The Fayetteville Mothman

Our family lived in Fayetteville, West Virginia and our home was located 1/10 mile from the major town street. Our house was located in the forest and our property bordered a state forest. I was 11-12 at the time. The forest was dense with well-worn hiking paths. Some had been logging roads at one time. One was larger as it had once been a rock quarry road. The remains of the quarry was located on our property. A quarter mile from the quarry was a convergence to two creeks. One was Wolf Creek. The convergence point once had a five foot stone dam that was blasted years before my time due to waterborne disease outbreaks. The town dumped its sewage into the smaller creek. Beyond the convergence of the creek it descended several large waterfall systems into the New River George. When waters were low a large flat rock creek bed was exposed and we played in it as kids.

Several of us were wrapped up in the Dungeons & Dragons craze, were enamored by heavy metal music and teetered on the edge of occult interests. Nothing too serious. Boys of their time and place. During one late afternoon I proclaimed upon the top of a rock outcrop over the creek bed that I was calling forward a great spirit of the deep forest. Nothing happened. We continued playing until dusk, parted ways and returned home. Perhaps it was happenstance. Perhaps related.

My experience with Mothman began that week and lasted just less than a month. I did not speak of it or share with others for nearly 15 years. I was afraid that speaking of it would somehow cause it to come back around. I will spare you the minor details but need to share the only backstory that matters.

A few years earlier I played with a girl my age and her younger brother. They had a grand three story wooden home in our neighborhood. It was a historic house. A mansion by local standards. We entered her home one night after searching out fireflies in the front yard. When we walked through the foyer to the main staircase to the second floor I looked to my right across a large sitting room where there were sets of large windows. Outside the windows was a large hardwood about 75 years old. I saw two large red eyes. Large! I stopped. The girl and her brother were already a fourth the way up the stairs and I was standing still and mesmerized. I said, “There are two red eyes in your tree.” The girl replied back, “That’s a ghost. He has red eyes, looks like an old man, sits in the tree and stares at us sometimes.” I asked if they ever called the police. She said no. She said her mom told them not to look at it and ignore it. Their mom often seemed drained and depressed. I was glad I did not have old creepy men sitting in trees around our house. It stayed with me.

Back to my main story. I immediately felt that I was being watched at all times. The primal feeling of prey being stalked. It did not matter if I was in my house, woods, walking to the park - day and night. There were scratches at my second floor window but no trees. Deep fear of getting out of bed. Paralyzing fear. Many sleepless nights. I tried to share strange things were going on to my parents. They had no interest. I would wake them up at night and ask them to search the house, check the doors, etc. There were annoyed. They did agree to keep the flood lights on surrounding the house. My dog was acting strange. Normally a brave dog not scared by bear, not man, nor bigger dog - was a mess while this was going on.

I called one of my friends that was there with us when we were playing and asked him to come over. That it was very important. Told him I would only speak with him in-person about it. He did and I learned he too was having a series of strange and frightening events. He felt we needed to stick together and tell no one as they would think we were nuts. Needless to say I did spend a lot of time at his house located in a non-wooded neighborhood. The stuff going on at his house was just as bad. Knocking on multiple walls during the day. A thousand birds on the power lines outside his home. The fear of being watched and followed. He was irritated with me as he felt it had been my fault.

One night I mustered the courage to go to my bedroom window and look out on the backyard. A being crossed from the shadows of the house side across the yard and into the flood light lit area just a bit, stopped and looked over its shoulder at me at an upward angle as I was in an elevated position. First, this thing was 8-9 feet tall. Had it’s giant wings pulled in across its back so that it looked like a cloak. It looked straight ahead again and seemed to glide across the yard in a standing position. It did not have traditional legs and the legs came together into a very strange point, as though its stance could not support its mass yet they did. It used no stride. It was not human.

Many years later, when the film came out I was amazed. The static on the phone, headaches, etc. At the time of the events I assumed it was a demon. Mothman was not a term I knew. I never saw it spread its wings or fly. I did have the feeling it was above me. A birds-eye view. The damn thing was silent as I have the hearing of a fruit bat. I had a panic attack that night, cold sweats and felt very alone. I got down on my knees and prayed in a way I never had and never have since.

There was one wise old man who cut our grass and acted as a handyman when the mines closed from time to time. He liked me. Gave me a lot of advice. Told me stories. He had three girls and no boys. My dad liked to do his own work but pitched the fellow work because he was a good guy. He was working on our mower when I broached the subject briefly. He stopped what he was doing, stood up, took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. He said I know what you are talking about. It is the thing we do not talk about in this town. It is called Mothman and even talking about it can bring him around. That was it.

I live in Atlanta now and during 2005 I finally shared the whole story with my wife of six years. Within a week I was in the back courtyard and one swooped. The wingspan and speed was awesome. It perched (not like a bird) 70 yards away at about 70 feet and watched me. No red eyes during the middle of the day and blended well. They do not weigh much but are crazy large, intelligent and not human. It moved on within a week. While they can communicate telepathically - so can I when you lock minds with it. I let it know that it was out of its element in a city like Atlanta, that I had no fear and that I would end it should it mess with my family and property. Not sure I could. But I was a man at that time and had very little patience and refused to succumb to fear. They are most curious about us. They don’t think like humans. Don’t have the same values and motivations. There were no tragedies associated with my experience. They are voyeurs by nature. I don’t think they are physically as strong as a full man. But I can’t imagine getting a shot at one. MJ

Mothman Dynasty: Chicago's Winged Humanoids

Encounters with Flying Humanoids: Mothman, Manbirds, Gargoyles & Other Winged Beasts

THE OWLMAN AND OTHERS

The Mothman Prophecies: A True Story

The Mothman of Point Pleasant