WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Back in the nineteen forties and nineteen fifties, my mother's

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<v Speaker 1>family lived on a small form in North Alabama. My

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<v Speaker 1>grandfather worked in the coal mines, but he owned the farm,

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<v Speaker 1>so they didn't have to live in the camp. A

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<v Speaker 1>small spring fed creek that ran along the north edge

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<v Speaker 1>of the property provided water for the family, the animals,

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<v Speaker 1>and for washing. Sometime around the summer of nineteen fifty

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<v Speaker 1>there was a drought, which in North Alabama means it

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<v Speaker 1>didn't rain for two weeks and that creek almost dried up.

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<v Speaker 1>They had to install a hand pump on the spring

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<v Speaker 1>to get enough water to keep the farm going. Everybody

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<v Speaker 1>and everything was hot, drumpy, and thirsty that summer. It

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<v Speaker 1>was an area where electric lights were still considered a

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<v Speaker 1>modern convenience and air conditioning was unheard of. With no breeze,

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<v Speaker 1>the world baked on under a hot, still glaze of

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<v Speaker 1>sweat and dust. To alleviate some of their misery, they'd

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<v Speaker 1>eat dinner early and then go out and sit on

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<v Speaker 1>the front porch to give the house time to cool off.

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<v Speaker 1>Before bed, they drag a big oscillating floor fan up

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<v Speaker 1>to the screen door and sit and talk while doing

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<v Speaker 1>the sort of light chores that could be accomplished while

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<v Speaker 1>sitting in a rocking chair. Socks and clothes were mended,

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<v Speaker 1>and peas were shelled until the sun went down, and

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<v Speaker 1>then it was time for bed. That's when the screaming started.

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<v Speaker 1>Somewhere in the woods across the creek. Something was screaming

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<v Speaker 1>like a woman who was being strangled. Those were interspersed

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<v Speaker 1>with long, mournful howls loud enough to hurt your ear drums.

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<v Speaker 1>In the gloom of the dusk, they could vaguely see

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<v Speaker 1>the trees shaking in the distance and hear something stomping

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<v Speaker 1>on what sounded like two feet through the thick growth

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<v Speaker 1>around the spring, but they never saw an anni. As

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<v Speaker 1>soon as the racket would start, the farm animals would

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<v Speaker 1>stampede to the other end of the pasture as far

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<v Speaker 1>from the spring as they could get. They wanted nothing

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<v Speaker 1>to do with whatever was over there making that noise.

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<v Speaker 1>Our neighbor owns six big hounds trained to hunt raccoons.

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<v Speaker 1>Raccoon hounds can be mean, and these dogs were vicious

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<v Speaker 1>animals that weren't afraid of anything. They tore off across

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<v Speaker 1>the creek to hunt down and kill whatever was making

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<v Speaker 1>the noise and shaking the trees. Six dogs went, but

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<v Speaker 1>only four came back. Of those four, one had its

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<v Speaker 1>back ripped open so badly they had to put it

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<v Speaker 1>out of its misery. That was when the men knew

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<v Speaker 1>that they had to act. My grandfather, my two oldest uncles,

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<v Speaker 1>the neighbor, and his sons loaded their shotguns and rifles

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<v Speaker 1>and went to see what this thing was. They found

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<v Speaker 1>the two dead dogs ripped into pieces and thrown up

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<v Speaker 1>into the tree, but they didn't find what killed them.

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<v Speaker 1>The next night, the screaming returned with a vengeance. The

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<v Speaker 1>dogs were put on chains and the children were kept inside.

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<v Speaker 1>It screamed until after midnight, while everyone stayed in their

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<v Speaker 1>homes and hoped that whatever it was would eventually go

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<v Speaker 1>back to where it came from. The men didn't want

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<v Speaker 1>to see if it was going to return. The following night,

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<v Speaker 1>they were already in the woods with their guns loaded

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<v Speaker 1>for bore and waiting for it. That night, they stalked

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<v Speaker 1>that thing and hunting it down, and they killed it

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<v Speaker 1>and buried it somewhere in the woods. Everyone in that

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<v Speaker 1>hunting party is dead now. When I was a child,

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<v Speaker 1>I asked, but none of them ever told me what

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<v Speaker 1>they killed that night. It is conceivable that it was

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<v Speaker 1>a panther. Panthers, or so i've read, can sound like

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<v Speaker 1>a woman screaming, and since panthers or a protected species,

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<v Speaker 1>shooting one would have been illegal, they would have had

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<v Speaker 1>a good reason to shoot it. Shovel and shut up

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<v Speaker 1>about it. But do panthers shake trees when they walked?

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<v Speaker 1>Do they sound like someone stomping around on two legs?

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<v Speaker 1>Do they throw bodies of dogs into the trees? Honestly,

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<v Speaker 1>have no idea what those men killed that night, and

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<v Speaker 1>now that they're all gone, we'll probably never know.

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<v Speaker 2>The rescue, the jogger ran into the road just a

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<v Speaker 2>few yards in front of her car. If she'd been

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<v Speaker 2>on the highway, she'd have never been able to stop

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<v Speaker 2>in time. Fortunately, she wasn't traveling very fast on the

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<v Speaker 2>gravel and managed to avoid him. A quick glance across

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<v Speaker 2>the field from whence he came revealed the source of

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<v Speaker 2>his panic. A massive doglike creature was running straight for them.

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<v Speaker 2>She recognized it immediately. The man opened the passenger door

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<v Speaker 2>and was sliding into the seat next to her. Even

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<v Speaker 2>as she was saying, get in, mister tailed from her

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<v Speaker 2>rear tires. As the creature hit the road, a long,

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<v Speaker 2>ear shattering screech echoed through the cars. The thing's claws

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<v Speaker 2>left four deep trails down the back quarter panel. It's

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<v Speaker 2>following us, she said, looking in a rear view mirror.

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<v Speaker 2>Reaching down, she pulled an air horn from under her seat,

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<v Speaker 2>rolled down her window, stuck it out, and squeezed the trigger. Ah.

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<v Speaker 2>The jogger moaned at the sound. Sorry, she muttered, it's

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<v Speaker 2>just that they hate loud noises. Taking advantage of her

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<v Speaker 2>captive audience and the fact that he had to be

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<v Speaker 2>a believer, she went on, I suggest, if you plan

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<v Speaker 2>on continuing to jog, you get yourself one of these

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<v Speaker 2>and take it with you. And get a flashlight too.

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<v Speaker 2>It has to be a bright one, at least fifteen

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<v Speaker 2>hundred lumens. They hate bright light as much as they

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<v Speaker 2>hate loud noises. Using them could give you the chance

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<v Speaker 2>you need to get away. She checked the rear view

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<v Speaker 2>mirror again. Inside it looks like he's gone, she said, reassuringly.

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<v Speaker 2>Another thing, though, she thought to add, they can disguise

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<v Speaker 2>themselves as humans. She didn't bother to look at her

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<v Speaker 2>passenger when she said that, she knew she sounded crazy,

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<v Speaker 2>but when he said nothing, she continued, Look as crazy

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<v Speaker 2>as that sounds, these things are smart. I've seen them

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<v Speaker 2>dressed in human clothing before. Sometimes if you don't look

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<v Speaker 2>directly at them, or if you only get a glimpse,

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<v Speaker 2>they actually look like people. I swear you could walk

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<v Speaker 2>right past one on the street, and maybe only for

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<v Speaker 2>a minute or two, they look completely human. As she spoke,

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<v Speaker 2>she saw it out of the corner of her eye.

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<v Speaker 2>It was too late, but she flinched anyway as the

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<v Speaker 2>long hair covered arm reached across her face, grabbed her

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<v Speaker 2>head by the other side, and quickly snapped her neck.

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<v Speaker 2>The car careened out of control, spun rolled, landed on

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<v Speaker 2>its side, and slid for several yards along the ditch

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<v Speaker 2>before coming to rest on its roof. The creature in

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<v Speaker 2>jogger's apparel quickly kicked out the front windshield, and, dragging

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<v Speaker 2>the body behind it, ran into the field where the

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<v Speaker 2>other one was waiting somewhere off in the woods. They

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<v Speaker 2>had their meal, reveling and a feeling of intense satisfaction

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<v Speaker 2>at the knowledge that this woman would never sound one

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<v Speaker 2>of those horns or shine one of her flashlights at

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<v Speaker 2>them again. Yeah. You can laugh at my story if

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<v Speaker 2>you want. But I've been a deputy in this county

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<v Speaker 2>for thirty years, and all the craziest calls I ever

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<v Speaker 2>took were at that woman's house in the last five.

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<v Speaker 2>She wasn't from around here. She was one of those

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<v Speaker 2>city people looking for an escape. Thought she'd found it too,

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<v Speaker 2>Just her and her dogs, a lazy old fat cat

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<v Speaker 2>that spent all its time sitting in her front living

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<v Speaker 2>room window, and a dozen or so chickens. But things

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<v Speaker 2>started happening, and I started getting called out there pretty regular.

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<v Speaker 2>The last time I was there, she told me she'd

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<v Speaker 2>figured out how to keep them away. And when we

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<v Speaker 2>found her car out there in the gravel road, the

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<v Speaker 2>airhorn was lying in the ditch by it, and her

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<v Speaker 2>flashlight was still sitting between the seats. Her front window

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<v Speaker 2>was broken out. We never did find the body, but

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<v Speaker 2>the drag mark's clearly indicated someone or something had taken her.

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<v Speaker 2>So this is what I think happened. Maybe I'm wrong,

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<v Speaker 2>but maybe I'm right. The wife and I put a

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<v Speaker 2>bit on her farmhouse just the other day. It's prime

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<v Speaker 2>property and worth a lot more than it's being sold for.

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<v Speaker 2>I couldn't pass up the opportunity. That's why I'm on

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<v Speaker 2>my way to the store right now to get myself

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<v Speaker 2>an airhorn in a good bright flashlight. Fifteen hundred lumens

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<v Speaker 2>are better, I think she told me.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, one last story. Hey, before I get into this story,

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<v Speaker 1>I got in trouble last night. I'll put out a

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<v Speaker 1>podcast yesterday and I spent ten or fifteen minutes talking

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<v Speaker 1>about how great the Smoky Mountain Bigfoot conference was, and

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<v Speaker 1>apparently my wife listened to it and mentioned to me

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<v Speaker 1>last night that you didn't even mention me, And I said, well,

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<v Speaker 1>you really don't. You know, you kind of like to

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<v Speaker 1>be behind the scenes. I know, but I wanted you

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<v Speaker 1>to tell everybody how nice they were and how much

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciated them coming to talk to me and my wife.

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<v Speaker 1>April says thank you to everyone that visited our booth

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<v Speaker 1>and was so nice to her. She was the little, short,

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<v Speaker 1>gray headed girl in the middle between Naoma and Nance.

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<v Speaker 1>If you guys didn't know who she was, I think

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people thought she was Nioma, and a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people thought Naoma was my wife, and a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people thought Nance was my wife. But no,

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<v Speaker 1>it was the girl in the middle with the black

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<v Speaker 1>T shirt on and the totally gray hair, which I

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely love. Heck, I'm just glad that woman likes me.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm a lucky man. Okay, let's get into this story.

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<v Speaker 1>This person wants to be anonymous. Here's what they write.

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<v Speaker 1>My first encounter with what I respectfully call the old

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<v Speaker 1>Ones occurred in nineteen eighty one, when I was sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>years old. I've always loved driving onto our farm and

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<v Speaker 1>parking the truck and taking long hikes through the woods.

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<v Speaker 1>On this occasion, I came to a wide intersection of

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<v Speaker 1>two of our farm roads. I turned on to the

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<v Speaker 1>left fork to get a drink from the spring thirty

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<v Speaker 1>yards down the path. As I headed down to the ford,

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<v Speaker 1>I noticed footprints. My first thought was, now, who in

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<v Speaker 1>the thundered nation is down here barefoot? And then I

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<v Speaker 1>realized two things. First was the size I've worn the

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<v Speaker 1>same size eleven and a half shoes since I was

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<v Speaker 1>twelve years old. These prints were half again as big,

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<v Speaker 1>easily eighteen or twenty. The second was the gate from

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<v Speaker 1>the heel of one print to the toe of the

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<v Speaker 1>opposite print was nearly six feet. I followed them down

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<v Speaker 1>to the water and stopped. They continued in the same

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<v Speaker 1>unbroken gate up the opposite side, and disappeared where the

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<v Speaker 1>road leveled off again. I got my water and then

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<v Speaker 1>debated whether or not to follow. My better judgment said no,

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<v Speaker 1>and I returned to my trek back to the truck.

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<v Speaker 1>In the ensuing years, there have been several incidents, particularly

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<v Speaker 1>when walking out on an afternoon of deer hunting at

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<v Speaker 1>what we call good dark. Several times, when leaving my stand,

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<v Speaker 1>I knew I was being followed. Whatever it was, it

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<v Speaker 1>stayed far enough away to be disguised by the dusk,

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<v Speaker 1>but close enough to be felt. I detected no hostility

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<v Speaker 1>towards me, just as presence and an overwhelming sense of

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<v Speaker 1>you've had your fun and now it's time to leave.

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<v Speaker 1>In January of twenty and thirteen, I was forty eight

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<v Speaker 1>years old, married and we had kids, and I was

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<v Speaker 1>living and working eighty miles from my hometown. I had

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<v Speaker 1>been to visit my mother and was driving back home

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<v Speaker 1>as the daylight was just beginning to fade. As I

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<v Speaker 1>rounded a curve, I saw about one hundred yards in

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<v Speaker 1>front of me a massive dark object crouched in the road,

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<v Speaker 1>right on the double yellow line. It moved to my

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<v Speaker 1>right about thirty feet in three steps, and was against

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<v Speaker 1>a brush line, trying to blend in. I watched it

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<v Speaker 1>in amazement. It was approximately nine feet tall, with at

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<v Speaker 1>least four foot shoulder span. It was covered in dark hair,

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<v Speaker 1>and I estimated it to weigh around nine hundred pounds.

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<v Speaker 1>Its face was very much like a gorilla. It was

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<v Speaker 1>dark and leathery, with a broad, flat nose. Its eyes

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<v Speaker 1>were the most intense yellow green I've ever seen, and

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<v Speaker 1>were space six inches apart. As I approached him, he

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<v Speaker 1>threw his left arm across his chest, as if to

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<v Speaker 1>instinctively ward off a blow. I suppose he believed I

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<v Speaker 1>was about to hit him. I rounded the curve and

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<v Speaker 1>kept going, passing within thirty feet of him. By the

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<v Speaker 1>spring of twenty sixteen, we have moved back to our hometown,

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<v Speaker 1>and the kids were all familiar with my encounter. One

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<v Speaker 1>Saturday afternoon in April or May, my youngest son came

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<v Speaker 1>to the house, ashing and shaking all over. I saw it, Dad,

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<v Speaker 1>I really saw it, he exclaimed. I asked him what

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<v Speaker 1>he had seen, and with eyes wide and full of wonder,

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<v Speaker 1>he said, I saw the bigfoot. I asked him to

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<v Speaker 1>show me where, and so we went into the backyard

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<v Speaker 1>and he showed me the tree the creature had peered around.

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<v Speaker 1>We estimated it to be around nine feet tall. We

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<v Speaker 1>also found and took pictures of several very large footprints.

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<v Speaker 1>Since then, my son has seen what he calls Rocky

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<v Speaker 1>several times in the backyard. In February of last year,

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty, my friend Mike and I were in my

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<v Speaker 1>backyard and found tracks. They came across the face of

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<v Speaker 1>the tree line, stopped, and then faced to my house.

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<v Speaker 1>They then turned and went into the bushes. After Mike left,

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<v Speaker 1>I went inside and told my son and daughter about

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<v Speaker 1>seeing the tracks, without the least prompting. My son smiled

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<v Speaker 1>and said, yeah, I saw Rocky yesterday. I was playing

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<v Speaker 1>in the sideyard and bent over to pick up a stick,

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<v Speaker 1>and as I stood up, there were two fur covered

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<v Speaker 1>tree trunks in front of me. When I straightened up,

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<v Speaker 1>there was Rocky facing me twenty feet away. He chuffed

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<v Speaker 1>at me and stepped into the bushes. Well. I was

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<v Speaker 1>amazed I had gotten into my story only far enough

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<v Speaker 1>to say Mike and I found tracks. He had described

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<v Speaker 1>what we had seen to the last detail. Mike and

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<v Speaker 1>I have been chuffed at several times on the farm.

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<v Speaker 1>In March, we had a visual of what I believed

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<v Speaker 1>to be a mated couple on the shoreline of a

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<v Speaker 1>large pond. Within a few yards of where they were standing,

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<v Speaker 1>we found two bedding sites where they had slept. A

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<v Speaker 1>few weeks later we had another sighting of the same

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<v Speaker 1>pair about a quarter mile away, standing in a tree

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<v Speaker 1>line watching us. It's now mid June and I must

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<v Speaker 1>admit i'd like to see them again. I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>see them soon.