‘There is a bog near my home in Kentucky. It is accessible to anyone, because there is a popular paved bike/walking trail that runs past it, however there are also several foot trails through the woods that also lead to the far side of the bog. I was walking through the trails one day, somewhere in my mid teens, I think I was about fourteen at the time, when I started to hear talking. I could hear conversation, from strange, gurgling voices that seemed to be close to me, just beyond my reach, and also very far from me, all at the same time. I stopped to listen, but couldn’t catch any words in English, even though I could clearly hear the voices, fading in and out of distance. I finally decided to see who was speaking, because it was very odd to meet people on these trails. Maybe the occasional hunter on a four wheeler, but I had heard no engines. I came out of the woods to the bog, and the voices hushed a bit, but did not stop. I looked around, and could see clear across the muddy water. There was no one on the paved trail as far down the path as I was about to see. No one on any side of the bog. I looked out over the water, listening to the voices fade and twist and change, like they were coming to me on the wind. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the water. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. I almost couldn’t see it, even though it was sunny and bright outside. It faded into the water, this weird, muddy blob of a thing with eyes that looked straight through me. I stared at it for a long time, and then, suddenly, it fell away, into the water, with a HUGE splash. At the same exact time, about four or five splashes just like that one happened across the entire bog. Ever since then, I have felt strange every time I went to the bog. I still hear voices from time to time, and splashes, even though the water is stagnant and has no fish.’ ‘Blobs of mud, with small spiny hands and small shining black eyes.’ ‘Gurgling low whispers that seemed to distort as if they were fading in and out.’ ‘Infant size.’ ‘[The place] has a reputation for being haunted.’ ‘[Fairies are] elemental beings that exist on a different plane of existence.’
§286
Kentucky, US
2000s
Female: Age 11-20
never or almost never has supernatural experiences
in woodland, on a country road
12 pm-3 pm
two to ten minutes
on my own
no special state reported
mischievous, aloof
profound silence before the experience, hair prickling or tingling before or during the experience, unusually vivid memories of the experience