| UFO PART
TWO
Another day, another dollar.
This saying originated, of course, in the era
before the Minimum Wage Act was enforced. That it has not adjusted over time
to keep up even with the current rate of inflation is a testament to its
lasting power as an axiom summing up the deepest emotions of legions of
dog-tired, unfulfilled men who have uttered its mantra while knocking back
a Manhatten after a day's work. Now where's the paper?
So, more regarding yesterday's post on UFOs
-- I could go for days on this. I probably will.
One of my favorite UFO tales hails from my
own home state of West Virginia -- though it was reported widely at the time
in the national news, it being an otherwise slow week. It's the strange case
of... the Flatwoods Monster.
The Flatwoods Monster holds its place amongst
my favorite accounts of the paranormal not because of any high probability
of accuracy (originating as it does amongst my fellow rural West Virginians,
known exaggerators all -- chances are what they actually saw was a cat, or
a stray basketball), but because of the intense classic-scifi atmosphere
of the tale. It's actually pretty similar to the opening of "The Blob."
Also -- through sheer coincidence, I assure
you! -- I was actually born on the day of the 26th anniversary of the encounter.
Ooh.
What happened, expediently, was this: on September
12, 1952, a group of youngsters saw a glowing object cross the sky and land
on a distant hilltop. Raising a posse -- we rural West Virginians love a
good mob! -- the boys' relatives took to the hilltop to check out the goings-on.
Strange, eye-irritating mists shrouded the hillside, and when they reached
the landing area, they saw a giant, glowing object like a ball of fire. But
that aint the topper -- seeing a glint under a nearby tree, one of the men
swung his flashlight in that direction... revealing a horrible, gigantic,
slimy, red-skinned monster staring back at them.
The men exit, justifiably.
Did it really happen? Short of having to ever
go into the woods MYSELF on any given night, I don't really care. But it's
an awesome story, and worthy of further investigation -- which you can do
at the link below, might I add! There are professional illustrations of the
Flatwoods Monster upon that page, too, and they... well, they look like Daleks,
pretty much. So, stay with the original -- horrible, red-skinned monster.
That was good enough when I was a kid.
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