01/06/2026

An Obsessive Breakdown of The Creepypasta "My Father Finally Told Me What Happened That Day"

This is my analysis of the creepypasta known as “My Dad Finally Told Me What Happened That Day”.

This creepypasta has quickly grown to be a massive favorite of mine. And is something I have been obsessed with for about a week now. I relistened to the story today, and this time took intense and detailed notes. This is my attempt at unraveling the mysteries of this story and piecing together what happened within.

Since so much of this story is left unknown, a lot of my theories are based on assumptions or guesses. I try to be as objective as possible, and try to base as much of my theory as possible off of confirmed details. But for anyone that has read this story, it becomes clear why that’s so difficult.

Before we get to the actual analysis, let’s establish the characters in this story. There are a lot of unnamed characters here, so I’ll be laying out how I’ll be referring to them in this post:

Protagonists:

Antagonists:

The Obscure Facts

So, first. I want to establish the details of this story that I believe to be 100% true. I won’t be going over any details that are obvious. Like the father being dead, as that is explicitly confirmed to us. This section is dedicated to the facts that I feel are less obvious. Things someone might have to dig for to come across.

Let’s get started.

1.) This is a paranormal entity.

The story leaves it very vague whether or not anything paranormal is happening here. The OP tries to establish a lot of more real probable, realistic causes. His entire explanation at the end tries to put a grounded spin on the story. But I firmly believe this to be impossible. Too many strange and odd things occur in the course of this story for it to be strictly realistic.

Just a few to point out:

And several other cases. There is just too much strange shit going on in this story for me to buy that ALL of it has a rational explanation. I just don’t see it. And therefore, I think its easy to say there is a paranormal entity behind all this. (As for what kind, we’ll get to that later).

2.) This Paranormal Entity dwells in the forest

This is a much easier one to point out. And probably doesn’t need to be. But I wanted to mention it anyways. A lot of this story’s strangeness points back to that forest in the dad’s hometown.

3.) This paranormal entity was obsessed with OP’s family for some reason

I don’t think I need to give evidence for this, since that’s the point of the story. But rather, I wanted to point out that I think its specifically only OP’s family. While discussing this story in my head, I wondered if the entity would kidnap children in general. But I don’t believe this is the case. Because if it were, then why wasn’t Timmy ever “taken”? It seemed like Timmy was waiting for it, but it never came. I believe this is because Timmy was just a stepping stone in getting what the entity really wanted, OP’s family.

4.) Chawed Froy, The Old Man, and Con-Man are all different people

Chawed Froy is a man that accidentally stumbled his way into the Old Man’s lair. The Old Man is almost certainly the entity that’s behind this whole mess. And Con-Man is likely another pawn in the Old Man’s scheme. Probably another poor sap that fell into his trap, and became ensnared.

How I Think Everything Went Down

Now to break down the actual story itself. This is going to be a doozy. So here we go.

Let’s start from the top. I’m going to go through this story in chronological order. Filling in as much detail as I can, where I can. We’ll be starting from the earliest point in the timeline and moving through the story. I’ll do what I can to fill in the gaps, but it will likely still be riddled with as many holes as swiss cheese.

Our story starts in the town of Grand Greve. Deep in the forest outside this town, there is a house. And inside that house, there is a man. An Old Man. This Old Man is full of hatred, loneliness, and anger1. The house the Old Man lives in is filled with this same unhappiness and loneliness.

The Old Man is not human. The Old Man is something else. The Old Man has the ability to change his own form, his own voice2. But that cannot stop him from being so lonely, so unhappy, so hateful. He wants people. He wants a family to live there in that sad house with him.

On the outskirts of the forest, there was a house however. And inside that house, was a happy family. A family with three children. And The Old Man liked this family, he liked them a lot. He wanted this family to be his. He wanted those children to be his3.

Eventually, someone stumbled into The Old Man’s house. A lonely man that had just left the sanitorium. The Old Man brought him into his house. And did horrible things to him there. He made the man, “Chawed Froy” 4 , as lonely as could be. He twisted him and got into his mind. He taught him things. And eventually, they became like one.

The Old Man let Chawed Froy go. And he ran to town.

Once there, Chawed Froy began to befriend the children of the town. Tricking them into thinking he was a “kind ghost”, and using it to get food, and eventually befriend a lonely boy named Timmy. Timmy brought him food, let him live with him, and showed him music. And in return, Chawed Froy taught Timmy everything he knew. Sneaking, hiding, and “the things he learned in the house in the woods.”5 Chawed Froy eventually got caught by Timmy’s parents. And they reacted harshly. They killed Timmy’s parents and buried them beneath the house.

But Chawed Froy wasn’t free of the man in the woods. They were still connected through an unknown manner. And Chawed Froy was manipulated into doing the Old Man’s deeds. He was the Old Man’s vessel, his tool. And soon he had Timmy in the folds as well. He convinced Timmy that the Old Man was his father, his parents.

Soon, both Chawed Froy and Timmy were playing along. The Old Man had Chawed Froy sneak pictures of the family on the edge of the woods. Chawed Froy tried talking to Flora, but was stopped by her meddlesome brother. Chawed Froy would bring the pictures of the three children asleep to The Old Man. The Old Man delighted in seeing “his” children asleep.

The Old Man would sometimes take control of Chawed Froy directly. Stalking in the woods, and outside of Flora’s bedroom. One night he had Chawed Froy stand backwards outside of Flora’s room, even in the cold snowstorm6.

Eventually, it progressed. The Old Man, possessing Chawed Froy, began to sneak into their house and sleep beneath their beds7. He loved “his” kids. But soon, he wanted more. It wasn’t enough. He wanted them to himself. He would tell Chawed Froy and Timmy about how he would one day come to take his children away. Timmy assumed that meant him, but it didn’t. The Old Man never saw Timmy in that way.

One day, he used his powers to manipulate a phone8 and called Chawed Froy with it And gave him instructions to invite the kids over to listen to the music records. Chawed Froy probably tried to wait until Timmy was home, but The Old Man wouldn’t wait. He likely possessed Chawed Froy and forced him to make the call. All the while, whispering and encouraging him to continue from the other line.

Matt, Dad, and Flora all decided to go. Except Dad skipped on them on the way there. Instead going to the general store to buy something for his crush, Betty Coffin. Matt and Flora continued to head there. When they arrived, they found The Old Man waiting for them beneath the bed in Timmy’s house. The Old Man emerged, happy to see his children. Though he still couldn’t hide the look of unhappiness that was always behind his eyes. He tells Matt how much he likes to watch him sleep, and Flora how he “doesn’t see her in the dark anymore”9.

Matt tells Flora to run, but the Old Man catches Matt and keeps him held there. Forcing him to do the backwards dance with him. Flora escapes, but Matt is held there for a while. The Old Man eventually lets Matt go, and Matt flees. Though when he looks behind him, he finds The Old Man to be following him. Though he freezes in his tracks when spotted. Matt walks backwards out of the house, keeping his eyes on The Old Man, who doesn’t move an inch10.

When Flora fled the house, she was captured by Chawed Froy and taken deep into the forest to the Old Man’s house. Where she would stay for the rest of her life. She was never seen by her family again. She went missing while wearing her favorite oversized Ramones shirt.

Matt and Dad were absolutely distraught by this. And everyone blamed Timmy and the hobo named Chawed Froy. Due in part to them finding the bodies of Timmy’s parents beneath his house. Chawed Froy hid out in The Old Man’s house for a while, but eventually resurfaced. When he did, Dad rallied a group of townsfolk, including Matt and Kirby, and murdered Chawed Froy. They burned his body and buried him on the outskirts of the woods.

After this, Timmy was sent away to live with relatives. But would remain in contact with The Old Man. The Old Man would still talk to Timmy and get him to sneak food out into the forest, to his home. The food was for Flora. Trapped there. Timmy told his family he was taking it to his “treehouse”.

Timmy held out hope that one day The Old Man, his family, would come to take him away. But he never did. Eventually, The Old Man cut all ties with him. This left Timmy a mute recluse. He would eventually run away, and would later come to live in a group home. Timmy’s home would eventually burn down. The stain of evil left on the house taking shape of a devil in the smoke.

This was where things sat dormant for a long time. Eventually, Dad would move on and get married to Mom11. And together have a baby, OP. During this time as well, The Old Man continues to live in his house in the woods. And eventually someone else stumbles into his clutches. An unnamed man that we’ll call “Con-Man”. At some point, a polaroid would be sent to Dad. A polaroid depicting a very unhappy teenage Flora in a very unhappy house.

Eventually, OP grows up. And The Old Man, still obsessed with Dad’s family, wants to get involved again. He still believes himself to be part of Dad’s family, perhaps a grandfather figure to OP and still a father figure to Dad. He stalks and watches the family from the bushes. He wants Mom out of the way, and uses his powers of mimicry and delusion to cause a break up. Dad retains custody of OP.

After this, things start to pick up. The Old Man makes Con-Man believe himself to be OP’s mother. A part of this family. And sends him to start taking pictures of OP. Once OP reports this to Dad and Matt, they get freaked out. They dig up Chawed Froy’s body and confirm he’s still there. They assume its nothing and move on.

One day, while at a construction site, Con-Man approaches OP and tells him that his dad (The Old Man) wants to see him. He also tells him that someone has been sleeping in OP’s bed, and that he doesn’t like it12. He has a look of pure hatred on his face, just like The Old Man. For some reason, The Old Man sends him out wearing a Ramones T shirt. Likely the same one Flora had. Don’t ask because I don’t know.

Dad eventually goes out to an abandoned house for a job. Nobody seems to be home, but a note on the door tells Dad to come on in, and they’ll be right back. While there, he hears something slam, like a door13. After investigating, he finds pictures of OP stuffed in the windowsill14. Dad calls the police. And they find that nobody had stayed in that house for a long time, and that Dad wasn’t even supposed to be at that house to begin with. This was likely achieved by The Old Man’s ability to manipulate phone calls and such.

This is the last incident for a long time. Until OP starts to dig into things and uncover the truth. This would push The Old Man and Con-Man into moving things along further. I’m not sure why they never kidnapped OP like they did Flora. Maybe they were content with him living with his father, and pretending to be a distant grandfather and mother.

They do prevent dad from ever remarrying. By using The Old Man’s tricks and powers to chase away any girl that seems interested. Either from messing with their phones, or straight up killing them. In the case of the one girl that wasn’t scared away by the usual tactics.

At one point, however, when dad tries to online date, The Old Man uses his powers to control the computer and send a zipfile of pictures of dad with a creepy black shadow painted in. This shadow is to represent Con-Man pretending to be OP’s mom. I guess.

Eventually, they kill OP’s real mother as well. And Con-Man assumes her place. They bury her deep in the woods in that goddamn Ramones shirt that I do not know the significance of. Con-Man, possessed by The Old Man, is able to mimic OP’s mother’s voice. And communicates with him via phone call. Pretending to be OP’s mom. They try to convince OP to come “down” there. Likely to the house in the woods. Where its always lonely. But The Old Man’s voice was still audible on the phone line, explaining the tinny echo OP would hear. Con-Man stationed himself inside the abandoned house from before, this is where he made those calls from.

The Old Man also plants Con-Man inside of OP’s house. Hiding him behind the refrigerator. With strange dolls representing OP and himself. Eventually, they also leave a polaroid showing The Old Man stalking OP as a child from the bushes.

Eventually, OP confides in “Mom” that he wants to talk. “Mom” says that all she’s ever wanted was a family with OP and Dad, which is true. From his point of view. They also set up a test for dad. They kill his old crush, Betty Coffin, and set up for dad to choose. They also plant Con-Man, masquerading as “Mom” inside Dad’s house.

Dad makes the wrong choice, from their perspective, and picks Betty Coffin. When Con-Man attacks Dad for this, Dad fights back. He bloodies Con-Man’s nose. But Con-Man came with a weapon, and stabs dad several times in the throat. Dad would cling to life, but ultimately die.

Con-Man retreated to dad’s house. Where he hid under the bed and looped the same track The Old Man played for Flora and Matt so long ago. Just as he was taught by The Old Man. Con-Man is caught by the police, however. He confesses to OP that “giving birth to him was the greatest moment of his life”, showing his powers of mimicry. OP ignores this because OP is an idiot. After that, The Old Man abandons Con-Man.

Con-Man confesses how lonely “he” made him. But with The Old Man’s presence gone, he becomes a mute shell much like Timmy Jean did. And never speaks about it again.

Time goes by, and eventually OP hears a story about a couple getting lost in the woods and happening upon The Old Man’s house. They go inside and come across The Old Man and Flora. The Old Man drugs their tea, and Flora tries to warn them. But is too late.

The next day Flora is missing, but they find The Old Man in the closet, with the same hateful grin on his face. He chases them out of the house. They report it to the ranger and later find the house on Google Maps, with The Old Man staring up at them.

This is where the story ends. But unfortunately for OP, I don’t think this is where it ended for him. The Old Man was never dealt with…. And surely, he’ll be back for more.

Loose Ends - Stuff I Can't Explain

I tried my best to fit together a cohesive timeline. But there are several things that just…. Make no sense. And I can’t figure out a way to piece them together. So I wanted to discuss them here, just so you know I haven’t forgotten them.

1.) Matt and Flora finding the strange man in the woods

I’m not sure how this one fits into the story. It just seems so contradictory. Why would the man, either Chawed Froy or The Old Man, chase Matt and Flora out of the woods if he loved stalking them so much? Why not kidnap them then and there? The man, who I will assume was Chawed Froy, screamed at them to “GET OUT”. But then moments later, someone mimicked Dad’s voice and tried to get them to come back. Huh? Why? What was the point? I don’t know.

I briefly considered whether or not that could’ve been their first encounter with The Old Man and Chawed Froy. And if that was what sparked his obsession. But that couldn’t be the case, because they already knew how to mimic dad’s voice.

2.) The thumps

At two separate points in the story “thumps” are described as being heard. The first one happens when the strange man is chasing Matt and Flora out of the woods. And the second happens when the two hikers are inside The Old Man’s house. I don’t know what these are, or what they mean. But they are undoubtedly connected to The Old Man somehow.

3.) Why hasn't Flora escaped?

Flora remaining with The Old Man is baffling. Its clearly not very hard to escape him if those two hikers did it. Why hasn’t she just run away? Is she being stopped? Or is she staying there for a reason? Maybe her spirit was long since broken by him? Its clearly not some kind of pocket dimension shit if it can be found on Google fucking Maps.

4.) Why was Dad sent to the abandoned house with the photographs of OP?

I mentioned this earlier. But I genuinely have no clue what the point of that was.

5.) The reoccurring Ramones shirt

This damn shirt shows up three separate times. First Flora wears it. Then Con-Man wears it. Then its found on OP’s mother’s corpse. Why? What is the point of that? Is it a taunt? Its not a very good one. Since OP only learned of the significance of that shirt by accident. The only thing I can think of is that its supposed to be proof that Flora is OP’s mother. Which is a whole other can of worms. Its something that makes sense. And fixes a plot hole. It really just depends on when that scene with the hikers takes place honestly.

Notes

The annotations in the main breakdown are linked to each of these notes. My way of adding onto certain details that occur in the story, without bogging down my explanation. The numbers will lead you to them.

1.) Looks of pure hatred is something that shows up very, very frequently in this story. The man in the woods, likely Chawed Froy, is described as having a face of pure hate. The man that dances with Matt is described as “having a smile with no happiness”. Con-Man is described as having a face full of loathing when he talks to OP.

2.) This is an assumption on my part. But I believe its likely. Many times throughout the story we see evidence of doppelgangers or shapeshifting. Like when Dad’s girlfriend sees him at the fridge, but it turns out he’s been in bed the whole time. Con-Man has the ability to perfectly mimic OP’s mom’s voice. This would also explain the finger in the air vent at Timmy’s relatives’ home.

3.) There’s no evidence for when the entity, aka The Old Man, started to obsess over OP’s dad’s family. The two most likely options is that it was always obsessed with them, or he became obsessed with him after “Chawed Froy” encountered Flora and started to ask her for food.

4.) I have my suspicions about the name “Chawed Froy”. The name is so entirely unique, that I am forced to assume there is some sort of deeper meaning behind it. But god if I don’t know what. It really puzzles me. But I think Chawed Froy is actually The Old Man’s name, or at least a corrupted version of it. I’ve heard theories about it actually sounding like the French words for “Cold” and “Hot”, which could make sense. And in terms of my own theories, whenever I hear “Chawed” I think “Charred”. Perhaps Flora had a lisp when she was younger, and couldn’t pronounce “Charred” right. Though I have no idea what “Froy” would mean in this sense. But considering the smell of burning rubber when Matt encounters the smiling man, I have to wonder if there’s a connection here.

5.) Among these things, I believe Chawed Froy taught Timmy the strange backwards dance. The Old Man dances like this with Matt later on in the story, complete with the strange wounded noises. I believe Chawed Froy learned this dance during his time in the house, and then taught it to Timmy later on. Who would later show Matt, Dad, and Flora.

6.) I am unsure why. But the entity standing with their back to someone is a very recurring motif in this story. To start it off, someone was standing with their back to Flora’s room, facing the woods. The man Matt and Flora encountered in the forest was also facing the woods. The Old Man dances with Matt backwards in the room. The fake dad is standing in front of the fridge, with his back to the girlfriend. Someone would’ve had to stand backwards behind OP’s fridge. My personal belief, is that the entity does this to hide the look of hatred and unhappiness on his face, but I have no real confirmation of that.

7.) At some point, either Chawed Froy or the Old Man stole Flora’s sleeping mask and hid it in Timmy’s house. I couldn’t begin to tell you why. Maybe they wanted Flora to know about the pictures.

8.) Its demonstrated quite often that the entity behind the scenes has many, many different ways to manipulate phones and other devices. It can send texts, make calls, even use the computer. This isn’t strictly how this had to happen, but considering the OP makes a strong point about how it wasn’t uncommon for other people to be using phone lines at the same time back then, I believe this was done in that manner.

9.) I got straight up nothing for this one chief. I have no idea what the fuck this line means.

10.) Again, a bit iffy on what this means. My hypothesis would be that it has something to do with why The Old Man faces backwards so often. But I just don’t know why. He doesn’t chase Matt while he’s facing backwards, and walking backwards. I thought maybe it was a Boo situation and he couldn’t move while his face was looked at. But that doesn’t make any sense, considering the previous scene.

11.) There are many theories about this. Some speculate that the mom was actually Flora. But I don’t believe this to be true. I believe the woman that we’ll see at the end of the story, during the hikers’ tale, is Flora. Which couldn’t be the case because that story is “from not too long ago”, and the mother had been dead for over a year. Now, if the hiker’s tale occurred before the mother died, then I would be on board with this theory. But we really don’t have a solid enough timeline on it. So you can believe whatever you want regarding that theory.

12.) Not sure what this refers to. It could either refer to someone literally sleeping in OP’s bed. Or perhaps Con-Man is referring to Flora, sleeping in what they believe to be OP’s bed at the forest house.

13.) I believe it wasn’t a door slamming, but was instead the window upstairs slamming shut.

14.) I hate that I’m having to say “I don’t know” a lot. But I really don’t. Why would they send dad here? Did they just want him to receive the pictures? Why not just put them in his mailbox like they would do later on? Why the wild goose chase? It was certainly intentional, because of the note. So what the hell was this for?