Previously: Hantu Galah.
Type: PE (Preternatural Entity).
Period/location of origin: 2012, the internet. The earliest known account of subject, known as Carazi, or the Child Of The Void (in the original Brazilian Portuguese, “a Criança do Vazio”) appeared on the Terra Proibida (“Forbidden Land”) forum on Nov. 2, 2012. Whether subject existed prior to this appearance is unknown.

Appearance: True to its name, Carazi, the Child Of The Void, subject does, in fact, appear to be a small child of about six years of age, although with several key differences: The child has no mouth, and his eyes are completely black — no whites; no pupils; no irises; just black — twin voids, if you will.
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According to many reports, subject has claws in the place of fingers; however, this detail is not always present — and, indeed, is absent in the initial 2012 report — and therefore may or may not be accurate.
Modus operandi: Subject may be found lurking in the shadowy corners of a target’s home. Initially, subject remains in the public areas of the home — kitchens, dining areas, general living spaces, etc. During this initial period, subject does not take any sort of action; subject simply watches the movement of the home, and the movement of the people within it.
Subject requires an invitation to enter the private areas of a home — namely, bedrooms — although whether this is due to necessity or simply politeness remains to be seen. Regardless, subject interprets the vacating of such spaces in the middle of the night — even if temporary — as this invitation: Should a target rise in the middle of the night and exit their bedroom, subject will observe target until they have left, and then enter the bedroom himself.
Once subject has taken up residence within a bedroom, subject will hide wherever the shadows are greatest; common locations include under the bed or in the closet. When target returns to bed, subject will proceed to make scratching sounds with their fingernails and/or claws, depending on the report. These sounds will appear to target to come from everywhere and nowhere, thus providing a source of both frustration and sleeplessness.

Subject may also cause target to hear the sound of disembodied footsteps, detect whispering voices emerging out of the darkness, and to feel continually watched.
If subject is allowed to continue in this fashion for an extended period of time, target will develop insomnia of increasing severity. As this insomnia proceeds, paranoia may begin to accompany it. Target may or may not also gain the ability to see subject at night, though it is not always clear whether target truly is seeing subject, or whether target may simply be hallucinating due to sleep deprivation.
Containment: It is not known precisely how subject gains entry to a target’s home in the first place; as such, prevention may not be possible.
However, once subject receives and accepts an invitation into a private space within the home, various methods may be employed either to keep his mischief at bay, or to exorcise him from the home entirely. Targets may:
- Keep a light source nearby and turned on at all times. Subject does not do well in the light, and will do everything within his power to avoid it.
- Avoid isolated, dark spaces, especially at night.
- Leave the home and ensure that it is completely vacant for an entire night. If the home is left vacant, subject will leave, and go in search of an inhabited home to terrorize instead. Note, however, that the home must be completely empty for this method to achieve its desired goal; no other occupants may be present. If any other occupants remain present in the home, subject will simply switch targets to whomever happens to be around.
Additional notes: As previously noted, the first account of subject appeared on the Terra Proibida forums on Nov. 2, 2012. The title of this account is simply, “[Creepypasta] Carazi a criança do vazio!” — or, translated from the original Brazilian Portuguese, “[Creepypasta] Carazi The Child Of The Void!” — and contains the most common details shared between virtually all subsequent reports of subject.

Over the next several years, accounts of subject spread across the internet, although primarily — indeed, perhaps only — in Brazilian Portuguese-language sources. Stories of Carazi, the Child Of The Void do not seem to have made the jump from Brazil to other regions, although that does not necessarily mean that subject — or some variation of subject — does not exist elsewhere.
Indeed, subject bears some characteristics in common with previous Encylopaedia subjects the Black-Eyed Children and the Girl From The Gap. In the case of the Black-Eyed Children, these characteristics include the apparent child-like form and the aforementioned black eyes, as well as the requirement of an invitation to enter a target’s space. In the case of the Girl From The Gap, these characteristics include the penchant for hiding, particularly in the darker, shadow-drenched corners of a space.
Whether or not subject is directly related to one or both of the previous Encylopaedia subjects, however, has not yet been determined. Further fieldwork is required.
According to at least one account, subject may be intentionally summoned through taunting, teasing, or provocation. It is NOT recommended that these actions be taken. Although subject is primarily mischievous, rather than malevolent, nothing good can come of offering oneself as a target.
Recommendation: If you must get up in the middle, of the night, stay in the light.
Better yet, though — just… stay in bed.
It’ll be safer for you in the long run.
Sleep tight.
Resources:
“Carazi, a Criança do Vazio!” at Terra Proibida. (In Portuguese.)
“I saw Carazi!” at Terra Proibida. (In Portuguese.)
Carazi: The Being That Chases You At Night. (In Portuguese.)
Carazi: He Is Watching You. (In Portuguese.)
Carazi: The Monster Of The Dark. (In Portuguese.)
Carazi at the Creepypasta Brazil Wiki. (In Portuguese.)
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