Was there something in the woods?

Selectric

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I just finished the video in Programs and Videos of interest called There's something in the woods. It prompted me to talk about my childhood neighborhood and the odd woods surrounding the still unchanged area. With the ever building and progression in our area, this place has remained very much the same. Sure houses have been updated, some not so much. My childhood home has undergone many changes from last i lived there, but that is to be expected after 30+ years. The surrounding woods...not even abit. No new homes have ever been built there. Perhaps some of it is part of the land protection laws that came into effect through the years. Either way, even driving through this place all these years later, it still fills me with thoughts of being watched. I remember walking around the neighborhood with a friend or groups of friends from the neighborhood. None of us really ever felt 'safe' there. Sure, the more people, the better it took away the ever present feeling, but made it more bearable. We would walk down the streets and you could always hear what sounded like something walking in tandem with you in the woods. You stop...it stopped. It was no echo. We were on blacktop...you could hear the leaves and branches crunching as it 'walked' in line with you. Atleast twice, the 'figure' i saw down at the river was seen. This thing was very fast. It was completely black with no features. I saw it in broad daylight, sun beating down on us. And yet, no identifying features...clothing, face, hair...just black. It had mass to it as i watched it pull branches out it's way as it came out of the woods. Sometime later, my cousin was freaked the hell out one night when he spotted something standing behind a tree. He was on his bicycle when he saw it and stopped. He waited there a second and next thing he knew it came out from behind the tree and began charging at him. He arrived at my friend's house SHORTLY after and told us what just happened. We ended up getting a few more people to join us and go looking for it. We never did find it, nor did i ever see it again...doesn't mean i never heard it again. We were bored one night during the winter and decided to enter the fenced in campground that inhabited the center of our neighborhood. As we got to the arcade building, we began walking around one corner when something jumped off the roof heavily and walked around the building towards us. That was all we needed to hear lol and we ran as fast as we could and back over the fence. We stopped close to my friend's house and stood there out of breath. Asking each other wth was that...within a minute, we heard the faint crunching of leaves. Whatever it was, it was following the fence line towards us. We finished the distance and ended up in my friend's house. Another night, i stayed at his house and of course we snuck out late at night to roam the neighborhood. We got back early and ended up sitting out front of his house talking. In the distance we heard something running really fast, coming from the far corner of the campground. Within seconds, it hit the fence and into the leaves and branches...then towards us. We ran inside the house, not caring if we woke his parents up as something was now banging on the front door. We woke them up and by the time we all went outside, there was nothing there. Another instance was at my friend's house, where he told me he would hear something up on his roof. It was no squirrel or anything small. If an adult got onto your roof and started running all around on it, that's what it sounded like. At first i didn't believe him until his family and i were all there and heard it. We quickly went outside...nothing. One night there was a meteor shower and my sister and i were at the end of our driveway watching it. It was quite dark on our road so it was great for stargazing. As we sat quietly we heard this ungodly scream come from the woods behind our house. I have never heard anything remotely close to it and never hope to hear it again. One day while we were walking WAY out in the woods, we came across an odor of candles burning. There were NO houses anywhere near us. I have no idea why we smelled that. Never did again. Another instance, we were down at the river and came across a locked van. It had some kind of dry cleaning name on it. The odd thing about it was there was a security guard shirt draped over the driver's seat. We circled the van, checking to see if any door was unlocked. As we circled it, we began hearing the sounds in the woods again. We called out to see if maybe the person was going to the bathroom or whatever, but nobody responded...only circled us in the woods. This was broad daylight as well. We did not see anyone in close vicinity of the treeline...only heard it. We left and came back shortly and the van was gone. Explainable, but very damn odd either way. Everyone that lived there always thought there something 'off' about our little neighborhood. I don't ever remember hearing of anyone venturing into those woods alone. Always had that feeling that if you did...you were never coming out...and whatever was out there, was patiently waiting for someone to try.
 
Your neighborhood adventures were certainly intriguing, Selectric! I have shared some of the weird things I have experienced, growing up in NJ. They are in other threads. But that was a good read!
Was a very strange place indeed...guess still is lol. My childhood home was not exempt either.
 
I usually post these in the Videos and programs of Interest but this first part (another coming out next week) struck me to post in this thread. I have watched the 411 series and though being different locations, these events are not specific to any one place. These experiences should open our eyes to those things that potentially occur and quite possibly dwell in these places. My experiences happened long before i had any knowledge of things like this. The feeling of utter fear of what resided beyond the treeline was far from childhood imagination. It was something that was felt to your very core.
 
I have shared some of the weird things I have experienced, growing up in NJ. They are in other threads.
Been scanning older threads again, i found a few of your experiences. Do you remember which were the ones from NJ?
 
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Been scanning older threads again, i found a few of your experiences. Do you remember which were the ones from NJ?
Most of them were from NJ because that is where I grew up. My family always seemed to move into places with "issues." One of the experiences was in St. Louis, Missouri when i was traveling cross country.
 
Most of them were from NJ because that is where I grew up. My family always seemed to move into places with "issues." One of the experiences was in St. Louis, Missouri when i was traveling cross country.
Were any regarding the woods out here? After seeing the B S post it brought back clear memories for sure. I am sure there are explanations aplenty, but could never ignore that nagging sensation. Always chalked it up to numerous things, though in the back of your mind you just knew something was not right.
 
I just finished the video in Programs and Videos of interest called There's something in the woods. It prompted me to talk about my childhood neighborhood and the odd woods surrounding the still unchanged area. With the ever building and progression in our area, this place has remained very much the same. Sure houses have been updated, some not so much. My childhood home has undergone many changes from last i lived there, but that is to be expected after 30+ years. The surrounding woods...not even abit. No new homes have ever been built there. Perhaps some of it is part of the land protection laws that came into effect through the years. Either way, even driving through this place all these years later, it still fills me with thoughts of being watched. I remember walking around the neighborhood with a friend or groups of friends from the neighborhood. None of us really ever felt 'safe' there. Sure, the more people, the better it took away the ever present feeling, but made it more bearable. We would walk down the streets and you could always hear what sounded like something walking in tandem with you in the woods. You stop...it stopped. It was no echo. We were on blacktop...you could hear the leaves and branches crunching as it 'walked' in line with you. Atleast twice, the 'figure' i saw down at the river was seen. This thing was very fast. It was completely black with no features. I saw it in broad daylight, sun beating down on us. And yet, no identifying features...clothing, face, hair...just black. It had mass to it as i watched it pull branches out it's way as it came out of the woods. Sometime later, my cousin was freaked the hell out one night when he spotted something standing behind a tree. He was on his bicycle when he saw it and stopped. He waited there a second and next thing he knew it came out from behind the tree and began charging at him. He arrived at my friend's house SHORTLY after and told us what just happened. We ended up getting a few more people to join us and go looking for it. We never did find it, nor did i ever see it again...doesn't mean i never heard it again. We were bored one night during the winter and decided to enter the fenced in campground that inhabited the center of our neighborhood. As we got to the arcade building, we began walking around one corner when something jumped off the roof heavily and walked around the building towards us. That was all we needed to hear lol and we ran as fast as we could and back over the fence. We stopped close to my friend's house and stood there out of breath. Asking each other wth was that...within a minute, we heard the faint crunching of leaves. Whatever it was, it was following the fence line towards us. We finished the distance and ended up in my friend's house. Another night, i stayed at his house and of course we snuck out late at night to roam the neighborhood. We got back early and ended up sitting out front of his house talking. In the distance we heard something running really fast, coming from the far corner of the campground. Within seconds, it hit the fence and into the leaves and branches...then towards us. We ran inside the house, not caring if we woke his parents up as something was now banging on the front door. We woke them up and by the time we all went outside, there was nothing there. Another instance was at my friend's house, where he told me he would hear something up on his roof. It was no squirrel or anything small. If an adult got onto your roof and started running all around on it, that's what it sounded like. At first i didn't believe him until his family and i were all there and heard it. We quickly went outside...nothing. One night there was a meteor shower and my sister and i were at the end of our driveway watching it. It was quite dark on our road so it was great for stargazing. As we sat quietly we heard this ungodly scream come from the woods behind our house. I have never heard anything remotely close to it and never hope to hear it again. One day while we were walking WAY out in the woods, we came across an odor of candles burning. There were NO houses anywhere near us. I have no idea why we smelled that. Never did again. Another instance, we were down at the river and came across a locked van. It had some kind of dry cleaning name on it. The odd thing about it was there was a security guard shirt draped over the driver's seat. We circled the van, checking to see if any door was unlocked. As we circled it, we began hearing the sounds in the woods again. We called out to see if maybe the person was going to the bathroom or whatever, but nobody responded...only circled us in the woods. This was broad daylight as well. We did not see anyone in close vicinity of the treeline...only heard it. We left and came back shortly and the van was gone. Explainable, but very damn odd either way. Everyone that lived there always thought there something 'off' about our little neighborhood. I don't ever remember hearing of anyone venturing into those woods alone. Always had that feeling that if you did...you were never coming out...and whatever was out there, was patiently waiting for someone to try.

Wow. Well... WAY to much of this is familiar to me. :eyes: This post took me back into the yesterday's and slammed me back into the here and now. Two house's, miles apart, in OKC... when I was very young. One sat on a corner lot. Huge old place... white, framed wood, windows everywhere, three story (counting what seemed to be an attic to the Child's eye). Now, as a child with no supervision that hung with a whole group of other children (from two to twelve), also not supervised... we were impressed. BUT, none of us would actually cross the plane into the yard, much less the impressive wrap around porch leading to the fancy front door. We would, however, spend many days and nights, standing on the sidewalk... observing. 'shiver'. The house had long been empty, at least in our child's memory... buttttt ... we knew better. And one night, Halloween as it was, and as children will... standing on that sidewalk and daring each other... one of us screamed and the rest looked up... and in that window on the third floor - well, there was a women alright. And She was watching us watch the house. And she was hungry... if you get my drift. It was clear as clear as a Child See's. To my knowledge, none of us EVER walked that sidewalk again... go blocks and blocks out of our way to NOT be there. The second house, well... far worse and really don't want ta go there tonight... I have to sleep.

How this all connects is... when we all gathered, as we often did, in the old garage out back of Alan McKee's house... this is what we KNEW... though this house was in a neighborhood... OUR neighborhood... it always stood alone... and was ALWAYS surrounded by woods. When we stood on that sidewalk and observed... everything else just receded. Houses, porch lights, dogs barking, adults laughing, arguing, cooking, yelling for their kids... EVERYTHING... just, ceased to be. That house stood alone. 'shiver's again'

Now, understand, there were no 'rumors'... no 'old wife's tales or gossip'... no warnings or well... anything at all from adults... as far as I can remember... it was just a house on the corner lot in the middle of a blue collar neighborhood in the middle of a big city (and getting bigger) with no thought or talk of bad or good... from anyone at all... We, the unsupervised, did not challenge or upset that reality. It was ours to keep.

That's where it started... (and flowed cross country and back many times) ... but not where it ended... by a long shot. NOW, here I sit, in the deep Woods... for some... and The Creator only knows... reason... (and believe me when I tell ya, I'm amazed and bemused every day of the 4 decades I have dwelt here). Cause THESE Woods... well. THESE Woods...

Maybe the whole thing was a lead up... maybe not... but, by the time I landed here, I instinctively walked AROUND the perimeter of certain area's. And by the by... so did my kids. Interestingly, as I write this, I am Seeing that ALL these particular area's are bordered by a Path... some kind of Path. An old mule trail used to clear enough area for a one room cabin... an old logging trail used to hook up the a-fore mentioned mules to take a felled tree to the new saw mill 20 miles down the wild dirt paths for trade... and later, access roads that came into existence in the last half century for utility and/or sub-division of large tracts of land. hmmmm.

Anyway. This is more stuff then is usual for me to speak. But in the end... the best I can think of ALL of this is... there are areas that just ARE. Or, as the Old Man from The Mountain told me... "They was here before we got here and they be here long after we be gone".

I don't believe this applies to only the deep woods... I believe it is everywhere AND I truly believe... they was here before we was here... 'shivers AGAIN'.

If you's guys figure it out... this Old One is open to listen.


Out in the Woods ~ Leon Russell


 
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