Baubas

## Overview

Baubas are a classification of usually malevolent spirits more commonly referred to as Boogeymen (also spelled bogeymen, bogymen, bogiemen, boogie monsters, or boogie men). They were once thought to be mythical creatures used by adults to frighten children into good behavior, but the truth is much more sordid than that. Baubas are one of the more prolific supernatural predators out there; however, they have gone overlooked compared to vampires and werewolves for several reasons.

Baubas have no specific appearance and can vary drastically from one baubas to another in relative proximity. This makes it hard for people to realize they are a common entity. Fortunately, baubas are usually solitary creatures that rarely work in pairs and have little, if any, social structure. The reason for this extreme diversity in their appearance is due to their very unstable physiology, which is prone to mutation every five to ten years. Individual baubas have been known to change to such extremes that in the course of two generations, the same boogeyman will have been known under three different identities with three different descriptions and modus operandi while operating in the same hunting grounds the whole time.

Most baubas do not have any actual gender. Most look masculine or androgynous, but there are also plenty of reports of feminine boogey folk. The means of reproduction among baubas is unknown. Study of their dynamic is complicated by their long lifespans and hibernation cycle. Baubas appear to produce offspring periodically, with the offspring usually taking on most of their parent's characteristics. This is confirmed by the presence of similar boogeymen in neighboring hunting grounds. This appears to be the product of some form of asexual reproduction, possibly similar to mitosis.

Baubas can be found in every culture in every corner of the world. Their numbers have dwindled thanks to hunters' efforts, with baubas unable to replenish their population due to lack of communication with their kind and their irregular birthing cycles. However, wherever there are humans in great numbers, there is probably one boogeyman lying in wait, ready to hunt every few years. Even when one boogeyman is exterminated in a major city, another young bauba seems to claim the vacant hunting ground within the next century.

Due to this relatively rapid replenishment, many think that urban environments tend to be the most favored hunting ground for these predators. Still, my research shows that it's usually the baubas who have claimed rural and suburban settings, which appear to be the most powerful and oldest (there are exceptions, for example, the Grundel of Star City). This seems to be due to the greater isolation found in those environments allowing the predators greater ease at finding vulnerable prey.

What do baubas hunt? Children, mostly. While different baubas have mutated in different ways, but usually, bogeymen target a specific type of child. Some favor prepubescents, others target teenagers. Others do not care so much about the age but favor a physical characteristic. Most actually have no such physical preference and seek out a specific behavior. Baubas usually favor troublesome kids: bullies, brats, biters, or psychopaths in the making seem to be the most commonly abducted child of the boogey folk. When a bauba has been found to be hunting older persons, it's usually due to a lack of suitable children in the area or that adult somehow threatening the bauba - possibly having wandered upon their lair hindering their abduction of a potential victim.

Some baubas have become folk heroes, having developed to actually protect "good" children. An excellent example of this is a 1975 case from Kansas, where a girl named Mary played in a forested area not far from her home during the summer break between school. Mary heard some voices nearby and went to investigate. Mary came upon a scene of three local boys she recognized as a grade or two older than her picking on a younger boy with a mental disability. Mary told the boys to leave him alone, and when they did not listen, she threw rocks at them from her elevated position on a wooded hill. The bullies left the other alone, and he promptly scampered off, back to his home. The bullies then turned their sights on Mary.

The three chased Mary for over a half-mile through the woods until she tripped and twisted her ankle. The boys set upon her, arguing amongst themselves as to what her punishment should be. Until they could settle on an agreement, they continued to physically assault the younger girl until they drew blood. That spilled blood seems to have been what awoke the nearby sleeping boogeyman who set upon the boys. Two boys were killed instantly on the scene, their bodies left in a crumpled heap beside Mary's wounded figure. The third boy, however, according to Mary was dragged away, screaming.

The third boy's bones were recovered in 1987, after an anonymous female called 911 to report having discovered the bones. Several other small skeletons were recovered at the site, in a hollowed-out hill. Curiously, some other remains were located near the hill. Still, those were not able to be identified due to having been carefully burned in a "deliberate, well-made bonfire." The burned remains were said to be "clearly not a child." They were ruled to belong to an unknown adult... "a very tall adult by the looks of it," as written by the local coroner.

## Links and References

* List of Baubas

1. ↑ Dinkley Files: Boogeymen