Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A Light in the Sky

I often went outside at night. No particular reason. It was quiet, I suppose, and I could wander around safely, for the most part. I spent some time looking at constellations and the Moon. I also just listened to the night sounds.
One night, I looked up and saw a ball of light, slowly traveling from South to North. I ran inside, grabbed the only camera I could find, yelled for Mom to come outside with me, and ran back out the door. I got one picture of... it. Whatever it was? I lined up another shot just a short distance away, between two trees based on the trajectory.
The light slowly moved towards the trees. I checked the camera one last time. I waited.. but the light was gone. I looked around but I hadn't missed it, it had just disappeared as it headed behind the trees.
Disappointed, I went back inside just as my mom was heading out. She was busy and had just reached a stopping point. If she had been just a few minutes sooner, she would have seen it as well. So, I was the only person who saw it.
I scanned the papers every day for a week. Mom suggested I call the local Air Forces Base(s) to see if there was any reports of flying objects. I watched the local News channels for any mention of a strange light traveling through the sky. Nothing.
Every argument I could think of that it was a hoax was countered by another reason it couldn't be. In the end, I just let it be a mystery. If it was a hoax, it was extremely elaborate and no one ever took credit for it. If it weren't, there was something to wonder about in the night sky.
When I got the film developed, the only picture that didn't come out was the one picture I took of the light in the sky. I looked at the negative and it was fuzzy, at best. It looked like someone took a picture of a dim light at night. I suppose the good people who made the prints just assumed that I wouldn't a picture that was must have been taken in mistake.

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