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<v Speaker 1>All right, here's a story, and it's one that I

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<v Speaker 1>never do. Let me explain. When someone sends me an

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<v Speaker 1>email and they say, well, I've already submitted this to

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<v Speaker 1>so and so so and so, so and so, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm submitting it to you right now, I usually just

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<v Speaker 1>delete the email. We don't. None of us out here

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<v Speaker 1>who do this want to duplicate stories. So that's a

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<v Speaker 1>little hint for people. If you've already submitted your story

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<v Speaker 1>to another channel and they've done it, especially if they've

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<v Speaker 1>done it, or even if they haven't done it, you

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<v Speaker 1>picked who you wanted to send it to and leave

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<v Speaker 1>it at that, don't send it to me. That's not

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<v Speaker 1>really fair. I know people want to get their story

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<v Speaker 1>heard all over the place, but it's anyway. It kind

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<v Speaker 1>of annoys me, is what I'm saying, and when I

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<v Speaker 1>see that, I delete them. However, this story that I'm

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<v Speaker 1>about to share with you was actually shared on another channel.

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<v Speaker 1>It was shared on or narrated on Carrie Arnold's Excuse Me,

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<v Speaker 1>Carrie Arnold's channel The Shutter. He did a storytelling channel

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<v Speaker 1>at one time during the COVID shutdown. He didn't have

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<v Speaker 1>much to do, He wasn't working. He actually called me

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<v Speaker 1>and he said, I want to do this. I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>you should do it. You've got a great voice, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know you read really well, and you should be

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<v Speaker 1>able to do it. Just in honor of Carrie. I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to redo this story. It's pretty good. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>pretty good story. The title of the story is twelve

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<v Speaker 1>Big Creature. It's written by Daniel McCall and this was

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<v Speaker 1>posted on Facebook, so I'm assuming he posted it on

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<v Speaker 1>his Facebook channel under his name, so I don't mind

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<v Speaker 1>saying his full name because he's taken full credit for this.

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<v Speaker 1>He writes. My maternal grandfather, d Calvin Howell was born

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<v Speaker 1>in Jefferson County, Florida, in eighteen eighty six and grew

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<v Speaker 1>up in I can't pronounce this town name Willkissa w

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<v Speaker 1>wasisa Wacissa and the Cody area, hunting, fishing, and roaming

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<v Speaker 1>the local woods. When as a teenage boy he was

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<v Speaker 1>old enough to go to work, he began working in

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<v Speaker 1>logging camps which were all deep in the woods, accessible

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<v Speaker 1>only by rail that was laid to access in haul

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<v Speaker 1>out the timber. He was an excellent woodsman. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a hunter and he was an expert with firearms. It

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<v Speaker 1>was generally well known in the area that the men

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<v Speaker 1>of the Howell family would not back down from a confrontation.

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<v Speaker 1>Calvin Howell was not a big man, but in that

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<v Speaker 1>respect he was very much like the rest of his

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<v Speaker 1>Howell relatives. He married my grandmother in nineteen twelve and

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<v Speaker 1>continued working and living in logging camps until nineteen twenty nine,

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<v Speaker 1>when his employer, Standard Lumber Company went broke as a

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<v Speaker 1>result of the stock market crash and left him and

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<v Speaker 1>his family stranded in a logging camp in Lofayette County, Florida.

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<v Speaker 1>When he managed to get his family out of the

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<v Speaker 1>logging camp, he became a sharecropper farmer in the area

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<v Speaker 1>of Mayo, Loafayette County, Florida. In nineteen thirty eight, when

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<v Speaker 1>he bought his own farm in Leon County, Florida. He

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<v Speaker 1>died in nineteen fifty one when I was thirteen years old.

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<v Speaker 1>A few months after my grandfather died, I came to

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<v Speaker 1>live with my grandmother and I lived with her until

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<v Speaker 1>I graduated from high school and joined the Army in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen fifty five. When I was growing up, one of

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<v Speaker 1>the family stories I heard from my mother and grandmother

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<v Speaker 1>was about an encounter my grandfather had one night during

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<v Speaker 1>the years that he was sharecropping in Lofayette County. This

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<v Speaker 1>was during the Great Depression and the family was struggling

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<v Speaker 1>to survive. Their only means of transportation was a mule

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<v Speaker 1>and a wagon or walking. One night, my grandfather was

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<v Speaker 1>walking home from a place I no longer remember. It

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<v Speaker 1>was after dark, but it was a clear night, and

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<v Speaker 1>there was enough light from the moon or the stars

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<v Speaker 1>for him to be able to see the road for

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<v Speaker 1>a little way ahead. He was walking along a dirt

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<v Speaker 1>road in a wooded area that was sparsely populated with

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<v Speaker 1>no houses. When he approached an intersection in the dirt road,

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<v Speaker 1>he saw what appeared to him to be a large

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<v Speaker 1>man standing erect and silent in the intersection. He couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>see it well enough to tell if it was a

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<v Speaker 1>big man or something else. Being a lifelong woodsman and hunter,

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<v Speaker 1>he was well aware of all the animals that lived

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<v Speaker 1>in the area, including the black bear. He was also

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<v Speaker 1>aware of all the domestic animals, which at that time

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<v Speaker 1>were allowed to roam free on the open range, and

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<v Speaker 1>he knew most, if not all, of the men who

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<v Speaker 1>lived in the area, but he didn't know anyone that large.

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<v Speaker 1>In the darkness, he could not identify this person or

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<v Speaker 1>animal or creature or object standing in the intersection. He

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't pass through the intersection without walking close to the

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<v Speaker 1>unidentified manner object in the intersection. Being very apprehensive about

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<v Speaker 1>approaching an unknown person or animal under those circumstances, he

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<v Speaker 1>stopped twenty yards short of the intersection and challenged what

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<v Speaker 1>he thought was probably a large man to identify himself,

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<v Speaker 1>and he received no response. After challenging the man or

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<v Speaker 1>the creature several more times and receiving no response, he

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<v Speaker 1>eventually said something to the effect of you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>speak up now, I'm gonna shoot you. After receiving no

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<v Speaker 1>response once again, he fired two shots from his Smith

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<v Speaker 1>and Wesson thirty eight special revolver into the center chest

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<v Speaker 1>area of the object. Considering his expertise with the revolver

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<v Speaker 1>and the close range, it is not likely that he

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<v Speaker 1>missed his mark. After he shot the creature, it moved

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<v Speaker 1>off into the woods in an upright position without making

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<v Speaker 1>a sound. After a few minutes, my grandfather continued on

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<v Speaker 1>his way home. The next morning, He and others, who

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<v Speaker 1>were all well armed went back to the intersection in

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<v Speaker 1>the daylight to find the creature, or at least find

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<v Speaker 1>its tracks and determine what it was. They didn't find

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<v Speaker 1>the creature, nor did they identify any tracks. No man

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<v Speaker 1>or animal was ever reported as having been shot or

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<v Speaker 1>seen at that time in location. Could this have been

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<v Speaker 1>a bear, maybe, but there are some things that seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to indicate that it was not a bear. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a woodsman, and my grandfather knew what black bears looked like.

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<v Speaker 1>And also, a black bear will generally run away when

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<v Speaker 1>approached and verbally challenged by a human. And it's also

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<v Speaker 1>unlikely that a black bear would walk away on its

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<v Speaker 1>hind legs after being shot twice in the chest by

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<v Speaker 1>thirty eight special Normally, in either case, a black bear

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<v Speaker 1>would run away on all four legs. The creature was

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<v Speaker 1>never identified in the mystery was never solved. Recent stories

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<v Speaker 1>about people's encounters with bigfoot type creatures made me remember

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<v Speaker 1>the story and wonder if it may be what my

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<v Speaker 1>grandfather encountered back in the nineteen thirties. I was allowed

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<v Speaker 1>to begin hunting squirrels with a single shot twenty two

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<v Speaker 1>when I was ten years old, and I grew to

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<v Speaker 1>love hunting wood ducks and turkeys and deer, and I

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<v Speaker 1>hunted them until twenty fourteen. During the sixty plus years

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<v Speaker 1>that I hunted in North Florida, I never saw an

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<v Speaker 1>animal or a track that I could not identify. I

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<v Speaker 1>did hear an occasional strange noise, but I attributed those

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<v Speaker 1>to hogs that were always in the areas where I hunted.

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<v Speaker 1>I had asked many questions and written down the story

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<v Speaker 1>back when I first heard it, and I was young

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<v Speaker 1>and thought I would remember everything. And that's the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the story. And again, this story has been recorded before.

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<v Speaker 1>Carrie Arnold did it on his channel, The Shutter. There'll

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<v Speaker 1>be a link in the description, and I miss Carry Arnold.

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<v Speaker 1>I did this story kind of in his honor. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not a big tribute to Carrie. But when I saw

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<v Speaker 1>at the end that the man had said he sent

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<v Speaker 1>it to Carrie, and Carrie did it on his channel,

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<v Speaker 1>it just felt right to do it. This story is

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<v Speaker 1>true by all that is holy, and I'm not kidding.

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<v Speaker 1>I would prefer to keep my name out of this,

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<v Speaker 1>but feel free to use it, not use it, do

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<v Speaker 1>whatever you want to do with it. I finished it

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of hours ago, and I feel like a

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<v Speaker 1>whole lot of weight is off my shoulders now. It's

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<v Speaker 1>taken me decades to be able to relate the events here,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm still not certain that I'm all that ready.

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<v Speaker 1>I've told only my wife about the event, and she

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<v Speaker 1>did not want to deal with it, so I figured

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<v Speaker 1>that it was a story that just shouldn't be told. However,

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<v Speaker 1>my life was forever changed by what happened to me,

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<v Speaker 1>and others were impacted even more so I'm hoping that

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<v Speaker 1>putting this story out will help get fully past it.

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<v Speaker 1>When I was young, I had fears of being taken, assaulted,

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<v Speaker 1>or abducted. Whatever words you may choose for characterizing a

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<v Speaker 1>child that had these fears is okay with me. It's

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that it happened that counts. The image of

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<v Speaker 1>big eyed pictures of children or owls always freaked me

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<v Speaker 1>out and I couldn't deal with them. I'll begin by

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<v Speaker 1>relating what happened when I was twelve. I lived with

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<v Speaker 1>my mother and older brother, and we had a really loving,

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<v Speaker 1>secure home. She worked hard to keep a roof over

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<v Speaker 1>our heads, and she was worn out and napping after

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<v Speaker 1>work whenever possible. Soon after this event, she remarried a

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<v Speaker 1>good guy that paid the bills, so she didn't have

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<v Speaker 1>to work anymore. My mother was blessed in life, and

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<v Speaker 1>my stepfather was all of our blessing from God. This

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<v Speaker 1>story is prior to that happening. My mother decided to

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<v Speaker 1>send us away to visit her family out in Illinois

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<v Speaker 1>for summer vacation so we could get to know them

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<v Speaker 1>better and vice versa. We were living in a city

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<v Speaker 1>back in Ohio and hardly knew her family. We stayed

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<v Speaker 1>for a while with my uncle, who had a small

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<v Speaker 1>grocery store with a home above it on the second floor.

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<v Speaker 1>And after we arrived there, my night fares became more intense.

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<v Speaker 1>I noticed that he had an old refrigerator case out

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<v Speaker 1>in the garage that he was going to get rid of.

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<v Speaker 1>It was still plugged in, and though it wouldn't cool anymore,

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<v Speaker 1>the fan motor in it was still working. I was

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<v Speaker 1>an industrious little pest of a kid, and I asked

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<v Speaker 1>him if I could have the fan motor, and he said,

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<v Speaker 1>have at it. An hour later, it was in my hands.

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<v Speaker 1>It had no protective screen around it, and it needed

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<v Speaker 1>a plug, all of which didn't bother me. When I

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<v Speaker 1>returned home, I attached a new plug to the wires

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<v Speaker 1>and bolted it to the headboard of my metal frame

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<v Speaker 1>bunk bed, and with an extension cord, it worked fine.

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<v Speaker 1>The humming helped me sleep, provided I didn't bump into

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<v Speaker 1>those fan blades. Everyone thought I needed the breeze at night,

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<v Speaker 1>but my needs were not about more air. What I

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<v Speaker 1>was hoping was that fan would prevent whatever was bothering

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<v Speaker 1>me at night from ever returning out of fear that

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<v Speaker 1>they would be cut to pieces. That is the way

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<v Speaker 1>it was for me as a kid, loving the world,

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<v Speaker 1>curious and scared sometimes. At the age of thirty eight,

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<v Speaker 1>I had just remarried. I had joint custody of my

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<v Speaker 1>two children, and I was living with my new wife

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<v Speaker 1>in a ranch house on the outskirts of the city

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<v Speaker 1>on a rural wooded light. The house wasn't much, but

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<v Speaker 1>I liked the location and the acreage and the trees

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<v Speaker 1>that surrounded the house. It sort of shielded the ground

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<v Speaker 1>from the light, so we didn't have to cut grass

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<v Speaker 1>very much. Plus, because the trees had few low branches,

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<v Speaker 1>so you could see the other homes one hundred yards

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<v Speaker 1>or so in every direction around us during that first spring.

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<v Speaker 1>We seemed to be unnaturally surrounded with wildlife night and

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<v Speaker 1>day in that house, and it was a little unnerving

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<v Speaker 1>for a city boy like Meat. If you walked outside

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<v Speaker 1>at night, there were always deer staring at you or

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<v Speaker 1>running around scaring you, or even raccoons or birds. Owls

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<v Speaker 1>seemed to hang out there too. Especially weird was the

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<v Speaker 1>big hawk that would land on the branch in front

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<v Speaker 1>of the living room picture window, causing the branch to

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<v Speaker 1>drop down just low enough where the hawk could peer

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<v Speaker 1>into our window, and he did all the time. Many

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<v Speaker 1>times I'd just sit and we would stare at one

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<v Speaker 1>another over my morning coffee. One day I found him

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<v Speaker 1>in another branch looking into the breakfast room window. Seems

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<v Speaker 1>like we were just never alone there. I had just

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<v Speaker 1>gotten married to my second wife, who was twenty seven

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<v Speaker 1>at the time, and she had moved with me into

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<v Speaker 1>this place. She was trying to fit in, and things

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<v Speaker 1>were a little dicey still with her relationship with my

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<v Speaker 1>ex and kids, but that is the way it is

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<v Speaker 1>with blended families. One morning, something happened that I'm going

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<v Speaker 1>to tell you about because it was really strange and inexplicable.

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<v Speaker 1>My wife and I had a sleep routine in her

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<v Speaker 1>habit where she would always wear my pajama top and

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<v Speaker 1>her own shorts to bed, and I would wear the

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<v Speaker 1>matching pajama bottoms and a T shirt. She was a

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<v Speaker 1>fitful sleeper and I was a sound sleeper. In the mornings,

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<v Speaker 1>her side of the bed was a mess. Blankets were everywhere,

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<v Speaker 1>but on my I just slip out of and never

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<v Speaker 1>even had to make the bed, so I never did. So, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>we were lazy about making the bed. Big deal. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>this one morning, I woke to light coming in all

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<v Speaker 1>the windows as if I'd been sleeping for days. It

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<v Speaker 1>was ten am, and I had never slept past seven

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<v Speaker 1>am in my life. Kids weren't with us that night,

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<v Speaker 1>and the wife started to stir in bed at the

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<v Speaker 1>same time as I did. I remember looking at her

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<v Speaker 1>and she looking at me, saying to one another, what

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<v Speaker 1>happened last night? We had gone to bed uneventfully very early,

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<v Speaker 1>and both of us had no recollection of getting up

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<v Speaker 1>at all, no watching the TV in the room, no

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<v Speaker 1>bathroom visits all night long, nothing, which was very strange.

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<v Speaker 1>We laid there in bed feeling like we were sleeping.

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<v Speaker 1>Something off but we weren't drinkers and hadn't had a

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<v Speaker 1>thing the day or night before. As I tried to

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<v Speaker 1>turn over and get out of the bed, I realized

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't move very well, and it took me a

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<v Speaker 1>few moments to figure out why. It turns out that

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<v Speaker 1>our blankets and bedspread had been pulled tightly and tucked

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<v Speaker 1>in all around the sides of the bed, so securely

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<v Speaker 1>that we had difficulty kicking them loose to get out

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<v Speaker 1>of the bed. It was as if we had been

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<v Speaker 1>deliberately secured into our own bed. Furthermore, she had on

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<v Speaker 1>my T shirt and I had on the pajama top

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<v Speaker 1>she wore to bed, which I hate wearing, and the

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<v Speaker 1>top was buttoned. Who does that. We were both groggy

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<v Speaker 1>and unable to focus very well and were freaked out

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<v Speaker 1>about what had just happened. Months later, my memories began

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<v Speaker 1>to return a little at a time, and I remembered

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<v Speaker 1>what had happened. She never did. We were taken to

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<v Speaker 1>a place that I was familiar with, but she was

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<v Speaker 1>new to and she was in a complete panic, and

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<v Speaker 1>neither of us could move. That was making me angry,

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<v Speaker 1>which is why I think I remembered what had happened.

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<v Speaker 1>There were other people there, and I used the term

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<v Speaker 1>people loosely because what I really saw weren't people like

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<v Speaker 1>you and I. However, I seemed to be familiar with them,

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<v Speaker 1>and they were with me as if we knew each other.

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<v Speaker 1>This had happened to me before, but this time it

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<v Speaker 1>was different. I insisted that they stopped doing what they

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<v Speaker 1>were doing to us, and they just continued on with

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<v Speaker 1>their task, as if my words or her fears were

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<v Speaker 1>unimportant to whatever task they were intent on completing on us.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember being emphatic and unrelenting, as I was not

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<v Speaker 1>concerned about myself but my new wife, and what I

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<v Speaker 1>perceived was an attack on someone who was innocent. My

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<v Speaker 1>own personal experience was one of passivity, except for defending

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<v Speaker 1>her in this heated moment. Then, out of desperation, I

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<v Speaker 1>remember yelling these words words in the name of Jesus,

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<v Speaker 1>the Father and the Spirit of God, I demand that

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<v Speaker 1>you stop doing this to her immediately. For the first time,

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<v Speaker 1>they all sort of stopped all at once, and a

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<v Speaker 1>few of them actually turned their heads towards me, then

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<v Speaker 1>to one another, and without speaking or using any obvious

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<v Speaker 1>other form of communication, which I still don't exactly understand.

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<v Speaker 1>They simply stopped. They seemed stunned or disappointed, or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>even angry. I remember being carried or floated quickly back

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<v Speaker 1>to the bed. She was carried to the other side

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<v Speaker 1>of the bed. We were both hurriedly tucked in and

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<v Speaker 1>put to sleep. The memories were never fully completed, just

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<v Speaker 1>the ability for me to resolve it well enough to

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<v Speaker 1>move past it. Things were never the same after that morning.

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<v Speaker 1>It took a couple of months for the reality of

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<v Speaker 1>what happened that night to reveal itself, but from then

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<v Speaker 1>on she was not interested in living in that house

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<v Speaker 1>or even on that side of town. We argued about moving,

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<v Speaker 1>and then one day a couple of months later, we

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<v Speaker 1>found a lump in her breast. The doctor said she

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<v Speaker 1>needed surgery right away and began to treat her with

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<v Speaker 1>radiation and chemotherapy. She was determined to move somewhere else

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<v Speaker 1>and went looking for a place as far away as

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<v Speaker 1>she could find. During this time, I was dealing with

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<v Speaker 1>my own trauma, as I was having one dream after another,

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<v Speaker 1>one building on top of the memory of the one before,

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00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:37.759
<v Speaker 1>over and over, gradually revealing to me what had happened

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<v Speaker 1>that one strange night we had somehow as a couple

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<v Speaker 1>been moved to another location, and I remember seeing her

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<v Speaker 1>on her back being moved as I was on my back,

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<v Speaker 1>both being transported through the air. We were renting this

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<v Speaker 1>house and I had a lease, and I wasn't interested

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<v Speaker 1>in moving to the other side of the town because

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<v Speaker 1>my business, kids and friends, her doctor's everything was nearby

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<v Speaker 1>and very convenient. Nevertheless, she decided to get out on

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<v Speaker 1>her own and rented an apartment and moved out. She

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<v Speaker 1>was scared and legitimately frightened about the possibility of the

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<v Speaker 1>spread of her cancer. It was beyond my ability to

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<v Speaker 1>understand how to help her. Once she moved out, she

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<v Speaker 1>was resolute, and I understood and accepted her decision. I

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<v Speaker 1>also got out of that house. A month later, I

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<v Speaker 1>broke the lease and rented a place nearer to my kids,

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<v Speaker 1>and I felt safer there. My wife was getting treated

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<v Speaker 1>and she became more and more emotionally and mentally stressed,

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<v Speaker 1>and I offered for her to move back in with me,

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<v Speaker 1>which she accepted. None of the treatments or therapy slowed

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<v Speaker 1>her cancer down. I even paid out of my pocket

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<v Speaker 1>for a bone marrow transplant, and while she was in

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<v Speaker 1>the hospital, the cancer spread everywhere. Within three months, she

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<v Speaker 1>was diagnosed as terminal, and she decided to leave the

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<v Speaker 1>country and move to Europe. She was a sad, loss confused,

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<v Speaker 1>frightened woman who just wanted to live. Ultimately, she ended

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<v Speaker 1>up returning from Europe and we divorced on good terms,

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<v Speaker 1>and I kept her medical coverage intact and offered for

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<v Speaker 1>her to move back in with me to continue her treatments.

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<v Speaker 1>I never discussed that strange night of the year prior

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<v Speaker 1>ever again, except for her to say that she never

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to hear me speak of it again. So I

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<v Speaker 1>was never able to reveal what I had eventually remembered,

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<v Speaker 1>and I always wondered what she remembered, if anything, and

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<v Speaker 1>if those memories possibly contributed to her belief that the

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<v Speaker 1>events of that previous year with me had caused her cancer,

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<v Speaker 1>a belief which I heard almost daily without details, which

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<v Speaker 1>she could not bear to engage in. After a few months,

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<v Speaker 1>she moved back to her mother home eight hundred miles away,

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<v Speaker 1>and then to a hospice, and then a year later

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<v Speaker 1>she passed away. It has been almost twenty five years

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<v Speaker 1>since then, and I've since remarried for twenty three of

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<v Speaker 1>those years now, and these events still affect me on

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<v Speaker 1>a regular basis. I'm not certain there is any way

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<v Speaker 1>to resolve things like this unless you talk about them. However,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm certain that my demand, backed by my statement of

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<v Speaker 1>faith that night, completely stopped any other event from happening

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<v Speaker 1>ever again. At one point, though, about five years later,

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<v Speaker 1>my twelve year old son had something happen. One day,

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<v Speaker 1>when I was cleaning his room, which was in the

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<v Speaker 1>third floor loft looking out over the little acreage of trees,

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<v Speaker 1>I found a crudely drawn picture of what appeared to

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<v Speaker 1>be a bird with huge eyes. When I questioned him

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<v Speaker 1>about it, he very calmly said that at night, something

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<v Speaker 1>like a dove was tapping at his window and even

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<v Speaker 1>waking him too early in the morning, which would have

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<v Speaker 1>been impossible based upon where his room was situated, and

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<v Speaker 1>that he drew the picture of this hawk and taped

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<v Speaker 1>it to the glass looking outwards because he had heard

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<v Speaker 1>that other birds were afraid of hawks, and he hoped

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<v Speaker 1>the picture would stop them from bothering him at night.

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<v Speaker 1>We moved again after that, and my son has had

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<v Speaker 1>no more experiences, though truthfully, we don't speak about it.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe we should