The Sack Man

Every child in São Paulo knew the warning;

"Don’t wander after dark, or the Sack Man will take you."

But 12 year old Davi didn’t believe in fairy tales until the night he missed the last train home. It was past midnight when Davi found himself alone at Luz Station, its grand arches swallowed by shadows. That’s when he heard it. A slow, dragging sound like burlap scraping concrete.  

A figure emerged from the platform’s gloom. A gaunt man in a tattered coat, with his face hidden under a wide brimmed hat. Over his shoulder slumped a massive, stained sack, bulging as if something inside squirmed.  

“Lost boy?"

The man rasped. His voice was unsettling to say the least. Davi bolted, sneakers slapping the wet pavement as he cut through alleys near Campos Elíseos. But the dragging sound followed, always just steps behind. He ducked into an abandoned warehouse, heart hammering until a hand clamped over his mouth.  

“Shhh,"

Instructed a homeless woman hiding in the rubble.

“He’s been taking kids for years. The police say the children run away… but we know."

Outside, the scraping grew louder. The sack bumped against the doorframe. After several minutes, the stranger left and sound of the sack moved further away. Davi never told his parents what happened that night. But sometimes, when trains rattle through Luz Station after midnight, passengers swear they see a shadow with a sagging sack and hear muffled crying from inside.  

THE SACK MAN

The Sack Man or better known, Homem do Saco, is a well-known figure in Brazilian folklore, particularly in urban legends and cautionary tales told to children. In São Paulo, as in other parts of Brazil, the Sack Man is often depicted as a sinister figure who kidnaps misbehaving children, stuffing them into a large sack and taking them away never to be seen again.

                                      Video Credit: TommyDarkRealm