jak.themothmanprophecies-第17部分

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　　Dazzled　and　disbelieving；　the　Herns　woke　up　their　neighbors；　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Walter　Taylor；　who　joined　them。　Red　and　orange　lights　flashed　on　and　off；　and　one　light　seemed　to　be　directed　toward　the　water　most　of　the　time。　Finally　the　lights　went　out　and　a　bright　greenish　light　came　on。　Then　the　object　rose　straight　up　into　the　air　and　disappeared　into　the　sky。
　　
　　〃I've　lived　on　this　riverbank　since　I　was　twelve　years　old；〃　Mr。　Hern　told　Mary　Hyre　and　myself；　〃and　I　know　every　boat　light；　but　this　was　definitely　something　I've　never　seen　before。〃
　　
　　〃It's　a　funny　thing；〃　Mrs。　Hern　added。　〃We　were　so　stunned　we　didn't　even　talk　about　it　afterwards。　We　just　sat　silently　at　the　kitchen　table。　We　even　forgot　to　say　our　'thank　you's'　that　morning。〃
　　
　　As　soon　as　Mrs。　Hyre　began　publishing　UFO　reports　in　the　Messenger　dozens　of　other　people　came　forward　with　their　own　stories。　She　was　able　to　print　only　a　small　percentage　of　all　the　reports　she　received。
　　
　　IV。
　　
　　Dr。　Morgan；　the　Parkersburg　psychiatrist；　was　watching　a　football　game　on　television　in　his　home　in　a　suburb　of　the　city　that　December　when　he　was　overe　by　a　strange　sensation。　A　voice　began　to　speak　to　him；　announcing　that　it　came　from　a　spaceship　somewhere　overhead。　He　was　being　a　contactee！
　　
　　（A　year　later；　Woodrow　Derenberger　was　a　guest　on　Long　John　Nebel's　radio　talk　show　in　New　York　and　I　was　one　of　the　panelists。　Long　John　phoned　Dr。　Morgan　on　the　air　and　he　described　his　experiences　in　a　beeper…phone　conversation。）
　　
　　While　Dr。　Morgan　was　tuning　in　to　that　phantom　reality　of　the　superspectrum；　Woody　was　entertaining　more　interesting　visitors　at　Mineral　Wells。　A　man　identifying　himself　as　Captain　Bruce　Parsons　of　the　NASA　security　police　at　Cocoa　Beach；　Florida；　called　on　him　and　invited　him　to　Cape　Kennedy；　home　of　our　space　program。　Shortly　after　Christmas；　Woody；　his　wife；　and　children　flew　to　Cape　Kennedy　to　spend　a　week　with　Captain　Parsons。　By　day　they　toured　the　great　rocket…launching　installation。　But　each　evening　Woody　was　taken　to　a　room　somewhere　on　the　Cape　where　he　was　questioned　for　hours；　covering　every　detail　of　bis　visits　with　Indrid　Cold。　One　of　his　questioners　was　a　man　identified　as　the　head　of　NASA　and　called　simply　〃Charlie。〃　（*）
　　
　　According　to　Woody；　at　the　end　of　the　week　his　interrogators　showed　him　a　star　map　and　pointed　to　a　speck　on　it　telling　him；　〃That's　where　they're　from。〃　They　said　they　had　interviewed　several　other　contactees；　all　with　stories　similar　to　his　own。　When　he　asked　why　they　didn't　release　their　UFO　information　to　the　public；　they　allegedly　replied　that　it　would　only　cause　panic。　Women　would　mit　suicide；　throw　babies　out　the　window；　and　this　kind　of　panic　could　sweep　the　world；　they　said。
　　
　　Derenberger　brought　home　a　flock　of　souvenirs　as　proof　of　his　trip：　photographs　and　even　a　scrap　of　the　material　used　in　our　astronauts'　space　suits。　This；　Woody　says；　is　the　same　kind　of　reflective　material　worn　by　Indrid　Cold　under　his　coat　on　that　rainy　November　evening。　
　　
　　
　　
　　＇*＇　The　head　of　NASA　at　that　time　was　Dr。　Thomas　O。　Paine。　
　　
　　
　　　8　…　Procession　of　the　Damned
　　
　　1。
　　
　　While　Mothman　and　Indrid　Cold　attracted　all　the　publicity　and　turned　everyone's　eyes　to　the　deep　skies　of　night；　the　strange　ones　began　to　arrive　in　West　Virginia。　They　trooped　down　from　the　hills；　along　the　muddy　back　roads；　up　from　the　winding　〃hollers；〃　like　an　army　of　leprechauns　seeking　impoverished　shoemakers。　It　was　open　season　on　the　human　race　and　so　the　ancient　procession　of　the　damned　marched　once　more。　A　doctor　and　his　wife　driving　along　a　country　road　in　a　snowstorm　saw　a　huge；　caped　figure　of　a　man　struggling　through　the　snow；　so　they　stopped　to　give　him　a　ride。　He　vanished。　There　was　nothing　but　whirling　snowflakes　and　night　where　he　had　stood。
　　
　　Black　limousines　halted　in　front　of　the　hill　homes　and　deeply　tanned　〃census　takers〃　inquired　about　the　number　of　children　living　with　the　families。　Always　the　children。　In　several　instances；　the　occupants　of　the　big　black　cars　merely　asked　for　a　glass　of　water。　The　old　fairy　trick；　taken　up　from　the　Middle　Ages　and　dusted　off。　A　blond　woman　in　her　thirties；　well…groomed；　with　a　soft　southern　accent；　visited　people　in　Ohio　and　West　Virginia　whom　I　had　interviewed。　She　introduced*　herself　as　〃John　Keel's　secretary；〃　thus　winning　instant　admission。　The　clipboard　she　carried　held　a　plicated　form　filled　with　personal　questions　about　the　witnesses'　health；　ine；　the　type　of　cars　they　owned；　their　general　family　background；　and　some　fairly　sophisticated　questions　about　their　UFO　sightings。　Not　the　type　of　questions　a　run…of…the…mill　UFO　buff　would　ask。
　　
　　I　have　no　secretary。　I　didn't　learn　about　this　woman　until　months　later　when　one　of　my　friends　in　Ohio　wrote　to　me　and　happened　to　mention；　〃As　I　told　your　secretary　when　she　was　here　。。。〃　Then　I　checked　and　found　out　she　had　visited　many　people；　most　of　whom　I　had　never　mentioned　in　print。　How　had　she　located　them？
　　
　　There　were　other　weird　types　on　the　loose。　In　early　December　one　of　them　tried　to　waylay　Mrs。　Marcella　Bennett；　one　of　the　ladies　who　had　had　the　frightening　meeting　with　Mothman　in　the　TNT　area　on　November　16。　She　and　her　small　daughter；　Teena；　were　driving　along　a　deserted　back　road　outside　of　Point　Pleasant　when　she　became　aware　of　a　red　Ford　Galaxie　following　her。　It　was　driven　by　a　large　man；　a　stranger；　she　said；　who　appeared　to　be　wearing　a　very　bushy　fright　wig。　She　slowed　down；　expecting　the　vehicle　would　pass。　Instead；　it　tried　to　force　her　off　the　road。　She　accelerated　and　the　other　car　raced　around　her；　shot　down　the　road；　and　disappeared　around　a　bend。　When　she　circled　the　bend　she　was　alarmed　to　find　that　the　Ford　was　now　parked　crossways　on　the　narrow　dirt　road；　blocking　it。　Badly　frightened；　she　warned　her　daughter　to　hold　on　and　jammed　the　gas　pedal　to　the　floor。　The　other　driver；　seeing　that　she　didn't　mean　to　stop；　pulled　over　hastily　and　let　her　pass。　She　had　never　seen　the　man　before。　And　she　never　saw　him　again。　Molestations　of　this　sort　were　rare；　virtually　nonexistent；　in　Point　Pleasant　before　Mothman　arrived。
　　
　　Mrs。　Mary　Hyre　entertained　the　first　of　her　long　string　of　peculiar　visitors　early　in　January　1967。　She　was　working　late　in　her　office　opposite　the　county　courthouse　when　her　door　opened　and　a　very　small　man　entered。　He　was　about　four　feet　six　inches　tall；　she　told　me　in　a　phone　call　soon　afterward。　Although　it　was　about　20°F。　outside；　he　was　wearing　nothing　but　a　short…sleeved　blue　shirt　and　blue　trousers　of　thin…looking　material。　His　eyes　were　dark　and　deepset；　and　were　covered　with　thick…lensed　glasses。　He　was　wearing　odd　shoes　with　very　thick　soles　which　probably　added　an　inch　or　two　to　his　height。
　　
　　Speaking　in　a　low；　halting　voice；　he　asked　her　for　directions　to　Welch；　West　Virginia；　a　town　in　the　southeastern　tip　of　the　state。　She　thought　at　first　that　he　had　some　kind　of　speech　impediment。　His　black　hair　was　long　and　cut　squarely　〃like　a　bowl　haircut〃　and　his　eyes　remained　fixed　on　her　in　an　unflinching；　hypnotic　way。
　　
　　〃He　kept　getting　closer　and　closer；〃　she　reported。　〃His　funny　eyes　staring　at　me　almost　hypnotically。〃
　　
　　He　told　her　a　long…winded；　disjointed　story　about　his　truck　breaking　down　in　Detroit；　Michigan。　He　had　hitchhiked　all　the　way　from　Detroit。　As　he　talked；　he　inched　closer　and　closer　to　her；　and　she　became　frightened；　thinking　she　had　some　kind　of　a　nut　on　her　hands。　She　pulled　back　from　her　desk　and　ran　into　the　back　room　where　her　newspaper's　circulation　manager　was　working　on　a　telephone　campaign。　He　joined　her　and　they　spoke　together　to　the　little　man。
　　
　　〃He　seemed　to　know　more　about　West　Virginia　than　we　did；〃　she　declared　later。
　　
　　At　one　point　the　telephone　rang；　and　while　she　was　speaking　on　it　the　little　man　picked　up　a　ball…point　pen　from　her　desk　and　examined　it　with　amazement；　〃as　if　he　had　never　seen　a　pen　before。〃
　　
　　〃You　can　have　that　if　you　want　it；〃　she　offered。　He　responded　with　a　loud；　peculiar　laugh；　a　kind　of　cackle。　Then　he　ran　out　into　the　night　and　disappeared　around　a　corner。
　　
　　The　next　day　Mrs。　Hyre　checked　with　the　sheriff's　office　to　find　out　it　there　was　any　mentally　deficient　person　on　the　loose。　The　answer　was　negative。
　　
　　II
　　
　　On　the　afternoon　of　January　9；　1967；　Edward　Christiansen　and　his　family　returned　to　their　new　home　in　Wildwood；　New　Jersey；　after　a　trip　to　Florida。　They　had　just　moved　into　the　new　house；　some　distance　from　the　place　where　they　had　lived　at　the　time　of　their　November　UFO　sighting。　Neither　their　address　nor　phone　number　was　listed　in　the　then…current　phone　book。　They　entered　their　house　by　the　back　door。　The　front　door　was　still　heavily　bolted　and　locked；　the　way　they　had　left　it　when　they　had　gone　to　Florida。
　　
　　At　5：30　P。M。　there　was　a　knock　on　the　front　door。　Mrs。　Arline　Christiansen　was　in　the　kitchen　preparing　dinner。
　　
　　〃Check　and　see　who　that　is；〃　she　told　her　seventeen…year…old　daughter；　Connie。　〃If　it's　a　salesman；　don't　answer。〃
　　
　　Connie　took　a　peek　and　reported　back；　〃It's