The Journal of Jackson Meriwether

It took some doing, but I placed over a dozen deadfalls across the yard, each leading closer and closer to the house. As I stacked them, I could see movement out of the corner of my eyes. Every now and then, I'd catch a whiff of their glorious perfume, ha!

My hope is to bait them to the house, but in a way that doesn't make them feel exposed, or require a bunch of camera traps they'd just avoid anyway. These are smart creatures. Gentle too. But dangerous I am sure. Chimps will rip your arms off, I shudder to think what these guys will do!

I don't miss the gas station. I don't miss the people. I don't miss that life. I work myself to exhaustion doing what I wanted for my own damn satisfaction and that's worth a helluva lot more than I made changing oil and replacing brake pads. Even putting a mask on the back of my head to keep the lion away beats customer service, beats dealing with the IRS and all that shit, just to always end up scraping by. Eh. I don't need to write this stuff down. I need to let it go.

I took down the bridge. I closed the gates. My house is stocked for months. Cohabitation takes time, a lot of time and patience. But hopefully, I will be able to introduce them to the world. Or maybe, I just stay here? Live a life without the need for a handshake and a congratulations. I think trying to get strangers' attention has made us lonely. What do we do if it isn't for Facebook?

I got something now though.

I've read everything. Well, everything reputable. A lot of these stories get a little silly, especially on the podcasts. But I have researched this to hell and back. Not just about Bigfoot, but apes in general, even our ancestors. I don't know what these are and where they fit in, but maybe I will find out. But I think I have what I need to bait them closer, to get more than a few blurry photos and footprints.

The wood apes of the Wildcat Thicket await, as does my destiny. I feel silly writing it, but I don't feel silly feeling it.