Hello and welcome new subscribers! If you were listening in to the latest Halloween edition of Phantoms and Monsters with Vince Richardson and Bernadette McDaniel (Lon was recovering in the hospital after a successful operation.) you probably already know the rest of the account I”m about to write here!
However, if you missed the show and have not read the first half, no fear. It’s all archived below this post! By all means, feel free to read the first part first, as that may set up the story much better!
For those of you who are old subscribers, here’s part two of THE CANAL INCIDENT:
We were enjoying the company of the British couple who were expats from England. We eventually began sharing stories of our trips overseas and what led them to buy a house in France and settle in Provence. At some point, we finally shared our strange light encounter as they seemed down to earth and very candid. We at length shared the incident with the light coming through our bedroom window. Needless to say, that opened them up to share their unusual, odd and terrifying story.
Here is the account of Tim and Linda (Pseudonyms) of what had happened to them the evening before our “light” experience:
Tim and Linda a retired couple in their early 60’s, formerly lived in the south of England. They customarily walked after dinner in the park near their home. When they chose to move to the Provence area of France, they decided on a small village away from the tourist area as they craved silence and privacy. Thus, they purchased a stone house from the 16th century which had a stone wall and a handsome gate, about three kilometers outside of the village.
To their delight, they found that the house was situated near a forest when they explored the area after settling in. Thus, their nightly exercise continued for years. Their iron gate happened to be right across from a little path that when walked, led to a canal about 50 yards behind the rental cottage. Surrounding the canal on both sides were trees. Once in a while, if they walked for a few miles as they tend to do, they would spot another residence amid the forest of trees. Their gate also led to the rental cottage’s driveway (unpaved, of course.) That is how we met them while we took in the view from our elevated position on the veranda when we took advantage of the “plancha” or barbecue grill on warm evenings.
On this particular evening, Tim and Linda ate and then relaxed a bit, then put their sneakers on to do the nightly trek. They exited their home, strode to the gate, opened it and strode down the path towards the woods. It was now dimming in the early evening light and Tim, always ready, turned on the flashlight and shined the stone path for Linda’s benefit. Several minutes later, they arrived at the edge of the canal which went from one end to the other and walked the slim edge which was just enough width for two people to walk side by side.
Linda noted it seemed quieter than usual and besides them, there was no one else in sight. As they walked companionably with Tim holding the flashlight, they chatted about their grown children in London and reminiscing when they were small. Then, Linda paused as she thought she heard what she can only describe as a hollow sound as if someone was whispering through a jar. They had been walking for some time now as the night had taken hold and the path grew deeper on the edge of the canal.
Linda signaled with one hand for Tim to stop talking. He paused mid-stride and they both listened to the silence. There was something about twenty to twenty five feet ahead that seemed to be blocking the path they were on by the side of the canal. Tim shined his flashlight higher and further towards the path where Linda told him to hold it. Ahead of them was a movement or what seemed to be an outline of something shimmering. It moved as the light caught it, closer to the waterline.
The couple remained at a standstill, rooted to the spot. Linda turned to Tim as he began to move the flashlight towards the trees and back onto the path and then onto the canal itself. Did you see that, he had asked Linda. She pulled his arm away and began to backpedal. Without warning, Tim shut off the flashlight, plummeting the area in darkness, save for the dim night sky.
“I think this would allow us to…” Tim began to whisper, but Linda grabbed his arm even tighter.
She continued to look ahead.
Linda gasped, her eyes transfixed to the canal.
“Look!”
Tim watched as something bipedal became more obvious in the dark without the flashlight. It was moving away reluctantly and seemed to be looking back at them. It was a shimmering shadow which seemed to go in and out of visual contact, shimmering and then vanishing as it backed away slowly from the couple.
Then, suddenly, they heard the water splash in the canal. They watched the water ripple as something shimmered right above it, disrupting the surface as it walked across the canal to the other side. It had no face or details of clothing. Just a shimmering outline of something bipedal moving.
Linda and Tim, terrified now and realizing they were alone in the dark with the entity, turned to run. Tim held on to Linda protectively. As he glanced back, he saw the entity step out of the canal onto the other side where there was an identical path. Linda turned to follow his sight and saw the shimmering outline of the being enter the trees where there was a house a few yards away.
Then it winked out.
They dashed the way they came and exited the canal onto the path leading back to their home. It was about half past ten in the evening.
As it was the final week of our vacation, we did not venture to explore the canal which the couple cautioned us about. I went by midday to take a few photos which I have posted on Facebook and Instagram after they told us their story, hoping to find any unusual footprints or evidence. Regrettably, it was a path used by day by bicyclists. I saw a few, but none stopped long enough to be interviewed or queried.
I hope you enjoyed this strange story.
If you happened upon someone with a similar experience, or you have had an unusual experience you’d like to share, feel free to email me at Info@annamariamanalo.com. I’ll be glad to post it on my blog and credit you or if you prefer to remain anonymous, just let me know!
Feel free to share my site as the more subscribers, the more fun! My latest book, Unholy Structure is coming out in a few weeks this November 2022! If you’re a subscriber, you’ll get a chance to get a free book signed by yours truly!
