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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/sleepydevs on 2024-10-07 23:34:38+00:00.

Charlie here. I need to get this down while it’s still fresh, while I can still differentiate between what was real and what was… something else. It’s been three days since we fled that godforsaken cottage in Wales, and I still wake up in cold sweats, fumbling at my face to remove a headset that isn’t there.

It was supposed to be a holiday—a chance for my family to unwind and for me to test out the latest tech. I work in software design, you see, always chasing the next big innovation. When Apple announced their Vision Pro headset, I knew I had to have it. Not just for me, but for Megan and Lily too. A shared family experience, I told myself. A way to bond.

God, what a idiot I was.

The drive from London to the Wye Valley was long (ish), but beautiful. As we wound our way through the Welsh countryside, the rolling hills gave way to dense forests and misty valleys. Lily, our ten-year-old, pressed her nose against the window, eyes wide with wonder.

“Look, Dad! It’s like we’re driving into Narnia!” she exclaimed, her excitement infectious.

Megan, my wife, smiled and squeezed my hand. “I have to admit, Charlie, you picked a gorgeous spot. Though I’m still not sold on spending our holiday staring at screens.”

I grinned back at her. “Trust me, love. This isn’t just staring at screens. It’s a whole new world.”

If only I’d known how prophetic those words would be.

We arrived at the cottage just as dusk was settling in. It was a quaint stone building, nestled at the edge of an ancient forest. The nearest neighbour was barely visible through the trees about half a kilometre away. Perfect isolation for our digital getaway.

As I unloaded the car, a sudden gust of wind rustled through the trees. For a moment, I could have sworn I heard whispers carried on the breeze—unintelligible words in a language I didn’t understand. I shook my head, trying to clear it. Just my imagination playing tricks, surely.

“Everything okay?” Megan asked, noticing my pause.

I forced a smile. “Yeah, fine. Just tired from the drive, I guess. Come on, let’s get inside and set up.”

The cottage was cosy, if a bit musty. While Megan and Lily explored, I set about connecting our Vision Pro devices to the cottage’s Wi-Fi. It was slower than I’d hoped, but it would do.

“Alright, family!” I called out, unable to contain my excitement. “Who’s ready to step into the future?”

Lily came bounding down the stairs, nearly tripping in her eagerness. “Me, me, me!”

Megan followed more slowly, a bemused smile on her face. “Alright, tech wizard. Show us what all the fuss is about.”

I handed out the sleek headsets, helping Lily adjust hers properly. “Now, remember,” I instructed, slipping on my own, “we’re going to be in a shared family environment. That means we can see and interact with each other, even if we’re exploring different apps or games.”

As the Vision Pro booted up, our modest cottage living room transformed. The walls seemed to melt away, replaced by a vast, starry expanse. Lily gasped in delight, reaching out to touch a glowing nebula that wasn’t really there.

“It’s… wow,” Megan breathed, her earlier scepticism forgotten as she gazed around in wonder.

I grinned, feeling vindicated. “This is just the beginning. Watch this.” With a gesture, I changed our environment to a lush, sunlit forest. Beams of golden light filtered through verdant canopies, and the sound of birdsong filled the air.

Lily squealed with joy, running to hug a massive, virtual tree trunk. “It’s like we’re really outside!”

We spent the next hour exploring different environments and apps. Megan particularly enjoyed a meditation app that transported her to a tranquil beach at sunset. Lily was enamoured with an educational game that let her explore the inside of a human cell, shrinking down to the size of a molecule.

As for me, I was in tech heaven, marvelling at the seamless integration of the virtual and real. I could still see Megan and Lily, their avatars perfectly mimicking their movements, even as we explored different digital realms.

It wasn’t until later that evening, as we were winding down for bed, that I noticed something odd. As I was closing apps and preparing to remove my headset, I caught a flicker of movement in my peripheral vision. A shadow, there and gone in an instant.

I turned, but there was nothing there. Just the cottage walls, overlaid with the fading forest environment.

“Everything alright, love?” Megan asked, noticing my sudden movement.

I hesitated, then shook my head. “Yeah, fine. Just thought I saw something. Probably just a glitch.”

But as I lay in bed that night, sleep eluding me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the shadow had looked… almost human.

The next morning dawned grey and misty, perfect weather for staying in and exploring our new virtual worlds. After breakfast, we each donned our headsets again. Megan wanted to try out a yoga app, while Lily was eager to return to her “Enchanted Forest” game.

I decided to do some work, using the Vision Pro’s productivity features to create a virtual multi-monitor setup. As I sorted through emails and mockups, I found myself continually glancing over my shoulder. That nagging feeling of being watched persisted, though I tried to rationalise it away.

It was around midday when Megan’s voice cut through my concentration.

“Charlie?” There was an edge to her tone that immediately set me on alert. “Can you come here a moment?”

I found her in the kitchen, her headset off and her face pale.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, slipping off my own device.

She wrapped her arms around herself, as if chilled. “I… I don’t know. It’s silly, really. But when I was doing yoga, I kept feeling like… like someone was standing right behind me. I could almost feel them breathing on my neck.”

A chill ran down my spine, remembering the shadow I’d glimpsed the night before. “It’s probably just the immersion,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “The tech is so good, it can trick your brain sometimes.”

Megan nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. “Maybe. But Charlie… even when I closed my eyes, I still felt watched.”

Before I could respond, Lily’s scream pierced the air.

We raced upstairs to find her huddled in a corner of her room, headset discarded on the floor. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

“Lily! Sweetheart, what happened?” Megan rushed to her, gathering her in her arms.

Between hiccupping sobs, Lily managed to choke out, “The… the funny man. He was in my forest. He was watching me, and then… then he started chasing me!”

I picked up her headset, checking for any obvious malfunctions. “It’s okay, love. It was just a game character, that’s all.”

Lily shook her head vehemently. “No! He wasn’t supposed to be there. He was all dark and… and wrong.”

As I tried to calm her down, something caught my eye outside the window. A flock of crows had settled on the branches of the nearest tree, their black feathers glistening in the weak sunlight. What struck me as odd was their behaviour—every single one of them seemed to be staring directly at Lily’s window, unnaturally still. As I watched, they tilted their heads in perfect unison, as if listening to some unheard command.

A chill ran down my spine. Something was very, very wrong here.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of unease. We kept the Vision Pro headsets off, trying to enjoy the cottage and its surroundings the old-fashioned way. But the sense of being observed never quite left us. Even with the devices safely stowed away, I’d catch myself glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting to see that shadowy figure lurking in a corner.

As night fell, the mist thickened, wreathing the cottage in a ghostly shroud. Lily was still shaken from her earlier experience, so we decided to have a family movie night to lift her spirits. As we settled onto the sofa, my phone buzzed with a notification.

“Odd,” I muttered, picking it up. “I thought we barely had signal out here.”

The notification was from an app I didn’t recognise. The icon was a simple eye, stark black against a white background. Frowning, I opened it.

A single message appeared on the screen: “Y gwyliwyr wedi deffro. Rhedwch.”

“What’s that, Dad?” Lily asked, peering at my phone.

I shook my head, closing the app. “Nothing, sweetheart. Just a bit of spam.” But a chill ran down my spine. I didn’t speak Welsh, but I had a sinking feeling about what that message might mean.

Later that night, after Megan and Lily had gone to bed, I pulled out my laptop and began researching. As the first grey light of dawn began to seep through the windows, I found myself deep in a rabbit hole of ancient myths and legends.

Y gwyliwyr. The watchers. References to them cropped up in scattered tales and half-forgotten stories. Spirits of the mist, some said. Others claimed they were guardians of the ancient forests, punishing those who desecrated their lands. But one common thread ran through all the accounts: those marked by the watchers were never truly free of their gaze.

A creaking floorboard startled me from my research. I looked up to find Megan standing in the doorway, worry etched on her face.

“Charlie? What are you doing up so early?”

I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. “Just… couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d do some work.”

She came closer, peering at my screen. “Welsh folklore? This doesn’t look like work.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Megan, I… I think something strange is going on h…

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