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Article By: Carla Hinsey
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Word Count: 1440
Something Strange at Wichita Falls
Some years ago I went to Wichita Falls, Texas to visit a friend of mine. It was going to be a long weekend and I would be arriving on Friday morning. My friend was going to have to work that Friday and he suggested I drive out to the falls to kill some time. He said it would take up a good part of my day and we could meet up later. It sounded like a good idea to me and after getting general directions I headed out.
Apparently, it was some miles out of town. I found my first turnoff and I was heading out into the country. That part of Texas is gently rolling hills with lots of pasture and small strands of trees and thickets. Miles of roads were lined with barbwire fences with a few farms scattered from time to time. You can see forever.
After driving for a few more miles, I came to my next turnoff. There was a small sign stating "Wichita Falls", eight miles. I took the turnoff, this time it was a dirt road. It had been really dry for months and the road was very dusty and bumpy.
After about a mile driving on that dirt road, I remember thinking to myself, I hope the Falls are worth it because this road is beating me up and choking me to death. This is what I think a lonely old road to nowhere would be like. There was absolutely no traffic out here.
I decided to at least try to enjoy the scenery, after all this part of Texas does have it's own beauty and charm. I drove past a few farms with hay pastures scattered with cattle. There were also a few small horse farms. I noticed a couple of chicken farms offering farm fresh eggs and chickens for sale.
After a few miles of driving and scanning the countryside, I glanced into my rear-view mirror. Something strange caught my eye. Way off in the distance behind me there was a small cloud of dust coming up the road and it seemed to be moving pretty fast. Great I thought, this clown is going to come flying up on me, pass me, and I get to eat his dust all the way to the Falls.
It wasn't long before the dust cloud had gained enough distance on me that it was fairly close. It couldn't have been more than four or five car lengths behind me. The really strange thing about it was, I should have been able to see the vehicle causing the dust cloud, but I couldn't see a vehicle. I wasn't really in any hurry, so I slowed my car down and stuck my arm out the window and motioned for the driver to pass me. I figured just let him pass and let the dust settle and be done with it. The road was plenty wide enough for two vehicles to pass one another without any danger. It was pretty obvious there wasn't any traffic out here, but just the two of us.
I glanced in the rear-view mirror again, waiting for the dust cloud to make its move. It hadn't even sped up to begin passing me; it just matched my speed and was following me. I still couldn't make out a vehicle. I kind of felt like it was harassing me. For what reason, I hadn't a clue. All right jerk, I can play your game. I decided to speed up. It sped up. I slowed down. It slowed down. Now I was getting a bit nervous.
This went on for about a mile or more. I glanced in my mirror again. It had sped up and looked like it was going to pass me. Finally, jerk, now I can get a look at you. It shifted over into the left hand lane and made its move. With a burst of speed, it over came me. My car filled up with dust and I couldn't see a thing. It quickly veered back into the right lane throwing gravel all over my hood and windshield.
Now I was really pissed! That son-of-ah you know what! Of all the nerve! How dare you! Usually I'm pretty cool headed, but this jerk had gone too far. There was no call for any of this. Suddenly it dawned on me, I still didn't know what this was. I never got a good look at it. Now it was speeding away in a fury of dust. When the dust had cleared enough for me to see, it was already far ahead. I punched the accelerator and started gaining on it. In just a short amount of time I covered enough distance to know it had slowed down.
Suddenly it slowed way down and veered off to the right. I slammed on my breaks and skidded to a halt. Off to the right was a two track road that went down into a little draw. On the far side of a small grassy pasture was a rickety old barn. Behind the barn was a small stand of trees and brush. The dust cloud zoomed along the two track towards the barn.
As strange as all this may sound, I had to know what this was. Curiosity had a hold of me and wouldn't let me go. I through my car into drive and raced off after the dust cloud. I wasn't very far behind it when it zipped into the open doors of the barn.
Once again I slammed on my breaks and skidded to a halt. Now what, I thought. I opened my car door and stepped out side. Just then I heard wood cracking and splintering followed by a crash. I heard branches snapping as this thing smashed through the back of the barn and landed in the trees.
"Holy moly," I said out loud, "What the heck was that!"
A shadowy figure appeared at the opening of the barn doorway and just stood there, looking back into the barn. After a couple of seconds the figure emerged into the sunlight. It was an elderly man. He was wearing a dirty T-shirt and overalls. For a second, fear raced down my spin and I could feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I realized real quickly, I could be in trouble here. After all, I was out in the middle of nowhere and this whole thing was getting really weird, and yet, I still had to know.
He just stood there, thumbs tucked in the straps of his overalls, shaking his head back and forth. I couldn't help it. I just had to ask.
"Hey, mister, did you see that?" I stammered, "Did you get a look at it?"
"Yeah, but not a good look," he said, "That's always been the problem."
"What the heck was that? I was on my way out to see the Falls and this thing came up behind me. I swear it was harassing me on the road," I told him.
"That happens around here sometimes," he said.
"Well, what is it? Do you know? I have to know!" I insisted.
"Yes'um, I do ma'am, but you wouldn't believe me if I told ya. No one ever does," he said.
"Try me," I said.
"Ok, but don't say I didn't tell ya," he boasted, "It's a three legged chicken."
"What!" I exclaimed, " A three legged chicken? There's no such thing!"
"Told ya, you wouldn't believe me," he said, matter of fact.
Ok, so I didn't believe him, but just for the sake of the argument I decided to humor him, hoping to get to the bottom of this. I needed to know what the real truth was.
"If you didn't get a good look at it, how do you know it was a three legged chicken?" I asked.
"Cuz, I raise them," he stated.
"Ok, not that I believe you, but why would you raise three legged chickens?" I asked.
"Well, ya see, ma'am, me and the misses and our boy all love chicken legs. When the misses use to fix fried chicken, we all fought over who got a leg. I figured out how to breed a three legged chicken and started raising them. That way we didn't have to fight over who got a leg," he told me.
Laughing to myself, I asked him, "Well, how does it taste? Are they any good?"
"I don't know, I ain't ever caught one," he said.
Article Source: ArticleZones.com
About the Author
I am a freelance writer. I write for adults and children, both fiction and non-fiction stories and articles. I am of Native American decent and hope to change the lives of people, young and old, from my writings and experiences. I was shown the old ways when I was in my early twenties and now live my life accordingly. In my writings I hope to show people another way to live their lives. Visit me at http://carla.info451.com
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