First off, I’d like to preface this with the fact that I don’t claim to be a writer, I’m merely just a fisherman reporting this to you, as it’s made it so that I’ve gotten no sleep.
My friends and I have always been fisherman we’ve fished alot and just about everywhere so we have seen our fair share of weird shit while we’re out there. Anything from robbery’s, to car crashes, to and this is unfortunate but men exposing themselves..try to forget this one as well. Due to the nature of the climate we live in it’s very hot and we always fish at night, always inshore places, AKA places we could fish from the shore or wade to.
It was the middle of July and it was very hot, we had the itch to fish but were patient and waited until it was around sunset. There’s a park with a few places we like to fish and if I parked in the right spot my truck wouldn’t get notice by the rangers and we could stay late. I hopped in the truck and headed down the road to pick up the boys, of course, as soon as I jumped in there was a huge crack and boom. Florida is known for its crazy thunderstorms and it seemed like we were in for one, which was not a problem we’d fished through them before and had the proper gear for it ready.
I pulled up to the first friends house got all his gear in the truck and went to pick up our other friend but seemed like he had bailed last moment which was fine we thought nothing of it and headed for the park. By the time we had pulled up the storm was just about in full effect but we had beaten the rain to the first spot and about 30 minutes before sunset. Fast forward 30 mins we were done with this spot, the rain was pounding at this point it was pitch black and the only thing that was lighting up the area was the lightning.
We were ready to try the next spot, we had lights but we didnt want to use them for fear of the ranger seeing them and kicking us out. We saw the yellow flashing light and the headlights through the trees getting ready to pass us by, we ducked down behind the trash cans next to one of those shelter buildings parks always have. He luckily went right by and never noticed us being there. We started our trek, this spot was a bit of a walk with a somewhat trodden path through a mangrove forest. No the path leads next to a small lagoon area that is maybe waist deep in the middle (I know this because I’ve waded through the whole thing)
We were maybe a minute or two into the short trek and we were next to the lagoon, and boom, another lightning strike I looked towards the water through the mangroves and stopped directly in my tracks. There about 50 yards away, standing in the middle of the lagoon, was only what I could describe as a shadow, a towering, lanky, sinewy figure. I reach for my buddy and whispered to him to shine his light there and saw nothing but heard the noise of almost someone skipping a rock across the water. I dismissed it as my eyes playing tricks on me and we decided to keep going. The rest of the path is thin and not exactly easy, you have to duck under branches and weave between trees to get there. We were almost there and my buddy had to pee so I said alright and went on the rest of the way towards our spot.
To give you a little setting, the spot I’m speaking about was a little oyster bar that had deeper ocean on both sides, one a small lagoon and the other side the gulf the feeds into that small lagoon. Also for more perspective when standing on the oyster bank you can see that lagoon where I saw the figure.
As I’m nearing the end of the trail and get close to the clearing, like clock work another lightnight strike hits, mixed with a good amount of heat lighning so the whole area was lit up for around 15 seconds. And there again, in front of me less than 15 feet at this point was that figure this time down on all fours crawling on the oyster bed in front of me…I got a much better look this time, it was some kind of creature? Alien? demon? Im still not sure you tell me.
The creature seemed to have thick reflective black skin the raindrops just beading on it relfecting the light off of it, the best thing I could compare it to would be a black snake skin without scales. Seeing it now in front of me I could tell how big it really was, easily 10 feet long and its arms and legs id say maybe 8 feet long? But so incredibly skinny its legs and arms bent keeping it closer to the oyster bed and the water. It was facing away from me with its head close to the water, I couldnt see its face but its neck and spine were something out of a nightmare. These intersecting bones clearly visible through its skin definitely some kind of spine went all the way down its neck and back. Maybe it was drinking the water? Its saltwater so it doesnt make sense.
At this point i was frozen in fear the goosbumps literally rippling through my body, I felt like I had no air in my chest at all, even if i wanted to scream I couldn’t. My friend at this point was walking up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder and I almost fell to the ground, my packback shaking all the lures in there creating a very loud noise. I threw my hand to my face to motion to be quiet but it was too late. I whipped my head around towards the creature only able to see glowing eyes nearly 6 feet away at this point. All I could do was tell him to run in a whispered labored voice and we took off sprinting. We were going as fast as we could through the mangrove forest dodging all the branches ducking underneath and even running at them hoping theyd break as we passed through.
Around half way I another lightning had struck and through the tops of the mangroves there was this creature again somehow on all fours seeming running along the tops of the mangroves looking down at us, Its face still hidden to me but long gray hair waving through the breeze as it ran those eyes glowing peering down at us, no pupils just a dull grey glow.
We continued on sprinting trying to get back to the truck, climbing up the bank to get to the parking lot. We threw the doors open and jumped in. Fumbling through my pockets trying to find my keys shove them in the ignition and get out of there.
My friend in the passenger seat clicking his light on shining it at the entrance to the trail, as Im starting the truck, and I can just tell from his silence he saw something. I turned my head and looked and there was the figure standing atop of the mangroves on two legs now hair still slightly blowing in the wet breeze. We both said nothing he turned the light off and I floored it in the oppostite way. Not seeing the creature for the remainder of the drive. We never went back and didn’t even want to talk about it, if we talked about it, it would solidify it as a real thing and we both wanted to chalk it up to the storm and lightning playing tricks on us.
Ive had a few more sightings and will share if it seems as though people want to hear.