It was a hazy morning about three months ago. I was driving the familiar back-roads near my home when I spotted movement."Look kids, a coyote pup," but my voice broke, dissipating into the shocked silence of the vehicle.
The canine-like creature, standing next to my car, was no coyote. Cloaked in a shroud of grey, wrinkled skin, the only fur upon its shriveled body was a tawny mane which ran from the crest of the creature's head along it neck, and dissolved above its shoulder blades. Its ears were bat-like, too pointed and ragged at the tips, and its muzzle was curved into a permanent snarl. Staring at us with its empty black eyes, it drew the innocence from my niece and nephew like a demon freshly emerged from the depths of hell.
"What is it?" my niece gasped.
"A chupacabra." It was the first time I'd seen such a creature, but I recognized it instantly.
OK, rewind. Earlier that summer I'd attended a bonfire at my neighbor's farm. The party had reached a lull, late into the night, leaving the few remaining guests in a trance staring at the hypnotic fire.
"I saw a chupacabra yesterday," my neighbor said.
I laughed, too loud, thinking he was starting a joke, but he didn't laugh. He stared into the flames telling me how he'd discovered the road-killed animal just a few miles down the road.
I looked to my husband, but he was conversing with one of our other neighbors. Was I the only one hearing this? Surly, my neighbor didn't believe in the mythological beast, the goat-sucker of Mexico. He continued to explain, the creature was actually a coyote suffering from mange but the disease had mutated the animal's physical appearance into a horrifying form. He couldn't get past the needle-like teeth and still seemed haunted by his encounter.
Since then, I've seen chupacabras several times, even captured images of the creatures on my camera phone, but still to this day, I have yet to snap a photo of it with my Nikon. I remained intrigued by the creature, both by the disease which plagues our coyote population and by the myth of the goat-sucking beast.
All I know is, no matter how many encounters I've had with the creatures, my hair still stands on the back of my arms. Be it disease or devil, chupacabras are a real nightmare.
