WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:11.000 In the mid nineteen eighties, I worked the graveyard shift 2 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:16.039 at a factory at Ohio, cleaning the floors, emptying trash cans, 3 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:19.719 and cleaning up bathrooms. I stayed with a friend and 4 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:21.879 her family, and I used her car to get to 5 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:25.719 work until I was able to buy my own. One night, 6 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:28.640 I realized too late that no one had remembered to 7 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:32.079 put gas in the car. The gas stations were closed, 8 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:34.479 and I was on a wing and a prayer, hoping 9 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:36.920 I had enough fuel to get to work and back home. 10 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:40.679 I made it to work, I worked my shift, and 11 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:43.840 I headed home, but as I turned onto the road 12 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:47.280 to the house, the car started to sputter. I had 13 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:50.600 run out of gas. Well, I got out and I 14 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.119 started the three quarters of a mile walk home in 15 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:56.119 the dark. I could see a little by the moonlight 16 00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:00.280 and some light from porches, but that was all. As 17 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.119 I walked, I heard something walking in pace with me 18 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:06.760 in the woods to my left. I looked and all 19 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:10.079 I could see was pitch black dark. So I kept going, 20 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:14.200 thinking it was probably a fox or raccoon or something 21 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:17.920 like that. But the farther I went, the more nervous 22 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:21.239 I became, and at one point I stopped and stared 23 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:24.000 right into the woods, hoping that I would catch what 24 00:01:24.280 --> 00:01:28.439 or who was walking with me. When I stopped walking, 25 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:32.040 so did they, and when I moved forward, they did too. 26 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:37.400 After stopping a couple of times, my imagination began flashing 27 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:41.200 in every possible way, knowing I could be in danger 28 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:45.040 of death on that country back road. When I walked 29 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:47.640 past the family's house to my right, their dog ran 30 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.000 to the edge of the ditchline, barking and snarling at me, 31 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:54.799 as if I wasn't already on edge. The thought of 32 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:57.280 that dog about to jump the fence and attack me 33 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.040 sent my heart beating into my throat. Well I picked 34 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:04.120 up my pace, I got past the dog, and a 35 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:07.799 few steps later I heard the dog yelp. I look back, 36 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:12.360 but what I saw was nothing. Whatever or whoever had 37 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:15.520 been following me from the woods stopped. When I reached 38 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:18.879 the driveway of the place that I was staying. I 39 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:21.120 wanted to take off, running for the door, but I 40 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:23.919 held back the urge, knowing that that would only cause 41 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:26.400 a bear or a big cat to chase after me 42 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:30.199 an attack. So instead, I walked as fast as I 43 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:34.840 could and I got inside. To this day, I don't 44 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:37.919 know what was in those woods pacing me, and I'm 45 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:41.360 grateful to say that I was not harmed. I don't 46 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:44.479 recall ever hearing about bigfoot back then, so it never 47 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:48.039 entered my mind. I don't care if others believe in it, 48 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:52.039 but personally I'm a skeptic. To each their own, I say. 49 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:55.759 But with that said, after that night, I made sure 50 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:58.199 the gas tank was full whenever I went to work. 51 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:01.599 I wasn't going to walk home on a dark road 52 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:05.439 in the middle of the night. Ever. Again, Oh dude, 53 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:08.280 I wouldn't either. I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm 54 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:10.479 not afraid of the dark woods. I go walking in 55 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:13.159 the woods at night and dark and turn a flashlight 56 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:15.800 off and just follow a trail that I know. It's 57 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:19.800 really peaceful, but in a strange place, walking down a 58 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:23.800 just totally black road, you can't even make out where 59 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.840 you're walking. I've had to do that a couple of times, 60 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:29.400 and it is just a bit unnerving. I don't know why, 61 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:33.120 because there's nothing out there at night that isn't out 62 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:36.000 there during the day. Everything is basically the same. I 63 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.199 guess you have nocturnal animals, but at least where I 64 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:42.840 live there's nothing that There's really nothing out there that'll 65 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:45.840 hurt a human, although we are getting more bears in 66 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:49.120 our area. I live in North Mississippi and there have 67 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:54.680 been reports recently, especially over in the Delta, of black bears. 68 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.520 Black bears have been in Mississippi for years and their 69 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:01.520 population is growing. Actually kind of glad about that. What 70 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:05.159 a cool animal. Anyway, great story. I appreciate you sending it, sir, 71 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:12.439 Thank you. My dad told me his bigfoot encounter on 72 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:17.120 his deathbed. He had kept it a secret all his life. 73 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:19.279 He had a tumor on his neck that made him 74 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:22.439 unable to talk, and he told me in a raspy whisper, 75 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:26.439 comes down, Sun, I need to tell you something important. 76 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.199 It was in the mid eighties in southern Arkansas. My 77 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:32.959 dad was still a young man. He had been working 78 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:36.399 in a swamp doing some surveying. It was just him 79 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:39.519 and his partner out there. The swamp was wide open, 80 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:44.360 with cypress trees sticking up everywhere. He was wearing waiters 81 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.319 waist deep, and when he looked across the pond he 82 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:51.560 saw something. It was a big harry something. It was 83 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.560 standing wiste deep one hundred and fifty yards away. In 84 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:58.279 the deep water in the middle of the swamp. The 85 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:01.639 water where this thing was staying was about five feet deep, 86 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:05.040 which made this guy around ten feet tall. It was 87 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:09.160 standing still, and it hadn't noticed my dad. It was 88 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:13.240 fishing with its bare hands, successfully letting the fish get 89 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.319 close all around its legs like it was just another 90 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.199 tree in the water, before reaching down and snatching them 91 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:23.120 with his hands. Well, my dad froze. He couldn't believe 92 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.240 what he was seeing. Not knowing what was going on, 93 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:29.120 my dad's partner called out, hey, Johnny, where are you at. 94 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.199 It snapped my dad out of shock, and he turned 95 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:34.959 around and waved his arms in the air quickly and 96 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:39.079 motioned for the other guy to shut up and come over. Well, 97 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:42.240 the big hairy guy heard the shouting. He locked eyes 98 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:44.480 with them, and he ripped through the deep water like 99 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:48.759 it was nothing. It was gone almost instantly, and my 100 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:51.680 Dad was pissed off at his partner for scaring the 101 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:54.560 monster off. He cussed him out the whole way back 102 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:59.120 to town. My dad kept that story to himself until 103 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:01.839 he was dying and was running out of time to 104 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:05.399 tell it. I always held that story near and dear 105 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:07.879 to my heart because I know for a fact nobody 106 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.439 else ever got to hear it, not even my mother. 107 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:13.600 He died when I was still a young boy, but 108 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:16.639 when he told me what he saw, it burned into 109 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:20.480 my memory. Thank you for reading his story. I wanted 110 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:23.000 to honor my father by sharing it with folks who 111 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:26.879 can appreciate it. And then he signs his name. I'm 112 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.199 not going to say his name, but yeah, people on 113 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:33.160 this podcast that listen to this podcast will appreciate that story. 114 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.519 I don't think I've ever heard. Every once in a 115 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:39.480 while I get something new. A lot of these bigfoot 116 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:41.959 stories they kind of run together, and it's kind of 117 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.160 the same thing. I'm not saying that in a negative way, 118 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.199 but you know, the behavior apparently is the same, and 119 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:50.800 people see the same or they interpret what they see 120 00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:54.360 the same. But I've never heard of a bigfoot fishing 121 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:57.399 with its bare hands in the water. That is interesting. 122 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:01.720 So he stands there in his legs or like tree trunks, 123 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:05.439 and fish are drawn to cover like trees and stumps 124 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:09.199 and anything different than open water, and they congregated around 125 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:11.319 his legs and he reaches down and gets one and 126 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:14.680 gets supper. I thought that was pretty cool, but I 127 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:18.000 can imagine that scares your dad and he I can 128 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:20.879 hear him cussing the guy. Man, why'd you scare that 129 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.519 monstra off? I was looking at him. This was a 130 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:26.399 great story. Thank you to the writer for sharing your 131 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:29.839 dad's memory, and I'm glad he told you about it. 132 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.759 That's a pretty cool memory for a son. Thank you 133 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:40.240 for sending it to me. Years ago, my big sister 134 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:44.439 had been driving ATVs around the farm with some other friends. 135 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.279 This time I got to sit on the back and 136 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:50.319 go with her. One of our cousins had made a 137 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:53.639 figure eight course in the dirt for the four wheelers, 138 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:56.199 and on that day my older sister and I were 139 00:07:56.240 --> 00:07:59.639 the only ones on it. We were coming around a 140 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:03.040 curve when my sister and I simultaneously looked over on 141 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:07.160 the adjacent trail. There was another person on an ATV 142 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:12.279 driving along with us. There was something strange and transparent 143 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:16.560 about this other rider. We were going the same speed, 144 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:18.959 so when we lost him behind the shrubs on the 145 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:22.399 way to where the figure eight intersects it, we slowed 146 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:25.279 down so as not to crash into him, but it 147 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:30.360 never came around. My older sister, confused, she turned off 148 00:08:30.360 --> 00:08:33.240 the flour wheeler and We sat in silence, and the 149 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:36.399 wood had gone silent too, as if it was holding 150 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:41.600 its breath with us. After a few minutes and hearing nothing, 151 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:44.879 my sister turned the four wheeler back on and drove 152 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:48.399 through the corn fill and parked us in the garage. 153 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:51.360 My twin walked up to greet us and asked what 154 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:55.159 was wrong. But my sister's pale face wasn't what shocked us. 155 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:58.720 It was what she said, no one needs to be 156 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:01.879 out in those woods today, and with that she hung 157 00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:05.799 up the keys and went into the house. My twin 158 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:08.320 and I were so young that we didn't understand it 159 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:10.600 at the time, and I had forgotten all about it. 160 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:13.799 And then one Thanksgiving when we were grown up, our 161 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:17.159 older sister got drunk and she told our whole family 162 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:21.480 what had happened. We had borne witness to the ghost rider. 163 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:26.080 As we grew up, our older sister got into sports 164 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.919 and she made a lot of friends. One of these 165 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:34.159 friends name was Rachel, and Rachel was awesome. Big sister 166 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:37.720 was often mean during her pubescent years, but her friends 167 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:40.440 were always nice and they got a huge kick out 168 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.960 of my twin sister and me. It was late morning 169 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:46.879 in the middle of our Thanksgiving break and we went 170 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:50.960 out around one of three pump wells on my father's property. 171 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:54.240 The furthest one was out in the woods. We were 172 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.080 all on our dad's new four wheeler, which had a 173 00:09:57.159 --> 00:10:00.240 sled attached to the back with a tractor strap up 174 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:02.960 so none of us girls got left out of the fun. 175 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:07.360 We were halfway around the circle that went around the 176 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:10.799 pump jack when, for absolutely no reason, the new four 177 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:14.279 wheelers shut off. Right as that happened, the sound of 178 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:18.639 laughter from three different women started echoing from somewhere deep 179 00:10:18.679 --> 00:10:22.080 in the woods. My older sister and her friend Rachel 180 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:26.360 started to panic. My sister turned the key, but the 181 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:29.919 engine wouldn't turn over. The two minutes it took to 182 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:33.039 get it restarted felt like two hours, but the four 183 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:37.200 wheeler finally came back to life. She and Rachel sped 184 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:40.039 off as fast as that thing would go, and it 185 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:43.000 wasn't until they were halfway back to dad's house that 186 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:45.840 they realized my twin sister and I were no longer 187 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:49.720 attached to the back. Somehow, the tractor strap had come 188 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:53.080 undone and we were still at the pump jack. I 189 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:55.919 watched the older girls leave and we yelled at them 190 00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:59.000 and tried to make them stop. The whole time, the 191 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:04.679 sound of these terrors women laughing was creeping closer. I 192 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:07.000 jumped out of the sled and grabbed the rope and 193 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:10.840 started dragging my sister out of the woods. I made 194 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:12.759 it to the end of the trees when my older 195 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:16.960 sister pulled around on the four wheeler. Finally, I quickly 196 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:20.200 hooked the tractor strap back and barely managed to jump 197 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:22.799 on when she sped as fast as she could out 198 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:27.720 of there. After that, we all went back inside, silent 199 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:32.120 and completely shaken. We didn't talk about it again until 200 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:35.399 we were older, and to this day we all remember 201 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:40.080 it the same. Our family had a big shed behind 202 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.720 dad's house with a bathroom and a washer and a 203 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.320 drawer for work clothes. All the men in our family 204 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:49.440 were farmers, but they also had a business building oil 205 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:54.039 rigs on properties all over Ohio. If you see a 206 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:57.559 green pump jack in our state, it was probably built 207 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:02.200 by someone in my family. We were outside late one night, 208 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:06.039 riding bikes around the vehicles in the shed and sliding 209 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:09.759 around on the ice and the snow. We always had dogs, 210 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:13.519 and our oldest one, Jackson, was the calmest and laziest 211 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:17.720 of them all. Well, that night he was acting strange. 212 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:21.519 He and Duchess, our other dog, were following us around 213 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:24.600 and hurting us and keeping us in the light as 214 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:26.919 far away from the back of the shed as they could. 215 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:31.480 At one point, our older sister saw a strange bear 216 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:35.360 like creature peering at us from around Dad's car, and 217 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:39.080 at that moment, Jackson and Duchess went balkers. They were 218 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:43.759 growling and barking. Well, as a young kid, I was terrified. 219 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:47.639 This happened in between seeing the ghost rider and hearing 220 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:51.000 the three witches, so needless to say, it was a 221 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:55.519 memorable time. Well, my twin ran into the house and 222 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:58.559 she got Dad, who was in the shower, and not 223 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.720 a minute later he came out of the house in 224 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:05.080 his robe and his boxers. He was holding a shotgun 225 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:07.840 and he was angry, and we tried telling him what 226 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:10.399 had happened, and he brought us in and he made 227 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:15.519 us go to sleep. Years passed, and strange things going 228 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:18.000 on around the house. Late at night while our father 229 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:21.200 was at work. We would be sitting in the living 230 00:13:21.320 --> 00:13:24.559 room and we would hear screams outside, or something would 231 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:26.720 jump on the front porch and it would rock the 232 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:30.600 whole house at night. I was afraid of going into 233 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:34.159 our kitchen because of the windows. Always got the feeling 234 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:37.120 that something was hiding in the dark looking at us. 235 00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:41.679 My twin was always brave, though. One night she ran 236 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:44.440 out of the house with nothing but a bow and arrow, 237 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:47.360 trying to figure out who was outside and looking at 238 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:51.320 us and rocking the house. It wasn't until years later 239 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:55.360 that we figured out what it was. My sisters and 240 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:58.200 I were all sitting on the couch when the house 241 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:03.120 started shaking. I could hear something roaring and stomping outside. 242 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.799 Not long before, the owner of the private zoo there 243 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:09.759 but I committed suicide and released all of its animals. 244 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.720 We figured the noise was one of his lions. I 245 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:18.080 remember reading about this. This story terrified me. Anyway, Sorry 246 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:21.519 to interrupt the story. My twin and I walked outside 247 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.480 to check it out, and we immediately felt that something 248 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:28.159 was off. We reached the end of our yard where 249 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:32.639 the gravel began, and something screamed. Wasn't exactly human, but 250 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:35.600 it didn't sound like any animal we'd ever heard before. 251 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:39.559 My sister and I froze, and then the scream finally 252 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.159 came to an end, and we walked to the cornfield 253 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:45.759 to get a look over. In that area, the corn 254 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:48.000 was at its full height, in just a week or 255 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:52.000 so away from being harvested. As we stood there quietly 256 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:55.399 looking around, something stood up in the middle of the field, 257 00:14:55.879 --> 00:15:00.000 and it towered over the corn. I'm not kidding you. 258 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:03.679 My sister, as brave as she was, left me standing 259 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:07.399 right there. By the time I finally got my wits 260 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:10.039 about me, she had already made it through the garage 261 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:12.960 store and into the safety of the house, and at 262 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.000 that time I was still recovering from a broken hip. 263 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:19.080 So I hopped my way to the garage door as 264 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:21.399 fast as I could, and I locked it, and I 265 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:23.960 stared out the window to see if it had followed me. 266 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:27.720 I yelled at my twin for leaving me for dead, 267 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:30.840 but our older sister didn't want to hear anything about it. 268 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:35.919 She had seen this thing before. One time in the 269 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:38.639 woods behind the pasture, the three of us had been 270 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:43.120 playing in a tipped over silo. Our older sister was 271 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:45.960 watching a rabbit being chased by a fox when she 272 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:50.720 suddenly paled and ushered us twins into the silo. We 273 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:53.919 sat there in silent fear as she whispered to us 274 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:58.039 what she saw. Something else was chasing the fox and 275 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:03.480 the rabbit, something unnatural, something tall and hairy and terrifying. 276 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.879 We stayed there for about an hour and stunned silence, 277 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:10.879 before we had the courage to run to the adults. 278 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:14.559 Our older sister told them what she saw, but no 279 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:18.759 one believed her. We didn't know what we had seen 280 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:22.960 until we went to Kentucky to visit my family. Our 281 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:26.200 older sister told our aunt what happened, and she said 282 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:30.000 it sounded like a bigfoot. I got on her computer 283 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:33.559 and I found sounds and pictures and stories of other 284 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:38.200 people's encounters with this creature. I found one particular bigfoot 285 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:40.480 scream that made the hair stand up on the back 286 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:43.679 of my neck. My twin was there too, and both 287 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:47.080 of us had tears in our eyes. We had heard 288 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:52.000 that horrible scream before. Now. Since then, I've had many 289 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:54.919 run ins with other cryptids, and I tell everyone who 290 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:58.440 will listen what I've seen. I don't blame you if 291 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:02.480 you don't believe me. These stories are true. And she 292 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:06.440 signs off. Let's see if she says not to say 293 00:17:06.440 --> 00:17:11.559 her name, doesn't say so. She signs off, Amanda, Man, 294 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:16.160 that's like a lifetime of weird experiences with the ghosts 295 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:20.559 and cryptids and even exotic animals. I remember reading about 296 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:23.880 that story up in Ohio where the owner let all 297 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:27.839 of his lions and tigers and all that kind of 298 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:30.920 stuff just let it out in the area and then 299 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:34.839 committed suicide. And I think law enforcement had to come 300 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:39.359 in and kill all of these animals. And these were like, 301 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:44.240 these are man eaters that this person let out. I 302 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:48.079 don't personally me, I don't think anyone should be allowed 303 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.720 to keep that kind of animal in their house or 304 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:56.079 on their property. They're just They're just death machines, is 305 00:17:56.079 --> 00:18:00.319 what they are. That's a whole other topic that I'm 306 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:04.160 really interested in, but I won't get into it here. 307 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:07.279 But that kind of struck me in this story, along 308 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:11.720 with all her other experiences. I'm surprised there wasn't more 309 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.759 in this story about all those animals getting loose, because 310 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:18.680 that is a fascinating story. Biway, Amanda, thank you for 311 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:21.640 sending the story. It was wonderful. I really appreciate it. 312 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:28.720 Thank you. I am a Native American woman, and although 313 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:32.480 my encounter happened almost twenty years ago, it is as 314 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:36.119 clear in my mind as if it happened just yesterday, 315 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:40.440 and I'm sure it always will be. I've lived my 316 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:44.079 life doing things off grid, and usually as far out 317 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:47.319 in the wilderness as I can go. I've climbed to 318 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:50.880 the summit of the mountains and stayed twelve thousand feet 319 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:54.279 in a tent by myself for a month, and I've 320 00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:58.079 slept in the snow just for fun. I'm that woman 321 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:01.200 who usually can't find any friends to go camping with 322 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:03.359 me because no one wants to rough it as far 323 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:06.359 out as I go. You would think that I would 324 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.319 have had my encounter in one of these remote places 325 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:13.160 on one of my excursions, but I didn't. I came 326 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:16.400 across this being right smack dab in the middle of 327 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:20.039 the day, right off a crowded beach full of swimmers 328 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:25.640 in northeastern Washington. I had gone kayaking with my kids, 329 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:28.279 my sister in law and her kids at a large 330 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:32.640 wilderness lake by the Canadian border. We stopped at a 331 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:35.079 crowded beach at midday so that we could eat our 332 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:38.599 lunch and stretch our legs, and while we were there, 333 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:42.440 my sister in law and I both felt extremely uneasy 334 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:46.000 and we decided not to stay long. She and I 335 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:49.039 joked about a serial killer in the area and tried 336 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:51.799 to make light of our unease, but at the same 337 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:53.960 time we made it a point to tell the kids 338 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:56.519 to go in in pairs if anyone had to use 339 00:19:56.599 --> 00:20:00.400 the outhouse. She and I also went to yeah, and 340 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:03.440 I remember feeling like I was going to be pounced 341 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:06.559 on at any given moment while I guarded the outhouse 342 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:10.720 door for her. It had taken us hours to get there, 343 00:20:10.920 --> 00:20:13.160 and we knew we were pushing our luck to make 344 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:16.480 it back before dusk, So after the kids had eaten 345 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:19.200 and played in the water for a while, she loaded 346 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:21.440 them up in their boats and they all left together. 347 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:24.759 I lagged behind so I could eat my lunch and 348 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:28.680 sneak a much needed cigarette. I didn't intend on being 349 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.359 there too long, so I just pushed off the shore 350 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:33.640 in my boat and I sat in it while I 351 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:37.160 ate and had a smoke. I noticed that the beach 352 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:40.240 had emptied of the many families who were swimming, and 353 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:44.480 I was now completely alone. Started feeling scared, so I 354 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:47.079 paddled out a few yards from the beach with the 355 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:49.559 thought in my mind that I had more than enough 356 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:52.319 time to get away if something or someone tried to 357 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:55.799 swim out there to get me. That's funny, the stupid 358 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:58.559 stuff that goes through your mind during times like this. 359 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:03.000 I was until I noticed off in the distance a 360 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.119 tall old man walking down a steep embankment with two 361 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:10.599 small boys ahead of him. He sat on a stump 362 00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:13.720 under a rope swing about one hundred yards off the beach, 363 00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:16.759 and he watched the boys while they tossed stones and 364 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:21.119 played at the water's edge. I decided to sit in 365 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:25.160 my boat offshore about twenty five yards to finish my 366 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:28.119 lunch and watch them. But as I sat there, I 367 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:31.119 was beginning to let my imagination get the best of me. 368 00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:34.799 I had given my life as to one of the kids, 369 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:38.160 and since I'm a lousy swimmer, I decided to paddle 370 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:40.680 over to the shore and stay within reach of it 371 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:44.319 while I made my way back around the lake. I 372 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:47.240 kayaked over to the bank and headed into the direction 373 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:49.880 of my family, who were now about a quarter of 374 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:53.079 a mile ahead of me in big water. I had 375 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:55.839 to pass right by this old man along my way. 376 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.720 He was sitting with his left leg crossed over his 377 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.119 all right, and his hands were clasped over his upper knee, 378 00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:06.960 and he was staring at me, slowly circling his foot 379 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:11.000 in the air. As I got closer to him, I 380 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:14.000 noticed the two little boys had vanished, but I no 381 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:18.160 longer felt uneasy. In fact, I felt safe knowing he 382 00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:22.000 had his eyes on me so intently. I thought that 383 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:24.279 if there was something dangerous in the water and I 384 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:27.759 accidentally rolled my boat, he would at least see it 385 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:31.759 and maybe even rescue me. He never took his eyes 386 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:34.799 off me. I waved to him to be polite, but 387 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:38.079 he didn't wave back. I thought he must not have 388 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:41.039 seen me wave and assumed that he was old because 389 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:45.559 he was wearing a turtleneck sweater and long pants. It 390 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:47.920 was in the middle of August and it was such 391 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:50.160 a hot day that I figured he must be old, 392 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:54.160 as my father was old and had bad circulation. He 393 00:22:54.240 --> 00:22:57.519 always wore clothes that seemed way too warm for the season. 394 00:22:58.759 --> 00:23:01.200 I waved at the old man again, but he still 395 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:04.519 didn't wave back, and then I knew he had seen 396 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:07.599 me and was just being rude. So I smiled at 397 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:10.240 him anyway, And since I was only a few yards 398 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:14.599 away and cruising slowly closer, I wanted to be friendly 399 00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:17.559 and let him know that I was not a threat. 400 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:20.799 I approached him and saw that he was not an 401 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:24.519