Page 23 of The Secret Mate Society

First off, I just want to say thank you for listenin’.I ain’t had a lot of that lately.Not from the police, not from the neighbors, not even from folks I’ve known my whole damn life.So when you said you believed me, or at least wanted to hear me out proper, it meant more than I can rightly say.

I’ll be honest, I’m still rattled.I ain’t been right since that night on Route 302.Some nights I can’t sleep at all.Other nights I wake up swearin’ I hear it breathing outside my window.I keep the shotgun by the bed now.Probably dumb, probably won’t do a lick of good if it comes back.

I know what I saw, Mr.Murphy.I know itwasn’ta bear or a big dog like they keep saying.That thing stood up on two legs, clear as day in my headlights.Its eyes weren’t right either, too bright, too sharp, like they cut straight through me.It wasn’t natural.Wasn’t just some animal.

It came at my truck, clawed it up good.I got the dents and the busted side mirror to prove it.Cops said they’d file a report, but I could tell as soon as they looked at me they thought I was just another backwoods fool seein’ things after dark.They closed it up fast like they just wanted it gone.Said "unexplained wildlife encounter" like that covers what happened out there.

But you… you didn’t laugh.You didn’t hang up.You said you wanted the truth.

So here it is plain: I believe there’s somethin’ out there.Something that don’t fit into the nice little boxes people wanna keep the world in.Maybe it’s been here a long time, maybe it’s new, I don’t know.But it’s real.I’ve seen it.And I’ll stand by that ‘til the day I die.

If you still want to talk, I’ll meet you wherever you like.I can show you the truck, the road where it happened.You just let me know and I’ll be there.

I ain’t crazy, Mr.Murphy.I just need someone out there to believe it before whatever that thing is comes back, and next time, maybe it won’t just scratch a truck.Maybe it’ll come for me.Or someone else.

Thank you again for listenin’.Means more than you know.

Sincerely,

-Richard Carpenter

P.S.Here’s a copy of the sketch and the police report.

PORTLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL REPORT

Case No.:98-2147

Date:October 17, 1998

Time:11:43 PM

Reporting Officer:Sgt.Daniel R.Hughes

Location:Rural stretch of Route 302, near Sebago Lake

Witness:Richard L.Carpenter (DOB: 07/22/1965)

INCIDENT SUMMARY:

At approximately 11:43 PM, I responded to a 911 call fromMr.Richard Carpenter, who claimed to have been attacked by an “animal” while driving home from a late shift.Upon arrival at the scene, I found Mr.Carpenter visibly shaken, his vehicle—a 1986 Ford Bronco—parked on the shoulder with noticeable damage, including deep scratches along the driver’s side door and shattered glass from the side mirror.

Mr.Carpenter described the incident as follows:

“I was driving home, not speeding or anything, and I saw something run across the road up ahead—big, too big to be a deer or a dog.I slowed down, and when I got closer, I swear to God, it stood up.Like a man, but it wasn’t a man.It had these long arms, clawed hands, and its eyes… they caught my headlights, and they weren’t normal.They glowed, like a wolf’s.I slammed on the brakes, and that’s when it lunged at my truck.Scratched the hell out of my door.I hit the gas, and when I looked in the rearview, it was just… gone.”

Further inspection of the vehicle confirmed long, deep scratch marks on the door, inconsistent with typical wildlife damage.No tracks or fur were found at the scene.

INVESTIGATION NOTES:

Weather conditions:Overcast, low visibility.

Wildlife presence:Area known for coyotes and black bears, though neither typically exhibit the behavior described.

Vehicle Damage:Scratches too deep for coyote, inconsistent with bear claws.

Witness credibility:No signs of intoxication; visibly distressed but coherent.

Mr.Carpenter insisted the creature was“not a bear, not a person in a costume, but something else.”He refused medical attention but requested an escort home, stating he“wasn’t driving alone in the dark again.”