AUGUST 2015

During the summer of 2015 at about midnight, I observed a very strange creature standing at the intersection of West Virginia Avenue and Fell Avenue. I first observed it as I was walking west on the north side of West Virginia just past Broadway Avenue. From a distance of about 100 feet, it looked like a very large possum standing very still in the middle of the intersection under a street light. As I got closer, I realized it was far too large to be a possum and was approximately the size of a medium-sized dog of about 30 pounds. But it was not shaped like any dog I had ever seen. It had a plump body, and a very small head and was a dirty grayish color. It was sitting in a “hunched” position with its back arched and its head down. I was not close enough to observe its facial features or ears and I did not see a tail. I was certain it was not a dog or a possum. I felt scared as I got closer and retreated back up the street, turning down Broadway Avenue to avoid walking past it. What weighs about 30 pounds, is a dirty gray color, and isn’t dog-shaped? If this were an H.P. Lovecraft story, I would say it was a giant rat. If I was in Puerto Rico, I might call it Chupacabra. I have heard folklore about sinister things that happen at crossroads, and this creature was standing absolutely motionless directly in the middle of the intersection around midnight. I’ve never before seen any animal in nature that I couldn’t identify but I have no idea what this thing was.

Submitted by Will J.