Avon  Swamp Monster

 

 

Eye Witness Accounts of the Avon Swamp Monster

 

 

Legend of the Avon Swamp Monster 

By Paul Schilling of Brodhead, WI

In the following eye witness account by Alyssa M., she quotes many facts about the fictional creature, The Avon Swamp Monster, that lives in the Sugar River Bottoms in Avon Township, Rock County, Wisconsin. Alyssa quotes me as I told her about my experiences with the beast. Please read her article, plus the other eye witness accounts that follow.

 

I, Paul, am trying to think back to the first time I saw the Avon Swamp Monster. I believe it had to be around 1980. I was shearing Spruce by myself along the south edge of our property.  Back then we didn’t grow as many Spruce as we do now, so I didn’t hire any extra help to shear the Spruce & Fir, I sheared them by myself.  It usually took most of the month of July.  It is neat working down in the fields alone as it is quiet & you never know what wildlife you will see, like deer, turkeys, pheasants, rabbits, etc.  But on this particular day I never dreamed what I was going to experience.  I was shearing along and I started to smell this swampy smell.  It wasn’t too strong at first & I wasn’t very far from the river bottoms so I didn’t think too much about it. After maybe a half an hour the smell got much stronger & I kept hearing noises back in the river bottoms & just to the south of me, like branches snapping, etc.  Every time I heard something I would stop & look in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing.  I was getting very curious as to what was making all that noise. At first I thought maybe it was a deer, but they aren’t usually that noisy.  Then all of a sudden in the bushes right along the south edge of our property he appeared.  He didn’t come out in the open so I didn’t get a real good look at him, but he was a tall, dark creature maybe 8 feet tall or so.  He stopped & stood there for a minute or two watching me, then he moved slowly off through the woods & out of sight. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen.  I had heard stories over the last ten years or so of people sighting this beast, but I had never come in contact with him before, “THE AVON SWAMP MONSTER.”  He was not aggressive, so I assumed he was not dangerous.  I went back to shearing, shaking & wondering about the experience the rest of the afternoon.

 

For many years I never told anyone of what I saw except my wife, Helen.  We figured we shouldn’t say anything as everyone would think we were nuts.  But more stories are coming forth & we decided that now is the time to let people know of these experiences.

 

I have seen, heard or smelled the creature several more times over the years, but have never had a real good look. He seems quite shy and never comes too close to people.

 

I am trying to gather all of the information I can about the Avon Swamp Monster.  If any of our former workers have had an experience that I don’t know about or if you were just fishing or hunting in the Avon Bottoms along the Sugar River and happened to see something that you couldn’t explain, please send me an e-mail of a paragraph or two describing your experience.  I want to know everything I can about the history of the Avon Swamp Monster.  If I get enough interesting stories, I may put them here on our website. Don’t wait if you have something to tell. Write it down and send it to me now using the e-mail form on the home page.

 

* * * * * * *

 

The Avon Swamp Monster

By Alyssa M., age 9, of Beloit, WI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crack! Snap! Pop! went the broken off limbs of the old oak trees, as my friends & I walked through the woods. We had signed up for a camp that is in the country near Beloit, WI. Our hosts were Helen & Paul Schilling. First thing we did was take a tour around their property. We hiked along Christmas tree lane and why do you ask why it is named that, they named it that because it is also a Christmas tree farm. So as I was saying we were taking a tour around the farm. We were brought through the Christmas tree patches and were taken to the old dump and the pond. Now the pond Mr. & Mrs. Schilling dug themselves but after all of these years it is now a swamp more than a pond. When we got to the pond my friends, Addison & Sarah, & I were still in the group and did not wander off like some of the other kids did but Paul said that they can explore or they can stay here and listen and take the rest of the tour. Anyway at the pond or swamp if you prefer to call it Paul told a story:“ the story of the Avon swamp monster.” He began.

 

“This is a fictional story of the legend of the Avon Swamp Monster as I have experienced it."

 

It all started about 1970 or so, if I remember correctly. One of our tree shearers spotted a glimpse of the creature going through the oak timber along the south edge of our Christmas tree plantation. He didn’t get a real good look at it, but it was large, maybe eight feet tall and dark colored, maybe all covered with hair and was walking upright.

 

It went along for several years before it was spotted again. This was also while we were shearing trees. I have personally seen the beast only twice and then it was just a glimpse as he moved through the bushes. A few other workers have also seen him off and on over the years, but no one has ever had a real good look or been able to get a picture.

 

It is just like the Big Foot sightings that have taken place in other parts of the U.S. and the Loch Ness monster. There has never been a good photo taken of them either, but many people claim to have seen them.

 

You always know when the Avon Swamp Monster is in the area because you can smell him. He smells like the swamp. If you have ever been in or around a low lying swampy area, you know the smell, only the Swamp Monster’s smell is much stronger. I know I have smelled him on several occasions, but never saw him.

 

His feet are apparently extremely large and flat so they don’t sink into the dirt and leave a track. So you can’t track him to see where he has been or where he is going. He is only spotted in the summer months so we assume he is hibernating during the winter. He seems to be a shy creature and doesn’t come around where people are very often and then not very close. He also seems to be harmless, at least he has never bothered any of us. I don’t know if there is only one or a pair or more. One would think if there was a pair, they would have been reproducing and the Avon Bottoms would be overrun with them, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

 

The “experts” say that he is quite likely from pre-historic times and was frozen in the ice during the Ice Age. When the ice melted, by some miracle he thawed out and came alive. I don’t know. It sounds pretty far out to me, but he came from somewhere.

 

So when you are down in our Christmas tree fields cutting your tree, always keep your eyes pealed and your camera ready, just in case. If the weather is cold he will be hibernating and you won’t see him. If we have some warm days at the end of November or the beginning of December, you never know, you may catch a glimpse of him or be able to be the first person to capture a picture of him. It has been great to be part of this exciting legend and you never know, you may be also.”

 

It was late in July so us girls thought after they all go to bed we would grab a flashlight and go down to the pond and see if we can find the Avon swamp monster for ourselves. Slowly the day went on, they had the camp supper “only never try Paul’s cooking” Helen warned. Then they roasted Marshmallows, then they got ready for bed and went to sleep. We waited and waited. And waited, for all of the lights to go out in the house and all of the tents. Sarah slowly and carefully unzipped the zipper of the tent. Then all three of us snuck out of the tent, then Addison slowly and carefully re-zipped the tent door, then we were on our way. “Out the tent and through the lane to find the monster we go” we sang quietly. We were almost at the banks of the pond when we all saw a green slimey disgusting foot print on the banks. Then we looked out on to the pond and saw bubbles coming up from underneath the watery scum. And then we saw the water move and heard the water trickle. We quickly jumped into the marsh, as a scummy object rose out of the water with eyes that sparkled in the moonlight. It was facing the other way so we decided to get out of the marsh and go and see if the creature was friendly. We were on the bank when I accidentally kicked a pebble and it splashed into the water causing the monster to turn around. We became scared and the monster became scared when we saw each other. But as the night went on we found out that the monster is actually nice and the monster found out that we girls were nice. Then we decided to go back to camp. On our way back we could not wait till next year to meet up again with our newest friend the Avon swamp monster.

* * * * * * *

 

I Smelled It!

By Adam B. of Monroe, WI

It was 2006, my first year shearing Christmas trees at Paul’s Tree Farm. We were shearing white pine at the time and were nearing the end of the day. I wandered away from the group to use the ‘facilities’ when suddenly there was a low groaning sound coming from the swamp to the south.  Judging from this and the rustling in the brush, the creature (or whatever it was) was apparently enormous. There was also a very rotten odor which smelled to me somewhat like decaying plant matter.  I didn’t actually see anything more than movement in the thick undergrowth, but I finished my business and got back to my compatriots as quickly as possible.

 

I didn’t tell anyone at the time, thinking no one would believe me.  I never saw (or smelled) the creature again in working three more years at the tree farm. I thought about the incident every year since though, and when Paul told me about his experiences with the “Avon Swamp Monster” I finally made the connection and decided to record my experience and send it to Paul, who is currently collecting reports of sightings of the Monster.

 

Maybe if enough people report their sightings, there will be an investigation of the area and a new species will be discovered.  In any case I’m glad I can finally bring this encounter to light, and I hope this report reinforces the mounting evidence that there really is a Swamp Monster lurking somewhere in the Avon Bottoms.

* * * * * * * 

 

Strange Goings On In The Avon Bottoms 

By Justin B. of Monroe, WI

The first year I worked as a tree shearer at Paul’s Tree Farm, Paul told the new shearers the legend of the Avon Swamp Monster, which I thought was fictional, until the next year when I had my own experience with this supposedly fictitious creature.  At Paul’s request, I have produced this written account of that experience.

 

It was in 2007, my second year working as a tree shearer at Paul’s Tree Farm.  My brother & I were the only veterans in the crew that year, and there were four new shearers—some of which still hadn’t gotten the hang of shearing trees by the second day—and I was conversing with one of them as we crept up and down the long rows of scotch pines on the west side of the Farm, shearing the trees while we went. “I never think about yesterday, because it’s gone,” the chap said.  “It wasn’t gone when we were living in it,” I replied.  Just as I uttered those profound words, I heard a loud brushing sound like a rather large animal moving through the nearby forest.  There was also a putrid odor, akin to the smell of swamp gas, only much stronger.  I had smelled the odor before I heard the sound, but I glanced in the direction of the rustling sound and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a man moving through the brush about sixty to seventy yards away, but it was too large to be a man; I would estimate that it was roughly eight to nine feet tall, judging it against the trees and under brush.  I was dumbfounded for just that instant by the surreal sight, and was unable to draw my co-workers’ attention to it until it was out of sight. I had only laid eyes upon it for no more than a second, but the image will remain with me for the rest of my life.  After describing it to Paul and another shearer who was a resident of Avon, they assured me that I had seen a mysterious local creature that many dismiss as mythological; The Avon Swamp Monster.

 

From my own sighting, I have concluded that the creature is either the fabled North American Bigfoot—known to some as the Sasquatch—or an elaborate and colossal failure of a hoax that only supplied a solitary moment’s glimpse to one individual who many might say had spent too much time shearing trees in the hot Avon sun. In my opinion, however, it is unlikely that the Monster is a hoax, given the number of sightings that Paul has informed me of, and the sizeable span of time—nearly forty years has passed since the first sighting on Paul’s Tree Farm—that these sightings cover.

* * * * * * *

 

My Experience

By Bob S. of Beloit, WI

I too….have had an experience with the Avon Swamp Monster. My encounter with the creature, was at the age of 13.  It was the summer of 1976.  Myself and 4 friends from Brodhead, had been talking about going camping for weeks.  We were so excited when it finally came time to go…on that Friday after school.  So…we all hurried home to get things packed up and to meet at one of my friends’ house. I remember being so happy as my friends’ Dad drove us to the river.  We finally reached the river, just west of the Avon bridge.  All of us piled out of the car eager to get all of our things down to our campsite.  We set up our tent, stockpiled wood, and got our fishing poles baited up.  After we settled down and got our fishing lines in the water, all of us were roasting Marshmallows, laughing, giggling and having fun and catching fish into the middle of the night.  Until we got tired and heaped up the firewood on the fire, and we all got into the tent, one by one we all fell asleep.  Then into the night we were awoken by the sound of something in the weeds and bushes.  We could feel the ground shake as the creature came through the brush, groaning and growling. I remember the smell, like rotting flesh.  As we all trembled in fear, the creatures’ shadow against the light of the fire engulfed the entire tent!  As it came nearer, our hearts pounded harder and harder.  Then suddenly the creature stopped, we could see the creature moving its’ head around like it was smelling for something or SOMEONE.  Then it started coming closer as we all began to scream.  Then the ground shook as the creature ran towards the river and then a BIG SPLASH as the creature hit the water!  We all stuck our heads out of the tent to see what it was but the creature had already disappeared into the night.

* * * * * * *

 

My Encounter With The
Avon Bottoms Swamp Monster

By Tim P. of Beloit, WI

One night I was at Paul’s Tree Farm, bow hunting for deer.  I was enjoying the hunt as I always do, well most of the time, (laughing).  I got down from my tree stand, and started walking back to my car, there were no stars out that night, so by the time I got to my car it was pitch dark, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.  I put my hunting gear in the trunk of my car.  And headed for home. I drove down the road thinking of how much I love the woods. I stopped at the intersection of Newark Rd. and Nelson Rd. Then I started driving again, I was looking to my right for some reason, then I looked to my left, and bam!  There it was on the side of the road, it was between 7 and 9 feet tall it looked right at me with its big round piercing eyes and its fangs were hanging out, like it was going to attack!  I think it was as surprised as I was.  I just missed hitting it! I drove up the road to the nearest drive way & turned around and went back, because I couldn’t believe what I had just seen, but when I got back to where I saw it, it was gone. It was a scary situation, but it was neat to have seen it.  I know I will probably be a little nervous from now on when I go to the woods, because I don’t think I want to meet the Avon Bottoms Swamp Monster face to face.  Or do I?

* * * * * * *

 

The Avon Swamp Monster

By Ken N. of Rockford, IL

Dear Paul,

As per your request about if I have ever seen the Avon Swamp Monster. I would have to say that the whole thing seems a little crazy to me. I have been hunting on your land for many years and spent whole weeks out in the woods and have never seen anything resembling a monster.

 

I consider myself a great user of camouflage and scent control, so if anyone would have a chance at seeing this it should be me.  But the hysteria over this never seems to amaze me. Many times I have been out in the woods only to hear people scream and see them running in towards the house thinking that they have seen this monster.  And after getting out of my deer camo and going in for some of your popcorn I hear the stories from the people that they saw and smelled this creature themselves.

 

I personally have no fear of such a thing since firstly I don’t believe in monsters.  And secondly, since I’m a rather large person who carries many weapons when I’m in the woods since I hunt many different ways.  I learned a long time ago to always try to think and be like the deer.  “Many of my friends think that that’s easy for me to do since I have a lot of body hair.”  I hunt in some ways that some would consider abstract.  Like the way I do scent control.  Many believe in paying for different non scent soaps for them and their clothes.  I find that I do much better by not bathing at all during the fall season and keeping my clothing that I hunt in out by where my stand is in the swamp all though usually all I wear is my good luck loin cloth.

 

As for weapons I find that using a knife or my custom made crossbow is all that I need.  Hunting like this has been a family tradition for many generations.  So in conclusion I find it almost impossible that such a creature could exist on your land and if it did I would have certainly seen it by now.

 

P.S. Below are some pictures that you requested from me.  The first one was taken of me by my stand in the swamp with my custom made crossbow.  The second is of me on that real cold day last hunting season.  The third is of the year you let my family come out there hunting, they really can’t thank you enough for the good time we had.  And the last one is of our family reunion at the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * * * * * *

 

Accounts Are Coming In

By Paul Schilling

We have started getting some eyewitness accounts in & we now know the Swamp Monster has been sighted as far west as the Avon bridge & as far east as the south edge of Paul’s tree farm (about a half of a mile distance).  The Swamp Monster was also spotted just east of the intersection of the Beloit Newark Road & the Nelson Road.

 

Has anyone ever had an encounter as far west as the Sugar River Bridge on County T, or as far east as the bridge on Nelson Road?  If so, please let us know.  We also now know that it can swim.

Ken N.’s account is worth reading several times as I believe some of the secrets of the Avon Swamp Monster may be unlocked in what he is saying.

* * * * * * *

 

The Avon Swamp Monster

By Melody P., age 11, of Brodhead, WI

Robin my thirteen year old brother, Heather, my six year old sister, and I were walking near Sugar River Bottoms one quiet afternoon. It was autumn and the leaves were falling in a beautiful flurry of dark red, fiery orange and sunshiny gold.

Robin clutched Pa's shotgun in his arms, carrying it carefully so that the head was pointed downwards. Heather hummed as she skipped along, holding Robin's free hand.

As we approached an area full of greenery, a small area of bushes began to rattle and shake, as if they were alive. I first assumed it was merely the crisp, autumn wind, but then I noticed that the trees all around me were still, as was the grass. Only that one patch of bushes stirred.

Robin must have noticed as well, because he swallowed nervously. My palms began to feel sweaty, and I could sense that someone was here, and that I was being watched. "Gun." I ordered quickly, and Robin swiftly handed me the shotgun. Whether Robin would admit it or not - and he certainly would not - I was a better shot. With his now free hands, he picked up a shaking, whining Heather, who was pointing at the bushes and shrieking "scary! scary!" I readied the gun and, suddenly, the bushes parted and a massive figure exploded from them. It was a giant, tall creature; around 8 feet tall and very wide. The stench of rot, mold, and swamp water suddenly hit my nose and I forced myself to hold my nose with a shaking hand.

Fear rushed through me in a wave and I could barely hear Heather scream through the blood rushing in my ears. My eyes were locked on the creature, and I could not rip them away. It looked like something off of one of Robin's sci-fi TV shows; like a heap of seaweed and mud stuck together in the shape of an overgrown human, with only two, beady black eyes on his face. He moaned and I jumped back suddenly, and realized that I was shaking.

The swamp monster lugged himself away - he walked very slowly - and the shotgun slipped from my fingertips into a puddle of oozing mud, and, between glances at where the monster had been, watched it sink with despair, not able to move my limbs. About five minutes later, I breathed a sigh of relief and the shaking slowed. "My gun!" Robin complained suddenly. "J-just leave it. Let's g-get out of here." I stuttered, still shocked, and we went home as fast as possible.

 

At home, Robin and I told our dad about our encounter but he didn't believe us - he thought it was just a cover story for losing his shotgun.

* * * * * * *

 

The Mystery of the Swamp Creatures: 1

By Melody P., age 11, Brodhead, WI

At school my best friend Violet and her brother Robin had told me there was a strange creature living in Sugar River Bottoms. Robin and Violet claimed to have encountered the creature and lost their father's shot-gun during the encounter, and so nobody believed them; they all said, "they’re making it all up because they lost their dad's gun." But Violet never lied. Not once.  Not to me or anyone I knew, anyway.

 

It was a Saturday afternoon - 4 o' clock - and I was wearing my twilight-blue sundress and matching flip-flops, standing out on the wooden deck on my house. Ma was at work at the T.J. Max in Janesville, and Pa was cutting wood for the fire outside in the backyard. We lived on a farmhouse near Sugar River Bottoms.

 

 I went down the deck's four steps and the sun shined through the treetops - it was early sunset - and made my fiery red hair glow. My deep emerald green eyes watched it contently for a long time before I walked to the stable.  Ma's horse, Wind Runner, was a large, ivory colored male with a vanilla colored mane and tail. Pa's horse was about the same size as Wind Runner and was a jet black male with a silver mane and tail, named Shadow. My horse was sleeker, slightly smaller, and a bit faster. She was a dark chestnut female named Evelyn, with a chestnut mane and tail.

 

 I climbed over the wooden fence and went to Evelyn to stroke her mane. She stood still and peaceful as I did. I watched all of the other horses, as well - these belonged to my entire family; the Shire family.  Mystery - the jet black foal that would let no one but me pet her, and so was deemed "my foal" - pranced up to me now and I stopped stroking Evelyn to stroke Mystery. Evelyn whinnied and began to graze nearby. Ma had bought her from a sale barn for me because she knew I wanted a jet black horse like Daddy's.  Butterfly was light chestnut and very graceful, though not very fast. She liked everyone - even strangers - and so we named her Butterfly for being a social-butterfly.

 

 Oddity was our show-horse, though Shadow was a show champion, Oddity was the champion. She was a rare color - a dark metallic gold dun. She belonged to everyone, but was mostly fond of Pa.

 After awhile of watching the horses, I went into the barn to feed the chickens, then checked on the pigs and the cattle.

 

 It was sunset by now.  With nothing else to do - school was on summer-vacation so I had no homework, my bedroom was clean, the laundry was done, and Ma was ordering pizza on the way home so I didn't have to worry about cooking Pa anything - I walked down to Sugar River Bottoms to watch the waters.  It was a hot day of June, but it was becoming slightly cooler as the sun set below the trees and fireflies began to dance around in the air. It was beautiful here.

 

Then I saw Jane and her little brother Alex getting ready to set off in a boat.   Jane was a girl from my English class at school.  Her wavy blond hair went down her shoulders and her baby blue eyes were wide. Alex was a pretty baby. He had the same milky complexion as his sister, the same wide baby blue eyes, and silky golden hair.  Jane was the same age as me, twelve, and Alex was only four. They both wore yellow life jackets.  "Hey, Luna!" Jane called. "Wanna come along?" she shouted, and Alex called," Wunwa!"

 "Sure!" I called back, and walked to the edge of the shore where their boat was. Jane had a tackle box full of band-aids, a few spare life jackets, and bug spray. She dug out a life jacket for me and I slipped it on. Jane helped me in the boat and Alex clapped his hands. "Wunwa!" he singed. I laughed and so did Jane.  "Off we go, guys!" Jane laughed, then she gave the boat a shove and jumped into the boat. We talked about school a little while, and then the bushes began to rattle nearby and a muffled growling noise became clearer and clearer, and I thought I heard a splashing noise nearby. Something hit the bottom of the boat. "Just rocks." Jane said, but there was fear in her eyes. Then more "rocks" hit the boat.  Again. A fourth time. Then the boat tipped over and Jane screamed.

 

I took a deep breath and snapped my mouth shut in the few seconds my head was above water, then underwater I held my breath and searched for Alex, fighting against the life jacket pulling me up, just to make sure he was safe with Jane, and there stood the "rocks."

 

 The "rocks" were not rocks - it was an 8 feet tall man covered in seaweeds, weeds, mud, dirt. It stunk of swampy moss, rot, and decay, and it had two beady yellow eyes and long slime-covered fingers.  It reached out a hand for me, and I kicked backwards under the water, and I realized the creature was chasing me. It managed to wrap a slimy arm around my waist and pull me back. I screamed underwater accidentally, losing my saved breath, and the monster pulled me above the water. I gasped in air and saw Jane and Alex on the shore, eyes wide with fear, tears streaming down Alex's face. "Wunwa!" he screamed, and reached out a tiny hand for me. Jane had to hold him back.

 

 The creature turned me around to face him and a tear slipped from my eye. I had never been so afraid in my entire life. The creature tossed me to the shore and I clambered towards Jane, when a shiny object hit me on the leg and I stopped in fear.   I turned around to see the sea creature nod towards the item, and another one of the creature's kind bobbed up in the water. My creature growled at it and dived after it, and they chased down the river underwater.

 

 Boat forgotten, I picked up the shiny object. A thin silver chain with an emerald heart on it. When I touched the heart, it glowed, and I sensed a powerful aura around it.

 

 "We're leaving, keep your stupid freaky pets away from us!" Jane shouted at me and I was taken aback. Jane took Alex and ran away, and I looked at where the monsters had disappeared, and at the necklace. I did not recognize it, but I knew it was important, and I would show it to Robin and Violet when school started again.

And so began the Mystery of the Swamp Creatures.

* * * * * * *

 

The Mystery of the Swamp Creatures: 2

Melody P., age 11, of Brodhead, Wisconsin

It was a Wednesday afternoon of September.  A normal day.  I had gone to school.  Jane was still cross with me over our strange, unexplainable encounter at Avon River Bottoms. I knew three things that day, after a lot of thinking through Mr. Berkley's History class. One; Jane was a gossipy girl and now everyone in the school besides Violet and Robin thought I was crazy. Two; I had been given a necklace from a swamp creature and I didn't know why.  And finally three; I was going to go back to Sugar River Bottoms to look for the creature - and, honestly, I didn't know why I was doing it.

 

That night I lay awake in bed at 3 a.m., deep in thought.  I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried that night. There was too much unforgotten - too much to consider...too many possibilities to wonder of.   At last, I got out of bed and took the shoebox from under my bed and set on the bed, slowly opening the lid. The emerald heart was glowing brilliantly. It was a strange yet beautiful green color, and it glowed brighter as I placed a finger on it to feel its smooth surface.  I took a deep breath, and placed the glowing necklace over my head.  It glowed as bright as a candle and it touched my neck.

I got dressed in the midst of the night, in a pair of blue jeans, socks, and white T-shirt. I slipped into a pair of my black boots and my black jacket, necklace glowing around my neck, and opened the window. A comfortably cool night breeze blew into my face and I breathed it in slowly.  I took one last deep breath, bit my lower lip, and put one foot on the windowsill. Throwing caution to the wind, I slung the leg out the window and over a thick tree branch of an oak tree a few inches from my window. I slung the other leg over the branch and I was out. I grabbed onto the branch with sweaty hands and slowly climbed down the tree, branch by branch, until I landed softly on the ground below. With a sigh of relief, I wasted no time. I ran in the direction I knew Sugar River Bottoms was, as quickly and silently as I could, and I was surprised at what I saw there.

Violet stood beside her older brother, her black hair stirring in the gentle wind, her startled twilight-blue eyes fixed on me. Robin stood beside her, his flaming red hair also stirring and his hazel eyes also fixed on me as he stood beside his sister.  "Luna!" Violet gasped. "What are you doing here?"  "What are you doing here?" I replied, staring at the two. She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Her eyes grew wide suddenly. "Is that the necklace?" she asked pointing at the glowing emerald heart around my neck. "Yes." I said, and held a hand over the glowing necklace.  "We're here looking for it. We want to find it," Robin explained quickly, eyes glued onto the necklace. Violet's eyes did not blink. They simply stared at the glowing necklace.  "How come it just walked away from us, but gave you this?" she said, mostly to herself.

Robin, Violet, and I stayed overnight, sleeping on the grass. Robin let me lean on his shoulder, and when I awoke Violet was pacing by the riverside, and Robin was awake.  "Oh, sorry," I said and sat up straight.  "Don't worry about it. I don't mind." He said.  "There it is!" Violet shouted, and Robin and I both stood up instantly and ran to her at the edge of the water.  And there it was. Walking amongst the trees. The Swamp Creature.  "You go to it, Luna. Go!" Violet demanded, and I ran through the shallow water to the other side, and ran for the trees, towards the slow moving creature.   Its head whipped towards me, and I somehow recognized it. Somehow, I knew it was the one that had given me this necklace. "Good, you’re wearing it.  It translates my tongue to yours," the creature said.

 

 It could talk!  "Y-You can understand me?" I stuttered. "Yes." it answered. "My name is very difficult to pronounce in your tongue, so you may call me Palus. What may I call you?" it - or he - said. He had a strange, soft, murky voice.  "Luna."  I said slowly, not believing my eyes.  "Luna." Palus repeated. "Hello, Luna. My people have been waiting for you," he said. "Why?" I asked quietly.  "Sit," he ordered.  I did as he said, and listened to his story.

 

 "My people, the Sha Tari, have lived in peace for a very long time. Many peaceful moons passed, until one sunrise the Wata people appeared. They look just like us, but, unlike my people, they are violent and aggressive. They prey on my people, and steal our land and food, and worst of all they chase your kind for sport, the Air Breathers, when you have nothing to do with any of our world. You are the one exception to that.  "I have never heard of an injured Air Breather due to the Wata,” but...I fear I may hear of this very soon. “The creature that attacked you and your friends is a Wata, and he is still out there. He is called 'The Lurker' and is the leader of the Wata.”  "Now, your part of all of this is a legend told of an Air Breather saving the Sha Tari from an enemy - and in this case I believe they are the Wata - though it is never told how. I believe in this legend, and I believe you are that Air Breather, Luna," Palus explained, and my mouth fell open slightly. I snapped it shut and stared at the Sha Tari creature.

 "I...I don't think..." I started. "I don't think I'm the one you’re looking for."  The creature simply glared at me. I could not tell what emotion he might be feeling; his features were too alien, too strange. But I had a feeling he was surprised. "Will you help us?" he asked in a grave voice. I swallowed hard.  And then, I thought of one question; why not? How could I just walk away from this...discovery? I couldn't. And so I looked at Palus, my choice decided.

 "I will help you," I said strongly, and the leaves rustled behind me. I turned around to see Violet and Robin. "Can we help?" they said together, eyes sparkling eagerly, fixed on Palus. "Yes...the Sha Tari will need all the help they can get," he said, and Violet swallowed hard, Robin's yes shot wide.  "Because they are not wearing the Swamp Heart as you are, they cannot understand my tongue. You will need to translate for them." Palus explained.  I repeated what Palus had said to Robin and Violet. "You can understand it?" Robin exclaimed, starring at me; wide-eyed, jaw dropped. "Yes, because I am wearing this," I said, and held up the Swamp Heart. Violet and Robin gasped.  "Then we will go, yes?" Palus sked.  I repeated what he said to Robin and Violet and turned to Palus. "Yes," I said strongly.

"Yes," Violet repeated eagerly. "Yes," Robin said timidly.

 

And so I left my home with Violet and Robin to follow Palus to the Sha Tari Village and learn of the Wata and, one day, drive them from Sugar River Bottoms.

 To Be Continued....

* * * * * * *

 

"The Avon Swamp Monster."

By Dakota S., age 11, of Kenosha WI

 My brother Jack is 17 and my little sister Cassey is only 8 and I am 11.  June 4th a day after my birthday we went to my grandpa's house and while the parents were talking and cooking a big dinner, us 3 and my 2 cousins went to go on the boat, it’s only a little row boat, so we hoped the two littler ones would stay back. When we were in the forest we heard a noise in the Strawberry bushes (rattle rattle). We thought it was a rattle snake and continued our walk to the swamp, because there wasn’t a lake around so we always used the swamp. So when we grabbed the boat and put into the water we started to get in it and there it was just standing there in the swamp was a legend "The Avon Swamp Monster".   Right before we could snap a picture to keep a wonderful memory it fastly swam away.

* * * * * * *

 

Swamp Monster Update

January 2012

By Paul Schilling

 

No one has reported any Swamp Monster sightings now for quite awhile. However, on December 1, 2011, Helen & I were in our craft shop and I just happened to look out the window and rummaging through our pre-cut Christmas trees, there he was! I hollered at Helen to get her camera and I grabbed my 8mm movie camera. We slowly opened the door and stepped outside. I yelled at him and he turned and stood looking at us for a few seconds, just long enough to get this photo.