Hey there. My nephew told me I should finally call about this. He listens to your show all the time. So here I am. This happened back in 1977, July 25th. It was a hot evening in Lawndale, that's in central Illinois. I was ten years old at the time. Just turned ten that spring. I was playing in our backyard with a couple friends, Travis and Bobby. We'd been out there all afternoon, you know, just messing around like kids do. My mom was inside cleaning up after dinner, and my dad was out front working on his truck. Normal summer night. Around eight thirty, maybe quarter to nine, that's when it happened. I remember the exact time because my mom had just called out the window asking if we wanted popsicles before it got dark.
So we're standing there near the back fence, and I heard this sound.[ Like wings flapping, but loud. Really loud. Not like a normal bird, you know what I mean? Travis saw them first. He grabbed my shoulder and pointed up. That's when I looked. Two massive birds. They were circling maybe 50, 60 feet up. At first I thought they were just big hawks or something, but as they got lower, I realized these things were huge. The wingspan had to be at least ten feet. Maybe more. They were black, completely black, with these white rings around their necks. Like someone had painted collars on them. The beaks were long and curved. Not like any bird I'd ever seen before. And the way they moved, it was smooth but purposeful. Like they were hunting. Bobby started backing toward the house. I should've gone with him. Instead, I just stood there watching them circle lower. I couldn't look away, you know what I mean? It was like they had my attention locked.
Then one of them dove. Just straight down at us. Travis saw it coming and jumped into our neighbor's pool. He went right over the fence, didn't even hesitate. Smart kid. Bobby was already halfway to the back door by then. But me? I froze. I was watching this thing come at me, and my legs wouldn't move. It was like my brain was screaming at my body to run, but nothing was working. The bird hit me from behind. I felt these talons grip the straps of my sleeveless shirt, right on my shoulders. The claws were arranged weird, three in front and one in back. I felt them dig into the fabric. And then I was off the ground. Actually off the ground. My feet weren't touching anything. The thing was carrying me. I started screaming and flailing. I was punching up at it, kicking, doing anything I could. I remember looking down and seeing the yard getting smaller. Not by much, maybe two feet, but I was in the air. This bird had lifted me and was trying to carry me away.
[ Story continues in the full game... ]