WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:09.560 I'm a fifteen year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces 2 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:13.640 and I've been deployed overseas several times. I've been shot 3 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.320 at and i've been stabbed once. I don't get shaken 4 00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:21.000 easily in high stress situations, and I'm not prone to panic. 5 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:24.399 On top of this, I've been camping since I was 6 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:27.719 nine years old, and by fifteen I was solo camping 7 00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:33.000 for extensive periods in all seasons. I've camped in every season, 8 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:37.799 and I've had many encounters with wildlife. I'm telling you 9 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:40.200 all this to give you a reference to not only 10 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:43.920 my credibility and experience, but also my ability to keep 11 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.759 calm under pressure. Now, I've told very few people of 12 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:50.920 the events that I'm about to tell you, and in 13 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:53.439 telling you, I really want to keep what I can 14 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:58.200 in my career. I'm like most who share their encounters 15 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:01.439 with others. I've been ridiculed and I've been called a liar, 16 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:04.760 and this has made me hesitant to tell my story. 17 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:08.120 But with that said, you come across as a straightforward 18 00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:11.439 man who thinks critically, but you also give people the 19 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:15.159 benefit of the doubt, which, even as a skeptic, still 20 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:20.680 provokes trust. I've been going to this same property in Tamagami, 21 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:25.560 Ontario for twenty five years. This is a large acreage 22 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:28.719 that backs on to Crown Land that was owned by 23 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:33.000 my late grant grandfather. There's a lake on this property 24 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:35.959 that I've enjoyed for not only its peace and quiet, 25 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:40.640 but it's beauty. On October the ninth, twenty twenty, I 26 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:43.680 traveled here for a one week camping trip before the 27 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.040 winter set in. I come here twice a year, but 28 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.239 this year, due to COVID, I didn't get a chance 29 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:53.760 to go until October. I arrived early in the day 30 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:55.719 and I unlocked the gate and I drove in on 31 00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:59.200 the two kilometer old logging road to its end, where 32 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:02.319 I got out and my gear, including a twelve gay 33 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:06.359 semi auto shotgun. I brought the shotgun due to it 34 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:09.319 being fall and the black bears have a tendency to 35 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:12.120 get a bit aggressive as it's closing in on their 36 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:16.719 hibernation season. I left my truck for the one point 37 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:20.240 five kilometer height to the lake. The day was going 38 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:25.039 great at this point. After setting up camp, I relaxed 39 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:28.080 and I sat by the fire until after dark and 40 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:29.960 I was turning in for the night and I saw 41 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:33.199 eyeshine not far off, that was seven to eight feet 42 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:36.919 off the ground. When I turned my head to look, 43 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:39.360 there was nothing. I saw it out of the corner 44 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:42.199 of my eye. Even so, the hair on the back 45 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:45.400 of my neck stood up well. I shook it off 46 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:47.919 and quickly assumed that it was light from the fire 47 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:51.759 reflecting off some leaves maybe, but that was enough to 48 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:56.199 keep me relaxed again. I let the fire die out 49 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:58.039 a bit and then I lay down in the tent, 50 00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:01.599 and immediately after getting so, I discovered there were no 51 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:05.919 animal or insect sounds now, even in the fall, some 52 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.240 of the birds were active in the area, and in addition, 53 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:12.039 there were no other animal sounds that I was used to. 54 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:15.680 There was only the sound of a light breeze and 55 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:20.280 water rolling onto the bank. I was shocked to wake 56 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:25.960 At one fourteen am. I heard something I couldn't identify it. 57 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:29.439 Coming out of a deep sleep. My watch told me 58 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:33.319 that it was not yet morning. Laying there relaxed for 59 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.080 several minutes, trying to decide if the sound I heard 60 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:39.199 was from a dream or if it was real. And 61 00:03:39.240 --> 00:03:43.240 I heard the first growl from eight o'clock. It was 62 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:46.719 a vibrating, low sound that didn't match anything I had heard, 63 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.919 and instantly I sat up and this was real. There 64 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:55.439 was no dreaming happening now. I could hear leaves crunching 65 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:59.280 under heavy footfalls, and it heightened my senses. That was 66 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:02.120 moving from I left to right, ending at my eleven 67 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:07.520 o'clock where another growl rumbled into my tent. My rational 68 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:10.159 mind knew it was a bear, even though the sound 69 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:13.840 was different. Slowly I slipped out of my sleeping bag 70 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:18.000 while pulling the shotgun closer to my side. I was 71 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.600 slipping on my boots when I heard the same growl 72 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.839 from the same position as before, and I yelled out 73 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:28.319 at the animal, hoping to scare it off. Wildlife, even predators, 74 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:31.279 will leave the immediate area, or they'll back off when 75 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:35.079 they hear human voices. But that's not what happened this time. 76 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:38.600 I was answered with the same growl and it was 77 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:43.439 more intense. The animal was out in front of my tent. 78 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:47.040 Flipping the safety off, I pointed the shotgun toward the 79 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:50.120 entrance of the tent and then reached to unzip the fly. 80 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:53.000 I wanted to see what I was shooting at. If 81 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:56.399 it came to that, I moved the barrel out of 82 00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:59.360 the tent door and pulled the fabric aside to better sea, 83 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.720 and first the right and then the left. I didn't 84 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:05.800 see anything. I didn't move for a few minutes, and 85 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.600 I just listened. I needed to know where it was 86 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:10.759 so when I came out, I could get it in 87 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:16.120 front of me. But it never made another sound. I 88 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:19.519 moved toward the opening, crawling with my left arm for 89 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:22.879 support and the gun in my right, and I would 90 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:24.920 pop up and search for the target when I was 91 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:29.000 clear of the tent. But before my head had cleared 92 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:32.160 the tent opening, I was snatched out of the tent 93 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:36.199 in a violent motion. A bear would have bitten me 94 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:39.199 to pull me out, or would have been gouged with claws, 95 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:42.360 but that wasn't what had me. It was a grip. 96 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:46.759 Something had its hand wrapped around my arm, and faster 97 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:49.959 than I could process what was happening, it had me 98 00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:54.319 out of the tent. Reflexively, I squeezed the trigger and 99 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:58.959 the gun boomed in the darkness, aimed at nothing, roaring. 100 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:03.319 The creature wung me in several directions. The world had 101 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:06.839 turned into a nightmare of tumbling and impacts, until there 102 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:10.240 was intense pain in my head and then I blacked out. 103 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:15.399 My eyes tried to flicker open, and it was daylight. 104 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:20.399 My left shoulder was hurting terribly with my right arm. 105 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:23.920 I got to a sitting position after getting my bearings. 106 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:27.360 I began to look over my body for injuries. My 107 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.279 left eye was closed and caked in blood. I wiped 108 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:33.360 some of that away and looked at the shoulder that 109 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:37.199 was in pain, and I saw it was dislocated. That 110 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:39.600 and the gash over my left eye seemed to be 111 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:43.199 the only major injuries. My legs were okay, which meant 112 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:48.759 I could walk now to assess where I was. My 113 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:52.000 tent and my campsite was not there. I couldn't see it. 114 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:56.439 I was in a different place in the forest. There 115 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.120 were drag marks in the dirt. It was plain to 116 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.959 see that I had been brought to this location. I 117 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:05.519 used the GPS watch to try to figure out where 118 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:07.800 I was, and I was astonished to see that I 119 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:11.800 was a half mile away from my campsite. I wasn't 120 00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:14.480 going back there, so I set my GPS to where 121 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:18.160 I had parked, and it was actually closer than my campsite. 122 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:23.800 Thank goodness for small miracles. The walk to the vehicle 123 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.040 took twice as long as it would have had I 124 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:29.000 not been injured, but I made it, and during the 125 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:31.879 walk the feeling of being watched was as strong as 126 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:35.879 I had ever felt in my life. I unlocked the 127 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:39.279 door and a loud roar came from the area of 128 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:43.240 my campsite, maybe a bit closer. That's all I needed 129 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:46.399 to hear to get moving. I started the engine and 130 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:49.360 peeled out of their throwing gravel and dirt, not caring 131 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:54.199 if I damaged the vehicle, I stopped at the medical 132 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:58.199 center in Tamagami, where after examining my shoulder, they told 133 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:00.879 me I needed surgery to repair the damage. If I 134 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:04.120 wanted to use that arm again, I would need to 135 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:06.839 go to a larger facility that could do the surgery. 136 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:10.480 There were more cuts and bruises on me than I thought. 137 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:14.360 I had a concussion, and my scalp was glued back 138 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:18.560 in place and the doctor stitched other cuts. My left 139 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:21.560 forearm was black and blue from the grip the creature 140 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:26.279 had on me. Days later, I was recovering in a 141 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:30.480 hospital room from the surgery that repaired the torn muscles, ligaments, 142 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:34.440 and cartilage in my left shoulder. On my last day there, 143 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:38.360 the county police came in to take a statement. Well, 144 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:40.679 I told them the truth as best as I knew 145 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:44.240 what that was. I never saw the animal that dragged 146 00:08:44.279 --> 00:08:47.000 me out of the tent into the woods, and in 147 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:51.519 their report it was concluded a bear had attacked me. Well, hell, 148 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.720 I knew it wasn't a bear. Whatever yanked me out 149 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:57.399 of that tent had a grip on me. Had it 150 00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:59.320 been a bear, there would have been teeth or claw 151 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:03.440 marks on my arm. Within a few days, both my 152 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:06.120 brother and my father went back to the campsite to 153 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:09.919 gather my stuff and they found it destroyed. The tent, 154 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:13.159 the pack, the clothes, and sleeping bag were shredded and 155 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:17.360 tossed around. The shotgun stock was split in half and 156 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:21.200 the barrel was bent. The pile of wood was thrown 157 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:24.559 around everywhere. My brother and father said they didn't see 158 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:27.440 or hear anything, but the entire time they were there, 159 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:31.200 they felt like they were being watched. None of my 160 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:34.600 family has ever felt that, feeling like they were unwanted 161 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:38.039 at this property, and that's how my father described it. 162 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.559 To date, I have permanent mobility loss of thirty percent 163 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:48.039 and constant nerve pain in my left shoulder. My career 164 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:51.200 is now limited, and I'm clueless to what really happened. 165 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:54.480 I've never been afraid of the forest, but I dreaded 166 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.399 going back there for over a year and I still 167 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:01.080 won't go there alone. I still i'll have nightmares and 168 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:04.519 I take medication to sleep. And I was diagnosed with 169 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:10.080 PTSD from the event in twenty twenty one. I've had 170 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:13.039 plenty of time to think of why I was attacked. 171 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:17.559 It obviously wasn't happy with me being there, but I 172 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:20.279 think it was the shotgun that set it off, and 173 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:23.399 when it fired, all bets were off, so to speak. 174 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:28.960 I still don't understand why it let me live. You 175 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.799 are free to share this story on your channel, and 176 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:35.000 you can use my first name, but please keep my 177 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:39.519 email and last name confidential. I also will not give 178 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:43.840 the details of the exact location in Tamagami. My family 179 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.679 doesn't want every Tom, Dick and Harry with a bigfoot 180 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:50.480 fetish to show up. It's still our land and we 181 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:56.519 like our peace and quiet. I'm thirty two years old. 182 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:00.799 I live in southwestern Illinois, right across the Missississippi River 183 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:04.320 from Saint Louis. When I was a young kid, about 184 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:07.279 eleven or twelve, and my little brother was about seven 185 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:13.440 or eight. Our grandparents lived further north, up in Macopa County. Y'all. 186 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:16.879 I know I mispronounced these county and city names. Just 187 00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:20.120 cut me some slack, okay, But I know somebody in 188 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:24.200 the comments is going to correct me. That's fine. It's 189 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.120 nothing but farmland, and between all the acres of farm 190 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:33.480 fields are vast expanses of forests. My grandparents' house and 191 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:36.679 land was surrounded around the south and east with corn 192 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:40.720 and beanfields. Behind their house to the north and west 193 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:43.879 was a small creek and a long stretch of forest 194 00:11:44.360 --> 00:11:48.480 that seemed like it went for miles. My grandparents got 195 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:51.320 their water from a well. It was a well with 196 00:11:51.399 --> 00:11:55.720 a hand pump. I remember my grandfather pumping bucket after 197 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:59.200 bucket of water and carrying them to water as horses 198 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:03.000 and pigs. One night, my brother and I were spending 199 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:05.480 the night with them, and my grandfather told us a 200 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:08.799 story about a wild man who lived in his woods. 201 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:13.679 At sundown every night, just after he would water his animals, 202 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:18.039 this wild man and his girlfriend or wife and child 203 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:21.159 would come out of the woods because it was hot. 204 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:24.559 My grandpa had my little brother and I come up 205 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:27.799 to the back porch to watch towards the red barn 206 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:31.159 and the water pump. We didn't have to wait long. 207 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:35.840 Sure enough, in the low light of sunset, a huge 208 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:39.440 hair covered male wild man walked out of the woods. 209 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:44.080 He was enormous and covered in dark hair. With him 210 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:48.000 was a female with red or brown hair covering her body, 211 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:52.440 and behind her was a smaller childlike creature, also covered 212 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:56.279 in brown hair. They walked over to the well pump 213 00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:59.879 and started pumping it. They each took their turn drinking 214 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:03.600 water while the other worked the handle. I was only 215 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:06.039 eleven or twelve, but I was old enough and had 216 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:09.919 seen enough TV shows that I knew exactly what they were. 217 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:13.799 I was excited, but then I got nervous and my 218 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:17.919 grandfather calmed me down. My brother thought they were a 219 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:22.200 family of wild humans who never cut their hair. They 220 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:25.720 each took several turns with their mouths under the runout 221 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:29.000 while either the male or the female would pump the fountain. 222 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:33.360 It was amazing. When they had had enough water, they 223 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:36.360 returned to the woods and they vanished into the darkness. 224 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:40.879 My grandfather said they never caused trouble, they were just thirsty, 225 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:43.840 and he didn't mind them using his well. One bit 226 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:48.919 I never forgot that night. I've thought about this through 227 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.559 the years, and it's obvious that they had been watching 228 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:55.399 my grandfather pump the water. They are intelligent and they 229 00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:59.639 learned by watching us. My grandfather passed away a few 230 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:03.279 years ago, and now my grandmother lives there alone. The 231 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:05.919 horses and the pigs are gone, and as for the 232 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:10.919 family of Sasquatch, well, they've moved along too. No telling 233 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:14.320 when or where they went. But they never caused any 234 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:18.240 trouble at all. My grandparents said when my brother and 235 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:21.080 I were young, they would always hear wood knocks and 236 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:25.360 vocalizations during the day and night, but they were never afraid. 237 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:29.720 My grandfather would always carry his twelve gays just in case, 238 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:32.960 but he never used it on anything, only to run 239 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:36.600 off varmints that were getting in the trash. I know 240 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:40.120 that these things are real. I have seen them, a 241 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:48.840 whole family of them. Sasquatch is absolutely real. Part one 242 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:53.240 my sister's house many years ago. When I first met 243 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:56.440 my wife, we both shared an interest in the paranormal. 244 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:00.120 We met later in life, so the kids were all 245 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:02.519 out of our respective homes and we were free to 246 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:07.080 do what we wanted when we wanted in retrospect. This 247 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:11.559 ill advised interest led us to numerous cemeteries, old houses, 248 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:16.919 haunted cities, and hotels. And I say ill advised because 249 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:20.639 we soon found out that what you find doesn't necessarily 250 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:25.279 stay where you found it. What came to fruition. A 251 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:28.559 few years into our adventures, bore witness to the advice 252 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:32.200 of a very spiritual man who once said, if you 253 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:35.360 go looking for those kinds of things, I promise you 254 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:40.600 footsteps in your hallways. To make a long story short, 255 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:45.120 we never got rid of those footsteps. I have two 256 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:47.960 stories I would like to share with you. The first 257 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:51.279 is not scary, but one of the most remarkable experiences 258 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:57.080 we've ever had. The second is much more intense. My 259 00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:59.799 sister lives in a suburb of Nashville, and for more 260 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:02.720 than twenty years I would make annual visits to her 261 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:06.519 home and spend several days fishing, since she was located 262 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:10.559 near a well known lake. After I met Judy, we 263 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:14.080 made those annual trips, and one year we were invited 264 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:17.000 down and we arrived late in the afternoon following an 265 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:22.120 eight hour drive from Chicago. My sister's home is medium sized, 266 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:24.559 but appears like something you would see in a Home 267 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:28.480 and garden magazine. In fact, I'm pretty sure a local 268 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:33.200 rag figured at once. It's just beautiful. Inside. She has 269 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:35.840 a small kitchen with a fridge and a stove opposite 270 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.480 the sink in cabinets that occupy the east side of 271 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:42.879 the room, and just next to her countertops and cabinets 272 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:47.559 is a small marbletop dining table. A three bulb chandelier 273 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:50.840 hangs over that, with four chairs around the small table. 274 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:54.960 Behind the table, again to the west, in each corner 275 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:58.600 are two additional chairs separated by a tall wrought iron 276 00:16:58.679 --> 00:17:03.279 and glass and knickknacked shelf. We have a brother with 277 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:06.480 whom we were very close, who has passed away, and 278 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:08.920 it seemed to us that every time we got together, 279 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:12.720 little things would go bump in the night. They occurred 280 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:16.559 so frequently that we often joked about it. In this trip, 281 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:19.559 my sister told us as we sat around the table 282 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:23.759 that her television was turning off and on by itself 283 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:27.839 all day long. We laughed as she told us that 284 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:31.839 her husband, who was an electrician and a good Baptist fellow, 285 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:37.400 would quietly dismiss our ghost looking with a smile. Michelle 286 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:40.440 was standing at the kitchen sink preparing things for dinner. 287 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:44.759 Her husband was still at work. Judy and I sat 288 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:46.920 at the table, Me on the north side of it 289 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:49.519 and Judy on my right on the west side of it. 290 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:55.000 While we were all laughing about teasing Michelle's husband, suddenly, 291 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:59.160 out of nowhere, a drum roll began, almost like someone 292 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:01.920 was standing in the entrance of the kitchen drum roll. 293 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:05.640 It was really loud. It startled all of us, as 294 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:09.759 you can imagine. I immediately looked to my left toward 295 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.599 my sister and exclaimed, are you hearing this? I was 296 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:17.160 afraid I was having a stroke or something. When I 297 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:20.519 looked at Michelle, I saw her jaw was dropped and 298 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.880 her eyes were wide open, and she had the most 299 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:27.119 shocked look on her face. Her eyes were fixed in 300 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:31.319 the direction of Judy, so I quickly followed her gaze. 301 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:35.079 In doing so, I got my first glimpse of Judy. 302 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:38.480 She was wheeled around completely in her chair and was 303 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:42.319 facing the knickknack shelf, so I immediately shifted my focus 304 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:46.400 to that area as well. All along this time, the 305 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:50.720 drum roll continued and was still deafening, And that's when 306 00:18:50.759 --> 00:18:54.240 I saw the unbelievable that Judy and Michelle were fixed upon. 307 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:58.920 On the shelf at eye level. With Judy lay a 308 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:03.039 crystal about four inches long, round, like a small log, 309 00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:07.039 about an inch or so in diameter. It was levitating 310 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.240 up off the glass shelf about an inch. The crystal 311 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:14.519 was vibrating so that each end of it was alternately 312 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:17.880 hitting the glass shelf, and it was doing this with 313 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:20.599 such fury and speed that it was the source of 314 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:25.119 the drum sound. The incredible nature of what was going 315 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:27.640 on was that as fast as that thing was hitting 316 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:31.319 the glass, it was not damaging it at all. And 317 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:34.759 then it was done right before us. It plopped down 318 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:40.960 and remained motionless. But that's not the end of this event. Naturally, 319 00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:43.880 we all went nuts. Did you see that? Did you 320 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:48.160 see that? We asked each other and answered yest almost simultaneously. 321 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:53.640 We were flabbergasted. Once we all caught our collective breaths, 322 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.799 we started chatting a mile a minute. It was me 323 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:59.880 who said first. That had to be Chuck, our brother. 324 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:04.799 This cost for further explanation. Chuck was an excellent drummer. 325 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:08.319 We both belonged to the Green Sabers Drum and Bugle 326 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:11.480 Corps from Schylerville, New York. I'm not sure how to 327 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:15.480 pronounce that town. Growing up, he taught me to play 328 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:18.640 the tenor drum first, and then the snare drum. We 329 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:22.160 marched together in the inauguration parade for John F. Kennedy. 330 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:25.960 We took high drum for the best drum line in 331 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:30.240 the Canadian Championships one year, and we spent hour upon 332 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:33.119 hour practicing on magazines that we would lay on my 333 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.160 mother's coffee table. I knew it was him. And as 334 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:39.880 soon as I said that, each of the lights and 335 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:42.960 the chandelier above the table when it's bright as two 336 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:47.839 hundred watt light bulbs, and then they dimmed normal. Immediately 337 00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:51.559 after this display, the light directly above me brightened and 338 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:56.119 dimmed again three times, and then all was quiet. It 339 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:59.039 was either my brother reaching out to us or something 340 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:02.680 else trying to con events. It was him. I prefer 341 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:09.480 the former. It was a joyous, albeit stunning experience. And 342 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:14.279 now here is part two of my Sister's House. I've 343 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:17.599 already shared some background Visa VI our trips to Nashville 344 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:22.400 to see my sister, so I want reiterated here on 345 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:25.359 one of our subsequent trips. Judy and I were invited 346 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:27.960 down to house at Michelle's place while she and her 347 00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:31.119 husband were attending the US Open in New York City. 348 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:36.119 Her husband is a wonderful tennis player. I once was, 349 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:39.839 but football injuries in Vietnam and a broken knee ended 350 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:44.440 that pastime for me. We arrived on Friday afternoon and 351 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:49.680 immediately set about planning our itinerary for Saturday. We planned 352 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:51.880 on spending the day on the lake, since I brought 353 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:55.240 my boat along. We would get off the water early 354 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:57.920 enough to rest up, maybe take a short nap, and 355 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:00.680 then head downtown to dinner and hit a few clubs. 356 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:05.799 We executed our plan the next day. We enjoyed a 357 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:08.519 great dinner in Nashville, and we found ourselves in a 358 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:12.079 few clubs dancing and listening to music, and concluded the 359 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:14.640 evening with a horse and buggy tour of the city. 360 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:19.400 The primary difference between youth and age is the stamina 361 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:22.319 to do what the brain wants to, and though we 362 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:24.839 planned on an evening well into the wee hours of 363 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:29.839 the morning, age dictated a return home about eleven PM. 364 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:33.519 The second floor of the house was a balcony that 365 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:38.119 completely encircles the downstairs living room. So we retired to 366 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:40.440 the bed as soon as we got back home, and 367 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:43.880 we fell asleep as soon as we laid down. It 368 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:45.680 had been a full day for us on the lake 369 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:49.680 and on the town, and we were beat I rarely 370 00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:52.359 sleep on my back, but this night I did because 371 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:55.960 Judy fell asleep on her left side facing me, her 372 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:59.200 right arm across my chest, and I couldn't move if 373 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:01.880 I wanted to with out waking her, so I just 374 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:06.160 laid there until I apparently fell asleep. At three o'clock 375 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:09.799 in the morning, I felt a stabbing pain, now maybe 376 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:13.359 a scratching kind of pain on my right thigh. It 377 00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:15.839 not only woke me up, but it startled me at 378 00:23:15.880 --> 00:23:19.640 the same time. I am and have always been since 379 00:23:19.640 --> 00:23:24.039 I returned from Vietnam. I'm a very light sleeper. When 380 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:27.279 I woke, I jumped as well, and this woke Judy 381 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:31.119 out of reflex. I immediately accused her, Why did you 382 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:35.160 do that? Do what? She said? Why did you scratch me? 383 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:38.880 Was it your ring? Lights came on and we began 384 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:42.599 to search for what happened. My right thigh had about 385 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:46.119 an eight inch fresh scratch that started at the outer 386 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:49.799 edge just below my hip and ended above the inside 387 00:23:49.799 --> 00:23:52.960 of my knee. It was bleeding just a bit, so 388 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:56.240 we knew it was fresh. And then Judy said, my 389 00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:58.960 rings were on my left hand, which is beneath me 390 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:01.559 when you woke me, our right hand was holding onto 391 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:05.640 your shirt collar. I sure didn't do that. I must 392 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:07.839 admit that we were a little rattle. So we got 393 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:10.440 up and we went downstairs to have some hot chocolate. 394 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:14.079 We plopped down on the love seat, which is located 395 00:24:14.119 --> 00:24:16.960 almost under the balcony that leads to the guest room, 396 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:22.039 and when we sat down, it started a cocktail party, 397 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:27.039 clinking glasses, multiple voices, and a room full of conversations 398 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:31.200 and laughter coming from overhead emanated from the bedroom we 399 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:36.200 had just vacated. Needless to say, we slept on the 400 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:39.279 love seat that night and changed bedrooms for the rest 401 00:24:39.319 --> 00:24:43.079