... I'm just going to put this here.

39) The Thing on the Cliff

This ghost story is common among travelers. There are some variances in detail depending on who or where the story is being told, but the basic story is the same.

There was once a merchant who walked through a narrow valley, the cliff-faces so close that the sun was only able to light it at midday.

At noon, the merchant glanced up, and on the highest cliff visible, he could see a vaguely human-shaped shadow. "That's unusual," they told themself, and moved on.

The sickle-shaped moon rose to the center of the sky, bathing the valley with silver light. The merchant, tired as they were, made camp for the night. Looking up at the cliff, which was clear to see in the moonlight, the merchant noted that the figure was still there on the cliff, following him/her.

The merchant chuckled. "How strange," they thought, and sent to sleep. In the morning, the merchant continued on their journey.

When the sun rose to its apex, the merchant looked back up at the cliff. The figure was gone from the highest cliff, but now was at the second-highest, looking down at the merchant.

The merchant looked at the figure, and blinked. "How unusual," the merchant thought, and continued on their way, occasionally glancing back to see the figure following at the edge of the cliff.

That night, when the moon rose once again, the merchant made camp in a copse of trees, barely able to see the cliff-face above them. Glancing through the branches, the merchant was sure that the figure was there, searching for where they camped. The merchant became concerned. "Just who is that up there?"

The morning came, and the merchant continued at a hurried pace. When noon came, they looked back up at the cliff, the figure was now at the closest cliff, and the somewhat-human shape was contorted, with a head with horns, arms too large, and eyes that glowed green. The merchant was now afraid to look back, looking upon how the shadowy figure walked with a strange gait, the torso swinging like a pendulum while the horned head bobbed in birdlike fashion.

The merchant, panting and panicked, found a village, rushing into the cover of the houses. The village-folk were kindly, and were open to letting him stay and restock their supplies.

The merchant talked with the village-head about what he saw on the cliff. The kindly chief laughed, and told him to rest. That night, the merchant looked out of the inn's window, up at the cliff, where the twin beads of green looked down at him.


Most retellings end with the merchant being awakened in the middle of the night, the creature standing over his bed, but there are cases where the story teller continues, with the villagers being eaten alive in the middle of the night. The few that remain would blame the merchant for the deaths, running them out of town, where the thing on the cliff would stalk the merchant for one last night before devouring them.