Greenville, South Carolina, mid 1970s

Hi, I'm a 42 year old female, married with grown kids and five grandchildren. First of all, since this encounter, I have never forgotten it. Although exactly what happened is a mystery to me.

I was young, and we lived in a trailer park in Greenville, South Carolina in Mr. Hicums Trailer Park. This would have been in the mid-1970s. All this information has been confirmed by my Mom.

It was a warm and sunny day. I was playing outside with my two older brothers. I was the youngest of three. It was a day like all the others. We were playing tag or hide and go seek. I went to hide. I ran around the back of our home, and suddenly I almost ran into a humanoid praying mantis. At the time I thought it was a giant insect, I could not really comprehend what I was seeing. I felt like all the breath was taken from me. It was taller than my dad and it was standing next to our propane tank. Years later when I thought about it I told my self that maybe there was a gas leak.

Anyway, back to the mantis. I stood there frozen in broad daylight and the creature was just staring back at me. And then everything is blank, until I come running back into our trailer screaming that I'm in pain between my legs. My mother is so concerned that she pulled down my shorts and underwear to inspect. She says nothing is wrong, and I go to sleep crying. This has always been with me. It and this praying mantis stays in the back of my mind.

Phantom and Monsters