So I had a strange encounter in the mid eighties that still makes me wonder
to this day. I was in my early twenties and I managed to move
out of mom and Dad's basement into a place of my own. Honestly,
I hadn't gone that far. I lived three quarters of a mile due north
of my folks place as the crow flies. However, if you were sensible
and decided to drive there, it's quite a bit further. My parents' house
was set back from the road, and once you left their driveway you were
going north, and then the road curved to the west. The little farm
I was renting was right there on the north side of the road. There
was a little bit of a neighborhood, but the best part or the houses
weren't grouped tight up close together. We were all spread out and we had
elbow room. The privacy was great and improved when the crops grew tall.
That part of Illinois wasn't just flat, tillable farm ground. There were acres
of rolling timber that began about five hundred yards behind my parents' house, and
it spread out to the west and south. A small narrow stand of trees
grew between our houses separating the two farm fields. I was at the age
when a country boy was in his prime and was sure to have himself a
big, old four wheel drive truck. My truck was a one ton that
heavy suspension was great for getting me places I probably shouldn't have been going.
It wasn't overly tall like some of my friend's trucks. But that old pickup
truck wasn't just a toy. I used it for work too. Tall trucks
are well and good, but when you're throwing hay on it, it gets
tiring having to throw those heavy bales that much higher. I had a pretty
nice light bar, and I had it built especially for this truck, and
when we were going places in the mud that we shouldn't A lot of the
time it happened under the cover of darkness. I like to see what I
was getting into, so I had a stadium lighting across the top of my
cab. I also had a switch that could kill the lights instantly. Anybody
that goes to those backwood parties knows that too much light can kill the mood
where we were located. I could also signal uninvited intruders, such as the
law enforcement. The cops could be such killjoys. I was far enough removed
from home that getting invited for supper was a pleasure. A guy gets tired
of Spaghettio's and Beloney and other bachelor's staples, so when mom says she wants
to cook for you, you definitely make sure that you're there. My dad
worked second shift, so that night it was just the two of us.
We had a great time hanging out and catching up. I'd been busy working
and hadn't seen mom and at least a day. That's right, I'm a
mama's boy, but my mom was pretty cool. I could tell some great
mischievous stories that she was in, but I'm rambling. She was ready to
retire for the evening, but told me that she would be up for a
little while reading. That was her routine. I wasn't getting the shove off,
but I did have my own place to go to, so that's where
I went. The evening was pleasant. At thirty miles per hour, the
air coming in the windows kept the truck bearable, and I wasn't in any
particular hurry, so I took my time driving the mile and a half home.
I never took the time to become an avid stargazer. Back then,
my mind was on typical country boy things farm tractors and trucks and making money,
and of course girls, really mostly girls. I may lay on a
blanket with a girl under the night sky at times, but I must confess
I wasn't paying all that much attention to the sky above. That night,
as I drove north and curved westward, I looked up and one star got
my attention. It was acting very pecul ueler for a star. It was
bigger and brighter than the rest of the stars, and sometimes it changed colors.
It would be blue or white, and then changed to gold and yellow,
and then turned paler yellowish shades. The changes didn't occur in any set
pattern either. I began to intently watch the sky, taking special notice of
the abnormal star, and after closer inspection, I finally realized that it wasn't
a star. It didn't remain in a fixed point in the sky. It
was moving. It was also getting bigger, which meant it was either growing
or getting closer to me. I stopped just at the entrance to my driveway,
expecting the moving star was only an optical illusion, and if it was
a star. It would have stopped too, but it didn't. It kept
coming closer. I backed out into the road so I could see up without
the overhanging bra branches I was under interfering with my view. My yard was
well shaded under mature stand of assorted trees. The foreign object above me was
obviously not a star. It moved into a ten o'clock high position, and
then it began to hover well. I had an eerie feeling that I was
being watched, and as intently as I was watching, I felt an electric
tingle and it was getting creepy. Sitting in the road with my headlights on,
the most unexpected thing happened, a strange kind of stand off. The
great big light blinked on and off twice. I don't know what possessed me
to do the next stupid thing on my part, I flipped on my off
road overhead lights. Realizing that wasn't a real smart idea, I pushed the
switch right back off again. I wasn't et and I didn't need to call
home. The big light again moved closer, and this was when I decided
I wasn't sticking around to get abducted. I threw the truck into gear and
I peeled out. Maybe drawing it toward my parents' house wasn't the wisest maneuver,
but I wanted someone else to see this weird thing. Cellular phones were
not around then, and I couldn't call Mom, but by this time I
really wanted to phone home. I went back the way. I came a
whole lot faster than I had come, and I liked to use my off
road lights to see even when it wasn't legal on the road. The light
barb came back on again, and maybe that wasn't the best plan. It
wasn't like I was going to attract the UFO. I seemed to have already
managed to get its attention. I couldn't see it directly, and I wasn't
completely sure where it was, but I sensed that it was following me.
The road was brighter on my return to Mom and Dad's house, and the
back of my truck was lit up, almost like daylight, and I looked
into the mirrors. After a quick check, I noted my rear facing lights
were not on. I was being spotlighted like a raccoon in a tree.
Mom must have seen my off road lights from her window, and I'm sure
the dog sounded the alarm. I was coming back in a hurry. Mom
was coming out the back door as I flew down the lane to the house,
and she rushed over to my truck as I skidded to a stop and
I motioned upward excitedly before her, what's wrong escaped her lips. I watched
her eyes grow wide with wonder, and I looked up and we watched the
alien craft pass slowly and directly overhead. It continued west until it was out
over the timber. And whatever this thing was, it was big, as
in huge. It was hard to discern any shape. The light was too
bright. It was pretty close to the ground, though, and it moved
like a helicopter, a great big one, if that's what we were actually
looking at. The technology was advanced. If it had rotor blades. There
was no telltale thump sounds like a rotary wing craft. Mate. There wasn't
any sound at all. Mom and I watched the craft move around over the
trees to the west for what seemed like hours, but in reality it may
have only been for a few short minutes. The UFO moved back and forth,
then it would hover and all the while it was close to the treetops.
The lights continued to change color, but in no certain pattern. Finally,
the craft gained altitude and at hell for a moment, and the lights
blinked on and off again. Maybe it was saying farewell to us. And
then it moved upward again and slowly at first, it increased momentum and suddenly
shot straight upward out of sight, launching itself into the heavens, far quicker
than our rocket. Good. That was the last time we saw it.
Mom and I looked at each other in amazement. The only thing I could
say for a few minutes was wow. We talked about it for a little
while, wondering if anyone else had witnessed the strange occurrence. Now I finally
went back to my place, and it took a little while for the excitement
to pass, and I don't remember going to bed. I awoke the next
morning with no sense of time lost, and my rectum wasn't sore. Okay,
you were You made it through that one. At least you weren't okay
enough of that. It was an unidentified flying object? Or was it otherworldly?
Maybe? Maybe not? When I think back on it, other than
the creepy feeling when it stalked me. It still intrigues me. Whoever or
whatever it was, they probably had fun shaking me up. Larry the Cable
Guy has pointed out to many the UFOs like redneck Fellers, I firmly believe
we as a society are pretty arrogant. If we think there is no other
intelligent life, how do we know that we're all that advanced? How do
we know that our planet isn't avoided the same as we avoid a rough city neighborhood.