I am sure many of you are familiar with a picture called smile.jpg, whose story has been circulating on the Internet, and how upon looking at the photo (of a dog that smiles with human teeth and a hand reaches out from the background), the viewer experiences epilepsy and extreme anxiety all at once. From there, the dog begins to haunt your dreams, telling you to "spread the word."
For those who aren't familiar, the story has been linked here (apparently some people think it's fiction since it was put on a site where other stories certainly are). None of the images on that page are the real Smile Dog photograph, as evidenced by the fact that upon viewing them, none of us at the N.A.P.T. have experienced the side effects. However, we are certain that such a photograph does exist as this story can to some degree be corroborated.
Our third case, unfortunately, involves the real Smile Dog photograph.
In a small town in Arizona, a young boy whose parents unwisely left him to his own devices on the Internet joined several forums, lying about his age. Once other members found out his true age, they began harassing him, making bawdy jokes, spamming his PM inbox, and the like. The boy often cried himself to sleep, but mostly kept his emotions in and didn't tell his parents.
Finally one morning before school, as he was contemplating ceasing all activity on these sites so he could have a slightly easier life, he saw that there was a new message in his inbox on the forum he most frequented. The message title was simply, "SMILE!! GOD LOVES YOU!"
Upon opening the message, he saw the picture displayed, so large his eyes instantly took it all in.
He had a seizure, and went to the E.R. instead of the bus stop that day.
Soon after, his parents noted him exhibiting more weariness than usual, and his grades fell. They questioned him, but he told them nothing.
At school he gradually became famous among his peers for offering to show his classmates a photo. Aware of the kinds of sites he frequented, the other students mostly refused, thinking it might be something they shouldn't see. But at last there was a presentation day, and the kids were expected to bring visual aids on large posterboards.
When it was his turn to go up, the boy presented the only thing he'd brought: an enlarged copy of the photo. Everyone in the class, including the teacher had seizures. Being the middle of class, and since the boy had devious machinations, and thus did not get help, no one else in the entire building knew what happened to them.
At last they came to, and they were all horrified.
In the following days, all the students at the school, their parents and siblings, as well as the faculty, had seen the image.
Within a week everyone in the town had become victims of Smile Dog, and were desperately seeking ways to "spread the word." And the Dog had lied. Upon sharing the image, they continued to be tormented. A voice (possibly from the dog-like creature, or from something else) told them in their nightmares, "You let me in. You now belong to me."
Over the following weeks, their minds as well as their bodies deteriorated. Many were desperate to escape the misery and sought to share the picture in other towns. Some had attempted to spread it over the Internet, but connections to the web and cell towers for the entire town ceased to work.
All who left the town disappeared mysteriously, no trace. The population shrank, little by little. Fires popped up here and there.
At last an impossibly huge, dark cloud bursting with lightning and thunder drowned the town in darkness. Many were killed in incredible ways, given that it was a stormcloud. They had bleeding cuts and scratches all over.
Others during the ensuing chaos simply vanished into thin air. In the end, only the boy was left. A monster stood over him, a black silhouette against the unceasing barrage of lightning.
Something like tree branches starting growing from the thing, then these spawned new, smaller branches, and these more still. The otherworldly appendages embraced him.
The whole town was dead or gone. The place was destroyed. No one ever knew what exactly had happened.
We only have this story, as we have been sent a mysterious package containing a handwritten manuscript detailing this tale. In place of a return address were scrawled the words: May the Flame of Knowledge Guide You.
Upon further research, we have found that the verifiable details correlate with all official reports surrounding the incident (such as scratched-up bodies and a freak thunderstorm).
This may indeed be real. In which case, I suggest you be wary of anything that has the slightest hint of a connection to the smile.jpg image.
In unrelated news, Ralph has returned from a late-night trip to the grocery store, and has in his possession a free bottle of a new drink: Illumination. Oddly, it has that famous eye-above-a-pyramid symbol that's on the dollar bill.
I only mention it because it reminds me of the case I'll be looking into tomorrow (but may not be up for a few days), which has to do with someone's horrifying experience with...a human eye. Anyway, my readers (or would that be reader--singular--Proxiehunter? I don't know if Evan has much time to read this in his predicament), until next time, good night!
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