jak.themothmanprophecies- 第32节

　　
　　〃I　don't　know…it…it　just　went。〃　She　started　to　cry。　She　would　be　so　nervous　and　upset　that　she　wouldn't　go　to　school　the　next　day。
　　
　　The　phone　rang。　Bill　Kelly　looked　at　it　as　if　it　were　a　snake。　He　picked　it　up　slowly；　listened　and　scowled；　then　replaced　the　receiver。　His　wife　glanced　at　him　expectantly。
　　
　　〃Another　one　of　those　calls　。。。　beep；　beep；　beep；〃　he　nodded。
　　
　　On　top　of　a　hill　east　of　Point　Pleasant　Mary　Hyre　and　I　stood　by　our　cars　looking　down　at　the　village。
　　
　　〃Where　did　it　go；　John？〃
　　
　　I　was　straining　my　eyesight　through　a　cheap　telescope。
　　
　　〃I　think　it　went　down　that　ravine　by　North　Park。　But　I　can't　see　it　now。〃
　　
　　〃At　least　it　was　right　on　schedule。〃
　　
　　Flickering　red　and　green　lights　suddenly　appeared。
　　
　　〃A　plane；〃　I　noted。
　　
　　〃Probably　Doctor　Shaw。　He　told　me　he's　been　spooking　the　people　at　the　TNT　area。〃
　　
　　〃It's　hard　to　mistake　an　airplane　for　one　of　those　UFO　lights。〃
　　
　　〃Look！〃　she　called　out　sharply。　〃Something　is　following　that　plane。〃
　　
　　A　few　hundred　feet　behind　the　plane　I　could　see　a　large　black　object；　almost　as　big　as　the　plane　itself　but　pletely　without　lights。
　　
　　〃Mothman！　Is　it　Mothman？〃
　　
　　I　fumbled　with　my　telescope。　It's　very　difficult　to　zero　in　on　an　object　in　the　night　sky　with　a　handheld　telescope。　I　couldn't　even　locate　the　plane。
　　
　　The　plane　crossed　the　river　and　headed　for　the　Gallipolis　airport。　The　thing　following　him　was　quickly　lost　in　the　black　sky。
　　
　　We　returned　to　Mary's　office　and　found　all　the　phones　ringing。　People　were　seeing　flying　objects　all　up　and　down　the　valley。　Some　had　probably　just　seen　the　good　doctor's　nocturnal　sortie；　but　others　described　what　sounded　like　genuine　UFOs。
　　
　　That　was　April　5；　1967；　a　Wednesday。　I　had　collected　and　analyzed　some　seven　hundred　UFO　reports　from　1966　and　discovered　that　the　greatest　number　of　sightings；　20　percent；　took　place　on　Wednesdays。　I　called　this　〃the　Wednesday　phenomenon。〃　The　events　of　1967　conformed　to　this　curious　pattern；　as　have　the　sightings　of　later　flaps。　The　major　events　of　October　1973　were　concentrated　around　Wednesdays；　particularly　Wednesday；　October　17。
　　
　　So　here　was　another　curious　contradiction。　The　entities　professed　to　be　ignorant　of　our　time　frame；　yet　the　objects　managed　to　fly　to　a　rigid　schedule　that　could　be　measured　by　our　clocks　and　calendars。
　　
　　When　I　interviewed　attorney　Robert　Wright　in　Sistersville；　West　Virginia；　he　told　me　the　things　have　turned　up　every　Wednesday　throughout　the　summer　of　1966；　〃like　clockwork。〃
　　
　　No　one　except　the　U。S。　Air　Force　had　attempted　even　a　superficial　statistical　analysis　of　UFO　sightings　before；　so　my　findings　were　greeted　with　howls　of　derision　by　the　scientists　who　posed　as　experts　on　the　phenomenon。　Then　Dr。　David　Saunders　of　Colorado　University　fed　several　thousand　sightings　into　a　puter　and　found　the　Wednesday　phenomenon　remained　stable。　That　day　produced　the　largest　number　of　sightings；　well　beyond　the　laws　of　chance　and　averages。
　　
　　In　March　1967；　Ralph　Jarrett　talked　me　into　violating　my　〃low…profile〃　policy　and　I　appeared　with　him　on　the　Jackie　Oberlinger　show　on　WCHS…TV　in　Charleston。　In　the　course　of　our　discussion　I　mentioned　that　the　best　time　to　see　a　UFO　was　10　P。M。　on　a　Wednesday。　Mrs。　Oberlinger；　a　vivacious　blond　lady　and　very　much　a　local　celebrity；　took　me　at　my　word。　On　Wednesday；　March　29；　she　and　a　group　of　her　friends　gathered　in　her　backyard　in　Charleston　and；　sure　enough；　at　exactly　10　P。M。　three　globes　of　brilliant　white　light　passed　directly　overhead　in　a　V…formation。
　　
　　The　Wednesday　phenomenon　works。　I've　been　studying　it　for　years　and　I　still　can't　say　why　it　works。　Researchers　in　other　parts　of　the　world　have　now　followed　my　example　and　found　similar　time　patterns　in　the　sightings　of　their　own　countries。　The　table　below　is　a　breakdown　of　sightings　recorded　in　1950；　as　analyzed　by　Saunders；　United　States；　Ballester…Orlando；　Spain；　Bonabot；　Belgium。
　　
　　II
　　
　　Soon　after　arriving　in　Point　Pleasant　and　getting　a　handle　on　the　scope　of　the　situation；　I　phoned　the　Lockburn　Air　Force　Base　in　Ohio　and　outlined　what　was　happening　to　a　Lieutenant　Hoffman；　the　base　UFO　officer。　He　was　very　polite；　but　he　was　also　disinterested　and　it　was　clear　the　air　force　was　not　going　to　launch　any　kind　of　investigation。
　　
　　Perhaps　an　investigation　was　already　underway。　As　I　wandered　around　Main　Street　in　early　April　I　noticed　a　surprising　number　of　strangers　who　just　didn't　seem　to　fit　in。　They　had　the　indelible　look　of　federal　officers　。。。　conservative　ties；　square　clothes；　recent　haircuts。　There　must　have　been　fifteen　or　twenty　of　them。　I　saw　them　in　the　local　restaurants　and　drugstores；　everywhere。
　　
　　〃Is　there　a　convention　in　town？〃　I　asked　Mary　Hyre。
　　
　　〃So　you　noticed　them；　too？〃　She　smiled。　〃Everybody's　been　asking　me　about　them。　But　so　far　I　haven't　found　out　a　thing。〃
　　
　　I　decided　to　trap　one　of　them　into　a　conversation；　but　they　all　vanished　before　I　could　do　so。
　　
　　One　night　Roger　Scarberry；　Steve　Mallette；　and　myself　were　driving　around　the　TNT　area　when　we　came　upon　a　large　black　Cadillac　parked　in　the　shadows。　I　slammed　on　the　brakes；　got　out　of　our　car；　and　walked　over　to　the　other　vehicle。　A　well…dressed；　distinguished…looking　man　was　sitting　behind　the　wheel　holding　a　microphone　in　his　hand。　I　tried　to　engage　him　in　a　conversation　but　he　would　only　grunt。　Obviously　he　wanted　to　be　left　alone。　I　never　saw　him　again。
　　
　　My　days　were　spent　tracking　down　witnesses　and　in　early　evening　I　would　cruise　through　the　TNT　area　before　going　to　Five　Mile　Creek　Road　for　skywatches　that　usually　lasted　until　3　or　4　A。M。　Then　I　would　drive　back　to　Point　Pleasant；　cross　the　rickety　old　Silver　Bridge　into　Ohio；　and　grab　a　few　hours　sleep　at　the　Blue　Fountain。
　　
　　Three　or　four　miles　south　of　my　secret　hilltop　there　was　a　heavily　forested　ridge。　The　object　with　the　reddish　〃window〃　which　Mary　and　I　had　seen　on　our　first　night　seemed　to　have　e　from　there。　Each　night　at　exactly　10　P。M。　a　bright　red　glow　would　appear　on　that　ridge；　as　if　someone　had　just　turned　on　a　powerful　light。　Thinking　there　might　be　a　house　there；　or　a　road　（and　we　were　watching　auto　taillights）；　I　returned　in　daylight　but　found　it　would　have　been　a　very　long　hike　to　reach　it。　No　buildings　were　visible　there。　I　drove　through　the　roads　in　the　Chief　Cornstalk　Hunting　Grounds；　hoping　to　find　a　road　up　that　particular　ridge　but　apparently　it　was　inaccessible。
　　
　　On　Thursday；　April　6；　Mrs。　Hyre　acpanied　me　to　Five　Mile　Creek　Road　and　we　watched　as　the　light　came　on；　right　on　schedule。　Suddenly　we　saw　an　identical…type　light　behind　the　trees　north　of　our　position　in　the　very　spot　where　I　had　seen　the　glowing　disc　descend。　I　knew　there　were　no　houses　or　roads　in　that　direction。　We　divided　our　attention　between　the　two　lights。　Both　seemed　to　be　moving　through　the　trees　very　slowly。　I　got　out　of　the　car　with　my　flashlight　and　flashed　it　three　times　in　the　direction　of　the　southern　ridge。　An　instant　later　there　were　three　extremely　bright　flashes。　Mary　nearly　jumped　out　of　her　skin。
　　
　　〃They　answered　you！〃　she　declared。
　　
　　The　red　light　rose　upward　until　it　was　a　hundred　feet　or　so　above　the　trees。　Then　it　went　out；　as　if　someone　had　turned　off　a　switch。　Then　the　light　in　the　north　dipped　down　behind　the　trees　and　disappeared。
　　
　　AFFIDAVIT
　　
　　To　whom　it　may　concern：
　　
　　I；　Mrs。　Mary　Hyre　of　219…Sixth　Street；　Point　Pleasant；　W。　Va。；　a　reporter　for　the　Athens　（Ohio）　Messenger；　hereby　swear　that　I　was　present　at　the　following　event　and　personally　witnessed　it　as　described。
　　
　　On　the　evening　of　April　6；　1967；　I　acpanied　Mr。　John　A。　Keel　of　New　York　City　to　an　isolated　hilltop　on　Five　Mile　Creek　Road　south　of　Gallipolis　Ferry；　W。　Va。　Shortly　after　11　p。m。　I　observed　a　pale　red　object　of　undetermined　size　moving　in　a　controlled　manner　slightly　above　tree…top　level　over　a　hill　about　500　yards　south　of　our　position。　There　are　no　houses　or　roads　on　that　hill。　The　object　appeared　to　move　caut