The modern phenomenon of supposed alien abductions was brought to the public attention with a tale from 1961. This became known as the Barney and Betty Hill incident. What follows is a dramatization of events reported by the couple as they were returning from vacation in Niagara Falls.
“Nice this time of year. Crescent moon--did you see that, Betty?”
“I see it just fine. Clear skies, you know.”
“Shame it’s so dark. New Hampshire always looks so beautiful in the daylight.”
“Yeah, Barney. Beautiful night. What’s Delsey complaining about now?” She turned in the passenger seat to check on the dog. “What’s the matter, boy? Need a walk?”
Further whines from the back seat.
“Pull over, Barney. He’s gotta go.”
“Just a few more miles. I could do with a walk myself.”
The car sliced its way through the countryside, thick forest lit up on either side as it sped by. Through her window, Betty watched the moon as it followed them, peeking between the pines. That point of light to the west of the moon must be Jupiter, but what's that moving between them? A shooting star? Those don’t move upward, so it must be an airplane.
She reached toward Barney without taking her eyes off the sky. “Hand me those binoculars.”
He retrieved them from inside his door, passing them to his wife. “What do you see?”
“A light in the sky...” She adjusted the focus on the old field glasses.
“What kind of light? Uh oh, not one of those flying saucers your sister talked about?”
She could see it more clearly now, moving erratically and getting bigger and brighter.
“Stop the car Barney, I can hardly make it out with the car bumping.”
“It's probably just a plane.”
“Barney, please. Besides, Delsey needs to go.”
"OK, Betty. There, just ahead. We'll stop at that picnic spot.”
Barney pulled onto the side of the road, headlights starkly illuminating a picnic table ahead. Long shadows stretched into the dark forest. Barney let the dog out of the back of the car as Betty worked the stiffness out of her legs. She continued her scrutiny of the strange light. It was certainly bigger now. She could clearly see flashing multicolored lights through the binoculars. An odd shape for an airplane.
Barney reached for the field glasses. “Let me take a look." He adjusted the dial to suit his eyes.
“Bet that’s a commercial liner. Probably on its way to Montreal. No...wait!”
The craft hadn't turned like a conventional aircraft. It just suddenly dropped and came directly toward them.
“Delsey! Quick-- Betty, in the car. Now!”
Usually so calm and reasonable, his stern manner left Betty paralyzed. She composed herself and jumped in the car just as her husband huddled the dog onto the back seat. The Chevrolet Bel Air lurched and kicked up gravel as Barney punched the accelerator, skidding onto the asphalt and on toward Franconia Notch. The road soon turned into a narrow mountainous pass, and he was forced to slow down through this remote stretch. Betty kept an eye on the object. As they passed a restaurant at the top of Cannon Mountain, the rotating craft flew silently overhead, bouncing erratically across the sky. It had to be at least sixty feet across, easily keeping pace with them along the desolate road.
For a few moments, Betty lost track of the strange craft. It was no longer on their right. Where is it? Not above us, surely?
“Look out!”
Her husband slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt. The craft rapidly descended toward them from around the curve ahead. It stopped suddenly, hanging there, silently rotating some twenty-five meters above the road. To Betty it resembled a pancake, all lit up like a Christmas tree as it filled the windshield. Barney grabbed the binoculars, felt the bulge in his pocket to make sure his pistol was there and stepped out of the car.
“No, Barney! Get back in!”
He ignored his wife and peered once more through the glasses. There, in the windows. Eight? No, eleven people. Not people. Things that look like people, all staring at him. Glossy black uniforms, black caps. A chill slithered down his spine as one of the nonpeople spoke into his mind.
Stay where you are, keep looking.
An undercarriage extended from the sides of the craft and a ramp slid out from beneath. The vehicle slowly approached to within fifty feet, giving Barney a closer look at the inhuman beings. He raced back to the car, and his hysterical wife, Delsey's barking had become frantic.
“They're going to get us!” he screamed as the craft moved directly above them. Once again he shifted gear and sped off in a futile attempt to get away.
“Where is it? Still following?”
Betty rolled down her window and stuck her head out. Looking up, she saw it. A series of beeping and buzzing sounds filled the car. It vibrated violently. Terror clutched her heart, and a tingling sensation passed through her body. A sudden fatigue dulled her senses and, as she drifted into unconsciousness, the last thing she could hear was Delsey barking in the back of the car.
Another series of beeps and buzzes woke her back up. Vague recollections of a roadblock? A fiery red orb in the road? Oh God, Delsey! There he is, fast asleep. This road seems familiar. Where are we? No, that's impossible! Nearly thirty-five miles down the road. The sun is beginning to rise, that's not right...
Betty, Barney and Delsey
To be continued...