I'm sure you've heard of cryptid creatures like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Jersey Devil and the Mothman, but over in Maryland there's a mythical beast that you may not be familiar with. Meet the Snallygaster; a creature that's perhaps more frightening than all of the aforementioned ones combined.
Per Wikipedia, the Snallygaster was first spotted by German immigrants way back in the 1730s, in the Maryland counties of Washington and Frederick. Oftentimes described as a reptilian/bird-like creature with massive wings, a single eyeball and giant tentacles, the creature was believed to prowl the skies on the hunt for human victims, plucking them up from the ground, bringing them high up to the hills surrounding the counties and feeding on their blood.
Sightings of the monstrous Snallygaster continued through the 1900s, and U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt reportedly considered taking matters into his own hands and hunting down the beast. Though the winged terror hasn't been spotted in some time, seven-pointed stars can still be seen painted on the sides of barns in the area, which were put there to keep the Snallygaster at bay.
Who knows... maybe he's still out there... and maybe he's soaring high above your town, as you sit here reading about him...