Leaf People

When I was working for the Forestry Service (Y.A.C.C.) I had some very interesting incidents happen to me. On the second night after I arrived in Wind River I decided to go off exploring. I got bored following the marked trail and decided to wander off the trail a little ways (not too far because I was afraid of getting lost). I climbed up a hill, and rounded a corner only to find that my way was blocked by thick vegetation. As I turned to leave I noticed a small opening out of the corner of my eye, so I went through. On the other side was a small clearing right on the river that had a huge fallen tree in it. It was completely secluded, the river on one side and forest everywhere else. It was beautiful! I felt like Christopher Columbus, and I had just discovered a place that no other person had ever set foot before.

It was a couple of weeks before I was able to return because, frankly, I was exhausted at the end of the day, and was busy making new friends. Then one day a couple of us wanted to smoke some herb, but didn't have a place to go when suddenly I remembered my secret spot. I wasn't sure if I would be able to find it again, but guess what? I did. From then on we went there just about every evening after work. One evening I went up there by myself (I forget why). I was sitting on the log just kind of groovin' on the river, daydreaming, when suddenly I felt like I was being watched. When I turned toward the trees I saw the underbrush was moving, but nothing was there (and there was NO wind). Needless to say it scared the hell out of me!

I got up and was about to take off running when an unexplainable peace came over me. It was such a strange feeling because I still felt like I should be scared, but I wasn't. I sat back down on the log, not quite sure what had just happened, or maybe hadn't happened. I was beginning to believe that I had imagined the whole thing and started to leave when standing right in front of me was this strange little being. One minute I was looking at vegetation, and the next at him. It was like my eyes were out of focus, and then righted themselves (I don't know how else to explain it). We just looked at each other, and with the blink of my eyes he was gone! I was scared, amazed, happy, sad, I don't know, all the emotions seemingly flowed through me at the same time. I stayed there for a long time hoping he would come back, but he didn't.

It was getting pretty dark, so I went back to my dorm. I never told anyone about what had happened, but every evening when we would go there I kept my eyes peeled but to no avail. I'm not sure how much time passed before it dawned on me that I was alone when I had my encounter, but it was almost impossible to have alone time, as it had become "The Place" instead of just my place.

It was on a cold, drizzly Saturday when it happened again. When I came through the opening there were two of them there. They were both solid green, and their heads were tear-drop shaped with large black eyes, the hint of a nose, a small little mouth, and little pointed ears. Their hands had four fingers with what looked like bulbs at the tips (kind of like a tree frog has). I couldn't see their legs because the grass came up to where our belly buttons would be (they didn't have belly buttons).

They couldn't have been more than 12 to 14 inches tall. Anyway, I guess I startled them because when they saw me they vanished. They didn't so much disappear into thin air; it was more like moving at the speed of light or something, because the underbrush moved like something had brushed past it.

First thing Sunday morning I went back up there, and sat down on the log and waited...and waited, and waited, and waited some more. I was just about to give up when I heard, "What do you want?" Startled, I turned around and there he was. I didn't have an answer, my mind was reeling. I kept telling myself this couldn't be happening, was I losing my mind? He asked me again, and I said, "I don't want anything." So he asked me why I summoned him, and I said that I didn't know that I had. He was talking to me, but to my astonishment, not with his mouth, but through telepathy. The next thing I knew he was gone, and the sun was setting. I had lost several hours, and that scared the shit out of me, so I didn't go back for a long time.

A couple of weeks later Loni, Carrie, Dean and myself were on our way to a kegger at the base of Little Soda Mountain when Dean, who was leading the way, stopped dead in his tracks, and just pointed to the side of the path, and right there we all saw a group of maybe seven or eight of the little leaf people. They looked like they were gathering something, and there was this sound; no, that's not it. It was more melodic, but not music. Hell, I don't know what it was, but very pleasing to hear. When they noticed us they just seemed to blend into the background and were gone. Of course word got out about what we had seen, and spread like wildfire throughout the compound. As it turned out there were several other people who had seen them. In fact, Jane, my dorm leader, told us that people had been claiming to have seen the Leaf People since the early 1900's, but she had never seen anything in the four and a half years that she had been working there.

There was only one more occasion that they ever communicated with me. It was less than a month before I quit working for the Y.A.C.C. It was at my first spot, and I was just about to light up a joint when the first two I had seen together (one was kind of tall and thin, and the other one, whom I felt was older, was kind of plump) appeared from around the other end of the log. Everything got very still, and then I heard their music, or whatever it was, and they were beckoning me to follow them. There were no words, just a strong urge, like someone was giving me a slight push from behind, and the music was getting louder and I really wanted to go, with all that I am I wanted to go, when I heard this plink sound, and everything was back to normal, and they were gone.

I went up there every chance I got, but I never saw them again. I want you to know that every time I saw them it was before I had smoked any weed. I know this whole thing sounds like a bunch of bullshit, but I swear to you this really happened. If there hadn't been other people with me that one time I don't know if even I would think it true, but it is. I have often wondered why they chose to show themselves to me. Over the years I have gone back to Wind River to visit my brothers' spirits many times (that is where my two brothers' ashes are scattered), and even camped there with family, but saw nothing but nature in all it's glory.

From another dear friend who would rather remain anonymous. Imagine what you'd do if you had seen something like this! You know everyone you told would think you're nuts. That's just the way of the world, but for those who witness such things, it forever changes their outlook on life. They are suddenly hyper aware that there are great mysteries in life that no one can explain as yet, and perhaps never will.

Email Nev Dansie

Reproduction of material from any internal Nevada Dansie's Art & Amusement page content without written permission is strictly prohibited.
Copyright © 1997 Nevada Dansie