to town。〃
Mary Hyre pulled her coat around her pudgy frame and walked slowly to her office； tears running down her face； her years of experience overriding her emotions。 She pushed open the door and walked to her phones。 They were dead。 She switched on the Teletype machine and started to peck away with two fingers。
〃At 5；：04 P。M。 this afternoon 。。。〃
Sirens wailed outside and the crowds grew。 A girl was screaming hysterically in front of the office。 〃I almost got killed 。。。 I could have been on there 。。。 all those people dead。。。 I could have been killed。〃
II
Two miles north of the bridge； Mrs。 Jackie Lilly was in a grocery store waiting for her teen…aged children。 They were planning to go bowling in the alleys on the other side of the river that night。 Her husband； Jim； was away； working on his boat。
At 5：20 Gary and Johnny Lilly rushed breathlessly into the store。
〃The bridge just fell in the river；〃 Johnny declared。
〃That's not very funny；〃 his mother replied。
〃It's true。 The old bridge just collapsed；〃 Gary said grimly。 〃And it was full of cars。〃
Johnny； who was married； drove them home to their little house on Camp Conley Road。 Mrs。 Lilly headed for a phone。 It was dead。 As Johnny drove off； dashing back to〃 Point Pleasant to be with his wife； Gary； eighteen； turned on the television set and searched for a news program。
A few minutes later Gary glanced out of the picture window in the living room and gasped。
〃There's something out there！〃 he exclaimed。
Mrs。 Lilly looked out and saw a flashing red light disappearing over the trees。
〃Do you think those things are back？〃 Gary asked。
〃It was probably an airplane；〃 she answered。 But she turned off the lights in the living room so they could see 。better into the darkness outside。
A few minutes later a second light appeared； moving in the same direction as the first。 It was one of those glaringly bright prismatic lights so familiar to the residents of Camp Conley …Road。 They went outside to watch it。
〃It wasn't an airplane；〃 Mrs。 Lilly assured me later。 〃It was one of those things； bobbing up and down like they do。 There wasn't any sound。〃
For the next hour； Mrs。 Lilly； Gary； and daughter Linda divided their attention between the TV set and the eerie aerial activity outside。 〃We counted twelve of them；〃 Mrs。 Lilly reported。 〃Most of them were just above the treetops。 They seemed to be ing down from up around the TNT area and moved south toward the town。〃
The hundreds of people milling around the streets of Point Pleasant did not see anything in the skies that night； however。 Perhaps the objects followed their old route； dipping into the ravine behind North Park and cutting eastward to the hills。
〃I was getting scared；〃 Mrs。 Lilly recalled。 〃We'd never seen so many of these things in one night。 I kept trying the phone； wanting to get somebody to drive out and pick us up and take us out of there。〃
Finally around 9 P。M。 she got a dial tone and was able to place a call to a neighbor who drove over； picked them up； and took them to the home of Mrs。 Lilly's mother in Point Pleasant。
A few months later James Lilly moved bis family away from Camp Conley Road。
III
Around 2 A。M。 I finally got a line through to Point Pleasant and was very much relieved when Mary Hyre picked up her phone。 She spoke very slowly； obviously exhausted。
〃It's the most terrible thing I've ever seen；〃 she told me。 〃But I was kind of prepared for it。 You know those dreams I had 。。。 well； it was exactly like that。 The packages floating in the water。 The people crying for help。 Those dreams came true。〃
〃Is everyone all right？〃 I asked anxiously。 〃The McDaniels； Connie； the others。〃
〃I think so。 It'll be awhile before we know who was on the bridge。 There could have been as many as one hundred people。 Some of them were rescued。 But an awful lot of them are trapped under all that metal。〃
After a month of brutally hard work； divers and rescue teams recovered thirty…eight bodies。 Several other people in Ohio and West Virginia were never heard from again and it was assumed they also went down with the bridge。 A number of UFO witnesses were among the dead。
〃I talked to one woman who lives right by the bridge；〃 Mary continued。 〃She says that two days ago she saw two men climbing the bridge。〃
〃Climbing on it？〃
〃Yes。 They weren't walking across。 They were climbing around the sides of it〃
〃Was she able to describe them？〃
〃They were wearing checkered coats and black trousers。
She couldn't see their faces too well because they were so far away。 But she did notice their shoes。 They weren't wearing boots； just ordinary shoes。 She thought that was odd because of me weather we'd been having。〃
〃You'd better have the police talk with her； Mary；〃 I said。
〃I will。 There's just so much to do。 People are ing from all over。 And as soon as my phone was working again I started getting calls from newspapers and radio stations all over the country。1'
〃You'd better try to get some sleep。〃
〃I know； but I just can't leave the office now。 Ambulances and rescue trucks are ing in from all over。 They'll be working all night。 I've got to be there。〃
Later the bridge was lifted from the water piece by piece and reconstructed in a field near Henderson。 Engineers finally determined the collapse was due to metal fatigue and structural failure。
〃John；〃 Mary began hesitantly； 〃do you think this had anything to do with UFOs and the 'Bird'？〃
〃There's no answer to that； Mary。 Maybe there were people on the bridge that could have told us something。 I knew the condition of the bridge。 And I'd had warnings about something terrible that was going to happen。 If I could have put things together sooner； maybe we could have saved all those lives。〃
〃It's not your fault。 Some things are just meant to be。 You can't change the future 。。。 even when you know what is going to happen。〃
I heard the sound of a woman weeping in the background。
〃A woman just came in。 Her husband is missing；〃 Mary whispered。
After we hung up I sat for a long time by my big glass windows； looking out over the lights of Manhattan Island。 For one long year my life had been intertwined with the lives of the people of Point Pleasant。 I had been led into relationships and events that seemed to follow a structured pattern beyond my control。 Even beyond my understanding。 I had stood on those distant hills and watched those wretched bouncing lights mock me。 In the months ahead there would be many changes in the lives of those who had been touched by the Garuda。 Roger and Linda Scar…berry would divorce； as would Woodrow Derenberger who； in what has bee a。 tradition among contactees； would remarry 。。。 this time to a beautiful young woman who was also a contactee。 They would slip away to obscurity in another state。 Others would eventually suffer nervous breakdowns and undergo long periods of hospitalization。 A few would even mit suicide。
Death would claim too many of the participants in the dramas of 1967。 Mrs。 Mary Hyre passed away in 1970。 Ivan T。 Sanderson left us in 1973。 Dr。 Edward U。 Condon； Fred Freed； and many others would be gone long before the tenth anniversary of the appearance of the winged thing in front of the old power plant。 Some of the people who viewed the tall； hairy red…eyed monsters died within six months。 Even Mr。 Apol staged an odd departure； acting out a charade with the Men in Black that left him broken in spirit。 He wasted away like a human suffering from a stroke until there was nothing left but his Cheshire smile。
Out there in the night those puzzling spheres of light still ply their ancient routes in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys。 A new generation of young people stand on the hilltops； expectantly scanning the skies。 Their elders； jaded by nearly thirty years of signs and wonders；