We seek solitude. We find that place a little further out to camp, a couple of extra miles down trail. Sometimes curiosity pulls us farther off the beaten path. Maybe the late afternoon feels just a little more perfect in an isolated basin. But what happens when the darkness closes in, leaving us with only a bubble of tepid light from a headlamp?
Welcome to our annual Tales of Terror.
Stories from Lydia Syme, Brian Glenn, Ray Fitch, Meghan Bartz and Lachlan Mackenzie.
Music: Haunted Playground by Kevin Hendrickson • Somnolence by Kai Engel • Alabama Hills by MCV • Delirium by Kai Engel • Reaper Rewards by Glenspired • Halloween Dance Macabre by David Beard
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club
Hey Fitz,
Sam from South Florida here. I just listened to the latest Tales of Terror episode and I have a theory about the mysterious cryptid that you and the family encountered in the desert. I think it may have been the dreaded…BEAVER!
Years ago when I was a freshman in college, I went on a backpacking trip in Killarney Provincial Park in Ontario. I had an eerily similar experience to the one you described. Camping by a remote river at night, I kept hearing what sounded like a ghost child plopping into the water and then…stillness and silence. It was honestly terrifying and I barely slept. When I got out of my tent at dawn, I went straight to the river and saw a large beaver paddling downstream. I laughed with relief, certain it was the specter that had haunted my restless night.
The fact that you were by a river in Pacific Northwest where they are plentiful makes sense. As you likely know, they’re also nocturnal and are probably (like you) busy preparing for the oncoming winter, bringing food, wood etc. from the shore into the water. It did sound a little unusual to me that you would find them in the desert, but I did a quick google and it looks like they can inhabit desert rivers – plus the Green River runs into Western WA which I’d imagine is more of their normal habitat.
Anyway, just a theory I wanted to share! Thanks for another great Tales of Terror episode!
Best,
Sam