jak.themothmanprophecies-第25章

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（the　most　mon　being　the　sound　of　a　car　door　slamming　outside　the　house　when　there　were　no　cars　in　sight）。　One　family　showed　us　how　the　flap　covering　the　entrance　to　their　attic　had　been　mysteriously　moved。　It　was　a　hole　in　the　ceiling　of　a　bedroom　and　could　only　be　reached　with　a　high　ladder。　Others　plained　of　〃Gypsies〃　marching　across　their　property　late　at　night；　men　in　bright　reflective　clothing　and　women　in　ankle…length　dresses；　all　with　long　hair　and　dark　Oriental　faces。　（This　was　well　before　the　hippie　explosion　of　the　late　1960s。）
　　
　　North　of　Gallipolis；　Ohio；　I　impulsively　stopped　at　an　isolated　farmhouse　one　afternoon　and　when　I　knocked　at　the　door　a　grim…faced　man　answered　with　a　shotgun　in　his　hands。　I　started　to　show　my　credentials　and　explain　who　I　was　but　he　cut　me　short。
　　
　　〃I　know　who　you　are；〃　he　growled。　〃We　don't　want　anything　to　do　with　you。　Get　out　of　here。〃
　　
　　Puzzled；　I　reported　back　to　Mary　and　suggested　that　she　visit　the　farm　to　see　if　she　could　find　out　the　reason　for　the　man's　strange　behavior。
　　
　　The　next　day　we　went　back。　I　remained　in　the　car　while　she　talked　with　him　for　several　minutes。　Finally　they　both　came　out　to　the　car　laughing。
　　
　　〃You're　not　going　to　believe　this；〃　the　farmer　began　apologetically；　〃but　ten　minutes　before　you　arrived　here　yesterday　I　got　a　phone　call。　It　sounded　like　a　neighbor　of　mine　and　he　said　he　was　calling　to　warn　me　about　a　crazy　man　。。。　a　real　dangerous　type　。。。　with　a　beard　。。。　that　had　just　been　to　see　him。　Said　I　shouldn't　have　anything　to　do　with　him。　Ten　minutes　later　you　showed　up。　After　you　left；　I　called　him　back。　He　was　out　in　the　fields。　Had　been　all　day。　His　wife　had　to　go　get　him。　He　said　he　hadn't　made　that　call。〃
　　
　　I　looked　sternly　at　Mary。
　　
　　〃Is　this　some　kind　of　a　put…on？〃
　　
　　〃Absolutely　not；〃　she　answered；　turning　to　the　farmer。　〃Tell　him　the　rest　of　it。〃
　　
　　〃Well；　about　a　week　ago　something　scared　my　cows　real　bad；〃　he　continued。　〃You　know；　we　ain't　told　anyone　about　this；　Mrs。　Hyre。　You　aren't　going　to　put　it　in　the　paper；　are　you？〃
　　
　　〃Not　if　you　don't　want　us　to。〃
　　
　　〃e　on。　Let　me　show　you　something。〃
　　
　　He　led　us　into　the　field　behind　his　barn。　There　was　a　thirty…foot　circle　of　scorched　earth　on　the　hillside。　I　had　seen　several　of　these　〃fairy　circles〃　before。
　　
　　〃That　night　our　cows　really　acted　up；〃　he　went　on。　〃They　stampeded。　They　were　so　scared　they　went　right　through　the　fence　over　there。〃　He　pointed　toward　a　stretch　of　wire　fence　that　had　obviously　just　been　repaired。　〃It's　an　electric　fence。　Now　you　know　that　it　takes　a　lot　to　make　cows　charge　through　an　electric　fence。　Anyway；　when　I　heard　the　ruckus　I　ran　outside　and　I　saw　my　cows　scattering　down　the　road。　And　there　was　a　big　red　and　white　glowing　thing　sitting　right　in　the　field。　I've　got　to　say　that　it　scared　me　half　to　death。　I　ran　back　in　my　house　to　get　my　gun。　Didn't　take　me　more　than　a　minute。　But　when　I　got　outside　again　the　thing　was　gone。　This　circle　was　all　that　was　left。　It　took　the　rest　of　the　night　to　round　up　my　cows。〃
　　
　　〃Were　any　of　them　lost　or　missing？〃　I　asked。
　　
　　〃No。〃　He　paused。　〃But　Herk…that's　Hercules…my　big　old　collie　dog　ran　off　that　night　and　we　ain't　seen　him；　since。〃
　　
　　Mary　had　been　with　me　when　I　had　checked　into　other　missing　dog　incidents。　She　gave　me　a　meaningful　glance　and　he　caught　it。
　　
　　〃Say；　you　don't　think　that　thing　took　old　Herk；　do　you？〃
　　
　　〃No。　It　was　probably　just　some　kind　of　electrical　phenomenon；〃　I　answered　gently。　〃Herk　will　probably　e　back。〃
　　
　　〃I　hope　so。　We　sure　loved　that　dog。〃　He　looked　thoughtful。　〃Electrical；　huh。　Let　me　show　you　something　else。〃
　　
　　He　led　us　into　bis　barn　and　showed　us　a　brand…new　circuit　box。
　　
　　〃I　had　to　have　this　put　in　the　next　day　so　I　could　run　my　milker。　The　old　box　was　pletely　burned　out。　In　fact；　it　was　melted　。。。　like　somebody　had　put　a　welding　torch　to　it。〃
　　
　　〃See；　it　must　have　been　some　kind　of　electrical　thing；〃　I　said　lamely。　I　knew　Ivan　Sanderson　had　investigated　an　almost　identical　incident　in　New　Jersey　only　weeks　before。　But　in　that　case　the　cows　had　been　in　their　stalls　in　the　barn　and　were　found　dead。
　　
　　〃Has　anyone　else　been　around　to　talk　to　you　about　this？〃
　　
　　〃No　。。。　I　haven't　told　anyone。　Just　some　fellows　from　the　electric　pany　who　turned　up　the　next　day。　They　fussed　around　with　the　transformer　on　the　pole　by　the　road。　I　tried　to　talk　with　them　but　they　didn't　have　much　to　say。〃
　　
　　〃Did　you　know　them？〃
　　
　　〃Never　saw　them　before。　e　to　think　of　it；　they　didn't　have　a　regular　electric　truck。　Just　a　panel　truck。〃
　　
　　〃Would　you　recognize　them　if　you　saw　them　again？〃
　　
　　〃Sure　would。　They　was　foreigners。　You　know；　Japs　or　something。　Like　I　said；　they　weren't　very　friendly。〃
　　
　　〃How　were　they　dressed？〃
　　
　　〃Oh；　you　know　。。。　ordinary　coveralls。　I　did　notice　their　shoes；　though。　They　had　on　funny　shoes　with　very　thick　rubber　soles。　Guess　when　you　work　around　electricity　you　need　insulation。〃
　　
　　Mary　shuddered　perceptibly。
　　
　　〃Say；　do　you　know　these　fellows？〃　he　asked。
　　
　　〃Well；　I　saw　a　man　with　thick…soled　shoes　like　that　once；〃　Mary　began。　I　cut　in　sharply；　thanking　the　man；　promising　to　keep　him　out　of　the　papers；　and　reminding　Mary　that　we　had　an　appointment　elsewhere。
　　
　　Back　in　the　car；　Mary　could　no　longer　curb　her　natural　curiosity。
　　
　　〃What　do　you　make　of　all　this；　John？〃
　　
　　〃The　more　I　find　out；　the　more　confusing　it　bees。〃
　　
　　〃That's　the　way　I　feel。　That　phone　call　。。。　sounds　like　someone　didn't　want　you　to　talk　to　him。〃
　　
　　〃It　could　work　the　other　way；　too；〃　I　suggested。　〃Maybe　this　whole　thing　was　set　up　so　I　would　talk　to　him。　I　just　picked　his　farm　out　at　random。　If　he　had　just　turned　me　away　with　a　smile　I　would　never　have　bothered　him　again。　But　when　he　came　to　the　door　with　a　gun　。。。〃
　　
　　〃But　how　did　they　know　you　were　going　to　stop　there？　How　could　anyone　have　possibly　known？〃
　　
　　〃That's　the　real　question。　How　could　anyone　have　known？〃
　　
　　II。　
　　
　　A　few　days　before　leaving　New　York　I　called　Gray　Barker　in　Clarksburg　and　he　agreed　to　meet　me　the　following　Tuesday　in　Point　Pleasant。　As　soon　as　he　hung　up；　I　dialed　Woodrow　Derenberger's　unlisted　number　and　spoke
　　
　　to　his　wife。
　　
　　〃When　are　you　ing　to　see　us　again？〃　she　asked。
　　
　　〃I　expect　to　be　in　West　Virginia　next　week；〃　I　replied。
　　
　　〃I　know。　I　hear　you're　having　a　secret　meeting　with　Gray　Barker　on　Tuesday。〃
　　
　　I　was　stunned。
　　
　　〃I'm　meeting　with　Gray；〃　I　admitted；　〃but　it's　not　very　secret。　I　didn't　know　about　it　myself　until　a　couple　of　minutes　ago；　so　how　on　earth　did　you　know？〃
　　
　　There　was　a　pause。
　　
　　〃Charlie　Cutler　over　in　Ohio　told　us　about　it　a　couple　of　days　ago；〃　she　finally　said。
　　
　　〃And　how　did　he　know　about　it？〃
　　
　　〃I…I　don't　know。　I　suppose　he　heard　it　somewhere。〃
　　
　　When　you　enter　the　unreal　world　of　the　contactees；　predictions；　prophecies；　and　a　mysterious　invasion　of　your　privacy　bee　monplace。　Contactees　seem　to　develop　heightened　perceptions；　ESP；　and　precognition。　The　changes　occur　almost　overnight。　In　their　meetings　with　the　entities　they　are　served　up　platters　of　propaganda　along　with　rumors　and　nonsense　which　they　accept　and　repeat　as　fact。　Many　of　the　choicest　tidbits　in　UFO　lore　were　not　actual　events　but　were　put　into　circulation　by　contactees　who　placed　their　plete　trust　in　their　contacters。　The　entities　spun　wild　tales　about　crashed　saucers　being　confiscated　by　the　U。S。　Air　Force；　farmers　shooting　and　wounding　spacemen；　and　so　forth。　Contactees　repeated　the　stories　to　wild…eyed　UFO　enthusiasts　and　so　they　spread　in　ever…widening　circles　until　they　appeared　in　articles　and　books。
　　
　　Derenberger　never　claimed　psychic　powers。　He　said　he　received　telepathic　messages　from　Indrid　Cold　giving　him　specific　information。　Others　such　as　Ted　Owens　and　Uri　Geller　have　also　claimed　that　their　psychic　abilities　came　from　space　intelligences。　Mr。　Owens　has　racked　up　an　impressive　record　predicting　the　outes　of　football　games。　Mr。　Geller；　an　Israeli　psychic；　became　world　famous　after　his　alleged　contact　with　a　flying　saucer　on　a　desert　in　the　Middle　East。　Both　men　have　been　examined　and　tested　by　armies　of　scientists　and　parapsychologists。
　　
　　I　have　probably　examined　and　befriended　more　UFO　contactees　than　anyone　else。　Usually　their　experiences　follow　certain　patterns　which　they　are　not　even　aware　of　at　the　time。　A　long　series　of　seemingly　unrelated　events　occur　prior　to　the　first　overt　contact　These　events　can　begin　in　childhood　and　span　many　years。　Then；　too；　most　contactees　have　active　or　latent　psychic　abilities　before　contact。　People　who　see　ghosts　or　religious　apparitions　have　the　same　patterns　as　the　UFO　contactees。　And；　in　fact；　the　apparitions　described　in　religious　〃miracles〃　usually　share　the　same　physical　characteristics　as　our　UFO　entities；　that　is；　long　fingers；　dusky　plexions；　pointed　features。
　　
　　The　flying　saucer　lore　of　the　past　twenty…seven　years　has　been　built　on　three　main　ponents：　（1）　the　sighting　reports；　usually　poorly　investigated　by　amateurs　and　believers；　or　based　entirely　on　fragmented　and　often　inaccurate　newspaper　stories；　（2）　the　testimony　of　the　contactees；　（3）　messages　received　through　spirit　mediums　and　ESP。　In　recent　years　a　new　element　has　been　added　by　the　few　scientists　pulled　into　the　controversy。　This　is　the　tiresome　use　of　probabilities　to　explain　that　there　must　be　zillions　of　other　planets　and　therefore　there　must　be　uncounted　numbers　of　inhabited　places　in　the　universe。　In　the　early　1960s　exobiology　became　the　new　scientific　rip…off。　Various　foundations　and　NASA　poured　millions　of　dollars　into　the　study　of　extraterrestrial　life。　Since　there　were　no　samples　available　for　study；　and　since　there　is　not　the　slightest　bit　of　evidence　that　even　a　single　planet　exists　in　any　other　star　system；　exobiology　was　not　an　easy　field。　Scientists　had　to　justify　their　enormous　expenditures　with　reams　of　speculative　papers。　We　do　not　even　have　enough　facts；　after　fifteen　years　of　study；　to　form　a　real　basis　for　the　coveted　probabilities。　If　Nick　the　Greek　were　asked　to　make　book　on　the　existence　of　extraterrestrial　life；　he　would　find　the　scientific　arguments　so　tenuous　that　the　odds　would　have　to　be　somewhere　around　a　trillion　to　one。　Of　the　nine　planets　in　our　own　solar　system；　only　three…Mercury；　Earth；　and　Mars…are　solid；　and　only　one　of　these　three　is　infested　with　life。　The　appearance　of　life　requires　a　long　list　of　environmental　and　chemical　conditions。　For　all　these　conditions　to　exist　simultaneously　on　a　single　planet　also　requires　a　whole　series　of　improbable　coincidences。
　　
　　Men　have　always　gazed　at　the　night　sky　and　dreamed　of　other　worlds。　Four　thousand　years　ago；　Enoch　became　the　first　space　traveler；　visiting　seven　worlds　or　planets　after　being　roused　from　his　sleep　by　angelic　spacemen。　Swedenborg；　the　great　Swedish　mathematician；　went　wandering　through　the　cosmos　in　the　1700s；　and　a　proper　Bostonian　named　William　Denton　was　given　a　guided　tou