The White Things

Region: Appalachia
Location:West Virginia

“White Things” is a catch-all name locals have used for over a century to describe pale, ghostly creatures glimpsed along lonely roadsides, riverbanks, and deep woods hollows. Sightings vary wildly: some describe a massive, wolf-like animal with pure white fur; others speak of gaunt, human-shaped figures that stand unnervingly still until approached. Witnesses often mention glowing or reflective eyes, not bright like headlights but soft, ghostlike lights that seem to drift rather than shine. Regardless of the form they take, the creatures are always described as unnaturally quiet, with none of the sounds typical animals make when moving.
  Many early reports come from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when remote mountain communities still traveled by horse at night. Stories spread among riders who claimed they saw white beasts pacing their wagons, keeping pace effortlessly over rough ground. Some insisted the creatures could move between trees without disturbing a single branch, or appear suddenly beside the road as if stepping out from a curtain of fog. A few accounts describe the White Things screaming — a sound said to be a mix of a woman’s wail and a panther’s cry — but most witnesses describe them as eerily silent, simply watching.
  Folklore paints the White Things as ambiguous presences rather than traditional monsters. Some stories say they appear before deaths or accidents, others that they guard lost travelers or stand sentinel at old battlefields. Their shifting roles reflect the uncertainty surrounding them: they could be spirits, animals, ghosts, illusions, or something older entirely. In many Appalachian communities, the White Things endure as a symbol of the wilderness itself — quiet, watchful, and unpredictable.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The spark is human. The polish is digital.

 

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