WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Here's a short story from Chris. My story begins in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty two, or somewhere close to that year. My

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<v Speaker 1>husband and I lived in the middle of seventeen hundred

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<v Speaker 1>acres in northwestern Sonoma County, California. We managed a horse

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<v Speaker 1>boarding operation with one hundred head of horses and a

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<v Speaker 1>few head of cattle. The driveway was about a mile

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<v Speaker 1>and a half long from the pavement to the gate

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<v Speaker 1>of the ranch. There were locks on all outer gates

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<v Speaker 1>and some inner gates as well. One night, I had

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<v Speaker 1>gone into town for something and I arrived back at

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<v Speaker 1>the main gate. I got out of the truck to

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<v Speaker 1>unlock and open the gate. I drove through, and then

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<v Speaker 1>exited the truck to close the gate and relock it.

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<v Speaker 1>As I approached the gate to close it, I heard

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<v Speaker 1>the most god awful scream I've ever heard. It sounded

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<v Speaker 1>like a woman being terrorized by something. You have to

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<v Speaker 1>remember this is out in the middle of nowhere. It

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<v Speaker 1>was also really dark out and the only lights were

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<v Speaker 1>from my truck. I thought about this event for a

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<v Speaker 1>long time, looking for an answer as to what that

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<v Speaker 1>scream was made by. I had no clue, but the

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<v Speaker 1>hair on the back of my neck stood at attention,

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<v Speaker 1>and I ran closing and locking the gate, and I

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<v Speaker 1>sprinted to the open door of the truck and I

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<v Speaker 1>tailed it out of there. I continued to think about

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<v Speaker 1>that sound, and I could not find an answer. I

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<v Speaker 1>knew just about every sound by critters in the area,

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<v Speaker 1>but this one stumped me for sure. In twenty and sixteen,

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<v Speaker 1>my oldest son and I were in an apartment living

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<v Speaker 1>room watching shows that were all about Bigfoot. I was

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<v Speaker 1>at my desk multitasking when I heard a scream from

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<v Speaker 1>the television. The hair on the back of my neck

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<v Speaker 1>stood up all over again, and major goosebumps popped up

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<v Speaker 1>all over my body. There was a soundtrack playing on

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<v Speaker 1>the program of Bigfoot Sounds, and what gave me this

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<v Speaker 1>reaction was exactly what I heard thirty four years ago.

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<v Speaker 1>There was absolutely no doubt about it. It had to

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<v Speaker 1>have been Bigfoot on the hill above the gate. I

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<v Speaker 1>was totally amazed to learn of this, and oh, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I do believe in Bigfoot. While I was in elementary

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<v Speaker 1>school in nineteen seventy one, I saw the legend of

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<v Speaker 1>Boggy Creek, and I later read Peter Burns's little paperback

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<v Speaker 1>book on Bigfoot. The North Georgia Mountains, especially the Apple Acchians,

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<v Speaker 1>are rich with legends and strange stories about buggers. Parents

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<v Speaker 1>and adults would say, don't go out at night, that's

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<v Speaker 1>where the booger bears come out, or don't go there,

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<v Speaker 1>the boogers will get you. The problem was is that

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<v Speaker 1>nobody would ever tell you what a booger was or

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<v Speaker 1>how it looked, so we thought it was only a

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<v Speaker 1>scary story. In the spring of nineteen seventy three, a

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<v Speaker 1>game warden went missing overnight and was found on a

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<v Speaker 1>rural road walking the next morning by a passing car.

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<v Speaker 1>He was exhausted and confused, with his clothes torn, and

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<v Speaker 1>he couldn't remember what had happened. It was later said

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<v Speaker 1>that he claimed to have seen a tall, hairy creature

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<v Speaker 1>with a big head and a face like a bull.

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<v Speaker 1>This story was buzzing around for about two weeks, and

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly all talk of it went quiet. We think he

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<v Speaker 1>either quit or the state relocated him. In March of

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy four, I was fifteen years old. I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>drink or smoke or anything like that. I was a

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<v Speaker 1>straight arrow football player and not the type to tell stories.

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<v Speaker 1>About eight thirty PM. I was riding in a car

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<v Speaker 1>with three other guys and the driver was about two

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<v Speaker 1>years older than us. We were spotlighting deer illegally, but

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<v Speaker 1>not for the purpose of shooting one. We were just

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<v Speaker 1>checking them out. We were going down the main road

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<v Speaker 1>and it was barely paved and it was full of potholes.

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<v Speaker 1>As we rolled along about ten to fifteen miles an hour,

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<v Speaker 1>we spotted a buck and two doughs up on a

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<v Speaker 1>chest high red clay bank with bushes and overgrowth partially

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<v Speaker 1>blocking our view. This was at a four way crossroads

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<v Speaker 1>where the very narrow, dirt right hand road led off

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<v Speaker 1>into a completely deserted forest with no houses. On the

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<v Speaker 1>left was another dirt gravel road with an old church

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<v Speaker 1>on the corner. Further down that road were a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of farms. A river runs down one side that is

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<v Speaker 1>fed by the Amicalola Falls, which is located at the

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<v Speaker 1>head of the Appalachian Trail. Ironically, there is an area

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<v Speaker 1>of the river known as the Devil's Elbow where moonshiners,

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<v Speaker 1>car thieves, pot growers, and hunters were alleged to have

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<v Speaker 1>gone missing over the years. This is the same area

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<v Speaker 1>where the game warden went missing in nineteen seventy three.

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<v Speaker 1>I was a passenger in the rear seat and I

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't really see the deer. We stopped and the guy

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<v Speaker 1>in front of me got out with a spotlight. It

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<v Speaker 1>was an old Deeese cell, and he shined the deer.

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<v Speaker 1>Apparently the deer had been running and were tired because

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<v Speaker 1>they did in the haul, but when we lit them up.

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<v Speaker 1>About three or four seconds after exiting the back seat,

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<v Speaker 1>I heard a crack or a pop forty five degrees

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<v Speaker 1>to my right in the forest. My friend, who was

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<v Speaker 1>sitting next to me heard it and said, oh, man,

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<v Speaker 1>I bet that's a game warden. I said, that's one

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<v Speaker 1>noisy game warden. He then began urging the driver to

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<v Speaker 1>get us ode of there. About that time came some

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<v Speaker 1>more noises, like something large moving through the woods. I

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<v Speaker 1>instantly thought it was a bear because a five hundred

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<v Speaker 1>pounder was killed in our area, but bears are known

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<v Speaker 1>to be very quiet when walking, so I started saying

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<v Speaker 1>let's go, and the hare started standing up on my

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<v Speaker 1>arms and neck, and I began to feel sick with fear.

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<v Speaker 1>About that time, about seventy five or eighty feet to

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<v Speaker 1>my right, at a fifteen to twenty degree angle, I

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<v Speaker 1>watched a huge hooking figure cross that road from bank

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<v Speaker 1>to bank in three forward leading large steps while swinging

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<v Speaker 1>its arms. From the sound it was making, it appeared

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<v Speaker 1>to be approaching the deer, and at the moment they

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<v Speaker 1>bolted out of there. Now let's pause for a moment,

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<v Speaker 1>as I'm frozen with fear and it seems like time

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<v Speaker 1>has slowed down. My friend to the left says, what

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<v Speaker 1>the hell was that? And now we're both saying let's go.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's go and have one foot in the car. And

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<v Speaker 1>then as I look up on the top of the embankment,

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<v Speaker 1>I see the outline of a figure move slowly to

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<v Speaker 1>get behind a tree where its face was obscured. My friend,

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<v Speaker 1>with a spotlight starts slowly getting in the car while

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<v Speaker 1>me and the other dude dive in the back seat.

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<v Speaker 1>At this time, my older and more stubborn friend pulls

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<v Speaker 1>out a twenty two pistol and says, who are you

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<v Speaker 1>talk to me or I'm going to shoot. Now we're

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<v Speaker 1>screaming let's go, as he again says tell me who

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<v Speaker 1>you are. I'm gonna shoot. I think my friend in

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<v Speaker 1>front of me still has the light pointed at it

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<v Speaker 1>over the door, even though he is now back in

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<v Speaker 1>the car. At that instant, we hear a bang bang

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<v Speaker 1>as the driver shoots up in the air. He immediately

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<v Speaker 1>throws the pistol down and jumps in the car as

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<v Speaker 1>we spin out of their sideways. Now I'm shaking all

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<v Speaker 1>over so bad that my feet are actually tapping, and

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<v Speaker 1>everybody but the driver is talking at once. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>remember who asks first. I think the guy in front,

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<v Speaker 1>but he said, what did you see? The driver is

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<v Speaker 1>silent as we drove until we found a closed gas

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<v Speaker 1>station and we pulled over. He got out and went

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<v Speaker 1>to the drink machine and down to coke, but he

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<v Speaker 1>still wouldn't talk. Now my friend is driving us all home,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's about ten pm, and we're planning to go

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<v Speaker 1>back the next day to look around in the daylight.

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<v Speaker 1>We also agreed to tell our families, minus the part

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<v Speaker 1>about the gunfire. Of course. After we drop off my

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<v Speaker 1>friend in the back, we're headed to my house. My

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<v Speaker 1>friend in front says to the driver, hey, man, what

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<v Speaker 1>did you see? Nothing but silence until we got to

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<v Speaker 1>my house, where my friend in the front says, you

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<v Speaker 1>saw its face, didn't you, he very quietly said. I

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<v Speaker 1>sat there for a minute waiting for more, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was obvious he wasn't talking, and it was getting late

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<v Speaker 1>on that school night. I then had to get out

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<v Speaker 1>and walk up the long path to the dark backside

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<v Speaker 1>of a house which sat at the foot of the mountain.

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<v Speaker 1>When I got inside, my mom noticed that there was

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<v Speaker 1>something wrong and her first question was has somebody been drinking? Now?

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<v Speaker 1>That was all I needed, so as I finally managed

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<v Speaker 1>to tell my story, my mom replied, huh, it's probably

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<v Speaker 1>the devil. But my dad, who grew up on a

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<v Speaker 1>farm only a few miles from this incident, sat silent

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<v Speaker 1>looking at the TV. It was his older generation on

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<v Speaker 1>both sides of the family who used the term booger.

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<v Speaker 1>Growing up on a farm, he knew all too well

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<v Speaker 1>about booger stories and later said that he used to

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<v Speaker 1>hear the strange screaming sounds in the woods. They always

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<v Speaker 1>blamed it on the panthers, but they were all hunted

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<v Speaker 1>and killed by the nineteen hundreds. The few other people

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<v Speaker 1>that I shared this story with laughed and ridiculed me,

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<v Speaker 1>so I shut my mouth until nineteen eighty. The following day,

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<v Speaker 1>We all headed back, and our driver still wasn't going

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<v Speaker 1>to talk. We got to the location and we couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>find footprints, but we did. We'd find broken branches and

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<v Speaker 1>impressions in the ground. Then we got to the tree

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<v Speaker 1>where its face was hidden. A prominent, crooked limb stuck

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<v Speaker 1>out and bent upward. I could stand flat footed and

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<v Speaker 1>reach the limb with my arm almost extended, and that

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<v Speaker 1>put the creature at about seven foot ten inches or

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<v Speaker 1>possibly more. We went back two times at night to

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<v Speaker 1>look stupid and heavily armed, but found nothing, thank God.

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<v Speaker 1>About two months later, I was in church and I

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<v Speaker 1>saw a girl that lived on that same road, but

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<v Speaker 1>closer to the main highway. I told her what had happened,

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<v Speaker 1>and a very serious expression overtook her face. She informed

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<v Speaker 1>me that it had run across the road in front

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<v Speaker 1>of her one night while coming home from a football game.

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<v Speaker 1>She also said that her uncle saw it coming out

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<v Speaker 1>of his chicken house about a year ago. I sat

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<v Speaker 1>there silently, thinking, Oh God, why have you allowed such

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<v Speaker 1>things to exist. In nineteen eighty, a new subdivision was

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<v Speaker 1>being built near our encounter. A story started circulating that

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<v Speaker 1>the first resident of the subdivision came home one night

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<v Speaker 1>to find his back door broken down and his kitchen ransacked.

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<v Speaker 1>Nothing was stolen, everything was just destroyed. I didn't know

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<v Speaker 1>the man, but of all things, he was related to

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<v Speaker 1>my friend who drove the night of iron encounter before

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<v Speaker 1>church one morning. I again asked him, six years later

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<v Speaker 1>if he had seen its face that night, and he

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<v Speaker 1>nodded yes, and then he looked away. My opinion is

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<v Speaker 1>that the sight of it really scrambled his eggs and

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<v Speaker 1>he didn't want to deal with it. As far as

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<v Speaker 1>I know, nothing ever came of the vandalized house incident,

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<v Speaker 1>as that story died quickly, just like the game warden story.

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<v Speaker 1>For some reason, I told my dad a story that

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<v Speaker 1>a very peculiar aunt told me at the age of

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<v Speaker 1>five or six. She and my uncle lived in a

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<v Speaker 1>house on top of a big hill at the foot

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<v Speaker 1>of a mountain about seven miles from this incident. She

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<v Speaker 1>claimed that while rocking on her front porch one night,

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<v Speaker 1>a large, hairy man with a very ugly face came

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<v Speaker 1>around the corner and stood motionless looking at her about

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<v Speaker 1>eight feet away. She said that she felt paralyzed with

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<v Speaker 1>fear and could only cut her eyes to look at it,

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<v Speaker 1>she was unable to call out to my uncle sitting

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<v Speaker 1>in the living room behind only a foot away. She

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<v Speaker 1>claimed that she closed her eyes very tight and began praying,

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<v Speaker 1>and in a few seconds she opened her eyes and

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<v Speaker 1>the creature was gone. I remember her saying his face

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<v Speaker 1>looked like it was hit by a hammer. I asked

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<v Speaker 1>my dad if she was crazy, to which he replied,

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<v Speaker 1>folks thought so well, being able to share this as therapeutic. Thankfully,

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<v Speaker 1>we now have a bigfit museum about an hour north

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<v Speaker 1>of me. I correspond regularly with the owner and the staff,

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<v Speaker 1>and they say every week at least one person comes

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<v Speaker 1>in to share a story. I was honored to have

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<v Speaker 1>met both Scott Carpenter and David Polattis there. I hope

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<v Speaker 1>my story wasn't too boring. I just wonder how many

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<v Speaker 1>people from my area have even better stories to tell,

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<v Speaker 1>but they fear the ridicule. Back in nineteen eighty, I

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<v Speaker 1>worked second shift at one of those factories where they

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<v Speaker 1>work you like a dog, treat you like dirt, and

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<v Speaker 1>they pay you very little for it. We had two bosses.

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<v Speaker 1>One was a drunk and the other was a jerk.

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<v Speaker 1>I hadn't worked there long when they hired Gary. We

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<v Speaker 1>were about the same age, and we both had a

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<v Speaker 1>wife and child to care for. Many nights after work

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<v Speaker 1>we'd sit out in the parking lot and talk about

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<v Speaker 1>our wives and complain about work. And when Gary talked

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<v Speaker 1>about his wife, his eyes lit up and a smile

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<v Speaker 1>came over his face. I never met his wife, but

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<v Speaker 1>she must have been really something special. Most Friday nights

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<v Speaker 1>into Saturday mornings, someone would bring a cooler of beer.

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<v Speaker 1>When you get off work at two in the morning,

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<v Speaker 1>you just can't go straight home and go right to sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>Most of the time, you'd have to unwine when you

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<v Speaker 1>got home, so kicking back in the parking lot for

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<v Speaker 1>a while help. On one of those nights, Gary said

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<v Speaker 1>he needed some help putting brakes on his truck. I said, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>come on over Saturday afternoon be there about too. That way,

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<v Speaker 1>if we need something in town, we'll have time to

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00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:40.919
<v Speaker 1>go get it. Saturday rolled around and Gary showed up

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<v Speaker 1>at my house and I took one look at him,

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<v Speaker 1>and I knew immediately that something was wrong. I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>push the issue, but I did let him know that

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<v Speaker 1>if there was anything I could do for him, all

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<v Speaker 1>he had to do was let me know, and then

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<v Speaker 1>I made sure he wasn't angry with me. I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>want to be working under his t if he was

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<v Speaker 1>pissed off at me. An hour and a half later,

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<v Speaker 1>with the brakes installed and the truck ready to go,

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<v Speaker 1>I asked Gary if he wanted a beer. We went

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<v Speaker 1>out to the backyard and we chugged down a few.

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<v Speaker 1>After a while, he told me that his wife was

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<v Speaker 1>leaving him. He was heartbroken. I really didn't know what

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<v Speaker 1>to say, but I kept talking, installing him as long

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<v Speaker 1>as I could. I didn't want him to leave and

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<v Speaker 1>drive drunk and then wind up in jail. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a cheap drunk, three beers in and he was seeing

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<v Speaker 1>two of me. Damn, that sounds like me. I decided

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<v Speaker 1>what better way to distract him than to do a

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<v Speaker 1>little target practice. It probably wasn't the best idea, but

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<v Speaker 1>it worked. I got my twenty two and I set

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<v Speaker 1>up some targets, and a couple hours later he seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to be okay. And that's when he went out to

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<v Speaker 1>his truck and he pulled out a pistol. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>remember if it was a thirty or three point fifty seven.

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<v Speaker 1>He unlocked the toolbox on the back and got out

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<v Speaker 1>a box of shells, and we shot half the box.

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<v Speaker 1>We were real crack shots. If we hit a target,

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<v Speaker 1>it was by accident. Another hour went by and he

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<v Speaker 1>said he wanted to get on home. He was still upset,

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<v Speaker 1>but in a lot better shape than he had been,

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<v Speaker 1>so I figured he'd be okay. As he drove away,

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<v Speaker 1>I sat a little prayer for him that he and

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<v Speaker 1>his wife would somehow work things out. And I was

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<v Speaker 1>cleaning up and I happened to notice that Gary had

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<v Speaker 1>left that half a box of shells on the table.

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<v Speaker 1>So I put him in the plastic bag and stuck

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<v Speaker 1>them in my truck so I could give him back

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<v Speaker 1>to him on Monday. And when Monday came around, there

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<v Speaker 1>was no Gary at work. At lunchtime, I called him,

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<v Speaker 1>but he didn't answer. Well. I was worried, so I

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00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:58.519
<v Speaker 1>drove over to his house after work. His truck was there,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was so late I decided not to stop.

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<v Speaker 1>On Tuesday, Gary showed up for work and it was

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<v Speaker 1>apparent that things hadn't gotten any better if it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>work related. He didn't speak. After work. We went out

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<v Speaker 1>to the parking lot and once everybody else left, he

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<v Speaker 1>opened up and he started talking. When Gary had gotten

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<v Speaker 1>home Saturday, the whole house was empty. His wife was gone,

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<v Speaker 1>he said. He went after her, but he realized there

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<v Speaker 1>was nothing he could do. He was full of rage

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<v Speaker 1>and hatred and just started driving around. Pretty soon he

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<v Speaker 1>found himself out on some old logging road. He didn't

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<v Speaker 1>really know where. He just kept driving, and then it

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<v Speaker 1>started raining and the road got slick. Well, he was

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<v Speaker 1>driving too fast and he wound up in a ditch.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no way that he was going to get

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<v Speaker 1>himself out of there without any help. He was looking

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00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:59.799
<v Speaker 1>around and he noticed a pond down by an embankment.

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<v Speaker 1>He grabbed his pistol and he walked down and he

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<v Speaker 1>sat on a stump by the water. Then he started crying.

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<v Speaker 1>He decided to end his life right there. He let

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<v Speaker 1>out a loud, agonizing scream, and he put the pistol

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<v Speaker 1>in his mouth and he pulled the trigger. Click. He

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<v Speaker 1>realized he left the shells in the truck, so he

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<v Speaker 1>went back up, opened the toolbox and grabbed a box

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<v Speaker 1>of shells, and then he went back down to the

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<v Speaker 1>pond and sat back down on the stump and raised

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00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:38.359
<v Speaker 1>the pistol up to his mouth. Just then a rock

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00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:42.200
<v Speaker 1>about the size of a basketball splashed into the water

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00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:46.000
<v Speaker 1>and it soaked him. He turned around, but no one

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<v Speaker 1>was there. There was no sound at all, just in

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<v Speaker 1>eerie silence. Suddenly something ripped through the silence with a

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<v Speaker 1>scream as loud as a freight train. That was followed

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<v Speaker 1>by rumbling in the bush. And at this point Gary

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<v Speaker 1>was halfway back to the truck and he could hear

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<v Speaker 1>something closing in on him. In a panic, he jumped

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<v Speaker 1>into the truck that was now sitting back on the

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<v Speaker 1>road and facing the direction from whence he came. He

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<v Speaker 1>got a glimpse of the creature before he tore off

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00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:23.359
<v Speaker 1>down the road. He said, it was a bigfoot. I

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00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:25.359
<v Speaker 1>walked over to my truck and I pulled out the

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<v Speaker 1>plastic bag with a half a box of shells in it,

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<v Speaker 1>the ones he'd left at my house, and I handed

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<v Speaker 1>them to him. The look on his face was priceless.

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<v Speaker 1>He went over and got the box of shells that

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00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:41.680
<v Speaker 1>he'd had at the pond. The boxes looked the same,

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00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:44.640
<v Speaker 1>but the shells he had were for a forty five,

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<v Speaker 1>No way they would fit in a thirty eight or

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00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:51.279
<v Speaker 1>a three point fifty seven. Gary looked up at me

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<v Speaker 1>and he said, Bigfoot saved my life. Perhaps, I said,

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00:19:56.880 --> 00:19:59.240
<v Speaker 1>or maybe he just didn't want you messing up as

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00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:03.400
<v Speaker 1>water in hole. Gary said he'd never been so scared

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<v Speaker 1>in his life. He couldn't understand why the thing let

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<v Speaker 1>him go. It could have had him anytime it wanted.

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<v Speaker 1>He told me how he'd gone some ten miles before

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<v Speaker 1>it sank in, that his truck had been pulled out

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00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:18.839
<v Speaker 1>of the ditch and was facing back the way he

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00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:21.960
<v Speaker 1>had come. Well, I took a look at his truck.

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<v Speaker 1>It did have mud on it. There were smears of

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<v Speaker 1>mud on the bumper, but no real damage. Thinking back,

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00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:32.279
<v Speaker 1>I realized that those mud smears were right where you'd

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<v Speaker 1>hook the chains if you were pulling it out of

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<v Speaker 1>a ditch. Maybe not chains, but maybe some massive hands.

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<v Speaker 1>Gary wasn't the kind of guy to make up stories.

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<v Speaker 1>I never remember us ever talking about Bigfoot or ghosts

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<v Speaker 1>or anything like that. Back then, Bigfoot was not a

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<v Speaker 1>big deal. We never really took that stuff seriously. But

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<v Speaker 1>now Gary is a believer and I'm a bit more

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<v Speaker 1>open minded. Two weeks before Christmas, there was a big

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<v Speaker 1>layoff and we both lost our jobs. I lost contact

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<v Speaker 1>with Gary, but I heard his wife went through with

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<v Speaker 1>a divorce and he moved back to Tennessee.