YEAR: 1998

SEASON: Summer

STATE: New York

COUNTY: Erie County

LOCATION DETAILS: Akron/Clarence area, a few miles off Route 93.

OBSERVED: Me (A.) and my girlfriend at the time were riding her father's four wheeler through a forest near Leisurewood, which is a campground in Western New York.

In the past, younger children and adolescents (not excluding myself) have felt a menacing presence in the forests around Leisurewood, especially at night, but we've always dismissed it as just "the creeps," or something of the sort. But, after what I saw, I'm convinced that something odd lives there (or at least was passing through).

While riding our four wheeler near some abandoned railroad tracks, I saw a flash of black cut into the woods (estimated height 6'5"... but I had no time to guess, really), but I dismissed it as just a figment of my imagination. Approaching about 9:30 and getting dark, we headed home, which involved going through a forest, off normal trails.

As we were riding, over the motor I heard a high pitched whistling and a rustling not far behind us (we had to ride slow because we weren't on real trails), and, when I looked back, I had the impression that a large, black bulk was chasing us. Then, the truly terrifying part occurred: I looked upon two yellow, glowing eyes.

We hauled our way home, with her seeing nothing and me not telling her to avoid scaring her. I still won't go back there. I'm not so sure that it was attacking. It may have simply been running us off, startled by our motor. I've never heard of anything like it in this area, except in Iroquois legends (I'm a little bit Indian). If it were my guess, I'd say this creature was traveling from the Tonawanda Indian Reservation to someplace more remote.

ALSO NOTICED: Does it get too much more unusual?

OTHER WITNESSES: Riding a four wheeler.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Late Spring/Early Summer 1998.

ENVIRONMENT: About a half of a mile off of some abandoned railroad tracks (which have now been converted into a bicycle path), in a swampy forest.