For one thing, he is as stubborn as a mule and even when he knows he is wrong, he often doesn't admit it and keeps arguing. Occasionally the streak will appear in everyone in my mom's side, though I think he is currently holding the lead for the worst. He has lived in Vernon almost all of his life, and while he has his faults, it certainly is never boring around him.
I had not known much about my great grandfather until I went to visit my grandfather one day. As usual, we sat on his screened in porch while my mum chatted with my step-grandmother (so to speak) and he asked me about the normal things. School, family, friends, etc, etc. It was only when I mentioned my interest in strange and unheard of animals that he pounced upon it like a cat to a mouse. "Strange animals!" he cried. "I remember, your great grandfather, having an issue with something similar!" I was surprised, and excited. I only visited him around twice a year, and they were afternoon visits, and normally he took us out to eat and talked with my mom, only occasionally winking at me or talking. We did not normally talk about anything interesting one-on-one, I merely listened to stories he told my mother.
I begged him to share what he had to say, so he told me. Before that time, I did not know much about my great grandfather. I know from what my mum told me - he immigrated from Austria/Ukraine to America because he did not want to be fight for the German army during World War I. He had to leave his wife and children behind until later, and he greatly feared for his life. Eventually he did get to America with his wife and children, though a couple of his boys died of disease. I also knew that he often used to sleep in his barn because Russians would steal his horses. Sometimes, they would take them across the border. More often then not, he stole them back. I know that eventually he settled in Vernon, Vermont and had seven children in all.
The details of the story are sketchy, I only know from what my grandfather has told me. My grandfather is not a very poetic man, so the story is rather blunt and simple. Like I said, his voice is like a rasping bullfrog so I might have made a few mistakes. I also changed it around a bit so it is easier to read, and I did not write the original story down so I might not remember it exactly as he said it. Occasionally I asked a question on more of what it looked like in detail, and instead of writing the questions down, I have merely added them to his descrition of the creature so it is more vivid and you can get a better picture. But here it is, as close to the real thing as I can make it:
"It was on one evening late in the summer, after a number of livestock had gone missing, that he noticed his hunting dog had gone missing as well. Calling in the children from playing in the corn field, he asked if any of them had seen the dog in the past days. None of them had seen the pup since that morning, and your great grandfather decided that there must be something done. That night he slept in the barn with his gun, waiting for any sign of the mysterious creature that was making off with his livestock.
"He was awake and alert all night like a hawk, waiting in the hay silently so not to alarm the theif. For most of the night it was silent, and it wasn't until well after midnight that he saw the intruder. Unknow to him, a small gap - probably created by a mixture of clawing from an animal and rot - had taken place in the back of the barn, and a creature squeezed its way under.
"He waited silently until he could get a good glimpse of it before firing, until at once his blood went to ice. The creature's eyes glowed warily as it padded forward, and though it was almost too dark to see anything, the creature he saw was unlike any fox or bobcat he had seen. It was around the size of a coyote, though its eyes took on a strange glow. He could see a long muzzle protruding forward, and the dark shape let out a strange screeching cry unlike any coyote or dog he had heard before. It's fur took on a light, silvery glow, and just as it leaped forward and rose lightly onto its hind legs, he began to fire rapidly. It turned and a face that was round like a cat's but had a muzzle like a dog's stared at him, with two glassy eyes filled with slitted pupils. He fired again. At once it let out a piercing shriek and flew back in retreat towards the hole, only to be met with more shots. It squeezed through the hole, snagging fur and blood around the edges, before fleeing into the night.
"He was more than a little surprised on the happenings of the night. He wasn't sure if what he saw was a coyote or a demon, but he was a very down-to-earth kind of man. He never saw the creature again, though he quickly blocked the hole up and stayed in the barn a few more nights to make sure. He certainly was not seen many places without his gun. Apparently there were more reports of missing livestock from some of his friends, although they were assumed to be the cause of more natural matters. Neither the dog or the missing livestock turned up."
And thus is the end of my grandfather's tale. Believe what you like, and I am still not entirely sure. I do not think I shall ever know if he was telling the truth, if it really happened, whether or not it was exaggerated, or what sort of animal it was if it is all true. My grandfather could possibly have made it up purely for my entertainment, though he would not tell me if he was or otherwise. I suspect it could have been an exaggerated tale that my great grandfather told my grandfather, or perhaps one of them made it up completely. Still, I thought it was interesting and would share it with everyone on the UM. Does anyone have any ideas of what it could have possibly been, if the whole thing is true?
Comments are appreciated!
Not to mention that it was well written. 