You’ve always loved nature, and you often go for walks through the woods behind your house to unwind after stressful days. You think it’s beautiful out there, and serene. So you slip on a pair of sneakers and tie your hair up. You leave your cell phone on the counter, because taking it with you would defeat the purpose of being out among the trees. It’s not that maybe you would get a phone call. You definitely would, and it would be somebody needing something from you, and well, it just wasn’t conducive to relaxation. You leave your house and head towards the trees, you’ve walked the same way enough times that a small path has been forged through the underbrush. You know it well enough that you follow the trail without needing to look down. Your eyes are elsewhere, taking in the scenery.

pile o snakes

A small noise snaps you out of your reverie, it sounded like a hiss. You hate snake outfits, and you always have. They slither and twist in unnatural ways, their scales and patterns, eyes, and of course their venomous qualities put you on edge and you really hope – as your look towards the origin of the sound – that it is not what you think it is. Unfortunately though, you were right. A long, snake as slithered onto the path directly in front of you and it looks like it has the capability to deliver a nasty bite. You stand still, nearly paralyzed by fear for a moment, then begin to back away slowly.

Without watching where you were going however, you do not see the second snake that had come up behind you. You step on its tail, and it in return clamps down on your calf, and injects venom straight through your pant leg. You yell out in pain and quickly reach down to pull it off of you. You throw it into the brush before it gets the chance to clamp down on your hand as well, and take off running towards your house.

After calling 911, you realize that running all the way back home had probably gotten the venom into your bloodstream faster, but you didn’t want to risk another bite from the first snake, or for the one you threw to come back angrier than before. But would a second bite be worse or better than the sprint home? You sink down to the kitchen floor and hope that the ambulance gets there in time.

May we reconvene under the blood red moon,
-Black Widow

Last year in England, pairs of people began popping up at events that generally only cater to A-list celebrities. They were spotted at Wimbledon, The Harrods Summer Sale, and Elton John’s white tie ball. One even seemed to have his own chauffeur, and was driven to several of these events in style. Two notable couples were photographed; a man and woman with light hair and a man and woman with dark hair. All four wore matching black suits, grey-toned striped ties, black shirts and slacks. All four were missing something very crucial… their faces.

faceless

At first it was speculated that they were aliens, pranksters, protesters, or possibly a viral marketing campaign for an upcoming horror movie. Some even thought they could be celebrities that were sick of being photographed, and came to these events with no faces, in protest of the way a-listers are hounded by paparazzi. The alien theory was ruled out quickly when the photographs were reviewed and small holes were found that allowed these faceless individuals to breathe and see. That didn’t stop them from giving  people they walked past in the street (or sat next to at events) an absolute chill up their spine. Still, nobody knew what they were doing there, who sent them, or why.

Eventually all confused persons found facelesspeople.com and discovered that they were indeed a viral marketing campaign; for Lotus, advertising a new car. Anticlimactic in my opinion. But we can still imagine that those people were truly faceless, genetically engineered to exist without some orifices you and I take for granted. If they ever wanted to blend with the rest of the world, a good Halloween mask on the appropriate day might do the trick. Then again, they might be creepier staying just the way they are.

May we reconvene under the blood red moon,
-Black Widow