”, where Dracula was born. (Vlad the Impaler). Apparently there’s strong evidence in that part of the world, in old manuscripts, of a tale which spans over 2000 years, a tale that relates of how the town was built. It all comes down to the fact that apparently a black eyed child ordered the town to be built in that exact spot.
    You really have to read the whole post to understand, otherwise you will think it’s just weird talk.

    The other post which relate the appearance of two black eyed children, aged around 16, is called “no good deed goes unpunished” – and talks about how two black eyed children kissed a 1 year old boy and apparently healed him from leukemia. They also put a necklace around his neck.

    Again, you have to read the whole post, or the whole blog, to understand. The blog is not about black eyed kids, but I found references of them inside it and I feel that they are somehow players in a much bigger scheme that we could fathom.

    Check it out.
    Oh, this is the link to the first post http://onvampires.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/old-town/

    If you feel like reading the whole blog, make sure you read the “about me” or “who I am” page and the very first post. Won’t make any sense if you don’t.

    I just thought to share this with you because I’m as interested in black eyed children as you are.

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    1. Thank you for the additional information! I'll definitely look into it.

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  2. Hey Theresa. I too live in West Virginia, Nitro to be exact, & was wondering if you've come across any BEK sightings in our state or area? Not sure why, but of all the legends & folklore this one creeps me out the most. I guess bc it completely distorts & perverts the otherwise innocent image of a child.

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    1. I've never personally heard of any BEK sightings in WV, and nothing from our historical folklore sticks out at me as being a possible, but not labeled, BEK incident. I'll take a look around, though, as it seems in recent years, the BEK phenomena has picked up speed again.

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  3. I get a fair number of reports on Black Eyed Kids on my site directly from the people who have had them. While some stories can be easily explained away as misidentifications or hoaxes, but some of them have elements that no teenager out for kicks can replicate.

    Here is a link to the Black Eyed Kids posts that I have done so far: http://pararational.com/category/blackeyedchildren/

    If anyone has had an encounter with BEK I would definitely like to hear what happened to you.

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