WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>So I will try to relate this to the best

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<v Speaker 1>of my memory and ask you all to realize that

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<v Speaker 1>I was a young boy at the time, but the

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<v Speaker 1>event that I'm going to relate to you is burned

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<v Speaker 1>into my memory. The event took place near Stark, Florida,

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<v Speaker 1>which is located south of Jacksonville, up in the northern

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<v Speaker 1>part of Florida. At the time, my mother and I

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<v Speaker 1>lived in a nice trailer and a small trailer park

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<v Speaker 1>that was located off of US Highway three oh one

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<v Speaker 1>south of Stark, Florida. There were several residents in the park.

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<v Speaker 1>I would hazard a guess of about ten trailers at

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<v Speaker 1>the time. The trailer park was built in the woods

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<v Speaker 1>and we had dirt roads. Behind the trailer I lived

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<v Speaker 1>in was a pond, not a big one, but big

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<v Speaker 1>enough to have fish in it along with water moccasins.

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<v Speaker 1>I recall my mom's shooting several when they had the

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<v Speaker 1>ttermidity to invade our yard in per in a clear

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<v Speaker 1>and present danger to her number two sun. Actually it

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<v Speaker 1>was us that had invaded their space, if the truth

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<v Speaker 1>must be known. My friend across the street let's call

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<v Speaker 1>him Jim, used to sit out and fish in the

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<v Speaker 1>night during the summer when it was warm, among other things,

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<v Speaker 1>kids of those years would do things like making forts

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<v Speaker 1>in the woods and climbing trees, et cetera. The night

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<v Speaker 1>of the event was a typical North Florida night, hot

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<v Speaker 1>and a clear sky. I do not remember what phase

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<v Speaker 1>the moon was in, but I do recall it being

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<v Speaker 1>a cloudless night. We had both gotten board with fishing

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<v Speaker 1>since we were not getting any bites, and so we

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<v Speaker 1>were just laying on the grass, looking up through the

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<v Speaker 1>trees and stargazing. At the time, I was in the

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<v Speaker 1>seventh grade. I believe Jim was a year ahead of me.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember looking around the starlit sky when I saw

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<v Speaker 1>a solid, bright light streaking across and down the night sky.

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<v Speaker 1>I called it out to Jim and we both jumped up,

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<v Speaker 1>thinking it was probably a shooting star. We were both

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<v Speaker 1>cured of that thought when the light, which was a

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<v Speaker 1>solid color and hang me if I can recall, it,

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<v Speaker 1>stopped its fall and then went into an orbit around

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<v Speaker 1>the sky. It was circling the area around the pond

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<v Speaker 1>and the trailer part. It was still pretty high up,

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<v Speaker 1>and neither Jim or I heard any sound as we

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<v Speaker 1>watched it. Circle. Jim grabbed my arm and said look

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<v Speaker 1>and pointed up at the sky. Sure enough, he pointed

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<v Speaker 1>out another solid bright light that was descending in what

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<v Speaker 1>a fighter pilot would call an intercept course. Neither of

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<v Speaker 1>the two lights were blinking, and we did not see

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<v Speaker 1>anything other than the two solid bright light. The first

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<v Speaker 1>light continued its orbit and the second light came up

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<v Speaker 1>behind it. Again. They were both still up high and

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<v Speaker 1>all we could really see were two solid bright lights.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no sound either, not the sound of a

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<v Speaker 1>jet or propeller or driven engines. We both continued to

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<v Speaker 1>watch the two lights, and the second one was closing

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<v Speaker 1>up fast behind the first one. What happened next was

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<v Speaker 1>the clincher, though. The second light came up behind the

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<v Speaker 1>first light, and we both saw a white beam like

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<v Speaker 1>a searchlight beam come from the second light and hit

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<v Speaker 1>the first light, whereupon the first light winked out. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean it just vanished. No noise, no explosion, and again

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<v Speaker 1>not any sound of any Earth style aircraft. After the

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<v Speaker 1>first light winked out and vanished, the second light did

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<v Speaker 1>several more orbits around the area, then accelerated up into

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<v Speaker 1>the sky and was gone. Needless to say, Jem and

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<v Speaker 1>I beat a hasty retreat to our respective homes. The

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<v Speaker 1>trailer park we lived in was pretty peaceful. It was

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<v Speaker 1>surrounded by woods and palmetto patches, and Jim and I

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<v Speaker 1>used to chase each other through the woods, playing war

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<v Speaker 1>and generally rough housing. After the incident, though, there were

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<v Speaker 1>times when I would be outside in the yard, whether

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<v Speaker 1>day or night, and I would get an uneasy feeling,

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<v Speaker 1>and the hairs on my neck and arms would raise.

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<v Speaker 1>Something there surely made me feel uneasy. On my word,

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<v Speaker 1>the events I have just related to you are true.

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<v Speaker 1>I have added as much detail as I recall. Again,

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<v Speaker 1>I ask for forbearance because it has been a very

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<v Speaker 1>long time since this happened. I have not elaborated, but

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<v Speaker 1>giving you the facts as I recall them. Thank you

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<v Speaker 1>for reading this narrative of something mysterious I witnessed long

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<v Speaker 1>ago as a young boy, and that got me interested

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<v Speaker 1>in UFOs and Bigfoot, or the skunk ape as he

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<v Speaker 1>is known in Florida. Respectfully, Chris, my name is Matt,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is not my story. I've never seen a

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<v Speaker 1>size squatch, and I have mixed emotions about whether or

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<v Speaker 1>not I would ever want to this particular story comes

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<v Speaker 1>from my uncle Luke, who has been dead for twenty years.

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<v Speaker 1>He was my favorite uncle. He was a no nonsense

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a guy who didn't believe in anything supernatural

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<v Speaker 1>or creepy. He'd even get irritated when one of us

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<v Speaker 1>kids would mention something like that, telling us, if you

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<v Speaker 1>haven't seen it with your own eyes, it does not exist.

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<v Speaker 1>When I was a teenager, one day he told me

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<v Speaker 1>he wasn't feeling well and wanted to tell me something.

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<v Speaker 1>And I thought, oh, no, here comes the birds and

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<v Speaker 1>the bees talk. But I never dreamt he was going

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<v Speaker 1>to tell me something that would blow my mind and

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<v Speaker 1>actually scare the crap out of me. Uncle Luke was

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<v Speaker 1>some kind of an engineer for the Navy. He traveled

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<v Speaker 1>quite a bit for his job, and the story he

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<v Speaker 1>told me about one of those trips one he said

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<v Speaker 1>he would never forget. He was the kind of guy

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<v Speaker 1>who never used road maps. He had a natural instinct

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<v Speaker 1>for directions, so he rarely got lost. But once, while

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<v Speaker 1>traveling through Georgia in a driving rain, he made a

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<v Speaker 1>wrong turn on a clay road. The wet clay was

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<v Speaker 1>as slick as ice, and he was struggling to keep

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<v Speaker 1>from sliding into the ditches. Worst yet, the rain was

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<v Speaker 1>coming down so hard he could barely see past the

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<v Speaker 1>hood of his truck. He was looking for a place

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<v Speaker 1>to turn around, but the road was so narrow there

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<v Speaker 1>was nowhere to do, so he had no choice but

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<v Speaker 1>to keep going forward. He drove another half a mile

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<v Speaker 1>until he came across a tree lying across the road.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no way around it. He sat there and

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<v Speaker 1>weighed his options. Could he get the chain from the

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<v Speaker 1>back of his truck and try to pull the tree

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<v Speaker 1>out of the way. He doubted he'd be able to

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<v Speaker 1>get any traction the slick of wet clay. He also

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<v Speaker 1>considered backing all the way down the road, but he

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<v Speaker 1>could barely see moving forward. Moving backwards with only tail

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<v Speaker 1>lights would be even worse. There was always the option

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<v Speaker 1>of putting on his flashers and taking a nap, but

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<v Speaker 1>that would be giving up. He opted for the chain.

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<v Speaker 1>He turned on his flashers and got out of the truck,

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<v Speaker 1>slipping his keys into his pocket as he did so.

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<v Speaker 1>He then pulled the chain from the bed of the truck.

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<v Speaker 1>He was about ten feet from the tree, and he

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<v Speaker 1>wanted plenty of swing room. First, He hooked the chain

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<v Speaker 1>to his truck and then walked over and wrapped the

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<v Speaker 1>other end around the trunk of the tree. As he

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<v Speaker 1>rose up, the headlights went dim. He looked up to

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<v Speaker 1>see what had happened, and he felt his heart nearly

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<v Speaker 1>seize in his chest. Standing in front of the truck.

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<v Speaker 1>Between him and the truck was a creature that was

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<v Speaker 1>every inch of a feet, with wide shoulders and reddish brown,

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<v Speaker 1>wet fur. It just stood there with the lights at

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<v Speaker 1>its back and in my uncle's face. He couldn't make

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<v Speaker 1>out its face, but he felt like it was staring

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<v Speaker 1>at him. It grunted a couple of times, but it

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<v Speaker 1>never moved. All my uncle knew was that it was

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<v Speaker 1>between him and the truck. He didn't know what to do,

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<v Speaker 1>but he couldn't keep standing there in the pouring rain,

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<v Speaker 1>having a staring contest with something he didn't even believe in. Finally,

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<v Speaker 1>he put his head down and slowly walked past the

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<v Speaker 1>creature back to the truck. As he got in, he

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<v Speaker 1>reached in his pocket for his keys, but they weren't there.

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<v Speaker 1>He grabbed the ignition, but they weren't there either. He

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<v Speaker 1>looked out through the windshield to where the creature had

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<v Speaker 1>now turned and was looking back at him. Beyond the creature,

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<v Speaker 1>glistening in the rain and reflecting from the beam of

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<v Speaker 1>the headlights, lying in the mud by the tree were

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<v Speaker 1>his keys. Art sank. Fear wasn't a familiar feeling for

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<v Speaker 1>this man. It wasn't his nature to be afraid, but

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<v Speaker 1>at this moment he was terrified. With a deep breath,

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<v Speaker 1>he opened the door and slid back out the truck,

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<v Speaker 1>never taking his eyes off the creature, who was likewise

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<v Speaker 1>not taking its eyes off of him. He walked past it,

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<v Speaker 1>picked up the keys, and turned back around. He immediately

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<v Speaker 1>realized the creature had moved over in front of the

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<v Speaker 1>truck door. It let out a couple of huffs, and

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<v Speaker 1>my uncle thought for sure that he was on the

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<v Speaker 1>dinner menu. He had no other options, so he mustered

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<v Speaker 1>up his courage once more and walked as calmly as

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<v Speaker 1>he could around the creature and got back into the truck,

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<v Speaker 1>locking the doors. He looked up as he started the

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<v Speaker 1>engine and was momentarily relieved to see the creature wasn't there,

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<v Speaker 1>But a movement from his direct left told him that

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<v Speaker 1>it had moved next to the door. He ignored it

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<v Speaker 1>and tried to back up. The tires only spun in

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<v Speaker 1>the wet clay. His heart sank once again. He rested

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<v Speaker 1>his forehead on the steering wheel, utterly defeated. Now then

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<v Speaker 1>he heard a noise, and he looked up. The creature

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<v Speaker 1>had unhooked the chain and was now moving the tree

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<v Speaker 1>out of the road. My uncle thought, can this get

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<v Speaker 1>any stranger? He pushed the gas pedal and managed to

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<v Speaker 1>get enough traction to move forward. He slowly drove past

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<v Speaker 1>the creature. He rolled his window down and said thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>The creature grunted. He drove away with the chain still

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<v Speaker 1>attached to the bumper. He never told another living soul

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<v Speaker 1>what happened to him that night until he told me.

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<v Speaker 1>He also never drove again at night. He passed away

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<v Speaker 1>a few weeks after that, so I never got a

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<v Speaker 1>chance to ask him where he was exactly. I guess

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<v Speaker 1>the moral of the story is, no matter how much

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<v Speaker 1>you think you know, it might not be enough. Thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for letting me tell my uncle's story.