The Scream

I don’t know if it’s a coyote or a fox or a friggin’ banshee, but something has been waiting until the middle of the night to start shriek, shriek, shrieking. It sounds like the first scream of a very loud woman getting stabbed; only it is repeated over and over. Each of the shrieks sound about the same. Every so often, the creature changes location and begins again. This has been going on for about three months, as far as I know.

When my best friend was staying in one of the guest rooms a while back, he used to tell me of an animal he would hear outside his window at night. To my recollection, he never heard it shriek, however he definitely heard it making some kind of noise. He described the animal as being bigger than a cat or a raccoon, but not a dog… at least not one of this world. He would lie awake in his bed, which was located directly under the window, deathly afraid that the beast might rip through the flimsy screen and devour him. He was so scared that he didn’t want to make any movements, even to close the window; for fear that the monster might be alerted to his presence.

I am not frightened by the thing. On the contrary, I am frustrated that it always remains just out of my line of sight. By the time I get my shoes on and scurry outside, its piercing call is silenced. I wait, trying not to make a sound… trying not to move… trying not to breath. It’s no use. It is gone.

Tomorrow night I think that I might wait up outside for whatever it is to return. Then I might finally learn its true identity, whether it be a fox, coyote, chupacabra… or even the dreaded banshee. I have been noticing an awful lot of disused combs and brushes around the neighborhood.

Comments

[Tuffi]

It could very well be a coyote. They've been spotted in the area now. Lots of them!

[Igmar Fillipé]

Hi, Tuffi. I'm glad you made a comment. I was trying to send you a comment the other day, but I don't think that Livejournal likes me very much.
I don't think it is a coyote. For my post, I totally forgot about one possibility. We have a creature, down where I live, similar to the Abominable Snowman, Sasquatch, Mothman, Jersey Devil, and those types of creatures. It is called the Mount Vernon Monster and it is rumoured to live in the woods on George Washington's former estate. My neighborhood is within those confines. I'm betting on MVM... purely in the interest of having a fascinating follow-up post.

[Tuffi]

Well, you do know that I live in the DC area too. I think I've heard of that before, I'll check it out online. Who knows! Maybe it was GW himself!

[Willis]

Could be red fox. Their alarm cries are blood-curdling.
http://www.vulpes.org/foxden/sounds/redfox-distress.wav

[Geist610]

I am almost sure what you are dealing with is a red fox looking for a mate. The mating/social call of the red fox is a blood curdeling scream that sounds much like a congested infant wailing in short repeated bursts. This behavior can go on usually spring through summer until the fax has paired up for the year. Not only the scream, but the description fits this bill. They are larger than most cats, but smaller than most non-toy dogs.

Red foxes have the largest range of any land preditor and if you live on the eastern seaboard you are likely in thier range.

Also,they are often very human-shy and will usually vanish upon realizing they have been detected. Thus, you have nothing to fear for your person, but they can be violent with pets, killing cats and mauling domesticated dogs that do not have much practice in actual life-or-death combat.

If you want to sneak a better look, place food scraps or some canned dog food in a dim light where you can see it from a window. The smell of the food and the constant nature of the light, as opposed to being turned on in reaction to their presence will encourage them into sight.

Good luck.

One further note. There are reasons our pets get vacinations. Many red foxes are infested with fleas, ticks, heartworm, intestinal worms and any other pet pest you have heard of, so watch your pets contact.

[Dan88005]

I remember the Mount Vernon Monster as well. I lived in Fairfax County in the early to mid-eighties. My friends and I would take our dates out to a golf course in the middle of the night. The course was surrounded by woods which led to the G.W. estate. The scream of the M.V.M was much too loud to be a fox. It was a booming, gut-wrenching wail, somehow natural yet terrifying.
I've spent a lot of time in the wilds and am familiar with the cries of most species of canines and this was not it.

[random girl]

I bet it was a peacock. they have horrible screams!

[Terrified Person]

I heard that scream just a couple nights ago and freaked the heck out of me.It woke me up, I couldn't sleep after I heard it. It soundeda lot like the Red fox but the screams were longer. It sounded like a cat was being killed by some wild animal. It still makes my heart race!

[zara]

i want essy about it

[zara]

i want an essy on it please help me