jak.themothmanprophecies-第34节

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　　A　family　in　the　south　of　England　still　spend　their　weekends　driving　around　woods　looking　for　a　mysterious　lake　they　encountered　some　fifteen　years　ago。　Out　in　the　middle　they　saw　a　huge　rock　with　a　sword　driven　into　it。　Later　they　went　back　to　do　some　research　but　there　was　no　trace　of　such　a　lake。　No　one　had　heard　of　it　and　it　isn't　on　the　maps。
　　
　　One　could　fill　a　book　with　such　incidents；　and；　indeed；　some　authors　have。　Long　ago　I　classified　such　episodes　as　distortions　of　reality。　Throughout　history　people　have　been　straying　through　Alice's　looking　glass；　seeing　things　that　don't　exist；　visiting　places　that　spill　off　the　maps　into　some　hallucinatory　other　dimension。　Fifteen　years　ago　there　was　a　lake　in　England　with　a　sword　jutting　out　of　a　stone；　waiting　for　some　king　to　e　along〃　and　pull　it　out；　shouting；　〃Excalibur！〃　This　is　no　more　ridiculous　than　stumbling　upon　a　secret　flying　saucer　base　nestled　in　the　hills　of　New　England　and　bustling　with　activity。　Contactees　have　claimed　such　things。
　　
　　An　engineer　Rex　Ball　swears　he　came　upon　a　mysterious　underground　installation　in　Georgia　in　1940；　manned　by　small　Oriental…looking　men　in　coveralls　and　a　few　American　military　officers。　When　he　was　caught　in　the　tunnels；　one　of　the　officers　issued　the　curt　mand；　〃Make　him　look　like　a　nut！〃　He　woke　up　in　a　field；　uncertain　whether　his　experience　had　been　real　or　a　dream。
　　
　　That　seems　to　be　the　battle　cry　of　the　phenomenon。
　　
　　〃Make　him　look　like　a　nut！〃　
　　　
　　
　　　13　…　Phantom　Photographers
　　
　　I
　　
　　〃How　much　did　Keel　pay　you　to　say　these　things？〃　a　middle…aged　man　with　a　cultured　voice　demanded　over　and　over　again　as　he　systematically　called　several　of　the　witnesses　named　in　my　syndicated　newspaper　columns。　All　those　long…distance　phone　calls　must　have　cost　him　a　lot　of　money　and　all　he　succeeded　in　doing　was　raising　the　ire　of　people　who　had　already　been　plagued　by　an　endless　stream　of　unwele　visitors；　crank　phone　calls；　and　crazy　letters。　Some　of　them　forwarded　their　mail　to　me；　not　knowing　if　they　should　answer；　or　how。
　　
　　Our　UFO　enthusiasts　are　pulsive　letter　writers。　A　major　portion　of　the　mail　received　by　witnesses　are　letters　scribbled　on　sheets　of　cheap　ruled　paper　in　pencil　demanding；　〃Send　me　everything　you　know。〃　Others　are　neatly　typed　and　cover　forty　or　fifty　pages。　Threatening　letters　are　not　unmon；　some　are　laborious　paste…ups　using　words　clipped　from　magazines　and　newspapers　。。。　〃Do　not　talk　about　flying　saucers。〃　Others　are　painfully　written　in　block　letters　in　red　ink。　Almost　unreadable　mimeographed　forms　are　sent　out　by　many　of　the　teen…aged　UFO　investigators　who　spring　up　after　each　flap；　asking　such　vital　scientific　questions　as：　〃Which　planet　did　they　e　from？〃
　　
　　Unfortunately；　no　qualifications　are　necessary　to　join　the　various　nationwide　UFO　correspondence　clubs。　Anyone　who　could　scrape　up　the　five　or　ten　dollars　could　receive　an　impressive…looking　membership　card　which　gave　them　carte　blanche　to　harass　local　police　and　witnesses。
　　
　　Members　of　the　〃little　old　ladies　in　tennis　shoes〃　brigade　found　instant　identity　in　joining　such　clubs。　Then　they　trooped　about　their　state；　lecturing　on　the　ing　of　the　Brothers；　appearing　on　local　radio　and　television　as　the　local　〃experts；〃　and；　more　often　than　not；　bringing　more　ridicule　to　an　already　ridiculous　situation。
　　
　　Although　they　are　largely　a　harmless；　humorless　lot；　a　few　of　the　ego…tripping　characters　in　ufology　are　not　above　creating　a　few　hoaxes　of　their　own；　placing　prank　calls；　and；　of　course；　circulating　the　idiotic　rumors。　Ivan　Sanderson　referred　to　them　as　〃neurots；〃　short　for　neurotics。　Dr。　Edward　Condon　of　Colorado　University　labeled　them　〃obstructionist。〃　On　several　occasions　I　did　find　that　some　of　these　card…carrying　ufologists　had　warned　witnesses　to　report　only　to　them。　Members　of　peting　correspondence　clubs　often　engaged　in　open　battles；　trying　to　reach　witnesses　first　and　accusing　each　other　of　all　kinds　of　misdeeds。　Donald　E。　Keyhoe；　head　of　the　Washington…based　NICAP；　had　spent　years　building　and　publicizing　his　case　against　the　air　force。　The　only　tangible　result　of　his　campaign　was　the　quality　of　the　people　attracted　to　ufology；　and　to　his　ideas。　Paranoid…schizophrenics　and　obsessive…pulsive　personalities　dominated　the　field。
　　
　　Many　of　these　groups　collapsed　inwardly　in　a　short　time　because　of　the　conflicting　egos　and　the　excessive　paranoia　（members　often　regarded　their　fellow　members　as　〃agents　of　the　air　force〃）。　Even　NICAP；　which　had　been　founded　in　1956　by　a　physicist　who　was　hot　on　the　trail　of　the　secret　of　frying　saucer　propulsion　systems；　came　apart　at　the　seams　in　the　late　1960s。　The　few　qualified　members　of　its　headquarters　staff　departed　in　an　atmosphere　of　rancor；　taking　choice　files　and　mailing　lists　with　them；　and　Stuart　Nixon；　the　office　boy　during　the　Keyhoe　regime；　became　director　of　the　organization。
　　
　　The　air　force　and　CIA　did　not　have　to　try　to　disrupt　the　ufological　movement。　It　is　by　its　very　nature　a　self…disrupting　network　of　disoriented　people。
　　
　　In　the　spring　of　1967；　following　the　publicity　that　attended　Mothman　and　the　UFOs；　mobs　of　strangers　descended　on　Point　Pleasant。　Cars　filled　with　students　from　neighboring　colleges　would　arrive　unannounced　at　the　homes　of　witnesses　named　in　newspaper　accounts；　often　late　at　night；　and　expect　to　be　weled。　Mary　Hyre　and　all　the　others　were　subjected　to　silly　interviews　by　people　who　obviously　didn't　have　any　notion　of　how　to　go　about　investigating　anything。　Some　of　these　investigators　were　tactless　and　impolite；　as　only　teen…agers　can　be；　to　the　point　of　being　offensive。　One　by　one　the　witnesses　fell　silent；　refusing　to　talk　to　any　more　strangers；　so　newers　saw　a　new　mystery…someone　had　obviously　ordered　everyone　in　the　Ohio　valley　to　shut　up。
　　
　　While　reporters　from　all　the　neighboring　cities　were　flocking　to　Point　Pleasant　and　writing　extensively　about　the　UFO　and　monster　sightings；　the　little　local　daily；　the　Point　Pleasant　Register；　ignored　the　whole　situation。　When　a　girl　on　the　Register　staff　was　pursued　by　a　UFO　one　night　that　spring；　Mary　Hyre　printed　the　story　in　the　Messenger。　The　young　editor　of　the　Register　remained　steadfastly　anti…UFO　throughout　the　fracas。
　　
　　It　was　then　my　policy　to　publish　only　reports　in　which　the　witnesses　allowed　their　names　to　be　used。　I　avoided　〃blind〃　items。　But　as　time　went　on　and　I　saw　what　was　happening　to　some　of　these　people；　I　realized　they　had　to　be　protected；　not　from　Men　in　Black　or　sinister　government　agencies　but　from　the　UFO　believers　themselves。　This　unfortunate　problem　persists；　and　this　is　why　I　have　used　blind　items　here；　or；　in　some　cases；　altered　the　names　of　the　witnesses　or　their　location。　This　is　a　mon　policy　in　medical　books　and　scientific　literature；　but　it　is　sad　that　it　bees　necessary　in　studies　of　this　kind。
　　
　　II
　　
　　One　Sunday　afternoon　in　the　spring　of　1967；　I　was　walking　along　Forty…second　Street　and　Third　Avenue　with　a　lady　friend。　There　were　very　few　people　on　the　streets　at　the　time。　Suddenly　a　tall；　thin　man　came　around　a　corner。　His　face　was　gaunt　and　pointed；　and　he　was　carrying　a　camera。　He　raised　the　camera　and　deliberately　took　our　picture；　then　he　turned　and　ran　up　the　street。　My　friend　knew　nothing　about　Men　in　Black；　and　it　is　not　unusual　to　see　tourists　snapping　pictures　in　New　York　City。　I　deliberately　refrained　from　making　any　ment。
　　
　　〃That　was　strange；〃　she　remarked。　〃And　he　was　such　an　evil…looking　man。　Why　did　he　take　our　picture？〃
　　
　　I　could　only　shrug。　The　man；　incidentally；　was　not　dressed　in　black。　He　was　wearing　a　sports　jacket　and　slacks　but　his　clothes　seemed　to　hang　very　poorly　on　his　thin　frame。
　　
　　A　few　days　later；　Dan　Drasin　phoned　me。　He　was　preparing　to　go　back　to　West　Virginia　with　a　camera　crew。
　　
　　〃You　know；　this　probably　doesn't　mean　anything；〃　he　said　slowly；　〃but　the　other　day　I　was　walking　through　midtown　Manhattan　and　an　Indian　took　my　picture。　He　was　even　wearing　a　black　suit。〃
　　
　　Dan　knew　of　my　concern　with　the　MIB；　but　he　was　not　well…known　to　the　UFO　enthusiasts　（I　had　tried　to　tell　myself　that　the　photographer　on　Third　Avenue　was　a　ufo…nut　of　some　kind）。
　　
　　〃Probably　just　a　tourist；〃　I　offered。
　　
　　〃Probably。〃
　　
　　In　West　Virginia；　Mrs。　Hyre　was　continuing　to　have　problems。　A　luminous　object　appeared　over　her　house　and　projected　a　powerful　beam　of　light　into　her　backyard。　She　was　not　home　at　the　time　but　her　husband　and　several　neighbors　saw　it。　Then　one　evening　her　confused　〃little　man〃　reappeared　on　the　streets　of　Point　Pleasant。　She　was　certain　it　was　the　same　man　who　had　visited　her　office　in　January。　This　time　he　was　wearing　a　khaki…colored　uniform　but　had　on　the　same　thick…soled　shoes。　When　he　saw　Mary　approaching　him　he　looked　alarmed；　took　off　on　a　dead　run；　and　leaped　into　a　black　car　driven　by　a　very　large　man。
　　
　　〃By　the　time　I　got　out　in　the　line　of　traffic；〃　Mary　said；　〃he　was　gone　across　the　bridge　into　Ohio。　I　didn't　get　the　license　number　but　the　color　looked　orange。〃
　　
　　Three　days　later；　on　May　8；　Mrs。　Hyre　arrived　home　from　a　c