jak.themothmanprophecies- 第12节

　　
　　The　stranger　was　about　five　feet　ten　inches　tall　with　long；　dark　hair　bed　straight　back。　His　skin　was　heavily　tanned。　Grinning　broadly；　his　arms　crossed　and　his　hands　tucked　under　his　armpits；　he　walked　to　the　panel　truck。　He　was　wearing　a　dark　topcoat。　Underneath　it　Woody　could　see　some　kind　of　garment　made　of　glistening　greenish　material　almost　metallic　in　appearance。
　　
　　Do　not　be　afraid。　The　grinning　man　did　not　speak　aloud。　Woody　sensed　the　words。
　　
　　We　mean　you　no　harm。　I　e　from　a　country　much　less　powerful　than　yours。
　　
　　He　asked　for　Woody's　name。　Woody　told　him。
　　
　　My　name　is　Cold。　I　sleep；　breathe；　and　bleed　even　as　you　do。
　　
　　Mr。　Cold　nodded　toward　the　lights　of　Parkersburg　in　the　distance　and　asked　what　kind　of　place　it　was。　Woody　tried　to　explain　it　was　a　center　for　business　and　homes…a　city。　In　his　world；　Cold　explained；　such　places　were　called　〃gatherings。〃　
　　
　　While　this　telepathic　conversation　was　taking　place；　the　chimney…shaped　object　ascended　and　hovered　some　forty　or　fifty　feet　above　the　road。　Other　cars　came　along　the　road　and　passed　them。
　　
　　Cold　told　Woody　to　report　the　encounter　to　the　authorities；　promising　to　e　forward　at　a　later　date　to　confirm　it。　After　a　few　minutes　of　aimless　generalities；　Cold　announced　he　would　meet　Woody　again　soon。　The　object　descended；　the　door　opened；　Cold　entered　it；　and　it　rose　quickly　and　silently　into　the　night。
　　
　　When　he　got　home；　Derenberger　was　in　a　very　distraught　state。　His　wife　urged　Mm　to　call　the　Parkersburg　police。　They　seemed　to　accept　his　story　without　question　and　asked　if　he　needed　a　doctor。
　　
　　The　next　day　he　was　questioned　at　length　by　the　city　and　state　police。　The　story　appeared　in　the　local　press　and　on　radio　and　television。　People　who　had　driven　that　same　route　the　night　before　came　forward　to　confirm　that　they　had　seen　a　man　speaking　to　the　driver　of　a　panel　truck　stopped　on　the　highway。　Mrs。　Frank　Huggins　and　her　two　children　had　reportedly　stopped　their　own　car　and　watched　the　object　soar　low　over　the　highway　minutes　after　Woody　watched　it　depart。　Another　young　man　said　the　object　had　frightened　him　out　of　his　wits　when　it　hovered　over　his　car　and　flashed　a　powerful；　blinding　light　on　him。
　　
　　Woodrow　Derenberger　became　a　super…celebrity。　Crowds　of　people　gathered　at　his　farm　every　night；　hoping　to　glimpse　a　spaceship。　His　phone　rang　day　and　night。　He　switched　to　an　unlisted　number　but　within　a　short　time　the　calls　began　again。　Crank　calls；　threatening　him　if　he　didn't　〃shut　up。〃　Calls　that　consisted　of　nothing　except　eerie　electronic　sounds　and　codelike　beeps。
　　
　　Mr。　Cold　kept　his　promise。　He　returned。
　　
　　II。　
　　
　　The　Indians　must　have　known　something　about　West　Virginia。　They　avoided　it。　Before　the　Europeans　arrived　with　their　glass　beads；　firewater；　and　gunpowder；　the　Indian　nations　had　spread　out　and　divided　up　the　North　American　continent。　Modern　anthropologists　have　worked　out　maps　of　the　Indian　occupancy　of　pre…Columbian　America　according　to　the　languages　spoken。　（1）　The　Shawnee　and　Cherokee　occupied　the　areas　to　the　south　and　southwest。　The　Monacan　settled　to　the　east；　and　the　Erie　and　Conestoga　claimed　the　areas　north　of　West　Virginia。　Even　the　inhospitable　deserts　of　the　Far　West　were　divided　and　occupied。　There　is　only　one　spot　on　the　map　labeled　〃Uninhabited〃：　West　Virginia。
　　
　　Why？　The　West　Virginia　area　is　fertile；　heavily　wooded；　rich　in　game。　Why　did　the　Indians　avoid　it？　Was　it　filled　with　hairy　monsters　and　frightful　apparitions　way　back　when？
　　
　　Across　the　river　in　Ohio；　industrious　Indians…or　someone…built　the　great　mounds　and　left　us　a　rich　heritage　of　Indian　culture　and　lore。　The　absence　of　an　Indian　tradition　in　West　Virginia　is　troublesome　for　the　researcher。　It　creates　an　unfortable　vacuum。　There　are　strange　ancient　ruins　in　the　state；　circular　stone　monuments　which　prove　that　someone　had　settled　the　region　once。　Since　the　Indians　didn't　build　such　monuments；　and　since　we　don't　even　have　any　lore　to　fall　back　on；　we　have　only　mystery。
　　
　　
　　
　　＇1＇　American　Indian　Linguistic　Families　and　Tribes；　a　map　issued　by　C。S。　Hammond　&　Co。；　New　York。　
　　
　　
　　
　　Chief　Cornstalk　and　his　Shawnees　fought　a　battle　there　in　the　1760s　and　Cornstalk　is　supposed　to　have　put　a　curse　on　the　area　before　he　fell。　But　what　happened　there　before？　Did　someone　else　live　there？
　　
　　The　Cherokees　have　a　tradition；　according　to　Benjamin　Smith　Barton's　New　Views　of　the　Origins　of　the　Tribes　and　Nations　of　America　（1798）；　that　when　they　migrated　to　Tennessee　they　found　the　region　inhabited　by　a　weird　race　of　white　people　who　lived　in　houses　and　were　apparently　quite　civilized。　They　had　one　problem：　their　eyes　were　very　large　and　sensitive　to　light。　They　could　only　see　at　night。　The　fierce　Indians　ran　these　〃mooneyed　people〃　out。　Did　they　move　to　West　Virginia　to　escape　their　tormentors？　There　are　still　rumors　of　an　oddball　group　of　albino　people　in　the　back　hills　of　Kentucky　and　Tennessee。　But　there　are　also　myths　and　rumors　of　mysterious　people　living　in　the　hills　of　New　Jersey　forty　miles　from　Manhattan。
　　
　　III。
　　
　　The　day　before　Woodrow　Derenberger's　unexpected　meeting　with　Mr。　Cold　in　the　rain；　a　national　guardsman　was　working　outside　the　national　guard　armory　on　the　edge　of　Point　Pleasant　when　he　saw　a　figure　perched　on　the　limb　of　a　tree　beyond　the　high　fence。　At　first　he　thought　it　looked　like　a　man；　but　after　he　studied　it　for　awhile　he　decided　it　was　some　kind　of　bird。　The　biggest　bird　he　had　ever　seen。　He　went　to　call　some　friends　and　when　they　came　the　bird　was　gone。
　　
　　IV。
　　
　　On　November　4；　Derenberger　was　riding　with　a　co…worker　on　Route；　7　outside　Parkersburg　when　he　felt　a　tingling　sensation　in　his　forehead。　Then　thoughts　from　Mr。　Cold　began　to　spring　full…blown　into　his　mind。　Cold　explained　that　he　was　from　the　planet　of　Lanulos　which　was　in　the　〃galaxy　of　Ganymede。〃　Lanulos；　he　said；　was　very　like　the　earth；　with　flora；　fauna；　and　seasons。　He　was　married　to　a　lady　named　Kimi　and　had　two　sons。　Folks　on　Lanulos　had　a　life　expectancy　of　125…175　earth　years。　Naturally　there　was　no　war；　poverty；　hunger；　or　misery　on　Lanulos。
　　
　　When　the　transmission　was　pleted；　Cold　urged　Woody　to　brace　himself　because　withdrawal　would　be　painful。　Woody　felt　a　sharp　pain　in　his　temple　and　nearly　passed　out。
　　
　　Two　weeks　later；　though　Woody　wasn't　aware　of　it　at　the　time；　two　salesmen　visited　Mineral　Wells　and　went　from　house　to　house　with　their　wares。　They　weren't　very　interested　in　making　sales。　At　one　house　they　offered　Bibles。　At　another；　hardware。　At　a　third　they　were　〃Mormon　missionaries　from　Salem　Oregon〃　（a　UFO　wave　was　taking　place　in　Salem　at　that　time）。　One　man　was　tall；　blond；　and　looked　like　a　Scandinavian。　His　partner　was　short　and　slight；　with　pointed　features　and　a　dark　olive　plexion。　They　asked　questions　about　Woody　and　were　particularly　interested　in　opinions　on　the　validity　of　his　alleged　contact。
　　
　　V。
　　
　　〃Old　Bandit's　gone；〃　the　six…year…old　boy　said　sadly。　〃Mister；　do　you　think　you　can　bring　him　back？〃
　　
　　Gray　Barker　shifted　his　large　frame　uneasily。　The　boy's　father；　Newell　Partridge；　ordered　the　child　off　to　bed。
　　
　　〃It's　all　so　weird；〃　Partridge　plained。　〃I　just　can't　figure　it　out。〃
　　
　　Barker　smiled　understandingly。　Ever　since　he　had　investigated　the　Flatwoods　monster　back　in　1952；　he　had　been　listening　to　weird　stories。　A　pioneer　ufologist；　Gray　had　made　many　outstanding　contributions　to　the　subject。　He　had　also　managed　to　make　himself　a　somewhat　controversial　character　in　a　field　riddled　with　controversies　and　characters。　The　diehard　fanatics　who　dominated　sauceriana　during　the　early　years　were　a　humorless　lot　and　Gray's　mischievous　wit　baffled　and　enraged　them。　At　times　it　baffled　me；　too。　This　towering　bear　of　a　man　was　very　hard　to　〃read。〃　But　his　investigations　were　always　thorough　and　unpromising。
　　
　　Now　he　was　sitting　in　the　home　of　Newell　Partridge　near　Salem；　West　Virginia；　talking　about　an　errant　television　set　and　a　missing　dog。　On　the　evening　of　November　14　1966；　Bandit；　a　big；　m