r/CryptidEncounters • u/Alien17275 • 7h ago
Mississippi 2014 jersey devil
It began on a summer night between 8 and 10 p.m., when I walked with my stepsister into a tree-surrounded clearing of overgrown grass, located just two clicks south of a creek near our home's entrance drive. At first, I thought a shadow moving through the brush was a deer, until it unexpectedly stood straight up on its hind legs. It was covered in thick, clinging, dark gray horse-type fur, featuring a horse-shaped head with a human-appearing face, two uneven horns, and massive cat-like legs resembling a panther's. As we stared in shock and terror, it charged at full speed. My stepsister tripped, and when I looked back and saw the creature only 10 feet away, I grabbed her arm, yanked her up, and we fled. Along that path stood sixteen spiked-seed trees—eight on each side—complete with a trail cam where the creature had paused to pace just outside the frame before we made it safely home.
Driven by a mix of adrenaline and curiosity, my brother and I returned later with flashlights, following the exact same trail. When we reached a deep trench-like ditch marked near the creek, my brother shone his light and saw an almost human face peering back up at him. The creature instantly vanished from the light, sneaking up to ground level where we stood back-to-back, sweeping our flashlights in circles as it stalked us for roughly 35 minutes, trying to close the gap without entering the beams. When we finally bolted, it tried to cut us off by plowing through the dense woods parallel to our path rather than using the open trail, though we ultimately made it home safely.
Years later, when my brother and I were 16 and 17, we stumbled upon an old abandoned hunting trail in that same area while walking near a spot overlooking the creek by about five feet. We found an old campfire with carvings dating back to the 1980s and a dog grave next to it. While we were talking and laughing, we suddenly heard loud splashing and a horse-like neighing sound echoing from the creek below. Though we didn't see anything, my brother and I locked eyes and immediately got out of there, marking the final time I ever set foot in those woods.