WHAT I SEEN
IS AN UNIDENTIFIABLE, HAIRY ENTITY.
HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS 10 FEET TALL.
HE WAS SO BIG AND POWERFUL.
HE COULD'VE KNOCKED THE GUNS OUT OUR HANDS AND KILLED US.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY CAME UPON THIS THING
WITH ITS BACK TO THEM,
AND WHEN IT HEARD THEIR VOICES,
IT STOOD UP, TURNED AROUND, AND FACED THEM.
THERE'S BODIES THAT GO AMISS,
AND THEY'RE FOUND WEEKS, SOMETIMES MONTHS, LATER
WITH TWO PUNCTURE WOUNDS IN THE NECK
AND NO BLOOD IN THE BODIES.
HE JUST KIND OF APPEARED.
IT WAS FORCEFUL. IT WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE.
IT WAS JUST KIND OF A LITTLE SHOCKING AND STRANGE.
AAH!
THE SWAMPS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA
ARE DISTINCTIVELY BEAUTIFUL YET DANGEROUS PLACES.
WATERWAYS TWIST AND TURN LIKE SNAKES.
SUBTROPICAL FORESTS GROW UNCONTROLLABLY WILD.
CHAOS RULES THIS WATERLOGGED WORLD.
FOR SOME THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED HERE,
THEY KNOW ITS WAYS,
BUT TO OTHERS, THE SWAMPS ARE CURSED,
AND WHOEVER VENTURES WITHIN THEM RISKS TAKING ON THE CURSE.
NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO GO IN THE SWAMP.
IT TAKES A PERSON WITH REAL WILL
AND TO KNOW THE SWAMP TO GO BACK THERE.
AS YOU GO THROUGH THERE, WHETHER ON A BOAT OR ON FOOT,
THERE'S JUST SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT CREEPY
ABOUT BEING IN THE SWAMPS.
WALKING IN THE SWAMP OR IN A MARSHLAND AT NIGHT,
WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING I WOULD ADVISE
OR EVEN ATTEMPT DOING IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR,
IT'S VERY EERIE.
UM, MAKES YOUR SKIN CRAWL.
YOU'LL HEAR THINGS
THAT YOU DON'T QUITE KNOW WHAT IT IS.
YOU DON'T FEEL ALONE. YOU NEVER FEEL ALONE OUT THERE.
NESTLED DEEP IN AMERICA'S BAYOU COUNTRY,
NEAR THE TOWN OF CUT OFF, LOUISIANA,
LEGENDS PERSIST
ABOUT A MYSTERIOUS SWAMP-DWELLING BEAST,
A BIZARRE "MANIMAL"...
PART HUMAN, PART WOLF.
"LOUP" MEANS "WOLF" IN FRENCH,
AND, THEN, "GAROUL" IS A FRANKISH TERM
THAT MEANS SORT OF LIKE A SHAPESHIFTER...
A MAN THAT CAN CHANGE INTO AN ANIMAL.
THE MOST COMMON FORM OF WHAT A ROUGAROU LOOKS LIKE
WOULD BE THE BODY OF A MAN
BUT THEN THE HEAD OF, LIKE, A WOLF OR A DOG.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THAT IS THE FORM OF THE ROUGAROU,
WHILE OTHERS TELL YOU THAT IT CAN COMPLETELY SHAPESHIFT
INTO EITHER A DOG OR A PIG OR EVEN A BIRD.
THE LOUP-GAROU,
OR "ROUGAROU," AS THE LOCAL CAJUNS PRONOUNCE IT,
IS NOT A PEACEFUL BEAST LIKE BIGFOOT.
ONE COMMON LEGEND CLAIMS IT'S SOMEONE CURSED
AND FORCED TO ENDURE A DEMONIC SPELL FOR 101 DAYS.
THE ROUGAROU COMES OUT MORE AROUND THE FULL MOON.
IN MY FAMILY, WE HAD SOMEONE THAT WAS ACTUALLY...
WE KNEW HE WAS.
AND HE COULD BE THERE IN HIS BED.
YOU KNOW, THE BODY WAS THERE, BUT THE SPIRIT WAS NOT THERE.
HE WOULD LEAVE HIS BODY.
YOU COULD ACTUALLY TOUCH THE BODY.
YOU COULD TRY TO WAKE HIM, BUT YOU COULDN'T DO THAT.
YOU KNOW, BUT THEN AGAIN, IN THE MORNING,
HE WOULD BE BACK, AND HE WAS HIS NORMAL SELF.
FOR SOME, THE LOUP-GAROU
IS AN UNFORTUNATE VICTIM OF POSSESSION,
TRANSFORMED BY THE FULL MOON
AND UNLEASHED TO INFECT OTHERS WITH THE CURSE.
FOR OTHERS, IT IS A MONSTER
THAT LIVES IN THE SWAMP YEAR-ROUND.
I KNOW FOR A FACT
THAT THE ROUGAROU IS BACK THERE IN THE SWAMP
BECAUSE I'VE SEEN HIM COME BACK.
I CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH HIM.
* MY EYES GLOW LIKE EMBERS WITH THE SHOCK WAVES *
JEBEDIAH HAMBONE IS A CAJUN MUSICIAN
WHO SINGS ABOUT ENCOUNTERS WITH BAYOU BEASTS.
BESIDES MUSIC,
HUNTING THE ROUGAROU UNTIL I DIE...
THAT'S MY GOAL IN LIFE.
I'M GONNA GET HIM.
KIND OF LIKE A BOOGEYMAN-TYPE THING,
SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE UNDER YOUR BED
OR SOMETHING IN YOUR CLOSET, YOU KNOW,
LIKE SOME KIND OF MONSTER TO GET YOU,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE THOUGHT AS CHILDREN.
IN THE BAYOU,
MANY A MISBEHAVING CHILD HAS BEEN WARNED...
"THE ROUGAROU IS GOING TO GET YOU."
BUT JEBEDIAH IS CERTAIN THE MONSTER IS NO BEDTIME FABLE.
HE BELIEVES THE ROUGAROU IS REAL
AND CLAIMS TO HAVE SEEN IT MORE THAN ONCE.
HE ALWAYS COMES IN THIS PARTICULAR STRIP OF WOODS
WHICH IS ABOUT FIVE MILES LONG,
AND THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED SEEING THE SIGNS.
WE HAVE A MONSTER.
I MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT 15 OR 16
WHEN I FIRST SEEN THE FIRST SIGNS OF THE ROUGAROU.
THE EVENING STARTED OUT JUST LIKE ANY OTHER EVENING.
WE WENT OUT THERE,
AND WE PLANNED TO GO AND GET SOME RABBITS.
JOSHUA LAFONT HAS BEEN FRIENDS WITH JEBEDIAH
FOR 20 YEARS.
HE WAS WITH JEBEDIAH THAT MEMORABLE NIGHT.
WE LEFT TO GO HUNT DUCKS AND SQUIRREL, WHATEVER.
I DON'T LIKE TO GO BY MYSELF, PERSONALLY.
I LIKE TO HAVE SOMEBODY WITH ME.
AND ALWAYS BRING A GUN WITH ME, ALSO,
BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA RUN INTO.
WE SMELLED SOMETHING. IT WAS HORRIBLE.
WE SAID, "THAT MUST BE A DEAD ANIMAL ROTTING,"
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WE KEPT ON,
AND WE GOT IN DEEP INTO THE WOODS, AND WE WALKED.
YOU KNOW, IT'S AN EERIE FEELING.
IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING'S CHECKING YOU OUT.
SOMETHING'S WATCHING YOU, WATCHING YOUR MOVEMENTS.
HEY, MAN. I GOT TO TAKE A LEAK.
I'LL CATCH UP TO YOU. ALL RIGHT.
AAH!
AND MY PARTNER JUST YELLS
LIKE I NEVER HEARD HIM YELL BEFORE,
AND I RAN OVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO HIS SIDE.
WAS ABOUT 50 FEET AWAY.
HE COULDN'T TALK. HE JUST POINTED.
I WAS PRETTY MUCH IN SHOCK BECAUSE WHAT I SAW WAS...
...AN UNIDENTIFIABLE, GIGANTIC, HAIRY ENTITY.
HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS 10 FEET TALL,
AND HE WAS SHAPED LIKE A BIG, FURRY THING.
YOU COULD SEE A REFLECTION OF SOME EYES,
AND THEN THREE THUMPS... LIKE A THUMP-THUMP-THUMP...
AND HE WAS GONE.
WE RAN FIVE MILES THROUGH THE WOODS
AS FAST AS WE COULD OUT OF THERE.
WE WERE PETRIFIED.
SINCE WE SEEN THE FIRST ROUGAROU ALL THOSE MANY YEARS AGO,
IT MAKES NOTHING SURPRISING.
THE ROUGAROU IS THE SURPRISE.
AFTER THAT, THERE'S... YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF NOTHING.
EVER SINCE THIS ENCOUNTER,
JEBEDIAH HAMBONE HAS WANTED TO SEE IT AGAIN.
FOR YEARS, HE TRIED TRACKING THE BEAST.
THEN, IN THE WINTER OF 1999,
HE GOT LUCKY.
I GO ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF INTO THE WOODS.
SUDDENLY, JEBEDIAH SPOTTED THE ROUGAROU.
THE ROUGAROU STARTED RUNNING AWAY, AND I GRABBED MY GUN,
AND I STARTED RUNNING AS FAST AS I CAN.
I DROPPED MY SHOTGUN,
AND WHEN THE SHOTGUN HIT THE GROUND...
...THIS IS WHAT I DID.
FUR, CLAWS.
AND I KEPT LOOKING, AND I KEPT LOOKING.
AND HE WAS LIKE 9 FEET TALL.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES. HE WAS LIKE A MONSTER.
AND I SEEN HE WAS A PIG-MAN FACE WITH A KIND OF APE BODY
WITH FIVE PHALANGES AND THREE TOES ON EACH FOOT.
IT SCARED THE LIVING HELL OUT OF ME.
AND WHEN I SAW THAT PIG-TYPE FACE,
I WET MY PANTS.
I DID.
I LOOKED DOWN, AND I REALIZED IT, BUT I DID,
AND I PICKED UP MY GUN AND RAN OUT THE WOODS.
AND IF WE COULD ONLY, YOU KNOW, GET HIM,
BRING IT, AND SHOW IT TO EVERYBODY,
YOU KNOW, THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY PROVE
THAT WE WASN'T WASTING OUR TIME
OR MAKING IT UP OR HAVING FUN WITH IT.
IT'S BEEN MORE THAN A DECADE
SINCE JEBEDIAH SAW IT LAST.
IT'S LIKE HE DISAPPEARED.
IT'S LIKE... DOES HE COME HERE ANYMORE?
I DON'T KNOW.
I'M READY TO GO BACK THERE AGAIN,
AND I'M NOT GONNA REST UNTIL I SEE THAT THING AGAIN.
I WANT TO PROVE THAT THIS IS REAL.
YEAH, THE ROUGAROU EXISTS.
JEBEDIAH IS ONE OF MANY
THAT HAVE SEEN THIS LEGENDARY BEAST OF THE SWAMP.
ANOTHER FAMILY IN A NEIGHBORING PARISH SOME 20 MILES AWAY
HAD A TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER OF THEIR OWN.
MY FATHER SAW THIS CREATURE GO ON THE TABLE.
IT HAD TEETH LIKE A WOLF...
...SALIVA COMING OUT OF ITS MOUTH.
IF I WERE TO MEET ONE TODAY,
I'D BE PRAYING FOR GOD TO DELIVER IT FROM THE DEVIL.
THE ISOLATED SWAMPS OF SOUTH LOUISIANA
ARE THE NATIVE TERRITORIES OF THE HOUMA INDIANS.
LONG AGO, THEY FORMED A KINSHIP WITH THIS WATERY WORLD.
AT THE SAME TIME,
THEY KNOW THE SWAMP IS A PLACE WHERE EVIL LURKS.
THE SWAMP IS SPOOKY BECAUSE OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
YOU FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS WATCHING YOU ALL THE TIME
IF YOU'RE OUT WALKING IN THE SWAMP
AND YOU HEAR NO CREATURES, NO ANIMALS.
THEN THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THERE
WALKING IT.
ELIZABETH COURTEAUX IS A HOUMA INDIAN,
BORN AND RAISED IN THE BAYOU IN TERREBONNE PARISH, LOUISIANA.
HER FATHER WAS A TRIBAL CHIEF
AND THE MAN THAT SET A SOLID ANCHOR FOR THE FAMILY
AS ELIZABETH WAS GROWING UP.
WHEN HE TOLD YOU SOMETHING,
IT WASN'T MADE UP.
IT WAS TRUE.
MY FATHER WOULD HUNT AND TRAP OR FISH ONLY IN THE DAYTIME,
NOT AT NIGHT.
HE WOULD TELL HIS CHILDREN NEVER GO AT NIGHT INTO THE SWAMP
BECAUSE IT'S A GOOD PLACE FOR THE MONSTERS TO HIDE.
AND THERE'S ONE MONSTER
HE WAS ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT...
THE LOUP-GAROU.
WHEN ELIZABETH WAS A YOUNG TEEN, SHE FIRST HEARD THE STORY
OF HER FATHER'S TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER WITH THIS BAYOU DEVIL.
THERE'S SOMETHING THAT I REMEMBER, AS A LITTLE GIRL,
I WILL NEVER FORGET AS LONG AS I LIVE.
AND HE RUNS OUT THE DOOR!
DAD, WHY ARE YOU MAKING THIS STORY UP?
AND I STILL GET NIGHTMARES OF IT.
I'M NOT MAKING THIS STORY UP. THERE'S NO WAY.
YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?
THE DEVIL CAME TO SEE YOU... THE DEVIL HIMSELF.
IT ALL BEGAN ONE STORMY SATURDAY NIGHT.
GIVE MOM A KISS. BYE, MAMA.
THE ADULTS WERE ATTENDING A TRIBAL DANCE,
SO ELIZABETH'S FATHER WAS LEFT IN CHARGE
TO LOOK AFTER HIS YOUNG SIBLINGS.
AND THEY HAD TOLD HIM, "DON'T LET NOBODY IN."
IT'S LIKE THEY KNEW.
THEY KNEW THAT SOMETHING... THAT SOMEONE WAS OUT THERE.
HE HAD FED THE CHILDREN, TOLD THEM THE STORIES.
HE PUT THEM TO BED.
GO TO SLEEP, OKAY?
OKAY.
AND HE WENT TO SIT AT THE TABLE TO DRINK COFFEE.
HE WAS 15, SO HE WAS OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK COFFEE.
HE HEARD A KNOCK AT THE DOOR.
IT STARTED AS A NORMAL KNOCKING.
THEN IT GOT LOUDER.
WHO'S THERE? MY FATHER SAID, "WHO IS IT?"
DIDN'T ANSWER.
IT KNOCKED HARDER STILL.
MY FATHER SAYS, "YOU CAN'T COME IN,"
AND THEN HE HEARD THE VOICE... A VERY RASPY, GROWLING VOICE...
TO LET HIM IN.
AND HE SAYS, "NO. GO AWAY. I AM NOT GONNA LET YOU IN."
SO, WHEN HE SAID THAT,
IT BROKE THE LATCH AND OPENED IT.
AAH!
MY FATHER WAS VERY TERRIFIED,
BUT HE WAS MORE AFRAID FOR THE CHILDREN THAN HIMSELF.
HE CONFRONTED IT,
AND IT JUMPED ON THE TABLE ON ALL FOURS.
HE THOUGHT THAT THE CREATURE WAS GONNA CUT HIM... KILL HIM.
BUT IT WASN'T THE CASE.
HE WANTED MY FATHER TO CUT HIM,
TO DELIVER HIM FROM THE CURSE, TO SET HIM FREE.
NO! NO!
THE CREATURE WAS VERY STRONG... STRONGER THAN ANY MAN.
ROUGAROU IS A CREATURE
THAT IS ACTUALLY HALF HUMAN
AND HALF "GOD KNOWS WHAT OTHER KIND OF ANIMAL."
MOST PEOPLE WOULD SAY IT'S HALF WOLF OR IT'S HALF DOG.
BUT NO ONE REALLY KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THE OTHER HALF IS.
COULD BE HALF DEMON.
IT'S NOT EVERYONE THAT CAN BE A ROUGAROU
OR WANT TO BE A ROUGAROU.
I BELIEVE THERE'S SOMEWHAT OF A CURSE...
YOU KNOW, DOING THINGS THAT YOU NORMALLY WOULDN'T DO.
ONE OF THE WAYS IS IT'S A CURSE.
SO, IF SOMEONE PUTS A CURSE ON YOU,
THEN THAT TRANSFORMS YOU INTO A ROUGAROU.
AND ACCORDING TO THE LEGEND,
THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THE CURSE IS BLOOD.
SOMEONE WHO IS A ROUGAROU, AND THEY GO TO ATTACK A PERSON,
AND THEN THAT PERSON CUTS THEM
AND DRAW BLOOD FROM THE ROUGAROU.
AT THAT MOMENT, THE ROUGAROU TURNS BACK INTO HIS HUMAN FORM.
ONE OF THE STRANGEST THINGS ABOUT THE LOUP-GAROU...
IT MIGHT BE THE NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR.
THE ROUGAROU CAN BE ANYONE...
YOU KNOW, A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY, YOUR AUNT, YOUR UNCLE.
IT WAS A REALIZATION
THAT ELIZABETH'S FATHER WOULD COME TO FIND
AFTER HIS HORRIFIC NIGHT WITH A LOUP-GAROU.
THE NEXT DAY, HE WAS WALKING DOWN THE ROAD.
HE MET UP WITH HIS COUSIN,
AND HE NOTICED THE COUSIN HAD A BANDAGE ON HIS ARM.
AND WHEN HE SAW THAT,
HE KNEW EXACTLY WHO IT WAS,
AND HE AVOIDED HIM.
DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO HIM, DID NOT WANT TO BOTHER WITH HIM.
WHEN HE SAW HIS COUSIN THE NEXT DAY
WITH THAT SAME TYPE OF WOUND,
HE REALIZED THAT THAT WAS AN INSTANCE
WHERE HE WAS ENCOUNTERED BY THE LOUP-GAROU.
ELIZABETH'S FATHER WAITED YEARS,
WHEN HE WAS IN HIS 60s, BEFORE TELLING ANYONE
ABOUT THE NIGHT HE HAD A DEATH STRUGGLE WITH THE LOUP-GAROU.
I SAID, "DAD...
WHY DID YOU MAKE THIS UP? ...YOU MADE THAT UP."
I'M NOT MAKING IT UP.
HE TOLD ME
THAT HE WOULD SWEAR ON A STACK OF BIBLES
THAT THAT HAPPENED TO HIM.
YOU SAW A MONSTER?
MY FATHER'S STORY MADE ME REALIZE
THAT THERE ARE THINGS IN THIS WORLD
THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED, THAT CANNOT BE CHANGED.
MY MOTHER... SHE TOLD HIM... SHE SAYS,
"YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?
THE DEVIL CAME TO SEE YOU... THE DEVIL HIMSELF."
THE LOUP-GAROU HAS BECOME A CREATURE OF LOCAL LEGEND,
PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.
BUT, FOR ELIZABETH,
THE LOUP-GAROU IS FAR MORE THAN FOLKLORE.
THE LOUP-GAROU IS REAL.
FROM THIS DAY, IT IS LURKING
OUT INTO THE SWAMPS AND OTHER AREAS.
90 MILES TO THE EAST,
LOCALS IN HONEY ISLAND SWAMP ARE ALSO CONVINCED
THERE'S SOMETHING MONSTROUS LURKING,
AND THEY HAVE THE EVIDENCE TO PROVE IT.
AT THE JUNCTION OF THREE INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS,
SLIDELL, LOUISIANA,
IS A BUSTLING WAY STATION ALONG THE GULF.
BUT JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS LIES PRISTINE WETLANDS,
HOME TO ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING MYSTERIES
THE SWAMP HAS TO OFFER.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT LIVING IN THE SWAMP IS FREEDOM.
WHEN I'M OUT THERE, THE ONLY PERSON I CAN DEPEND ON IS ME.
YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT LIES AROUND THE NEXT BEND.
IF I MAKE A WRONG MOVE, IT COULD COST ME MY LIFE.
SO THERE'S ALWAYS THAT THOUGHT IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD
THAT THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF SOMETHING LURKING,
WHETHER IT BE MAN OR MAN-LIKE.
I'M NOT SURE.
FOR OVER 40 YEARS, LOCALS HAVE COME ACROSS
AN UNIDENTIFIED SWAMP CREATURE PROWLING THESE PARTS.
IT LOOKED LIKE, IN THE DISTANCE,
IT WAS BETWEEN 6 AND 7 FEET TALL,
AND IT WAS RUNNING,
AND IT WAS IN WATER THAT WAS ABOUT 4 FEET DEEP,
AND IT WAS MOVING FASTER THAN ANY MAN.
IT CREEPED ME OUT.
FIRST THOUGHT THAT CAME TO MY MIND
WHEN I SEEN IT MOVE OUT FROM BEHIND THE TENT
WAS, "MY GOD, WHAT IS THIS?"
I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS OUT THERE.
DIDN'T WANT US THERE. IT WAS LIKE IT WAS A TERRITOR...
LIKE, YOU KNOW, "YOU DON'T BELONG HERE.
THIS IS WHERE I LIVE. GET OUT."
MANY CLAIM TO HAVE SEEN
HONEY ISLAND'S SWAMP MONSTER.
ONE MAN MANAGED TO FILM IT.
HARLAN FORD, MY GRANDFATHER, WAS THE FIRST PERSON
TO REPORT A SIGHTING
OF THE HONEY ISLAND SWAMP MONSTER.
HEY, HARLAN.
HE WAS AN AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLER,
AND HE WAS ALSO A PILOT.
BACK IN 1963, HE WAS FLYING OVER THE SWAMP.
HE SAID THE COMPASS WOULD START SPINNING.
IT WOULDN'T READ.
AND EVERY TIME THEY'D FLY OVER THAT SECTION, THAT WOULD HAPPEN.
IT WAS LIKE A MAGNETIC TYPE OF THING.
SO THEY DECIDED THEY WERE GONNA GO ON FOOT.
THEY WERE GOING THROUGH THIS AREA.
IT WAS KIND OF AN OPENING, LIKE A CLEARING.
WHAT WAS THAT? ALL OF A SUDDEN,
THEY CAME UPON THIS THING THAT WAS ON ALL FOURS
WITH ITS BACK TO THEM,
AND BILLY WAS LIKE, "WHAT IS THAT THING, HARLAN?"
I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE.
WHEN IT HEARD THEIR VOICES,
IT STOOD UP, TURNED AROUND, AND FACED THEM.
THEY WENT TO GET THEIR GUNS 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT IT WAS GONNA DO, AND IT TOOK OFF AND RAN.
THEY DIDN'T EVER HEAR WATER BREAK.
BUT THEY SAW NO SIGN OF IT AT THAT TIME.
LET'S TRY OVER HERE. COME ON.
MY GRANDFATHER SAID
IT STOOD AS TALL OR TALLER THAN HE WAS.
HE WAS 6'4".
AND HE SAID THE THING HE REMEMBERED MOST WAS ITS EYES.
IT HAD THESE AMBER-COLOR, REAL INTENSE EYES
THAT JUST STARED AT HIM.
LOOKED HIM EYE-TO-EYE BEFORE IT TURNED AROUND AND RAN OFF.
I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT. COME ON, COME ON, COME ON.
HIS EXACT WORDS... "IT SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME."
HE SAID, "I'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER."
YOU KNOW, HE'D BEEN OUT THERE FOR YEARS,
AND HE SAID AT THAT MOMENT HE REALIZED
THERE WERE THINGS OUT THERE UNEXPLAINABLE.
IN FACT, AFTER HIS FIRST SIGHTING,
HARLAN FORD BECAME FIXATED ON SEEING THE CREATURE AGAIN.
HE GOT VERY CURIOUS ABOUT IT
AND STARTED, YOU KNOW, KEEPING AN EYE OUT,
ALWAYS LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER, YOU KNOW.
HARLAN EVEN TRIED SETTING OUT BAIT FOR THE BEAST.
YOU STAY RIGHT THERE, HONEY.
WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN
AND WE USED TO PLAY WITH THIS GOAT
MY GRANDFATHER BROUGHT HOME... WE THOUGHT IT WAS OUR PET.
AND WE LEARNED THAT HE WAS TAKING THE GOAT TO USE FOR BAIT,
SO WE WERE TRAUMATIZED, CRYING, "PLEASE DON'T TAKE OUR GOAT.
IT'S GONNA BE EATEN BY THE SWAMP MONSTER."
SO, HE WENT OUT THERE AND TOOK THIS GOAT TO STAKE HIM OUT.
I DON'T WANT HIM TO TAKE OUR GOAT.
I DON'T THINK HE WILL, HONEY.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, HE SAID,
"WELL, THAT SWAMP MONSTER MUST BE A VEGETARIAN
'CAUSE HE DIDN'T EAT THE GOAT."
"OR MAYBE HE JUST IS TOO SMART. HE KNEW WHAT WE WERE DOING."
THE MONSTER DIDN'T HAVE AN APPETITE FOR GOAT,
AND, AS MOST LOCALS AGREE, WHATEVER IT IS,
IT HASN'T SHOWN AN INTEREST IN HARMING PEOPLE...
NOT YET.
THERE'S NEVER BEEN ANY ACCOUNTS IN WHICH I'M AWARE OF
OF THE CREATURE BEING AGGRESSIVE.
BUT JUST LIKE ANY ANIMAL,
IF YOU PUSH IT INTO A CORNER, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS.
MY GRANDFATHER... I DON'T THINK HE WAS CONCERNED
THAT THE CREATURE WAS GONNA COME AFTER HIM.
BEING IT RAN FROM THEM, HE THOUGHT,
"WELL, MAYBE IT'S JUST AS SCARED OF ME AS I WAS OF HIM."
I THINK IT WANTS TO EXIST,
AND I THINK THAT'S ALL IT REALLY WANTS.
THE SWAMP IS SO VAST.
THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES THAT ARE INACCESSIBLE.
IF IT WANTS TO REMAIN HIDDEN, IT'S GONNA REMAIN HIDDEN.
NOW, MAYBE THE SIGHTINGS WE GET OF IT
OR REPORTS WE GET OF IT
ARE WHEN IT'S TRAVELING FROM ONE PLACE TO THE OTHER,
'CAUSE I DON'T DOUBT...
LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, YOU HAVE SEASONS IN THE SWAMP,
AND CERTAIN AREAS OF THE SWAMP ARE GONNA PROVIDE FOOD BETTER
AT CERTAIN TIMES A YEAR THAN OTHERS.
HARLAN FORD'S USE OF BAIT
WOULDN'T BE HIS LAST CLEVER ATTEMPT
TO PROVE THE MONSTER WAS REAL.
HE WAS REALLY FIXATED ON TRYING TO SEE THIS CREATURE AGAIN.
HE BECAME KNOWN AS "THE MONSTER HUNTER."
IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER 10 YEARS,
BUT HARLAN FORD FINALLY GOT ANOTHER CHANCE
TO SEE THE HONEY ISLAND SWAMP MONSTER,
AND THIS TIME, HE SUCCEEDED IN BRINGING BACK PROOF.
THERE'S SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS
LURKING IN THE HONEY ISLAND SWAMP
NEAR SLIDELL, LOUISIANA...
A BAFFLING BEAST MANY SAY
THEY'VE SEEN WITH THEIR OWN EYES.
DANA HOLYFIELD'S GRANDFATHER, HARLAN FORD,
FIRST SAW IT IN 1963
AND DEDICATED THE REST OF HIS YEARS
TO PROVING ITS EXISTENCE.
I'M SURE THERE IS SOMETHING OUT THERE.
THERE'S BEEN TOO MANY CREDIBLE EYEWITNESSES THAT I'VE MET,
BESIDES MY GRANDFATHER,
WHO HAVE SEEN IT AND HAD SOME KIND OF ENCOUNTER.
WHEN I SAW IT, IT APPEARED TO BE UPRIGHT.
IT APPEARED TO BE COVERED IN HAIR.
MOST OF THE EXPERIENCES YOU HEAR PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT
USUALLY HAVE TO DO WITH HEARING NOISES,
AND IT'S KIND OF A HIGH-PITCHED SCREAM
THAT THEY TALK ABOUT HEARING.
DANA HASN'T SEEN THE MONSTER HERSELF,
BUT SHE'S COME CLOSE WHILE CAMPING.
AS THE NIGHT WENT ON,
IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING PICKED UP A STICK
AND STARTED BEATING ON A TREE, LIKE A CALL.
AT THAT MOMENT,
I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS OUT THERE
AND COULD, IF IT WANTED TO, JUST TEAR THIS TENT APART.
I WAS A LITTLE SCARED.
NO END TO THE SIGHTINGS,
BUT FIGURING OUT WHAT THIS BEAST COULD BE REMAINS MORE DIFFICULT.
SOME HAVE WONDERED IF THE SWAMP MONSTER
IS SOME BAYOU VARIETY OF BIGFOOT,
A SOUTHERN-FRIED SASQUATCH.
IT'S DESCRIBED AS A SASQUATCH-TYPE CREATURE,
APPROXIMATELY 7 FEET IN STATURE.
SOME SAY AROUND 400 POUNDS.
ONCE AGAIN, DANA'S GRANDFATHER, HARLAN FORD,
LEFT IMPORTANT EVIDENCE...
PLASTER IMPRESSIONS OF FOOTPRINTS
HE FOUND ALONG THE MUDDY BANKS OF HONEY ISLAND.
IT WAS IN 1974
THAT HE CAME ACROSS TRACKS IN THE MUD
IN AN AREA THAT WAS A WATERING HOLE,
AND THEY HAD HAD HOGS THAT HE FOUND DEAD IN THAT AREA
WITH THEIR THROATS JUST RIPPED OUT,
AND THAT'S WHEN HE SAW TRACKS.
HE'S JUST ASSUMING
THIS CREATURE MUST'VE MADE THESE TRACKS,
SO THEY WANTED TO POUR THE PLASTER OF PARIS
AND GET THE EVIDENCE...
SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY COULD LOOK AT AND STUDY THEM
AND SEE, YOU KNOW,
HAVE THEY EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS?
UNLIKE THE FIVE-TOED HUMANOID
OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO BIGFOOT,
HARLAN FORD'S TRACK CASTS SHOW SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT...
FOUR TOES, WEBBED, AND, AT 9 INCHES IN LENGTH,
ALMOST 50% SMALLER THAN TYPICAL BIGFOOT TRACKS.
TO SOME, THEY APPEAR TO HAVE ELEMENTS
OF BOTH PRIMATE AND GATOR.
IF SO, IT BEGS THE QUESTION...
HOW DID THIS CREATURE GET HERE?
THERE'S AN OLD STORY THAT WAS TOLD TO ME WHEN I WAS A KID.
I WANT TO SAY IT WAS A P.T. BARNUM TRAIN
THAT HAD DERAILED IN THE SWAMP,
AND SOME OF THE CIRCUS ANIMALS HAD GOT OUT,
AND SOME SAY THERE WAS THIS HALF HYBRID...
HALF GORILLA BETWEEN A HUMAN AND A PRIMATE THAT HAD MATED.
WHILE ITS ORIGINS REMAIN MURKY,
THE SWAMP MONSTER'S IDENTITY TOOK ON NEW LIFE IN 2002
WHEN DANA HOLYFIELD STUMBLED UPON A MIRACULOUS FIND.
WHILE I WAS MAKING MY DOCUMENTARY,
MY GRANDMOTHER CAME UP WITH THIS BOX OF TAPES...
OLD SUPER 8 REELS...
AND SOME OF THEM WERE MARKED "ALLIGATOR,"
SOME OF THEM WAS MARKED "TURKEY" AND "DEER."
BUT THERE WAS THIS ONE IN THE BOX
LABELED "HONEY ISLAND MONSTER."
SHE SAID, "I'VE NEVER SEEN IT."
SO WE GOT IT OUT, AND WE PUT IT UP ON OUR KITCHEN WALL.
LIKE A TIME MACHINE,
THIS SECRET FILMSTRIP TRANSPORTED THEM
BACK ALMOST THREE DECADES
WHEN HARLAN FORD WAS COMBING EVERY INCH OF THE SWAMP,
DESPERATE TO CONFIRM THE EXISTENCE OF ITS MONSTER.
WE'RE ALL SITTING THERE, AND WE'RE WATCHING,
AND WE SAW THAT THING WALKING.
IT WAS IN THE DISTANCE, BUT YOU COULD TELL.
AND IT WAS HAIRY.
IT WAS WALKING ON TWO FEET THROUGH THE WOODS.
WE WERE STUNNED... AMAZED...
THAT HE DID CAPTURE SOMETHING ON FILM.
HOW DID HARLAN FORD FINALLY MANAGE TO GET FILM FOOTAGE
OF THIS FAMOUSLY SHY CREATURE?
HE WAS OBVIOUSLY UP HIGH IN A TREE BLIND,
AND, FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW, THIS THING WALKS...
LIKE, IT COMES IN.
IT LOOKS LIKE IT KIND OF SHUT... LIKE, MAYBE HE STOPPED TO LOOK,
AND THEN IT PICKS UP WITH IT WALKING ON.
STRANGELY, HARLAN FORD NEVER MADE THE FOOTAGE PUBLIC.
I THINK HE WAS JUST AFRAID
PEOPLE WOULD GO IN THERE, HUNT IT DOWN, AND KILL IT,
AND HE WANTED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IT
'CAUSE HE REALIZED, THROUGH OTHER INCIDENTS,
THAT THERE WERE MORE THAN ONE.
SKEPTICS SAY UNTIL THE CREATURE IS CAPTURED,
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE DOUBT.
BUT MANY LIVING NEAR HONEY ISLAND
DON'T NEED MORE CONVINCING.
I NEVER DOUBTED MY GRANDFATHER'S ENCOUNTER
BECAUSE I KNEW THE TYPE OF PERSON HE WAS.
HE WASN'T GONNA MAKE UP SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
HE DIDN'T HAVE A REASON TO MAKE IT UP.
I'D LIKE TO SAY TO NONBELIEVERS,
GET YOU A TENT AND GET YOU SOME CAMPING SUPPLIES
AND GO SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE HONEY ISLAND SWAMP
AND SEE IF YOU DON'T COME OUT WITH A DIFFERENT OPINION.
WHETHER YOU TRY HUNTING FOR IT OR NOT,
NO ONE CLAIMS THAT HONEY ISLAND'S MONSTER
HAS SO FAR BEEN A THREAT TO LIFE OR LIMB.
YET ONLY 40 MILES AWAY,
IN THE HEART OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS,
PEOPLE CLAIM THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING DANGEROUS IN THE AIR.
"MY GOD, THERE'S A MAN ON THE ROOF. HE'S GONNA JUMP."
FAMOUS FOR ITS CAJUN CUISINE
AND DIXIELAND JAZZ MUSIC,
"THE BIG EASY" IS ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE DESTINATIONS
IN THE WORLD.
NEW ORLEANS, BY DAY,
IS A MELTING POT OF ATMOSPHERE AND CULTURE.
BUT BY NIGHT,
THE OLD COBBLESTONE STREETS TAKE ON A DARKER CAST.
NEW ORLEANS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DANGEROUS CITY.
GROWING UP HERE,
WE WERE TOLD DON'T COME INTO THE FRENCH QUARTER.
IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE.
I REMEMBER FINDING MYSELF ON A SIDE STREET LATE AT NIGHT
AND FEELING EYES PEERING AT ME
AND GETTING A LITTLE CHILL UP MY SPINE.
FROM ITS VERY START IN THE EARLY 1700s,
CATASTROPHE, VIOLENCE, AND DEATH
WERE A PROMINENT PART OF THE CITY.
NEW ORLEANS HAD MASSIVE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMICS EACH YEAR,
PEOPLE DYING BY THE THOUSANDS.
WE HAD TWO MAJOR FIRES IN THE 1700s
THAT DEVOURED OVER HALF OF THE CITY EACH TIME,
AND THEN NUMEROUS HURRICANES.
A LOT OF DEATH ON TOP OF DEATH ON TOP OF DEATH.
THIS SORT OF CREATES A SITUATION
WHERE IT IS A HOTBED FOR HAUNTINGS,
SO YOU HAVE A LOT OF SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY HERE
BECAUSE PEOPLE DIED TRAUMATICALLY.
AND FROM THE CITY'S PAINFUL BEGINNINGS,
A CONCERN WITH VAMPIRES PROWLING THE NIGHT
EMERGED EARLY ON.
THE VAMPIRE LEGEND SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN ITS START
IN A PECULIAR WAY...
OF ALL PLACES, AT A ROMAN CATHOLIC CONVENT
IN THE FRENCH QUARTER,
AND WITH THE ARRIVAL FROM FRANCE
OF AN INTRIGUING TROOP OF YOUNG WOMEN.
THESE LADIES WERE CALLED CASKET GIRLS
BECAUSE THEY CAME TO THIS COUNTRY WITH LARGE WOODEN BOXES
THAT RESEMBLED COFFINS,
SUPPOSEDLY HOPE CHESTS GIVEN TO THEM BY THE KING OF FRANCE
AS THEIR DOWRIES
BECAUSE THEY WERE BRIDES FOR THE SETTLERS.
THE CASKET-SHAPED CASES
IMMEDIATELY RAISE QUESTIONS.
MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THESE WOMEN ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR BRINGING THE VAMPIRES OVER IN THOSE COFFIN-LIKE BOXES.
WHISPERS TURNED INTO FULL-BLOWN FEARS
THAT, BEHIND ITS IRON GATES,
THE CONVENT HOUSED MORE THAN MARRIAGEABLE VIRGINS,
THAT THE GIRLS HAD TURNED VAMPIRES LOOSE IN THE ATTIC.
300 YEARS LATER,
THE URSULINE CONVENT STILL STANDS,
THE ONLY BUILDING IN THE FRENCH QUARTER
THAT SURVIVED THE 18th-CENTURY FIRES.
THE URSULINE IS NO LONGER USED AS A CONVENT,
YET RUMORS CONTINUE TO SWIRL AROUND ITS CLOISTERED WALLS.
PEOPLE IN THE LOWER END OF THE FRENCH QUARTER
SWEAR THAT, OFTENTIMES, LATE AT NIGHT,
THE TOP SHUTTERS WILL OPEN,
ONLY TO BE SHUT WHEN THE SUN COMES UP.
FOR STARR MURO AND LISA PELOQUIN,
TALES OF VAMPIRES WERE JUST THE STUFF OF LEGEND,
EXCEPT FOR THE NIGHT IT ALL TURNED TOO TRUE.
WE WERE SHAKING. WE WERE ALL FREAKING OUT.
EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT IT.
"DID YOU SEE THAT? MY GOODNESS!"
IT WAS JUST A REALLY WEIRD EXPERIENCE
FOR EVERYBODY THAT WAS INVOLVED.
ONE COLD AUTUMN EVENING,
STARR WAS WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS
PASSING BY THE URSULINE CONVENT.
IT WAS ME AND LISA AND THEN SOME OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAD JOINED US.
WE WERE LOOKING UP, AND ONE LADY ACTUALLY POINTED OUT,
"MY GOD, THERE'S A MAN ON THE ROOF OF THE CATHEDRAL.
HE'S GONNA JUMP."
THE VERY FIRST THING THAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND
WAS, "HOLY CRUD," YOU KNOW.
"MY GOODNESS. THIS GUY IS GONNA COMMIT SUICIDE."
AND THEN HE JUST LITERALLY FLOATED OFF.
HE'S FLYING!
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT? WHAT DO YOU SAY? WHAT DO YOU DO?
I MEAN, IT'S JUST... HE'S GONE. HE LITERALLY FLEW AWAY.
I DON'T KNOW THAT I WAS FRIGHTENED,
BUT MORE IN JUST DISBELIEF... JUST AWE.
MY GOD, WHERE DID HE GO?
IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS
THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WHAT DO YOU DO?
YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN IT.
YOU CAN'T PUSH THE "REWIND" BUTTON
AND WATCH IT AND TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT.
IF ALL THESE SO-CALLED VAMPIRES ARE DOING
IS FLYING THROUGH THE NIGHT, IT MIGHT JUST BE ENTERTAINING.
UNFORTUNATELY, THEY'RE RUMORED TO ACT LIKE VAMPIRES
IN OTHER, FAR MORE DANGEROUS WAYS.
WE WERE FOOD FOR THEM.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF THEY FEED ON US.
THERE'S BODIES THAT GO AMISS,
AND THEY'RE FOUND WEEKS, SOMETIMES MONTHS, LATER
WITH TWO PUNCTURE WOUNDS IN THE NECK
AND NO BLOOD IN THE BODIES.
IN 2003, THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN HERE ON A CONVENTION.
HE WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE VAMPIRE CULTURE.
HE WASN'T SEEN AGAIN UNTIL THE MAID FOUND HIM
IN HIS HOT TUB OF HIS HOTEL ROOM THE NEXT MORNING.
THEY HAD SKINNED HIM AND THREW HIM IN THE HOT TUB.
I DON'T THINK HE TOOK THE WARNINGS SERIOUSLY ENOUGH.
YOU KNOW, LITERALLY BROUGHT THESE PEOPLE HOME,
AND THEY KILLED HIM.
WHEN SHE WAS BARHOPPING ONE NIGHT
ALONG THE QUARTER, VALERIE KNESEL
WASN'T LOOKING FOR VAMPIRES,
BUT A BLOODSUCKER MANAGED TO FIND HER ANYWAY.
HE JUST KIND OF APPEARED.
IT WAS FORCEFUL. IT WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE.
OF COURSE, MY HEART WAS BEATING FAST.
HE DID TRY TO BITE MY NECK.
IT WAS JUST KIND OF A LITTLE SHOCKING AND STRANGE.
NEW ORLEANS...
GROUND ZERO FOR AMERICAN TALES OF VAMPIRES.
ITS UNUSUAL MIX OF OLD-WORLD ARCHITECTURE,
SWAMPLAND CLIMATE, AND VOODOO MAGIC
HAS CREATED THE PERFECT GROUND FOR VAMPIRE LEGENDS TO GROW.
THESE RUMORS ARE SO COMMON,
NATIVES OF NEW ORLEANS, LIKE VALERIE KNESEL,
ARE RAISED WITH THEM AS BEDTIME STORIES.
GROWING UP HERE, I WOULD HEAR STORIES
OF SITUATIONS IN THE FRENCH QUARTER, MAINLY,
WHERE VAMPIRES WOULD COME OUT AND PLAY
OR THAT HAD PLAYED, YOU KNOW, IT BEING SUCH AN OLD TOWN.
BUT I'VE NEVER REALLY FELT FRIGHTENED BY THE FACT
THAT VAMPIRES COULD POSSIBLY ROAM THE STREETS OF NEW ORLEANS.
THAT SELF-ASSURANCE WOULD BE TESTED IN 2007,
WHEN VALERIE AND HER FRIEND ELIJAH BRADSHAW
WENT OUT FOR A NIGHT ON THE TOWN.
IT WAS JUST A REALLY REGULAR DAY.
NO WEIRD FEELING.
IT WAS JUST A LAST-MINUTE DECISION
TO GO OUT TO FRENCHMEN ANYWAY.
FRENCHMEN STREET IS OUR LOCAL MUSIC AVENUE.
THAT NIGHT, WE JUST WANTED TO WALK AROUND FRENCHMEN STREET
AND HAVE SOME DRINKS, LISTEN TO SOME GOOD, LOCAL MUSIC.
THEIR PLANS HAD BARELY TAKEN SHAPE
WHEN A TAXI DRIVER SUDDENLY SHOWED UP.
DID YOU CALL A CAB?
YEAH, BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO RING THE DOORBELL.
I DO REMEMBER THAT BEING VERY ODD,
HIM COMING TO THE DOOR AND NOT CALLING THE HOUSE,
WHICH I THOUGHT WAS PRETTY STRANGE.
WE TOLD HIM WE WANTED TO GO TO FRENCHMEN STREET.
WATCH OUT FOR THE CRAZIES.
HE MADE SOME MENTION OF US
GOING TO HANG OUT WITH THE CRAZIES
OR TO WATCH OUT FOR THE CRAZIES.
IT WAS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT HIS TONE THAT WAS OMINOUS.
IT KIND OF JUST SET THE TONE FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING.
THE WHOLE TIME, HE WAS DRIVING VERY ERRATICALLY,
AND ELIJAH AND I ARE JUST KIND OF LIKE,
"THIS GUY IS THE CRAZY ONE."
JUST WANTED TO GET OUT OF THE CAB AND HAVE FUN.
THANKFULLY, A FEW MINUTES LATER,
THE CAB RIDE CAME TO AN END,
BUT THAT'S WHEN THINGS REALLY GOT WEIRD.
I'LL BE RIGHT IN.
VALERIE CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH AN UNUSUAL STRANGER.
HE JUST KIND OF APPEARED.
SO, IT WAS A LITTLE STARTLING FOR HIM TO ALL OF A SUDDEN
JUST SHOW UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
GOOD EVENING.
IT WAS KIND OF AN INTENSE FEELING,
JUST THE WAY HE LOOKED IN HIS EYES.
IT HAD THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF...
TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY A LITTLE.
MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD INSTANCES
WHERE THEY HAVE RUN ACROSS AN INDIVIDUAL DRESSED IN BLACK,
AND HE'S VERY MYSTERIOUS.
IT'S ALSO DESCRIBED AS IF HE LANDS...
LIKE THERE'S NO ONE THERE, THEN SUDDENLY THERE IS SOMEONE THERE,
AND THEY HAVE LITERALLY HEARD HIS FEET HIT THE GROUND
AS IF HE WAS NOT ON THE GROUND PRIOR TO THE ENCOUNTER.
A VAMPIRE'S AMBUSH IS BELIEVED
TO INVOLVE MESMERIZING THEIR VICTIMS WITH A TELEPATHIC BOND.
WHEN THE PREY SURRENDERS FULLY,
THE THROAT-PIERCING FIEND DELIVERS HIS DARK GIFT.
GOOD EVENING.
THANK YOU.
BUT VALERIE'S TRANCE WITH THE STRANGER
WAS SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED.
WITH THE CROWDS ALONG FRENCHMEN STREET,
SHE WAS SWEPT INSIDE A BAR.
SAFELY INSIDE, VALERIE AND ELIJAH HAD A MOMENT TO REFLECT
ON THE STRANGE MAN
AND THE UNUSUAL THINGS HE SAID TO HER.
IT WAS JUST KIND OF UPSETTING, THE QUESTIONS...
ABOUT MY FAMILY AND ASKING ME WHAT MY FAIRY TALE WAS.
I EVENTUALLY WALKED OUTSIDE FOR AIR,
JUST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CLEAR MY HEAD
'CAUSE IT WAS JUST A LITTLE DISTURBING.
WHEN VALERIE DIDN'T RETURN RIGHT AWAY,
ELIJAH BECAME INCREASINGLY CONCERNED.
I KEPT CALLING HER, AND I COULDN'T...
SHE NEVER PICKED UP THE PHONE. SHE NEVER GAVE ME A CALL BACK.
SO I WAS A LITTLE DISTURBED,
BUT I WASN'T GONNA GO CHASE AFTER HER.
I THOUGHT I MAYBE SHOULD STAY HERE AT THE BAR
JUST IN CASE SHE DOES CALL BACK.
I DIDN'T LOOK AT IT AND BE LIKE,
"THIS GUY'S A VAMPIRE," OR ANYTHING.
I DIDN'T THINK THAT.
PERHAPS HE SHOULD HAVE.
I LOOKED OVER, AND HE WAS THERE.
I HAD LOOKED BACK A FEW TIMES,
AND THEN HE WAS JUST... POOF... THERE.
SO IT WAS A LITTLE STARTLING
FOR HIM TO ALL OF A SUDDEN JUST SHOW UP.
WE MEET AGAIN.
HE SEEMED VERY CONCERNED FOR HOW I WAS DOING,
AND HE THEN WAS KIND OF COMING ON TO ME,
YOU KNOW, TRYING TO KISS ME AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT WAS FORCEFUL. IT WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE.
IT WAS JUST KIND OF A LITTLE SHOCKING AND STRANGE.
HE KEPT KIND OF GOING FOR MY NECK.
THAT'S KIND OF WHERE HE WANTED TO FOCUS HIS PASSION.
IT WAS REALLY STARTLING. IT WAS VERY SHOCKING.
I WAS JUST KIND OF... I JUST LOOKED AROUND,
AND, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"
AND DEFINITELY THE MOST CONFUSING PART OF THE EXPERIENCE
WAS JUST HOW HE HAD VANISHED...
YOU KNOW, THERE ONE SECOND, GONE THE NEXT.
IT WAS JUST COMPLE...
I COULDN'T WRAP MY MIND AROUND IT.
ONLY HIS UMBRELLA REMAINED BEHIND.
I DIDN'T WANT TO KEEP THE UMBRELLA.
I JUST DIDN'T WANT IT.
JUST THE WHOLE EVENING KIND OF REMINDED ME
OF JUST SOMETHING STRANGE AND UNEXPLAINABLE,
AND I DIDN'T WANT THAT UMBRELLA.
EVENTUALLY, SHE JUST WALKS BACK INTO THE BAR,
AND THEN SHE SEEMED A LITTLE DISORIENTED,
AND SHE WAS LOOKING AROUND, AND SHE WAS LIKE,
"WHERE DID HE GO? WHERE DID HE GO?"
SHE WAS JUST LIKE, "IT WAS JUST SO STRANGE."
"I JUST FELT SO DIZZY, AND EVERYTHING WAS JUST A WHIRLWIND.
AND THEN HE WAS JUST GONE."
IT WAS A VAMPIRE EXPERIENCE.
HE WAS A VAMPIRE.
NO OTHER EXPLANATION... HE WAS A VAMPIRE.
ANYTIME I'M IN THE FRENCH QUARTER,
I AM TOTALLY AWARE THAT ANYTHING...
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE OUT HERE.
ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE AND ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE,
AND IT'S NOT ALWAYS SOMETHING HUMAN.