When I was 11 years old, I had a peculiar experience that remains vivid in my memory, even 29 years later. It was an ordinary day, just like any other. My mother, grandmother, and I had gone to the local grocery store in our small town in Southwest Missouri. The trip was uneventful, as usual, but it felt like an eternity before we returned home.
As we drove back, the sun had just begun to set. I could still see fairly well, but I was eager to get home. When we arrived, my mother exclaimed, “Trixie is out!” Trixie was our family’s large female Rottweiler. Looking in the direction she pointed, it indeed appeared like our dog was outside. However, my mother was worried that Trixie might see us and run across the highway, potentially putting herself in danger.
In a panic, I jumped on my bicycle and raced towards my grandparents’ house, which was across the highway from our home. After a minute or so of cycling, I spotted a large, black creature. It was not a dog, nor was it a bear. I had no idea what it could be.
As I approached the creature, I locked up the brakes on my bike, causing it to skid sideways and crash to the ground. The creature then turned and looked straight at me. I froze in fear as the creature frantically ran and jumped over a barbed wire fence, disappearing into the woods.
I quickly regained my composure, mounted my bike, and raced back to where my mother and grandmother were unloading groceries. I told them about what I had seen, but they were just as puzzled as I was. Trixie was in the yard, so they knew it wasn’t our dog.
The sighting of the unknown creature sent shivers down my spine, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The image of the creature’s eyes glaring at me was seared into my memory, and it haunted me for many sleepless nights.
Despite my terror, I continued to explore the very same woods where I had seen the creature. I never encountered anything else like it again, but stories in the area persisted of a black panther or a family of large black cats. However, I had never seen any evidence of such creatures, and I was pretty sure that I would have recognized a panther if I had seen one.
As I grew older, I continued to venture into the wilderness to hunt and fish in Missouri, but I never encountered any such animal again. This experience, though terrifying, taught me that the world is full of creatures that we don’t understand, and it made me appreciate the mysteries of the natural world even more.
Looking back, I realize how strange it was that my family and I were never able to identify what I saw that day. There are plenty of possibilities that could explain what I encountered, but I will never truly know. Despite the years that have passed, I still vividly remember the moment I saw the creature. The size and color of the animal were so distinct that it was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
As a child, I was always interested in wildlife, so it wasn’t unusual for me to go exploring in the woods by myself. I knew the area like the back of my hand, so when I saw something that didn’t fit, it was extremely unnerving.
I’ve thought a lot about what it could have been. I’ve heard stories of black panthers, mountain lions, and even escaped exotic pets in the area, but I’ll never be able to say for sure what I saw. Even though it’s been almost 30 years, the incident still feels fresh in my mind, and I can still see the creature’s black coat.