ous panel trucks； but when the police ran a routine check the puters came up with a blank。
When you consider the many millions of licenses issued in the United States； the odds against your being able to manufacture an unlisted number are astronomical。 Yet our MIB always manage to e up with unused numbers。 （There were more incidents of this type during the October 1973 wave。）
Phantom photographer reports have been rare in England； but in 1973 two leading British ufologists； Brinsley Le Poer Trench and J。B。 Delair； came across an incident involving the Bogart family who live in a forest near Maresfield； Sussex。 The Bogarts' isolated cottage has been plagued with apparitions； strange sounds； and poltergeist activity。 And a large number of low…flying luminous objects have been seen repeatedly in the vicinity。
〃On more than one occasion Mrs。 Bogart alleges that she has been perturbed to find a yellow Volkswagen car （having smoked…glass windows） following her discreetly at a distance；〃 Delair reports。 （*） 〃Once this involved the vehicle slowly following her down a woodland cart…track leading to Piltdown Lake； of it then stopping some distance from her； of two medium…sized individuals emerging and hurriedly taking photographs of her； and of the individuals quickly re…entering the car and driving off in the opposite direction。 On another occasion； in Maresfield；。 the same vehicle （or one exactly similar） seemed to be 'kerb…crawling' several yards behind her。 Mrs。 Bogart has no idea to whom the Volkswagen belongs； or why it should apparently follow her about in such furtive fashion； nor why she should be so mysteriously photographed。〃
＇*＇ Awareness； Autumn 1973 （J。B。 Delair； ed。； 19 Cumnor Road； Wootton； Boar's Hill； Oxford； Berkshire； England）。
III
If you review the thousands of UFO contact reports you will find that many of them begin with the appearance of an entity holding some kind of 〃flashlight〃 which is shone directly at the witness。 In cases in which the percipient was taken aboard a saucer； a light flashes and he is told his picture has just been taken。 In other instances； some of which have already been described； the entity approaches the witness and suddenly flashes a light at him which causes paralysis。
Woodrow Derenberger was among the very few contact claimants who did not describe such flashes。
In trying to nail down the exact chronological order of events in the contactee experience； I found that the witnesses observed the flash first and then they saw the entity approaching with some kind of flashlight。 A second flash paralyzed them or rendered them unconscious。
The phenomenon takes yet another form。 The witness is stepping out his door； or getting out of his automobile； when there is a sudden burst of light 〃like a flash gun going off。〃 No photographer or camera is visible。 There is no sudden paralysis or ill effects。 The witness just scratches his head in bewilderment and goes about his business。 However； those who see these flashes have usually had psychic experiences previously。 They have seen a UFO； a monster； or a ghost； or they are gifted with ESP or precognition。
In 1967； I was living in one of those glass buildings in Manhattan； part of a huge apartment plex。 I was on a high floor facing an identical building across a small park； but I also had a splendid view of lower Manhattan。 In the evenings while hammering away at my typewriter in front of a wall…to…wall window； I began seeing sudden flashes of blue light in the space between the two buildings。 At first I assumed there was a photographer in the other building： Then I saw the same kind of flashes high in the air； further down the avenue。 I watched them night after night。 When friends were in my apartment the flashes seemed to stop。 I thought of them as 〃psychic flashes〃 because very often my phone would ring immediately after I saw one。
Later I moved to another apartment on the other side of town； with no real view of the sky； although my study faced a small courtyard favored by fighting cats and a few scrawny trees hopelessly battling for survival。 There were no more psychic flashes until the summer of 1971 。。。 just prior to a major change in my life。 Suddenly there were brilliant flashes outside my window； although there were no photographers； or people of any kind； in the courtyard or across the way。 A couple of times I went down into the courtyard to see if I could find out what was causing the flashes but there was no possible explanation。 A month later I was called to Washington； D。C。； to serve as a consultant to the Department of Health； Education； and Welfare。 I worked in the Capital for a year； heading a special project under Elliot Richardson； then…secretary of HEW。
I haven't seen any of those flashes since。
Were they a part of some subtle programing process？ My life has gone through many abrupt changes； and each major change has been preceded by some form of inexplicable phenomena。 In observing other witnesses； this also seems to be true in their lives Are these things clues to a psychic force which controls us all？
14 … Sideways in Time
I
You are driving along a deserted highway late at night when suddenly you see a flash of light in the sky ahead。 The light draws nearer and a peculiar feeling overtakes you： a kind of tingling sensation。 Your car radio； which is turned off； begins to emit a loud beeping like Morse code。 Your headlights dim and then your engine sputters and stalls。 You coast to the side of the road； overe by a great wave of sheer terror。
Suddenly it is morning。 You wake up in your own bed with absolutely no memory of having driven home； undressing； and retiring。 When you try to recall the night before； it all seems hazy and unreal。 Maybe it was all a dream； you tell yourself。 But you feel exhausted； as if you had been on a drunken binge and your eyes are very sore。 Within a few days you have forgotten the whole incident； if it was a real incident； but occasionally you wake up at night sweating profusely from a recurrent nightmare。 You dream that you are in some kind of hospital operating room with strange figures gathered around your outstretched body。
Thousands of people have shared this kind of experience in recent years。 It may have happened to your next…door neighbor even though he or she has never mentioned it to you 。。。 or to anyone else。 Such people are 〃silent contactees。〃 Others traveling that same highway may have seen that same light and even reported it to the local police or newspapers。 But the silent contactee remains uncertain of the reality of it all and keeps quiet。
For every publicly known contactee like Woodrow Derenberger there are thousands of silent ones。 Some later manage to recall fragments of what happened and then their mind plays tricks and colors what they can remember with false details 。。。 confabulations。 The terror they felt bees linked with awesome monsters and apparitions。 The operating room bees a chamber on a spacecraft。
Like all the other things discussed here； this is not a new phenomenon。 Black magicians； witch doctors； arid shamans of other ages evolved explanations as fanciful as those of modern UFO buffs。 They thought spirits kidnapped humans and somehow dismantled their bodies and reconstructed them； or even created an exact duplicate in some fashion。 The changeling concept in religious and occult lore is a variation of this。 Small children are supposedly whisked away and substituted with bodies that look just like them but are really programed in an entirely different way。
A person who consorted with the devil supposedly had a mark somewhere on his flesh as a souvenir of the experience。 A modern UFO contactee develops these 〃devil's marks；〃 sometimes in the form of a wart or boil； sometimes a rash or blotch that looks like a birthmark。 In occult lore； pains in the stomach or solar plexus occur during the experience； just as UFO contactee Mrs。 Barney Hill thought the spacemen were probing her stomach with a long needle。 Blood is draw