1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: Hey, thanks for clicking on this video. Just real quick. 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,560 Two of these stories were recorded out of town, not 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,039 on my regular recording equipment. That were done on a 4 00:00:16,039 --> 00:00:19,079 little mobile device. But I saw a couple of stories 5 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:23,480 that my editor had sent over over the email, and 6 00:00:23,719 --> 00:00:25,359 I just read them while I was on the road, 7 00:00:25,359 --> 00:00:28,600 So that's why they sound different. Thank you for being here. 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,760 I appreciate you very much. I've got three stories in 9 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,079 this podcast. If two of them sound different, you know why. 10 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:50,759 All right, here we go. In nineteen sixty nine, in 11 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,079 the summer before we started high school, a few friends 12 00:00:54,079 --> 00:00:56,799 and I would head out on our bicycles every chance 13 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:01,240 we got to explore the forest in our area. We 14 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,959 lived in Castle Rock. It was a quaint Americana town 15 00:01:05,159 --> 00:01:08,640 situated between Mount Saint Helen's to the east and the 16 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:13,239 Columbia River leading into the Pacific to the west. We 17 00:01:13,239 --> 00:01:16,640 were fourteen years old then. My friend Randy had a 18 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:21,239 brand new five speed shwind stingray bike with brake controls 19 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,280 on the handlebars, and the rest of us had hand 20 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,680 me down single speeds with coaster brakes. Randy led most 21 00:01:28,719 --> 00:01:32,760 of the adventures and we tried to keep up. West 22 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,439 of Castle Rock was a two lane road known by 23 00:01:35,439 --> 00:01:39,040 the locals as the West Side Highway. I don't think 24 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,840 any of the locals ever knew the highways number, and 25 00:01:41,879 --> 00:01:46,200 to this day I still don't. In that area was 26 00:01:46,359 --> 00:01:50,239 a wooded place called Whiskey Flats. It got the nickname 27 00:01:50,319 --> 00:01:53,079 because way out there, hidden in the thick brush and 28 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,920 away from the unforgiving eyes of the sheriff and the 29 00:01:55,959 --> 00:01:59,959 game wardens, high schoolers would sneak out there and have keg. 30 00:02:01,879 --> 00:02:05,159 Despite the no trespassing signs posted on both sides of 31 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,400 the highway and our parents' warnings to stay clear of 32 00:02:08,439 --> 00:02:12,039 the area, we hung out there on occasion. We weren't 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:17,960 very good at following directions. We were only fourteen, after all. 34 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,520 I don't think we ever knew who owned the property, 35 00:02:20,599 --> 00:02:22,800 but we knew about the sheriff and the game wardens 36 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,800 patrolling the area for troublemakers and illegal fishing down by 37 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,080 the Calitz River. The thing that kept us away from 38 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,560 the area most of the time, though, was the thought 39 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:37,360 of us slowly eighth graders accidentally trespassing on a high 40 00:02:37,439 --> 00:02:40,840 school party and getting our butts kicked by the other boys. 41 00:02:42,319 --> 00:02:45,000 Two weeks before school started, the four of us were 42 00:02:45,039 --> 00:02:48,199 riding our bicycles on West Side Highway when in a 43 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,840 moment of bravery, we decided to check out Whiskey Flights. 44 00:02:52,479 --> 00:02:56,000 We looked ahead of and behind us to make sure 45 00:02:56,039 --> 00:02:59,319 there was no traffic coming from either direction that would 46 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,520 catch us and ruin our big plans, and we made 47 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,680 a quick turn past an o trespassing sign and we 48 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:10,159 rushed down the hillside. The path going down the hill 49 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,080 was loose gravel. We had to ride our brakes all 50 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:16,199 the way. Randy, who made it to the bottom of 51 00:03:16,199 --> 00:03:19,120 the hill first, was already waiting for us, with a 52 00:03:19,159 --> 00:03:23,039 big grin plastered across his face. We came to a 53 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,039 skid stop next to him and saw what put that 54 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,680 smile there. It was a green and white nineteen fifty 55 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,280 five Ford Sedan with a dark blue nineteen forty seven 56 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,240 Plymouth Sedan, and both of them newly abandoned and ready 57 00:03:37,319 --> 00:03:42,439 to be explored. It wasn't unusual for people to ditch 58 00:03:42,479 --> 00:03:45,960 their old vehicles and Whiskey flights. They just removed the 59 00:03:46,039 --> 00:03:48,680 license plate in the cereal numbers and dump them there, 60 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,840 and someone else would inevitably come by, strip the vehicles 61 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,599 of all the usable parts and leave the frame for 62 00:03:55,759 --> 00:03:58,800 the forest to grow around. We had a good old 63 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,759 time checking out the old vehicles and sitting behind the 64 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,039 driver's wheel and pretending that we owned the world. The 65 00:04:06,039 --> 00:04:08,639 Plymouth had a single brake light in the center of 66 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:11,840 the trunk with an old sailing ship molded into the 67 00:04:11,879 --> 00:04:17,360 glass lens, which I knew was most likely the Mayflower. Well, 68 00:04:17,399 --> 00:04:20,000 I wanted that lens, and I called DIBs on it, 69 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:22,519 knowing all I had to do was come back with 70 00:04:22,639 --> 00:04:26,839 some tools and take it off, as if the sedans 71 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,279 themselves weren't neat enough. Once we looked through into the windows, 72 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,399 we saw something that made our jaws drop and our 73 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:39,480 hearts flutter. There were stacks of Playboy magazines stashed in 74 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,839 the cabs of both cars, where we looked at each 75 00:04:42,879 --> 00:04:45,279 other like we had won the lottery, and did the 76 00:04:45,319 --> 00:04:48,519 only logical thing any fourteen year old boy could have done. 77 00:04:49,199 --> 00:04:51,439 We split into groups of two and checked out the 78 00:04:51,519 --> 00:04:55,680 magazines and both sedans, and we weren't reading any articles. 79 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,639 When we had seen all our eyes could handle, we 80 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,319 switched cars with the other two and looked some more, 81 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,519 and we thought about taking some of the magazines with us, 82 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,120 but we realized some of the high school boys may 83 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,680 have hidden them there, and we thought better of it. 84 00:05:12,079 --> 00:05:15,079 I swear we learned more from those magazines than we 85 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,000 did in all of high school, and by the time 86 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:23,480 we headed back home we felt enlightened. Those magazines matured us, 87 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,399 and we bike back home and our heads swirling with 88 00:05:26,519 --> 00:05:30,160 glorious images of playboy women, and we decided to go 89 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,040 back to Whiskey Flats on Saturday. We were men now, 90 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,319 and when we came back, we would make it down 91 00:05:36,319 --> 00:05:38,639 to the river, no matter if the high schoolers were 92 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:43,759 there or not. Saturday came and I packed a screwdriver 93 00:05:43,879 --> 00:05:46,920 in a crescent wrench into an old pillow case, figuring 94 00:05:46,959 --> 00:05:49,279 one of them would help me get the Mayflower lens 95 00:05:49,319 --> 00:05:52,759 off the car, and once again Randy and his Shwin 96 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,920 led the way down the West Side Highway, and as 97 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,399 soon as the coast was clear, we made that quick 98 00:05:58,439 --> 00:06:02,079 turn into Whiskey Flat and we disappeared down the hill. 99 00:06:03,639 --> 00:06:06,439 Randy was yet again waiting at the bottom for the 100 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,360 rest of us, who had to coast cautiously down the 101 00:06:09,399 --> 00:06:13,079 loose gravel. He was wearing a big expression again, but 102 00:06:13,199 --> 00:06:17,480 this time he wasn't smiling. We skidded to a stop 103 00:06:17,519 --> 00:06:19,680 next to him and asked what was going on, but 104 00:06:19,759 --> 00:06:23,360 he was too scared to speak, and instead he pointed 105 00:06:23,399 --> 00:06:26,839 with a shaking hand toward the Plymouth. Maybe part of 106 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:29,199 me hoped it was some of the high school boys 107 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,120 having their look at the Playboy treasure trove. Maybe his 108 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,199 terrified look was normal for a fourteen year old boy 109 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,879 about to be knocked around by older kids. But when 110 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,839 we turned our heads to see what he was pointing at, 111 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,199 it took us a good minute to wrap our heads 112 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:50,160 around what we were seeing. It was definitely not high schoolers, 113 00:06:50,399 --> 00:06:53,360 and it was about the furthest thing from a Playboy bunny. 114 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:58,360 There could possibly be a female bigfoot with a hairless 115 00:06:58,399 --> 00:07:01,800 face and breast had gotten stuck in the door of 116 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:05,560 the Plymouth. She was at least six feet tall, and 117 00:07:05,639 --> 00:07:09,439 her head jutted out of her torso. The brown hair 118 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,000 under her arms was so long that it looked like 119 00:07:12,079 --> 00:07:15,399 the fringe on a motorcycle jacket, and as she tried 120 00:07:15,439 --> 00:07:18,720 to free her hair from the door latch, she saw us. 121 00:07:20,199 --> 00:07:22,000 I felt the hairs on the back of my neck 122 00:07:22,079 --> 00:07:24,800 stand straight up, and the smart thing to do at 123 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,079 that time was to run, But fear had cemented our 124 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,360 legs in place, and the four of us just stood there, 125 00:07:31,399 --> 00:07:36,319 frozen in shot and stared at this creature. She didn't 126 00:07:36,319 --> 00:07:39,360 appreciate having an audience, and she let us know, and 127 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,199 she let out a blood curdling scream that sounded like 128 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:46,360 a woman being brutally attacked. It rang through our ears 129 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,360 like hells bells, and it shook us to our core, 130 00:07:50,199 --> 00:07:53,199 and being a mature men that we had become, we 131 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:57,279 all wed our pants. It was only a matter of 132 00:07:57,319 --> 00:07:59,839 time before she would break free from the latch, and 133 00:08:00,079 --> 00:08:02,519 by the looks of the door, which she had started 134 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,439 to bash and din up like a soda can, Tom 135 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,319 was not on our side. We turned heel and got 136 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,800 out of there as fast as we could, and we 137 00:08:11,879 --> 00:08:14,480 ran our bikes up that gravel hill, and when we 138 00:08:14,519 --> 00:08:17,480 got to the road, we peddled down West Side Highway 139 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,040 faster than any kid ever had in the history of 140 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,360 that area. Back near the safety of our homes, we 141 00:08:25,399 --> 00:08:28,560 agreed to never talk about what we had seen. No 142 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,360 one would believe us anyway, and if our parents found 143 00:08:31,399 --> 00:08:34,440 out that we had been hanging around Whiskey Flats, we 144 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,000 would only get into more trouble. And when I made 145 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,159 it home, I threw my pants in the wash, believed 146 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:44,080 to see that my mother was still in town grocery shopping, 147 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:49,600 and relieved I didn't have to explain myself. Now, many 148 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,720 years have passed since that day, and I've long since 149 00:08:52,799 --> 00:08:56,600 moved out of the area. Recently, though, I drove past 150 00:08:56,639 --> 00:09:00,440 the old Whiskey Flats and it's completely gone now, no 151 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,399 downhill to the river and no downhill to the old 152 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:07,519 abandoned cars. It was all filled with dredge boils from 153 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,159 Mount Saint Helen's eruption and its level with the West 154 00:09:11,159 --> 00:09:15,559 Side Highway now and houses are built all over it. 155 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,279 It would nearly be impossible for a bigfoot to hide 156 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,679 out in that area, now, I knew that, But as 157 00:09:21,759 --> 00:09:25,480 I drove by, I heard that blood curdling scream echoed 158 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,480 through my head, and I felt my hair stand up again. 159 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,039 What would have been a pleasant drive down Memory Lane 160 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,480 was suddenly tainted by a life changing memory that only 161 00:09:35,519 --> 00:09:38,840 seemed to worsen the older I got well, I sped 162 00:09:38,879 --> 00:09:40,639 up and got out of there, trying to put as 163 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:44,000 much distance between me and that memory as I could, 164 00:09:44,639 --> 00:09:47,919 all the while remembering the feeling of peddling my bike 165 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:51,639 so fast that I thought I might fly, and that's 166 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,879 when it occurred to me it wasn't the playboys that 167 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,320 stole away my childhood and made us men. That day, 168 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:03,200 it was a terrifying realization that some monsters are real. 169 00:10:07,399 --> 00:10:09,919 Back in the nineteen nineties, my buddy and I headed 170 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,960 to Paint Creek Lake in southern Ohio, that's where I'm from. 171 00:10:14,799 --> 00:10:17,120 We decided to walk off trail to go fishing in 172 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,879 a honey hole I knew about where nobody else goes. 173 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,720 Usually we would get there by boat, but this time 174 00:10:23,759 --> 00:10:26,720 we were walking, and we walked through a heavily forested 175 00:10:26,759 --> 00:10:30,080 area with only a lantern to light our way. We 176 00:10:30,159 --> 00:10:32,519 made it through the brush along the shoreline, and when 177 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:34,879 we had gotten as far as we could go, we 178 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,000 heard some dead falls snapping behind us. And we were 179 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,200 in the forest after all. But the normal sounds of 180 00:10:42,279 --> 00:10:46,360 wildlife and nature quickly turned into an explosion of noise 181 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,200 as something massive beat and battered the trees and earth 182 00:10:50,279 --> 00:10:54,440 and the shadows behind us. I couldn't help myself, and 183 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:56,720 I found a rock and I threw it at the noise. 184 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:01,320 Everything went abruptly quiet. Friend and I shrugged at each 185 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,240 other and got back to fishing. But a few minutes later, 186 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:08,679 that same rock came flying past my head. Well. I 187 00:11:08,759 --> 00:11:11,120 turned around to see who had done it, but everything 188 00:11:11,159 --> 00:11:14,720 had gone completely quiet again, and a little light from 189 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:20,360 our lantern had no chance of penetrating, darkness blanketing the trees. Well, 190 00:11:20,399 --> 00:11:22,759 we stood there, dumb foundain, trying to figure out what 191 00:11:22,879 --> 00:11:27,039 it could possibly be. We were hardly comforted knowing there 192 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,919 was a slim chance it had been a human since 193 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:33,799 the area around Paint Creek Lake is completely forested with 194 00:11:34,159 --> 00:11:38,440 very few homes. Standing there in the darkness, and knowing 195 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,399 something was out there watching us, so we decided to 196 00:11:41,519 --> 00:11:45,879 end our fishing trip. Early a month later, my dad 197 00:11:45,879 --> 00:11:48,360 and I were fishing out on his pontoon boat at 198 00:11:48,399 --> 00:11:51,559 the same spot. It was early in the morning, around 199 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,679 three or four AM, and a thick fog clung to 200 00:11:54,759 --> 00:11:58,240 the lake, and the fish had finally stopped fighting. We 201 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,879 decided to head home. The front of our boat was 202 00:12:01,919 --> 00:12:04,639 tied to a fallen tree that was half in the 203 00:12:04,639 --> 00:12:06,879 water and half on the shore, and the back of 204 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:10,279 the boat was anchored. I pulled the anchor and I 205 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,720 started doing my part by pulling the boat toward the tree, 206 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:16,679 and when my dad started the boat. It was as 207 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:19,519 if a light switch had been flipped and all hell 208 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:23,679 broke loose on the bank next to the fallen tree. 209 00:12:24,039 --> 00:12:26,519 The fog was too thick to see what was causing 210 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:28,919 the commotion, but I could see the rocks and the 211 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,879 twigs flying everywhere. And then we heard something roar, and 212 00:12:32,919 --> 00:12:36,039 the rope in my hand began to vibrate as whatever 213 00:12:36,279 --> 00:12:39,159 was pummeling the old tree like an angry bull on 214 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:44,960 a rampage. I stood there, frozen at the aggressive fury 215 00:12:45,039 --> 00:12:48,240 that I couldn't see, too taken off guard to consider 216 00:12:48,279 --> 00:12:51,080 what had been happening. My dad yelled at me to 217 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,159 cut the rope, and I was glad to do that, 218 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,840 and there was no way I was getting closer to 219 00:12:55,879 --> 00:12:58,840 that tree than I already was, so I cut it 220 00:12:58,879 --> 00:13:01,039 in a second and we headed back to the dock 221 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,799 as fast as we could. Now that I'm older, I 222 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,279 think it's important to know the truth about what is 223 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:12,519 in our forests, and looking back on this experience, it 224 00:13:12,639 --> 00:13:15,000 terrifies me to think about what it could have been. 225 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,960 Was it a bigfoot, was it a dog man? Or 226 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:26,200 could it have been something worse. This event took place 227 00:13:26,279 --> 00:13:30,360 fifteen or so miles south of the Niangua River and 228 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,039 a town so small the only thing in it is 229 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,320 a Rundown post office at an intersection between state highways. 230 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,799 In this part of the state, cows are much more 231 00:13:40,879 --> 00:13:44,519 numerous than people in the fields of crops and livestock 232 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:49,039 and timber are expansive. It was four years ago in 233 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:52,399 May that I was visiting my dad's house, shortly after 234 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:57,639 graduating high school and accompanied by my then girlfriend. We 235 00:13:57,679 --> 00:13:59,919 had planned to stay a few days at his residents 236 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:04,879 to celebrate and explore all the nearby natural areas. At 237 00:14:04,919 --> 00:14:08,000 the time, he had fifteen or so acres of woods 238 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,240 that bordered the backyard and the shop near the house 239 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:13,279 that the boys and I would walk through to get 240 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:16,320 to the fence line of our neighbor's cow pasture to 241 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,519 look at the stars some nights. Between the line of 242 00:14:20,559 --> 00:14:23,440 woods in the backyard and the fence was a small 243 00:14:23,559 --> 00:14:26,679 pond that was home to many frogs that sank throughout 244 00:14:26,759 --> 00:14:30,399 the night, and straight back behind the shop about forty 245 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,320 yards was a pile of debris from a tornado some 246 00:14:33,519 --> 00:14:37,320 years ago that swept through that area and was bulldozed 247 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,840 to that location. This same pile was used by my 248 00:14:42,039 --> 00:14:44,919 dad as a trash pile, and it doubled as a 249 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,879 mountain of bear cans as he was a heavy drinker 250 00:14:47,919 --> 00:14:51,159 at the time. Well, we lived along the US Highway, 251 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,679 close enough that certain semis passed and would rattle the windows, 252 00:14:55,679 --> 00:14:58,279 but far away enough that it was the only vehicle 253 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:02,039 you could hear with the windows closed. Used well, after 254 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,480 my dad went to sleep, my brothers and I went 255 00:15:04,519 --> 00:15:06,840 about trying to get as much wood as we could 256 00:15:06,879 --> 00:15:10,240 before the sun had totally set, and between the five 257 00:15:10,279 --> 00:15:13,480 of us we managed a pretty sizable stack that would 258 00:15:13,519 --> 00:15:17,480 keep an immense fire blazing throughout the night, and blaze 259 00:15:17,519 --> 00:15:21,200 it did. I pulled my car up on the side 260 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,159 opposite of where my girlfriend and I were sitting in 261 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:27,320 a kayak on the ground and played old rock tunes 262 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:31,519 from it. We sat and laughed for hours, tossing around 263 00:15:31,679 --> 00:15:34,320 and shooting the bull and catching up and laughing the 264 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,559 night away. The sounds of the woods were like a 265 00:15:37,639 --> 00:15:41,759 symphony behind me that were full of life and penetrating 266 00:15:41,799 --> 00:15:45,399 the cool air, with the coral sounds of crickets, frogs, 267 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,159 and the occasional owl. It had been a long time 268 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,000 since I had been privileged enough to be present in 269 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,840 this kind of atmosphere living in Kansas City, and I 270 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,600 was just elated the whole night. At two am, my 271 00:15:59,639 --> 00:16:03,440 two younger brothers went inside for a refill of their beverages. 272 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,600 It was just a couple of minutes later, while talking 273 00:16:06,639 --> 00:16:09,159 to my older stepbrother, who was sitting next to me 274 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,080 in a camp chair, that I heard sticks break in 275 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,080 the woods over the music. Hey do you hear that? 276 00:16:15,559 --> 00:16:18,200 I asked my stepbrother, who was staring at his phone. 277 00:16:18,679 --> 00:16:21,200 I don't know what you're talking about, dude, he said, 278 00:16:21,559 --> 00:16:25,159 and he never looked up. I wrote it off as 279 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,240 a deer, seeing so many walk through the backyard in 280 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,399 the mornings, so I continued conversing with him for a 281 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,559 little bit longer. When I noticed the frequency in the 282 00:16:34,639 --> 00:16:37,879 volume of these sticks cracking simply did not add up 283 00:16:37,919 --> 00:16:41,679 to a deer passing through. My experience as a hunter 284 00:16:41,759 --> 00:16:44,519 told me that something wasn't right, and I told my 285 00:16:44,559 --> 00:16:47,200 stepbrother to go turn off the music so I could 286 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:51,320 hear it better. The first thing I noticed was how 287 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,519 well I could hear these sticks breaking from what sounded 288 00:16:54,639 --> 00:16:57,200 like all the way to the fence, as the woods 289 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:01,559 had gone silent. The three of us in silence tossing 290 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,400 around ideas as to what could be making such a 291 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,880 racket in the woods at this hour, Bears had been 292 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:10,720 known to come through the area, and sitting with my 293 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:14,079 back to the woods, I suddenly became uncomfortable at that thought. 294 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,119 But boy do I wish I could have seen a bear, 295 00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:21,640 as I was not prepared for what came next. It 296 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,960 dawned on me that the sounds were getting closer, close 297 00:17:25,079 --> 00:17:28,279 enough that I could hear individual footfalls on the leaves 298 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,920 and the sticks on the ground, and I froze when 299 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:35,079 it registered that these steps were being taken on two feet. 300 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,200 I tried not to get ahead of myself, after all, 301 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:43,160 I had two younger, mischievous brothers that had just gone inside, 302 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,559 Nate and Joe. What the hell are y'all doing out there? 303 00:17:46,839 --> 00:17:50,119 Quit messing around? I called out to the woods behind me. 304 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:53,680 I shot a grin at Michael, who had finally looked 305 00:17:53,759 --> 00:17:56,799 up from his phone listening to the sounds with concern 306 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,640 on his face. I got no answer from j Nate, 307 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,440 so I called out again, wondering if someone was trespassing 308 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,079 on our property, whoever you are, you need to announce 309 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:12,000 yourself a warning you and I remember the AK forty 310 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,640 seven that had been used for target practice that day, 311 00:18:14,759 --> 00:18:18,799 was just inside the shop, and then the rustling paused. 312 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:22,799 It was met with silence, and I thought that maybe 313 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:27,720 they acknowledged my words. But then the walking continued, except 314 00:18:27,759 --> 00:18:31,960 it was now coming in our direction. My older brother 315 00:18:32,079 --> 00:18:35,400 and I exchanged glances of worry when my two younger 316 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,039 brothers came walking around the corner of the house with 317 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:41,720 drinks in their hands. Y'all better quit before dad wakes up? 318 00:18:42,079 --> 00:18:45,079 What's going on out here? And when I saw them 319 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:49,119 and realized that whatever was walking toward us was not familiar, 320 00:18:49,839 --> 00:18:53,279 the potential danger of the situation was starting to set in. 321 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,799 Who the hell was walking in the woods between properties 322 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,920 at two am? Well? My girlfriend, who was sitting right 323 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:05,200 in front of me, who had been quiet this entire time, asked, 324 00:19:05,559 --> 00:19:08,759 what are we gonna do? Just sit here? Well? I 325 00:19:08,759 --> 00:19:11,160 didn't have an answer, and I was the only person 326 00:19:11,319 --> 00:19:16,559 capable of operating a firearm in the group. Intense anxiety 327 00:19:16,599 --> 00:19:19,000 gripped me, and I thought of what it meant to 328 00:19:19,079 --> 00:19:22,960 possibly pull the trigger on somebody. I must have sat 329 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,039 there for a good minute now. I was petrified, thoughts 330 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,200 racing through my mind when it became apparent that the 331 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:34,519 footsteps were closing in. Whoever this was was making deliberate 332 00:19:34,599 --> 00:19:37,759 steps with the full intention of walking right up on us, 333 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,359 And I swear to you it must have only been 334 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:43,440 ten yards or less away. When I stood up out 335 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:47,279 of the kayak and I shouted as loud as I could, Hello, 336 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:52,640 who goes there? The footsteps stopped dead, just out of 337 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,000 you from the light of the campfire. The tension in 338 00:19:56,079 --> 00:19:59,400 the air was thick, and so was the silence, only 339 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:02,880 ever broke by the crackle of the fire. We all 340 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:07,920 sat there anticipating their next move. We were paralyzed. Just 341 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,640 then they were treated toward the left of our viewing area. 342 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:13,960 What the hell? I thought? And we all looked at 343 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,039 each other in disbelief, and we listened to the footfalls 344 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:19,839 go back and forth between our ten o'clock and our 345 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:24,680 two o'clock. It seemed whoever this was decided they were 346 00:20:24,839 --> 00:20:27,359 going to stay just outside of our field of view, 347 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,759 but just close enough to observe our group. I could 348 00:20:31,759 --> 00:20:34,799 see the look of astonishment creep across the faces of 349 00:20:34,839 --> 00:20:40,599 my siblings, except my younger brother, Nate. Nate, he was brave, 350 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:43,279 and he grabbed sticks and rocks and whatever he could 351 00:20:43,279 --> 00:20:46,319 find laying on the ground, and he started chucking them 352 00:20:46,319 --> 00:20:49,799 into the woods, shouting at the bastard. I think his 353 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,039 intentions were to taunt the guy into coming out, or 354 00:20:53,039 --> 00:20:55,480 at the very least, this was his attempt to run 355 00:20:55,519 --> 00:20:59,720 them off. But his actions, nor our knowledge of the 356 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:04,200 figure year's presence, dissuaded them from running away. It simply 357 00:21:04,279 --> 00:21:07,400 moved from left to right, dodging the items that were 358 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,720 being thrown. It was at this pivotal moment that I 359 00:21:11,799 --> 00:21:13,960 was wrestling with the thought of getting the gun and 360 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,799 firing warning shots, when I realized that if this lunatic 361 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,759 was armed, they would have already done what they had 362 00:21:20,799 --> 00:21:24,200 intended to do, so I told my brother to stop 363 00:21:24,559 --> 00:21:28,799 let them get close. It seemed their objective was to 364 00:21:28,839 --> 00:21:32,519 make their presence known but conceal themselves in the trees. 365 00:21:33,559 --> 00:21:35,720 I told my brothers to sit quietly and let this 366 00:21:35,759 --> 00:21:38,279 fellow get close enough while I was waiting in my 367 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,640 car that I then pulled up to the edge of 368 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:44,119 the tree line. When I thought they were close enough 369 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:46,720 to be viewed, I would illuminate the woods with my 370 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,559 brides and the perpetrator would come into full view. But 371 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,240 in hindsight, this action seemed kind of strange, but the 372 00:21:54,319 --> 00:21:59,039 result was much more so. I waited there with my 373 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:03,079 car on and my headlights off. I could hear this 374 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,480 person getting closer and closer, and it occurred to me 375 00:22:06,599 --> 00:22:09,640 that the sight of an operated vehicle near the woods 376 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,319 would have been enough reason to flee in fear of 377 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:16,680 possibly getting run over. And yet here they were, meandering 378 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,920 ever nearer to the edge. I heard the rustle of 379 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,200 the leaves right in front of the car, some feet 380 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,680 away when I decided to light up their world, and 381 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,960 I shouted profanities as I flipped the switch. And this 382 00:22:31,039 --> 00:22:34,720 is the moment that I would never forget. As it 383 00:22:34,759 --> 00:22:37,240 would turn out, I wasn't close enough to see the 384 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:41,079 damn thing thing is what it was, because when the 385 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,079 lights came on, I only saw the movement of a 386 00:22:44,079 --> 00:22:47,000 single branch in the trees where it had just been 387 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:51,079 accompanied by what sounded like a freaking car driving through 388 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:54,880 the woods as this thing crashed through them, running away 389 00:22:54,920 --> 00:23:00,000 from me. Judging by how loud the snapping was this morning, 390 00:23:00,039 --> 00:23:02,920 munster had to have been a few hundred pounds on me, 391 00:23:03,599 --> 00:23:08,880 and my blood ran cold. My comprehension of what I 392 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,640 thought lived in the woods was immediately defied, and when 393 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,440 the trees were once again quiet, I turned to the 394 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:18,559 rest of the group, who also had their jaws hanging open. 395 00:23:19,599 --> 00:23:22,599 My two younger brothers were the first to break the silence, 396 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:26,480 announcing their departure indoors, and they wished us a good night, 397 00:23:26,559 --> 00:23:30,640 and they hurried inside, having no idea what to even 398 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,079 think or feel. My older step brother and my girlfriend 399 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,599 and I sat there trying to wrap our minds around 400 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:40,319 what took place here, but we stayed out there, unsure 401 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:43,240 of what to do next. When I heard it come back. 402 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:46,599 This time it stayed further out in the woods, but 403 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,039 it didn't try to conceal its movements, and my mind 404 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,759 raised as daunting thoughts of revenge made me fearful of 405 00:23:53,759 --> 00:23:57,839 my life, and my girlfriend certainly ran inside for hers. 406 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:03,319 And then the most unnerving thing happened. The creature walked 407 00:24:03,319 --> 00:24:05,720 out from our ten o'clock all the way to the 408 00:24:05,799 --> 00:24:09,160 trash pile, which was to our four o'clock, and it 409 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:13,480 stayed concealed by the woods the entire trek there, and 410 00:24:13,519 --> 00:24:16,359 I heard it walking on top of all the beer cans, 411 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:21,960 seemingly jumping up and down and throwing or kicking cans around. Well, 412 00:24:22,039 --> 00:24:24,720 the size and weight of this thing was fully illustrated 413 00:24:24,759 --> 00:24:28,160 by the crunch of the aluminum beneath its feet. Neither 414 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,480 of us could tell what it was doing or why, 415 00:24:30,519 --> 00:24:33,400 but we got the hell out of there, and when 416 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,920 we went inside we found that our brothers had woken 417 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,599 up our father to tell him what had happened. And 418 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,160 by the end it was just past three, and I 419 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,559 thought my dad was going to be really hiked off, 420 00:24:44,599 --> 00:24:49,039 but he wasn't. He seemed somewhat concerned, but more bewildered 421 00:24:49,079 --> 00:24:53,599 than anything. He knew exactly what it was, having had 422 00:24:53,599 --> 00:24:57,440 his own experiences in the state of Washington, but he 423 00:24:57,559 --> 00:25:01,119 seemed astounded that such a thing would happen in Missouri. 424 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:04,519 He inquired about the event for a few minutes, and 425 00:25:04,559 --> 00:25:06,480 then he shrugged it off, and then he went back 426 00:25:06,519 --> 00:25:10,200 to bed. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. 427 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,200 Four am rolled around and we were all getting tired, 428 00:25:14,559 --> 00:25:17,079 and I crawled into my makeshift bed on the floor, 429 00:25:17,079 --> 00:25:19,839 and I was almost asleep when it struck me that 430 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:21,839 my phone was lying on top of the roof of 431 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,119 my car. Well. I was gripped by fear at the 432 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:27,640 thought of even going out there, but with the rain 433 00:25:27,839 --> 00:25:31,119 in the forecast and the thin wallet, I surely wasn't 434 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:33,799 going to let that happen. So I stepped through the 435 00:25:33,799 --> 00:25:36,200 front door and I made my way around the corner. 436 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,319 The fire had gone out and the only thing illuminating 437 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:42,960 the night was a single light on the shop that 438 00:25:43,079 --> 00:25:46,640 was on the side closest to my car, thankfully, and 439 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,240 as I walked across the yard, I noticed that the 440 00:25:49,279 --> 00:25:52,880 woods were still, and I had the distinct feeling that 441 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:57,039 I was being watched. I grabbed my phone from the 442 00:25:57,039 --> 00:25:59,039 top of the car and made a quick work of 443 00:25:59,039 --> 00:26:02,160 getting back in the looking behind my shoulder every so 444 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:05,279 often at the dark and the silent abyss of trees, 445 00:26:05,519 --> 00:26:08,319 until rounded the corner and I got inside the house. 446 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,799 The next morning, my older brother and I were up 447 00:26:12,839 --> 00:26:15,640 before everyone else, and we decided to go out back 448 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:19,720 and do some investigating. We carried the rifle with us 449 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,079 and I told him to stay put and I wanted 450 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:23,960 him to listen to me jump on the pile of 451 00:26:24,039 --> 00:26:26,759 cans to try and guess the weight of the creature. 452 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,039 And when I arrived at the pile, I was amazed 453 00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:32,559 and frightened by the amount of beer cans and trash 454 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,160 that had been strown about the general area. When I 455 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,799 came back, he told me that whatever had been on 456 00:26:38,839 --> 00:26:41,039 that pile the night before must have been at least 457 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:44,480 three times my size. At that point in time, I 458 00:26:44,519 --> 00:26:47,160 was five foot eleven, one hundred and sixty five pounds, 459 00:26:48,039 --> 00:26:50,599 and I was not courageous enough to look for prince, 460 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,880 realizing that even a full clip might not protect me 461 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,880 from a creature of that size, and we left it 462 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,920 at that. My love for the woods is not wavered, 463 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:03,640 and I'm an avid out dorsman, but this event has 464 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,480 cemented itself into my mind, and my view of the 465 00:27:06,559 --> 00:27:10,480 natural world has changed. And since this event, I do 466 00:27:10,559 --> 00:27:13,599 not enter the woods at night anymore, and during the 467 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,480 day I'm very attentive to my surroundings. I have seen 468 00:27:17,519 --> 00:27:21,920 strange structures and smelled unexplained things since then, but those 469 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:26,759 experiences are just conjecture. This, however, is significant for a 470 00:27:26,759 --> 00:27:31,400 couple of reasons. Whatever this creature is was walking on 471 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,200 two feet and objectively bigger than a human, and most 472 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:40,200 importantly aware of its utility, and deliberately making its presence 473 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:44,319 known to us, yet staying just out of sight. What 474 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,240 gets me about this experience compared to the others that 475 00:27:47,319 --> 00:27:50,680 I've heard, is that I did not smell anything, and 476 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:55,000 it seemed genuinely curious about us, not at all wanting 477 00:27:55,039 --> 00:27:59,079 to be seen. It wasn't deterred by our advances, and 478 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:04,119 it even came back after a crude attempt to see it. Also, 479 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:06,759 in hindsight, it might have gone to the trash pile 480 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:09,799 for food, but the sounds it made while doing so 481 00:28:10,079 --> 00:28:13,359 were very unusual, and I swear to you it was 482 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,960 jumping around like it was deliberately making noise, And the 483 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,359 prospect of something being intelligent and bold enough to do 484 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,000 such a thing is terrifying to me. Now I have 485 00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:26,960 only told very few people about what happened that night 486 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:31,400 because it is so surreal and outlandish, and I'm pretty 487 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:34,279 sure no one would believe me. And that's the end 488 00:28:34,279 --> 00:28:37,559 of his email, and that was I just can't believe. 489 00:28:37,599 --> 00:28:40,119 What a good writer, this guy, What a great story. 490 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,319 I'm not going to send anything else and ruin it. 491 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,079 You heard it, You know the story. You make your 492 00:28:45,079 --> 00:28:47,400 own judgments about it. But I thought it was great 493 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:51,359 and I appreciate the man sending it. Thank you. Okay, 494 00:28:51,359 --> 00:28:53,160 I was going to do another story. But I got 495 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,960 dogs walking around. They want to go outside. I'm tired 496 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:57,920 of letting them in and out, in and out, in 497 00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,920 and out. I've been doing that for two hours while 498 00:29:00,119 --> 00:29:04,680 I recorded this audio. And Betsy, Betsy, why do you 499 00:29:04,799 --> 00:29:08,880 keep going out and in and out? Girl? Can y'all 500 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:13,160 hear clicking over here? He thinks I'm mad at her. 501 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:15,720 I'm not mad at her. I kind of am, but 502 00:29:15,799 --> 00:29:19,720 I'm I'm I'm loving on her right now. Anyway. Thank 503 00:29:19,759 --> 00:29:22,680 you for joining me on this podcast. I appreciate it. Hey, 504 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,039 maybe you could hit the thumbs up on this video 505 00:29:25,119 --> 00:29:27,440 if you liked it. This a little button right there, 506 00:29:27,559 --> 00:29:29,799 right there below your screen with a little thumbs up 507 00:29:29,839 --> 00:29:33,160 click that it helps me get recommended to other viewers. 508 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:35,279 Other than that, we'll see you guys on the next one. 509 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:35,839 Thanks