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It all happened a long time ago but remains so clear in my mind even to this
day. That terrible night in the summer of 1965.
I grew up in the Surrey country side. My parent's house was surrounded by
fields and woods on three sides. To get home quickly it was easiest to take a
short cut across the fields. I was 18 and coming back from a party late at
night. I was well accustomed to seeing foxes and other wild life and not in
the least bit frightened of the dark. My route took me through two fields and
the path followed a shallow valley just south of Kenley aerodrome. Where the
two fields met the woods converged and at this point I heard a noise coming
towards me from up in the wood to my right. I stopped still hoping that I
might see some wild life. The noise approached rapidly and I saw a big cat
charging towards me. All in a flash it sped right past me, so close that it
brushed my trousers. It was as big as a large Alsatian dog but completely
ignored me. The night air was still and I could even smell the warmth
of the animal's breath. I was temporarily routed to the ground in terror as I
heard the sound fade away up the hillside. I sprinted home looking back
several times. The next day - well nobody believed me. My parents were
convinced that I had had too much to drink but I know what I saw although at
that point I did not realise that it might have been a Puma.
I did not dare take the short cut again for several days even though it meant
a really long detour, but finally I plucked up the courage. I walked swiftly
through the first field looking all around me. About halfway across I saw an
animal again. It looked like a big cat on the brow of the hill. As I walked it
kept pace with me keeping low in the grass. It appeared to be stalking me. I
again sprinted all the way home but this time I did not look back. Soon after
this I went to university and I never encountered what might have been the
Surrey Puma again.