Pretext:

For those of you who don’t know, a Todal is a creature that looks like a blob of glup that makes a sound like rabbits screaming and smells like an old unopened room. It is made of lip and feels as if it has been dead for a dozen days. It moves about like monkeys and shadows and cannot be killed. It was created as an agent of the devil to smite those who do evil but not to their fullest extent. Originally created by one James Thurber, the creature is more than just mere fantasy. Believe it or not, I have countered the Todal; twice. Though truth to tell I did not know what I encountered at the time, I dare say such a creature is indeed real. This is a true story, my friends.

Text:

Twice, about a year apart, in the same place and at about the same time, I heard a scream that sounded like from that of a rabbit. I was on a graveyard shift working at an auto auction in an industrial valley in one of the many lots I was to patrol. This one was parallel and to the west of another lot under my watch with a stream running between them and fenced off on both sides. Only grass grew on its banks. Where the stream turned towards the other lot, which was two-thirds of the way north from the southern end of the east lot (for the west lot was three times its size), a small grove of trees with overgrown vines stood.

There were lights in the second lot but none in this. Another lot not associated with my client to the north had lights but few near the grove of trees. The area was always dark, even though you could make out the other lot with its lights through the trees. I believe both nights were cold and overcast, which illuminated the area even more due to the amount of light pollution in the valley. Still, the grove remained dark. I had never liked that area and was glad when the client put a fence up in the east lot shortly before my first encounter. Rabbits, coyotes, cats, owls and mice were prevalent in the area but the time of year made most scarce.

For the first encounter, I had entered the lot at about 0130-0200 (my shift started at 0030). My Mag-Lite in hand as always, I began my usual counterclockwise patrol. The gate was almost at the north-eastern end of the lot, where it was flanked by a two lane road, which lead to a dead-end where my auction's primary sale house and lot resided, and another perpendicular left-hand turn that lead west to the west lot. Parallel to the road further east was the B.N.S.F. rail line. To the west of the west lot was the U.P. rail line. No trains were in the area and all was as quiet as could be expected for the area.

The lot has a center row of cars that was generally ten cars in length and these lines extended southward for about fifty or so lanes. Other cars were lined up against the fences in random areas. While some resided near the northwest corner near the grove, the southern fence area near the grove remained empty. I made my way towards the grove as usual and soon turned south and walked alongside it. I had heard creatures move about in the grove on other nights but this night, as with so many others, all was quiet and still. I had walked passed three-fourths of the grove when suddenly I heard a blood-curdling scream!

I jumped! My heart raced! I turned towards the grove and attuned my ears and eyes to see whatever would scurry away, as things that move in the grove cannot help but make noise do the vines, dead leaves, and other plant material about the ground. But I heard and saw nothing. I shined my light into the grove, certain that, as so many times before, my light would expose whatever creature was lurking in the grove. Nothing. I began to question what I heard. It was very loud; like a women screaming at the top of her lungs. But it was close; very close. Too close. My eyes, still fully dilated beyond what was normal for a night owl such as myself, scanned the area in vain searching for the source of the noise. Still nothing.

After about ten terrifying minutes, I proceeded with my patrol, on edge until the morning came. The next night I was cautious of the area but nothing happened. A week passed, then a month, then a year; but never the memory of that night. I cannot remember the dates upon which these two events accrued, but I know they were about a year apart. As such, on that second night, those memories were more on my mind as usual. Perhaps the scream would happen again? After about six month, I had concluded not. But the thought remained in the back of my mind.

The lot and grove had changed little in that year. Cars had come and gone but the lot itself and the grove remained just as they were that night. With my Mag-Lite still in hand, at about the same time, I began trek counterclockwise. Keeping a weary eye on the grove, as I had grown accustom to doing from time to time, I turned south. I flashed my light into the grove, now a more common occurrence, to see if anything was about. But nothing was there. I continued my rove and soon passed the original spot from where I jumped. Nothing; but I was not completely passed the grove yet.

When I was at it's southern tip, I heard another blood curdling scream! Once more I jumped, having not expected it at this point. I turned again to the location of the scream and shined my light into the dark grove. As before, I saw and heard nothing scurry out of the undergrowth. Slightly bolder, as now I was sure something was up with this scream, I came up right against the fence and shined my light about. I went up and down the fence, making sure anything still in there knew I was still there as well. Such tactics will drive most animals away. But nothing moved. With nothing to show for, I returned to my patrol.

Post-text:

I spoke with several friends on this subject after both instances, trying to make sense of this happening. One friend told me that when a rabbit is killed, if its body is crushed, the air will rush out of its lungs and destroy its vocal cords but in so doing, it creates a high-pitched bloodcurdling scream; just like a women screaming in terror. This sounded right, but had a coyote been responsible, I would have noticed it. The location of the scream placed the creature close enough that I halfway expected to see a person when I turned around. This is just one of several unexplained occurrences at the auto auction.