jak.themothmanprophecies-第24节

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　the　scientists　spent　weeks　in　the　Harrisburg；　Pennsylvania；　area　observing　the　〃meandering　nocturnal　lights〃　that　busied　themselves　there　nightly。　Their　learned　conclusion　was　that　the　Pennsylvanian　skies　were　〃most　remarkable。〃
　　
　　Ships　in　the　Atlantic　were　reporting　huge　luminous　〃cigars〃　discharging　small　globes　of　light　which　sailed　toward　New　York　and　Long　Island。　And　on　Long　Island　and　neighboring　Connecticut；　those　globes　were　cutting　nightly　capers。　During　my　frequent　treks　out　to　Long　Island；　I　saw　several　of　the　objects　myself　and　I　collected　some　eyewitness　testimony　that　boggled　my　already　much…boggled　mind。　One　family　of　seven　people　swore　they　had　seen　a　circular　object　land　near　a　wooded　area　on　Long　Island。　They　stopped　their　car　to　watch　and　were　astonished　when　they　saw　two　figures；　normal…human…sized　beings；　exit　through　a　door　in　the　object　as　a　large　black　car　crossed　the　field　and　stopped　nearby。　The　two　beings　got　into　the　car　and　it　drove　off。　The　object　took　off　quickly　and　disappeared　into　the　night　sky。　Similar　incidents　had　been　reported　in　South　America；　France；　and　England；　but　this　was　the　first　time　I　had　e　across　one　in　the　United　States。　The　family　was　terrified。　They　knew　they　should　report　it　to　someone　but　they　kept　silent　until　they　heard　me　on　a　radio　program　a　few　days　later。
　　
　　Meanwhile；　the　Ohio　valley　was　lit　up　by　these　things　nightly；　from　Cairo；　Illinois；　in　the　south；　where　the　Ohio　River　linked　with　the　Mississippi；　to　the　northernmost　tip　of　the　river　in　Pennsylvania。
　　
　　On　March　12；　1967；　a　woman　in　Letart　Falls；　Ohio；　was　driving　home　from　church　at　11：30　P。M。；　acpanied　by　her　twenty…year…old　daughter；　when；　as　they　rounded　a　corner　in　a　wooded　area；　a　huge　white　thing　appeared　directly　in　front　of　their　car。　They　said　it　had　curved　wings　about　ten　feet　wide。　There　was　a　head　on　the　creature　and　it　appeared　to　have　very　long　hair。　It　was　in　view　of　their　headlights　for　several　seconds　before　it　flew　upward　and　vanished　from　sight。　The　witnesses　were　very　religious　and　assumed　they　had　seen　an　angel；　or　even　Jesus　Christ　himself。　After　their　sighting　their　telephone　went　haywire　and　their　television　was　suddenly　subjected　to　heavy　interference。　I　found　a　number　of　UFOs　had　been　seen　in　the　Letart　Falls　area；　with　concentrations　around　a　large　gravel　pit　there。
　　
　　Sightings　in　the　Northeast　were　keeping　me　busy　at　that　time。　But　I　talked　with　Mary　Hyre　frequently。　She　was　receiving　more　UFO　reports　than　she　could　print　and　some　other　strange　things　were　happening　in　Point　Pleasant。　Three　very　tall；　dark…plexioned　（not　Negroid）　men　were　causing　the　local　police　some　consternation。　These　men　knocked　on　doors　late　at　night；　purportedly　selling　magazines　though　we　couldn't　find　anyone　who　had　ordered　subscriptions　from　them。　They　spoke　fluent；　unaccented　English　and　were　described　as　〃good…looking〃　with　heavily　tanned　skin。　Their　height　and　broadness　impressed　the　witnesses　the　most。　Although　these　men　continued　to　appear　throughout　the　region　for　a　month；　Mrs。　Hyre　and　the　police　could　not　find　out　where　they　were　staying。　They　were　always　on　foot。　Apparently　they　did　not　have　a　car。
　　
　　Mrs。　Mabel　McDaniel　worked　in　the　local　unemployment　office　on　Main　Street　in　Point　Pleasant　and　during　the　second　week　in　March　a　strange　man　blundered　into　the　office。　He　wore　a　black　coat　and　black　cap　and　behaved　in　a　most　peculiar　manner。
　　
　　〃He　didn't　look　like　a　colored　person；　but　still　was　very　dark；〃　Mrs。　McDaniel　said；　〃and　his　English　was　so　poor　I　never　did　really　figure　out　what　he　wanted。　His　eyes　were　funny…looking；　kind　of　starey　and　glassy。　From　what　I　could　get　from　him；　he　was　looking　for　an　insurance　pany；　only　he　kept　saying　he　wanted　'trip　insurance。'〃
　　
　　He　told　her　he　had　also　visited　the　office　of　the　Messenger　（he　did　not；　according　to　Mary）。　He　spoke　in　the　garbled；　singsong　manner　of　so　many　of　our　weirdo　visitors　and　moved　in　an　unsteady；　almost　drunken　way。
　　
　　It　seemed　to　me　that　something　phenomenal　was　building　up　in　the　Point　Pleasant　area。　I　decided　to　shelve　my　other　projects　and　return　to　the　Ohio　valley。　This　time　I　was　acpanied　by　Daniel　Drasin；　a　young　movie　producer　who　was　planning　to　do　a　UFO　special　for　the　Public　Broadcasting　Laboratories　（PBL）　of　the　educational　television　network。　Don　Estrella　also　asked　to　go　along。　Both　men　knew　very　little　about　the　UFO　situation　at　that　time；　and　in　keeping　with　my　habit　I　told　them　nothing。　I　wanted　them　to　see　for　themselves　the　incredible　scope　and　plexity　of　the　thing。
　　
　　So　late　that　March　our　little　entourage　hopped　into　rented　cars　and　took　off　on　an　eight…hundred…mile　journey　into　the　twilight　zone。　
　　　
　　
　　　10　…　Purple　Lights　and　April　Foolishness
　　
　　I
　　
　　〃My　phones　have　gone　crazy；〃　Mary　Hyre　noted；　〃even　my　unlisted　numbers。　Strangers　call　me　at　all　hours　of　the　day　and　night。　Sometimes　I　get　funny　beeping　sounds。　Did　you　ever　hear　about　anything　like　that？〃
　　
　　I　had　to　admit　I　had。　However；　it　had　bee　my　policy　to　say　very　little　about　these　matters　to　anyone；　even　close　friends。　After　Mary　and　I　had　concluded　our　interview　with　Charles　Hern　and　his　wife　in　Ohio；　Mr。　Hern　had　escorted　us　to　the　door　and　remarked；　〃You　know；　we've　told　you　about　everything　we've　seen　。。；　and　you　haven't　told　us　a　damned　thing！〃
　　
　　I　was　so　taciturn　that　the　UFO　buffs　had　surrounded　me　with　an　aura　of　mystery　（they　tend　to　surround　everything　with　mystery）。　James　Moseley；　editor　of　Saucer　News　（now　defunct）；　once　told　Gray　Barker；　〃He　gives　you　the　impression　of　not　only　knowing　as　much　as　we　about　flying　saucers…but　actually　knowing　a　lot　more…a　lot　that　he　is　not　telling。〃
　　
　　The　truth　was　more　mundane　than　the　mysterious。　I　was　keeping　many　of　my　findings　a　secret　to　prevent　pranksters　from　setting　up　hoaxes　（many　of　those　findings　are　being　revealed　here　for　the　first　time）。　I　maintained　a　〃low　profile〃　to　curb　rumors　and　prevent　possible　panic　in　the　areas　I　was　visiting。　I　avoided　personal　publicity；　unlike　most　of　the　other　self…styled　UFO　investigators　who　spent　most　of　their　time　staging　press　conferences　and　building　up　scrapbooks。　Finally；　some　of　the　things　I　was　studying　seemed　so　absurd　on　the　surface…especially　to　the　hardcore　believers　in　extraterrestrial　visitants…that　revealing　them　would　only　produce　more　gossip；　controversy；　and　nonsense。
　　
　　Dan　Drasin　and　Don　Estrella　expressed　growing　amazement…and　some　fear…as　they　traveled　with　me　up　and　down　the　valley；　listening　to　my　strange　questions　and　the　even　stranger　answers　we　were　getting　from　witnesses。　A　young　woman　in　Point　Pleasant　was　having　telephone　problems。　Every　night　when　she　returned　home　from　work　at　5　o'clock　her　phone　would　ring　and　a　man's　voice　would　speak　to　her　in　a　rapid…fire　language　she　could　not　understand。　〃It　sounds　something　like　Spanish　。。。　yet　I　don't　think　it　is　Spanish；〃　she　plained。　She　protested　to　the　phone　pany；　but　they　insisted　they　could　find　nothing　wrong　with　her　line。
　　
　　We　visited　her　home　and　I　examined　her　phone　in　a　manner　that　had　bee　routine　for　me。　I　took　it　apart。　Drasin　and　Estrella　watched　me　silently　with　a　〃he's　really　gone　bananas〃　expression。　What　did　telephones　have　to　do　with　flying　saucers？
　　
　　When　you　unscrew　modern　telephone　earpieces　you　will　often　find　a　small　piece　of　cotton　which　serves　as　a　cushion　for　the　magnet　and　diaphragm。　You　shouldn't　find　anything　else。　But　when　I　opened　this　woman's　handset　I　was　startled　to　find　a　tiny　sliver　of　wood。　She　said　no　one；　not　even　the　repairmen；　had　ever　opened　up　her　phone　before。　The　wooden　object　looked　like　a　piece　of　matchstick；　sharpened　at　one　end　and　lightly　coated　with　a　substance　that　looked　like　graphite。　Later　I　showed　it　to　telephone　engineers　and　they　said　they'd　never　seen　anything　like　it　before。　I　put　it　in　a　plastic　box　and　stored　it　away。　Years　later　while　visiting　a　magic　store　in　New　York　（sleight　of　hand　is　one　of　my　hobbies）；　I　glanced　at　a　display　of　practical　jokes　and　discovered　a　cellophane　package　filled　with　similar　sticks。　Cigarette　loads！　Somehow　an　explosive　cigarette　load　had　gotten　into　that　Point　Pleasant　telephone！　Who　put　it　there；　when；　how；　and　why　must　remain　mysteries。
　　
　　Soon　after　my　investigation；　the　woman's　phone　calls　ceased。　Maybe　I　exorcised　the　phone　by　removing　the　stick。
　　
　　Another　family　was　having　telephone　problems；　and　many　other　troubles　besides；　on　the　Camp　Conley　Road　on　the　southern　edge　of　the　TNT　area。　The　woman　in　Point　Pleasant　who　suffered　the　calls　from　a　bizarre　metallic　voice　speaking　in　an　inprehensible　language　was　their　daughter…in…law。
　　
　　〃It　didn't　take　us　long　to　learn　that　when　our　TV　started　acting　up　it　was　a　sure　sign　that　one　of　those　lights　was　passing　over；〃　James　Lilly；　a　no…nonsense　riverboat　captain；　told　us。　〃I　didn't　think　much　of　all　the　flying　saucer　talk　until　I　started　seeing　them　myself。　You've　got　to　believe　your　own　eyes。〃
　　
　　At　first　the　Lillys　kept　their　sightings　to　themselves。　But　gradually　rumors　began　to　circulate　and　carloads　of　people　gathered　on　Camp　Conley　Road　every　night　to　watch　the　s