Hugo
texdanl
Joined Dec 12, 2021 · 36 Posts
#6,748 · May 15, 2022
When I was younger I worked at night and got off at midnight. Back then that meant that I got home just in time for the network's TV to play the national anthem and go off the air. I didn’t want to hang around the house and maybe wake up the kiddo or the WIFE so I would go for a walk. I went out into the woods and down to a little lake in the swamps. It was an old sandpit and was a nice place to walk. Over time I started to notice that I had some sort of companion in my walks a lot of the time.
I could hear them clearly moving out near the edges of the swamp. I honestly wasn’t bothered much about it and often would talk to it. I sort of thought that it might be a hog or something. It never bothered me so it wasn’t a problem. I had named my swamp friend Hugo. I talked to it and commented that where “I go, you go”. You go became Hugo.
One night though I let my german shepherd go with me. She was a big dog and while gentle was protective of me. When Hugo showed up my dog puffed up and started growling. This wasn’t normal for her. Heck. She even liked the cat! Before I could grab her she went after it. This is a 75-pound dog. There was a growl and then a squawk and that dog came flying back out in the air and landed beside me. Hugo either kicked the crap out of her or grabbed her and threw her back at me. I was a little unnerved. Hugo stomped around for a little while but then settled down. I talked to it and I guess it forgave me for bringing the dog. LOL, After that, if the dog went with me she was GLUED to my side and didn’t wander at all.
I tried to spot Hugo over the years but other than a large form that would move away if I had a light out so I never knew. Whatever Hugo was, it was a curious critter but didn’t like crowds. If there were more than two he didn’t show. I didn’t talk much about it. For one thing, I didn’t want people to think that I was crazy but more, I didn’t want others bothering Hugo.
I walked with Hugo 3 or 4 nights a week for several years and then it stopped showing up. Maybe it moved on or died. I missed it honestly. Other people either didn’t notice it very often or for that matter how many people like to walk alone in the woods in the dark? I would occasionally hear someone that had camped out there having something spook them.
People are pretty easy to spook when you take them out of the lights. I scared the crud out of kids several times. They would be camped out there and have a just huge fire and make more noise than a herd of pissed of cattle. LOL. They would stare at the fire and totally kill their night vision.
I would howl like a wolf and poof they would get quiet. There were no wolves there. I would then ease off and just listen to them. I heard a couple of wild stories told later that I am positive were about me. My one howl turned into a monster that stalked them. Once they were spooked they freaked with every little sound.
I wondered why Hugo never checked groups like that out. I guess he was just shy.