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Speaker 1: In nineteen ninety three, I formed a UFO discussion group

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in eastern Kentucky, which, by unanimous membership vote, became the

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Kentucky Skywatchers. Unbeknownst to us, the group was joined or

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infiltrated by an undercover FBI agent. He was enthusiastic about

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the topic and was pretty vocal participant in our discussions,

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which could get heated at times. There were no obvious

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signs that he was a government official. He was pretty

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good at hiding his FBI affiliation, which I suppose is

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part of the job description if you think about it.

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When he stopped showing up for meetings, I wasn't surprised.

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In these types of groups, people come and go. We

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later discovered the cabinet where the membership forms of the

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group were kept had been accessed in some of the

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files that contained names, dresses, and phone numbers had gone missing.

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One of our members was a woman who claimed to

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be psychic. She was actually quite a character, and once

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she started telling one of her many UFO encounters, we

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let her have the floor. Now we were open minded

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and offered such people respect and a measure of dignity.

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She swore that somewhere near her home in eastern Kentucky,

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that there was evidence of activity inside the top secret

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underground weapons laboratory stationed amid the Long and Narrow Mountain Ridges.

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She sensed strange vibrations, portraying herself as the eyes and

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ears of an alien race from a distant galaxy. She

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cautioned us that an invasion was imminent, but it would

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not be an obvious one with advanced weaponry and spaceships

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visible in the skies. Rather, she insisted, the invaders would

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seize power quietly through manipulation of our infrastructure. They're going

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to control us through our banking institutions. She warned. It

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was an elaborate scenario she painted, and I have to

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admit that part way through it, I started to lose

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the plot, being psychic, or so she claimed she must have,

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since our attention spans were waning. She reached for her

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purse and from a side pocket pulled out a stack

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of photo copies, and she passed them around the room.

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It was basically her lecture on paper. She gave us

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all ten minutes to read through it, and collected back

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all the copies as if they were classified documents. As

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the meeting concluded, I bagged up the coffee stained cups.

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The woman leaned over to me, and she whispered, I

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think there's a plant from the FBI here. Her skills

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weren't good enough to pinpoint which one of us it was,

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though perhaps our soon to be rogue undercover FBI agent

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was the one after the meeting who walked the woman

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to her car, where they engaged in an intense conversation.

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It was the last time I saw either of them.

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A few weeks later, I received word that the woman

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had been killed in a single car accident down some

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remote road near the mountains. I only knew her through

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our group, but all of us were shocked by her

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sudden death. Shortly after that, I was visited by two

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FBI agents who asked a lot of questions pertaining to

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the members of our UFO group. At one point, they

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produced a photograph. It was a man from our meetings

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who had escorted the woman to her car that night.

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Instead of being dressed casually in jeans and a hoodie

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as I remembered, the man in the picture was sporting

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a suit, not unlike the two agents who were questioning me.

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The nature of their inquiry implied they were looking at

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this man as a murderer, inspecting the death of this

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poor woman. Well, I told them what I knew, which

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wasn't much. It was a hot topic at our next meeting.

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People in our neck of the woods aren't real enamored

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of the government, especially when they show up at your

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door asking questions. We must have entertained one hundred conspiracy

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theories before we adjourned. That night, I closed down the

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group after suffering some financial setbacks. I lost my job,

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which started a snowball that eventually resulted in my house

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being foreclosed. I was audited in the accountant I employed

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couldn't produce any of my records, and in the aftermath

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it strained my marriage and I ended up in a

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costly divorce. I borrowed enough money to keep my vehicle,

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although the interest rate was exorbitant. My credit was shot

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and I held on but barely. I'm older now my

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life is much simpler than these days. I lived modestly

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in a one room apartment, and I prefer to pay

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my bills in cash. Each night before bed, I study

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the alphorisms I keep inside my Bible on the nightstand.

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Now I've learned to read around the coffee stains from

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when I stashed them in the garbage bag on the

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night that poor woman and the rest of them weren't

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looking the beast of Lookout Mountain. As a child, I

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felt there was something very special about the nights of

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the full moon. For two days before and two days

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after the night of peak fullness, the natural world is

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aglow with the blue silver illumination that is fascinated mankind

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for thousands of years in the days when superstition ruled

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the mind of man, our ancestors assigned great powers to

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this other worldly life and the unfailing cycle of the

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blue white orb which produced it. Because we have a

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weakness not shared by the predators of the night, we

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naturally fear the things that come out to hunt in

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the darkness. Human beings have eyesight that evolved for daylight activity,

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not foreseeing the details hidden in the shadows of a

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forest after the sun goes down. Therefore, we have an

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innate fear of the darkness and the beasts that inhabit it.

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There are those among us who seem to lack this fear,

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at least they give the appearance of not being afraid.

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Those are individuals who will have the opportunity to see

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what I have seen. Only recently have I developed a

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deeply felt well. I started to say, respect, let's call

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it what it is. It's fear, that's right. I now

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fear the things that I know to be out there

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in the dark. We've all heard the stories of werewolves

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and their remarkable abilities and characteristics, at least the ones

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that Hollywood has bestowed upon these terrifying creatures of legend.

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I will now tell you about my experiences with the

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things in the dark. These are my only encounters with

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what I believe to be one of these nocturnal beasts.

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I pray they are my last encounters. It was early

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spring and the nights on Lookout Mountain in Alabama were

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cool enough to be uncomfortable without a jacket. It was

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a kind of night that you can see your breath

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as you exhale. I owned a four wheeler, and I

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frequently rode the south ridge of Lookout Mountain. I especially

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enjoyed riding trails in the thousands of acres of woods

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near my home on the nights of the full moon.

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The silver light shining through the trees on the narrow

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wine roads and trails is usually bright enough that headlights

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are optional at low speeds. Riding by moonlight had always

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been a special experience, and I looked forward to it,

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but the events of two separate nights this year would

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change that forever. It was a Friday night and I

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had worked later than usual, which caused me to miss

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connecting with my riding buddies as was the usual routine.

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This was before cell phones were common and very few

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of my friends had one, Plus where we rode, a

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signal was hard to find on a good day. I

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had called but had reached no one, so I would

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have to catch up with them on the trail. It

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was well after dark and the moon was high in

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the night sky. I grabbed my cooler and shoved off,

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hoping to link up with my friends and have some fun.

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After a short ride on the paved road, I climbed

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a steep bank off the road to access the trail

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where I expected to find everyone. Fifteen minutes of bouncing

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over rocks and roots found me past the roughest part

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of the trail, and I was now slowly rolling along

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on a smooth, sandy road without my headlights, when something

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roughly the size of a coyote dashed quickly across the

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road in front of me, moving left to right. It

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was no more than a flash and a tangle of shadows.

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I hit the brakes and I shut off the engine

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so I could listen for whatever it was as it

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continued its flight through the undergrowth. The natural predators in

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these parts are not generally large enough to be a

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threat to humans, so I was not alarmed. There are

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black bears and mountain lions here, but we see them

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so rarely that no one worries about them. I sat

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silently on my four wheeler, listening, looking, and hoping to

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hear or see if whatever had dashed across the road

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was being followed by another similar creature, or possibly being chased.

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After a minute of silent vigil, I stepped off my ATV,

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thinking whatever it was was long gone. I opened my

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cooler and I took out my first beer for the evening.

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I popped the top and took a long drink. Coffee

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would have been a more practical choice on the cool

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spring night, but the beer tasted good that night. The

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whipperwheels were out early this year, and the night air

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was filled with their unmistakable calls. These woods at night

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are such a sensual place. Your pupils dilate to take

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in the maximum amount of light. Your hearing seems to

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become more acute. Even your sense of smell now picks

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up things that ordinarily it would not. One's mind could

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quite easily run away with itself on a night like this.

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To my left, some distance off the road, I could

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hear movement in the thickly matted leafy ground cover of

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this dense hardwood forest. I first assumed it was a

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raccoon or a possum rooting for grubs in the foot

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deep leaf cover. After only seconds of listening, I could

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make out distinct footsteps. They were the same noises a

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man would make while walking through the leaves. It certainly

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was not a possum. The spot where I had stopped

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was sheltered. On each side, short needle pines spaced close

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together obscured my view on both sides of the road.

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The fifteen foot stretch of pines, almost like a tunnel,

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shaded the road from the moonlight. I listened as the

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footsteps came closer. It had to be a hunter, so

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I made some noise to alert him to my position.

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I didn't want to be mistaken for game, and I

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spoke up, don't shoot, partner, I'm standing right on the

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road in front of you. The footsteps stopped abruptly, followed

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by several seconds of silence, during which I expected to

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hear a man's voice reply telling me that he wasn't

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going to shoot me. That never happened. I spoke up

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again to confirm my presence, and still I got no reply.

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I knew someone was there, but for whatever reason, they

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refused to respond. My concern was growing. It's not unheard

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of that marijuana growers will guard their grow in this area.

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The month of April is a bit early in the

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growing season for this to have been likely, but I

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wondered if I was about to meet one of these guys.

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I heard a twig snap to my left. I began

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talking to reassure whoever it was that I meant them

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no harm, and I walk slowly towards the twig snap.

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I came to the end of the short needle pine thicket,

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where the moonlight was bright and I could see better

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into the woods. I heard it breathing, and when I

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looked in that direction, I saw the steamy exhaust. When

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it exhaled, it was panting. Fifty feet in front of me,

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A dark form of an animal crouched. It was motionless

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and in front of me, and the steam from its

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exhales was rising above its head. I froze. My eyes

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began to adjust to the moonlight, now illuminating the woods.

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Two pointed, fur covered ears were visible. Its head turned

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ninety degrees, and the silhouette of a large canine muzzle

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became apparent. The ears moved in a manner of a

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horse as it seemed to scan the immediate area for sounds.

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I'll never forget those ears. The steam from its breathing,

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illuminated by the bright moonlight, rushed from its snout and

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drifted upward. My legs suddenly felt weak. The beer can

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slipped from my hand and hit flatly on the sandstone

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road with a clank, causing it to shoot a stream

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of foam into the air, which lapped over into the

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woods in the direction of this thing. The beast rose

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to an upright position on two legs, revealing its height.

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It was bigger than me, much bigger. It was staring

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straight at me. It paused long enough to issue a

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deep growl and calmly strode away into the woods with

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the same rhythmic leaf crunching footsteps I had heard moments earlier.

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I was terrified. Tears poured from my eyes. I ran

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for the four wheeler, jumped aboard, and hit the starter.

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In a flurry of lightning fast moves, I rode away

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at full throttle, like the devil was chasing me. I

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don't remember driving home, but I know I covered that

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eight miles in record time. When I slid to a

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stop in my driveway, I jumped off the four wheeler

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and ran into the house, locking all the doors and windows.

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Never had I felt the way I felt that night.

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I didn't sleep at all. Rather, I sat in my

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living room with my shotgun in my lap until dawn.

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I contemplated calling the county Sheriff's office to report what

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I had seen, but I knew that I would sound

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like a nutcase. I picked up the phone several times,

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but I never made the call. Over the following days,

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my mind replayed the events of that night over and over,

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each time with the unsettling conclusion that I had seen

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what had to be a werewolf. Either I had seen

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one or I was delusional. I had always been the

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guy that made fun of people who said they saw

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werewolves and ghosts. I never believed that stuff. If what

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I saw was a werewolf, why didn't it attack me?

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It had every opportunity to make a meal of me,

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or to slaughter me for the fun of it. I

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can't imagine that it was some trickster that took me in.

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It looked and sounded way too real. Besides, most trail

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riders are armed, and a joke like this could get

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a prankster shot. What I saw was a large, fur

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covered animal that walked primarily on two legs. It had

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very long arms in the head of a canine. Having

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considered this incident time and time again, I know what

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I saw and will always believe that it was a werewolf.

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I'm now an undoubting believer in the existence of werewolves,

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and that fact would be confirmed a few months later.

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By September, I had changed my writing habits. I didn't

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write at night. One Saturday night when my friend Larry

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called to tell me that he was in the woods

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and his ATV had quit on him. To my dread,

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he was close to the location where I had seen

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this creature. I almost made an excuse to get me

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off the hook, but this particular friend had pulled me

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out of bad spots before with no hesitation, and I

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felt obligated to be there for him. I told him

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that I could be there in an hour. I was

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apprehensive about going back at night. I had not told

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my writing buddies about what I had seen because I

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knew they would rib me until the day I died.

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They had noticed that I spent a lot of less

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time in the woods than I normally did, and had

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asked why I didn't ride at night now. Rather than

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fess up to my unbelievable encounter, I made lame excuses,

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jokingly allowing the conversation to move on. I wanted to

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tell someone what I had seen, but I didn't feel

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that they would take me serious, so I kept it

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to myself. I got dressed in warm clothing and strapped

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on my forty caliber and stuff two magazines in my pocket.

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The equipment I needed to retrieve a disabled four wheeler

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was sitting at the ready in a watertight box in

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my garage. I strapped the box on the back of

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my four wheeler and made ready to head for the

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eight mile long trail that would take me to my

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friend's location. I could not believe I was really going

283
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back there, but I couldn't leave him stranded, and he

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didn't know what I knew. The moon was bright again,

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and clouds moved silently across the sky, dragging their dark

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shadows over the mountainous terrain and adding a creepy element

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of mystery that began to play on my mind. The

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closer I got to the area where I had seen it,

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the more apprehensive I became. I stopped long enough to

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chamber around in my pistol, and I put it back

291
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into my holster. Before I continued, I topped a rise

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in the road and I caught a glimpse of a

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fire ahead. Larry had started a fire. Somehow that fact

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gave me a measure of comfort. As I approached the fire,

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it occurred to me that if I could see it

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from a distance, other eyes could also see it. That

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00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,880
removed the comfort factor. I could see more than one

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person standing there. Larry had not mentioned that there was

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someone with him. Maybe some help had already arrived. The

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more the better, as I saw it. I rolled down

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the rough, narrow road and stopped about ten feet from

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the fire. I shut off the engine and remained seated

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on my four wheeler. Susan, Larry's girlfriend, rushed over and

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threw her arms around me, greeting me as their hero

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and rescuer. She was relieved that I had arrived, to

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say the least. I moved near the fire, warming my

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hands and asking what the problem was. Larry indicated that

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the chain had broken and he didn't have a replacement

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or any of his tools. I didn't see his four

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wheeler anywhere, and I asked about that. He grinned and

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said that that was the other thing. He had not

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set the brakes while working on the chain, and it

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had rolled off the road into a steep ravine. We

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walked over to the spot where it left the road,

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and he pointed down into the darkness and said, it's

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down there. My flashlight is bright, but it only dimly illuminated.

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The machine lodged against a tree halfway down the slope.

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It was a job for a wench or a bunch

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of strong men. Realistically, the two of us could not

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extract this ATV from its precarious resting place. I expressed

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this to Larry, and he was not happy about the

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prospect of leaving a rather expensive machine in the woods overnight.

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I assured him that no one would notice it that

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far off the road and it would be safe until

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the next day. We were going to need a wench

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attached to a truck to get this thing up the hill.

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Susan was standing by the fire. As we walked back

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towards her. Suddenly there was a horribly loud howl coming

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from the ridge above us. My heart began to race.

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Susan rushed Larry and clung to him as though the

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devil himself had walked by. Larry's expression was that of

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unwonted surprise and fear. The sound came from a big animal,

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and it was too close. We gathered around the fire

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and we listened. Not wishing to frighten Susan. I jokingly

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urged our hasty departure while I was experiencing flashbacks of

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my first encounter. My hand rested on my pistol. Larry

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sensed that I was only half joking and agreed with

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the suggestion of a prompt exit from the area. Actually,

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he looked more puzzled than frightened. I was keeping an

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eye on the woods around us again, I suggested that

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we leave immediately. Susan agreed with my assessment of the

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situation and became insistent that Larry speed up the process

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by leaving their cooler and other gear. To our right

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was a thicket of dense growth, from which, during a

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moment of silence, came the sound of footsteps. I pulled

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my pistol and started telling them the abrit abreviated version

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of the story of what I had seen very near

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this place just months earlier. Susan was almost in tears

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and begging to leave immediately. I completely agreed with her.

350
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I just wasn't as dramatic about it. We stacked one

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behind the other on my four wheeler, with Larry up

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front driving. I took the rear position, thinking that it

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would offer the best position to shine a light behind

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us and allow me to shoot anything in pursuit if

355
00:23:31,079 --> 00:23:35,680
it became necessary. The box trapped on the back made

356
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things a little cramped, but oddly gave a measure of

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comfort as my back pressed against it. We began to

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move away from the fire, and I was constantly twisting

359
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and turning to maintain vigilance of the area, still dimly

360
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:54,359
lighted by the fire. I swung my flashlight back and

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forth to illuminate anything that might be approaching. We quickly

362
00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:01,599
moved up the rough slope from the fire in the

363
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direction of home. As we approached a rock outcrop that

364
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spanned the road, Larry gave it some throttle to increase

365
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the engine power to get us over the rock. Suddenly,

366
00:24:13,759 --> 00:24:16,799
the engine went dead and we rolled back a short

367
00:24:16,839 --> 00:24:20,960
distance and we stopped. Larry had forgotten to open the

368
00:24:21,039 --> 00:24:25,279
gas pitcock, which I had closed out of habit. He

369
00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:29,400
quickly opened it and restarted the engine. As I looked

370
00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:32,440
back towards the fire, I could see a large figure

371
00:24:32,559 --> 00:24:37,759
moving about in its dim yellow orange light. We moved forward,

372
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and as we topped the slope, I grabbed Larry's arm

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and got him to stop. We were about fifty yards

374
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from the fire, and at our position on the high

375
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,759
ground we could see the creature clearly. The three of

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00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:56,160
us stared in disbelief as the upright, hair covered manlike

377
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creature leaned its head back and let out another bone

378
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,799
chilling howell. I could see the same fur covered ears

379
00:25:04,839 --> 00:25:08,000
and the wolf likes now that had haunted my dreams

380
00:25:08,039 --> 00:25:13,160
since April. The howls subsided and we saw the beasts

381
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,680
look in our direction and it began to move towards us.

382
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,839
Larry gunned the engine. Our retreat was like a blur.

383
00:25:22,759 --> 00:25:26,279
I remember slowing down only once, about two miles away

384
00:25:26,319 --> 00:25:30,400
from our starting point. Larry shouted and asked if I

385
00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:34,160
could see anything behind us, while Susan pounded on his back,

386
00:25:34,319 --> 00:25:38,720
insisting that he speed up. I wasn't seeing anything, and

387
00:25:38,799 --> 00:25:40,920
I assured them that we were safe and that it

388
00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:44,119
would be advisable to slow down and proceed with caution.

389
00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:47,960
I wanted us out of those woods in one piece.

390
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,960
An accident would have been a big problem. We arrived

391
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,480
at my house and a spirited discussion began. As soon

392
00:25:56,519 --> 00:26:00,160
as Larry shut off the engine. We hearded in. I

393
00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,920
had to warm up and sort out the facts. Larry

394
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:10,160
and Susan had questions. I had no believable answers. I

395
00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,160
explained the details of my previous encounter, and our conclusion

396
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:16,839
was that there was a werewolf in the woods near

397
00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:21,200
our homes. If it wasn't a werewolf, I don't know

398
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:25,279
what to call this thing. Susan assured us that she

399
00:26:25,319 --> 00:26:30,079
would never trail ride again. Larry retrieved his ATV the

400
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:34,200
next day while accompanied by five other well armed men,

401
00:26:34,799 --> 00:26:38,880
and immediately put it up for sale. I still own

402
00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,519
my ATV, but rarely use it, and only in the daylight.

403
00:26:44,079 --> 00:26:46,359
In all the years I have been riding trails, I

404
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,599
have never seen, or for that matter, heard of, such

405
00:26:49,599 --> 00:26:53,240
an animal. I don't know if I'm glad I saw it,

406
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,920
or if I would prefer to have remained blissfully ignorant

407
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:01,359
of its presence. I do know my feelings about outdoor

408
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:06,119
activities have changed. I know I'll never camp out on

409
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:09,720
that mountain again. I know I'll never walk in the

410
00:27:09,759 --> 00:27:14,400
woods unarmed again. The thought of that thing is always

411
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,839
with me now. I'm like a five year old when

412
00:27:17,839 --> 00:27:21,359
the sun goes down. I even get the creeps when

413
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:26,279
a window shade is open after dark. I often wonder

414
00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,839
if others have seen it. I've heard nothing about it.

415
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,240
If they have, then again they may be doing what

416
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:36,400
I did, keeping their mouth shut for fear of ridicule.

417
00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:40,119
I feel that I should warn anyone going into the

418
00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:43,000
woods of what I saw. But I've only told a

419
00:27:43,039 --> 00:27:46,759
few people and they're still making fun of me. I

420
00:27:46,759 --> 00:27:50,000
shouldn't care if they laugh. I should tell everyone, because

421
00:27:50,039 --> 00:27:53,119
I'm going to feel responsible if someone is hurt or

422
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,400
killed by this thing. The thought of organizing a hunt

423
00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:01,279
to eliminate this terrifying threat has crossed my mind, but

424
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:06,160
I'm not that brave. An undeniable truth that can be

425
00:28:06,279 --> 00:28:09,480
drawn from this story is just because you've never seen

426
00:28:09,519 --> 00:28:14,400
it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Stay out of

427
00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:18,720
the woods after sunset. It's very unlikely that there's only

428
00:28:18,839 --> 00:28:23,480
one of these things. It most likely has relatives.