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<v Speaker 1>The stories you will hear are from real people with

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<v Speaker 1>real experiences with the unknown. Welcome to the Dixie Cryptid

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<v Speaker 1>What If It's True? Podcast? All right, here we go.

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<v Speaker 2>Some time back, two friends and I spent the weekend

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<v Speaker 2>with another friend who managed a pub in the Midlands

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<v Speaker 2>in the United Kingdom that's about a two and a

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<v Speaker 2>half hour drive from where I live in Liverpool. We

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<v Speaker 2>arrived just before closing and we went inside. I looked

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<v Speaker 2>around and saw the walls were decorated with various items

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<v Speaker 2>that included some of those old brass bugles and cart

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<v Speaker 2>horse tack. There were a couple of bar maids working.

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<v Speaker 2>One was bringing drinks to the table and the other

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<v Speaker 2>was clearing tables. Sean, our friend who managed the pub,

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<v Speaker 2>led us over to the bar and we were standing

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<v Speaker 2>there talking when the bar maid who was cleaning the

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<v Speaker 2>tables came over to us and announced that she found

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<v Speaker 2>the mouthpiece. That statement didn't make sense to us, so

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<v Speaker 2>Sean explained that the building was home to two ghosts.

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<v Speaker 2>One was forever stealing the mouthpiece from one of the

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<v Speaker 2>brass bugles, and the other would slam doors shut throughout

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<v Speaker 2>the night. It was a good tale, but I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know that we fully believed him yet. Last orders was

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<v Speaker 2>announced and the pub soon emptied, leaving my friends and

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<v Speaker 2>me waiting at the bar for Sean to complete his

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<v Speaker 2>closing duties. When we refilled our glasses and headed up

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<v Speaker 2>to the top floor where Seawn's living quarters were. As

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<v Speaker 2>we were about to ascend the last flight, Sean tapped

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<v Speaker 2>me on the shoulder and knotted down the corridor. There

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<v Speaker 2>were three doors along this quarter that were all shut,

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<v Speaker 2>but at the end was one door that wasn't shut

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<v Speaker 2>and it was half open. I followed Sean gazed to

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<v Speaker 2>that door, and I watched in fascination as it slowly

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<v Speaker 2>and smoothly, without so much as a jerk, closed with

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<v Speaker 2>a gentle click as it latched. This gave me goose bumps,

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<v Speaker 2>and Sean just smiled and led the way up the

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<v Speaker 2>final flight to his flat. We were having a good

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<v Speaker 2>visit with Sean and his girlfriend, but it wasn't long

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<v Speaker 2>until it was time to go back downstairs and refill

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<v Speaker 2>our glasses. No one was moving, so I volunteered. It

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<v Speaker 2>took me a while to find my way in the dark,

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<v Speaker 2>and I managed to get through the kitchen and refill

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<v Speaker 2>four pint glasses plus an orange juice for Sean's girlfriend.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't mind telling you that my faults were on

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<v Speaker 2>that mouthpiece in the slowly closing door. I knew i'd

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<v Speaker 2>have to find my way back upstairs, and that didn't

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<v Speaker 2>help much either. As I got to the landing before

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<v Speaker 2>the last flight, I couldn't resist stopping and looking down

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<v Speaker 2>that corridor where I'd seen the gently closing door. I

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<v Speaker 2>was concentrating on the door i'd seen close earlier, when

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<v Speaker 2>suddenly something began banging. The other three doors slammed shut hard.

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<v Speaker 2>I was jolted into action. You can call me a

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<v Speaker 2>whimp if you like, but I ran up those stairs

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<v Speaker 2>as fast as my feet would take me. I couldn't

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<v Speaker 2>reach Sean's door fast enough, and I admit that I

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<v Speaker 2>never lost sight of my priorities, though I never spilled

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<v Speaker 2>a drop of beer. It was nineteen sixty three. It

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<v Speaker 2>was summertime in New York, and I was nine years old.

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<v Speaker 2>My older brother was thirteen, and at that time we

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<v Speaker 2>lived in a county bordering Pennsylvania. It was the only

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<v Speaker 2>county in the state without an incorporated city, and to

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<v Speaker 2>this day it is very remote. It's as far back

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<v Speaker 2>in the sticks as anyone can get, and if you

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<v Speaker 2>were to go any further, you would be on your

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<v Speaker 2>way out. We lived up a dirt road that was

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<v Speaker 2>miles from any town with a population of even five hundred.

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<v Speaker 2>The area consisted of only fields and forests. Of course,

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<v Speaker 2>there were a lot of wildlife, and we were familiar

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<v Speaker 2>with every species there, or so we thought. One night,

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<v Speaker 2>my brother and I were on the front lawn. There

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<v Speaker 2>was no moonlight, which gives you a very ominous feeling,

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<v Speaker 2>especially when you're a kid in such a rural area.

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<v Speaker 2>The dead silence added to the strange feelings we were having. Suddenly,

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<v Speaker 2>the silence was broken when out of the darkness came

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<v Speaker 2>a blood curdling scream. Did you hear that? I said,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think we both spoke at the same time.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course we knew the other it heard it, because

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<v Speaker 2>you would have to be deaf not to We were

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<v Speaker 2>wide eyed with fright, and that scream was ear piercing,

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<v Speaker 2>and it was not a short scream. It was terrifying

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<v Speaker 2>and like nothing I could ever imagine. I struggled to

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<v Speaker 2>find an explanation. Because I was the one who usually

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<v Speaker 2>had the answers to things. My brother had always been

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<v Speaker 2>a bit slower to figure things out. Therefore, I knew

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<v Speaker 2>he would be depending on me for an explanation. I

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<v Speaker 2>took a few minutes to think about it, and I said,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe it's George up on the letter S Road beating

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<v Speaker 2>his wife. That was the best I could come up with,

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<v Speaker 2>but it didn't convince my brother. Then we heard the

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<v Speaker 2>scream again, and my brother said, now that scream came

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<v Speaker 2>from the woods across the lake on this side of

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<v Speaker 2>the stone wall. George lives way past that. I just

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<v Speaker 2>have to stop here, and I've got a question. So

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<v Speaker 2>George beat his wife, and you guys could hear him

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<v Speaker 2>her screaming all that way? Did anybody ever think to

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<v Speaker 2>go over and beat the shit out of George? Just wondering,

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<v Speaker 2>All right, let's move on with the story. The scream

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<v Speaker 2>came the third time and we were utterly completely terrified.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe it's a cougar. I said. That explanation didn't convince

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<v Speaker 2>him either. He pointed out that there weren't any cougars

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<v Speaker 2>in the area. What is it? Then? I asked, if

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<v Speaker 2>you didn't like any of my suggestions, what is yours? Well,

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<v Speaker 2>he was of no help because he said he didn't know,

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<v Speaker 2>and then the screams stopped, and neither of us were

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<v Speaker 2>going to enter that dark, creepy woods to find out

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<v Speaker 2>the source. Therefore, I told myself that it must have

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<v Speaker 2>been a cougar. Perhaps they were coming back into the

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<v Speaker 2>area and we weren't aware of it. That answer would

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<v Speaker 2>have to suffice for now because there was no other explanation,

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<v Speaker 2>and for many years I held on to that belief.

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<v Speaker 2>We never spoke of it after that, or mentioned it

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<v Speaker 2>to our parents. I think we were too afraid to

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<v Speaker 2>even give it any more thought. In our minds, it

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<v Speaker 2>was best if we just left the miter alone. It

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<v Speaker 2>is unimaginable how terrified someone can become when this happened.

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<v Speaker 2>I hadn't forgot it, and I still wanted an answer. Finally,

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<v Speaker 2>with the help of the Internet, I started to do

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<v Speaker 2>some research, and now I'm entirely convinced that it was

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<v Speaker 2>neither a woman screaming or a cougar. Thank god, George

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't beating his wife again. That's all I've got. That's

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<v Speaker 2>the thing that makes me the happiest about this story.

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<v Speaker 2>Based on the descriptions and recordings that I had heard online,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm now sure that it was a side squatch. Neither

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<v Speaker 2>my brother nor I have heard anything even remotely like

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<v Speaker 2>we had heard on that night many years before. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>thankful that neither of us chose to investigate the source

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<v Speaker 2>of those terrifying screams. The outcome probably would have been

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<v Speaker 2>a good one. Now the writer has another story here,

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm going to share that with you. The following

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<v Speaker 2>event is something I will never forget. I remember the

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<v Speaker 2>date because it was the day before my grandfather's birthday party.

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<v Speaker 2>It was in mid February two thousand and seven. I

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<v Speaker 2>left the golf course at five pm. The western horizon

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<v Speaker 2>was bright yellow by the soon to be setting the sun.

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<v Speaker 2>I looked to my left and observed a shape silhouette

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<v Speaker 2>against the sky that was approaching from the southwest. If

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<v Speaker 2>it was a bird, it certainly was a weird shaped

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<v Speaker 2>one with a strange appearance. I headed toward the north

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<v Speaker 2>main highway and continued to watch it as well as

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<v Speaker 2>I could while driving course. As I continued, the shape

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<v Speaker 2>grew larger. I turned left on the main road, realizing

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<v Speaker 2>this was not a bird. My mind was overworking as

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<v Speaker 2>I tried to figure out what this could be since

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<v Speaker 2>this thing was heading in my direction. I pulled off

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<v Speaker 2>the main highway. It turned slightly toward me, and my

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<v Speaker 2>mouth flew open in astonishment. If someone were to post

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<v Speaker 2>a photo of my expression at that time, I'm sure

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<v Speaker 2>it would go viral immediately. How about posting a photo

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<v Speaker 2>of this bird That might go viral real quick. Anyway,

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<v Speaker 2>I keep getting sidetracked in this story, so excuse me.

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<v Speaker 2>In my opinion, it was a vehicle that never should

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<v Speaker 2>have been able to get off the ground, let alone fly.

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<v Speaker 2>I was only able to see it for a few seconds,

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<v Speaker 2>but it is ingrained in my memory, and this is

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<v Speaker 2>how I would describe it. It had the shape of

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<v Speaker 2>a windowless shuttle craft from the starship Enterprise. It had

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<v Speaker 2>two huge globes, one on each side, attached to the

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<v Speaker 2>exterior of the craft, midway between the front and back.

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<v Speaker 2>The globes were copper colored, with what looked like black

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<v Speaker 2>old ring gaskets around the center of each globe. There

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<v Speaker 2>was no sound coming from this strange craft, nor was

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<v Speaker 2>there any wind gust as one might expect. As it

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<v Speaker 2>passed overhead, it went slightly to the north and sped

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<v Speaker 2>off at tree top level in the direction of Mount Shasta.

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<v Speaker 2>To my surprise, the traffic was passing by as it

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<v Speaker 2>would any other time. Was I the only one that

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<v Speaker 2>could see this? While I was wondering what was going on?

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<v Speaker 2>I got back into my car with my mind spinning,

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<v Speaker 2>and I started home. What had just happened? Why didn't

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<v Speaker 2>anyone else react? The questions wouldn't stop entering my brain.

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<v Speaker 2>I couldn't have been the only one that saw this

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<v Speaker 2>craft since it came right over the main part of town.

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<v Speaker 2>I returned home and tried to clear my mind or

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<v Speaker 2>at least make some sense of this experience, and I

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<v Speaker 2>decided to report it to the local police and the

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<v Speaker 2>local newspaper. To my amazement, not a single person had

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<v Speaker 2>reported seeing anything out of the ordinary. Since no one

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<v Speaker 2>had seen anything, I decided to keep it to myself,

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<v Speaker 2>even though I had a strong feeling of wanting to

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<v Speaker 2>share this with everyone. I did tell a few people

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<v Speaker 2>that I knew I could trust, but even to this day,

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<v Speaker 2>they give me a lot of ribbing and make a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of jokes about it. Now, finally I found a

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<v Speaker 2>place where I can share this event with everyone without

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<v Speaker 2>being ridiculed. I'm thankful for this opportunity, and I feel

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<v Speaker 2>a bit of relief being able to do so. So

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<v Speaker 2>now maybe I'm not crazy. Well, to the writer, maybe

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<v Speaker 2>you're not crazy. And I'm so glad that George wasn't

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<v Speaker 2>killing his wife or beating her again. I don't know

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<v Speaker 2>why that's sticking in my mind in this story, but

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<v Speaker 2>it was. It was just I don't know, it was

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<v Speaker 2>a kind of an odd thing to assume. Oh, that's

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<v Speaker 2>probably George beating his wife. Nothing to see here, Everybody

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<v Speaker 2>move along. Anyway. A lot of stuff happened in this story,

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<v Speaker 2>and for some reason, that's the only thing that sticks

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<v Speaker 2>in my mind. So I don't know, it's probably just me.

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<v Speaker 2>I just thought it was kind of weird. Let's move

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<v Speaker 2>on to something else. The year of my encounter was

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<v Speaker 2>twenty nineteen. I had graduated high school the year before

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<v Speaker 2>and had been attending the University of Idaho, and in

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<v Speaker 2>the spring, I was feeling burned out and decided to

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<v Speaker 2>take a long weekend back home to Priest Lake, Idaho.

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<v Speaker 2>While I was home, I just felt the need to

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<v Speaker 2>get out in the woods, which have always been my

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<v Speaker 2>place of peace and rest. It was a season for

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<v Speaker 2>picking morals, so I grabbed a basket and fired up

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<v Speaker 2>my dirt bike and headed for my family's home, which

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<v Speaker 2>was already a twenty minute drive from the nearest small town,

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<v Speaker 2>and I went deep into the woods. I went to

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<v Speaker 2>a secret spot where I had always had good luck

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<v Speaker 2>picking morals, and while they weren't as plentiful as normal,

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<v Speaker 2>there were enough to keep me in the area. I

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<v Speaker 2>had been picking morals and wandering around for an hour

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<v Speaker 2>and decided to sit down and rest and eat a

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<v Speaker 2>quick snack down by the small creek that flowed through

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<v Speaker 2>the area. I'd been sitting for maybe ten minutes when

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<v Speaker 2>I saw a deer come walking along the creek bed.

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<v Speaker 2>It was upwind with me and had taken no notice,

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<v Speaker 2>so I just sat still and watched it for a

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<v Speaker 2>few minutes until the wind shifted at ninety degrees, I

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<v Speaker 2>caught a foul odor, not a skunk like odor, but

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<v Speaker 2>more like a mixture of carrying garbage and feces. At

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<v Speaker 2>that exact moment, the deer lifted its head and sniffed

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<v Speaker 2>the air and bolted right up the bank of the

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<v Speaker 2>creek toward me. It came close to me, maybe thirty

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<v Speaker 2>or forty feet away, and it didn't notice me at all.

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<v Speaker 2>A moment later, just across the creek, I heard a

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<v Speaker 2>loud huff and a thud, and I looked over to

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<v Speaker 2>the creek to see what I would have described as

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<v Speaker 2>a bigfoot, but you will soon understand why I don't.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a shaggy ape like creature, something between a

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<v Speaker 2>gorilla and an orangutang, but it was more upright. It

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<v Speaker 2>had matte black fur that almost seemed to absorb the light.

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<v Speaker 2>It had a partially bare face with dark skin, had

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<v Speaker 2>yellow teeth with huge canines. This creature was probably seven

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<v Speaker 2>feet tall, and I would guess three hundred and fifty pounds.

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<v Speaker 2>It wasn't skinny, but it also was not overly bulky.

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<v Speaker 2>I was absolutely stunned, and I was frozen where I

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<v Speaker 2>sat just for a few moments after I saw it

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<v Speaker 2>and it saw me, and the sheer rage and its

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<v Speaker 2>eyes became terrifying. It took a few steps toward me

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<v Speaker 2>and then stopped, and it let out a shrieking scream

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<v Speaker 2>that was partially like the scream of a mountain lion

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<v Speaker 2>and partially like the roar of an actual lion, and

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<v Speaker 2>partially indescribable. I felt it in my chest and I

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<v Speaker 2>slapped my hands over my ears, almost expecting to feel

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<v Speaker 2>blood leaking out of them. This shriek went on for

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<v Speaker 2>what seemed like a minute but was probably just a

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<v Speaker 2>couple of seconds. At this point, the the creature was

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<v Speaker 2>only sixty feet away from me, just across the creek

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<v Speaker 2>and on the other bank, and I could see the

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<v Speaker 2>spittle and drool flying off its teeth as it screamed.

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<v Speaker 2>It took another step toward me, and it picked up

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<v Speaker 2>a fist sized rock and was winding back its arm

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<v Speaker 2>to send it flying toward me when I heard another

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<v Speaker 2>sound from just up the creek. It was a loud whoop,

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<v Speaker 2>and it rang out and the creature and I turned

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<v Speaker 2>up streamed to see another creature standing in the water

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<v Speaker 2>about one hundred feet away. Now this creature was massive.

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<v Speaker 2>It was well over eight feet tall and I would

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<v Speaker 2>guess between four hundred and fifty and five hundred and

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<v Speaker 2>fifty pounds with dark red, black matted fur. It had

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<v Speaker 2>a hairless face and a high forehead, and it was

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<v Speaker 2>tapering to a slight cone at the top of its head.

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<v Speaker 2>It had a broad chest and huge shoulders with extremely

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<v Speaker 2>long arms. One of the first things I noticed was

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<v Speaker 2>the broad, flat teeth and nails, while the other creature

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<v Speaker 2>had sharp teeth and claws. The first creature at this

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<v Speaker 2>point let out another shriek, and it threw the rock

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<v Speaker 2>at the second creature, hitting it in the chest with

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<v Speaker 2>a distinct warmth. The second creature let out a series

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<v Speaker 2>of barking coughs. It was almost a laughing sound, and

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<v Speaker 2>it took a few steps toward the first creature. The

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<v Speaker 2>first creature suddenly looked panicked and spun around and ran

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<v Speaker 2>into the brush and off into the woods, and the

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<v Speaker 2>second creature led off after it, faster than I would

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<v Speaker 2>have ever believed possible for such a big animal. Its

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<v Speaker 2>fur was flapping in the wind behind it, and it

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<v Speaker 2>gave it an almost blurry appearance as it leapt up

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<v Speaker 2>the bank in a single stride and disappeared into the

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<v Speaker 2>woods after the first creature. Seconds later, I heard another

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<v Speaker 2>shriek from off in the woods in the direction that

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<v Speaker 2>they had gone, and it was followed by a much

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<v Speaker 2>higher pitch shriek of pain, and then a series of

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<v Speaker 2>yelps and wines, and a moment of silence, and then

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<v Speaker 2>a series of victorious whoops. By that time I had

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<v Speaker 2>finally found my ability to move and I stood up

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<v Speaker 2>and grabbed my basket of morals. I ran the quarter

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<v Speaker 2>mile to my bike as fast as I possibly could,

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<v Speaker 2>still hearing triumphant whoops from off in the woods, and

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<v Speaker 2>the second I got there, I kicked the engine over

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<v Speaker 2>and tore up the old logging road I had come

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<v Speaker 2>in on. I never bothered with my helmet until I

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<v Speaker 2>got whipped in the face by a branch of a bush.

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<v Speaker 2>Then I walked into the house and I took off

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<v Speaker 2>my helmet, and my dad immediately asked me what was wrong. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>I thought he must have seen something in my eyes,

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<v Speaker 2>but it turned out that the branch had left a

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<v Speaker 2>bleeding whelp on my cheek and across my nose, and

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<v Speaker 2>I hadn't even noticed the pain and in front of

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<v Speaker 2>my mother and my younger so I told my dad

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<v Speaker 2>that I had just slipped. But later that night, alone

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<v Speaker 2>around a campfire in the backyard, I explained to him

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<v Speaker 2>what had really happened. He told me that I should

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<v Speaker 2>have left the morals as a thank you, and insisted

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<v Speaker 2>that we go leave an offering. First thing in the morning.

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<v Speaker 2>We raided the refrigerator, collecting a basket of fresh vegetables,

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<v Speaker 2>a small piece of cheese and some peanut butter, which

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<v Speaker 2>my dad scooped out and put in some paper cupcake wrappers,

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<v Speaker 2>and as the sun was coming up, we left the

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<v Speaker 2>food right where I had been sitting when I first

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<v Speaker 2>saw the creatures, and as we pulled away in the

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<v Speaker 2>truck a few minutes later, I heard one quiet whoop

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<v Speaker 2>from down by the creek. I had been back to

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<v Speaker 2>that spot several times since, but never without a side arm,

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<v Speaker 2>and never without a small offering of thanks to the

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<v Speaker 2>Bigfoot that saved my life from the impersonator.

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<v Speaker 1>It can be a distant the arm