plat-eye

noun1

1. •
   A mythical monster or ghost in the folklore of the West Indies and southern United States; it is a being with large, glowing eyes, capable of shapeshifting and sometimes depicted as a phantom bound to a particular place, such as a cave or grove, as a guardian (for buried treasure, etc).

   • De ole folks is talk bout Plat-eye. Dey say dey takes shape ob all kind de critter — 1985