Enoch: A Bigfoot Story (An excerpt) by Autumn Williams

There are many Bigfoot books out there about this mysterious forest monster that has eluded researchers for so long. Some try to be scientific as best as they can, like Dr. Jeff Meldrum's "Sasquatch:Legend Meets Science", and others that are total comedy where bigfoot is your spiritual guide and can talk to you through "mindspeak". "Enoch: A Bigfoot Story" is a well written account of a researcher and an alleged Bigfoot eyewitness named Mike. It's 272 pages of non stop reading.

RETURN TO THE SWAMP 

"I call him Enoch," Mike told me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because of this sound he makes all the time. 'E-knock. E-knock'," Mike mimicked in a guttural voice.

The following is an excerpt from "Enoch: A Bigfoot Story" by Autumn Williams. You can purchase it here. 

Mike was getting serious. He had gone out and purchased six game cameras and was following leads on used Sony Handycams in his area. The second weekend in November rolled around, and he made a preliminary journey to the swamp.

I got an email from him on Sunday, November 15th.

There is another river where I'd seen tracks and I followed them for about twenty miles north. I got the cameras to see if there were any more coming up or down river. I set the cameras up and am going to leave them there until I come back the following week.
Swamp flooded... camp has a foot of water in it. Lots of snakes... it ain't looking good. If the water don't go down soon, he won't come around. I'm going to look for him in the pine woods. There is this place he likes to go. I think he's around because deer stands are being torn down in that area. If he is there, he'll find me. I'm looking for signs now with no luck... everything is underwater. I guess that's why they call it a swamp.  

I'm driving my boat where we used to walk That storm really dumped a lot of water last week.

Just thought I would give you an update. I can't call ya... I have bad infection in both my ears and I can't hear nothing. Doc said waited to long to see her and it's really bad and will take a while to clear up. I shouldn't be out here today but I needed to check on things and needed to get away.  

I'm floating down this river writing you this, trying to see how long I can keep a signal on my air card... three bars and fading. You wouldn't like it here today - lots of snakes in the trees and water.  

I am coming back up on the 25th. Maybe things will be better by then and maybe I will be able to hear something. Right now, I can't hear anything. I can hardly hear the motor running. Never had it this bad before. Got to head back around noon - it's a long drive and I don't feel so good today and want to get back and get some sleep.
Smell ya later, Autumn Gator...

MIKE 

Surreal. It's the only way to describe how I felt about getting an email from Mike, who was floating down a rives next to the swamp, telling me in real time about his journey. Technology is amazing, I thought. But more than that: it really outlined the difference between the "wilderness" in Florida and that of Oregon, and how humans had encroached upon the Big Guys there. If I were out in Bigfoot's backyard in my home state, there wouldn't be a wireless signal for miles.

Mike wrote me again a couple of days later, when he was back in civilization:

I took my laptop into the swamp to see if I could get a signal. It don't work in the swamp but it does on the river. I'm trying to find out how to send you a live cam shot of the Big Guy. I could do it from the sand bar but it would have to be at night so nobody would see us and I don't know how that would work.

My big plan was to have a live internet hookup that people could log onto and see the Big Guy live for as long as he will sit still. I think that would be better than telling people where he is, and people could see what I see live. Think about how many people would see it world wide... Do you think that would be proof enough for them? I have my geek working on it to see how it can be done. I'll have to spend a lot of money, but if it works, it'll be worth it. What do you think would happen if I were able to pull it off? 

Keep checking dots... I may tell you the rest of the story sometime. I still feel funny talking about it. I have the whole story written down in another file but I'm afraid to show you... Maybe after you meet the Big Guy and I have proof to back it up.  

Smell ya later, Autumn Gator 

A week passed, as Mike prepared for his trip. He managed to track down and purchase a used Sony Handycam. I thought a lot about what might happen over the long Thanksgiving weekend.

The funny thing was, I really didn't feel like I needed proof. I was willing to support Mike in his desire to attempt to prove their existence and do everything I could to help figure out if we could use that evidence to help protect them. I would have loved to see a photograph, if only to reconcile the image that was burned into my mind as a child, to gaze upon that wild visage with an adult's eye and validate what I remembered seeing. But the more we talked about it, the less sure I was that proof would provide protection for these creatures. It seemed to me that Mike had his hand on the lid of Pandora's Box.

What I didn't really understand was that Mike was determined to prove it to me.

I knew Mike was leaving on Wednesday afternoon after work. I didn't expect to hear from him until the following week. But then I remembered that he could stay in contact off and on while he was out there, as long as he went out to the river. I checked our online document. Sure enough... he had written. I had no idea he was planning to keep a running journal.

On the precipice of a five-day weekend, Mike entered the swamp again... and, for the first time, he had an agenda.

Wednesday 11/25/2009

Left work at 3:00 p.m. Boat hooked to truck, loaded and ready to go, it's raining and I have a long drive ahead of me. 

Got to the boat ramp at 10:00 p.m. ... running late, had to stop by [the other river] and get the six camera traps I set out a week ago. Nothing on them but deer, one bear, coons, kids on four wheelers, hunters... no Big Guys or Big Girls. 

Floated boat, parked truck, walking back, cop pulls up, we talk for a while. 

Cop left, I fired up the engine and headed out into the darkness. Headed downriver as fast as I could go, could not wait to get to camp. 

Pulled into the creek - it was dark and spooky, just the way I remember it. Pulled up to camp. The place was a mess - water has gone down but everything is wet and muddy. Too nasty to use right now. I'll have to come back later when it dries and clean up and run off the snakes and gators. 

Went back to the old camp on the sandbar under the big oak tree. It's dry there - no mud, only sand. Walked around, looking for tracks and found none, but I know he is here. I can feel it. 

The moon is up and I can see ok, but it's too late to make camp tonight. I've been up since 4:00 a.m. and worked all day, then drove here, and I'm beat. Going to sleep on the boat tonight and set up camp tomorrow. 

It's a little past midnight. Maybe he will come around later when he finds out I'm here. I'm worried he won't show. I've got a lot riding on this - it's put up or shut up time, and I need to get some shots of him for Autumn. 

I got six camera traps, a Sony nightshot camcorder, Bionic Ear sound amplifier, digital recorder and a lot of Hershey bars and Blue Birds. And one secret weapon that I can't talk about because it's a secret. 

Mike stayed at the river camp on the sandbar, making forays into the swamp.

Thursday 11/26/2009 

It's Turkey day; sitting here eating some eggs and bacon. It's really a nice day. Thank you, Lord, for making it for me. 

I got up early and walked out into the swamp, looking around. It's still got a lot of water in it - could not go far. I will set up the cameras around camp and go looking for him upriver in the pine woods. 

7:00 p.m.: Looked all over the pine woods today... Nothing, no signs at all, not looking good. It's just a waiting game for now. Maybe I will have better luck tomorrow. Lots of hunters around -they could have made him go deeper into the swamp. Autumn called me around 1:00 p.m. to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving... It was nice to hear from her. It really made my day even better. Too bad she ain't here - I think she would get a kick out of this trip. I think the world of her and would like to show her some of my world and let her meet the Big Guy. 

I got all the cameras on and I am ready for the Big Guy to show himself Got all his favorite foods. It will be good to see him again. It's been much too long. 

It's cold here tonight. Got plenty of firewood, so it won't be too bad. lam the only one around for miles. All the other camps are empty. This weekend they will all be full of people hunting and fishing, but for now, I have it all to myself .

So I'm sitting by the fire writing this, wondering if I'm going to look up and see him standing there. I hope he shows up soon. It's lonely here tonight and I'm starting to feel it. Got a big steak cooking on the fire... smells good... also got a tater wrapped in foil along with some corn on the cob, some sweet cold slaw and a jug of sweet tea. I do eat good when I'm in the woods. I just don't like eating alone. Maybe a coon will come by for some leftovers and we can chat awhile. 

Steak's done... gotta go. 

10:30 p.m.: Going downriver [several] miles to check a few spots where he might be - some of his old stomping grounds. I'm starting to get a weird feeling like something is out there - a feeling like I'm being watched. I feel something is out there, and I don't think it's him. I'm going to leave for a few hours and see if it comes into camp when I am gone. The feeling is so strong that I feel the need to wear my gun... He ain't the only thing that lives out here and walks around in the dark. 

The whole place has a different feel to it, like something has changed, and not in a good way. 

To read more, please purchase this must have book here for your Bigfoot library!  "Enoch: A Bigfoot Story" by Autumn Williams.