ray apparition with flaming eyes。 He stood transfixed for several minutes； unaware of the passage of time。 Suddenly the creature flew off and he staggered back into his house。 He was so pale and shaken his wife thought he was having a heart attack。
V。
While the people of West Virginia were being overrun with Garudas； the rest of the country was being engulfed in wingless flying objects。 A great wave began that Halloween and continued through November。 On November 22 a family from Wildwood Crest； New Jersey； near the tip of thinly populated Cape May； crossed the thin line that separates our reality from something else。
At 7：45 P。M。 the Edward Christiansen family； seven people； were driving southward along the Garden State Parkway； just north of Mayville； when a bright red； green； and white object plummeted from the sky and disappeared directly in front of them。 They thought an airplane had crashed until they were parallel to Burleigh； New Jersey。 Then they saw a large glowing sphere just above the treetops a few miles to the front and right。 Thinking it was a fire from the crashed plane； they pulled over to the side of the parkway and stopped （an illegal maneuver）。
All of the witnesses got out of the car to watch。 Traffic was light but several cars did speed past them。 As they watched； the object began to move and they realized it was not a fire but some kind of flying sphere。 It executed a sharp turn and came toward the witnesses； passing directly over their heads。 It was pletely silent。 As it approached their position； three powerful 〃headlights〃 became visible on the front of the object These lights appeared to be elongated and passed from the top of the craft to the underside。 The object disappeared northward and the witnesses experienced a strong emotional reaction。 Mrs。 Arline Christiansen and her sister Gwendoline Martino became hysterical； alarming their four children。 Two of the youngsters began to cry。 They all returned to the car and drove home to Wildwood Crest。
Edward Christiansen； forty； a hard…nosed businessman； refused to believe in flying saucers and tried to assure the women that there had to be a natural explanation。 His sister…in…law Gwendoline decided to call the local air force base at Palmero。 She spoke to an officer there and he seemed quite interested in her story and asked several questions。 An hour later the family received a long…distance phone call from another air force base （none of them could remember the name of the base or the names of the officers when I interviewed them several months later）。 Each one of them was interviewed at great length by 〃three or four officers。〃 They were told that their conversation was being taped； and the questions followed a pattern which suggested the officers were filling out detailed forms on the other end of the line。 However； all of them were disappointed to find the air force would not give them any information or answer their own questions。
Something extraordinary seems to have happened that night。 Instead of simply filing a report through normal channels； the officer at the Palmero base may have called Wright…Patterson in Ohio immediately。 Officers from project Blue Book then called the Christiansens for additional details。 However； it is puzzling that 〃three or four different officers〃 would participate in the questioning。 Incidentally； these witnesses are above average in ine and intelligence and their overall reliability is unquestioned。
Later that evening as Mrs。 Martino； who was spending the night at the Christiansens； was preparing for bed she suddenly heard a loud radio signal 。。。 a series of dots and dashes。 She knew her brother…in…law had a portable CB （Citizen's Band） radio and she assumed he had accidentally left it turned on。 He and his wife were already in bed and asleep but she didn't understand the radio and didn't want to tamper with it。 She continued to hear the signals as she entered their bedroom and awakened them。 They were unable to hear the signals 。。。 and the radio was turned off and in its case。 The signals faded and Mrs。 Martino went to bed baffled。
A beautiful； lithe divorcee； Mrs。 Martino had not had any unusual psychic experiences before。
VI。
Roger and Linda Scarberry were living in a house trailer at the time of their Mothman sighting。 In the week that followed they were suddenly plagued by strange sounds around the trailer late at night。 Beeps and loud garbled noises like a speeded…up phonograph record。 They could not locate the source of the sounds outside or inside the trailer。 Worried and frightened； they finally moved out of the trailer and settled in the basement apartment in the home of Linda's parents； Parke and Mabel McDaniel。
VII。
On November 24； four people； two adults and two children； were driving past the TNT area when they saw a giant flying creature with red eyes。 Their report added to the growing chaos。 Now thousands of people were pouring into the old munitions site nightly； some traveling from hundreds of miles away。 Television crews and newsmen from other states hovered around the old generator plant； hoping to glimpse the monster。 Some visitors divided their time between the TNT area and Woodrow Derenberger's farm in Mineral Wells。
Mothman was not to be outsmarted； however。 He staged his appearances with clever showmanship； popping up in unexpected places in front of witnesses who had previously been skeptical。
At 7：15 A。M。 on November 25； a young shoe salesman named Thomas Ury was driving along Route 62 just north of the TNT area when he noticed a tall； gray manlike figure standing in a field by the road。 〃Suddenly it spread a pair of wings；〃 Ury said； 〃and took off straight up； like a helicopter。
〃It veered over my convertible and began going in circles three telephone poles high。〃
He stepped on the gas as the creature zoomed down over his vehicle。 〃It kept flying right over my car even though I was doing about seventy…five。〃
Mr。 Ury sped into Point Pleasant and went straight to the sheriff's office thoroughly panicked。 〃I never saw anything like it；〃 he confided to Mrs。 Hyre later。 〃I was so scared I just couldn't go to work that day。 This thing had a wingspan every bit of ten feet。 It could be a bird； but I certainly never saw one like it。 I was afraid it was going to e down right on top of me。〃
The old familiar symptom； unreasonable terror； took hold of him。 〃I've never had that feeling before。 A weird kind of fear；〃 he said。 〃That fear gripped you and held you。 Somehow； the best way to explain it would be to say that the whole thing just wasn't right。 I know that may not make sense； but that's the only way I can put into words what I felt。〃
That same week some very freakish birds appeared in Ohio and Pennsylvania； far north of Point Pleasant。 George Wolfe； Jr。； twenty…three； of Beaver Falls； Pennsylvania； was out hunting when he came across a 〃seven…foot…tall bird that looked something like an ostrich〃 in a cornfield。
〃I could see it dodging in and out among the trees；〃 he said。 〃It didn't leap over the brush like a deer would do； but just zig…zagged through the trees； in a strange sidewise motion。
〃I was so startled I didn't take a shot at it。 It had a long neck and a round body with a plumed tail that reached high above its body。
〃It was a grayish color and looked about seven feet tall。 It was about fifty feet from me when it stood up and began to run。 My dog ran after it； but when Old Ringo caught up with it； he let out a howl。 'He ran back to me with his tail between his legs and he was howling and whimpering。〃
In Lowell； Ohio； about seventy miles north of Point Pleasant； Marvin Shock and his family watched a group of gigantic birds for about two hours on November 26。 〃They looked about as big as a man would look moving around in the trees；〃 Shock reported。 〃When we started walking toward them for a closer look…we were about one hundred yards from them…they took off and flew up the ridge。〃
Shock； his two children； and Ewing Tilton； a neighbor； wat