WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Back in October of two thousand and eight, I was

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<v Speaker 1>twenty eight and I was in love. I had known

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<v Speaker 1>her my entire life, but I didn't realize how I

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<v Speaker 1>felt until after she moved away from Ontario, Canada, where

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<v Speaker 1>we lived, to British Columbia. By the time I realized

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<v Speaker 1>that she'd taken my heart with her, it was too late. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>twelve years later, thanks to Facebook, we had reconnected and

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<v Speaker 1>she was coming home for a visit. I felt like

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<v Speaker 1>I'd waited a lifetime for that day to come. I'll

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<v Speaker 1>never forget how beautiful she looked when we met. Time

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<v Speaker 1>passed two quickly, and days turned into weeks, and we

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<v Speaker 1>spent as much time together as we could. Before we

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<v Speaker 1>knew it, she would be leaving in a week, and

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<v Speaker 1>I knew I couldn't let her go again, And to

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<v Speaker 1>my surprise and great joy, she agreed to stay. Thanksgiving

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<v Speaker 1>week of that year, we arrived I did in British

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<v Speaker 1>Columbia to get her things and officially move her back home.

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<v Speaker 1>We flew in after spending a few days with her friends.

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<v Speaker 1>We had a four day drive back home. Everything went

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<v Speaker 1>well until the second day of our return trip. We

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<v Speaker 1>got lost. How did I make this mistake, I wondered

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<v Speaker 1>as I stared out over the landscape. We were almost

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<v Speaker 1>out of the mountains by then, but it was getting late.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought maybe if I drove a bit longer, we

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<v Speaker 1>could make up some ground. It was a thought I

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<v Speaker 1>would soon come to regret. Night was falling fast when

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<v Speaker 1>I saw a sign that indicated the next town was

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<v Speaker 1>sixty kilometers away. Dear God, another sixty kilometers, but I'm

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<v Speaker 1>already so tired, I thought. Being the stubborn type, I

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<v Speaker 1>pushed on. I can do this, I told myself, like

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<v Speaker 1>the little engine that could. No sooner had I formed

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<v Speaker 1>that thought than the first rain drive began to fall.

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<v Speaker 1>I glanced upwards and whispered, how much more are you

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<v Speaker 1>going to put me through? Lord? Ask a stupid question.

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<v Speaker 1>I tried to set aside my frustrations. The love of

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<v Speaker 1>my life was sleeping comfortably in the next seat to me.

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<v Speaker 1>Even though we were lost at the moment, we had

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<v Speaker 1>our whole lives ahead of us. I was a lucky man,

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<v Speaker 1>and one day we would look back on this night

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<v Speaker 1>and smile. Right. Five minutes later, the rain was coming

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<v Speaker 1>down pretty steady, and we were no closer to finding

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<v Speaker 1>our way back to where we should have been. One second,

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<v Speaker 1>we were traveling along the lonely road while the wiper

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<v Speaker 1>blades swished away the rain almost as fast as it

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<v Speaker 1>blurred my view. And the next a pair of massive

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<v Speaker 1>antlers appeared in my path. It was a moose, and

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<v Speaker 1>then another, and then another. They were being chased by

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<v Speaker 1>something I could never have imagined. I slammed on the brakes,

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<v Speaker 1>but there was no time to stop. It was out

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<v Speaker 1>of my hands. The tires slid across the wet pavement

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<v Speaker 1>and crashed into the animals. The world spun wildly as

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<v Speaker 1>my car flipped over and over and over again, landing

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<v Speaker 1>on all four wheels. I don't remember being ejected from

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<v Speaker 1>the vehicle, but I awoke to find myself lying on

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<v Speaker 1>the ground, being pummeled by the driving rain. I had

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<v Speaker 1>been knocked out at some point, and breathing hurt, but

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<v Speaker 1>not breathing wasn't an option, and I gasped for air

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<v Speaker 1>and winced at the pain with each breath, and then

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<v Speaker 1>something growled. The memory of the last image before my

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<v Speaker 1>foot buried the brake pedal came back to me, and

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<v Speaker 1>it growled again, followed by a sort of wailing wah sound.

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<v Speaker 1>The pain in shock of the accident was overwhelming, and

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<v Speaker 1>as a former hockey player, I wasn't a stranger to

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<v Speaker 1>the feeling. No one plays high without breaking something at

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<v Speaker 1>some point. But this pain felt like it was coming

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<v Speaker 1>from every part of my body. And then I remembered

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<v Speaker 1>my girlfriend. No, God, no, I cried. I couldn't pull

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<v Speaker 1>myself up, so I had to inch around to the

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<v Speaker 1>other side of the car, crawling on my belly. It

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<v Speaker 1>was an eternity during which I pleaded with God to

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<v Speaker 1>let her be okay. As I rounded the passenger side,

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<v Speaker 1>I saw her body on the ground thirty feet away,

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<v Speaker 1>with something strange standing over her. At nine feet tall.

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<v Speaker 1>The hair covered being looked like an ape man with

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<v Speaker 1>shoulders as white as my car. Get away from her.

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<v Speaker 1>I screamed at it, leave her alone, please. Through my yelling,

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<v Speaker 1>I heard a strange waw wail again. Now I knew

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<v Speaker 1>what was making it. The creature went down on all

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<v Speaker 1>fours like a gorilla would do, and placed its hands

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<v Speaker 1>on my girlfriend's belly and that whah again. Now I

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't understand what this thing was doing to my girlfriend.

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<v Speaker 1>I just wanted it to get away from her. Leave

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<v Speaker 1>her alone, I screamed. I grabbed a piece of broken

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<v Speaker 1>fender in tent on throwing it at the beast, but

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<v Speaker 1>my arm was broken and it wouldn't do what I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted it to do. All I knew was that I

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<v Speaker 1>needed to chase this thing away before it hurt my

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<v Speaker 1>girlfriend any more than she already was. I wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>hurt it. I wanted it to feel the pain I felt.

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<v Speaker 1>It stood up and released a long growl before taking

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<v Speaker 1>one long hop and landing right next to me, with

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<v Speaker 1>the ease of a child setting aside a discarded rag doll.

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<v Speaker 1>It scooped me off the pavement, and it set me

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<v Speaker 1>on the side of the road. It seemed to realize

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<v Speaker 1>that I was hurt, because it didn't drop me. It

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<v Speaker 1>placed me. Then it went back over to my girlfriend

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<v Speaker 1>and carefully picked her up, cradled her in its arms

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<v Speaker 1>like a newborn baby, and brought her over to set

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<v Speaker 1>her beside me. I was trembling in pain and fear

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<v Speaker 1>as I looked into the face of my girlfriend. She

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't awake. Her eyes were half closed in that terrible

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<v Speaker 1>way that said there was no one behind them now,

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<v Speaker 1>And I turned my gaze back to the creature. We

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<v Speaker 1>locked eyes for a moment, and I saw compassion there.

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<v Speaker 1>I burst into tears, crying out her name over and over,

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<v Speaker 1>unable to bear the physical pain or to understand the

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<v Speaker 1>mental anguish. I was angry at the world and frustrated

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<v Speaker 1>with my inability to fix this, and all I could

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<v Speaker 1>do was cry all the while. The strange ape man

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<v Speaker 1>stood over me and patiently waited, and finally it spoke,

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<v Speaker 1>not in English or anything like a language I ever

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<v Speaker 1>knew or heard. It wasn't yelling now. It knelt down

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<v Speaker 1>and placed a hand on her leg and looked back

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<v Speaker 1>over at me. Somehow, I think it knew that the

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<v Speaker 1>love of my life was gone. Lights were coming from

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere in the distance, and darkness fell over me. That

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<v Speaker 1>was the last thing I remember until I woke up

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<v Speaker 1>in the hospital. Police were all around me, and my

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<v Speaker 1>mother had flown in from Ontario along with my brother.

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<v Speaker 1>They were in the room. My girlfriend's mother was there too.

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<v Speaker 1>An officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said, sir,

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<v Speaker 1>you were in a terrible accident. I want you to

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<v Speaker 1>try to be calm now. I looked at my mother,

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<v Speaker 1>hoping against hope, as I asked. The only question I

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<v Speaker 1>needed to have an answer to is she did she

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<v Speaker 1>make it mo The look on my mother's face told

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<v Speaker 1>me all I needed to know. I spent the next

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<v Speaker 1>three year months recovering my leg required sixty two staples.

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<v Speaker 1>My arm, wrist, and several ribs were broken. The official

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<v Speaker 1>police report doesn't include the part about the Bigfoot. I

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<v Speaker 1>left that out. It wasn't until five years ago that

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<v Speaker 1>I shared this with anyone. At that time, I sat

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<v Speaker 1>down with both my family and hers, and I told

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<v Speaker 1>them everything I had to get it out of my system.

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<v Speaker 1>Keeping it hidden was making me sick now, worried that

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<v Speaker 1>people would laugh at me, but bundling up inside was worse.

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<v Speaker 1>I look back now, I can imagine that the bigfoot

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<v Speaker 1>was chasing the moose and they just happened to cross

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<v Speaker 1>the road at the same point we were. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>harbor any hard feelings toward these creatures. He showed me

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<v Speaker 1>empathy by placing my girlfriend beside me one last time. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>this story doesn't have a happy ending, but I hope

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<v Speaker 1>it will encourage others to share theirs. Keeping it inside

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<v Speaker 1>does no good. I've wanted to give up many times

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<v Speaker 1>since that awful night. The images and memories are always

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<v Speaker 1>with me, but I keep moving forward, trying to live

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<v Speaker 1>my life as best I can. I think my girlfriend

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<v Speaker 1>would have wanted it this way. I was playing a

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<v Speaker 1>game of creek jumping with four of my friends when

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<v Speaker 1>I was twelve years old. We lived in Independence, Kentucky,

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<v Speaker 1>and creek jumping was a game we played often back then.

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<v Speaker 1>It was really just follow the leader, but it involved

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<v Speaker 1>jumping over creek, so that's what we called it. We'd

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<v Speaker 1>been out in the woods playing our game for over

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<v Speaker 1>an hour when we heard something walking somewhere behind us,

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<v Speaker 1>like it was following us. We'd gone pretty deep into

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<v Speaker 1>the woods, but we figured it with some of the

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<v Speaker 1>neighborhood kids who had followed us there well. Figuring that

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<v Speaker 1>there was going to be an ambush, we picked up

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<v Speaker 1>some sticks and began hitting them on the trees and yelling,

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<v Speaker 1>if you want to play, come out and open you

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<v Speaker 1>big chickens. Everything went quiet, maybe a little too quiet,

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<v Speaker 1>but we were kids, we wouldn't have noticed that. After

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<v Speaker 1>a few minutes, we figured that we had chased them off,

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<v Speaker 1>and we went back to our game of creek jumping.

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<v Speaker 1>Minutes later, we were a little deeper into the woods

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<v Speaker 1>when a massive roar rang out that vibrated in our chests.

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<v Speaker 1>I grew up in the Kentucky woods, and this was

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<v Speaker 1>nothing like anything I'd ever heard. We froze in our

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<v Speaker 1>tracks with two of my friends on one side of

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<v Speaker 1>the creek and the rest of us on the other,

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<v Speaker 1>and we looked up the hill on our side of

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<v Speaker 1>the creek to see a nine foot tall nightmare standing

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<v Speaker 1>between two trees at the top, shaking and growling at us.

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<v Speaker 1>Fear shot through us as one of my buddy's gasped,

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<v Speaker 1>what the hell is that? My other buddy on the

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<v Speaker 1>other side was so scared that he pee his pants.

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<v Speaker 1>Come on, let's get out of here. One of the

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<v Speaker 1>other friends yelled from across the creek, and the three

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<v Speaker 1>of us on our side sprang into action, and we

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<v Speaker 1>jumped across to the other side. As soon as our

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<v Speaker 1>feet hit the ground, it let out another ear shattering roar,

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<v Speaker 1>and then it snapped the tree off like they were twigs,

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<v Speaker 1>and they threw the trees at us. We were panicked

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<v Speaker 1>and terrified and ran as fast as we could with

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<v Speaker 1>this thing following behind us. Well. No one looked back,

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<v Speaker 1>but we could hear it crashing through the trees like

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<v Speaker 1>a bulldozer. We didn't stop running until we came to

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<v Speaker 1>a country road, where we had to stop and catch

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<v Speaker 1>our breath. By then we were all crying. Now I

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<v Speaker 1>have to admit I thought I was going to die

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<v Speaker 1>that day. We knew it wasn't far behind us, so

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<v Speaker 1>we started walking up the road as fast as our

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<v Speaker 1>exhausted lungs would allow, and our only hope, we thought,

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<v Speaker 1>was if someone came along and gave us a ride.

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<v Speaker 1>All the way up that road, it paralleled us, but

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<v Speaker 1>we didn't see it. It stayed inside the tree line,

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<v Speaker 1>but we could hear it huffing and puffing and tearing

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<v Speaker 1>up trees. We finally came to a gas station where

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<v Speaker 1>one of my friends called us mother to come and

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<v Speaker 1>pick us up. We told her what happened, but she

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<v Speaker 1>didn't believe us. When I got home, I told my

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<v Speaker 1>mother and father, but they didn't believe me either, and

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<v Speaker 1>after that we never spoke about it again. My friends

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<v Speaker 1>still don't speak about it, except to admit that it

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<v Speaker 1>gave them all nightmares. But we didn't play in the

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<v Speaker 1>woods after that. It was another four years before I

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<v Speaker 1>stepped foot inside that tree line. One thing I do

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<v Speaker 1>know is that that thing wasn't human, and if it

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<v Speaker 1>had wanted to kill us, it could have easily caught

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<v Speaker 1>us and done just that. My siblings called me Buckshot.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess you can tell by that name that I've

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<v Speaker 1>spent most of my life in the woods hunting everything

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<v Speaker 1>from white tailed deer to turkey, to coyotes and hogs.

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<v Speaker 1>Because of that, I've also spent many an early morning

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<v Speaker 1>and night listening to the sounds of mother nature. Where

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<v Speaker 1>I'm from, coyotes are pretty common and black bears aren't

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<v Speaker 1>unheard of. We also have black panthers or black cougars here,

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<v Speaker 1>but don't tell the authorities. They ain't figured it out yet.

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<v Speaker 1>I know I haven't seen or heard everything, but I've

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<v Speaker 1>always been pretty comfortable with my knowledge of Mother Nature.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why I was so shook up by what I

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<v Speaker 1>heard one night a few weeks back. I was sitting

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<v Speaker 1>in my barn taking a rest before heading to the house,

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<v Speaker 1>when out of the blue, I heard an extremely loud

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<v Speaker 1>roar or I guess you might say it was a yell. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>whichever it was, it was something I've never heard before.

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<v Speaker 1>I've heard everything that might have come close to it,

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<v Speaker 1>but this wasn't any of them. I'm sure of that.

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<v Speaker 1>There's something else. I'm sure of. Whatever made that noise

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<v Speaker 1>was huge. The sound repeated itself three more times. With

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<v Speaker 1>each successive yell, my heart beat a little faster, until

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<v Speaker 1>it felt like it was beating out of my chest.

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<v Speaker 1>I retreated to the house as quickly as I could,

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<v Speaker 1>since then I carry whenever I step outside, especially late

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<v Speaker 1>at night, So naturally I told my dad and sister

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<v Speaker 1>and nephew about it, and just as naturally, they laughed

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<v Speaker 1>and picked fun at me for it. After a week

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<v Speaker 1>of being mocked by them, we were all sitting out

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<v Speaker 1>in the yard one night, enjoying the evening air. It

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<v Speaker 1>was getting to be around eleven forty pm, and I

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<v Speaker 1>was half listing for another yell and half hoping I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't hear one. Just as my dad opened his mouth

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<v Speaker 1>to say something, that loud, bellowing howl came from the

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<v Speaker 1>woodline along the backfield of my property. In the daylight,

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<v Speaker 1>we could have seen where it came from, but at

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<v Speaker 1>night it was too dark. As that sound echoed across

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<v Speaker 1>the barnyard, everyone went still. My dad frozen midward, and

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<v Speaker 1>his eyes bulged from his face. We all sat looking

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<v Speaker 1>at each other as that same sound came from the

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<v Speaker 1>bowels of the woods a few more times over the

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<v Speaker 1>next several minutes, and no one spoke a word, probably

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<v Speaker 1>because no one needed to. That effectively ended our night.

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<v Speaker 1>The next night, we regrouped in the barnyard, with everyone

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<v Speaker 1>anxious to talk about what happened the night before. As

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<v Speaker 1>my dad and siblings discussed the loudness and the possible

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<v Speaker 1>source of the sounds, my nephew and I searched the

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<v Speaker 1>Internet on our smartphones, looking for animal sounds that might

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<v Speaker 1>explain what we'd heard. We searched for several hours, but

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<v Speaker 1>we came up empty. Nothing came close to what we'd heard.

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<v Speaker 1>Then we stumbled across the site that had bigfoot sounds.

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<v Speaker 1>They were remarkably close to what we'd heard. After hearing

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<v Speaker 1>those recordings, we all looked at each other and came

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<v Speaker 1>to the same collective conclusion that thing roaring in my

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<v Speaker 1>woods had to be a bigfoot. A few days after that,

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<v Speaker 1>my nephew and I were walking in a field on

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<v Speaker 1>my property when he came across an unusual track in

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<v Speaker 1>the soil. He called me over to look at it.

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<v Speaker 1>What I saw led me to conclude that it was

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<v Speaker 1>definitely a bigfoot. The print was very human in appearance,

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<v Speaker 1>except that it was six or seven inches wide at

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<v Speaker 1>the top and four to five inches wide at the heel.

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<v Speaker 1>I could see the toes and the curve of the

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<v Speaker 1>arch and the foot. My heart was racing as fast

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<v Speaker 1>as it was that first night. I've always believed in

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<v Speaker 1>the possibility of their existence, but I never thought I

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<v Speaker 1>would actually see a print or hear one yell. A

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<v Speaker 1>few nights passed and I was standing out on my

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<v Speaker 1>front porch to catch a bit of fresh air before

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<v Speaker 1>turning in for the night, and from the woods across

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<v Speaker 1>the road from my house, I heard that roar again.

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<v Speaker 1>Having heard it several times now, I wasn't so quick

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<v Speaker 1>to retreat. It was a little different this time, more

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<v Speaker 1>like a squeal of pain with a hint of a

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<v Speaker 1>roar in it. Fear gripped me, but I was determined

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<v Speaker 1>to stand my ground. My wife heard it and came

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<v Speaker 1>outside to see what it was. This was the first

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<v Speaker 1>time she'd heard it, and I could see fear and

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<v Speaker 1>worry in her eyes as she stood there and shot.

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<v Speaker 1>Two nights later, my son and I were out checking

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<v Speaker 1>my grapes at eight pm, and I was studying how

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<v Speaker 1>many grapes were producing when I heard that familiar sound

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<v Speaker 1>in the distance. I marveled at the power it had,

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<v Speaker 1>even from so far away. With white eyes, my son

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<v Speaker 1>looked at me and he said, is that what you've

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<v Speaker 1>been hearing? And I nodded my answer as he turned

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<v Speaker 1>to run for the house. Come inside, he called over

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<v Speaker 1>his shoulder, and I followed on his heels. A couple

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<v Speaker 1>of more days went by with no unusual sounds from

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<v Speaker 1>the woods. I had just gotten comfortable with the idea

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<v Speaker 1>that we wouldn't hear any more of those yells when

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<v Speaker 1>as my wife and I were lying in bed that night,

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere between awake and dream land, and a loud bellow

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<v Speaker 1>came through our bedroom window and rattled our walls. We

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<v Speaker 1>both immediately sat up right in bed and looked around,

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<v Speaker 1>neither one knowing what to say. All we could do

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<v Speaker 1>was stare at each other when another loud roar shook

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<v Speaker 1>the window glass. After that, all was silent for the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the night. It was just enough to keep

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<v Speaker 1>either one of us from getting a good night's sleep,

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<v Speaker 1>and we spent the rest of the night, sitting up

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<v Speaker 1>waiting and listening. By now I was contemplating looking for

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<v Speaker 1>more evidence despite my internal struggle between fear and curiosity,

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<v Speaker 1>I decided to take a walk along my property line

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<v Speaker 1>at the edge of the woods. This time I found

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<v Speaker 1>two different sets of prints. One was fifteen inches long

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<v Speaker 1>and the other was ten inches. Both were very wide,

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<v Speaker 1>and I realized then that I was going to have

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<v Speaker 1>to accept that whatever this was, it had chosen to

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<v Speaker 1>make my property its home. Judging by the size of

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<v Speaker 1>the Prince and the strength of its roar, there wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>going to be much I could do about it. I

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<v Speaker 1>told my siblings about the Prince the first chance I got.

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<v Speaker 1>They all ran over to look at them, but I

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<v Speaker 1>could tell that they were struggling with the same internal

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<v Speaker 1>battle between curiosity and fear that had me tied at knots.

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<v Speaker 1>I've lived on this property for the last six years.

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<v Speaker 1>Before that, I left five miles from here. Now I've

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<v Speaker 1>lived in this general area my entire thirty one years.

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<v Speaker 1>Never have I heard anything like this. I'm sure my

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<v Speaker 1>siblings could all say the same. That night, after I

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<v Speaker 1>showed my siblings the Prince, we all decided to wait

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<v Speaker 1>up to see if we might hear it again. The neighbor,

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<v Speaker 1>who was living three houses down, was having a shin

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<v Speaker 1>dick that night, and around nine pm the creature in

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<v Speaker 1>the woods let loose with a long, bellowing yell, and

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<v Speaker 1>the neighbor heard it. How do I know that he

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<v Speaker 1>heard it? Not two seconds later all of his friends

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<v Speaker 1>started leaving in a hasty manner. The fire went from

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<v Speaker 1>lighting up his yard to darkness, and I laughed a bit,

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<v Speaker 1>but I understood their fear. So far, it's the last

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<v Speaker 1>time I've heard that yell.