1
00:00:14,119 --> 00:00:19,359
He was just there. Now,
I suppose it would be the more accurate

2
00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:24,239
way of referring to the thing.
It was just there, kind of half

3
00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:29,519
sitting or sprawled all about. It
wasn't sitting upright as you or I might,

4
00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,640
and it sure wasn't standing. It
looked as if it was lying on

5
00:00:33,679 --> 00:00:38,320
the sofa, except there wasn't a
sofa. I don't recall if I've ever

6
00:00:38,359 --> 00:00:42,960
seen a sofa big enough to have
hell that thing. On occasion, it

7
00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,840
would look over in my direction,
not at me, because for the moment

8
00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,280
there was no way for it to
see me, at least at the time.

9
00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,719
I hope that to be true.
It would just look over in my

10
00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:59,320
direction and smile as much as was
possible. I'm not sure that it smiled

11
00:00:59,359 --> 00:01:03,640
often. It didn't look as if
it had the capability, but it was

12
00:01:03,679 --> 00:01:07,120
sure giving it a good try.
One thing I am certain of is that

13
00:01:07,159 --> 00:01:11,239
it was proud of itself and what
it had done. That's why it kept

14
00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:17,480
looking over while trying to smile.
I'll tell you what it reminded me of.

15
00:01:17,599 --> 00:01:21,040
It reminded me of the way my
father used to look when he would

16
00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,120
park his mowing machine in the garage
after he had finished with the yard each

17
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,799
week, and then go walk around
on us long. My father was always

18
00:01:29,879 --> 00:01:33,680
so proud of the job that he
had done each week after mowing the grass.

19
00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,359
He loved the way it looked when
every blade of grass had been cut

20
00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,400
and all were the same height.
Again, how everything in that moment was

21
00:01:42,599 --> 00:01:48,200
just as it should be. That
look on my father's face each week when

22
00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:53,480
he had finished was unforgettable and unmistakable. Well, that thing had the same

23
00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,200
prideful look on its mug each time
it would look over in my direction.

24
00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,239
I can only tell you of what
I was seeing at that moment, and

25
00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,599
I couldn't see all that well,
but I could see better than I wanted

26
00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,719
to. In all honesty, I
wish I had never seen any of it

27
00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:14,120
at all. That thing was horrible. I don't think it to be out

28
00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,879
of place to call it an abomination, something that never should have existed in

29
00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:23,159
the first place. A talking like
that will likely make some folks hot under

30
00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:28,400
the collar at me, But guess
what, I don't care. The folks

31
00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,000
that would raise came with me were
never in a position that I'd been in.

32
00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:38,159
So until you've walked in my shoes
and all that now I've watched PBS,

33
00:02:38,159 --> 00:02:42,039
and I'm not a complete dullard.
I know the all creatures, great

34
00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:47,520
and small thing and the sentiment behind
it. Everything has a reason for being,

35
00:02:47,599 --> 00:02:52,759
and each one is special and unique
and should be revered in one form

36
00:02:52,879 --> 00:02:57,759
or another. But this thing has
no more business being around than mosquitoes or

37
00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,759
fire ants. And in my opinionion, and it's just my opinion, the

38
00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:06,719
world would be better off without some
things in it. And the thing I

39
00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:12,360
watched that was one of them.
Sprawled out on the ground as long as

40
00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,240
some of those tiny electric cars that
some people drive. Now that probably weighed

41
00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:21,960
more than those cars too. It
wasn't just long. That thing was beefy

42
00:03:22,039 --> 00:03:27,800
and solid. It wasn't long and
leaning like a college basketball player. It

43
00:03:27,879 --> 00:03:32,639
was built, I mean like an
NFL pass rusher, big thick rope muscles

44
00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:38,360
flexed and quivered each time it moved. You could see them all pumped up

45
00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:43,280
under its fur. This thing was
bigger than Figno had been when he had

46
00:03:43,319 --> 00:03:47,719
been playing the Incredible Hult, much
bigger, and Forigno was stacked when he

47
00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:53,120
had been doing all that, covered
from crown to ankle bone with filthy,

48
00:03:53,199 --> 00:03:58,719
matted, coarse looking hair that was
knotted up in a dozen different places,

49
00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,159
like an old stray dog's hair would
look before it thins out and sheds its

50
00:04:02,199 --> 00:04:08,159
winter coat and the spring. And
its stunk worse than an old dog too.

51
00:04:08,639 --> 00:04:12,759
Smell like garbage that you had let
sit inside the can too long before

52
00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,800
taking the bag out, that rich, sweet smell of meat that had gone

53
00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,120
south, that when you smell it, it really isn't too bad, but

54
00:04:21,199 --> 00:04:26,000
the longer you're around it, the
worse it gets. That's the way this

55
00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,439
thing smelled. And trust me,
it wasn't something else that drifted across me

56
00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,639
on that breeze. I know how
right that thing was, but I'll get

57
00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:39,279
to that in a minute. Thinking
back on it as I'm writing this,

58
00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:44,040
I can still smell it in my
memory enough that I can almost taste it,

59
00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,800
and when it comes that strong,
I easily end up gagging. A

60
00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:53,000
couple of times. I've even had
to heave up my breakfast. It's been

61
00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,720
months since the day I was there, and I can still see it clear

62
00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:01,279
as day. It's lounging around,
just looking a out, sometimes directly at

63
00:05:01,399 --> 00:05:04,959
me, though it never knew I
was there, or you wouldn't be hearing

64
00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:11,839
this story. That thing had no
problem with killing. Also know that better

65
00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,600
than I want to. You could
see it in its eyes, and that

66
00:05:15,639 --> 00:05:19,680
thing didn't take a lip from anything. They were hard eyes like everything it

67
00:05:19,759 --> 00:05:26,879
had ever seen was ever gonna see
was beneath it or inferior to it,

68
00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,560
big and dark, yellowing, some
as if it was old. Maybe it

69
00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,959
was old. I don't know how
anyone could tell. You couldn't go by

70
00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:40,920
how it moved, because it was
spry enough. It didn't move its arms

71
00:05:40,959 --> 00:05:45,399
to waste something with old, worn
out joints moved. If it had an

72
00:05:45,519 --> 00:05:48,399
edge, it scratched, real limber
like, no matter where it had to

73
00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:53,720
reach, and some of those places
were best forgotten, along with the smell.

74
00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:58,720
Now this thing had no shame.
What it did have were hands,

75
00:05:58,759 --> 00:06:01,959
a big, strong, leathery looking
hands that were covered with that nasty hair

76
00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:06,839
on the back sides. Its feet
were the same way. It may have

77
00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:13,439
gotten shorted on looks, but it
made up with the foot size. Now

78
00:06:13,439 --> 00:06:15,959
I feel a pretty big shoe,
but its feet were at least twice as

79
00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:20,920
white as mine and maybe twice as
long. But out of everything that was

80
00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:27,759
so horrible but hypnotizing to look at, I think its teeth or what held

81
00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:32,480
my attention the most. The four
in front corners of the top and bottom

82
00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,600
were sharp and long like dog's teeth, and the rest were short and thick

83
00:06:36,639 --> 00:06:43,160
and blunted, just right for grinding
against whatever meat or flesh Those sharp ones

84
00:06:43,199 --> 00:06:46,920
had ripped from something. Each one
seemed about the size of my thumb.

85
00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,399
Before you say anything, no,
all wasn't close enough to see them that

86
00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:57,120
well. One of its teeth was
missing, and the space between the ones

87
00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,839
that remained looked about the width of
my thumb. And I'm fine with guessing

88
00:07:00,879 --> 00:07:04,800
at it like that. If you
want to know them more precisely, then

89
00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:09,360
you go find one and peel its
lips back and you can take a look.

90
00:07:10,079 --> 00:07:13,439
That'll be your affair, but I
won't be going with you. I've

91
00:07:13,439 --> 00:07:17,839
had my share and that was enough
to do me. Now you have a

92
00:07:17,879 --> 00:07:21,879
fair idea of what it looked like. That was what I was trying to

93
00:07:21,959 --> 00:07:26,800
accomplish, and I've described it as
best as I could without drawing you a

94
00:07:26,839 --> 00:07:30,199
picture on paper. And yes,
I have done that a couple of times.

95
00:07:31,079 --> 00:07:35,319
I haven't shown my drawing to anyone, mainly because I have no ability

96
00:07:35,399 --> 00:07:41,439
to draw. It looked like something
an elementary school student might have drawn.

97
00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,399
But when I look at what I'll
put on paper, I can see exactly

98
00:07:45,439 --> 00:07:47,560
what I was trying to draw,
and it sends shivers up and down my

99
00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:53,040
spy. Anyone else might think I
was doodling, but when I look at

100
00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:58,560
my drawings, they scare me to
death. I bet you're wanting to know

101
00:07:58,639 --> 00:08:01,959
how I came to see one so
well without it seeing me. Well,

102
00:08:01,959 --> 00:08:07,160
that's what I'm going to tell you
right now. Now. I'm not especially

103
00:08:07,199 --> 00:08:09,680
bright, not as dumb as some, but not as smart as a lot.

104
00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,519
I can't ever remember how to tell
a joke, and I never have

105
00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:20,439
been much counted telling stories. But
I'm not a liar, and I'll tell

106
00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:22,560
you what happened to me, and
it'll be up to you if you want

107
00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:28,279
to believe me or not. Of
all the things i'll lose sleep over being

108
00:08:28,319 --> 00:08:33,200
believed about, this isn't one of
them. This is what happened, and

109
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I know it did because I was
there. I'm not what you might call

110
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a regular nine to five guy.
It's not that I don't believe in working

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00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:46,519
for whatever I want or might end
up having. I just don't like being

112
00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:52,519
told what to do. There is
something about following orders that I could never

113
00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:56,559
get beside now work, And to
tell you the truth, I think I

114
00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:01,080
work harder than most because I'm always
out hustling up something to do. I

115
00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:03,519
just don't go to the same job
and do the same thing every day.

116
00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:09,080
I don't answer to anyone for the
most part, and if I go without

117
00:09:09,159 --> 00:09:11,960
supper or a pack of smokes or
new shoes when I need them, then

118
00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,159
it was all my fault for not
trying a little harder. I don't take

119
00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:22,519
orders, but I don't blame anyone
but me for my situations either. I'm

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00:09:22,519 --> 00:09:26,600
as likely to be painting a house
as I am to be chopping saplings out

121
00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:31,080
of a fence row. I've dressed
stiffs in the basement of the mortuary,

122
00:09:31,159 --> 00:09:35,120
and the next day I handed out
flyers in front of the Pigly Wiggily for

123
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,759
a beauty salon. It's not the
easiest way to put dough in your pocket.

124
00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:43,639
But if I have enough to get
bone, I don't have to work.

125
00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,840
If I don't feel like it now, I can go fishing instead.

126
00:09:48,159 --> 00:09:52,039
People locked in a cubicle can't do
that whenever they feel like it, can

127
00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,519
They not without getting fired. I
mean a while back, I was doing

128
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some work for the Italian man who
owned a nurve. He's a real nice

129
00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:05,519
man, and he throws work at
me whenever he gets these big pushes.

130
00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,480
He knows I work hard that I
don't get bent when he says he doesn't

131
00:10:09,519 --> 00:10:13,960
need me any longer. If he
had hired someone to do what I was

132
00:10:15,039 --> 00:10:18,720
doing, he would either have to
find them something to do when the job

133
00:10:18,799 --> 00:10:22,720
played out or fire them. And
with me, he just rills off a

134
00:10:22,759 --> 00:10:26,279
few bills and shakes my hand until
the next time. It works well for

135
00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:31,559
the both of us. He had
called me and said that he had two

136
00:10:31,639 --> 00:10:35,919
tractor trailer loads of rose bushes coming
in, one trailer one week and another

137
00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:41,639
the following week. Eight thousand rose
bushes on each trailer that had to be

138
00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:46,039
pulled from one gallon pots and reset
into two gallon pots so they could keep

139
00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:52,440
growing bigger. You ladies might think
that roses are the best things since indoor

140
00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:56,320
plumbing, but after twelve or fifteen
thousand, you won't care if you never

141
00:10:56,399 --> 00:11:01,519
see another god dang rose. The
work was, but it paid well,

142
00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:05,279
so I was on the fence about
it being my last day doing that job.

143
00:11:05,759 --> 00:11:09,960
A bunch of us were sitting around
eating a sandwich in the midday stoppage

144
00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:16,039
when mister bigg and Zoli came walking
through with the man who was his foreman

145
00:11:16,159 --> 00:11:20,600
for the nursery. They were talking
as they walked. Actually, mister big

146
00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:26,799
and Zoli was talking and James was
listening. I wasn't eavesdropping, but I

147
00:11:26,879 --> 00:11:28,480
did hear him, and it was
not hard to hear. Mister bigg and

148
00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:33,320
Zoli. I really like him,
but I'd never take him fishing. He

149
00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:39,159
even says good morning at the top
of his lungs. So what do you

150
00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:43,039
think he was talking about, Well, he was talking about bat guano,

151
00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:48,759
that's droppings from bats. He had
some plants coming in the next few days

152
00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:52,519
that really took to bat Guanoh,
it's supposed to be really good fertilizer,

153
00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,960
but for the load of plants he
had come and it was the very best.

154
00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:01,320
According to someone, he was warning
a good bit, really badly.

155
00:12:01,399 --> 00:12:05,720
But the stuff was so expensive that
he would lose money on his plants if

156
00:12:05,759 --> 00:12:09,960
he bought the bat stuff. They
were almost out of the shed we were

157
00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,480
all sitting in when I slid off
of the work bench. I was sitting

158
00:12:13,519 --> 00:12:16,279
on and ran down to catch up
with them. I got them stopped,

159
00:12:16,279 --> 00:12:20,480
and I told them that I was
sorry for interrupting them, but I could

160
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,000
get them some batpoop if they really
wanted some. It wouldn't be all nice

161
00:12:24,039 --> 00:12:28,360
and neat in bags like if they
had ordered it, but I felt real

162
00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,559
sure I could get them ten or
twelve five gallon buckets full if that would

163
00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:35,799
help them out. They looked at
me like I was crazy, but I

164
00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,799
just stood there. Well. We
talked a bit, and they asked me

165
00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,720
where I could go get so much, but I wouldn't tell them that.

166
00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:48,000
And mister bigg and Zolie and James
were both nice men, but if I

167
00:12:48,039 --> 00:12:50,480
told them where the stuff was,
they would have sent a couple of guys

168
00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,919
and they could have gotten it for
themselves without needing me at all. I

169
00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:58,919
had just found a new source for
cash, and I was keeping it to

170
00:12:58,039 --> 00:13:03,399
myself. James kept mumbling about how
what I would bring would be pure and

171
00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:09,799
not mixed with filler and sand,
how sixty gallons would be equal to twice

172
00:13:09,919 --> 00:13:13,799
or even three times at a bag
they could buy, how it would go

173
00:13:13,919 --> 00:13:18,360
further and be a lot cheaper.
In the end, we settled on a

174
00:13:18,399 --> 00:13:22,559
price per bucket, and that the
nursery would supply the buckets and the shovel.

175
00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:26,399
I promised to work through the weekend
and bring them the stuff the monday

176
00:13:26,399 --> 00:13:31,559
coming up. Those were two happy
men walking away. I knew it was

177
00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:33,600
going to be kind of a nasty, gross job, but I was feeling

178
00:13:33,639 --> 00:13:37,720
pretty good myself as I went back
to work on those damn rose bushes.

179
00:13:39,399 --> 00:13:43,919
Now, before I tell you the
rest of this, I'll say one thing.

180
00:13:43,759 --> 00:13:48,399
I didn't tell those men where that
backcrap was because I didn't want them

181
00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:50,759
going in and getting it, and
that's what they would have done, and

182
00:13:50,799 --> 00:13:54,960
I wouldn't blame them if they did. For my own good, I kept

183
00:13:54,960 --> 00:14:00,360
the location to myself. It's the
same reason I haven't said the name of

184
00:14:00,399 --> 00:14:03,519
the town where I live in,
and I'm not going to that's for my

185
00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:09,759
own good and yours. I listen
as often as I can to Cam's program,

186
00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:13,000
and I like it, and that's
why I sent this to him.

187
00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,759
But I read the comments from y'all
sometimes, and I don't want to turn

188
00:14:16,799 --> 00:14:22,080
on the local radio one day and
hear about some stranger from Oklahoma or Pennsylvania

189
00:14:22,159 --> 00:14:26,000
getting torn to pieces or killed if
one of you curious types knew where the

190
00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:30,960
story took place, you'd be wanting
to come and do some poking around.

191
00:14:31,919 --> 00:14:35,519
I don't need anyone in and up
in the graveyard on account of what I

192
00:14:35,559 --> 00:14:39,919
saw, so trust me, you're
better off stand right where you are and

193
00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:43,240
just listening to how things happen.
Now, I'll get back to the story.

194
00:14:45,879 --> 00:14:48,720
As I mentioned earlier, I like
to fish. That's how I relax,

195
00:14:48,919 --> 00:14:54,000
and come Saturday night, there isn't
much anything better than a plate full

196
00:14:54,039 --> 00:14:58,159
of fresh fried fish with onion rings
and iced tea. I have this place

197
00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,840
where I like to win the hook
because I always have the pond of myself,

198
00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,200
and I never leave out from there
without a stringer full. It's real

199
00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:11,600
dark there, trees all around keep
most of the water shaded out of the

200
00:15:11,639 --> 00:15:15,919
wind, and it's my kind of
place. But it's as hard as pushing

201
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,919
a chain to get there, and
that's why no one's ever there. Anyone

202
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,360
with a fishing rod knows of it, but it isn't worth the hassle for

203
00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:26,600
them to get there. But I
have a four by four square body that

204
00:15:26,639 --> 00:15:33,240
won't ever win a beauty contest,
so I don't mind getting there back before

205
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Hector was a put the brains in
the Highway department decided that a tunnel was

206
00:15:37,159 --> 00:15:41,240
needed to get from here to somewhere
else faster, so they figured that going

207
00:15:41,279 --> 00:15:46,840
through a mountain was better than going
over or around it. What they didn't

208
00:15:46,879 --> 00:15:50,440
figure on was that the mountain wanted
know part of it. Those crews didn't

209
00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:56,519
get more than halfway through before someone
realized that they were spending more time fetching

210
00:15:56,559 --> 00:16:00,879
out all the mountain bits that had
fallen during the night than they were spending

211
00:16:00,919 --> 00:16:06,000
on the actual digging and boring.
The machinery they kept having to throw away

212
00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:11,559
because of being crushed by fallout didn't
swallow easily either, and the sixth man

213
00:16:11,679 --> 00:16:15,039
to die in that hole really tied
the bow on all of it. They

214
00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:19,720
stayed long enough to shore everything up
inside like they were going to continue the

215
00:16:19,759 --> 00:16:26,360
next day, and then everyone just
split and never came back. Nature has

216
00:16:26,399 --> 00:16:30,799
been taking it back ever since.
And the entrance to that tunnel that goes

217
00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:33,399
to nowhere isn't more than a couple
of hundred yards from where I like to

218
00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:38,440
fish. I expect you wouldn't have
been able to hear yourself think down there

219
00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:44,440
when all the construction was going on, but it's quiet now. They closed

220
00:16:44,519 --> 00:16:48,159
up shop, chewed up the road
on the way out so no one could

221
00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:52,480
go mess it around down there and
set audios. But they hadn't counted on

222
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,399
me, and how much I liked
to fish. I don't guess they didn't

223
00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:00,600
figure on me being the nosy type, else they would have sealed that great

224
00:17:00,679 --> 00:17:06,480
hole up. The first day I
found that pond was also the first day

225
00:17:06,519 --> 00:17:11,839
I went snooping around inside. And
that's how I knew about the bats.

226
00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:17,799
I can take or leave. Snakes
and spiders and rats and wasp I may

227
00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:21,599
not like them, but they don't
bother me. But bats are a different

228
00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:26,519
thing altogether. I'd never cared one
way or the other about bats, because

229
00:17:26,519 --> 00:17:30,599
I'd only ever seen a couple.
But inside that tunnel, well that'll change

230
00:17:30,599 --> 00:17:36,359
your mind, all right, thousands
of them hanging there, quivering and twitching,

231
00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:41,799
and the derned floor of that tunnel
near covered with their droppings. The

232
00:17:41,839 --> 00:17:45,000
first time I went in there,
the smell was soul rank that it made

233
00:17:45,039 --> 00:17:48,720
me sneeze, And I guess the
racket woke them nasty devils up. They

234
00:17:48,799 --> 00:17:52,680
dropped off the roof and swarmed around, flying about one hundred miles an hour,

235
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:57,119
not out of the tunnel, just
around and around until they calmed down

236
00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:02,640
and they roosted again. I just
squatted down and covered my head. While

237
00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,480
it was going on. It had
been like standing in the middle of a

238
00:18:06,519 --> 00:18:11,720
pile of leaves and someone switching on
a leaf blower from every direction, except

239
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,759
that the leaves and the tunnel could
bite if they wanted to. Now I

240
00:18:15,759 --> 00:18:19,720
don't care if bats do eat mosquitoes. I hate the creepy little things,

241
00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,200
and I couldn't wait to get out
of there. I only went back in

242
00:18:23,279 --> 00:18:27,799
a couple of times after that,
and not very far either. I really

243
00:18:27,799 --> 00:18:33,559
didn't care if I never went back
inside again. They could have the tunnel,

244
00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,440
if I could have the pond.
But then the idea of making good

245
00:18:37,519 --> 00:18:41,440
money for not a lot of work
came up, and I started talking myself

246
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,960
into going back in and staying in
while I worked. It hadn't seemed so

247
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:51,240
bad an idea when I was talking
to James and mister Bigg and Zoli,

248
00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,039
But the more I thought about it
later, the more I wished I had

249
00:18:55,079 --> 00:19:00,519
said nothing. But still, a
deal is a deal. I went that

250
00:19:00,599 --> 00:19:06,720
Saturday morning to shovel up sixty gallons
of that mess. I tried to be

251
00:19:06,799 --> 00:19:11,240
smart about everything, but trying was
about as far as I got. If

252
00:19:11,279 --> 00:19:14,079
I had been on the ball,
I would have left all my buckets at

253
00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:17,960
the entrance in the daylight. I
could have filled up a couple and brought

254
00:19:18,039 --> 00:19:21,839
them out and got new buckets and
some fresh air. But I was in

255
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:26,279
a hurry to fill them and have
done with this place. I knew the

256
00:19:26,319 --> 00:19:30,519
whole time that if this worked,
mister beg and Zoli wasn't going to hush

257
00:19:30,599 --> 00:19:33,839
until he had me bringing him buckets
full every week. But I wasn't going

258
00:19:33,839 --> 00:19:38,440
to worry about that until later.
Instead of doing as I should have,

259
00:19:38,599 --> 00:19:42,880
I stacked all the buckets inside each
other and slid the handle of the shovel

260
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:48,000
through the wire loops, and I
put that shovel on my shoulder. I

261
00:19:48,039 --> 00:19:52,759
would have everything I needed. Once
I got in deep where that stuff really

262
00:19:52,799 --> 00:19:56,599
covered the ground, I would have
to make a half a dozen trips back

263
00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,680
in and out, but I could
go as fast as I wanted because the

264
00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:03,519
buck would be full by then,
and I would be done when I started

265
00:20:03,559 --> 00:20:08,279
fetching them back outside. I had
new batteries in the spotlight that's attached to

266
00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:14,079
my ball cap that I wear when
I go coon hunting or catfishing. I

267
00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,720
was hoping that the light wouldn't bother
the bat, since it would be pointed

268
00:20:17,799 --> 00:20:22,519
mostly straight down. The biggest part
of the time I was going to have

269
00:20:22,599 --> 00:20:25,720
the light, and this seemed the
best way to see in there. I

270
00:20:25,799 --> 00:20:30,079
wasn't worried about noise either. It
wasn't like I was going to be digging

271
00:20:30,119 --> 00:20:34,119
through hard dirt. I was just
scooping up bat droppings. It was my

272
00:20:34,279 --> 00:20:37,759
plan to have those buckets filled and
sitting in the back of my truck by

273
00:20:37,799 --> 00:20:44,200
early afternoon, and my reward for
a job well done was my cooler with

274
00:20:44,319 --> 00:20:48,279
two sandwiches and three high life sitting
on ice beside my favorite rod and reel

275
00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:53,000
in the truck. Twelve buckets of
bat crap and me catching a few fish

276
00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:57,519
was going to make for a good
day. The shoveling went better than I

277
00:20:57,599 --> 00:21:02,839
expected. The stuff was nasty and
it made my nose burn, but it

278
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:07,079
filled the shovel easily and fell into
the buckets quietly. If I moved my

279
00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:11,519
head wrong or too quickly, I
could hear the bats above me getting agitated

280
00:21:11,559 --> 00:21:15,799
at being disturbed, but I would
face the light towards the ground and they

281
00:21:15,799 --> 00:21:21,480
would settle down again. And I
stayed nervous the whole time, But as

282
00:21:21,559 --> 00:21:25,720
time passed, I learned how to
operate in there sort of live and let

283
00:21:25,799 --> 00:21:30,960
live situation. Everything went so well
that after I had the buckets filled,

284
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,759
I picked up one and used it
to really mash the guano down and pack

285
00:21:34,839 --> 00:21:38,960
the other buckets as tightly as I
could with the stuff so I could put

286
00:21:40,039 --> 00:21:44,839
more in each one. The buckets
weren't heavy even after being filled, so

287
00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,519
I tried to give mister Biggins only
his money's worth. Finally, when I

288
00:21:48,559 --> 00:21:52,200
couldn't pack it in anymore, I
reached down to get the first two buckets

289
00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:56,839
so I could haul them out.
That was when I heard the noises.

290
00:21:56,359 --> 00:22:02,680
It was a racket like I had
never heard before. If you ask me

291
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,160
while I was standing there in the
dark what was going on, I'd have

292
00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:10,960
guessed that a pack of dogs were
really having at each other the most awful

293
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,640
growling and yelping you've ever heard.
And there I was so deep in that

294
00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:21,240
tunnel that I couldn't see the outdoors
light or anything else. A ceiling full

295
00:22:21,279 --> 00:22:25,720
of bats were hanging over me the
most got awful fight up ahead of me,

296
00:22:26,519 --> 00:22:30,039
and there all was sitting in the
dark with twelve buckets of bat droppings.

297
00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,680
I was figuring out what I was
supposed to do next, and a

298
00:22:33,799 --> 00:22:38,000
scream came from up ahead, and
then a roar, like from an animal

299
00:22:38,039 --> 00:22:42,559
in one of the old Tarzan films. It took everything I had not to

300
00:22:42,599 --> 00:22:48,960
add my own droppings to the collection, and then everything went quiet. And

301
00:22:48,039 --> 00:22:52,759
if the bats had been disturbed by
all the growling and bellowing, they weren't

302
00:22:52,799 --> 00:22:56,640
showing it. The only, and
I mean the only reason why I picked

303
00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:00,559
up two buckets and started out was
because I knew I didn't want to be

304
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:04,319
in that tunnel come dark. When
the bat started waking up and leaving,

305
00:23:06,319 --> 00:23:08,680
I didn't want to go back out, but I didn't want to stay either.

306
00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:12,720
I didn't even want to go fishing
any longer. I just wanted to

307
00:23:12,759 --> 00:23:18,960
go home and sit quietly with every
damn light in the house on. I

308
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:22,880
took ten or more minutes just getting
back to where I could start seeing daylight

309
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:26,880
again, even carrying a bucket in
each hand. That I should have been

310
00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:30,559
back in five minutes or less,
but I was doing some slow walking because

311
00:23:30,599 --> 00:23:34,279
I was really afraid. I didn't
know what I was afraid of exactly,

312
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:40,000
but I was sure that I should
be. The ground was soft thanks to

313
00:23:40,079 --> 00:23:44,880
the bat droppings covering everything, so
I wasn't making any noise with my steps,

314
00:23:45,759 --> 00:23:48,000
and just as soon as I saw
the first signs of light, I

315
00:23:48,039 --> 00:23:52,400
turned off the light attached to my
cap. I didn't know if anything was

316
00:23:52,519 --> 00:23:56,200
up ahead, but if there was, I didn't want whatever it might be

317
00:23:56,359 --> 00:24:00,640
to know that I was in the
tunnel. Even slower than before, I

318
00:24:00,759 --> 00:24:07,240
continued to walk. I saw the
hump against the tunnel wall, but it

319
00:24:07,279 --> 00:24:11,039
didn't register with me that it was
anything, just a big, dark hump

320
00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,720
on the side of a dark tunnel. The light from outside spilled in,

321
00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:22,200
but only just so far. I
could see shadowy outlines, but not any

322
00:24:22,319 --> 00:24:26,240
details. Like when the sun is
first coming up in the morning, you

323
00:24:26,319 --> 00:24:30,880
can see but not all that well. The difference was that the sun was

324
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:34,160
already up as high as it was
going to get, but it wasn't going

325
00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:38,119
to get any brighter inside that tunnel, at least not back where I was

326
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:42,519
standing. So I took a deep
breath of that file smelling air, and

327
00:24:42,559 --> 00:24:48,960
I started walking again, creeping.
I inched my way closer and closer to

328
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,880
the entrance of that tunnel, and
I could feel the sweat rolling down my

329
00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:57,920
back, and there wasn't a sound
to be heard. Not even birds or

330
00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:03,240
breeze from outside was making any noise, and I just kept walking, seeing

331
00:25:03,279 --> 00:25:07,880
a little better with each step.
I began to feel better because I wasn't

332
00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,440
seeing anything moving up ahead. Well
that doesn't mean that I was skipping and

333
00:25:11,519 --> 00:25:15,920
whistling. I was still more scared
than I had ever been, but seeing

334
00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:22,480
nothing up ahead was making me feel
a little better. Whatever had made those

335
00:25:22,559 --> 00:25:26,480
terrible noises must have had their fracticing
gone on, and nothing could have made

336
00:25:26,559 --> 00:25:32,720
me happier. I didn't care what
had made all that terrifying racket, and

337
00:25:32,799 --> 00:25:36,720
I didn't care if I ever knew
or not. All I wanted was for

338
00:25:36,799 --> 00:25:38,920
the way to be clear so I
could get finished and get out of that

339
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:44,920
tunnel. If mister big and Zoli
like what I brought to him, I

340
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,279
would be glad to tell him where
I had gotten that stuff. Now,

341
00:25:48,759 --> 00:25:52,440
and I wasn't planning on ever coming
back here again. No amount of money

342
00:25:52,559 --> 00:25:59,599
was worth this. As I neared
the opening and could more or less see.

343
00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:04,559
Movement caught my eye. Everything was
still mostly shadows and dark, but

344
00:26:04,599 --> 00:26:10,119
the light was making it possible to
see outlines of things, and one of

345
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,319
those outlines moved. I stood very
still and I watched, but I did

346
00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:19,680
not see any more movement. It
finally dawned on me that what I had

347
00:26:19,759 --> 00:26:23,519
seen was like when you stack a
big pile of cloth or tarps up in

348
00:26:23,599 --> 00:26:29,359
a heap. Eventually a bit here
and there is going to shift as the

349
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:34,279
pile settles. That is what I
believe to have happened. Something had been

350
00:26:34,319 --> 00:26:37,799
piled up in a heap while I
was deeper in the tunnel, and it

351
00:26:37,839 --> 00:26:44,160
was beginning to settle. That was
what I had seen. Feeling better,

352
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,759
I moved closer to see what the
pile was. The pile of whatever it

353
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:52,480
was stank worse than the bat droppings. As I drew near to it,

354
00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,039
I sat my buckets down and I
pulled the collar of my T shirt up

355
00:26:56,079 --> 00:27:00,640
to cover my nose and mouth.
It wasn't going to help, but I

356
00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:06,680
did it anyway. I looked to
the tunnel entrance and I studied it carefully.

357
00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:10,400
I wanted to make sure I was
alone before I switched my cap light

358
00:27:10,519 --> 00:27:14,599
back on. As bad as I
wanted to be done with the work and

359
00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:18,240
away from there. I was awful
curious about the huge pile that I couldn't

360
00:27:18,279 --> 00:27:23,400
see any details of. I switched
the light on and bent my head down

361
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,079
so that the light wouldn't shine on
it, and then I stepped back,

362
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:32,559
holding a hand over my t shirt
covered mouth to keep me from screaming.

363
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:38,079
It was an animal, not just
any animal. It was the biggest thing

364
00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:42,799
I had ever seen, like something
in between a man and an ape,

365
00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:48,960
and it had huge patches of blood
matting down its fur in a dozen different

366
00:27:48,039 --> 00:27:53,039
places. Its mouth was wide open, like it had been trying to holler

367
00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:59,680
when it died, and blood was
staining its yellow teeth. Big gougers were

368
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:03,960
torn in its body, and you
could see dark blood pulled up on the

369
00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,960
ground from where it had dripped from
the fur. I watched its chest and

370
00:28:08,039 --> 00:28:11,680
I saw no movement at all,
and there were no sounds of any kind

371
00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:18,680
coming from this thing. The eyes
were still glassy. Whatever this thing was,

372
00:28:18,759 --> 00:28:22,559
it was dead, and it was
obvious that it was. The First

373
00:28:22,559 --> 00:28:27,039
thing I wondered was what could have
been strong enough to kill something so big?

374
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:33,279
And then I remembered the carrying on
that I had heard. Whatever this

375
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:38,160
thing had been scrapping with had beaten
it. I don't know if the sound

376
00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:42,440
made me look to the tunnel entrance, or if I looked and then I

377
00:28:42,559 --> 00:28:48,039
heard the sound. But as I
looked toward the light, while wondering about

378
00:28:48,079 --> 00:28:52,880
what had taken place, I heard
the scrapping and rustling of something moving in

379
00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:57,799
the bushes and deadfall just outside.
I stood there, frozen, but I

380
00:28:57,839 --> 00:29:03,680
did have enough sense to switch off
my light. Nothing ever terrified me as

381
00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,559
badly as when I was plunged back
into darkness again. I've been on my

382
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:11,240
own for many years, and that
was the first time I could recall praying

383
00:29:11,279 --> 00:29:15,599
that someone would come and get me. I was so scared that I was

384
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:21,480
having trouble breathing. It was as
if I couldn't remember how. And then

385
00:29:21,519 --> 00:29:27,200
a giant silhouette ambled into view.
It looked as though it could fill up

386
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:32,480
the entire entrance to the tunnel.
It couldn't. I mean, it was

387
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:36,359
big, but it wasn't that big. It just looked that way to me.

388
00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:41,079
It came walking in like it owned
the place, but it was favoring

389
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:45,240
something a hurt leg or a foot, or maybe it had some pain somewhere

390
00:29:45,319 --> 00:29:49,519
high or up. I didn't know, and I didn't care. I was

391
00:29:49,559 --> 00:29:53,400
guessing that it had been hurt during
that fight. I was guessing about the

392
00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:59,680
fight too. What I was seeing
was the only thing I could imagine being

393
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,200
la enough to have taken down that
thing at my feet. It might have

394
00:30:03,279 --> 00:30:07,680
won the fight, but it had
suffered in the doing. So. You

395
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:11,319
could tell by how it was moving. It was looking deep into the tunnel,

396
00:30:11,359 --> 00:30:15,640
directly toward where that thing lay dead, and the next thing it was

397
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,960
going to eventually see would be me. And I knew I didn't stand a

398
00:30:21,119 --> 00:30:26,440
chance against something that size, so
when it turned its head to check behind

399
00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:30,319
it, I dropped immediately to the
ground, and I used the dead thing

400
00:30:30,359 --> 00:30:33,680
as a shield or a barrier.
I lay there on the ground that was

401
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,759
covered in bat droppings, and I
huddled up against that stinking animal for a

402
00:30:37,839 --> 00:30:42,640
long time without making a sound.
I was listening to hear what the other

403
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:48,599
one was doing, but no sounds
came from it. After a while,

404
00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:52,960
I crept up onto my knees and
I peeked out over the dead body and

405
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:56,960
the one that had come in had
laid itself down in between where I was

406
00:30:56,039 --> 00:31:00,680
and the tunnel entrance, and it
was just sprawled out there. I didn't

407
00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:06,000
know if it was tired or hurt
bad or just guarding its trophy after the

408
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:10,440
kill. All I knew for sure
was if the thing didn't know I was

409
00:31:10,519 --> 00:31:14,519
there, at least not yet,
And that was the only good thing that

410
00:31:14,559 --> 00:31:18,799
had happened all day. I was
guessing that I had enough of that bat

411
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:23,680
smell on me from working that the
thing up ahead couldn't smell me for three

412
00:31:23,759 --> 00:31:27,799
or four hours or so. I
laid there. Every now and then I

413
00:31:27,799 --> 00:31:33,440
would hear it breathe loudly or growl
or rumble, and it would shift its

414
00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:36,599
position now and then, but for
the most part, it just sort of

415
00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:41,079
sat there or laid there. I
kept wanting to sneeze, but I would

416
00:31:41,079 --> 00:31:45,599
pinch my nose until the feeling went
away. My throat and eyes were burning,

417
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,359
and I was beginning to wonder if
I would ever get out of that

418
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:55,039
tunneling back to my truck. At
some point I began asking myself if the

419
00:31:55,079 --> 00:31:59,480
thing up ahead might actually eat the
thing that I was laying beside, and

420
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,200
if it came back to do that
there was no way I could remain hidden.

421
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:07,240
I couldn't slip past the thing up
ahead, and I couldn't go anywhere

422
00:32:07,279 --> 00:32:10,000
but further back into the tunnel.
But that was a dead end filled with

423
00:32:10,079 --> 00:32:15,279
thousands of bats, and I really
was starting to come unwound. I couldn't

424
00:32:15,319 --> 00:32:21,000
stop my hands from shaking, and
honestly, I really wanted to cry.

425
00:32:21,279 --> 00:32:24,839
I was so scared and frustrated.
And then I heard the thing up ahead

426
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:29,599
of me began to grunt, and
I watched as it rolled over on to

427
00:32:29,759 --> 00:32:34,640
its knees and heaved itself off the
ground until it was standing again. And

428
00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,119
when it moved forward, that is
to say, it moved toward the dead

429
00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:42,480
one that I was hiding behind,
I was sure that my life was about

430
00:32:42,519 --> 00:32:46,079
to be over. I didn't have
any regret spring to mind, but I

431
00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:50,720
remember thinking that I would like a
few more years, and that I didn't

432
00:32:50,759 --> 00:32:53,920
want to leave this world ripped apart, with all of my pieces scattered around

433
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:59,799
for bats to crap on. That
big thing up ahead looked toward the dead

434
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:04,440
end and bellowed or roared so loudly
that I ducked my head, and I

435
00:33:04,519 --> 00:33:08,960
prayed that it would stop the sound
bouncing off that tunnel wall was not just

436
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:15,000
terrible, it was deafening. I
don't know why it stood there and yelled

437
00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:21,359
some animal thing I'll never understand,
I don't guess. But when it had

438
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:27,640
gone quiet again, it turned and
began limping toward the entrance. I watched

439
00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:30,440
it until I couldn't see it any
longer, and then I listened until I

440
00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:36,039
couldn't hear anything. That was when
I finally stood for the first time in

441
00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:42,079
hours, and I started toward the
entrance. I didn't run, but I

442
00:33:42,119 --> 00:33:45,559
didn't poke around either. I walked
as fast as I could while listening.

443
00:33:46,319 --> 00:33:50,319
For all I knew, that thing
could step back in the tunnel at any

444
00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:53,920
time. I reached the edge of
the opening, and I squinted in the

445
00:33:54,039 --> 00:33:59,160
light, even though the sun was
starting to fade a little. Only then

446
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:02,640
did I remember all those buckets of
bat droppings. As far as I know,

447
00:34:04,079 --> 00:34:07,519
they're still sitting in there where I
left them, because I didn't go

448
00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:12,519
back for a single one of them. When I saw nothing outside, I

449
00:34:12,599 --> 00:34:15,360
ran like the devil was after me, and I didn't stop until I reached

450
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:20,679
my truck and I climbed in,
and I tried three or four times turned

451
00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:24,239
the key before I could control my
hands enough to start the engine, and

452
00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:29,400
I backed up so far and so
fast that I set a pretty deep ding

453
00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:32,719
in my truck bumper against a tree. But when I shifted into Ford,

454
00:34:34,079 --> 00:34:37,480
I wasn't caring about a dent and
a galvanized bumper. All I cared about

455
00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:44,559
was getting home. I never ate
that night after making it home. I

456
00:34:44,599 --> 00:34:49,159
didn't drink as many high lifes as
I thought I might. All I did

457
00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:53,239
was sit there and tremble. After
three showers, I could still smell the

458
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:59,559
bat crap and that thing I had
hidden behind. It was Monday morning before

459
00:34:59,599 --> 00:35:04,280
I started to getting an appetite again. I stopped where I often did.

460
00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:07,679
I ate a bite before driving over
to see mister bigg and Zoli. He

461
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:13,840
was all smiles until I told him
that I didn't have anything for him.

462
00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:16,679
Now. I didn't lie and make
up a story about why I had failed

463
00:35:16,679 --> 00:35:22,960
to come through. I just didn't
say much of anything. He was quiet

464
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,480
when he took the thirty dollars that
I offered him for the shovel in the

465
00:35:25,519 --> 00:35:30,519
twelve buckets that I had not come
back with. He didn't seem all that

466
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:35,519
mad, but he hasn't called me
about any other work since that day.

467
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:38,480
I guess he was disappointed that I
let him down, but I can live

468
00:35:38,559 --> 00:35:43,920
with that. The fact that I
was alive at all was enough for me.

469
00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:47,719
Haven't been back to my favorite place
to fish since that day either.

470
00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:52,159
I don't know if I'm ever going
to go back there. I thought about

471
00:35:52,199 --> 00:35:58,679
reporting what had happened to the wildlife
people or the Sheriff's department. I didn't

472
00:35:58,679 --> 00:36:01,599
think they would believe me, not
even enough to go in there and see

473
00:36:01,639 --> 00:36:06,360
for themselves. But if they did, I didn't want to take the chance

474
00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,400
of someone not being as lucky as
I had been. I guess someone could

475
00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:15,800
happen up on that place and do
that bit of poking around, but I

476
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:20,079
had never seen much sign of anyone
going down there, not much around the

477
00:36:20,159 --> 00:36:24,000
pond and none around the mouth of
that tunnel. So I just stayed quiet

478
00:36:24,079 --> 00:36:29,480
to everyone until I decided to write
it down and send it to Cam's program.

479
00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:32,719
The listeners here are about the only
ones I thought might believe me.

480
00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:38,199
So that's my story. Think of
it what you will. I was not

481
00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:42,599
brave when it happened, and I
was not brave enough to go back to

482
00:36:42,639 --> 00:36:45,800
try to hunt it down. I
was scared, and I don't mind admitting

483
00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:51,079
it. You can all say or
think whatever you want, but I know

484
00:36:51,199 --> 00:36:53,280
that you would have been scared too,