Entry 8 – October 13, 2012
Tonight, I had one of the scariest encounters with this creature. I felt like I had a near-death experience. It all started when I went up in my tree-house for an impromptu stakeout (of sorts). I brought less things with me than last time. I didn't think I would need all that stuff. Although, I did bring the helmet and goggles with me. Just in case. I never realized how bad the weather was looking. After about 10 minutes, rain started to pour down hard. Normally, I like the rain. I like the sound of a rainstorm, especially at night. This time was the exception. Why? Because I was trying to listen for the creature. I couldn't hear anything over the sound of falling rain. At that moment, I just knew something would go wrong because of this (and well, it did). I tried as hard as I could to distinguish the sound of leaves from heavy rain. They sound so similar that I couldn't tell a difference! 15 or so minutes later, I no longer had to listen for the creature. It was already on one of the tree-house trees. As before, things were shifting around, but this time it seemed worse. While I was trying to hold on to things as they are rocking around in the room, I saw my Dad's machete move around. I had forgotten to put it away from the time I cleaned up the tree-house. The machete shifted out onto the deck. I was trying to stand up, but couldn't keep a balance. On my hands and knees, I crawled out onto the deck to retrieve the machete. This was a mistake. I heard a loud growl close above me. The creature must have been only a branch or two up. I panicked and jumped back inside, anxiously hiding under my desk. Not a minute goes by before I hear a swoop with a familiar clank. I slowly inch around the corner to find that the machete was gone. I had no clue what was going to happen next. I had thought for sure that I was going to die very soon. This was a legitimate near-death experience (I'm very sure about it). I just waited a few minutes for the rain to die down, then ran for my life. I don't think I've ever had more incentive to run ever. Once I got back home, I felt like I just escaped the clutches of death. I'm glad none of my family were around when I came inside. Just my face alone could have told them the whole story. A mix of anxiety, fear, fatigue, and coldness. I now realize that this happened because I held onto the machete. It seems to know that a machete is a weapon. So that's why it growled at me. I don't know why it didn't just get me afterward, maybe it thought I was too easy or something. The important thing is that I'm safe. I need to remember that this thing is sensitive against weapons. This hasn't happened before. A growl from it is a new thing. If I remember not to bring the machete up in the tree-house, I think I should be okay. For now...