My grandparents met a talking dog - Skin-walker in Texas

Another average late afternoon on the porch was passing the older couple by. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on. As usual. Birds chirping, cars driving by, and the occasional walking neighboring on the sidewalk. The man was known by all the dogs in the neighborhood for his generosity to animals. A stray was almost guaranteed to find scraps at their house. So, when the black, raggedy mutt showed up from the side of the house it was nothing out of the ordinary. At this point, it was routine to find a dog lurking around looking for handouts. However, this was the one time the routine was disrupted. Its walk was peculiar. It walked as though it had been run over by a car - multiple times. Or, walking on four legs didn't come naturally to it. It made its way to the steps of the porch and stared at the couple sitting on the bench swing. Before they could say anything, the animal spoke. "Hello." The word unnaturally creaked out of its mouth and was at first to understand. "Hel-lo." Again, it spoke. This time trying to compose itself and bounce each consonant out of its mouth. Didn't take long for the confusion to turn to horror. Frozen in fear made it impossible to break out of the trance. They could only watch as the mutt continued to speak in broken words. Finally, the dog began to snicker and walk away as unnaturally as it came. The couple swears up and down to what they saw and heard. Their story has never changed, and they believe it might have been one of the many witches in Texas.

This really happened

My grandparents swear this story is true. There's no monetary gain and no reason to lie. I know it sounds like a tall tale but something about it makes me want to believe it. Could be all the videos of talking animals I have seen before.

I wouldn't rule out the supernatural just yet. Witches are known to shapeshift too. Texas is full of practicing witches. I have had run-ins with them in the past. I believe there is more to this world than we know. 

Skin-walkers

In Navajo folklore, a skin-walker is a harmful witch that can possess or shapeshift into an animal. Unfortunately, not much is known about skin-walkers outside of native Navajo people. Their reluctance to share with outsiders is understandable. It's their folklore and has no reason to share outside of who they see is worthy of their stories. Humans have a tendency to create the same stories that change a few details depending on what fits the narrative. A location can change but the core of the story remains. Don't trust outsiders or don't venture too far from home or the big, scary monster will get you.

I am a fan of skin-walkers and what my grandparents experienced seems to fit the description. Skin-walkers are malevolent but also take the role of a trickster. A talking dog looking to get its kicks out of scaring an unsuspecting couple only to snicker off into the distance. Sounds like a trickster to me. 

What to pair with?

I was drinking Bud Ice while I wrote this. Don't scoff at me for being on a budget. For $3.25 I can get two tall cans. That's a deal not to snicker at.

Enjoy your drinks with the unknown.

Skin-walkers, what's your take? Did my grandparents share a hallucination, or did they run into a witch? Maybe it was a smart dog that heard about the soup kitchen for dogs. Tell me what you think.

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