Linginget stories say the Kushtaka or Kusikha is a shape-shifting, otter-like creature that

lures people into the wilderness, sometimes tricking them

to their deaths.

Michael Oros arrived in the wiles of northwest British Columbia in 1972 with a peach-fuzz

beard, carrying a bamboo flute.

Henry Vance, a First Nation Talton man, who spent winters caretaking a hunting guide's

cabin and horses in she-slay, an abandoned native village and mining settlement,

encountered Oroz hiking along the trail from Telegraph Creek.

When Oroz moved into a deserted cabin, Vance suddenly

found himself with a neighbor. In the beginning, Vance and his wife had to take care of the

boy as he struggled to stay alive. But over time, Vance watched the young man harden and

develop his wood skills. He also witnessed increasingly

spooky violent behavior from Oros. For instance, once when Oroes showed up asking for dinner,

he took offense when Vance asked him to wash his hands. All of a sudden, Vance got the feeling

that Oroes was considering murdering him.

Another time, he threatened to kill Vance's wife over a pitied dispute over Oroes' dogs.

Years later, after Vance learned that Oroes had gone on to commit horrible crimes and murders

across the region, Vance said he felt guilty

for having helped him. Our Talton people are helpful people. We help people who are down and out,

Vance said, in an interview on a Canadian radio station. Vance could not have known at the time

that he was helping a man who would become known as Shesley Free Mike,

one of the most infamous and mysterious criminals to ever roam the North Country.

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