1
00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:09,279
Speaker 1: There's a McDonald's that is four stories tall where I

2
00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,679
grew up. It was pretty big news when it was built,

3
00:00:12,919 --> 00:00:16,160
and the tall slides were a local landmark for a while.

4
00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:20,280
Our middle school went there for field trips and our

5
00:00:20,359 --> 00:00:24,160
track team would run to the tower and back for practice.

6
00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:26,519
It was at the center of a square used for

7
00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:31,359
car shows and pep rallies. The four story playground was

8
00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:36,439
paradise for children and teenagers. The ballpit, the rope bridge,

9
00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,640
the N sixty four games kept everyone entertained, while the

10
00:00:40,679 --> 00:00:44,840
slides were the main attraction. It was quite the climb up,

11
00:00:45,119 --> 00:00:48,600
but the payoff was sure worth it. The giant slide

12
00:00:48,679 --> 00:00:52,119
was equivalent to the top thrilled dragster at Cedar Point.

13
00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:56,920
It was a thrill ride, especially with our modification. We

14
00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,560
would sneak the food trays up with us and Bob's

15
00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,039
led them down the slide at super high speeds. We

16
00:01:03,039 --> 00:01:05,400
were thrown out and chased out a couple of times

17
00:01:05,439 --> 00:01:09,319
after some trays were broken. The evil Knievel stunts were

18
00:01:09,359 --> 00:01:12,120
a blast, but there were nothing compared to what happened

19
00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:17,640
one innocent summer morning. We walked from Southwick to the

20
00:01:17,719 --> 00:01:21,640
McDonald's for some breakfast. I had hot cakes and sausage

21
00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,359
with water. The boys ordered their meals and met me

22
00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,319
in the back to eat. We played Madden on the

23
00:01:28,359 --> 00:01:32,680
consoles and I enjoyed free refills or parade with their cups.

24
00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,280
The place was fairly busy, but we pretty much had

25
00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,400
free roama the entire back area, and that was our

26
00:01:39,439 --> 00:01:43,879
hangout spot. It came time to watch them play and

27
00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,200
I figured I would burn some time, and I started

28
00:01:47,239 --> 00:01:51,920
wandering around looking for coins and dropped knickknacks. I was

29
00:01:51,959 --> 00:01:55,400
inspecting around under a table when a kid tapped me

30
00:01:55,439 --> 00:01:57,920
on the shoulder and said someone was looking for me.

31
00:01:58,879 --> 00:02:02,239
I figured it was one of my buddies. I was confused,

32
00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,879
but I climbed into the jungle gym and I began

33
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,560
crawling to the top. I didn't know what to expect.

34
00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,599
Was one of my friends from school hanging out at

35
00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,599
the top and watching us play all along? Was it

36
00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,439
a girl that I knew? I moved slowly, checking every

37
00:02:18,479 --> 00:02:21,719
corner as I sprawled through the cushion and wrote. There

38
00:02:21,759 --> 00:02:24,039
was a strange feeling in the tube and I could

39
00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:28,039
tell that something was up here with me. I arrived

40
00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,719
at the top and I didn't see anyone, and I

41
00:02:30,759 --> 00:02:34,159
retraced my steps and I felt something cold in the

42
00:02:34,199 --> 00:02:39,960
center of the facility. I creeped closer, slowly, expecting someone

43
00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,080
to jump out and scare me. And I heard some movement,

44
00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,319
and I turned to the corner to a new section

45
00:02:45,439 --> 00:02:49,280
of the playground that I never entered before. I must

46
00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:54,159
have been oblivious to this bonus compartment all along. The

47
00:02:54,199 --> 00:02:57,840
air was crisp, and it felt like I was outside.

48
00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,080
I was in a new world, and I crawled on

49
00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,919
my hands and knees and it opened up into a

50
00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,560
larger chamber. I didn't know where I was, and I

51
00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,039
rubbed my eyes to make sure that I wasn't dreaming.

52
00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,280
And then I was startled when I heard a voice.

53
00:03:12,879 --> 00:03:17,199
It was familiar, but I couldn't recognize the source. I

54
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,240
turned around, and to my surprise was my childhood friend Max.

55
00:03:22,159 --> 00:03:24,919
I hadn't seen him in a decade when his family

56
00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,719
moved away. He looked like he had an aged since

57
00:03:28,759 --> 00:03:32,520
the day he moved. I asked him what was up,

58
00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,520
what was going on? He just smiled and said that

59
00:03:35,599 --> 00:03:38,039
he had fun at my birthday party and that he

60
00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,599
missed playing soccer at recess together. I told him that

61
00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,759
I hope he was doing well and that I tried

62
00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,400
looking him up, and he breathed slow and softly said

63
00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,719
that he was in a better place, and I gasped

64
00:03:51,919 --> 00:03:56,400
and I connected the dots. Max smiled and said they

65
00:03:56,439 --> 00:03:59,800
finally built the playground that we'd been calling for, the

66
00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,280
slights that touched the sky. He laughed in replied that

67
00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,360
we thought we had it good at Burger King. That

68
00:04:07,439 --> 00:04:10,919
playground on Boston was the birthday party he was referencing.

69
00:04:12,319 --> 00:04:14,759
I was excited to tell him about the tray trick

70
00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,879
that we were using to get up speed. He said

71
00:04:17,879 --> 00:04:20,399
he knew exactly what I was talking about, that he

72
00:04:20,439 --> 00:04:23,639
had been watching. I told him to meet me up

73
00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,000
at the top and I'd be right back. And I

74
00:04:26,079 --> 00:04:29,600
crawled back down to reality and the light blinded my eyes,

75
00:04:30,319 --> 00:04:32,519
and I snuck quickly and grabbed a tray, and I

76
00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,639
scurried back up and was surprised when he was nowhere

77
00:04:35,639 --> 00:04:39,319
to be found. I searched for a few minutes, but

78
00:04:39,399 --> 00:04:41,879
I could feel that he was with me, and I

79
00:04:41,959 --> 00:04:45,319
set up a tray and took off full throttle. Max

80
00:04:45,439 --> 00:04:47,839
was with me the whole way. I could feel this

81
00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,079
grip on my shoulders and we twisted and turned and laughed.

82
00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:55,120
When I reached the end of the tunnel, Max's blanket

83
00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,680
of energy was gone, but I was not sad we

84
00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,399
completed our mission. I knew he was waiting for that moment,

85
00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,839
and somewhere in my spirit I was too. Max was

86
00:05:05,879 --> 00:05:08,800
my best friend. But in the days before cell phones,

87
00:05:08,879 --> 00:05:11,680
when a friend moved away, you just wish you had

88
00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,879
a chance to say goodbye. I had had my last chance.

89
00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,720
What a great, heartwarming story. That's all I can say

90
00:05:20,759 --> 00:05:23,959
about that. I'm kind of awe struck and at how

91
00:05:23,959 --> 00:05:26,959
sweet this story was. Thank you to the writer for

92
00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,120
sending it. I really really enjoyed it and appreciate them

93
00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:32,879
sending it to me and for everyone to hear. Thank

94
00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:39,800
you very much. I recently discovered your Dixie Crypti channel

95
00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:43,000
on YouTube, and I have enjoyed it immensely ever since.

96
00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,800
But I can't tell you how relieved I was when

97
00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,439
I found out that you actually let people tell about

98
00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:52,160
their squatch experiences. And boy, have I got a story

99
00:05:52,199 --> 00:05:55,839
for you since you live right down the road for me.

100
00:05:56,079 --> 00:05:58,839
I'm sure you've heard the rumors about all the squatch

101
00:05:58,879 --> 00:06:03,959
sightings in South recently, Soaltillo is a little community just

102
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:08,040
north of Tupelo here in North Mississippi, right up on

103
00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,439
forty five Highway. He didn't write that. I'm just telling

104
00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,800
you that several residents in the more rural areas of

105
00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,560
Saltillo have been giving the mayor pure hell about some large,

106
00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,279
shaggy hoboes that had been seen raiding their gardens at

107
00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,839
night and eating up all their corn and okra and tomatoes.

108
00:06:27,759 --> 00:06:31,120
A Miss Bobby Gene Campbell was the last one to report,

109
00:06:31,199 --> 00:06:35,160
during a city hall town meeting two tuesdays ago, that

110
00:06:35,319 --> 00:06:38,480
she wanted more police to patrol her neighborhood at night

111
00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,319
so they could run off those dirty hobos to keep

112
00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:46,560
stealing vegetables from her garden. Well. In typical political fashion,

113
00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,800
the mayor assured her that the police would be doing

114
00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,319
extra patrols in her area and that she had nothing

115
00:06:53,399 --> 00:06:56,959
to worry about, and then swiftly moved on to the

116
00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,639
matter of giving himself a raise at the taxpayer's expense

117
00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,839
and speaking no more about her problem. There's a saying

118
00:07:04,879 --> 00:07:09,720
that comes to mind about Bobby Jean's problem, misery loves company.

119
00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:13,639
After doing a little digging of my own, I found

120
00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,920
out that multiple families are up in arms because something

121
00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:21,279
similar was happening at their homes. More and more husbands,

122
00:07:21,319 --> 00:07:24,839
wives and children were calling the local police and county

123
00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:29,519
sheriff about large, hairy teenagers trespassing on their property and

124
00:07:29,639 --> 00:07:34,199
stealing the vegetables. Seeing as I had only just moved

125
00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,079
to South till Oh and started working in IT at

126
00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,920
a local bank, I just dismissed the ramblings of over

127
00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,439
excitable moonshiners that tried too much of their own product.

128
00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,800
But I can't tell you how wrong I was. Camp.

129
00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,720
I have four apple trees in my backyard, each a

130
00:07:52,759 --> 00:07:55,759
different variety, but all of them are sweet and crunchy.

131
00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,639
I was looking forward to enjoying the harvest this summer

132
00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:04,199
and making all my favorite desserts. Every tree was heavy

133
00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:06,480
with apples, and I had made up my mind to

134
00:08:06,519 --> 00:08:10,160
start picking them that Friday night, about two weekends ago.

135
00:08:11,519 --> 00:08:14,279
I had just closed my eyes. Friday night. I was

136
00:08:14,319 --> 00:08:17,439
about to get some well deserved rest, because working for

137
00:08:17,519 --> 00:08:20,560
a bank in the IT department is not a walk

138
00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:23,839
in the park. And that's when I heard something shuffling

139
00:08:23,879 --> 00:08:27,800
around my backyard that woke me up well. I leaned

140
00:08:27,839 --> 00:08:29,920
over the drapes and pulled them over a little so

141
00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,559
I could peek out the window, and that's when I

142
00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:37,759
saw them, Cam, I actually saw them. At first, I

143
00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:40,639
only saw two of them abusing the tree closest to

144
00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,000
the house, pulling on the base of the tree and

145
00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,480
letting it snap back to its erect position. But then

146
00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:49,720
I started seeing more become visible as each of the

147
00:08:49,759 --> 00:08:53,279
remaining three started making their way into the light of

148
00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:57,279
my yard after crossing through the yards of my neighbors.

149
00:08:58,399 --> 00:09:01,200
Now I know for a fact that of my neighbors

150
00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,120
have dogs that loved to bark at the slightest noise

151
00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,399
or movement. But for some reason, they all took a

152
00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,600
vote and decided they would remain silent for the night

153
00:09:11,039 --> 00:09:14,320
while those squatches beat my apples trees like they owed

154
00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:18,360
them money. Now, I'm not a cowardly man, Cam, but

155
00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,600
the idea of charging out there to confront those things

156
00:09:21,639 --> 00:09:25,799
in hand to hand combat made my stomach turn. Now

157
00:09:25,799 --> 00:09:28,159
I own a few guns, but nothing in a caliber

158
00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:30,879
that would do more than piss those things off. So

159
00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,600
I picked up the phone and called the Saltillo Police

160
00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,759
Department for help. The phone rang for a good five

161
00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,399
minutes before I gave up and called the Lee County

162
00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:45,559
Sheriff's department. They actually answered the phone, and I told

163
00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,039
the nice woman that answered about what I was seeing,

164
00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,600
and I asked her to send help as soon as possible.

165
00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:55,399
She replied that I was the seventh call she received

166
00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,639
about this, and that the reason the police department hadn't

167
00:09:58,639 --> 00:10:01,879
answered my call it was because they were all out

168
00:10:01,919 --> 00:10:04,360
on patrol looking for the young men they thought were

169
00:10:04,399 --> 00:10:09,360
doing these vegetable raids. I explained to her what I saw,

170
00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:12,919
and it didn't look like teenagers, but it was dark outside,

171
00:10:13,279 --> 00:10:16,840
so maybe it was a trick of the moonlight. She

172
00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,879
took down my dress in the neighborhood behind the big

173
00:10:19,919 --> 00:10:23,879
blue water tower that says Welcome to Saltillo, and begged

174
00:10:23,879 --> 00:10:27,120
her to send someone in a hurry, and she said

175
00:10:27,159 --> 00:10:29,879
someone would be there shortly and that I should remain

176
00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,399
inside my home and I followed her instructions and I

177
00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,440
hung up the phone. About that time, I heard what

178
00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,360
sounded like a small war breaking out in my tiny

179
00:10:40,399 --> 00:10:43,879
neighborhood and immediately dropped to the floor to avoid getting

180
00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,879
hit by any stray gunfire. But just as fast as

181
00:10:47,919 --> 00:10:51,639
it started it was over. I pulled the curtain to

182
00:10:51,759 --> 00:10:54,360
the side again to get a peek at what was happening,

183
00:10:54,759 --> 00:10:57,840
and I saw two men in my backyard chopping off

184
00:10:57,879 --> 00:11:01,720
the heads of those young squatches and loudly boasting about

185
00:11:01,759 --> 00:11:05,919
getting paid. I found the whole situation beyond strange, but

186
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,320
I was happy to see that law enforcement finally got

187
00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:14,200
those things. It wasn't until the next morning, when I

188
00:11:14,279 --> 00:11:17,679
drove to the Saltillo Police Department to see if there

189
00:11:17,759 --> 00:11:21,480
was any paperworker sworn affidavits that I needed to sign

190
00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,679
that I found out from one of the officers that

191
00:11:24,799 --> 00:11:28,279
he had no idea what I was talking about, and

192
00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,720
that no one from the police department or Sheriff's office

193
00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,840
had been deployed to my house the last night. I

194
00:11:35,879 --> 00:11:38,840
asked the officer, if it wasn't them or the Sheriff's men,

195
00:11:39,279 --> 00:11:42,279
then who were those men and where did the bodies go?

196
00:11:43,639 --> 00:11:46,600
I still haven't got an answer for that question. Camp

197
00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:53,159
yours truly a Steve Lilly fan. What a great email,

198
00:11:53,399 --> 00:11:55,480
What a great email. I could wait to share that

199
00:11:55,519 --> 00:11:58,559
with y'all. Kind of a surprise ending there, So I

200
00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,639
guess you can all guess who owed up in his

201
00:12:00,759 --> 00:12:04,960
backyard and killed those squatches and took their heads. Maybe

202
00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,759
you know, maybe you don't. I'll put up an end

203
00:12:07,759 --> 00:12:10,720
screen for a hint. How about that. I'll put up

204
00:12:10,759 --> 00:12:12,679
an end screen at the end of this video, and

205
00:12:12,759 --> 00:12:15,840
you can take a guess who showed up in Saltillo

206
00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:21,799
in this man's backyard. My name is Bob, and this

207
00:12:21,879 --> 00:12:25,720
is something that I witnessed forty seven years ago near Dallas, Texas.

208
00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:30,039
I was living in Richardson and working at Texas Instruments

209
00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:33,200
at the time. That day, when I got off work,

210
00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:35,559
I picked up my wife and my two kids, and

211
00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:39,559
I headed off to Allan, north of Plaino to visit relatives.

212
00:12:40,799 --> 00:12:42,799
As we were driving along, I looked up in the

213
00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,559
sky and I noticed a passenger plane that was coming

214
00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,919
in really low. I thought that was odd because we

215
00:12:48,919 --> 00:12:53,240
were nowhere near love feel. My wife wondered what I

216
00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,759
was looking at, and I pointed it out to her

217
00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,559
and I said, this thing doesn't have wings. She looked

218
00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,039
it over and agreed. I slowed the car way down

219
00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:07,120
and was mainly just watching this object with my wife

220
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,919
and daughter, who was about five at the time. I

221
00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,440
finally stopped the car completely and I got out to

222
00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,360
have a better look. My wife and daughter weren't very

223
00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,440
happy about that, but I needed to try and figure

224
00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:24,519
out what I was seeing. It came right up over us,

225
00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:27,559
one hundred feet off the ground and maybe two hundred

226
00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,600
feet out to the west of us. It had no

227
00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:34,360
wings at all and made almost no sound. It just

228
00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,559
hovered there for a little while. It was probably only

229
00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,600
a few seconds, but it seemed longer. My wife and

230
00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:43,679
daughter were both yelling for me to get back in

231
00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,639
the car, and so I did, and they just wanted

232
00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:50,000
us to get out of there, but the car wouldn't start.

233
00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:53,480
I tried several times, and I knew I was going

234
00:13:53,519 --> 00:13:55,360
to have to check under the hood to see what

235
00:13:55,519 --> 00:13:59,120
was wrong. As I stepped back out of the car,

236
00:13:59,279 --> 00:14:03,200
the object turned two hundred and seventy degrees, lifted up,

237
00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:07,600
and it moved off to the west toward Addison. In

238
00:14:07,639 --> 00:14:10,279
a matter of seconds, it was completely out of sight.

239
00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,759
It scared the heck out of us. I got back

240
00:14:14,799 --> 00:14:17,240
in the car, and this time it started right up

241
00:14:17,279 --> 00:14:20,879
with no problem. At this point, we really just wanted

242
00:14:20,919 --> 00:14:24,159
to go home, but our relatives were expecting us, so

243
00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:28,799
we went on. We saw another one before we got there.

244
00:14:29,279 --> 00:14:32,360
This one was round and flat. It was more like

245
00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:37,200
the classic Saucers shape. I stopped again, and even though

246
00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,440
my wife and daughter were crying for me to stay

247
00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:43,200
in the car, I got out again. This time, though

248
00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:47,360
I left the car running. This one came up over us,

249
00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,840
just like the other one, but a lot closer. There

250
00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:53,360
were houses along the road that we were on, and

251
00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,799
people were out in their yards doing things, but no

252
00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,919
one seemed to see this thing. After a minute, it

253
00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,360
lifted up like the other one and left, going southwest.

254
00:15:04,039 --> 00:15:06,399
Just like the other one, it was gone in seconds.

255
00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:10,960
I remember this one making a little more noise. It

256
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,960
was an odd sound, like nothing I'd ever heard before.

257
00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:18,919
Forty six years later, I've never seen nor heard another one,

258
00:15:19,399 --> 00:15:23,519
and thank God for that. My wife and daughter wouldn't

259
00:15:23,559 --> 00:15:27,039
talk about them at all for a long time. Even

260
00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,799
now they don't like to. That night at home, we

261
00:15:30,879 --> 00:15:33,360
watched the ten o'clock news to see if anyone had

262
00:15:33,399 --> 00:15:38,080
reported anything. We didn't, but there were hundreds of sightings

263
00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:42,799
reported all around the area. Chase planes were even sent

264
00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,320
out three times because they were picked up on the

265
00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:50,840
radar at love Field. Since that date, in November of

266
00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,440
nineteen seventy three, I have told a few people what

267
00:15:54,559 --> 00:15:59,080
we saw. Mostly they've reacted just like you might expect.

268
00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,840
I probably should have followed my wife's advice and never

269
00:16:02,919 --> 00:16:06,320
spoke of it again. But your program is a good thing.

270
00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,279
I decided to send this because there are a lot

271
00:16:09,279 --> 00:16:11,799
of things people are not aware of in this world,

272
00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,080
and I believe all the governments are keeping them from us.

273
00:16:15,159 --> 00:16:21,000
Thank you for your work. I hope this message finds

274
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,600
you well. I have a story I'd like to share.

275
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,320
It's an old story from my childhood that new information

276
00:16:27,519 --> 00:16:31,279
was recently brought to light. This is the true account

277
00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,240
of that event. You may share my story, and you

278
00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,919
may use my name. My name is Jamie. She gives

279
00:16:37,919 --> 00:16:39,720
her last name, but I'm not going to put that

280
00:16:39,799 --> 00:16:44,919
out there. In southeast Ohio, there is an abandoned girl

281
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,600
scout camp deep in the forest, miles from nowhere, special

282
00:16:48,879 --> 00:16:51,559
with just cornfields and cows as far as the eye

283
00:16:51,639 --> 00:16:56,039
can see. Very few people know it's there, and even

284
00:16:56,120 --> 00:17:00,440
less know what happened to cause the permanent closure. Why

285
00:17:01,039 --> 00:17:05,680
Because I was there. I was a scrawny, little scrap

286
00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,599
of a girl in the summer of nineteen seventy eight. Now,

287
00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:12,240
don't get the mental picture of a sweet, innocent little

288
00:17:12,279 --> 00:17:16,039
girl in pink ribbons, because that wasn't me. I was

289
00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,000
wild and dirty, with hair that hadn't been brushed in

290
00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:21,880
way too long, and I was covered in bruises and

291
00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,400
scrapes from head to toe. I spent all my time

292
00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,480
running the backwoods, and at this point I hadn't known

293
00:17:28,559 --> 00:17:32,880
fear of anything. It was time for another Girl Scout

294
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,119
camping trip out to the falls, and this turned out

295
00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:39,119
to be the last camping trip there. It was a

296
00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:43,200
bit like boot camp. Our dedicated leader, Patty, was committed

297
00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,440
to our education of the wiles and growing to be strong,

298
00:17:46,599 --> 00:17:50,960
independent young ladies. I was always grateful for this. When

299
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,359
I got older and Patty insisted that we carry our

300
00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,799
own gear to the campsite our selves from the parking field.

301
00:17:58,839 --> 00:18:01,559
This was her rule from the very first camping trip,

302
00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,440
and I swear she did this to weed out any

303
00:18:04,519 --> 00:18:08,200
girly girls from ever coming back. Well it worked, and

304
00:18:08,279 --> 00:18:11,799
many girls did not return for any other camping trips.

305
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,319
It was only two miles, but as a forty five

306
00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:18,880
pound kid, it felt like forever. There was a hill

307
00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,680
in the trail that went straight up for half the journey,

308
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,960
and I took this hill as my own personal challenge.

309
00:18:26,039 --> 00:18:28,359
I was going to make it without a break ahead

310
00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:31,480
of everyone else, even if it killed me. The other

311
00:18:31,519 --> 00:18:34,039
girls whine and complained and had to set down their

312
00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:37,960
packs for breaks. Several times. We were all supposed to

313
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,400
stop and wait if one stopped, but I refused. I

314
00:18:41,519 --> 00:18:44,519
just kept walking. I was determined to conquer the hill.

315
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,720
As I reached the top, I saw a snake cross

316
00:18:48,839 --> 00:18:51,480
the trail, and I sat down my pack and I

317
00:18:51,519 --> 00:18:54,440
caught my breath, and I tiptoed up to the snake

318
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,920
and I grabbed them behind the head, the way I

319
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,839
had done one hundred times before, and I sat down

320
00:19:00,079 --> 00:19:02,319
on a huge rock to wait for the other girls.

321
00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,759
I could hear them still whining and trying to make

322
00:19:05,799 --> 00:19:09,400
their way up the hill. I stroked and admired the

323
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,680
beautiful snake in my hands while tuning out the noise

324
00:19:12,759 --> 00:19:17,119
of my friends. As they became visible, it struck me

325
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,359
how funny it would be if I scared them all

326
00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:23,359
back down the hill using the snake. I smiled at

327
00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:26,000
the thought of them having to climb the dreaded hill twice.

328
00:19:26,319 --> 00:19:30,599
So that's exactly what I did. My best friend Tracy

329
00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:32,960
was the first of this bunch of girls to clear

330
00:19:33,039 --> 00:19:35,400
the top. I held the snake up to her, and

331
00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,160
she just rolled her eyes and said, you're gonna get bit.

332
00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:42,160
The other girls did not disappoint and I ran up

333
00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:44,599
to them with the snake out stretched in my hands,

334
00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:49,920
and they took off like a shot back down the hill, screaming, copperhead, copperhead.

335
00:19:50,319 --> 00:19:53,680
I've never seen Patty so mad with her cheeks blazing red,

336
00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:58,319
and sure enough it was a copperhead snake. I didn't

337
00:19:58,359 --> 00:20:01,200
get bit, neither did any some one else, but I

338
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,960
did get in trouble. Once we got back to camp

339
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,839
and some of the color had left Patty's face, she

340
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,519
handed down my punishment. First I had to clean the outhouses.

341
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,279
Then I had to dig the trenches around the tents.

342
00:20:16,279 --> 00:20:19,039
These tents didn't have floors in them, they were just

343
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:23,319
canvas a framed tents. If we didn't dig the trenches,

344
00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:27,039
the tents would flood if it rained. We slept on

345
00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:30,759
the dirt and I started digging the first trench. I

346
00:20:30,799 --> 00:20:33,519
got about three feet in before I decided that I

347
00:20:33,519 --> 00:20:37,440
would rather go swimming at the falls instead. They were

348
00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,160
located a mile or so from where the campsite was.

349
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,559
When I was sure nobody was looking, I snuck off

350
00:20:43,599 --> 00:20:48,559
by myself. I knew exactly where the falls were. I'd

351
00:20:48,599 --> 00:20:52,359
been there many times before. I took off my shoes

352
00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:55,880
and socks and waded in, just past my knees. I

353
00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,640
was unsuccessfully trying to master the art of skipping stones,

354
00:21:00,319 --> 00:21:02,839
and that was when I heard a large splash behind me.

355
00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,680
I jerked around to see, but there was nothing there.

356
00:21:07,599 --> 00:21:11,519
I stayed quiet and still, and I listened. I really

357
00:21:11,559 --> 00:21:14,319
thought that I had got caught sneaking off and somebody

358
00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:18,000
had found me. There was another splash right beside me,

359
00:21:18,079 --> 00:21:21,559
bigger than the last, and someone was throwing rocks at me.

360
00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:25,319
I remember that I was afraid. It was the first

361
00:21:25,319 --> 00:21:28,319
time I ever felt like that, and my head got

362
00:21:28,319 --> 00:21:31,480
that prickly feeling and I began to sweat. I was

363
00:21:31,519 --> 00:21:35,640
frozen in one spot. I knew something or someone was

364
00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,240
watching me, just out of sight. My eyes darted around,

365
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,799
searching for movement. I saw nothing and I heard nothing.

366
00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:47,480
Everything was completely silent, and once my legs caught up

367
00:21:47,519 --> 00:21:50,799
to my brain and would move, I ran out, almost

368
00:21:50,799 --> 00:21:54,519
forgetting my shoes and leaving my socks behind. I ran

369
00:21:54,599 --> 00:21:57,400
all the way back to the camp. I didn't bother

370
00:21:57,519 --> 00:22:01,319
to be sneaky coming back in my absence wasn't noticed.

371
00:22:02,599 --> 00:22:05,880
I couldn't say anything about what happened without getting myself

372
00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,240
in trouble, and the rest of the day passed without issue,

373
00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:13,519
Thank goodness. There was just that tense sense of being

374
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:18,480
watched that lingered. The girls were all packed in tents

375
00:22:18,559 --> 00:22:22,359
like sardines. There were five girls in my tent, and

376
00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,759
my best friend was sleeping in a different tent with

377
00:22:24,799 --> 00:22:28,640
her mom since she came as an extra chaperone. I

378
00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:32,359
wasn't welcome in that tent because well, Tracy's mom knew

379
00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:35,599
that I was a demon child and she was having

380
00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,079
none of it. Well, I was okay with it since

381
00:22:38,079 --> 00:22:40,720
there was no chaperone in my tent and I could

382
00:22:40,759 --> 00:22:45,359
get up to born mischief. I told crazy ghost stories

383
00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:48,160
and tried to scare the other girls, thinking it was funny,

384
00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:50,960
and at some point we all fell asleep to the

385
00:22:51,039 --> 00:22:55,839
rumble of thunder in the distance. I was woken by

386
00:22:55,880 --> 00:23:00,519
something pressing on my throat and bumping my chin. I

387
00:23:00,599 --> 00:23:03,559
was disoriented as I reached up with my hands, but

388
00:23:03,599 --> 00:23:07,720
I couldn't touch my neck or face. I was frantically

389
00:23:07,759 --> 00:23:10,119
trying to figure out where I was and why I

390
00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:13,680
couldn't get through whatever was blocking my hands, and then

391
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:18,079
I realized that I was freezing and soaking wet. My

392
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:20,559
mind caught up enough for me to understand that it

393
00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:24,960
was raining. No, it was storming like a hurricane. It

394
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,880
was pitch black, and my head was stuck inside something,

395
00:23:28,319 --> 00:23:30,920
and my body was wet, but my head was dry.

396
00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,359
It took a few moments for me to comprehend what

397
00:23:34,519 --> 00:23:38,039
was going on. My fingers found purchase under the edge

398
00:23:38,079 --> 00:23:40,680
of the tent and I wiggled my way back inside

399
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:45,640
where my head was. Somehow I was pulled out of

400
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,599
the tent feet first, and my head was too big

401
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,519
to fit under the bottom. My chin was keeping my

402
00:23:52,599 --> 00:23:56,359
head inside the tent. The pressing I felt was at

403
00:23:56,359 --> 00:23:59,160
the bottom of the tent on my throat. The bumping

404
00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:01,680
on my chin I felt was the tent wall. As

405
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:06,319
something was pulling me out. I crawled all over on

406
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,640
my hands and knees, searching for my sleeping bag, and

407
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,440
I woke up the girls asking for help, only to

408
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:16,880
be completely ignored. I was shaking hard with my teeth chattering,

409
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,119
and I began to cry. Patty, Patty, and I cried

410
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:24,720
until I got an answer. Finally she came with a flashlight.

411
00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:27,319
I told her what had happened, and she went looking

412
00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:31,319
for the sleeping bag. She made a large radius around

413
00:24:31,319 --> 00:24:34,920
the tent and it was nowhere to be seen. She

414
00:24:35,039 --> 00:24:38,799
asked me if I took it someplace. I haven't been anywhere.

415
00:24:38,799 --> 00:24:42,920
I said, my hair is dry. See Patty didn't know

416
00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:44,920
what to do other than to put me in a

417
00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:48,799
sleeping bag with another girl. I was still soaking wet,

418
00:24:48,839 --> 00:24:50,880
and that girl was angry with having to share her

419
00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:55,200
sleeping bag with me. The next day, we got up

420
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:59,359
and Patty was gone. Tracy's mom was visibly upset as

421
00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:04,319
she sat smoking. After an hour or so, Patty returned,

422
00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,839
dragging my sleeping bag in shreds. Pack it up, girls,

423
00:25:08,839 --> 00:25:11,200
It's time to go home, is all Patty would say.

424
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:15,640
When ask what happened. Our parents were told that we

425
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,400
came home early due to the storm the night before.

426
00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:24,200
We never went camping again at this campground to this day,

427
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:28,319
Tracy is still my best friend. Two weeks ago, her

428
00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:32,359
mom was visiting my farm. She mentioned that she isn't

429
00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:34,920
comfortable in the woods, and I said, yeah, I remember,

430
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,400
you were very much of a camper. She clarified, not

431
00:25:38,559 --> 00:25:42,039
since that camping trip with you girls during scouts. You

432
00:25:42,079 --> 00:25:45,480
know the trip I mean, she said, well, this took

433
00:25:45,519 --> 00:25:48,799
me off guard. I was surprised she remembered that trip,

434
00:25:48,839 --> 00:25:51,160
and I was confused as to why it affected her

435
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,920
so strongly. I asked her what she remembered. She told

436
00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,240
me that when they got up in the morning, Patty

437
00:25:58,279 --> 00:26:01,519
went to look for my sleeping bag. She found tracks

438
00:26:01,519 --> 00:26:05,680
in the mud. There were huge tracks. Patty had followed

439
00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:08,759
the tracks up the mountain three miles and that's where

440
00:26:08,759 --> 00:26:12,319
she found my sleeping bag and it was ripped to shreds.

441
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,319
That is why they closed the camp. None of the

442
00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:20,640
parents were ever told. I'm guessing the owner of the

443
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,240
footprints thought I was sleeping in the sleeping bag. With

444
00:26:24,279 --> 00:26:26,759
the extra weight from the rain, the bag would have

445
00:26:26,759 --> 00:26:31,720
felt occupied. The rain saved me in that aspect, and

446
00:26:31,799 --> 00:26:34,400
I believe some kind of creature had been watching me

447
00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,319
from the time we arrived at the camp. It had

448
00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:39,680
followed me to the falls and it threw rocks at me.

449
00:26:40,559 --> 00:26:43,160
I think it waited for everyone to fall asleep, and

450
00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:45,680
it tried to pull me out by the sleeping bag.

451
00:26:46,839 --> 00:26:50,119
I imagine it was upset to find my sleeping bag empty.

452
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,759
Once it got up the mountain. I didn't let this

453
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:57,240
experience affect my love of the woods, but of course

454
00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:01,240
I just recently found out about the footprints. I will

455
00:27:01,279 --> 00:27:08,640
be much more cautious with my grandkids in the wilderness.

456
00:27:07,799 --> 00:27:07,839
M

