Author's note: The pasta you are about to read is based on a true story.
An old photograph of the creature.
In September 1952, a UFO was reported to have crashed in the forest by some people living in Flatwoods, a small town in Braxton County, West Virginia.
A 17-year-old National Guardsman, Eugene "Gene" Lemon, was sent to investigate this phenomenon by authorities.
According to some eyewitnesses, the so-called "UFO" crashed in a forested area, so Gene and his dog went to investigate the woods. It was 8:00 p.m. and very dark, so Gene brought his flashlight with him.
Gene's dog ran ahead of him out of sight and began barking, then returned to Gene with its tail tucked in between its legs. It was frightened by something. They reached the top of a hill, where they noticed a large pulsating ball of flame. Gene and his dog also detected a pungent mist or odor in the air that made their eyes and noses burn. Gene caught a glimpse of a strange creature underneath the oak tree using his flashlight. The creature was reptilian-like, had a spade-shaped head, stubby arms, and claw-like fingers, and was reportedly ten feet tall. The creature made a shrill hissing noise and glided towards them, but abruptly changed direction and headed towards the pulsating ball of flame. Afterwards, Gene and his dog fled in panic, scared out of their wits.
After this encounter, the police investigated the area in the forest where the creature and the ball of flame were reported to be, but they found no evidence of the encounter and did not even smell the burning odor that Gene and his dog had smelled.
Gene became very sick and suffered from vomiting and convulsions throughout the night, and he also had difficulties with his throat for several weeks afterward. Gene's dog also became very sick and died.
Sixty years have passed since the incident, but the case of the Flatwoods Monster is still unexplained.
What really was the "Flatwoods Monster"?