jak.themothmanprophecies-第52部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


and　pick　us　up　and　take　us　out　of　there。〃
　　
　　Finally　around　9　P。M。　she　got　a　dial　tone　and　was　able　to　place　a　call　to　a　neighbor　who　drove　over；　picked　them　up；　and　took　them　to　the　home　of　Mrs。　Lilly's　mother　in　Point　Pleasant。
　　
　　A　few　months　later　James　Lilly　moved　bis　family　away　from　Camp　Conley　Road。
　　
　　III
　　
　　Around　2　A。M。　I　finally　got　a　line　through　to　Point　Pleasant　and　was　very　much　relieved　when　Mary　Hyre　picked　up　her　phone。　She　spoke　very　slowly；　obviously　exhausted。
　　
　　〃It's　the　most　terrible　thing　I've　ever　seen；〃　she　told　me。　〃But　I　was　kind　of　prepared　for　it。　You　know　those　dreams　I　had　。。。　well；　it　was　exactly　like　that。　The　packages　floating　in　the　water。　The　people　crying　for　help。　Those　dreams　came　true。〃
　　
　　〃Is　everyone　all　right？〃　I　asked　anxiously。　〃The　McDaniels；　Connie；　the　others。〃
　　
　　〃I　think　so。　It'll　be　awhile　before　we　know　who　was　on　the　bridge。　There　could　have　been　as　many　as　one　hundred　people。　Some　of　them　were　rescued。　But　an　awful　lot　of　them　are　trapped　under　all　that　metal。〃
　　
　　After　a　month　of　brutally　hard　work；　divers　and　rescue　teams　recovered　thirty…eight　bodies。　Several　other　people　in　Ohio　and　West　Virginia　were　never　heard　from　again　and　it　was　assumed　they　also　went　down　with　the　bridge。　A　number　of　UFO　witnesses　were　among　the　dead。
　　
　　〃I　talked　to　one　woman　who　lives　right　by　the　bridge；〃　Mary　continued。　〃She　says　that　two　days　ago　she　saw　two　men　climbing　the　bridge。〃
　　
　　〃Climbing　on　it？〃
　　
　　〃Yes。　They　weren't　walking　across。　They　were　climbing　around　the　sides　of　it〃
　　
　　〃Was　she　able　to　describe　them？〃
　　
　　〃They　were　wearing　checkered　coats　and　black　trousers。
　　
　　She　couldn't　see　their　faces　too　well　because　they　were　so　far　away。　But　she　did　notice　their　shoes。　They　weren't　wearing　boots；　just　ordinary　shoes。　She　thought　that　was　odd　because　of　me　weather　we'd　been　having。〃
　　
　　〃You'd　better　have　the　police　talk　with　her；　Mary；〃　I　said。
　　
　　〃I　will。　There's　just　so　much　to　do。　People　are　ing　from　all　over。　And　as　soon　as　my　phone　was　working　again　I　started　getting　calls　from　newspapers　and　radio　stations　all　over　the　country。1'
　　
　　〃You'd　better　try　to　get　some　sleep。〃
　　
　　〃I　know；　but　I　just　can't　leave　the　office　now。　Ambulances　and　rescue　trucks　are　ing　in　from　all　over。　They'll　be　working　all　night。　I've　got　to　be　there。〃
　　
　　Later　the　bridge　was　lifted　from　the　water　piece　by　piece　and　reconstructed　in　a　field　near　Henderson。　Engineers　finally　determined　the　collapse　was　due　to　metal　fatigue　and　structural　failure。
　　
　　　〃John；〃　Mary　began　hesitantly；　〃do　you　think　this　had　anything　to　do　with　UFOs　and　the　'Bird'？〃
　　
　　〃There's　no　answer　to　that；　Mary。　Maybe　there　were　people　on　the　bridge　that　could　have　told　us　something。　I　knew　the　condition　of　the　bridge。　And　I'd　had　warnings　about　something　terrible　that　was　going　to　happen。　If　I　could　have　put　things　together　sooner；　maybe　we　could　have　saved　all　those　lives。〃
　　
　　〃It's　not　your　fault。　Some　things　are　just　meant　to　be。　You　can't　change　the　future　。。。　even　when　you　know　what　is　going　to　happen。〃
　　
　　I　heard　the　sound　of　a　woman　weeping　in　the　background。
　　
　　〃A　woman　just　came　in。　Her　husband　is　missing；〃　Mary　whispered。
　　
　　After　we　hung　up　I　sat　for　a　long　time　by　my　big　glass　windows；　looking　out　over　the　lights　of　Manhattan　Island。　For　one　long　year　my　life　had　been　intertwined　with　the　lives　of　the　people　of　Point　Pleasant。　I　had　been　led　into　relationships　and　events　that　seemed　to　follow　a　structured　pattern　beyond　my　control。　Even　beyond　my　understanding。　I　had　stood　on　those　distant　hills　and　watched　those　wretched　bouncing　lights　mock　me。　In　the　months　ahead　there　would　be　many　changes　in　the　lives　of　those　who　had　been　touched　by　the　Garuda。　Roger　and　Linda　Scar…berry　would　divorce；　as　would　Woodrow　Derenberger　who；　in　what　has　bee　a。　tradition　among　contactees；　would　remarry　。。。　this　time　to　a　beautiful　young　woman　who　was　also　a　contactee。　They　would　slip　away　to　obscurity　in　another　state。　Others　would　eventually　suffer　nervous　breakdowns　and　undergo　long　periods　of　hospitalization。　A　few　would　even　mit　suicide。
　　
　　Death　would　claim　too　many　of　the　participants　in　the　dramas　of　1967。　Mrs。　Mary　Hyre　passed　away　in　1970。　Ivan　T。　Sanderson　left　us　in　1973。　Dr。　Edward　U。　Condon；　Fred　Freed；　and　many　others　would　be　gone　long　before　the　tenth　anniversary　of　the　appearance　of　the　winged　thing　in　front　of　the　old　power　plant。　Some　of　the　people　who　viewed　the　tall；　hairy　red…eyed　monsters　died　within　six　months。　Even　Mr。　Apol　staged　an　odd　departure；　acting　out　a　charade　with　the　Men　in　Black　that　left　him　broken　in　spirit。　He　wasted　away　like　a　human　suffering　from　a　stroke　until　there　was　nothing　left　but　his　Cheshire　smile。
　　
　　Out　there　in　the　night　those　puzzling　spheres　of　light　still　ply　their　ancient　routes　in　the　Mississippi　and　Ohio　valleys。　A　new　generation　of　young　people　stand　on　the　hilltops；　expectantly　scanning　the　skies。　Their　elders；　jaded　by　nearly　thirty　years　of　signs　and　wonders；　no　longer　scoff。　Believers　in　extraterrestrial　visitants　and　saviors　from　outer　space　are　now　weled　on　the　most　respectable　television　shows　to　broadcast　their　propaganda　for　that　imaginary　world　with　its　superior　technology　and　its　marvelously　stupid　representatives　who　adopt　the　names　of　ancient　gods　and　moan　they　are　prisoners　of　time。
　　
　　People　ask　me　still　if　I　know　what　the　future　holds。　But；　just　as　I　used　Socratic　irony　in　my　investigations；　I　can　only　admit　like　Socrates　that　the　more　I　learn　the　less　I　know。　My　glimpses　of　the　future　were　all　secondhand　and　were　frequently　garbled　by　accident　or　design。
　　
　　All　of　the　generations　before　ours　were　infested　with　false　prophets；　workers　of　wonders；　and　signs　in　the　sky。　In　a　sense；　each　generation　is　truly　the　Last　Generation　from　their　microscopic　viewpoint。　But　our　modern　electronic　munications　and　sophisticated　press　agentry　have　given　present…day　prophets　tools　the　ancients　lacked。　Ideas；　no　matter　how　bizarre　or　fallacious；　can　span　the　world　in　a　flash。　And　there　are　always　people　ready　to　rally　to　any　banner；　no　matter　how　absurd。　In　recent　years　we　have　seen　a　worldwide　revival　of　interest　in　psychic　phenomena　and　the　supernatural。　Stern　no…nonsense　scientists　now　drag　their　beards　to　Loch　Ness　to　search　for　the　…monster；　while　others　b　the　woods　of　the　Northwest　seeking　the　Sasquatch；　and　still　others　soberly　discuss　robots　from　outer　space　with　Mississippi　fishermen。　But　gradually　all　these　men　are　being　drawn　closer　and　closer　to　ontology；　to　an　examination　of　the　question　that　lies　beyond　the　simplistic；　〃Can　these　things　be？〃　The　real　question　is；　〃Why　are　there　these　things？〃
　　
　　Like　Mr。　Apol　and　his　merry　crew　of　mischief…makers；　we　do　not　know　who　we　are　or　what　we　are　doing　here。　But　we　are　slowly　learning。　Once　we　begin　looking　beyond　the　mere　manifestations　we　will　finally　glimpse　the　real　truth。　Belief　has　always　been　the　enemy　of　truth；　yet；　ironically；　if　our　minds　are　supple　enough；　belief　can　sometimes　open　the　door。
　　
　　After　spending　a　lifetime　in　Egyptian　tombs；　among　the　crumbling　temples　of　India　and　the　lamaseries　of　the　Himalayas；　endless　nights　in　cemeteries；　gravel　pits；　and　hilltops　everywhere；　I　have　seen　much　and　my　childish　sense　of　wonder　remains　unshaken。　But　Charles　Fort's　question　always　haunts　me：　〃If　there　is　a　universal　mind；　must　it　be　sane？〃　
　　
　　　
　　
　　Fortean　Organizations　（Removed）
　　
　　End



110