The year was 2007. I was 19 years old living in an old country home in the town of Greenwood, Florida.
Beautiful wood floors. Large front porch. A nice back deck. It was built in the late 1800s.
One night I was home by myself. My two roommates were out and about in the next town over.
I decided I’d get some sleep.
The head of my bed was up against the wall of the room. There was a big window at the head of the bed.
My back deck was to the left of me, directly on the other side of the wall. The home is built up off the ground. You could get under the deck as it was open. We used it to store rakes, shovels, and a couple five gallon buckets.
I first heard it run into the yard from the field. Heavy and fast like hooves on the ground. It ran under the porch, and I heard it knock over one of the buckets.
It came straight to my window.
It stood at my window.
The foot of the window was up off the ground about 4 or 5 foot. It was a tall window, as the house had tall ceilings. This visitor must have been 8 or 9 foot tall.
It began making a sound. A low, growling language that was completely unlike anything I had ever heard.
It was not an animal and was far from human.
It put me in a trance. I could not move. I didn’t particularly want to move to alert it of my presence. But it knew I was there. Why else had it come to my window but to say hello? It must have seen me before. Or it could just smell me.
I barely even drew a breath.
How long I lay there with it speaking through my window, I am unsure. 10 or 20 minutes is my guess.
It’s voice was terrible. Exactly what you would expect an evil thing must sound like. Over and over, it spoke to me.
I had never felt fear like this in my life. Knowing that it stood inches from me, separated only by the old, thin pane of glass. It still fills me with dread. But I am also filled with wonder.
It eventually ran off. I heard it’s departure just as I’d heard its arrival. It was a tall thing and must have some weight to it.
The next morning, I looked under the back deck. A five gallon bucket was on its side and sticking out from the deck. Knocked over just as I knew it would be.
There are nothing but woods for miles behind that house. Pasture and woods. Stretching along the highway til kingdom come.
Down that highway about 40 miles is my childhood home where I live today.
The thing that came to greet me is still out there as far as I know. Wouldn’t take long for it to get here. Does it know I’m here? Will it ever visit me again?
The thought sends chills down my spine.