Silent ghost

Back in his dormitory, Alex locked his bicycle and dragged his weary body upstairs. He retrieved a corkboard from his drawer, nailed it to the wall, and pulled out sticky notes from his backpack, organizing his leads.

With a black marker, he wrote, "Sound Thief - Eyeless, Long Claws, Mimics Voices, Hunts by Sound." Next to that, he posted, "Entrance: Alleys, Thick Fog, Nighttime Appearance," and "Escape: Distract with Sound (e.g., Stones)." He added Jack's description: "Docks, Friend Missing, Triggered by Fog." He stared at the clue board, attempting to discern a pattern, but the information was too sparse.

He booted up his computer, logged onto "The Cryptid Society" website, and refreshed his inbox, but SilencedOne remained silent. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes to rest, the sound of Jack's crazed laughter reverberating in his mind. He skipped his morning classes, opting to sleep until noon. Upon awakening, he found a new email notification on his phone screen, from Professor Margaret Hall.

The subject of the email was "Regarding the Ballad," and the content read as follows:

"Alex, I consulted my old notebooks and found the ballad, originating from rural Connecticut, where I spent my childhood. The original was passed down orally. I've done my best to transcribe it:

'The silent ghost hides in the mist, Stealing voices, locked in its chest. In dark alleys, do not cry, Or your soul will wander, as life dies. A cracking sound, your life may save, Break the fog, and find your way home, brave.'

The ballad was supposedly a warning to children against wandering in foggy weather. The 'silent ghost' may be the monster you described. I consulted a few folklorists, but none had heard of similar accounts; it may be a local legend. If you're truly determined to write this paper, this could be a starting point, but don't take it too seriously."

Alex's heart pounded as he finished reading. The ballad aligned with his experience in a startling way: fog, night, alleys, the rule of silence, even the method of escape involving stones. He added "Ballad: Silent Ghost in Fog, Triggered in Nighttime Alleys, Attention Drawn by Sound" to the clue board.

Juxtaposing it with Jack's account, the pattern grew clearer: The Sound Thief's domain manifested in dense fog, at night, in confined spaces. The entrances were random but traceable. Perhaps escaping the thick fog or passing through a narrow space also enabled one to leave.

Alex sat at his desk, staring at the clue board, the grotesque image of the Sound Thief flitting through his mind. "It's not a hallucination," he whispered. "It's real." Jack's warning echoed in his ears, but he refused to back down. He needed more evidence to determine the creature's true nature and perhaps rescue the missing victims—including Tom and Mark.

He opened his notebook and penned his plan: "Next foggy night, go to an alley, enter deliberately, verify rules." He knew it was risky, but without confronting the Sound Thief, he would never escape that haunting shadow.

He rose, removed the folding knife from his drawer, and after a moment's deliberation, he also retrieved a hammer from his toolbox beneath his desk. "This should do the trick." He muttered.

Outside the window, the New York sky was overcast, with distant thunder rumbling in the distance. Alex adjusted his glasses and turned to draw the curtains closed.