The Smiling Man
Where It All Began...
I lived on the outskirts of a downtown Metropolitan area. I’ve always been a night person, so I would often find myself bored after everyone had gone to bed. I used to binge watch various television shows and movies to pass the time, but even they started to get predictable and boring. So, I started going for long walks and spend the time thinking. Not really thinking of anything in particular, just letting my mind wander.
Walking alone at night never used to scare me. I lived in a pretty decent area. People were polite to one another and for the most part, usually keep to themselves. I would always joke with my friends telling them that even the racoons were polite and would put the lid back on the trash cans after rummaging through them. No, walking alone at night never used to bother me. That was until this one evening that I will never forget.
That Night...
I remember it perfectly. It was a Wednesday night, somewhere between one and two in the morning. I was walking past a well lit park about a mile or two from where I lived. It was a quiet night, even for a week night. No cars on the road, and the park, as it was most nights at this time, was completely empty.
I turned down a side street in order to start my way back home when I first noticed… “Him”. At the far end of the street, on the same side I was on, I could see the silhouette of a man, dancing. It was a strange dance, similar to a waltz, but he finished each “box” with an odd forward stride. I guess you could say he was dance-walking. What ever he was doing, he was doing towards me.
I thought to myself he was probably drunk, I stepped as close as I could to the road to give him the majority of the sidewalk to pass me by. The closer he got, the more I realized how gracefully he was moving. He was very tall and lanky, and wearing an old suit. As he danced-walked closer, I could start to see his face. His eyes were open wide and seemed to have a distant gaze in them. His head was tilted back slightly, as if looking off into the night sky. All the while, bearing a cartoon like smile, like he knew something no one else did. After noticing his eyes and the crazy smile, I decided to cross the street before he danced any closer.
I took my eyes off of him only for a moment to cross the empty street. As I reached the other side, I glanced back towards him and then stopped dead in my tracks. He had stopped dancing and was standing with one foot in the street and one foot on the curb, directly across from me. His body was facing me, but his eyes were still looking skyward, and he still had that creepily odd smile across his face.
I was completely and utterly unnerved by this. I started walking again but kept my eyes on the man. He didn’t move. At all. It was like he was like a statue. I quickened my pace to get a little distance from him. Once I had put about half a block between us, I turned away from him for a moment to see where I was going. The street and sidewalk ahead of me were completely empty. Still unnerved, I looked back to see where he had been standing, only to find that he was gone. For the briefest of moments, I felt relieved. That was until I noticed him. He had crossed the street and was now on the same side I was. Only now it looked like he was slightly crouched down. I couldn’t tell for sure because it was dark out, but I was certain he was facing me.
Shocked and confused I stood there for some time, staring at him. And then he started moving toward me again. He took a giant, exaggerated tip-toed step. Then another one, and another one, as if he were a cartoon character sneaking up on someone. Except soon he was moving very, very quickly. As if someone pressed fast forward.
I’d like to say at this point I ran away or pulled out my pepper spray or my cellphone or anything at all, but I didn’t. I just stood there, completely frozen as the smiling man crept toward me.
As soon as he got about a car length away from me, I snapped out of it, flinched back while putting my hand out. Visually telling the man to stop while muttering, “What the Hell Man?” The still smiling man stopped in mid stride. One foot in the air and one on the ground. Never taking his eyes off the sky. Again, remaining statuesque for what felt like forever.
I slowly started backing away from him. Still holding my hand out. As if this was the only thing he understood. After I got a few steps away, he slowly turned his body around, pivoting on the one foot still on the ground. As soon as he turned himself enough to face the other way, he snapped out of his slow-motion turn and started dance-walking away. Just like nothing ever happened.
Not wanting to turn my back on him again, I just watched him go, until he was far enough away to almost be out of sight. Then I realized something. He wasn’t moving away anymore. Nor was he dancing. My eyes grew in horror as the distant shape of him grew larger and larger. He was running at full speed directly toward me. His glassy eyes still pointed to the sky and now his smile seemed even bigger.
I RAN!!!
I ran as if my life depended on it. I ran until I was back onto a better lit road with some traffic. Glancing over my shoulder behind me, I noticed that he was nowhere to be seen. I slowed my running down to a fast walk. I wanted nothing more than to be home and away from the smiling man. I kept glancing over my shoulder and searching all around me as I hurried home. Always expecting to see his stupid cartoon smile, or creepy eyes staring off into the night sky, but I never saw him.
I only lived in that city for six more months after that night, and I have never gone out for another walk at night by myself again. There was something about his face that always haunted me. Since then, I have started to hear other people have encounters with a “Smiling Man” on social media. Each one occurring in roughly the same way. Only now, they seem to be happening all over the country in different cities, towns, and suburbs. Some encounters even seem to have happened in different places at the same time.
So next time you have that urge to take a walk at night. Don’t! You never know when or where “The Smiling Man” will show up.
The Smiling Man (Audio Version)
This is an Audio Recording By: Dwayne Nawrocki @ Campfirestoriesandsmore.com
Be sure to Share this Encounter with Others!
A Special Acknowledgment To:
2 AM: The Smiling Man – A Short Film
By: Michael Evens
All Photos along with some of the Audio was used from this Short Film By Michael Evens.
The Story itself originated back in 2011.
This Story has been acknowledged to be based off a TRUE Story posted by an Un-known person originally posted on Reddit.