It was very late, or early depending on your perspective. My wife and I had turned out the light and said good night to each other some time ago. As I lay in bed drifting between half awake and half asleep I noise entered into my train of consciousness.

At first it was incorporated into the dream world that was forming, but then it seemed to pull me back toward being awake. So I lay there listening for a few moments. I thought it might be one of the kids, but they seemed to be sleeping just fine. I did not hear anything else so I began drifting again, welcome sleep coming on after a long day. Then the noise happened again and I snapped back to consciousness fully alert. Whatever it was was outside.

Now, we have all heard tales of houses being built on old Indian Burial grounds, or some other misfortune that happened to an unsuspecting home owner. These events almost always have a bad outcome. I will tell you that there are some areas around here, especially when the leaves are off the trees, as they are now, which take on a slightly sinister character. Old gnarly trees appear like giants waving their arms in the wind. Hump backed old mountains lay low against a troubled sky. The wind howls, the rain can thrash and in a flash of lightning it can appear that a figure is standing outside the window looking forlornly off to the west, watching the storm approach.

At least that is what can happen.

I sat up in bed and peered out of the bedroom window into the back yard. On this night, it was fairly calm outside, a slight breeze with half moon and all seemed normal. So, what had I heard? My wife was now sitting up looking out of the window too. “Did you hear that?” I said in a low voice.

“Yes” was the reply.

We looked out of the south window toward the side yard when I saw it. A very large man appeared to be standing under the pear tree about twenty five feet away. He was thrashing the lower branches violently with both hands. The branches were swishing back and forth and every once in a while he grunted with the effort. That is what I heard! That is what woke me up! I was transfixed, as was my wife. I said “What the…”

The man apparently heard me because he stopped, then got down on all fours. But then, he took on a completely different shape, in fact, he looked almost like… a bear! My wife and I said in unison “It’s a bear!” There was no quiet voice used this time and the bear definitely heard us. He or she took off across the yard and into the woods. Let me tell you, a bear can run pretty fast!

The next day I went outside to find our garbage can had been tipped over and gone through. The area under the pear tree where the bear had been standing on it’s hind legs was about 7 feet tall. Not only was it a bear, but it was a big bear. I can see how someone see a bear standing on its hind legs in low light conditions could mistake it for something else, like a Sasquatch or something.

Popularity: 3% [?]