Strange Ballads

A frigid, damp chill clung to the New York City air as dawn broke, casting the Columbia University dormitories in an ethereal, misty light. Alex remained awake through the night, seated at his desk, his notebook meticulously filled with his experience from the prior evening: the alleyway entrance, the rule of absolute silence, and the grotesque visage of the Sound Thief.

He adjusted his glasses, the circles beneath his eyes stark against the pale skin, yet he forced himself to maintain a sharp and lucid focus. The bizarre realm had become an obtrusive fixture of his mind, a waking nightmare, and he knew that if he didn't uncover the truth, he might not survive another encounter.

Closing his notebook, he changed into a charcoal gray sweater, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and resolved to head to the library. With the daily count of missing persons in New York always fluctuating, he hoped that some clue might be hidden among the ancient tomes. As he traversed the campus, the maple leaves of South Lawn rustled in the wind, releasing a subtle fragrance of damp soil.

He cast his gaze downward, fixated on the cobblestone path, his mind replaying the Sound Thief's characteristics: eyelessness, elongated claws, the ability to mimic the human voice. What exactly was this creature? And why had it manifested in New York?

Columbia University's Butler Library stood imposingly at the edge of the campus, its gray stone facade draped in ivy, exuding an aura of venerable weight. Alex pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped into the expansive reading room, lined with towering bookshelves, the air thick with the musty scent of aged paper.

He proceeded directly to the mysteriology section, sifting through yellowed books: American Urban Legends, Secret History of New York, An Introduction to Supernatural Phenomena. His fingers traced the pages, his eyes darting between the lines, yet he found nothing relevant.

He tried searching for vague keywords like "voiceless hunter" or "sound predator," sifting through three hefty indices, but to no avail. The closest he found was a record concerning colonial-era disappearances, mentioning "certain villagers claiming to hear the cries of their kin, only to vanish in the forest," but it was vague, devoid of any creature descriptions. Alex leaned back in his chair, murmuring to himself, "Can it truly be an unknown entity?"

The sun climbed higher, and the reading room began to fill with students. He massaged his temples, gathered his books, and prepared to leave. Just as he reached the doorway, a figure blocked his path.

It was a woman in her fifties, tall and slender, clad in a deep-blue robe, her gray hair styled in a severe bun, her eyes as sharp as a hawk's. She was Margaret Hall, a professor in the mysteriology department. Alex had attended her lecture on folklore the previous week.

"Carter," she said, her voice low and laced with inquiry, "what are you searching for here? You look unwell."

Alex tensed inwardly, forcing a calm facade. "Professor, I'm researching information on monsters... a hypothetical species." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "It has no eyes, hunts by sound, can imitate human voices, and resembles a flayed beast."

Margaret narrowed her eyes, fixing him with a penetrating stare. "Where did you hear about this?" she asked, her tone tinged with suspicion, as if testing him.

"Just a sudden fancy," Alex adjusted his glasses, avoiding her gaze. "I want to write a paper, looking for some inspiration." He dared not reveal the truth; the existence of that bizarre realm and the horror of the Sound Thief were unknown, and he didn't want to be labeled insane.

Margaret remained silent for a moment before saying slowly, "It sounds familiar... When I was a child, there was a folk song in the countryside about a silent hunter lurking in the fog, luring people with the voices of loved ones. I don't remember the specifics; I'd have to check my old notebooks." She paused, adding, "I'll let you know if I find anything. Don't get caught up in wild speculation."

Alex nodded, a flicker of hope igniting within him. He thanked the professor and hurriedly left the library, her fragmented song echoing in his mind. That might be a clue, but he couldn't wait for the professor's reply. He decided to find Lena, the survivor from the previous night.