Every year, tourists flock to Austin, Texas, hoping to temporarily experience what it is truly like to live in the deep south.
Those who appreciate mother nature often find themselves at the River Place Nature Trail, relaxing by the park’s large pond, or hiking along the park’s trail.
Those who do visit especially enjoy the river that runs along the trailhead.
Austin Vacation Goes Horribly Awry
Updated 2/11/2020 – It has always been a favored part of the park—until recently, anyway.
Rumor has it that the Austin community has been plagued with several children running home crying…and many are blaming a strange and unknown creature that is said to live somewhere near the river along the trail of the park.
Some locals are skeptical about these allegations, claiming that such a creature does not exist.
But Emily (Name changed for privacy), a yearly visitor from Michigan, knows better.
“We have family who live in Austin, and my grandmother is not in the best of health, so we make it a point to come down to see her every year around the holidays,” she explained, already looking a little sad.
“This year was especially exciting for me, as I was going to be able to present my infant son to her for the first time.
We got in a couple days before Christmas Eve and decided to visit one of my husband’s favorite parks, River Place.
I took my baby son through the trail and located a spot that was easy to carry him down to the water.
“I held his hands and let him waddle through it and lifted him up to splash his feet.
At first he seemed a little unsure, but the moment he learned he could splash the water around, he started giggling in delight,” she said, beaming.
“My husband had gone off to explore further down the trail, so it was just me and my son.
Something Slimy in the Water…
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“Everything was fine one moment…and then…,” her voice broke as she reached for a tissue.
“It happened so quickly, it’s hard to describe, or even make sense of it.
This…thing, this horrible looking creature suddenly appeared in the shallow water and startled me.
“I had had a firm grip on him, but the sudden appearance caught me so much by surprise, I dropped my boy in the water for a second.
“I quickly reached for him, but the water had somehow gotten deeper, and he couldn’t swim.
I reached in again, and it felt like this weird creature maybe had a grip on him?
But I was able to grab him, pull him out, and get out of there.
“My husband asked me what all the commotion was.
I convinced myself it was just a piece of seaweed or something, and I was just startled and sleep-deprived.
I didn’t tell him what happened, I just hid my emotions and told him we were splashing around.
“I know I didn’t encounter some kind of weird swamp creature, I know I didn’t…
I know I didn’t, but…
I just don’t understand what happened.
It felt so real, and I could feel this creature battling for my son’s life.
He wanted to take my boy, and I would never let that happen.”