The narrative is about a 17-year-old boy who goes to a cabin in the woods to spend some time alone after his father's death. The cabin is located in a heavily forested area, and the boy enjoys his time there, playing video games and spending time with his dog. However, on the third day, he starts to experience strange occurrences. He notices fresh footprints in the snow, which he initially attributes to a neighbor or a lost hiker. However, his dog becomes increasingly agitated, and the boy starts to feel uncomfortable.
One night, he hears footsteps on the roof of his cabin. When he goes outside to investigate, he sees a man crouched on a tree branch, looking directly at him. The man disappears when the boy shines his flashlight on him. The boy then locks all the doors and windows, and he and his dog spend the rest of the night in bed, terrified.
The next morning, the boy decides to leave the cabin, but he is unable to start his car. He then hears tapping on the windows and doors of the cabin, which he initially attributes to the wind. However, the tapping continues, and he starts to believe that something is outside the cabin.
The story ends with the boy and his dog still inside the cabin, terrified and waiting for the sun to rise. The narrator of the story then explains that this is a true story, and the boy was never able to leave the cabin. The cabin was eventually sold, and the new owners found the boy's car inside the cabin, with the keys still in the ignition.
1. The speaker discusses the common trope of setting horror movies in the woods at night, explaining that it stems from human fear of isolation, vulnerability, and the unknown.
2. The speaker shares a personal experience of a scary experience in a cabin in the woods, which haunts him to this day.
3. The speaker begins a story about a 17-year-old boy who, after his father's death, is given the opportunity to spend some time in a family cabin in Oregon before it's sold. [Source 2](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
4. The cabin is described as a two-story building built into a mountain, with one half of the cabin settled into the mountain, meaning it has no windows except for a small one in the bathroom. [Source 2](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
5. The speaker describes the layout of the cabin and the surrounding area, noting that the cabin is set in a heavily forested area with a clearing in front of it. [Source 2](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
6. The speaker shares that on the third day of the boy's stay, he notices some fresh footprints in the snow leading up to the back of his cabin, disappearing into the woods behind it. [Source 3](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
7. The speaker describes how the boy is startled by the dog's reaction to something in the woods, leading him to investigate outside. [Source 3](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
8. The boy discovers a man crouched on a branch of the sitting tree, 20 feet off the ground, staring directly at him. [Source 4](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
9. The boy and his dog retreat back into the cabin, locking all the doors and windows. [Source 4](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
10. The speaker shares that the boy hears footsteps on the roof of the cabin, causing him to panic and run back into the cabin with his dog. [Source 4](https://www.stackoverflow.com)
11. The speaker describes the boy's panic as he hears tapping on the windows and walls of the cabin, causing him to question what is outside. [Source 4](https://www.stackoverflow.com)