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<v Speaker 1>Some time ago, I left a comment saying that I

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<v Speaker 1>would write you about an experience I had sometime around

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen ninety seven in Memphis, Tennessee. You really must forgive

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<v Speaker 1>me for not writing as soon as I said I would.

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<v Speaker 1>But I started thinking about how unexciting and uncertain my

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<v Speaker 1>experience was, and I became hesitant to share it. Nevertheless,

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<v Speaker 1>what I'm about to write really happened. I warn you

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<v Speaker 1>it's not much of an experience, if it is one

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<v Speaker 1>at all. As a matter of fact, I didn't know

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<v Speaker 1>I was having an experience at the time, and I

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't know today were it not for circumstances that later

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<v Speaker 1>came to my understanding. I was born and raised in

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<v Speaker 1>eastern Arkansas. My little town at the last hilly area

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<v Speaker 1>of Crowley's Ridge, where it ended in the Delta Plain

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<v Speaker 1>on the western banks of the Mississippi River. The closest

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<v Speaker 1>town to ours in Mississippi was a place called Loudlah.

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<v Speaker 1>I only mentioned this to you so that you know

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<v Speaker 1>that I'm also a son of the South, and I

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<v Speaker 1>grew up like you, I think, in the Mississippi River Delta. Yes, sir,

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<v Speaker 1>that's where I grew up. We're river rats ma'am. Later

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<v Speaker 1>in life, after I was married, I lived in Memphis, Tennessee.

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<v Speaker 1>My subdivision was called Oak Haven, which boasts many mature

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<v Speaker 1>stands of isolated forests all over, hence the name Oak Haven.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometime after my experience, I realized that these stands of

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<v Speaker 1>forest and underbrush extended due south of my home to

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<v Speaker 1>northwestern Mississippi without a break. Except for a few well

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<v Speaker 1>traveled roads that could easily be crossed at night without

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<v Speaker 1>anyone noticing. It's possible to travel as far as South Haven, Mississippi,

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<v Speaker 1>within the treeline of the woods that I mentioned. My

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<v Speaker 1>home was about five miles north of State Line Road,

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<v Speaker 1>the border between Tennis Sea in Mississippi. I had a

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<v Speaker 1>beautiful home that backed up to a large green park.

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<v Speaker 1>One hundred yards due east of my home was a

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<v Speaker 1>little creek that drained into a ten acre lake. One

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<v Speaker 1>of the aforementioned mature stands of forests ran alongside the creek,

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<v Speaker 1>intersected only by one lonely residential road. It bordered the

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<v Speaker 1>part of the park that people did not frequent, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>because of a regular tall grass that was ever present.

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<v Speaker 1>In the fear of snakes, the city kept this area

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<v Speaker 1>cut but only every couple of weeks, so the grass

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<v Speaker 1>would often be too tall for such pleasantrees as picnics

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<v Speaker 1>and things like that. Over the years, I spent many

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<v Speaker 1>an evening cooking out and having friends over. But one

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<v Speaker 1>particular night, I believe it was nineteen ninety seven, I

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<v Speaker 1>was home alone and standing out on my recently built

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<v Speaker 1>free standing deck. I was congratulating myself on the craftsman

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<v Speaker 1>ship and choice of location. Placed on a partial slope,

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<v Speaker 1>it was tucked into the pines and flanked by a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of big maples, but still afforded a spectacular view

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<v Speaker 1>of the river. It was just after dark in the

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<v Speaker 1>late summer, with a huge full moon looming over the

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<v Speaker 1>line of woods that grew along the creek. I was

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<v Speaker 1>standing completely still, watching the moon and thinking how glorious

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<v Speaker 1>this site was, when out of the corner of my

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<v Speaker 1>eye I caught movement. It looked like someone walking out

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<v Speaker 1>in the field. I took note of the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>he looked like a really tall basketball player with an

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<v Speaker 1>exceptionally wide shoulders, and that he was just casually walking

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<v Speaker 1>along my neighbour's chain link fence. He seemed to have

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<v Speaker 1>a spring in his step that made him bounce along

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<v Speaker 1>in a side to side motion. The fact that he

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<v Speaker 1>appeared to be wearing all black gave the impression of

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<v Speaker 1>him being no more than a silhouette in the moonlight.

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<v Speaker 1>He had a tall, thin, powerful looking physique, marred only

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<v Speaker 1>slightly by a bit of a beer belly. His path

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<v Speaker 1>took him right along my backyard fence, where I stood watching,

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<v Speaker 1>hidden from view through the low hanging maple leaves. He

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<v Speaker 1>must have sent someone watching him, because he suddenly stopped

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<v Speaker 1>and stood completely motionless for five seconds or so before

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<v Speaker 1>dropping straight down into the tall grass. I found this

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<v Speaker 1>behavior alarming, so much so that I turned and quickly

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<v Speaker 1>retreated across my yard to my back door. Once inside,

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<v Speaker 1>I locked the doors before cautiously peering through the windows.

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't see anything out there now, but I was

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<v Speaker 1>troubled by what I had seen for the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>the night. A few days later, with that incident pushed

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<v Speaker 1>completely out of my mind, I had another in one

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<v Speaker 1>of my little get togethers. My wife worked second shifts,

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<v Speaker 1>so these were usually just guys hanging out and cooking stay.

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<v Speaker 1>That night was no exception. We had our meal and

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<v Speaker 1>we were just hanging out when we decided that the

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<v Speaker 1>citronella candles weren't doing their jobs and decided to go

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<v Speaker 1>inside with our beers. As we sat around talking, something

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly shook the whole house with a thunderous smack. I

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<v Speaker 1>had vaulted ceilings and judged the impact to be at

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<v Speaker 1>least twelve feet up. Furious that someone or something had

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<v Speaker 1>hit my home, I went outside to check it out.

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<v Speaker 1>Some of the others followed me out, but we could

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<v Speaker 1>find no evidence of anything that could have hit the house.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought maybe a goose had flown into it, but

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<v Speaker 1>that didn't really make sense. We spent the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>the evening passing theories around as to what it might

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<v Speaker 1>have been. None of them seemed to hold water. It

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<v Speaker 1>would be many years before I would learn that house

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<v Speaker 1>slapping is a common behavior of a bigfoot. I believe

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<v Speaker 1>I saw a bigfoot that night, and it upset him

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<v Speaker 1>that I wanted while he was unaware, I think he

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<v Speaker 1>slapped my house in retaliation. I also believe he was

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<v Speaker 1>drawn there by the many cookouts. I know it doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>sound like much, but it happened. I would prefer not

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<v Speaker 1>to have my name used, but the people who live

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<v Speaker 1>around there will know who I am through the description

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<v Speaker 1>of my house. Not long after this happened, I relocated

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<v Speaker 1>to Arizona for other reasons, still ignorant of what I

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<v Speaker 1>had seen and experienced. It wasn't until I began reading

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<v Speaker 1>and listening to shows like yours that I finally realized

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<v Speaker 1>I had had an encounter. Something happened to me that

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<v Speaker 1>has always haunted me. I've never told anyone except my

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<v Speaker 1>father and my best friend. Neither one of them believed me.

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<v Speaker 1>During the nineteen seventies and eighties, my dad was a

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<v Speaker 1>land developer in East Texas around Toledo ben and sam

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<v Speaker 1>Rayburn Reservoir. He would buy lakeside lots of land and

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<v Speaker 1>get a surveyor to break it down, and then he'd

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<v Speaker 1>put in roads in each cell the watts. He developed

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<v Speaker 1>several campgrounds and neighborhoods that way, and I grew up

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<v Speaker 1>in a small town in deep East Texas around the

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<v Speaker 1>Sabine and Anglina National Forests above the Big Thicket. Every

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<v Speaker 1>now and then Dad would go see the surveyor to

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<v Speaker 1>discuss the business, and sometimes he would take me with him.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought I would enjoy the ride, and the surveyor

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<v Speaker 1>had a son that I could play with. His name

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<v Speaker 1>was Tommy James and we called him TJ for short.

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<v Speaker 1>He was nine and I was eleven. He didn't go

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<v Speaker 1>to my school, but he was fun to play with

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<v Speaker 1>because he was a simple kind of country kid, and

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<v Speaker 1>we would shoot bb guns and we'd whittle sticks and

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<v Speaker 1>get dirty playing in the dirt pile with his talka trucks.

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<v Speaker 1>It was while we were playing in a dirt pile

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<v Speaker 1>one day when TJ slowly looked up at me and

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<v Speaker 1>he said, there's a Chewbacca man that lives down that

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<v Speaker 1>trail right there. He pointed to a thin trail in

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<v Speaker 1>the back left corner of his backyard. You want to

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<v Speaker 1>go see it, he asked. Chewbacca lives back there? I asked, yep,

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<v Speaker 1>he's a Chewbacca man. TJ assured me. I remember laughing

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<v Speaker 1>and saying, okay, let's go see Chewbacca man. We started

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<v Speaker 1>down the little path with me convinced that we were

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<v Speaker 1>playing make believe, and I was surprised how far TJ

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<v Speaker 1>was taking me. It seemed like we walked for a

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<v Speaker 1>long time before we came to a huge dead fall

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<v Speaker 1>across the trail, and it looked like a tree had

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<v Speaker 1>fallen down and taken a lot of trees with it.

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<v Speaker 1>There were empty crackerjack boxes with Little Debbie snackcake wrappers

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<v Speaker 1>strown on the ground in front of it. Now, I

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<v Speaker 1>guess this is where TJ came to eat a snacks.

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<v Speaker 1>TJ looked around and he said, well, this is it.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll call him. He let out along howl. I was

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<v Speaker 1>still convinced that this was just a game that we

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<v Speaker 1>were playing, so I didn't expect to see anything. I

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<v Speaker 1>figured this was his imagination in overdrive. But when he

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<v Speaker 1>let out another long howl, I began to hear the

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<v Speaker 1>sound of walking and cracking that was coming in our direction. TJ,

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<v Speaker 1>what is that, I asked, as the fog of make

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<v Speaker 1>believe was beginning to clear. Well, it's a Chewbacca, man,

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<v Speaker 1>he told me. I took a step back as TJ

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<v Speaker 1>faced the dead fall and and began to speak in

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<v Speaker 1>a coaxing tone. Come on, come on. He was beckoning

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<v Speaker 1>it like a little puppy. The walking sound stopped on

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<v Speaker 1>the other side of the tree, and I could hear

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<v Speaker 1>loud breathing like a horse. A horse, Yes, I thought

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<v Speaker 1>he's calling a horse. I took a huge breath and

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<v Speaker 1>I released it a deep sigh of relief. TJ began

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<v Speaker 1>to almost sing the word Chewbacca in a gentle voice.

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<v Speaker 1>He was calling it again. A few limbs shifted and

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<v Speaker 1>moved in the dead fall, and then I heard it

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<v Speaker 1>utter a single, deep but faint word. Oh. All of

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<v Speaker 1>my former relief slipped away. In this place was a

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<v Speaker 1>hard nott of fear and anxiety. That the thought of

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<v Speaker 1>whatever was on the other side of those trees that

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<v Speaker 1>was big enough to have a voice that deep. I

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<v Speaker 1>could almost feel its mass as it stood there, breathing

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<v Speaker 1>the air into its lungs. That must have been massive.

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<v Speaker 1>Come on, TJ sweetly beckoned again, Tommy, I whispered, let's

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<v Speaker 1>get out of here. At that second, the thing released

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<v Speaker 1>a loud sound, and it shook the world around me,

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<v Speaker 1>and it shot through me, and it rattled in my chest,

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<v Speaker 1>and it left me stunned in my tracks. My eyes

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<v Speaker 1>widened in fear, and my own lungs ceased to function.

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<v Speaker 1>TJ was still calling the thing. I felt hot and sick,

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<v Speaker 1>and beads of sweat broke out all over my body,

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<v Speaker 1>while my heart was jumping up into my throat. If

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<v Speaker 1>I could have made my legs work. I would have

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<v Speaker 1>run away. In my mind, this wasn't happening, This couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>be happening. But TJ wasn't afraid. Limbs and the dead

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<v Speaker 1>fall began to move and snap again, and I thought

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<v Speaker 1>the thing was coming over it or through it, and

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<v Speaker 1>big grunts of breath mingled with the sounds of limbs

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<v Speaker 1>slamming and cracking. I was still frozen and could only

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<v Speaker 1>stand there and listen to the thing raising hell a

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<v Speaker 1>few feet away. TJ turned to me and he said,

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<v Speaker 1>he doesn't like you. As he spoke, I saw arms

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<v Speaker 1>coming up over the dead fall. I didn't want to

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<v Speaker 1>see more. Tommy run, I screamed. Now, wait, it's okay,

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<v Speaker 1>he was calling to me. I had already taken off,

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<v Speaker 1>and I left TJ standing in the path with that

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<v Speaker 1>thing with the long arms and the deep growling voice

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<v Speaker 1>and the loud scream was chasing me. I could hear

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<v Speaker 1>it coming up the path behind me. It was exhaling

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<v Speaker 1>great puffs of air with intense force. I barely felt

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<v Speaker 1>the limbs slapping my face as I raced up the

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<v Speaker 1>narrow path. I had to get to my dad. Behind me.

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<v Speaker 1>That thing seemed to have left the trail altogether. All

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<v Speaker 1>around me, branches were snapping and trees were cracking. And

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<v Speaker 1>then it was in the woods next to me, and

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<v Speaker 1>from the sound of the brush, I could tell it

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<v Speaker 1>was running a wide circle, and I guess it was

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<v Speaker 1>about twenty five feet out. Glimpses of its enormous black

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<v Speaker 1>body with long arms swinging flashed through the leaves. It

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<v Speaker 1>was so big and unbelievable fast. It was pulling ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of me, but the trail was endless, and panic stricken

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<v Speaker 1>tears began to blur my vision when I realized it

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<v Speaker 1>was gonna cut me off, and ahead of me, I

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00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:19.840
<v Speaker 1>could see into TJ's backyard. Daddy, I screamed, Daddy. And

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<v Speaker 1>then as I broke through the underbrush into the yard,

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<v Speaker 1>that thing came to a sudden violence stop, and everything

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<v Speaker 1>went silent. The thrashing of the limbs stopped, and the

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<v Speaker 1>sounds of its breathing stopped, and the sounds of those

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<v Speaker 1>impossibly fast footfalls stopped too. It had chased me all

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<v Speaker 1>the way back up the trail, and it almost caught me.

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<v Speaker 1>I ran into the office building where my dad and

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<v Speaker 1>the surveyor were talking, and TJ came running up behind me. Well,

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00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.360
<v Speaker 1>I was out of breath and I was crying and whimpering.

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<v Speaker 1>As I began to tell my dad about the big

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<v Speaker 1>thing that was chasing me. TJ stood behind me, and

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<v Speaker 1>he never said anything. Well, our neighbor has goats to

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<v Speaker 1>get out all the time, the surveyor offered, I'll bet

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<v Speaker 1>one of those nannies got out and got after you. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>Dad could see that I was really scared, and he

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<v Speaker 1>laughed and he patted me on the head, and he

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<v Speaker 1>told me to go wait in the truck. Well, I

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00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:21.360
<v Speaker 1>ran to the truck and I got in and I

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00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:26.320
<v Speaker 1>locked all the doors. I watched TJ walk slowly over

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<v Speaker 1>to the truck, and I waited until he was standing

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<v Speaker 1>beside it before I had the nerve to roll down

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<v Speaker 1>the window. I told you there was a Chewbacca man,

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<v Speaker 1>he said, I saw it. I said, what was that thing?

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<v Speaker 1>He's the Boogeyman. He's a Chewbacca man, was TJ's only answer.

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<v Speaker 1>Dad came out to the truck and I rolled up

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<v Speaker 1>my window as he got in and we were pulling away,

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00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:55.159
<v Speaker 1>and I looked back to see TJ walking toward the

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<v Speaker 1>back of the house. He turned around and gave me

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<v Speaker 1>one last look before disappear around the corner. Are you okay?

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<v Speaker 1>Dad asked, you got chased by a goat? Huh, No, Dad,

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<v Speaker 1>it was not a goat, I answered, and I told

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<v Speaker 1>him the whole story on the way home, but I

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00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:17.200
<v Speaker 1>could tell that he didn't believe me. He thought maybe

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00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:20.480
<v Speaker 1>a cow or a bullet chased me out of the woods.

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<v Speaker 1>Well months later, Dad asked me if I wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>go to the surveyor's house with him again, and I

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00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:31.960
<v Speaker 1>gave him a solid no. Okay, I just thought i'd ask,

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00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:36.519
<v Speaker 1>he said, holding up his hands and surrender. He knew

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<v Speaker 1>how I felt about that place. I never went back

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<v Speaker 1>there again. Many nights, I've laid in my bed and

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<v Speaker 1>I've thought about what happened to me that day. I

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00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:50.759
<v Speaker 1>thought about TJ and all those wrappers around the trees.

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00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:53.559
<v Speaker 1>I figured he must have been going down there and

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00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:56.879
<v Speaker 1>feeding that thing. I guess he had kind of made

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<v Speaker 1>a friend of it. I've also thought about what have

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00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:05.639
<v Speaker 1>happened if I hadn't run. Sometime after that incident, I

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00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.799
<v Speaker 1>overheard my dad telling my mom that the surveyor had

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00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:12.399
<v Speaker 1>taken his family and moved out of the state. A

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00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:14.679
<v Speaker 1>neighbor down the road, said that they had moved back

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<v Speaker 1>to where his wife was from. Was Alabama or Mississippi.

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<v Speaker 1>He couldn't remember which. It's funny. Dad said that he

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<v Speaker 1>didn't tell me he was leaving. He just up and left.

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00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:28.279
<v Speaker 1>Now I got him a lot of business. He didn't

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00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:33.639
<v Speaker 1>even call to say goodbye. My father was disappointed. My

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00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:37.120
<v Speaker 1>father died several years ago without us ever talking about

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00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:40.519
<v Speaker 1>the incident again. But I think I know what made

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00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:45.720
<v Speaker 1>them move without warning. TJ called it the Chewbacca Man.

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<v Speaker 1>The story happened somewhere in Mexico in the nineteen seventies.

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<v Speaker 1>It was told to me by my brother in law.

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<v Speaker 1>I've never spoken with his friend about it, but as

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<v Speaker 1>crazy as it is, I believe it's true. Since he

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't like it if I revealed his name, I would

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<v Speaker 1>prefer that we all remain anonymous. My brother in law

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<v Speaker 1>and his best friend were down in Mexico deer hunting.

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<v Speaker 1>His friend hired some guides because they didn't know the area.

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<v Speaker 1>In the nineteen seventies, the drug cartel was all over

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<v Speaker 1>the place, so they were warned if they had to hide,

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<v Speaker 1>to do exactly as they were told. Understandably, they were

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<v Speaker 1>more than just a little nervous. They arrived where they

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00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:35.200
<v Speaker 1>planned to camp near the opening of the cave. They

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00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:38.599
<v Speaker 1>had their pack, animals, and supplies, and they were heavily armed,

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<v Speaker 1>both for hunting and for protection. The next morning, when

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00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:45.640
<v Speaker 1>they went out to hunt, my brother in law was

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<v Speaker 1>struggling to deal with this fear of being arrested in Mexico,

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00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:52.279
<v Speaker 1>so when the guides found them places to set up,

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00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:56.160
<v Speaker 1>he insisted that he be close to his friend. That

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00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:58.720
<v Speaker 1>first day, they hunted the whole day and saw a

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00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:01.839
<v Speaker 1>couple of deer. His friend told him to calm down,

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00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:05.400
<v Speaker 1>that it was only the first day. Calming down was

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00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:08.359
<v Speaker 1>not easy for them because the guides did not come

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00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:11.920
<v Speaker 1>back to get them. They had some beef, jerky and

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00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:14.119
<v Speaker 1>some water with them and they set up the best

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00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:16.880
<v Speaker 1>camp that they could, but it was a long night.

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<v Speaker 1>The next morning, before daylight, one of the guides found

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<v Speaker 1>them and told them that the other guides had left

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<v Speaker 1>with the animals. He didn't know if they'd be coming back.

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<v Speaker 1>At daybreak, the three headed out to try to find

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00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:33.920
<v Speaker 1>their way to the vehicles. At some point, my brother

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00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:37.000
<v Speaker 1>in law's friend was overcome by his fear and he panicked.

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<v Speaker 1>He ran off My brother in law tried, but there

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00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:43.759
<v Speaker 1>was no stopping him. Now it was just my brother

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<v Speaker 1>in law and one guide. They managed to find where

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00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:50.319
<v Speaker 1>they'd left the vehicles, but my brother in law couldn't

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00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:53.160
<v Speaker 1>leave without his friend. The guide went back to look

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00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:55.599
<v Speaker 1>for him, leaving my brother in law in the vehicle

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00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:59.200
<v Speaker 1>to wait. They were parked close to the border, so

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00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:02.400
<v Speaker 1>that was the only small comfort. My brother in law

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00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:05.359
<v Speaker 1>waited for the rest of the day. The sun set

311
00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:09.119
<v Speaker 1>and he fell asleep while he was waiting. When he

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00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:13.519
<v Speaker 1>woke up, he found himself surrounded by Mexican nationals, none

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<v Speaker 1>of whom spoke English. My brother in law didn't speak Spanish,

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<v Speaker 1>but somehow they managed to convey to him that he

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00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:24.799
<v Speaker 1>needed to leave or he would die, so he left

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00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:28.039
<v Speaker 1>with no other choice. My brother in law crossed the

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00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:32.119
<v Speaker 1>border and confessed everything to the border patrol. They were

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00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.759
<v Speaker 1>not happy with him, but at least now there would

319
00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:38.920
<v Speaker 1>be others looking for his friend. My brother in law

320
00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:41.079
<v Speaker 1>was sent to a town to wait for the news

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00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:45.119
<v Speaker 1>of his friend. After three days, the border patrol still

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00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.240
<v Speaker 1>hadn't found him, so they sent my brother in law

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<v Speaker 1>home and said they'd send news if they found him there. However,

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00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:54.440
<v Speaker 1>they warned him that they didn't expect to find his

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00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:57.680
<v Speaker 1>friend alive. At this point, my brother in law returned

326
00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:00.279
<v Speaker 1>to his Texas town to face his friend's way life

327
00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:04.240
<v Speaker 1>with the news. For two weeks he did his best

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00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:07.319
<v Speaker 1>to keep her calm and try to prevent her from panicking.

329
00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:11.440
<v Speaker 1>And then the news came. His friend was found by

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<v Speaker 1>the highway patrol lying on a highway in Texas and

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00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:18.559
<v Speaker 1>he was alive. My brother in law went to see

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00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:21.640
<v Speaker 1>him in the hospital, but his friend wouldn't speak. He

333
00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:26.000
<v Speaker 1>was dazed and confused. Even after they got him home,

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00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:29.640
<v Speaker 1>he wasn't talking. Physically, he was fine, he was just

335
00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:34.079
<v Speaker 1>in a deep state of shop. Weeks went by with

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00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:37.400
<v Speaker 1>my brother in law making regular visits, and still he

337
00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:41.960
<v Speaker 1>wouldn't speak. Eventually he began to come around, and finally

338
00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:46.359
<v Speaker 1>he was able to tell this story. In his Panic,

339
00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:49.359
<v Speaker 1>he had gotten lost. He went down to the river

340
00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:51.799
<v Speaker 1>bottom to hide among the boulders at the base of

341
00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:55.359
<v Speaker 1>the cliffs. He was sure he was being hunted by

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00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:59.680
<v Speaker 1>the cartel and that death was imminent. He happened on

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00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:03.039
<v Speaker 1>a ca and he went inside to hide, and there

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00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:07.920
<v Speaker 1>a big hairy man found him. This creature for the

345
00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:10.799
<v Speaker 1>lack of a better word, brought him raw meat and

346
00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:14.359
<v Speaker 1>berries to eat. He still had some jerky, so he

347
00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:17.319
<v Speaker 1>passed on the meat. There was a female who brought

348
00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:20.359
<v Speaker 1>him water as well, and it was days before he

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00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:24.480
<v Speaker 1>felt strong enough to leave them. When the time came,

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00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:26.480
<v Speaker 1>they were at the mouth of the cave, and he

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00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:30.480
<v Speaker 1>did his best to communicate goodbye to them. Once he

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00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:33.000
<v Speaker 1>was able to make them understand that he had to go,

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00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:35.960
<v Speaker 1>the female took him to the river, where he filled

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00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:40.119
<v Speaker 1>his water pouch. Again, he said goodbye. She didn't try

355
00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:43.880
<v Speaker 1>to stop him. He stuck to the river banks, knowing

356
00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.000
<v Speaker 1>he'd have to hide every now and then to keep

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<v Speaker 1>from being caught by the cartel. My brother in law

358
00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:52.039
<v Speaker 1>said it was weeks before he could get the whole

359
00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:55.480
<v Speaker 1>story out of him. No one talks about the time

360
00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:58.079
<v Speaker 1>his friend got lost trying to hunt deer in Mexico,

361
00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:01.440
<v Speaker 1>and when my brother in laws my friend first started

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00:22:01.480 --> 00:22:05.480
<v Speaker 1>telling his story, he left out the part of the Bigfoot.

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<v Speaker 1>It was only when he had gone to a dear

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00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:12.240
<v Speaker 1>lease in South Texas that his friend finally confessed the

365
00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:16.680
<v Speaker 1>whole story. Even then, my brother in law accused him

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<v Speaker 1>of lying. This guy has made a full recovery now,

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00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.279
<v Speaker 1>but it was years before he could even go hunting again.

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<v Speaker 1>I've never spoken with him directly to confirm or deny

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<v Speaker 1>any of these details. This is only how my brother

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<v Speaker 1>in law told the story.