I received this narrative from a native Ute who lives in central Utah:
Hi - I am about to tell you a story that's absolutely true. My grandpa lived in Myton, Utah and he told stories about skinwalkers and how they could take the form of any animal or anyone you knew. I asked him one day "Did you ever meet one?" He told me "Yes." I asked "When?" "A very long time ago, before you were even born. Before your mother was born. It was when I was young and foolish. I went to the valley...the Skinwalker Valley. It's a valley where life never enters...not even the crows, the very guardians of death, will never go there. They too fear the evil that lives out there." He continued with his story. "I went out there to show people that nothing evil existed in the valley...nothing but their fears. But I was wrong."
He went on that he had gone to the Skinwalker Valley, in his old red Ford truck, to prove to everyone that what they thought they knew were just stories used to scare them. When he reached the valley, he remembered the grass was black as if it had been burned and survived the fire. The trees looked dead, but were still alive. He told me he had seen a house not far from were he stood. It was old and the roof was caved in. The door was gone, so he walked towards it. There were strange marks on the sides of the house. Animal skeletons were strewn about around the property, as if it were a sacred burial ground. Then he heard her...his grandmother. She had died long ago, but he heard her. The spirits were calling for him, for his life, for his skin, for his blood, for his soul. They were the lost souls they could change form...from man to beast. They chased and scared him...and told him that they would never forget him.
Whenever I visited my grandpa he would show me something that was brand new, but had been broken the next day. These spirits would kill his animals, so he finally stopped keeping his dogs outside. It got to the point where I snapped at him...telling him that his stories were lies. I told him, "prove it!" He turned around and pulled his shirt up. All I could do was gasp as I looked at his back. It was torn here and there, not one part of his back was unmarked. There were wide claw marks...too straight and to far apart to be made by a human.
I was scared and started to cry. I remember my mother running to see what was the matter. She screamed and ranted at grandpa as she held me, but he did nothing but stare at the field across the road from his house. She finally gave up and carried me inside. But as I looked over my mother's shoulder, I saw it. A large black dog with white eyes. It was watching grandpa and he was watching it as if waiting for it to attack him. It never did. I never saw that dog again.
My grandpa died 2 months later. The doctors said his heart gave out, but I knew that was a lie. His arm had fresh claw marks. That was 42 years ago.
No one has ever believed me, but it's a true event. So I'll tell you, so that the world will know. Never look into a skinwalker's eyes...it will never forget you. If you do, sooner or later it will have your soul. You can fight and refuse to give into the skinwalker's power...but if that is the case, then I hope you're not afraid to die. Anonymous
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