WEBVTT 1 00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:14.240 I grew up in northeast Iowa, where my older sister and I spent most 2 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:19.359 of our childhood playing in the meadows and woods around our property. She was 3 00:00:19.399 --> 00:00:23.079 two years older than me, and we had a neighbor friend who was between 4 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:27.920 us in age. Most of our days were filled with fishing and catching frogs, 5 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:33.000 and playing make believe and conquering the world. There was a pond down 6 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:36.679 the hill from our house where a lot of this took place. North of 7 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:41.600 it was twenty acres of timber that provided an excellent spot to hunt for mushrooms 8 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:45.759 in the spring or to cool down in the shade during the hot summer months, 9 00:00:46.119 --> 00:00:51.359 and to us it was paradise. West of that timber was a green, 10 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.759 inviting pasture full of long grass that made the perfect bed to lie in 11 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.840 when we wanted to watch the clouds. And the land was owned by Miss 12 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:03.920 Lyndall, who had fenced it off, but he was a neighbor of ours 13 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.000 who lived down the road, and he had given us permission to play wherever 14 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:12.359 we wanted. The meadow included its own pond that was roughly an acre in 15 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:17.359 size, and we spent as much time fishing and playing around it as we 16 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:19.719 did our own pond, and that was where we were headed. The day 17 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:25.200 that we had our first encounter. My sister, who was ten at the 18 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:29.640 time, decided it would be a great place to play that day. Our 19 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:33.879 neighbor friend and I weren't going to argue, so off we set, and, 20 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.239 pretending to be on a safari, we hacked our way through the timber 21 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:42.319 that had become a fearsome jungle full of venomous snakes and giant spiders and man 22 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:48.439 eating tigers and howler monkeys screaming overhead, and sunlight broke through the edge of 23 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:52.040 the woods, and we paused to stare out across the white savannah, where 24 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:57.959 the neighbor's dairy cattle became zebras and giraffes and elephants and rhinos. I checked 25 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:01.879 the BB gun that I converted to a buffalo rifle to make sure I had 26 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:07.920 enough AMMO, and then I advised my fellow adventurers to do the same. 27 00:02:07.800 --> 00:02:14.560 We were headed into uncharted territory. Now there was a watering hole up ahead, 28 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:17.159 but first we would have to make it to the thorny umbrella tree, 29 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:22.439 and once there we would edge our way across the reeds of the pond and 30 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:25.919 carefully pick our way past the giant crocodiles waiting there to eat us whole. 31 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:30.680 And then there would be a hippopotamus that might come charging out of the water 32 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:35.759 to run us down on the land and grab us with their huge, gaping 33 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:39.599 jaws. But we were ready for them. After all, we were carrying 34 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:46.199 the same rifles that had killed tarannosauruses the day before. My sister lifted her 35 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:52.159 finger to her mouth to indicate absolute silence as we quietly worked our way around 36 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:54.960 the far side of the pond, where we were sure that we would capture 37 00:02:55.080 --> 00:03:00.840 the giant anaconda that had been eating all the villagers, and then we would 38 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:05.919 take part in a big celebration and be treated as he rose. But imagine 39 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:09.000 our surprise when as we rounded the far side of the pond we noticed a 40 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:14.719 man with a red beard sitting there fishing. He wasn't there when we were 41 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.960 battling the crocodiles, at least, we had not seen him, and we 42 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:23.800 didn't notice him during the great Hippo uprising. He wasn't there then. He 43 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:30.560 was What are you kids doing here? He growled at us. We're playing, 44 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.919 My sister said, defiantly, after all, we had permission to be 45 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:38.840 there. Well, you need to leave, he demanded. The owner of 46 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:43.639 this land doesn't like people out here. Mister Lindall, lets us play out 47 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:47.560 here whenever we want. My sister argued, well, I'm the caretaker here, 48 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:53.400 the man said, and I say get back. Then. Kids didn't 49 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:55.719 argue with adults, and we had already done more of that than we were 50 00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:00.639 comfortable with. The old man had frightened us. We did what any kids 51 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:05.439 would have done. We took tail and ran, and at home we called 52 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:11.879 mister Lindall and told him what happened. I'm the only caretaker on my land, 53 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.240 he assured us. I don't know who that man is, but I 54 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:18.120 promise you, anytime you kids want, you can play in that meadow. 55 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:24.639 It was an odd incident, but we were children, and children are resilient. 56 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.800 Life went on as it always did, and we never gave another thought 57 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:32.959 to the strange man by the pond. Several years later, when I was 58 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:38.800 seventeen, I was dating a guy named Tony who liked to hunt, and 59 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:42.519 my dad gave him permission to hunt that twenty acre patch of woods where my 60 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:46.680 sister and I played as kids. One morning he came back from squirrel hunting, 61 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:51.199 and he shared a strange story with us. It was the weirdest thing, 62 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:55.959 he said. I hadn't been out there long, and I know I 63 00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:00.759 was all alone. I had to move slowly because every step I told crunched 64 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:04.079 in the leaves. No matter how careful I was, it was impossible to 65 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:09.120 be completely quiet. And that's why I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked 66 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:13.079 up and I saw that man just standing there. It was like he appeared 67 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:16.519 out of thin air. He described the man as having a red beard, 68 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:21.279 and right away Tony asked him what he was doing there on private land, 69 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:27.160 and the man answered that he was a caretaker of the land. A cold 70 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:30.480 chill ran down my spine as I immediately was taken back to that day by 71 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:38.040 the pond. Our man had a red beard. Our man proclaimed himself caretaker 72 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:43.360 of the land. Was he the same guy? I told Tony my story, 73 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:46.639 and we both marveled at the coincidence. We didn't speak about it much 74 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:50.720 after that, but over the years I thought often of that strange man. 75 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:57.600 Ten years later, Tony and I were married and we purchased the pond from 76 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:03.040 my dad. Dad had a The land had become neglected and overrun with multifloral 77 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:09.079 roses and saplings. The dam that kept the water in the pond had long 78 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:13.879 since washed away, leaving the water level very low. The land was no 79 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:17.720 longer in its prime. For the next twenty years, we set out to 80 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:24.040 repair the dam and make the property a showplace. Tony put his whole heart 81 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:27.439 and soul into it, and he cleared away the brush in the trees, 82 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:31.879 and he planted several gardens, and he built rock walls and installed well groomed 83 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:39.160 paths. Eventually we built a house overlooking the pond. But Tony never stopped 84 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:44.160 working on the land. And then one Saturday morning, he was out working 85 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:47.360 in the gardens when movement caught his eye. He looked up and saw a 86 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:53.240 man with a white beard standing on the hill. They locked eyes for a 87 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:57.639 moment, and then he lifted his hand and gave Tony a thumbs up sign. 88 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:02.519 It was as if he was passing the mantle. We've been married for 89 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:08.439 forty six years now, and since that Saturday morning, we've never seen the 90 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:12.720 man again. I don't know where he came from or where he went. 91 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:16.680 I don't expect that we'll ever see him again. He knows that Tony will 92 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:25.319 take care of things, and the land has a new caretaker now. When 93 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:29.360 I was a young child living in Bountiful, Utah, I remember driving up 94 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:33.360 the street toward our house wants to see emergency lights lighting up the whole area. 95 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:38.959 Since it was a long straight street, we could see the red and 96 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:43.639 blue flashing lights from a long way off. The closer we got home, 97 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:46.839 the more concern my parents became, and it looked like those fire trucks and 98 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:51.720 police cars were parked in front of our house. The relief they felt when 99 00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:58.120 they realized that the emergency wasn't happening at our house was quickly replaced with fears 100 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:03.120 for our neighbors. It was their house that had burned. The fire was 101 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.959 out by the time we got there, and burned furnishings were being thrown out 102 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:13.240 of the upper story window into the yard, and I remember particularly seeing a 103 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:18.800 huge, singed teddy bear that I wished was mine. When we pulled up, 104 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:22.040 the police environment asked my dad if he would come with them, apparently 105 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:26.759 to identify a victim. I don't know why no one saw me following my 106 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:31.039 dad, but I remember seeing a fireman pulled back a blanket to reveal the 107 00:08:31.200 --> 00:08:37.120 lady with a dirty face, and she was sleeping under it. That was 108 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:41.840 how my young mind processed it, and years later my mother was mortified when 109 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:45.679 I mentioned that I had followed dad across the yard and I had seen her. 110 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:50.919 I also remember seeing a man run across the yard to the officers in 111 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.159 front of his house. He was the husband of one of the two victims. 112 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:58.799 My dad only viewed one of the victims because the other one was apparently 113 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:03.960 beyond recognition. The woman I saw was found a few feet from the door, 114 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:09.279 as though she was trying to escape. She died of smoke inhalation, 115 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:13.840 and her mother was found on the upper floor. She had fallen asleep while 116 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:18.639 smoking in bed. For days after this, every time my siblings and I 117 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:22.840 went outside to play in our backyard, my mother would call us back into 118 00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:28.519 the house. No amount of whining or arguing would change her mind. Even 119 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:35.360 got scolded once for sneaking back outside. Now this was unusual because Mom had 120 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:39.279 always pushed us out the door to go play and it kept us out of 121 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:43.159 her hair when she was doing housework. Back then, every week or so, 122 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:48.120 Grandma would come over and watch us so that mom and dad could have 123 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:52.159 a night out. A couple of days after the fire was one of those 124 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:56.600 nights. Suddenly, my grandmother got very upset and sent us to our rooms, 125 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:00.799 and we didn't know what we had done, but we were worried that 126 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:05.679 we were going to be punished for upsetting grandma. When Mom and Dad got 127 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:11.360 home, we listened from our rooms as Grandma told her story through loud sobs. 128 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:15.600 We weren't clear on what she said, and Mom and Dad did not 129 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:20.759 punish us, so we were left in the dark. The strange days following 130 00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:26.759 the fire remained a mystery to my siblings and I for years. Eventually, 131 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:31.440 when we were much older, it all came out in a conversation. Only 132 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:35.200 then did we learn why my mother acted so strangely and why my grandmother was 133 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:41.200 so upset. My mother had a gift. It came to her after an 134 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:46.080 incident when she was eighteen. It isn't my place to share her story. 135 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:50.480 That experience scared her, However, it lifted the veil for her and she 136 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:56.759 was able to see those around us that others can't. The reason my mother 137 00:10:56.879 --> 00:11:01.000 kept calling us kids back inside when we were in the back yard was because 138 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:05.720 the lady who fell asleep smoking was coming into our backyard and my mother could 139 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:11.159 see her. She would call us inside because she was worried that the lady 140 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:15.639 would upset us, but we could not see her, though only my mother 141 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:20.399 could. The situation with my grandmother was a bit different. What she had 142 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:26.080 said to my parents through her tears was don't ask me to babysit your kids 143 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:30.919 as long as that dead woman is walking around. Your Dad and I immediately 144 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:35.879 looked at each other in surprise. Mom told us the only person I had 145 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:39.679 said anything about the woman too, was our dad. Grandma had no way 146 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:45.480 of knowing what was going on, and this was confirmation to our dad that 147 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:50.440 our mom was telling the truth. The next day, Mom was in the 148 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:54.720 bedroom folding laundry when she started feeling like she was being watched. She looked 149 00:11:54.799 --> 00:12:00.200 up, expecting one of us kids to be standing there, but instead she 150 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:05.320 came face to face with that woman. She said this was the only time 151 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:09.600 she had ever seen her inside our home, and she was surprised by the 152 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:16.039 unexpected trespass, and Mom got angry. She was a no nonsense kind of 153 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:20.440 person, and she could be a bit aggressive and in her anger. She 154 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:24.399 confronted the ghostly entity by saying, what the hell are you doing in my 155 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:30.279 house? And when the spirit didn't answer but gave her a confused look, 156 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:33.759 she added, don't you know that you're dead? You died in a fire 157 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:39.879 three days ago. You're not welcome here, so leave. It was the 158 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:46.200 last time my mom ever saw the woman's spirit. The man next door remarried. 159 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.679 Not long after that, his new wife and my mom became well acquainted. 160 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:56.480 She often confided in my mom that strange things often happened in her home, 161 00:12:56.120 --> 00:13:01.080 things that she could not explain. One thing that bothered her a lot 162 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:05.120 was the fact that she could never get the door to the upstairs bedroom to 163 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:09.080 open. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't open for her. 164 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:13.440 But when her husband tried it, it opened up without any trouble at all. 165 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:20.799 Reluctantly, and after a lot of internal debate, Mom eventually told a 166 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:24.120 new wife about the ghost she had seen and in that room where she had 167 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:30.720 died. Needless to say, the neighbors immediately moved away, most likely at 168 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:35.039 the new wife's insistence. Mom did a little research after that, and she 169 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:39.399 didn't mention to anyone that the dead neighbor's ghost was hanging out in our backyard. 170 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:43.679 But she asked some other other neighbors a few questions and learned that the 171 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:48.559 woman who died but wouldn't leave had made herself such a nuisance to the people 172 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.639 who lived in our house before us that they moved to get away from her. 173 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:56.679 Well, Mom thought maybe that lady was coming to our house looking for 174 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:03.720 her friend who had moved. Years later, I was visiting my optometrist, 175 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:09.399 whose office now sits directly across from where those two houses are. I struck 176 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:11.919 up a conversation with the ladies in the front office, and I told them 177 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:18.039 about the fire and the ghosts that kept visiting us. Afterwards, the next 178 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:22.240 time I came in for an appointment, my optometrist said, oh, by 179 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:26.200 the way, thanks for telling my staff about that home across the street. 180 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:30.840 They won't go into the basement now, they say they're afraid because of your 181 00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:33.559 story. Now I'm the one who has to go down to the basement to 182 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:41.159 get everything. Thanks. Recently, the entire block where these houses were located 183 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:45.679 was leveled to make room for new houses. I have an appointment with my 184 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:50.320 optometrists soon. I know it isn't nice. But I'm tempted to ask them, 185 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:52.879 now that the old houses have been demolished, where do you think the 186 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:58.840 ghosts have gone? Maybe they've moved over here. What can I say? 187 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:05.960 Everyone has to have a hobby. In nineteen eighty five, a friend and 188 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.679 I were tent camping in the Sierras at a place called Meadow Lake. We 189 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:13.919 set up along the shoreline and we spent our days four wheeling around the area. 190 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:18.159 At night, we would sit around the campfire and drink cold beer while 191 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:24.360 reliving the joys of the day's explorations. It was a great time that for 192 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:28.720 the most part I remember with great fondness. It would have been a perfect 193 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:33.840 trip if not for one thing. On the last night, as we were 194 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:37.279 enjoying our beers around the fire, we began to hear some strange sounds from 195 00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:43.000 across the lake. We were both fairly well versed in the sounds of nature 196 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:46.120 in that area, and neither of us was what you'd call a rookie, 197 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:52.840 but even so we could not rightly identify what was making these sounds. We 198 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:56.759 each took turns speculating at what it could be, and then listened as the 199 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:02.720 other one gave arguments as to why it could not be that. It was 200 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:07.320 a strange whooping sound, definitely too loud to be any small creature like an 201 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:11.440 owl or a fox. Even wolves seemed too small to make a sound like 202 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:15.000 that, and I could see them making a sound similar to it, but 203 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:21.519 this was deeper and it sounded louder. Well. After a while we gave 204 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:25.840 up on trying to figure out what it was. Anyway, it was all 205 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:29.279 the way across the lake and we were tired, and it seemed to have 206 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:33.360 died down. Maybe whatever was out there had moved on. It was late, 207 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:38.240 and so we decided to turn in for the night. Sometime between one 208 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:42.080 and two a m. I woke up to the call of nature, and 209 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:45.759 as I climbed out of my tent, I realized that my bladder wasn't the 210 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:52.039 only thing calling. Something out there was making a weird woofing sound, and 211 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.159 it was closer now, and for the life of me, I still couldn't 212 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:57.879 figure out what it was. I had to study for a minute whether I 213 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:03.440 wanted to step into the tree line to relieve myself or not. My imagination 214 00:17:03.680 --> 00:17:08.079 was taking over and I could picture multiple things out there whooping and growling, 215 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:11.599 and my mind was telling me it was big enough to eat me, and 216 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:15.960 hungry enough to do so while I was still breathing. But on the other 217 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:19.799 hand, my bladder was telling me to walk myself into the woods or explain 218 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:25.519 to my camping buddy why my sleeping bag was soaked and smelled of urine. 219 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:30.559 So I went into the woods. I stood there in the dark, and 220 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:34.039 I was aware that the sounds were coming from multiple directions. There was more 221 00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:38.839 than one, and that feeling of being watched crawled up my spine and blossomed 222 00:17:38.920 --> 00:17:44.400 into goose bumps all over my body. My heart was beating a little too 223 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:48.440 fast, and my breath was coming a little too hard, and I hurried 224 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:52.839 back to the tent and nearly jumped out of my skin when a disembodied voice 225 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:56.319 asked, do you hear that? Well? It was my buddy, and 226 00:17:56.400 --> 00:18:00.519 he too had been awakened and was feeling about as concerned as I was. 227 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:07.000 We spent a few minutes trying to locate the calls determine how many of them 228 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:10.200 there might be out there, and then we built up the fire that we 229 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:15.119 had let die down earlier. I loaded my rifle and took it into the 230 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:18.400 tent with me, and my buddy did the same with a large caliber handgun. 231 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:23.279 We didn't sleep much that night, and as we laid there listening, 232 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:30.119 something walked around the camp inside the tree line. Occasional grunting sounds followed. 233 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:36.200 The crunching of the leaves and twigs, and those whooping howls continued until nearly 234 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:41.640 sunrise, and then it all stopped. Once the sun had cleared the horizon, 235 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:45.720 we climbed out of the tent. We swallowed down some hastily made coffee, 236 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:51.839 and we packed up and we left. It's forty years later and I 237 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:55.759 still don't have an answer for what we heard that night. I suspect that 238 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:59.640 I know, but how can I prove it. Most people wouldn't believe me. 239 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:02.680 Those who do, half of them would tell me my life was in 240 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:06.079 deep danger that night, while the other half would tell me I was a 241 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:08.599 fool not to load up a peace pipe and pow wow with the damn thing. 242 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:14.839 That's the problem. When something has never been identified, recognized, and 243 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:22.759 classified, you could never know for sure. All right, A couple of 244 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:26.880 videos, I'm sorry, a couple of videos. Back. I did a 245 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:30.759 story and at the end of the story, I said, sounds like a 246 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:34.839 ghost dog man and just I don't know. Off the hip, I said, 247 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:40.400 somebody write me a story about a ghost dog man or a dog man 248 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:44.279 ghost, and believe it or not, someone did. Now, this person 249 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:49.119 has sent a story before, and I didn't do it because in the introduction 250 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:55.200 of their email they said they had sent it to me and another channel that 251 00:19:55.319 --> 00:20:00.559 does this. Whenever I get those, I just delete those emails to the 252 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:03.920 other channel and let them have it because I have so many to do. 253 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:08.680 I have over two thousand now. I have write out two thousand emails in 254 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:15.559 my inbox. Probably fifteen hundred of them I have not even opened, but 255 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.839 I know they have stories in them, and I'm guessing out of that two 256 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:23.319 thousand, there's probably about twelve hundred stories. The rest of the emails are 257 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:27.839 just emails that I haven't been able to get to. It's hard to keep 258 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:32.559 up with all these emails, but I save them in my inbox and they're 259 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:36.519 there. Anyway. I'm getting off on a tangent, but this person wrote 260 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:41.319 a story about a ghost dog man and I haven't read it all. I'm 261 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:45.119 just going to read it cold. It's fiction. Obviously, I've read a 262 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:48.000 couple of paragraphs of it, and it's really good. So you guys, 263 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:51.599 hang on to the old weaves. It's going to be a good He watched 264 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:55.039 from the shadow of the woods. It's all he could do now, just 265 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:59.759 watch and wait and plan. He once had a body. He didn't know 266 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:03.880 how long ago it had been. Even when he had a solid form, 267 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:07.960 he barely noticed the passing of time. Now time had no meaning at all. 268 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:12.519 When he slept, it wasn't really sleep, as he had no body 269 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:17.920 to lie down nor eyes to close. But during the day he sometimes would 270 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:21.960 drift in his mind into the memories of when he was solid and strong. 271 00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:26.839 He would escape into the past, when his muscles were bulging and his teeth 272 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:32.039 were razors sharp and his claws could tear through metal. He remembered when he 273 00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:34.720 would chase down elk or moose, and the taste of their blood in the 274 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:40.000 back of his throat. He thought it would last forever, and he feared 275 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:44.200 nothing and no one. Beasts and man were nothing to him but food and 276 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:48.680 entertainment, and when his stomach was full, he would feed on their fear. 277 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:53.759 His appetites were insatiable. Back then, the villagers knew that he was 278 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:59.079 in the woods, stalking them, taking them at will to feed on or 279 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:03.119 to toy with it as he pleased. Their paranoia and uneased was a constant 280 00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:08.240 supply, filling the emptiness in his soul. He had laughed at the night 281 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:14.119 they came for him with their pitchforks and muskets. The whole village poured into 282 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:18.480 the forest. Oh what fun, he thought, What a fantastic game. 283 00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:22.920 He would let some of them live so he could savor their fear and despair. 284 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:29.839 He hadn't seen the old woman they protected in their midst Even if he 285 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:33.160 had seen her, he would have discarded the ancient, tiny human, so 286 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:37.079 bent over with age, she looked like nothing more than an old, twisted 287 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:41.480 root. But if he had paid any attention to her, he would have 288 00:22:41.559 --> 00:22:48.279 felt the ancient power coming off her in waves. As it was, he 289 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:52.039 was reveling in the delight of the chase, and he would let the men 290 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:56.160 corner him, and then, just as they descended on him in triumph, 291 00:22:56.240 --> 00:23:00.720 he would surge forward, slashing with his claws and biting with his teeth, 292 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:04.799 and he would bathe in the spray of their blood. If he hadn't been 293 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:08.359 so arrogant, he might have noticed the old woman in the sun. She 294 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:12.480 was making in the air. The traces of light would follow her hands as 295 00:23:12.519 --> 00:23:18.599 she made intricate designs, enchanted words so old only the rocks remembered their origin. 296 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:23.279 He had not been reveling in the gore of his fallen victims, he 297 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:29.240 would have seen her draw an old blade from under her cloak. Even if 298 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:33.319 he had seen it, he would have laughed at the antique blade. It 299 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:37.640 was old and dull, notched with a simple wooden handle, and it seemed 300 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:42.000 to hold no threat to him at all. The men had started to cower 301 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:45.279 and run, and he was in his glory, and they clumped together in 302 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:51.279 their last stand, so he didn't notice when the men parted and the ancient 303 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:56.599 woman stepped out with an old secret word and plunged the knife into his heart. 304 00:23:57.319 --> 00:24:00.640 He wouldn't have fought. The old friendl woman had enough strength to kill 305 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:04.799 a puppy, But the blade bit into him and sank through his thick skin, 306 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:11.640 piercing his life's source. For the first and last time. He felt 307 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:15.480 real pain, and he felt real fear for the first time, but it 308 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:22.119 would not be his last. He couldn't remember what happened next, He just 309 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:26.119 remembered coming too much later. He was confused and afraid, and he had 310 00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:30.920 never felt these things before, and he hated it, and he wanted revenge, 311 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:36.519 and he saw red as he raced through the woods toward the village. 312 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:40.839 He would tear down that old crone limb from limb, But first he would 313 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:44.880 find her many children and eviscerate them in front of her, and then he 314 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:48.200 would take his time with that old woman who dared to bring fear and pain 315 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:53.359 upon him. Upon arriving at the village, he didn't even try to hide 316 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:57.200 himself, so he was very surprised when the people did not react to his 317 00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:03.200 presence. Then would look at him, but it was like they were looking 318 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:07.160 through him. He could tell some of them since his presence their eyes would 319 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:11.000 dart about, looking for the source of their unease. But it wasn't until 320 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:17.440 he came upon the offspring of the old woman that he was seen. The 321 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:21.279 old woman, summoned by her children, came out of her hut and spoken 322 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:26.400 to the darkness, you are vanished from this place. You have no power 323 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:30.240 over us, and I command you to go back into the darkness. From 324 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:34.079 whence you came. I took your body from you, and you know you 325 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:38.599 were doomed to roam the earth and able to hurt humans any longer. Go 326 00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:45.519 now to your eternal damnation and leave the living bee. You are not welcome 327 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:49.319 here. And with that, the old woman turned her back on him and 328 00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:56.160 went inside her hut. He had never been so insulted and angry, and 329 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:00.200 he raged and screamed and howled. He was soaked ground with their blood. 330 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:03.799 But when he tried to grab the old woman's son and tear his head from 331 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:08.160 his body, his hands went right through the man. It was then that 332 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:14.079 he realized he no longer had form. They had taken his body somehow, 333 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:17.920 and all that was left was his thoughts and his shadow where his bone and 334 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:22.519 muscle once were. For years, he sat in the forest and stewed in 335 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:27.079 his anger. His hatred grew as he watched the old woman grow even older, 336 00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:32.680 until she finally passed away. And it was an empty victory when she 337 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:37.079 passed. There was no triumph for him in the neutral way of things, 338 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:41.240 only in fear and chaos. He stayed at the far edges of the village, 339 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:45.400 and her children could see him, and if he tried to infiltrate their 340 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:49.640 homes to use what little power he had left, which was fear. They 341 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:53.880 would make the same symbol in the air and speak the ancient words, and 342 00:26:53.960 --> 00:26:59.160 he was forced deeper back into the woods. So he watched, and he 343 00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:03.200 waited in his hunger, and his anger grew by the day, and by 344 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:08.640 the decade. He satisfied himself by singling out those who wandered too far into 345 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:15.440 the forest. He used his only power left, fear. No one could 346 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:18.079 see him anymore, not since the old Woman had passed out of the memory 347 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:22.079 of the living. A few could sense him, and he delighted in these 348 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:26.920 few. He would stalk them through the forest and feed on their uncertainty and 349 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:32.759 u knees. But then came a time that even the old woman's descendants could 350 00:27:32.759 --> 00:27:37.319 not even sense him, and they walked through the woods freely. They cut 351 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:40.240 down the trees, and they built homes, and he could do nothing but 352 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:45.680 watch from the shadows and curse his impotence. Every now and then a child 353 00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:49.799 would be born that could sense him, and he would have to satisfy himself 354 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:55.359 with tormenting their minds. But that's all he could do. He no longer 355 00:27:55.400 --> 00:28:00.359 had the power to physically affect them, until one day a boy was born 356 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:04.119 that could see him. Oh, what a glorious day that was. He 357 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:07.920 watched the young boy grow, and he watched the boy's love for the forest 358 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:12.559 also grow. And when he was a small boy, he was always accompanied 359 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:17.279 by his father or his uncles as they taught him the ways of the woods. 360 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:21.519 He waited patiently, as he did not want the boy to be forbidden 361 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:26.319 to enter into the deep forest. And finally the day came when the boy 362 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:30.680 was grown enough and the men allowed him to enter the woods alone. And 363 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:33.519 looking back, he wished he had been more patient, But he had waited 364 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:38.119 for so very long that he attacked immediately, forgetting that his claws and teeth 365 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:45.680 had no more force than smoking fog. The boy fled in terror back to 366 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:48.759 a safe house, and he never entered the forest again, and he grew 367 00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:52.839 to be a man. And then he left for many, many years, 368 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:56.400 And when the man's father died, he came back with a wife and a 369 00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:00.480 small baby girl to live in the family home. Now he had been so 370 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:04.960 alone for so many years, having this new family to watch as his delight, 371 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:10.519 and in this family he could find a way to exact his revenge and 372 00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:17.160 satisfy the never ending hunger inside of him. He soon learned that the baby 373 00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:21.960 girl could not only see him, but she could sense him nearby. Oh. 374 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:25.279 He had not felt this alive since the old Crone took his body. 375 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:30.640 He had been the Apex predator for millennia. The mere mention of him sent 376 00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:34.240 humans fleeing in panic. But he had long been forgotten and was lost from 377 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:38.920 the minds of men, and being seen again was a powerful thing, and 378 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:45.160 he started to feel some of his strength return. The man would leave in 379 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:48.160 the morning in his big, shiny car, and the wife would bring the 380 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:52.559 baby into the backyard to play on most days, and he would watch for 381 00:29:52.680 --> 00:29:56.680 hours long after they went inside, and he would stand and look in the 382 00:29:56.720 --> 00:30:00.680 windows, And when they played outside, the mother would some time look up 383 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:03.559 and scan the trees, and then she would hurry the little girl inside, 384 00:30:04.279 --> 00:30:07.799 and he could smell the ancient blood in the mother, but it was weak, 385 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:12.359 it was a deluded trace, but still it was just enough for her 386 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:17.799 to fill goose bumps if he got too close, and he loved every minute 387 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:22.920 of it. When that would happen, the little girl had usually already been 388 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:27.079 watching him she could see him clearly. It excited him, but she was 389 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:33.359 not afraid, not yet. He thought he would soon change that, and 390 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:37.359 as the girl grew, the mother started taking her into the woods on walks. 391 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:41.720 They wouldn't go far at first, but that was okay. He had 392 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:45.839 plenty of time. He had nothing but time. They discovered a pond not 393 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:49.759 far into the forest, and they would come almost every day during the warm 394 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:55.039 season, and the mother would let the little girl splash in the sandy shallows 395 00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:59.599 as she sat on her rock nearby. He got bolder, and he would 396 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:03.960 get close and closer to the pair, and the mother would start to sense 397 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:07.359 him, and he would feel her fear. Oh, the feelings that awoke 398 00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:12.039 feelings of strength, and he missed that power to make humans heart race with 399 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:17.359 terror and their blood run cold. But he had to be careful. He 400 00:31:17.400 --> 00:31:22.559 didn't want to stop them coming like the man did years ago. One day, 401 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:26.640 he heard the footsteps in the woods, and he felt his nonexistent pulse 402 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:30.559 quicken. He hadn't felt this real in so long, and today was going 403 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:36.759 to be the day. Even the unease and feelings of paranoia had been enough 404 00:31:36.759 --> 00:31:41.359 to start returning his strength to him, but to his surprise. It wasn't 405 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:44.440 just the mother and the little girl, but the father was with them, 406 00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:48.240 and the man's face was filled with uncertainty. Even all these years later, 407 00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:53.039 he was so used to being unseen that he had not tried to hide himself 408 00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:56.799 in a long time. So he stood in the open next to the pond. 409 00:31:56.799 --> 00:32:02.799 As the small family emerged from the trees. The little girl smiled at 410 00:32:02.839 --> 00:32:07.440 him and started to run in his direction, but her mother, sensing something 411 00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:13.000 wrong, held her child back. The father looked to see what his family 412 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:16.200 was reacting to, and the blood drained from his face, and the man 413 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:22.240 grabbed his wife and daughter and he fled back to the house. The beast's 414 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:28.759 rage was immeasurable. His prize had been taken from him, his moment of 415 00:32:28.839 --> 00:32:34.000 triumph had been destroyed. His hatred was renewed. When he slept, and 416 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:37.839 he dreapt about the night the old woman had taken his body from him, 417 00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:40.799 but he could do nothing but rage and howl from the woods, unable to 418 00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:45.519 affect the physical world. None of the family returned to the woods, and 419 00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:51.680 soon after workmen came and they dug a hole in their backyard. They made 420 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:54.759 walls of cement and tile and filled it with water. And after that the 421 00:32:54.799 --> 00:33:00.519 mother and the little girl swam in the backyard and no longer returned to the 422 00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:05.920 little pond. This made him angry. It had been so long just watching 423 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:09.240 the world, unable to interact with it, and this man had taken away 424 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:15.960 what little pleasure he had. That night, he stormed into the backyard and 425 00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:20.680 he slashed and bit at the contraption that was attached to the pond they had 426 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:25.359 made. He ripped with his teeth as he growled and raged into surprise and 427 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:30.119 delight when a gash appeared in the hose that fed the water to the pool. 428 00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:35.839 He had never before been able to do this. A sense of satisfaction 429 00:33:35.920 --> 00:33:39.079 crept over him. The next day, when the mother and the girl went 430 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:43.559 to swim in their backyard, they saw the damage, and the mother was 431 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:46.200 angry. And when the man came home he could feel the rage from where 432 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:51.720 he was far in the trees. This was exciting to the beast, and 433 00:33:51.759 --> 00:33:55.000 he found a way to cause more fear and panic, and he could feel 434 00:33:55.000 --> 00:34:00.000 his strength returning, and he could almost feel the blood pumping through his horse. 435 00:34:00.559 --> 00:34:04.119 But to his disappointment, the workmen came and repaired the damage that he 436 00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:08.360 had done, and life went on for the family. He was furious, 437 00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:13.480 and he tried to destroy the contraption again, but he could not manage the 438 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:17.079 destruction that he did the first night, and he raged and hailed through the 439 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:21.760 night, and the neighbor's dogs took up the call, and his own cries 440 00:34:21.840 --> 00:34:25.000 were drowned out by the apping of the lesser canines, which only made him 441 00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:31.079 more furious. For years he watched this family, and his fury and his 442 00:34:31.199 --> 00:34:37.599 hatred grew day by day and year by year. The little girl was now 443 00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:40.079 almost an adult, and it seemed she had many friends, and they would 444 00:34:40.199 --> 00:34:45.559 visit often. He was often successful at scaring the friends, not that they 445 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:49.519 could see him, of course, but once in a while they could sense 446 00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:52.440 him, and the hair on the back of their necks would rise and they 447 00:34:52.480 --> 00:34:55.360 would become fearful. But the girl, who he knew could sense him, 448 00:34:55.760 --> 00:35:00.280 never seemed afreed. He would contend him so off with a small triumph. 449 00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:06.280 As he waited eternally in the darkness. Many nights, he would go to 450 00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:08.840 the window of the girl and scratch on the glass, and she would look 451 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:13.199 up from her book and give a glance at the window, but he never 452 00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:17.079 felt the rising fear in her like he did in the others. This frustrated 453 00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:22.760 and intrigued him, and by now the girl only came to the house during 454 00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:25.599 the summer, and in the fall she would leave with bags packed full of 455 00:35:25.599 --> 00:35:30.760 her stuff. She would not return to stay until the spring had come, 456 00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:34.880 and he would spend these long winters alone in the darkness of the deep woods, 457 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.159 stewing in his hatred. One summer, he was in the backyard watching 458 00:35:39.159 --> 00:35:44.360 the house as the girl had just returned home. He had been doing nothing 459 00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:47.960 but watch. He hadn't even tried to scare her. He was just glad 460 00:35:47.960 --> 00:35:52.719 to have something to fill his empty thoughts. And the moon had set and 461 00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:57.920 the world was inky black, but he did not need light to see. 462 00:35:57.960 --> 00:36:01.519 And suddenly he sensed another presence. It was not the man, not the 463 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:07.039 wife, but it was something else. It was human. It was barely 464 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:09.519 a thought, and it was creeping toward the house from the far side of 465 00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:14.199 the garage. And he could sense the man strongly, and he could hear 466 00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:17.679 the man's thoughts. And the man had come for the girl. He was 467 00:36:17.719 --> 00:36:22.000 a child of darkness and understood all that that held, and this man. 468 00:36:22.119 --> 00:36:27.400 Although he was of the darkness, he was not the same. The man 469 00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:30.840 was of decay and rot and perversion. And the twisted mind of the man 470 00:36:30.920 --> 00:36:35.360 and the joy he took and hurting others was not the same as his own 471 00:36:35.440 --> 00:36:42.280 lust for fear and pain, And this man disgusted him. Where he longed 472 00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:45.519 for the taste of blood in the back of his throat and the feel of 473 00:36:45.559 --> 00:36:51.159 his claws slicing through organs and flesh. This man wanted their pain, and 474 00:36:51.239 --> 00:36:55.000 he wanted to satisfy his own mortal urges. And the man was coming for 475 00:36:55.119 --> 00:37:00.800 the girl. The girl's parents had left for the night, and the man 476 00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:04.679 had known this, and she was in the house alone. And the man 477 00:37:04.760 --> 00:37:07.480 crept silently to the back door, and after a moment, he broke the 478 00:37:07.519 --> 00:37:13.000 lock, and then slid opened the door and silently snuck into the house. 479 00:37:14.679 --> 00:37:17.840 At first, he was excited. This man would surely strike fear into the 480 00:37:17.880 --> 00:37:22.800 girl, and he would feast for a week. He could watch as the 481 00:37:22.840 --> 00:37:24.800 blood flowed, but he would not be able to taste it himself, he 482 00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:30.199 thought, and suddenly he was more angry than he had ever imagined. This 483 00:37:30.360 --> 00:37:35.960 man, this human, would not offer the girl death, not anytime soon. 484 00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:39.119 Anyway, he went into the man's thoughts, and he did not like 485 00:37:39.199 --> 00:37:44.079 it in the man's head. He did not like the feeling of sickness, 486 00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:47.239 the decay of a mind. And the man might be a predator, but 487 00:37:47.280 --> 00:37:52.239 he was not a predator. He was a coward. The man was weak. 488 00:37:52.440 --> 00:37:55.920 His only power was to hide in the shadows and strike when no one 489 00:37:55.960 --> 00:38:00.679 knows around to stop him. And he could not bear that the girl's life 490 00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:06.199 would be taken by such a disgusting being. She belonged to him, She 491 00:38:06.360 --> 00:38:09.519 was of the ancient blood, and she was his. She deserved better than 492 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:15.079 to be taken by a creature so weak and undeserving. He raced into the 493 00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:19.840 house. He had not been constrained by walls in a very long time, 494 00:38:19.880 --> 00:38:22.679 but he had not wanted to acknowledge his lack of true form, so he 495 00:38:22.760 --> 00:38:27.960 had seldom walked through the walls into the house. But he did so tonight 496 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:31.320 without a second thought. And the man stood now over the girl's bed as 497 00:38:31.360 --> 00:38:36.760 she slept, And the man was just watching her with growing excitement, thinking 498 00:38:36.800 --> 00:38:39.039 about all the things that he would do once he got her into his hidden 499 00:38:39.159 --> 00:38:45.039 layer. And his hatred of the man was palpable, and his rage made 500 00:38:45.079 --> 00:38:51.400 him feel solid again. Several things happened all at once. It wasn't sure 501 00:38:51.480 --> 00:38:54.880 which happened first. Perhaps it was his howl, perhaps it was the sharp 502 00:38:54.960 --> 00:38:59.920 intake of the breath from the man, or perhaps the girl's instincts knew to 503 00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:02.760 Waker, but she sat up in bed just as he launched at the man. 504 00:39:05.039 --> 00:39:07.639 The girl did not scream, but clutched at her covers and drew back 505 00:39:07.679 --> 00:39:12.159 to the corner of the bed. And he grabbed the man by the throat, 506 00:39:12.199 --> 00:39:15.599 and his claws raked against the man's ribs as his teeth found purchase in 507 00:39:15.679 --> 00:39:21.039 his throat, and it felt so real to him, like when he had 508 00:39:21.079 --> 00:39:23.280 a solid form, that he could taste the blood in the back of his 509 00:39:23.360 --> 00:39:28.239 throat, the hot, tangy, with the taste of copper, and with 510 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:32.719 the man's terror. It wasn't until he spared a glance to the girl that 511 00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:37.880 he realized the man's blood really was flowing out of his body. Some of 512 00:39:37.920 --> 00:39:42.400 it had sprayed onto the girl, and he thought she had never looked so 513 00:39:42.559 --> 00:39:46.039 beautiful. And she sat there, terror in her eyes, covered in a 514 00:39:46.079 --> 00:39:51.519 spray of blood, and in his shock, he stopped the attack, and 515 00:39:51.559 --> 00:39:54.480 looked down in his own body, and he could see his long arms and 516 00:39:54.599 --> 00:39:59.960 huge hands, and his sharp claws, now bright red with the man's life 517 00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:04.480 blood. And he could even see his own shadow on the wall, and 518 00:40:04.519 --> 00:40:08.159 his pointed ears, and his long snout and a sharp profile. And he 519 00:40:08.320 --> 00:40:14.639 was so stunned that he froze. The man now lay on the ground next 520 00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:17.840 to the girl's bed, no longer breathing. His throat ripped open and his 521 00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:23.400 ribs exposed, and the backpack he carried spilled open, and its contents littered 522 00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:29.239 the floor. There was duct tape, blindfold, There were zipties and other 523 00:40:29.360 --> 00:40:35.159 such things that were scattered about. The girl's eyes opened wide with understanding, 524 00:40:35.199 --> 00:40:37.840 and then she lifted her head to look at him, and to his surprise, 525 00:40:37.960 --> 00:40:43.079 the fear in her eyes was gone, and it was replaced with something 526 00:40:43.119 --> 00:40:49.039 else, something he did not recognize. He thought he should feel rage and 527 00:40:49.159 --> 00:40:53.119 anger at the fact that she was not afraid. Now she should be afraid. 528 00:40:53.159 --> 00:40:59.039 He thought he was so fearsome to the whole village that they would cower 529 00:40:59.119 --> 00:41:01.880 at a mere glint of him. Yet here she was looking at him with 530 00:41:01.960 --> 00:41:07.280 no fear, no panic, no terror. But he didn't feel angry. 531 00:41:07.840 --> 00:41:13.559 He felt seen. In his confusion, all he could think was that he 532 00:41:13.639 --> 00:41:15.960 wanted to be back into the forest, deep out into the woods again. 533 00:41:16.840 --> 00:41:22.400 He should be celebrating, he should be savoring his kill, his victory. 534 00:41:22.239 --> 00:41:25.599 He had longed for the moment like this since the ninth the villagers came for 535 00:41:25.800 --> 00:41:30.679 him. Yet he didn't feel any of that. He did not understand what 536 00:41:30.880 --> 00:41:35.079 was happening, and he turned to flee through the door because he did not 537 00:41:35.239 --> 00:41:37.719 want to walk through the wall. He did not want this girl to see 538 00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:43.320 the humiliation and the proof of his weakness. And as he was turning to 539 00:41:43.400 --> 00:41:47.000 go, the girl called out to him, thank you. I always knew 540 00:41:47.039 --> 00:41:52.039 you were there. I knew you were my guardian angels, sent to protect 541 00:41:52.079 --> 00:41:55.679 me no matter what anyone said. And with that he fled back into the 542 00:41:55.719 --> 00:42:02.559 depths of the forest. Okay, that was kind of a dramatic story. 543 00:42:02.719 --> 00:42:07.199 It was a really good fictional horror story. And this woman came up with 544 00:42:07.280 --> 00:42:10.760 this like within a couple of days after I said, Hey, somebody write 545 00:42:10.760 --> 00:42:15.440 me a dog man ghost story, and she took it to heart. I 546 00:42:15.480 --> 00:42:19.599 appreciate this so much. I just got it yesterday and I thought I have 547 00:42:19.719 --> 00:42:22.039 got to read this. Thank you so much for writing this. To the 548 00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:25.679 writer, she said, there's no I think it's a woman. I think 549 00:42:25.719 --> 00:42:30.159 from her email name, I think it's a woman. So I'm just if 550 00:42:30.199 --> 00:42:34.960 I've got that wrong. I'm sorry to the writer. But what a great 551 00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:37.960 story. Thank you so much for doing this. For writing this, I 552 00:42:38.079 --> 00:42:40.239 just loved it. I loved it, and I was kind of long, 553 00:42:40.800 --> 00:42:44.280 but I hope you guys enjoyed it. This was kind of a spur of 554 00:42:44.320 --> 00:42:46.400 the moment thing, she wrote. I don't know what else to say about 555 00:42:46.440 --> 00:42:51.679 it. I really loved it, so thanks. I hope you all enjoyed 556 00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:55.679 that podcast. I appreciate you clicking on the video or the podcast, and 557 00:42:55.719 --> 00:43:00.039 there weren't many comments by me, which some people will appreciate. I'll do 558 00:43:00.079 --> 00:43:05.320 a few of those like that and just read the story because there are people 559 00:43:05.320 --> 00:43:08.000 who don't like to hear me run my mouth, which is perfectly fine, 560 00:43:08.079 --> 00:43:13.360 perfectly fine. Don't hurt my feelings a bit. But there's one without the 561 00:43:13.559 --> 00:43:15.280 commentary. Hope you enjoyed it, and we'll see you guys on the next 562 00:43:15.280 --> 00:43:15.960 one. Thank you.