This story takes place in 2007 when I was a 9-year-old kid. I live in Michigan and it was the summer before I started 3rd grade. It was a tradition for my Dad and I to go Up North and stay a weekend visiting his buddy who had a cabin on the lake, and this year was no different. I was excited as I always was, but this time I was particularly happy that my Dad’s wife and her kids weren’t gonna be with us.
The driveway to the cabin was a long dirt road, with a smaller cabin and fireplace near the front. It’s also surrounded by a thick woods that stretches along both sides of the driveway, which extends about 100 yards until it opens up into the spot where people parked their cars. Just beyond the cars was the bunkhouse, and beyond the bunkhouse was the front yard to the cabin.
As we pulled in, my Father reminded us that we would have to camp out in the front yard and sleep in a tent together because the bunkhouse was already being occupied by his friend’s kids. I didn’t mind at all, as the sounds of nature helped me fall asleep. The sun was setting as we unloaded the truck, and the leaves swayed with the breeze. The branches danced and cast shadows along the yard that occasionally changed when the sun dipped behind the clouds.
The entire property was surrounded by woods and enclosed within a chain-link fence, with the front yard having a gate that opened up onto the deck. Once you were on the deck, there was a table and grill to your left and a doorway to the cabin on your right. If you kept going, you’d go down four steps and come across the hot tub on the left and another doorway on the right, followed by the rickety wooden stairway that led down to the lake.
After we said hi to everyone, my dad and I started pitching our tent. I glanced to the right and noticed there was a small clearing about 50 yards out in the woods. I didn’t pay much attention to it, and we finished setting up the tent in no time. We then proceeded to join everyone for dinner on the deck followed by a fire down by the lake. After a few hours of making smores, listening to everyone tell ghost stories, and watching some fireworks that were set off on the dock, I found myself exhausted from the trip and started saying goodnight to everyone. I gave my dad a hug goodnight and started heading up to the deck and out to the front yard. I unzipped the tent, crawled into my sleeping bag, and passed out.
I don’t know what time it was when I woke up, but I could hear my Dad snoring lightly next to me so I assumed it was well into the night. One thing I picked up on right away was that it was dead quiet outside. Instead of hearing the normal summer sounds that I’m used to hearing at night, there was nothing. There were no crickets chirping, no owls hooting, not even the rustling of the leaves or twigs rustling as the nocturnal creatures came out for food.
It was dead silent.
I felt extremely uneasy, but I also realized why I had woken up - I had to pee. I slowly crawled to the front of the tent and reached for the zipper, hesitating for a moment before unzipping the door. I poked my head out and was met with the eeriest silence I’ve ever heard.
The moon was full and illuminated the trees and their branches as they sat above me silently. The sky was clear and the stars twinkled as they danced in the darkness.
I slowly stepped out of the tent and felt the morning dew from the grass hit the bottom of my feet. I glanced up at the sky, just in awe at how clear it was. We never got to see the stars this bright back in the city, and I liked to cherish the moments when I could. I walked over to the big oak tree that was just inside the fence and started doing my business. I lowered my head to the clearing in front of me, and that’s when I heard it.
OOOOOOOWHOOOOO!
The sound pierced through the silent night.
Chills ran down my spine and I froze in place as my head darted in the direction of the woods, trying to locate the source of the sound.
OOOOOOOWHOOOOO!
It happened again – this time it was echoed by a few more. What followed were the familiar yips of coyotes, and I was relieved when I saw them emerge from one side of the clearing and exit into the other.
I stood there quietly as I observed the canines running and jumping through the clearing. When the last of them had disappeared, I tapped out the last of my business and glanced down to zip up my shorts. When I looked back up, I saw something I will never forget.
There, in the clearing 50 yards away, was what looked like a coyote mixed with a human – and it was standing on it’s hind legs, looking right at me. It had pointy ears, thick dark fur, a snout that was snarling and revealing a set of wicked teeth, and it’s eyes were yellow-orange – staring straight into mine.
The thing that terrified me most about this thing was it’s size. If I had to guess, it had to have stood around 8 feet tall.
I was frozen stiff, but that quickly changed when the thing looked up and let out the most horrific scream I’ve ever heard. Nothing about it sounded human. I tripped backwards over my feet and dashed back into the tent, zipping it shut and diving under my sleeping bag. I then heard the grunt of a large animal, followed by the rattling of the chain-link fence, and then the unmistakable sound of feet hitting the Earth.
I closed my eyes shut tight and hoped to God this thing would go away. I laid there, trembling in my sleeping bag as I heard a set of two feet slowly stomp around our tent. After a few minutes, I pulled my sleeping bag slightly down below my eyes, and I saw it’s shadow in front of the tent. It’s pointy ears tilted back as it let out another scream – before running towards the driveway of the cabin and disappearing into the night.
I laid there in my sleeping bag, paralyzed by fear, hoping it wouldn’t come back. After what seemed like forever, the sun finally came up.
I asked my dad if he heard the screams last night and told him about what I saw, but he assured me it was just a nightmare and that no such thing existed. I dropped it shortly after and kept this story mostly to myself until now.
I don’t know what it was for sure that I saw that night but I DID see it, and I do know this – I will never set foot near the Michigan woods alone at night ever again.