Texas coast green eyed ghost

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

It might have. But I was not there. This story starts and ends on the Texas coast in a rural area around Caney Creek and Sargent, Texas. Not in the woods. Not in an abandoned cabin.

The Texas coast is a land with many layers of coats and colors. The history can be peeled off in layers going older and deeper each layer, like an onion. A land of many people and many histories of culture, animals, hurricanes, wars, experiences and emotions; all building over time and layering one on top of the other.

Let’s get back to the campfire. Join me on the beach with the waves crashing in the background, the smell of salt water and few good friends winding down a night.

I poke the fire with my stick, and we all watch as the red embers shoot up and dance around the fiery wood. The flame pairs with the embers that touch the air with a flirt and disappear in the night. The marshmallows have been roasted, the kids have gone to bed in their tents and there are only a few grown ups left mesmerized by the fire. I look up and glance around the semi-circle. Do you guys want to hear a real ghost story?

Ashton grips his drink and does not make eye contact with me, and Clare looks at me with her wide blue eyes, flashing her long eyelashes and says, sure! The other two guys in the group slowly and a bit bashfully look up and meet my gaze. I took this as a yes and began my story.

Every piece of land, every town, rural area, prairie, field, concrete jungle, home or at least the land has a longer history than any of us know. We only know what they tell us in school, and if you do not reach or think to reach beyond that box, that is all you know. Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492 and before that there was only primitive Indians who knew little, right? Such is the way and thinking and teaching of the scholastic system and what we all grew up with.

Settlers always tried to box the native American Indians into the same behavior, land controlling and settling as themselves. But this is very far from the truth. They roamed and were not settled in one place; they were without boundaries or established homesteads as the settlers from across the ocean. They lived off the land and the opportunity it provided. They did not pay to lay claim to pieces of land around water like the settlers did, even though the settlers from across the pond could never grasp this concept.

The Texas coast has always been an enigma. The rivers flow down, and the gulf water circulates and mingles with the dry wind and the river water, creating a warm, wet ovary of brackish environment for all humans, fish and other wildlife. Starting in June, the gulf warms up and invites the big storms in.

We never believe the weatherman because every year he exclaims this is the year for the big one. Until the big storm hits, we sit in disbelief. Occasionally the 100 mph plus winds roar and water rises, levies break; we evacuate or are broken down to our basic survival skills and wondering about our purpose. Mother nature always prevails whether we like it or not and she can take everything or nothing in her storm. I know or at least hope she loves us humans, but like an angry, scored woman, sometimes she can whip her cape, look back at us with her tanned face, and slap us around as she pleases. We can only pray for the winds and water to subside. We are at her mercy.

Brackish water means the mix of fresh water and salt water. Some creatures like it and move through the water in seasons like the fish, alligator and the blue crab. The humans always fish it and navigate around the weather. Fishermen with boats are always casting to the shore and fishermen on the shore are always casting to the middle. Some plants prefer the brackish water. Alligators, who are most suitable in freshwater, will sometimes go rinse off in the ocean water to get rid of parasites. The crabs fill the traps if you put chicken necks in the trap and the redfish will run the side of the canals and water cuts among the sandbars in groups. If you are lucky, you might snag one.

The gar run in a gang of two to three, and when you see them stream through the water late at night you must start playing LL Cool J “Going Back to Cali” in your head as the glide through. That song is really just a supped-up version of the Jaws theme song with a little swagger anyway. They are the brackish bullies. The gar pack think they are the shit and will snag the live bait off your line and scare off other bait and fish as they glide through like they own the place.

I have been fishing and hanging out on the Texas coast most of my life. But this story will make your arm hairs raise and give you nightmares. Specifically, around Caney Creek and Sargent, Texas area. More remote and rural areas, marsh land, isolated fishing holes and less people roaming around.

The Karankawa used to run the coast. They were not like and did not look like the other Indians of Texas that ran the creeks and used marker trees and roamed by foot or horseback over the prairie areas or desolate land to the West. The Karankawa were tall, muscular, renowned wrestlers and skilled fishermen. They caught their food from the waters, battled rattlesnakes and threatened any outsiders with a fierceness only seen by the Comanche. Their uniqueness seen by outsiders was their harvest of the coast, they were dog lovers and canoe builders, excellent swimmers and expert use of the bow and arrow. Sometimes they would eat the flesh of their enemies conquered in battle, which gave them the reputation as cannibals.

It was believed by 1860 most of the Karankawa were moved out. A few years after the Civil War was underway, the Federal forces shut down the Galveston and Corpus Christi ports and the Confederates chose Caney Creek and the Sargent coast area as the new port. In 1864, 4,000-6,000 Confederate troops were bombarded by Federal gunboats in January and February resulting in 22 Confederate deaths in the Caney Creek area. In 1875 a hurricane whipped and lashed the land with 115 mph winds killing 800 people and many livestock, followed by the 1886 Cat 4 hurricane killing close to 100 people. After the storm was over and the water went down, the cows were piled on top of each other dead on the beach. It was reported as one of the creepiest things locals had ever seen. The cows had walked towards the ocean as the rivers flooded and water surged, only to run out of land when they reached the beach.

Please forgive my Texas history rambling storytelling, sometimes I get carried away. I can’t help it. I told you all of that to tell you the following story.

Two of my friends were out fishing in the cut (area at the end of the beach and intercoastal where the red fish and trout run). They were out late at night drinking a few beers, decided to take the boat out and try their luck with some red fish. Nightime can be the best time to fish to avoid the hot sun and you don’t have to worry about anyone else interefering with your fishing! The water was warm and the there was a slight breeze.

The breeze creates whispers in the reeds and keeps the mosquitos away. The mosquitos at the Texas coast will carry you off. A warm breeze is refreshing in the summer. It keeps you company in the dark while you troll to the perfect spot.

These guys are from Sargent. They are not vacationers or weekenders or sometimes fishermen. They know where to go to fish and go out regularly on the weekends in their boat and at night to get the best spot and catch the biggest fish. This night they caught a glimpse of something more and I don’t think they have been back.

Kory and Jack both know the history of Sargent, the storms, the Karankawa, the Confederate soldiers. They both know there is more to an area than what we learn in the history books.

I’m not sure if I told you or not but it was summer. The breeze was warm. The red fish were running. The guys had maneuvered the boat out of the intercoastal and into the cut. The engine was turned off, anchor thrown out, frogs were chirping and fishing lines in the water. No coyotes howling, no fish jumping; just calm dark water, slight breeze and reeds moving in the wind and reflecting off the water and the moonlight.

They both saw this thing at the same time on the shore, but neither guy said anything to the other. Kory said neither one believed their eyes and did not want to be made fun of by the other.

This creature was on the sandy shore about 50 feet from the boat. It was stocky and scaly or hairy, hard to tell in the dark, standing on two feet about 5 foot tall. It was swaying back and forth with green eyes and its color was gray or brown. The eyes looked green without any light but the moonlight shining on them. Any outdoors person knows that animal eyes in the dark are usually red, yellow or white including alligators, owls, coyotes, cows, dogs. Primates, bears and sometimes big cats can have green eyes but this was not a monkey, big cat or a bear. We don’t have monkeys or bears roaming around the Texas coast.

They described it to me as stocky and swaying back and forth with arms to the sides, standing on two legs and peeking in between the reeds and weeds on the shore looking at them. None of the animals even mentioned above or that could be on the Texas coast stand on two legs and less than 2% have eyes that redlect green at night. This creature was staring at them but not making any noise. Just swaying and staring.

Then like coming out of a trance and freaked out, they both looked at each otber wirhout saying a word. They just both decided, in a silent unison, to head back home. They did not think the other saw what they saw or would believe them, so they packed it up, beought the anchor in and cranked up the boat motor to get out of there!

They did not talk about to the other until a few days later. Two guys drinking beer, fishing at night, not wanting to talk about it until days later? This only adds to the mystery!

What did they see? We will never know. Was it a left-over energy from the Karankawa? The Civil War soldiers? An older people or creature? People or animals who lost their lives in the hurricanes? Maybe something older than the Karankawa or the soldiers that we can’t conceptualize or explain in our modern world? Our history only goes back so far. All the Karankawa history is oral so had they seen a green-eyed monster too? We don’t know. Did the soldiers see the green-eyes stocky swaying monster? I can’t find any record of it.

I got the story from both Kory and Jack on separate occasions, and it was the same. Their story was consistent, and they were both embarrassed and freaked out at the same time telling it. A hell of a lot creepier than a candle in an abandoned cabin, a great fishing and ghost story, and probably keeps people from finding their favorite fishing spot! With that I put the fire out and left my friends to dream about the green-eyed ghost on the Texas coast.