News reports and videos of Unidentified Flying Objects (U.F.O.s) are not a rarity anymore. It seems at least a few times a week, from some location around the world, someone has spotted a U.F.O. How much truth there is in these U.F.O. encounters I can only gauge from my own up close and personal encounter.
Up Close and Personal
Back in the summer of 1977 when I was 14 years old, I lived in a small apartment complex in Westminster, Maryland. Our apartment was on the lowest level, partially below ground. We could open up the sliding glass doors, walk out onto the porch and climb up onto the grass.
On the night in question, I was home alone watching television when the lights went out. There were no reports of storms and the night had been clear. Curious, I went to the sliding glass doors to look out, expecting to see the lights from the hospital which was on a hill about two miles away. There was nothing but darkness.
I noticed that there were people from the apartment complex milling around outside on the lawn and in the parking lot. Opening the sliding glass door, I stepped out onto the porch to hear such statements as "What is that?" and "Look at that! It's huge!" Climbing up onto the grass, I stood up and noticed everyone was looking and pointing upward, so I looked up as well.
Above us was a huge, metallic disc with what we assumed were colored lights as the sky was lit up in multi-colors far off in the distance. Its underside was flat and smooth. Part of it was behind us, stretched over the top of the apartment complex so we could not see that portion. What we saw hovered directly above us and also over the hospital which, as I stated, was two miles away. Since it was perfectly circular, you can imagine how monstrous it was.
There was no sound at all. Many of the people in attendance had run inside to get their cameras and were snapping pictures. I, unfortunately, did not have a camera of my own at that time and never saw how any of the pictures that the other residents took turned out. As with most apartment complexes, residents very rarely associated with one another. In fact, this would be the only time in the year my mother, my sister, and I lived there in which so many residents came together and spoke to one another.
There was plenty of time for pictures, however, as the U.F.O. stayed stationary for nearly twenty minutes. When it finally did begin to move, there was still no sound. It glided slowly forward, taking its time, until we could see the part of it that had been over top of the apartment complex. The assumption of colored lights was correct. The lights went all along the outer edge of the craft.
It was nearly another twenty minutes before the U.F.O. was completely out of sight. Camera flashes continued as the residents watched its departure, wanting to document the encounter which they commented they were sure no one would believe. Once the U.F.O. had disappeared, our electricity returned.
Media Coverage
I never knew if there was media coverage for this encounter or how widespread the blackout was or how many people actually witnessed the phenomena. Looking back, I could kick myself for not having had the presence of mind to scour the local newspaper and listen to the local news, but I was only 14 years old and did not understand the full impact of what we had experienced.
Being All Alone
It would be vain of us to think that, in this vast Universe, we are the only living, breathing, intelligent beings. There are just too many U.F.O. reports and alien abduction stories to truly believe that we are all alone. Some of these reports are from well known people such as Budd Hopkins of the Intruders Foundation and Whitley Strieber of Unknown Country. Both of these men have authored books of their own alien encounters.
There is also Mutual U.F.O. Network, Inc. (MUFON) founded in 1969 which is now a worldwide organization that investigates claims of U.F.O. sightings and alien abduction stories regularly. This organization holds a yearly conference where authors, experts, and researchers share their latest finding on U.F.O. data.
I have never found an explanation for my own U.F.O. encounter, however, it was definitely up close and personal. I have to believe that our Universe holds magnificent secrets which we have yet to discover. Perhaps, we are just not ready yet to know all of these secrets.
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