Ted the Caver

by Ted

A spelunker named Ted recounts his experiences exploring “Mystery Cave" where strange occurrences start happening to he and his friend.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Mystery, Audiobook, Web, The United States Of America

45 pages, ebook

First published May 23, 2001

Reviews

[Amara Tanith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ted the Caver is THE horror story of the turn-of-the-millennium Internet, IMO. Hosted on an Angelfire website of all things, TtC predates our cultural obsession with amateur Internet horror stories and the creepypasta genre. And while most of what came out of the creepypasta and r/NoSleep crazes were at best overdramatic and unsubtle in their attempts at horror or at worst literally unreadable drivel intent upon wasting the reader's time, Ted the Caver is a fun little tale with just enough creepiness to keep you going.

There are, of course, two things to remember about TtC. One: it's from 2001. It does not adhere to the conventions of the creepypasta genre because it predates it; moreover, it might seem trite, cliche, or even boring to the modern reader. In the years since TtC came out, there have been a million other stories, on the Internet or otherwise, that told similar stories playing with the same tropes and heading toward the same (anti-)climax. I don't feel that takes anything away from TtC, but it does mean that TtC's glory days might be past it. Ted the Caver's scares might not seem so scary to Gen Z (and whatever we're calling the new batch of kids coming up!).

Two: it's not immediately clear that it's fiction. In the tradition of many an old ghost story, found footage films like Cannibal Holocaust and Blair Witch, podcasts like The Black Tapes, and the modern storytelling sub r/NoSleep, Ted the Caver attempts to maintain the illusion of being a true story. Honestly, I'm sure there are probably still people who to this day would swear up and down that there really was a caver named Ted who did what his blog posts claim and who (spoiler alert) mysteriously disappeared to never post again. This façade of reality was easier to pull off convincingly in 1999, as the Blair Witch proved, and it was still something you could do in 2001. Twenty years later, no one believes any of those totally-a-true-story ghost stories that come across your Twitter feed from someone who's clearly an aspiring author or journalist looking for some likes and Patreon subscribers. But in 2001, when there was no easy way to get fame or money from a spooky story that you let loose online, it was a lot easier to believe that someone's blog about their scary experiences could be more than just a creative writing project.

Now, I didn't find Ted the Caver all the way back in 2001. I would've been only around eight at the time, and my Internet browsing was reserved to browsing my local library website, playing Neopets, and Google image searching Sailor Moon OCs. I probably found the story sometime around 2011 or 2012, after I'd graduated high school, and honestly? It didn't matter that the story was a decade old at that point; it was clearly fake, but it was fun. I liked the tropes, I liked the open ending, and there was even something a little charming about it being an Angelfire site. (Now, ten years out from that, I'm just shocked the site's still up!)

All in all, I'd definitely say it's worth a read. Don't read a .pdf or .doc file floating around; don't read it copy/pasted into some forum or on Reddit or whatever. Read it on Angelfire. Get into the 2001 of it all. And if you can't appreciate the story itself, at least take a minute to appreciate it as an awesome little snapshot of where Internet horror started out.

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars (between good and very good)

I meant to do this a month ago, but today I asked ChatGPT for a list of the best creepy/scary short stories to be found free on the internet, and this was one of the recommendations. Two days ago we watched The Rescue, about the 12 kids that were trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand (and is excellent btw), so maybe this cave story felt more salient than some others on the list. It was a good pick.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the very idea of inching along through tight passages in unexplored underground caverns in near total darkness seems super creepy to me—even without the extra unexplainable weirdness that these guys encounter.

So yeah, it’s definitely creepy. But I guess that’s what I asked for! Here’s the link to the story if this sounds appealing.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been putting off reading this for the longest time. What an oversight on my part, given that this is
probably THE first ever Creepypasta.

The addition of pictures definitely added to this, plus the inherent EXTREME terror involved in caving itself- I have no idea how people do this for fun. However, the inclusion of the endless caving-related infodumps bogged the story down. On the one hand yeah, it proves that the author knew what tf they were talking about and wasn't some rando pretending to write a caver story, but on the other hand I just...... didn't care? There's A LOT of infodumps and endless descriptions of the same thing over and over before the story finally kicks into second gear.

When the horror does start, it's very effective. Vague enough to leave things to the reader's imagination, which is always scarier than overexplaining and overshowing the monster (something that many movies in particular are guilty of), but also substantial enough to provoke a looot of theories since. People still post threads on Reddit about it. I just wish it wasn't as bogged down by all the other stuff as it is.

[nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

i HATE caves

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Popcorn reading except I tapped out because I got so stressed out that I played 2048 for an hour. I liked this

[Ethan Capehart · Rating 5 out of 5]

literally the best internet horror story ever written

[Ellen Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been in the mood for horror shorts lately. And claustrophobic cave stuff usually ticks the box for me.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

the format and background vs font color of this story has rendered me completely blind in under 2 hours

[penta]

One of better short horror stories, taking advantage of the semirealism of online publishing, leading the way both to creepypastas and args of the old internet.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urge to crawl through cave passage..I yearn for the evil rock. How the fuck they make a hole like that? ..I’m allured..drill small hole in earth and crawl thru. Open the secret dark passage. I like it. I wonder where this is located and if anyone has attempted to find it

[Julia]

słuchanie horroru o grotołazach w nocy jak ma się klaustrofobie top 10 moich pomyslow

[Aishwarya · Rating 5 out of 5]

insanely realistic

[andy ukrainiansurname · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave me a pleasant evening,
It was good, but just 'good'
I liked it

[Evanthia Hleihil · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Without a profit motive, no one would be productive!"
Some guy online:

[Terézia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I CANNOT believe that we were so willing to get right back into the cave after hearing the scream. Part of the reason I went along with the idea was because B seemed so indifferent to any possible dangers. Even if it were an animal (which I did not believe, but could offer no better explanation), weren't we possibly putting ourselves in harms way? In retrospect I still have difficulty understanding our thought process at that time. We were just too eager to discover virgin cave passages. I now think it can be summed up with one word: testosterone!

With this review I intend no redemption for the creepypasta genre. All in all, I do not blame anyone for having prejudiced opinions towards it; Jeff the Killer is a monster of a poster child. But, there are few exeptions to the stigma - for me, it is Penpal and Ted the Caver. I admit that the former is closer to what creepypasta means, but it did evoke in me a bigger emotional response. That being said, Ted the Caver over here is in my rating system still very close to getting 4 stars.

What I did not like is more subjective than objective. I could go on about grammatical errors (which you cannot complain that much if you want to attribute this to a 2001-style blog), mistaken tenses, misleading time indicators (it is not said which year those months were, but it went from Feb.2001 through Mar. of the same year and then just February 13. Also, at one point Ted writes he never went to doctor's with an injury that he had sustained yet only two week passed since then - that may be nitpicking, it weired me nevertheless).
Or shady description the author has delved into as the story progressed - *I could feel the cool breeze evaporate the drops of dirty sweat on my forehead.*. But whatever. It is a blogpost, right? So while it is true that these are considered objective mistakes in proffesional writing, this is not a professionally published book.

While lying in the darkness, in a passage deep within a cave, one is in a unique position to ponder. A mountain literally resting on top of me, the entire earth lying below. One tiny movement of earth and I would cease to exist. Or worse, to recognize the fear shared by Floyd Collins as he lay there, trapped for days deep within the heart of Mother Earth, incapable of freeing himself from his earthen prison. And, what if...?

As someone who revels in small quests into whatever virgin passages I can stick myself into, I was fascinated and understanding of the awe Ted was describing, as well as his and B's relentless pursuits at such a hazardous andventure. Yet, maybe exactly because I like doing things like these for myself, I was a little off-putted by having to read all the work procedures. I know, this is a frivolous charge given it was the whole point of the "caving journal".

I have not read many - if any - of these, so I was a little conflicted later when more and more prosaic figures of speech have entered the hitherto boring entries.

What I did not mention I did like. There was enough real suspense one does not feel by merely reviewing "THEH STORRY OFF SQUIDWARXXXX". (So sorry to all of you who enjoyed that one.) The flow was good. The characters likeable, although we did not know about them that much. And the ending, something I have noticed being a stumbling-block for many readers who were innocently enjoying themselves... was, according to me, the best thing about it.

On the rare occasion that a fist-size rock falls from the entrance, we whoop and holler. That’s one small chunk of earth that no longer separates us from... whatever lies on the other side. I still harbor the fantasy that there is a hidden entrance to the other side of the passage and years ago Spanish explorers hid their treasures in the cave and sealed up the entrance. And it has remained untouched until we find it! B has a more realistic, although more mundane theory. He figures there is more cave on the other side. We'll see who is right.

[Elliot Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about cave diving is you don't have to do it.

[Colby Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

#creepcast

[Katie White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta respect the OG.

[Gloria Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love that this is still hosted on its original platform. That platform sucks and I had to avoid malicious ads every time I clicked on one of the images but it makes it feel a little more tied to its original platform. Good story, love the photos though wish there were more, especially at the end. It's also so wild that this all takes place and was written around the time I was born. Like, I logically understand the internet was around in early 2001 but it's so weird to read something that's as old as I am but that I'm accessing as if it's now. Tech time capsules, etc

[Casper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this story. I'm a long time fan of creepypasta, but this was my first time reading one of the original submissions to the genre. I mostly enjoyed how realistic the story seemed - it was so easy to become immersed in the narrative and suspend my disbelief when the author was providing photographic evidence of his story. After I finished the story, I did learn that the author simply wrote down what actually happened to him and his friend in real life, but took some creative liberties about the more creepy and supernatural aspects of the story.

Some people complain about the ending (or rather, lack of an ending), but I loved it. Too many stories - especially in the early 2000s when this came out - rely on going "all out" in their final act to try and top everyone else. Even in a story about being in such a tight and claustrophobic environment as a cave managed to provide me with a breath of fresh air at the ending. I think it was a very fitting way to end the story. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but after you've read the ending, really think about the implication of what happened. I find that more horrifying than any epilogue could have given me.

The descriptions of the cave and environment were so detailed that I felt like I was right there with Ted. When he crawls through a tight squeeze, I found myself having trouble to breathe as well. The author is damn good at setting up a scene.

The only flaws I really have with this story isn't with the story itself, but with where it is hosted. The website I read it on, AngelFire, is atrocious. Every time you click on anything, the website decides to shove an annoying ad in your face. But this website is where one is intended to read the story since that is where Ted hosted it.

People who enjoyed films such as "The Descent" or "As Above, So Below" will surely enjoy this story. It shouldn't take more than an hour to read at most, even with the intrusive pop-ups.

[Gabriel D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you happen to be an avid reader, aficionado of horror, chances are you will start exploring the depths of the internet for something new to read, and geeks will soon remember the joy of reading—yes, reading—creepypastas, long before YT gained notoriety for showing them. Search for the best in the genre and you should find Ted the Caver.

The story follows Ted, an amateurish (in the best sense of the word) spelunker exploring a new cave system that he had never heard of, so he called it Mystery Cave. Ignoring the random and subtle alerts of nature, and his intuition, Ted and his friend B set out to see what lies within the eerie formation.

Take Lovecraft, put it in the 21st century, and you have Ted the Caver. The narrative—an in-between of a novella and a short story, a long short story—is in first person as journal entries from Ted, with his commentary additions while he was typing them for the interweb masses. It even has pictures, a nice touch there considering the first publication was in 2001, way before accessible AI.

What I like about this story is that you feel the claustrophobia of being in Ted's position. Even though the wording is as simple as it gets, and Ted the Caver definitely does not read like A literature, you see that most of the time a good story is about showing and action, simplicity and a cool idea. You get hooked quite early by Ted's excitement, and you want to dive deeper with him into Mystery Cave to get to the ultimate revelation.

Like many creepypastas, if you are used to the genre, you should be accustomed to the ending too.

Overall, a nice little read as a break from denser narratives. A refresher in reading, if you will. Give it a go.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5 stars. I’m having a hard time deciding what to even think about this one.

THINGS I LIKED
•The concept was pretty solid. Very reminiscent of “It Comes At Night”.
•There was some payoff…eventually.
•THE DOG DIDN’T DIE. FOR ONCE. Good job, Ted. 🤗

THINGS THAT MADE ME GO “HUH”?
•The pacing was so rough. I’m all for slow-burn stories, but this was molasses-slow. It only picked up during the last two entires.
•The writing was very dry and I had a difficult time concentrating because of how long the entries were. I found myself rereading sentences and losing my place if I had to look away for a second. There were a lot of unnecessary details that weighed down the narrative and made most of it a chore to slog through.
•I understand Ted, B, and Joe wanting to go back to the cave once whatever was in there infected their minds. What I don’t understand is Ted and B’s insistence to go back before the climax happened. There were so many red flags: Whip’s reaction, the weird noises, the way the wind would stop and start. All of it screamed DO NOT GO FURTHER, GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN. And they just didn’t care because of their own stupid sense of pride. Who cares if it’s unexplored? Is it really worth getting stuck down there and dying? (Apparently so.)

Cool concept, just not my type of thing. Again, I’m all for slow-burn pacing, but there’s a difference between slow-burn and so-slow-the-paint-on-the-wall-is-drying-faster-than-this.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read this waaay back when it was first published, and it's always stuck in my mind. I'd been thinking about a re-read, when PopSugar's reading challenge gave me a great nudge - this can be used for "format you don't normally read" (no one reads anything but this on AngelFire anymore, right?) or for an anonymous author, and probably a few other prompts!

This was just as effective as I remembered. The thing that still makes my heart pound more than the officially "horrific" parts is the descriptions of climbing through "the squeeze." I'm not terribly claustrophobic, but that part makes me sweat with anxiety!

The story brilliantly capitalizes on that adrenaline rush with some seriously creepy events. I love the ambiguity and the lack of resolution. This goes down as a classic of the Weird Fiction genre, in my book!

[Cole Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago but recently caving horror stories have been popping up on my TikTok and YouTube pages which has been making me think a lot about this story.

Few, if any, horror stories have scared me to this extent. It might be because of some latent claustrophobia I didn’t know I had or the general fear of caves I’ve nursed my entire life, but regardless of the reason, this chilled me. As one of the earlier creepy pastas shared around on the internet, it feels fresh because it doesn’t have the weights of current age internet horror that is pretty rote and repetitive.

This is definitely the good stuff. If you’re looking for a quick spook that will stick with you for like eight years, look no further.

[Nick H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very well-executed and impressively detailed. The amount I learned about caving alone was fascinating, and like with the best horror novels, it leads you to care about the characters and quest before ever really getting into the scares. Supplementary content like photos and diagrams add a lot to the experience. This shows how great these kinds of multi-media experiences can be for storytelling. If you printed this same story into a published book volume with all its illustrations included, it wouldn’t be as effective as reading it on a 20-year-old AngelFire website that spawns pop-ups every time you open the next page.

素晴らしいホラー話。山の下エクスプロレーションについてたくさん習いました、本当の恐怖の始まるの前。ホラーの増えることが遅くて強い。古いウェブサイトで読んだことが一番いい方法と思います！

[David Pate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t be the only one who didn’t really mess with this one right? I understand it established the entire internet horror genre and set in stone the themes and tropes that would be explored but that’s just about all it did. Even compared to other works of the times like penpal and 1999, Ted the caver feels so incredibly lacking. The plot is very predictable and so are the scares. Some dialogue just oozes “corny internet creepypasta” which is to be expected but feels increasingly egregious given the esteemed nature surrounding this story. Don’t get me wrong, this is no cheesy shit show like Jeff the killer and certainly has its scares and it’s high notes but it’s just not what everyone makes it out to be.

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really good story, don't get me wrong. Really good. BUT, I actually enjoyed the horrors of cavedivigng itself more than the actual horror that was presented in this story. I know some people like how vague it is so their imagination can run wild. But I have no imagination, so I need a little more from my stories. This is a good read! My rating is not a reflection of the writing. I just personally think it's strong suit was how well the author knows the subject matter, and the added supernatural element just didn't do it for me. I'd love for it to just be a story of getting stuck in a cave and the madness that can bring in itself.

[John VK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would strongly reccomend reading Ted the Caver, its a creepy one time read.

Pros:
-The photos are a unique and a really cool add.
-The story behind the creepypasta is super interesting.
-There wasn't a need for a definite ending (Cool idea), but "Con": The lack of one was not done well.
-The concept of the story is 4/5...

Cons:
-.... 2/5 in execution.
-Not really a fan of the improper spelling and rough writing. It might add to the 'authenticity' for some, but I think it lessens everything else.
-The writing, also, makes Ted the Caver difficult for a reread.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

a drabble review:

so much description is present. at times, it was quite hard to imagine considering i do not have any experience in caving). i honestly felt genuine fear and uneasiness for the unknown especially that the creature or what lurks inside the cave js not explicitly described in the story. the author did a good job visualizing what our protagonists went through, felt extremely claustrophobic MANY TIMES, but would not recommend it to anyone who has extreme fear of enclosed spaces.

wish that we get to know what happens after though. overall a great story :D