WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.160 Hello friends, Steve's talkton here with you. Welcome to Listener Stories, 2 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:08.480 a chilling series where we delve into the depths of 3 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:12.480 the unknown through spine tingling tales submitted by you, our 4 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:17.359 listeners from erie encounters with a supernatural to inexplicable phenomena 5 00:00:17.559 --> 00:00:20.920 that defy all logic. Join us as we navigate the 6 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.519 shadows of the human experience and explore the darkest corners 7 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:28.239 of the imagination. Each episode promises to leave you on 8 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:31.039 the edge of your seat, questioning what lurks in the 9 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:35.119 darkness and what secrets lie hidden in the night so 10 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:39.479 dim the lights. Settle in and prepare yourself for a 11 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:44.880 journey into the realm of the unexplained. Unsettling event I 12 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:50.479 encountered in the woods of North Idaho. I grew up 13 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:54.320 in the rural woods of the Midwest. My grandparents had 14 00:00:54.359 --> 00:00:56.960 a cabin on one hundred and sixty acres in the Ozarks, 15 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:00.399 and my family home was in the woods of Ohio. 16 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:03.759 And now live out west in a large city with 17 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:06.920 my husband and kids, but his family has a cabin 18 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:09.359 in northern Idaho where we spend a lot of time 19 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:13.719 in the summer. That's where this all took place, so 20 00:01:13.799 --> 00:01:19.079 when I say I know the woods, I really do. 21 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:22.040 This happened a few years ago in the middle of summer. 22 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:25.439 We had arrived at the cabin, only to realize my 23 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.439 husband somehow had totally spaced and forgot to pack my 24 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:32.799 hiking boots. I was livid because all I had on 25 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:36.799 were cheap flipflops and I'd been so so looking forward 26 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:40.319 to hiking that weekend. He kind of put a sour 27 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:44.079 mood to the evening and we settled in. The cabin 28 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:46.519 isn't much and though in the woods it's part of 29 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:50.079 a community or a cluster by the cabins. The one 30 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:52.920 perk to ours is that it's right against a large 31 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:57.439 field surrounded by woods. It's private property and there's some 32 00:01:57.480 --> 00:01:59.920 weird stories in history with the family that owns it, 33 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:04.719 but that field is mostly abandoned. We have a four 34 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:06.959 foot barbed wire fence that runs the link to the 35 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.919 field to separate AirLand from that. It's not too far 36 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:13.639 from the cabin. I'd say maybe twenty feet from our 37 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:18.400 porch to the fence line. That night, after dinner, I 38 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.159 made up the air mattresses for the kids, bolted out 39 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:25.280 the sofa bed for us. Soon everyone else was asleep, 40 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:28.360 but since I have horrible insomnia, I was still up 41 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:32.199 around two am, reading my kindle and sipping wine when 42 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:36.879 I heard the most god awful noise. I slipped my 43 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:39.439 flip flops on and poked my head out the front door. 44 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.479 There was a sound coming from the field. I stepped 45 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:50.240 out onto the porch to listen more intently. It's the 46 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:54.000 sound of a coyote being heard. At first I thought 47 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:55.840 possibly I was stuck in a trap, and I got 48 00:02:55.960 --> 00:03:01.360 so angry. My husband's family or known for our dogs, 49 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:04.560 and the idea of someone was trapping near us made 50 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:08.840 me so angry. I cannot tell you or why, but 51 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:11.520 every cell in my body was screaming for me to 52 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:16.479 help it. I ran inside to get a flashlight. It 53 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:19.319 was a new moon, so a zero light outside, and 54 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:22.800 once again found myself upset. I didn't have my boots. 55 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.479 There was no way I was going to make it 56 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:29.000 even to the fence line in my flip flops between 57 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:32.039 the woods and terrain. It was happening near the corner 58 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:34.479 of our property. It can best be called a trash sheet, 59 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:38.479 an abandoned camp, or a woodpile, metal drums for burning, etc. 60 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:43.000 I had no idea what I could even do to help, 61 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:45.479 but I just so badly felt like I had to 62 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:51.840 do something, So I went back outside and all I 63 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:55.159 could do was listen. The more I listened, the more 64 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.719 I realized it was being attacked by something. And that's 65 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:02.400 when the hair on my next it up. I realized 66 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:07.159 everything was dead quiet. I have never before or after 67 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:11.840 heard the woods like that. Whatever was attacking the cooty 68 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:18.720 was also doing it silently, no snarl, no bark or yip, 69 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:22.839 no growl. And as I stood there, frozen and listening, 70 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:28.759 I heard the final noises as the cowoty died. I 71 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:30.920 had tears in my eyes because it was such an 72 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:35.199 awful sound. As soon as it died, I was hit 73 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:38.480 with the force of the sounds around me. Suddenly the 74 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.920 neighbors dogs were howling and barking, the bugs and crickets 75 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:45.000 started up. It was like a switch had been flipped. 76 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:49.839 It went from no sound to all the sounds in 77 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:54.079 the blink of an eye. And that's when I heard 78 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:59.040 the footsteps. Whatever had attacked the kyote was suddenly on 79 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:02.519 our side of the fence. It was walking along the 80 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:07.920 fence line, and it clearly was my pedal. I cannot 81 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:12.519 stress this enough. I grew up in the woods. Humans 82 00:05:12.600 --> 00:05:17.680 and animals sound different, and this sounded human. It was 83 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:23.240 clearly walking on two legs. I kept staring along the line, 84 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:26.920 trying to see whatever it was. But as the footsteps 85 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.000 grew closer to the middle of the property and I 86 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:32.600 still couldn't see anything, I panicked and ran quickly back 87 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:36.839 into the cabin. I locked the door and grabbed a 88 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:40.240 hatchet and woke my husband up. I couldn't believe he 89 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:43.279 was able to sleep through everything. He hadn't heard a thing. 90 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:47.120 The next morning, we went directly to where I told 91 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:50.360 him the sound was coming from the attack, but couldn't 92 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:54.399 see anything. Though the field at that time of year 93 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:57.360 is like four foot tall grass, and we didn't expect 94 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:59.360 to see anything, and I was not about to hop 95 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:03.920 the fence to go looking for trouble. I will say 96 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:06.560 I had never been so thankful to not have had 97 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:10.519 boots that weekend, because without a doubt I would have 98 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.399 tried to hop that fence that night. I just know 99 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:16.879 I would have. Something in me was screaming out to 100 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:21.399 make it stop. Anyway. I'm sure this is rambling a bit, 101 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:25.879 but I felt so alone on this for years. My 102 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:31.040 husband believes me, but I mean, we have no logical answers. 103 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:43.360 Thank you Anonymous, My story of little people. My story 104 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:48.600 occurred in Jedito, Arizona. This incident occurred during the summer 105 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.360 of nineteen eighty three, when I was eleven years old. 106 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:54.360 I remember I was eleven years old because that's the 107 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:57.759 summer my father quit racing horses and started staying home. 108 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:03.240 So this particular evening, I went for a walk with 109 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:06.639 my siblings and my two dogs. My dogs would always 110 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:08.879 be way ahead of us in the woods somewhere chasing 111 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:12.680 squirrels or something. I was ahead of everyone too, trying 112 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.439 to beat them to the hill. Right before the hill, 113 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:20.160 there's an old house down in the little valley. As 114 00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:22.600 I was walking past the old house, I saw something 115 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:26.279 move out of my peripheral vision to my right. So 116 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:28.959 I looked to my right down to the ground. I 117 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:34.079 saw small people, about ten of them, maybe more. They 118 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:36.600 all stopped in their tracks and stared at me in shot. 119 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:40.279 I was in shock too about what I just came upon. 120 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:44.399 I remember they were about a foot tall, with black, 121 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:48.800 short hair, maybe shoulder lengked and bushy. They were all naked, 122 00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:52.600 no clothes on, but they had no private parts, so 123 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:56.000 I don't know if they were all males. Two of 124 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:58.600 them were carrying a can, which was a spam can. 125 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:01.519 One was in front and the other was in back 126 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:05.120 carrying the back end of the can. Those were the 127 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:08.639 ones I spotted first, and then I saw the rest. 128 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:13.720 They all were carrying something in their hands. They all 129 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:17.519 had long, skinny arms and long skinny legs. As I 130 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:19.959 started walking towards them, they all dropped what they had 131 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:22.480 in their hands and ran together towards a single area 132 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:28.120 by a big sage bush. One by one, they all 133 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:33.159 sank into the ground. I stopped in my tracks too 134 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:36.080 when I saw them going into the ground. I couldn't 135 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.960 believe what I was seeing. When they had all gone 136 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.879 into the ground, I ran to the same area and 137 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:47.200 started digging. I dug out sand about a foot deep, 138 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:51.120 but I couldn't find anything that particular area of sandy 139 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:56.240 because the water runs through there when it rains. As 140 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:58.200 my siblings walked up to me and asked what I 141 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:01.039 was doing, I told them what scene, and I show 142 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:06.000 them the small footprints and what they'd left behind. I 143 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:08.600 went back there every day for the whole summer, but 144 00:09:08.759 --> 00:09:12.039 I never saw them again. I even sat on a 145 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:14.679 big boulder nearby and watched if they would come out. 146 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:19.519 Never did. My family still owns that land, so when 147 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:21.799 I go there, which is once in a great while, 148 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:27.039 I go by and check for footprints. Nothing. Yet I 149 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:30.759 will never forget what I saw that day. I'm glad 150 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:35.440 I got to experience something so incredible like that. I'm 151 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:37.960 glad my dogs never came upon them because I don't 152 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:42.720 know what would have happened. I've never told my story 153 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:46.639 to anyone before. Only my parents, my siblings, my husband, 154 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:50.720 and my kids know about my experience. My father told 155 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:52.799 me to stay away from them because they're a part 156 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:56.679 of Mother Earth too. I don't remember what he calls them. 157 00:09:56.759 --> 00:09:59.240 He said it in either Spanish or navahole, so I 158 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:03.720 don't remember. Thank you for allowing me to share my story. 159 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:16.559 Renee Yosemite Half Dome. This happened around August of twenty nineteen. 160 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:20.120 I'm not sure what we experienced or if there was 161 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:24.519 anything odd about it, but whatever, it's also a bit 162 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:29.159 of a long story, Sorry about that. So this was 163 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:32.240 a high cup to half Dome. We had a campground 164 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:35.200 about a twenty minute drive away from the trailhead, and 165 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:38.159 the group was composed of me, an eighteen year old male, 166 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:42.240 my uncle, a thirty two year old male, and my 167 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:46.200 uncle's friend, whom i'll call D. There were two girls 168 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:50.320 with us, but they aren't relevant to the story. My 169 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:53.600 uncle and his friend are both Christian, so there were 170 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.679 no substances consumed that could induce the feelings I will 171 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:01.240 be talking about. We get their campsite, set up camp, 172 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:04.720 and go to sleep after eating. We planned to wake 173 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:07.159 up at four am and start the hike by four 174 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:12.399 point thirty. I randomly wake up at three thirty am, 175 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:15.720 like completely wide awake and look out of my hammock, 176 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:19.799 and I remember fitting this odd feeling, as if I 177 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:23.240 was woken up by something, and I remember looking out 178 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.759 at the moonlit scene. The moon was very bright for 179 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:33.120 some reason, and thinking to myself, it looks like a dream. 180 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:35.159 I lay back in the hammock but can't go to 181 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:38.960 sleep and end up waking up my uncle and friend 182 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:43.159 at three fifty am. My uncle asked me, were you 183 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:47.480 walking around at night? This is important? And I say 184 00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:51.519 no and ask why. He says he woke up for 185 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:55.399 some reason and could hear someone walking around, not like 186 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:59.480 an animal? But a person. I say, huh, weird, and 187 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:03.720 we brush it off. We get to the trailhead around 188 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:07.600 four thirty am. As everyone is unloading from the car. 189 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:10.559 He says he's going to use the bathroom, which there 190 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:14.240 are a couple of before the trailhead. I walk behind 191 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:16.799 him for some time before falling behind and waiting for 192 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:22.519 my uncle, who forgot something in the car. The short 193 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.360 straight road from the parking lot runs directly into a 194 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.480 t intersection with the road to the trailhead, and the 195 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:31.399 bathroom is directly across from the intersection through a field 196 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:35.320 a little ways. Those who have been there know what 197 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:39.600 I'm talking about. We get to the intersection and wait 198 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:42.960 for d to come out of the bathroom. We wait 199 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:45.559 about ten minutes before I go and check the bathroom 200 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:49.919 and he isn't there. I get back to my uncle 201 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:53.440 and tell him that. He says weird, Maybe he went 202 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:56.320 back to the car or something. We decide to wait 203 00:12:56.360 --> 00:13:01.879 a little bit more. Ten we were beginning to worry. 204 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:04.639 My uncle goes to check the car while I wait 205 00:13:04.679 --> 00:13:06.679 at the intersection to make sure we don't miss him 206 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:08.759 if he went down the road away from the trailhead. 207 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:14.679 My uncle returns says, he isn't there either. We decided 208 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:16.759 maybe he went up to the trailhead without us for 209 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:19.679 some reason, and walk up there in about ten minutes, 210 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:24.919 he isn't there either. We're kind of baffled now, because 211 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:28.919 there are no other logical places he would go. I 212 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:30.919 decided to run back and check the car in the 213 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:35.360 bathroom again. I meet him halfway before I get to 214 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:39.320 the intersection. He's sweating and disheveled, with a weird look 215 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:43.679 in his eyes. I say, where have you been? He 216 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:45.840 says that he went to the bathroom and when he 217 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:49.440 got back to the intersection that we weren't there, and 218 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:51.480 then he just assumed we went to the trailhead and 219 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:55.120 started walking and then he met me. I said, what 220 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:57.320 do you mean. We waited at the intersection for over 221 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:01.240 half an hour, checked at the car, bathroom, and trailhead, 222 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:05.519 and you weren't there. He says, well, I don't know. 223 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:09.120 I went to the bathroom. He then asked me where 224 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:11.919 my uncle is. I say, at the trailhead, and he 225 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:15.720 asked me again, and I tell him again, and note 226 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.519 that it was weird that he asked me twice. As 227 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:21.639 we're crossing the bridge to the trailhead, he sees a 228 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.600 light off on the river bank and exclaims, Oh, maybe 229 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:27.799 that's him, and I just look at him and keep walking. 230 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.279 I thought his behavior was very strange, like he wasn't 231 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:37.320 thinking straight. We finally get on with a hike and 232 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:39.840 it goes by as normal, except that we seem to 233 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:43.919 keep losing things such as my uncle's small red flashlight, 234 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:49.759 well the girl's gloves, a water bottle, etc. It's like 235 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:52.600 we just simply forgot about the items and couldn't remember 236 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:56.440 where we could have left him. On the way back, 237 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:00.080 it got dark and we turned on our flashlights. And 238 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:01.960 as we near the end of the hike after the 239 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:05.399 two waterfalls, it begins to seem if we've been walking 240 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:10.879 far too long. My uncle confirms this, asking me, doesn't 241 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:13.200 it seem like it's taking way longer to get back? 242 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:17.799 I say, yeah, but I was just thinking that. We 243 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:20.639 keep walking, but it still seems like we're not making 244 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:24.840 any progress. I've been on that trail many times. As 245 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:28.200 I was walking, I couldn't spot any familiar landmarks. It 246 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:31.600 was weird. There was this odd feeling in the air, 247 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:35.759 sort of a slight, menacing feeling. It's hard to describe. 248 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:41.559 I remember thinking, it feels like the woods are alive. 249 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:46.440 We remark three more times about how long the hike 250 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:48.919 is taking and begin to laugh at it because it 251 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:54.080 felt so ridiculous. After a bit, we finally and suddenly 252 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:57.240 find ourselves on the final stretch and make it back 253 00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:01.960 to the car. And all this seemed odd at the time, 254 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:05.919 but I just brushed it off. Only realized how weird 255 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:08.639 those events felt after we got home and my aunt 256 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:12.960 asked my uncle, were you camping? And he says, yeah, 257 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:15.799 how did you know? As we didn't tell them we 258 00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:20.480 were going since it was kind of last minute. She 259 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:23.879 says that she had an odd dream or she saw 260 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:26.919 my uncle in a tin in a forest and someone 261 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:30.840 is outside of his tent. She says she couldn't see 262 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:33.720 who it was, but knew there was a presence there. 263 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:37.840 She says she woke up around three am and had 264 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:40.559 a strong urge to pray for him, and she did. 265 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:44.240 My uncle kind of looks at me after that, like, 266 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:49.320 are you hearing this shit? Thank you for allowing me 267 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:57.639 to share my story. Ten strange experience in starved Ark 268 00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:04.480 State Park, Illinois. I had a very strange experience twelve 269 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:09.799 years ago in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois. It was 270 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:13.880 so bizarre at the time I never discussed it. I 271 00:17:13.960 --> 00:17:16.400 began reading the Missing four to one one stories a 272 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:19.839 few weeks ago and realized what I encountered fits into 273 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:24.039 the Missing four to one to one profile. Additionally, since 274 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.359 many of the Missing four to one one stories border 275 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:29.960 on the unexplainable and bizarre, I feel what I encountered 276 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:33.400 was not unique, that it was part of an actual phenomena. 277 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:41.039 Here's my story. I was visiting my girlfriend in Chicago 278 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:43.559 on a Sunday and calm winter day. We decided to 279 00:17:43.559 --> 00:17:47.000 go for a hike at Starved Rock State Park. I'm 280 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:49.480 an avid hiker, and being on leave from Iraq, I 281 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:53.640 wanted to take in some cool, fresh air. We hiked 282 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:58.039 the park for several hours. In late afternoon, we started 283 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.480 heading back to the car. About a half mile away 284 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:03.559 from the parking lot, we came into an area where 285 00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:06.720 tree branches were broken and pulled towards or over the trail. 286 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:11.000 Most of the branches were broken high up I'd say 287 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:14.319 eight feet and more off the ground. I lived in 288 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:16.960 Washington State before going to Iraq and knew something of 289 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:20.680 Sasquatch areas, so I told the girlfriend, it looked like 290 00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:23.039 a squatch area, dude. The branch is broken off up 291 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:26.720 high and pulled over the trail. That's about the time 292 00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:33.160 things started to get strange. Soon after mentioning this, I 293 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:36.799 felt like someone was staring at me. It's like if 294 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:38.319 you go in a room with a lot of people 295 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:42.400 and someone is focused on you, you get an uneasy 296 00:18:42.440 --> 00:18:46.240 feeling and can tell you're being watched. It was like this, 297 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:50.000 but stronger. I started to look around to see who 298 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:53.839 was watching me. It was winter and the forest was 299 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:58.079 visible one hundreds of feet in all directions. There was 300 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:00.599 a group of walkers several hundred feet by behind us, 301 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.039 and no one in front of us. But I saw 302 00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:07.640 no one staring at me. As we passed through the 303 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:10.759 squatch area, I began to have the feeling someone was 304 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:15.599 behind me following us. I looked around and listened, but 305 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:19.359 saw and heard nothing. There was just people four hundred 306 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:21.880 feet or so back on the trail, and they were 307 00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:26.920 talking amongst themselves. They weren't looking our way. The sense 308 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:30.400 of someone being behind me was persistent, so I kept 309 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:33.319 looking behind me. I'd say at least twice a minute, 310 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.519 but there was just a group way back there. The 311 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:39.720 feeling of being watched is one thing. The feeling like 312 00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:43.200 someone is close behind you as something else, it is 313 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:46.920 more disturbing. I told the girlfriend to go further in 314 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:49.039 front of me and let her go about twenty feet 315 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:51.599 in front because I had a strong sensation of a 316 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:56.559 nearby presence just behind us. So I turned around not 317 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:59.240 more than thirty seconds since the last time I looked back, 318 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:03.160 and there's this woman there. She was walking, but coming 319 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.680 up on me fast. There was something way off about 320 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:11.559 her speed. She was walking when I spotted her, but 321 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:14.759 her speed was much faster than her gait. It was 322 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:17.799 if sirona people move her escalator like in an airport. 323 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:21.400 She was coming up fast and was i'd say, no 324 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:23.480 more than fifteen or twenty feet behind me. When I 325 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:27.440 saw her, I was rather alarmed and glared at her. 326 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:31.160 She stopped when our eyes met. I gave her a 327 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:34.680 look like, wtf are you doing coming upon me like that? 328 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:39.680 We stood there staring at each other. Neither was smooth. 329 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.079 She had her head cock back turr left and looked 330 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:45.440 at me from the corner of her eyes and slightly alarmed. 331 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:49.640 You caught me type of look. She was completely normal 332 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:53.359 looking like a local Chicago lady, late fifties, wearing a 333 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:58.400 bright red winter coat, gloves, slacks, et cetera. In hindsight, 334 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:01.240 there are a few other things besides her speed, which 335 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:05.079 stand out. The first thing is there was no sound, 336 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:08.319 no footsteps, no rustling in the woods, nothing to tell 337 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:10.319 me to turn around, other than the strong sense of 338 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:14.039 something behind me, which I'd had for a bit. At 339 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:16.240 the speedch she was moving, she would have had to 340 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:20.039 have been running hard, but I heard no footsteps, she 341 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:23.440 was not breathing hard, and her mouth was closed. Her 342 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:29.240 gate was a walking gate. She was not running. However, 343 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:32.039 she was moving towards me at a running speed I 344 00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:35.480 mean fast. When she stopped, I'd say she was less 345 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:38.880 than twenty feet from me. At the speed she was moving, 346 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:41.039 in one or two seconds, should have been on me. 347 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:47.119 The next thing that stands out is her features. She 348 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:51.480 had no distinguishing features, none in her hair, skin, or clothing. 349 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:56.519 No shadowing or skin hues, dimples, etc. As a former 350 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.920 Army criminal investigator, I know to look for distinctive mark 351 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:05.680 on people in clothing. There were none. I'd estimated her 352 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:08.880 height at five foot ten inches. Her clothes were of 353 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:13.000 uniform coloring and indistinct. It was like she just stepped 354 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:17.759 out of a department store. Her bright red coat was pristine, 355 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:21.160 with a uniform hue to it. There wasn't even shading, 356 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:23.319 which there should have been given the clear sky and 357 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:27.880 a low sun. After staring at each other for I'd 358 00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:31.039 say five to ten seconds, I felt like I got 359 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:33.559 my point across, so I turned around and continued walking. 360 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:37.640 The girlfriend had not noticed anything and had continued walking. 361 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:41.839 I took about three steps and realized there was no 362 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:44.000 way she could have come up from that group in 363 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:46.720 the thirty or so seconds since I'd last looked back. 364 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:50.880 There was also nowhere to come from on either side. 365 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:54.200 Visibility at that point was one hundreds of feet all around. 366 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:58.440 I said to myself, no way, and spun back around. 367 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:04.160 She was gone on simply vanished. I checked the group 368 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:05.960 behind us, and no one had a red coat on 369 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:09.440 or was looking at us. There was no one else around, 370 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:12.559 and there had been no sounds other than my footfalls. 371 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:19.000 The woman just vanished. From that point, it took us 372 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:22.240 about ten minutes to reach the car, but the remainder 373 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:23.960 of the walk I did not feel like I was 374 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:27.599 being stared at or followed I've never been back to 375 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:30.680 Star Rock State Park and have no intention of going back. 376 00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:35.319 The whole thing was bizarre. How was I supposed to 377 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:40.279 tell anyone about that? So I never have? My mental 378 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:43.079 state was fine. I have a high IQ and a 379 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:46.279 twenty year career in a stem field following army service. 380 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:51.000 At the time, I was working add contract in Iraq. 381 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:55.559 I was well rested and relaxed, being on vacation with 382 00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:58.960 the girlfriend. There were no drugs or alcohol in Paul. 383 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:02.519 These are strictly prohibited in my line of work and 384 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:07.000 were grounds for media termination under mnfi's G ONE, which 385 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:10.680 I was subject to at the time. I've carried this 386 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:13.440 experience around for twelve plus years, being unable to talk 387 00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:18.279 about it because it was so exceptional and unexplainable. It's 388 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:22.640 a relief to read similar stories of unusual encounters and disappearances. 389 00:24:24.279 --> 00:24:26.920 After reading many missing four to one one accounts and 390 00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:30.839 the profile of disappearances, I believe I narrowly averted being 391 00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:34.559 snatched by whatever that thing was. I do not think 392 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:37.160 it was the woman I saw. I think it was 393 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:45.759 something different which I could not see. Thank you anonymous 394 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:52.359 eerie footsteps behind us when I was around twelve years old, 395 00:24:52.599 --> 00:24:54.559 my girlfriend and I went with my parents to an 396 00:24:54.599 --> 00:25:00.319 isolated cabin that was only accessible by boat in northern Ontario, Canada, 397 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:04.839 near my dad's reservation called Serpent River. Anyway, my brother 398 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:06.839 was swimming in the lake, so my girlfriend and I 399 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:08.839 decided to hike up a hill that ended up being 400 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:13.200 quite steep with cedar trees all around us. So as 401 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:15.279