- Joined
- Feb 3, 2017
- Messages
- 11
Let me just start by saying I find this story highly dubious with the exception of the fact that the guy who relayed the story to me (my ex-girlfriend's father) was obviously very serious when telling the story (after much coaxing from her). When he was a in his late teens, he was hanging out with his 4 brothers at the outskirts of Tampa, Florida near a backwoods road (this must have been sometime in the '70s - maybe very early '80s at latest). They'd had a bit to drink which doesn't really help the credibility of the story. But they say they witnessed a winged creature land in the road that they have since referred to as "the gargoyle." He described it to me as being bipedal, maybe about 4-feet tall with a strong, stocky body, long thin neck, beak-like face, glowing eyes, and pointed protrusions like ears. The skin was described as leathery, as were the wings. He and his brothers were always out in the woods and swamp; the type of guys that would catch rattlesnakes for cash (to make anti-venom) so they weren't frightened by the creature as much as they were curious. After hesitating momentarily to provoke one another, one of the brothers actually attempted to grab the "gargoyle" and it flew off. It took a lot of pushing for him to tell us the story; I don't think he was afraid of the creature but just sort of confused and didn't want to be called out on it. I believe that he believes he saw something. I'm just curious if this fits the description of any other reported cryptids, especially in the South Florida region.