WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:10.240 This took place in late twenty and eighteen. It started 2 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:15.080 in deep fall and continued into late December. I live 3 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:18.800 in northeastern Ohio and my dogs were going ballistic every 4 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:22.120 night for over two months in late twenty and eighteen. 5 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:25.480 I had seen signs of the presence of something, but 6 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.320 was unsure of what it was, and to be honest, 7 00:00:28.359 --> 00:00:31.280 I really wasn't paying attention and it didn't occur to 8 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:34.799 me at the time what I was seeing. I was 9 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:37.479 mowing the grass in the very late fall of twenty 10 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:41.039 eighteen when I passed a large, matted down spot in 11 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:45.520 the tall grass. It was probably about fifteen feet in diameter. 12 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:49.520 I didn't see any tracks or trails leading into or 13 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.240 out of it, so I brushed it off as deer habitat. 14 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:56.560 Every single night, within five minutes of the lights getting 15 00:00:56.600 --> 00:00:59.359 turned off, my German shepherds would go to the door 16 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:03.560 and peer out and growl and start barking. That went 17 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:05.519 on for what seemed like it was going to be 18 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:08.000 an eternity, and I didn't think I was ever going 19 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.319 to get any sleep. I never heard any sounds, and 20 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:14.760 I don't have a sense of smell. It's a hereditary thing. 21 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:19.400 My grandfather couldn't smell, and my brother's daughter can't either, 22 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.840 so I didn't smell anything. And winter was kicking in. 23 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:27.280 It was getting cold. The dogs still weren't letting up, 24 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:29.760 and during the daytime I kept a pretty good eye 25 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:32.040 on them because we have had a bunch of missing 26 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:36.120 cats and dogs in this area recently. The same thing 27 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:38.359 happened back in the eighties and a couple of guys 28 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:41.640 were caught stealing people's pets and selling them on the 29 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:45.480 market for animal food and all kinds of nasty stuff. 30 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:49.159 So that's what I figured was going on. I was 31 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:52.120 very watchful, and I would call them in several times 32 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:55.000 throughout the day and in the evening, just to keep 33 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:58.239 an eye on them. Then I saw a video where 34 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:01.560 a man's dog became the target of a sisquatch because 35 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:05.599 the dog was constantly giving away its position, and something 36 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:08.400 inside me clicked and I just knew there was more 37 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:10.960 to this than just a small herd of deer sleeping 38 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:14.680 there and traversing back and forth. So I decided to 39 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.360 load up a rifle and leave it by my bed 40 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:20.439 until I managed to get rid of whatever was coming around. 41 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:24.400 My wife insisted that it was a coyote, because the 42 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.159 year before we had a rather large one come into 43 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.280 the area in broad daylight and it wasn't at all 44 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:33.719 afraid of us. The rifle I was using had a 45 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:36.439 red laser sight on the end of it and a 46 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:40.159 dot site up top for quick tactics and a pinch. 47 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:45.919 Then on December second, twenty eighteen, around two am, I 48 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:48.159 turned out the lights and I laid down in bed 49 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:52.039 to wait, And sure enough, within minutes, my dogs rushed 50 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:55.240 to the door and started barking like crazy. But this 51 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.560 time they were growling like I've never heard them growl before, 52 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:02.319 so I knew something was out there. I sat up 53 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.719 part way in bed with the rifle in hand, and 54 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:07.879 I waited and watched, and sure enough, in the midst 55 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:12.120 of that cold wind and rainstorm, I saw an almost 56 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:17.520 man shaped, very dark outline figure step quietly and smoothly 57 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:20.479 up to the kennel fence and stand there for a moment. 58 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:24.039 Our kennel is six feet tall, and this creature was 59 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:26.360 a good two and a half feet taller and was 60 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.759 about four feet wide at the shoulders. I couldn't make 61 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:33.759 out any details, just its basic shape. I think we 62 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:37.840 call those blob squatches I moved to put the rifle 63 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:40.719 up to my shoulder, and it obviously saw me because 64 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:44.319 it backed off into the darkness again right away, but 65 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:48.919 still silently and really smoothly, almost like it was floating. 66 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:52.599 It rained like the days of Noah for a couple 67 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:54.919 of days, and I never thought to even look for 68 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.879 prints in the mud, but I'm pretty sure there weren't 69 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:02.000 any after the heavy rains. Anyway. Well, it's not much 70 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:04.639 of an encounter, but still enough to make me sleep 71 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:08.719 with a rifle within arm's reach. Not much puts fear 72 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:12.039 into me, and this squatch didn't either, but it probably 73 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:15.039 would have if things would have gotten ugly, and I 74 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:18.680 would be reporting a dead sasquatch because I won't miss 75 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:22.319 when it comes to protecting my family, and my dogs 76 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:25.720 are like my kids. I love them that much, so 77 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:28.439 they get the same protection from me as my son 78 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:34.720 and wife would. It was not quite daylight on an 79 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:39.360 early summer morning in the mouth of the I'm never 80 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:47.240 gonna pronounce this right. It's Coquahaala, Coquahala and Fraser Rivers 81 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:51.879 in Hope, British Columbia. The tributary was taking on water 82 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:54.639 because the Fraser was high and the salmon were running. 83 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.319 The river had quite a few dying salmon that were spawning. 84 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:01.279 I was there to take pictures of the wildlife, so 85 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.680 I pulled out my small director's chair and sat quietly 86 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:08.279 at the mouth. You have a director's chair. I want 87 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:11.199 a director's chair. How do you get one of those? 88 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:15.040 Across the river was a game trail where I have 89 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:18.920 seen mule deer, white tail coyodies, and even the odd 90 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:21.720 bobcat in the past, and I was sure I'd have 91 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:25.319 luck that day. The sun was just beginning to creep 92 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:33.279 over Mount ogle Ogilvy Ogilvy when two coyotes seventy five 93 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:36.879 yards away from me began yipping. It's not unusual to 94 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:40.600 hear coyotes up there, but they sounded frantic, like dogs 95 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:44.319 when a stranger has come into your yard. Curious, I 96 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:48.360 looked over in the direction where they were yipping. Squatting 97 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:50.920 down in the long grass at the water's edge. Another 98 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:54.800 fifty yards beyond them was a huge figure. At first 99 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:57.439 I thought it was a bear, and then it turned 100 00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:59.920 its attention on me and it stood up on two left. 101 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:04.279 A cold chill shot up my spine as the hair 102 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.800 on the back of my neck stood on end, and 103 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:11.480 I was frozen and shocked staring at a massive male sisquatch. 104 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:15.560 Behind him were some older saplings that were roughly eight 105 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.519 feet high. They came up to his chest, and he 106 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.759 was covered in dirty blonde colored hair, and he had 107 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:24.600 a dome shaped head and a very human looking face. 108 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:28.160 His nose was a bit whiter than a man's, and 109 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:31.199 it looked like he didn't have a neck. We stared 110 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:34.079 at each other for a good twenty seconds before he 111 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:38.720 let out an unbelievably loud scream that was strangely high 112 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:42.639 pitch for something that large. I'll never forget the look 113 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:46.439 of disgust he gave me before he did something totally unexpected. 114 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:50.439 He began talking, for lack of a better word, and 115 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:53.120 some sort of gibberish that was a mix of high 116 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:56.519 and low tones. And then he grunted and raised his 117 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:58.839 hand and flung it at me as if to say, 118 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:02.720 leave me alone. I noticed he had a salmon in 119 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:06.040 his other hand. His annoyance with me and his hand 120 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:09.399 gestures were so human that I relaxed a little bit. 121 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:14.120 He turned and started walking away, and from behind I 122 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:16.360 could see that he was wide in the shoulders and 123 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:19.399 he was lean in the waist. I guessed him to 124 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:23.040 be eleven hundred pounds. I've seen big bears, and he 125 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:27.399 dwarfed them. His strides were six feet each, and every 126 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:30.759 step as he casually walked away from me, he turned 127 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:34.480 and looked back over his shoulder. It reminded me so 128 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:38.399 much of the Patterson Gimlin film. He looked just like Patty, 129 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:41.920 but without the breasts. He looked back at me one 130 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:44.680 last time, and he stopped and flung his hand at 131 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:47.399 me in an annoyance again, and then he stepped into 132 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:51.680 the bush. Clearly he was angry that I interrupted his meal, 133 00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:54.279 and he scolded me for it. But I was in 134 00:07:54.360 --> 00:08:01.600 awe throughout the whole experience. Five. I was a fifteen 135 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:05.839 year old growing up in southwestern Virginia. I've spent most 136 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:08.639 of my life in the woods. I still love to 137 00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:10.800 be in nature. It's where I believe I have a 138 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:15.800 stronger relationship with my creator. I was sitting under some 139 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:19.560 pines overlooking a deer trail on a cold morning. My 140 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:21.879 uncle had a deer stand in an old tree in 141 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.879 the same spot, and he'd killed a few deer from 142 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:28.160 there because of that. In the cold front that had 143 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:31.079 come through the night before. I had a feeling something 144 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:35.200 was going to happen. As I sat there with my 145 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:39.440 old side hammer muzzleloader loaded and ready for any deer 146 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:43.320 to walk by, I heard the distinct sound of something 147 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.840 crunching through the leaves. I put my rifle to my 148 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:50.159 shoulder in anticipation of the deer I knew was about 149 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:53.960 to pop up over the hill. What came over the 150 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:57.200 hill wasn't a deer. There was a man who looked 151 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:01.679 to be in his forties. I noticed he was wearing 152 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:04.720 clothes that weren't from this era. He had on a 153 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:08.120 flat brim leather hat with metal buttons on the front 154 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:12.720 for decoration. His coat was made with the fur turned 155 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:16.080 to the inside, and his pants were the same, with 156 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:21.519 worn leather on the outside. His shoes were harsh soul moccasins, 157 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:25.720 and he carried a leather possible's bag, the bag muzzleloader 158 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:30.159 hunters carry with everything they need inside. It was across 159 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:33.440 one shoulder with a powder horn on his opposite shoulder. 160 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:38.759 His rifle was longer than the hawking style rifle I had. 161 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.399 His hair was coarse and brown. His bright blue eyes 162 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:46.360 sized me up from a face covered in a full 163 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:50.200 graying beard. It was as if he had stepped through 164 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:54.279 the mists from a distant past. He had a look 165 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:58.120 of confusion on his face as he approached, but asked 166 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:01.879 in a congenial voice if I had seen anything yet. 167 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:05.879 Perplexed by the fact that someone was hunting the farm 168 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:09.440 that I knew I had sold permission to hunt, I 169 00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:15.159 managed only a kurt no. He took another minute to 170 00:10:15.159 --> 00:10:17.480 look me up and down, and I did the same 171 00:10:17.559 --> 00:10:22.960 to him. Can I see your gun, he asked. I 172 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:26.360 handed it over, and he passed his to me. He 173 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:29.639 sat down and we each inspected each other's weapon with 174 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:34.159 all Although his gun was longer than mine, it was lighter. 175 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:38.240 More impressive to me than the gun was the man's appearance. 176 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:42.080 I was amazed that someone was hunting in full mountain 177 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:45.720 man apparel. Nothing he wore could have been as warm 178 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:49.879 as my modern day insulated clothing. It was a sight 179 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:52.639 I never would have expected to see here in the 180 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:55.840 Blue Ridge Mountains. But I thought he must be a 181 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:59.240 man who wished to live in a different time, and 182 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:03.679 this was his coming as close to that as possible. Still, 183 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:06.039 I couldn't help but wonder at his reaction to me. 184 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:10.919 Maybe he really was from a different time. He handed 185 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:13.159 back our guns and he smiled at me as he 186 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:16.360 stood up. I might have asked him a few questions, 187 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.320 but at that moment we both heard the sound of 188 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:25.240 a deer walking. He's coming, the man said, without another word. 189 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:28.159 The man got behind me and we both watched as 190 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:31.559 a buck came over the hill. The man put his 191 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:33.919 hand on my shoulder and he told me to take 192 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:37.399 a deep breath and squeeze the trigger. I did as 193 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:42.440 I was told. Pop. It wasn't the boom of the rifle, 194 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:45.879 just the pop of the percrussion cap and the powder igniting. 195 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:50.279 It was enough to send the buck running. The man's 196 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:52.840 hand was still on my shoulder. As I turned around 197 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:56.679 to say something, the words died on my lips. Though 198 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:00.639 as I looked around for him, he wasn't there. I 199 00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:03.279 could still feel his hand on my shoulder, but he 200 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:07.000 just wasn't there. I jumped up, and as I did so, 201 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:11.399 the weight of his hand fell away. I decided it 202 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:13.879 was time for me to call it a day. I 203 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.919 was confused and frightened, but I didn't feel he meant 204 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:19.960 me any harm, so there was no need to run. 205 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:24.240 I just walked home. Reliving those moments in my head, 206 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:26.960 wondering who he could have been or where he might 207 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:31.600 have come from. When I got home, I put another 208 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:35.600 percussion cap in the gun and fired. This time the 209 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:40.279 rifle operated properly. I cleaned my gun and put it away. 210 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:44.080 I never got the man's name, nor did I ever 211 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:47.000 figure out where or when he may have come from, 212 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.960 and I've never seen him again. I'm thirty now, and 213 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:55.480 I haven't hunted that area since. Sometimes I think about 214 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:58.240 going back, just to see if he might be there. 215 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:02.000 There's some old old rock walls in that area, said 216 00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:04.919 to be from the eighteen hundreds, though no one knows 217 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:08.440 what they were for or who built them. I like 218 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:14.720 to think they were his. Once. My father was a 219 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:19.440 master sergeant in the Green Beret Special Forces. My parents 220 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:22.360 were friends with their captain and we would spend time 221 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:26.360 with their family. Their house was located in a community 222 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:32.200 in northwest Dade County called Palm Springs North. This area 223 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:36.720 was the last development northwest of Dade County. To the 224 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:40.240 west of there, there is nothing but woods and everglades. 225 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:45.120 While our parents played cards until late their son Doug 226 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.759 and I would ride our bikes all over the area. 227 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:53.879 Sometimes not getting home until after midnight. On July the second, 228 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:58.279 nineteen sixty six, Doug and I went to the neighborhood 229 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:02.440 convenience store for snack. It was much too late for 230 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:05.240 two twelve year old boys to be out, but times 231 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:09.559 were different then. We then rode back to a vacant 232 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.559 lot on the lake close to Doug's house to grub 233 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:16.519 out on the junk food. On the way there, I 234 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:20.320 had spotted a huge white owl in a tree with 235 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:25.360 large black, oval shaped eyes. It was so strange and 236 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.759 I had never seen anything like this. I could not 237 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:32.519 take my eyes off it. Doug was way ahead of me, 238 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:35.000 and he turned back to asking if I was coming. 239 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:38.360 I broke eye contact with the owl and I yelled 240 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.159 to Doug, Yeah, Yeah, I'm coming. And when I look 241 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:45.519 back for the owl, it was gone. We arrived at 242 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:48.879 the vacant lot on the lake. It was a beautiful night. 243 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:54.720 Stars carpeted the black sky. Not long after dropping our bikes, 244 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:59.639 we saw a cylinder shaped object glowing faintly across the lake. 245 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:04.159 It appeared cylinder shaped from our point of view, and 246 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:06.639 at the time, neither of us had ever heard of 247 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:11.399 or knew anything about UFOs. We had only seen them 248 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:16.799 in old, cheesy Martian movies. The object hovered over the 249 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:20.480 trees with what appeared to be an electrical charge to it, 250 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:23.919 and then it landed across the lake behind some trees 251 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:28.879 and the glowing stopped. It never made a sound. We 252 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:32.159 had to see what this was. It was about one am, 253 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:35.000 and two twelve year old boys made the long ride 254 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:38.440 around the lake to the area we thought the object landed. 255 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.360 We lined up his parents' house across the lake, and 256 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:45.600 we knew we were in the right spot. We only 257 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.960 needed to find a way to that forest. Well. I 258 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:52.759 knew this area. An old man in the neighborhood paid 259 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:55.080 me to cut his grass, and I was here every 260 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:58.879 week or so. Now I was thinking maybe this thing 261 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:03.240 landed close to him his house. The dirt road leading 262 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:05.799 to his house came into view on my right and 263 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:09.080 we took it. The wooded area was dark and I 264 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:12.080 had trouble seeing the road. I actually didn't want to 265 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:15.720 go further, but we peddled on and then I could 266 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:18.720 see the road clearly, like the sun had come up. 267 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:22.679 I was confused at the light. It didn't make sense 268 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:24.960 and it should not have been there, but I was 269 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:28.000 thankful to be able to finally see where I was peddling. 270 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:33.679 Something was off about this, though. My last memory of 271 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:37.200 the ride down the dusty road was a tingling sensation 272 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:41.039 all over my body. I became dizzy and I dropped 273 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:43.960 the bike in the middle of the road, so did Doug. 274 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:49.120 I remember standing straight up and looking ahead, and that's it. 275 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:53.440 Doug was shaking me and telling me to wake up. 276 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:57.080 I was laying on the ground. Sand was all over me, 277 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:00.600 like I had been rolling in It helped me up 278 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:03.240 and I saw it was almost daylight and we were 279 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.160 standing in the tall weeds of the vacant lot by 280 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:10.640 the lake, our bikes laying beside us, both of us 281 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:13.720 still groggy, dusted the sand off our clothes, and we 282 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:17.240 walked our bikes back to Doug's house, neither of us 283 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:21.200 could ride. Before we got there, we saw a police 284 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:24.799 car in the drive. Our parents noticed us walking in 285 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:28.359 the street and they came running. At first, they were 286 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.599 happy to see us. Our mother smothered us with hugs, 287 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:35.400 but they soon got hacked off at us. The usual 288 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:39.519 questions followed, and we couldn't answer any of them, making 289 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:43.279 our parents think that we were covering something up. Of 290 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.400 course we weren't, but how would we explain what had 291 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:50.720 really happened. It was early Saturday morning, and when we 292 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:54.000 got home, I went straight to bed and I slept 293 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:59.240 until Sunday morning. I never woke once, no dreams, no 294 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:04.519 trips to the bathroom, solid sleep for over twenty four hours. 295 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:08.720 That weekend, I was supposed to cut that old man's yard, 296 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:10.960 so I got up and I gassed up the mower. 297 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.000 I was about to get on my bike and drag 298 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.519 the mower over there, but I felt hungry. I went 299 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:20.319 back inside and I found a note on the kitchen 300 00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:24.799 table in my mother's handwriting. It said that mister Shagg 301 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:28.839 had called and to forget about cutting his grass. I 302 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:32.039 was disappointed because I wanted to make some money that day. 303 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:36.279 I rode over to mister Shagg's place down the same 304 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:39.680 dirt road where this incident happened, to see if he 305 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:42.359 had fired me or maybe found someone to cut the 306 00:18:42.440 --> 00:18:46.279 yard cheaper. He was standing in the yard when I 307 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:51.680 rode up. His lawn was black. Something had caught it 308 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:55.440 on fire and burned that beautiful long down to nothing. 309 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:59.319 We walked around the back and his healthy garden looked 310 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:03.519 the same. Who burns your yard up, mister Shagg. I asked, 311 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:07.240 nothing burned it up? He said, I woke up yesterday. 312 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:09.960 I came out and this is what I found. There 313 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:12.839 was no fire. Reach down and grab a water of 314 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:16.599 that black grass and smell it. I did, and I 315 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:20.039 expected to catch a strong, charred odor, but it had 316 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:24.319 no odor at all. Something had just sucked the life 317 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:29.039 out of everything green on that property. His yard started 318 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:32.160 growing back that summer, but it was almost two months 319 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:35.000 before he needed it cut again, and by the time 320 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:38.000 I next cut his yard, I had forgotten about the 321 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:43.000 entire incident. Mister Shagg talked about black grass and how 322 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:45.160 long it had taken to grow back, and I had 323 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:49.000 no clue what he was talking about. That bugged me 324 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:52.640 for years after. I actually thought that he had become 325 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:58.079 senile and was dreaming things up. Eight or nine years ago, 326 00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:02.680 I was surfing through YouTube videos. I was always drawn 327 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:07.559 to the UFO and alien videos. In one video, a 328 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:12.559 man stated that many abductees report seeing a large white 329 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:17.480 owl within hours before their abduction, and that clicked with me. 330 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:21.960 The memories didn't come flooding back, but I remembered the 331 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:26.720 owl that night, piece by piece that night's events came 332 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:30.160 back to me over the next year. Some of those 333 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:35.119 pieces fell into place in dreams. I finally remembered as 334 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:38.039 much as I have written in this email. But that 335 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:41.359 is all I can remember. I have been stuck here 336 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:45.480 ever since. There are four or five hours missing and 337 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:49.680 I cannot find them. I'm on a dirt road surrounded 338 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:53.000 by light. Five hours later, I wake up with my 339 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:57.000 buddy in an overgrown field of weeds and sand. It 340 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:01.920 doesn't make sense. Doug and I stayed friends for years. 341 00:21:02.599 --> 00:21:05.519 It was not long after this incident that my family 342 00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:09.359 moved closer to Doug's house. Life went on, and we 343 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:12.920 never spoke about it. It wasn't in either of our 344 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:17.240 memories at the time. After he and I graduated and 345 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:19.920 went off to school, I lost track of him, and 346 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:24.920 I haven't spoken to him since. Throughout my adult life, 347 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:29.240 I have suffered from anxiety neither. Can I be closed 348 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:33.279 in a room with no obvious exits That sends me 349 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:37.559 off the deep end. This all started in my thirties. 350 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.359 I was raised in a happy, two parent home. My 351 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:45.400 childhood and adolescent years were normal and a lot of fun. 352 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:49.440 I always had a great attitude, and I don't remember 353 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:53.759 being sad a day in my life. I spoke with 354 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:56.880 a therapist for a season, and he believes it is 355 00:21:56.920 --> 00:22:03.519 the result of a traumatic experience or PTSD. At that time, 356 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:07.359 I had no memory of that night in nineteen sixty six. 357 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:11.000 I have recently tried to look Doug up, but I 358 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:13.559 have no way to know where life took that kid. 359 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:18.400 I'll keep looking. Maybe he has more answers than I do. 360 00:22:21.799 --> 00:22:23.519 When I was a kid, I lived a mile from 361 00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:26.480 my school. Sometimes, when I was in a hurry, I 362 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:29.920 walked the highway to get home faster. I like to 363 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:33.400 explore the woods back then. One day, on one of 364 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:36.359 my explorations, I wandered down a couple of different logging 365 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:39.319 roads that cut through the woods, and I discovered that 366 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:42.599 they took me to the school as well. They were 367 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:46.359 less travel than the highway, but still easily walked, and 368 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:48.680 it took a little longer to go that way, but 369 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:52.640 it gave me time for myself. One late fall day, 370 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:54.680 when I didn't have to be home right away to 371 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:58.759 babysit my brother, I decided to go that route instead. 372 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:02.160 It was kind of beautiful fall day when I could 373 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:05.079 let my mind wander and enjoy the peace and quiet 374 00:23:05.079 --> 00:23:08.440 of the woods. I hadn't gone far and I noticed 375 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:11.880 something big and black was following me one hundred yards away. 376 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:14.440 I thought it was a bear, and my heart began 377 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:17.880 to race, and then I realized it had stopped walking 378 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:21.599 and it slinked behind a tree. I could tell it 379 00:23:21.640 --> 00:23:24.440 was black as night, and it was really big. It 380 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:28.759 was muscular with short hair, like a gorilla. He couldn't 381 00:23:28.839 --> 00:23:32.920 hide from me, though he obviously didn't like it. I 382 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:36.279 had had one encounter with a bigfoot before, it was 383 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:39.160 a friendly one. I was pretty sure this one wasn't 384 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:42.599 going to be friendly, though. He walked toward me a 385 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:45.359 few steps and then stopped, as if he were pondering 386 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:49.440 what to do. My adrenaline levels were already through the roof, 387 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:53.839 so I bolted. He proceeded to follow me, and I 388 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:56.359 was running with all my might, but he seemed to 389 00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:59.119 be running with ease, as if he was just pacing me. 390 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:03.279 Fear was pushing me onward as fast as I could go, 391 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:06.119 and I threw my books aside and I ran until 392 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:09.039 my lungs felt like they were going to burst. I 393 00:24:09.079 --> 00:24:11.359 wasn't looking anymore to see if it was behind me. 394 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:15.920 I just wanted to go home. Finally, when my heart 395 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.720 felt like it was thundering in my throat, I stopped 396 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:22.680 and looked around, and the creature was gone. I looked 397 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:25.680 all around me several times and I didn't see him anywhere. 398 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:28.839 But I didn't trust it, so I took off runting again, 399 00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:33.480 and I didn't stop until I got home. I struggled 400 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:36.240 to get the key in the door, but somehow I managed, 401 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:39.119