E-Mail: zbutler@ou.edu

“…And that’s how they make syrup. Now, if you all will just follow me down the trail here, I will show you some animal tracks down by the lake,” said the park ranger to the group of tourists behind him.

It was mid morning, and this one hour tour was in its third hour. The tourists were getting restless and hungry, but the ranger didn’t notice at all as he trudged along the trail down towards the lake.

“If you look to your right,” the ranger started. “You will see a large boulder that looks like Abe Vigoda. Do you all know who Abe Vigoda is? He played ‘Fish’ on television’s Barney Miller and later in his own show aptly titled Fish. Oh….He is quite a character….I can remember one episode where –“

“Isn’t this the place where those hikers were abducted by aliens?” interrupted a young voice from the back of the pack of tourists.

“- And then ‘Fish’ walked over and……Wait. Did I hear someone ask a question?” asked the park ranger.

The voice repeated itself. “Isn’t this the place where those hikers were abducted by aliens?”

“Who asked that? Who? Step forward,” asked the ranger in a serious tone.

From the back of the line of tourists stepped forward a young boy about nine or ten years of age. Following closely behind him was his father, who had a hand on his shoulder.

“I asked the question,” the young boy answered simply. “Isn’t this the place where those hikers were abducted by aliens?”

“Well…..Um……” the ranger was trying to pull his thoughts together for this child before him. “Yes. There is a story about four hikers some years ago who say they were abducted by aliens, but let me remind the good people here that –“

“And it happened right down here by the lake,” the boy said as he walked right past the ranger and continued down toward the lake. The boy’s father followed closely behind him and refused to acknowledge the ranger who stood there stunned by what was happening.

The ranger finally got up his wits enough to follow the young boy and his father down the trail before the rest of the tourists started on down the trail.

“Hey……Hey!” the ranger started as he was catching up to the father and son. “What do you think you two are doing? This is not a part of the tour! Now, if you two will simply join the rest of group behind us I will show you – “

“I will show you where it happened,” the boy said without turning around.

As the group made it toward the lake shore they came across the father and son combination staring intently out into the lake as the waves were ripped around by the cold Maine air. The ranger was sitting upon a rock not far from the trail head. He had apparently already given up any idea of trying to change the boy and his father’s minds.

“Good….” the ranger started. “Now that the rest of you are here, if you all will follow me down this way I will show you where the deer come down to –“

“What is this about an alien abduction?” asked an older woman towards the front of the line of tourists coming off the trail.

The boy stood there for a few moments staring peacefully out onto the lake before he turned around to face the crowd behind him.

“It was twenty-seven years ago,” the boy started. “Four men were camping here along the shores of Eagle Lake. They were all good friends. They had known each other for years. They had been here in the mountains for weeks and were running low and food and were having no luck at catching fish during the day so one night they decided to try night fishing.

“Before paddling out, the group decided to build a large fire here on the shore so they could find their way back if they got lost. Once out on the lake everything was going good. They were catching fish and were having a great time. After some time on the lake, one of the men noticed a weird, bright object in the sky some distance away. As it got closer, the men could see that the craft was about 80 feet in diameter and was not like any sort of aircraft they had seen before. Thinking that it was some sort of object in trouble, one of the men pulled out a flashlight and signaled SOS in the direction of the object. Immediately, the object moved silently toward and over the canoe.

“Sensing trouble, the men started to paddle as fast as they could away from this massive object. As they paddled with such tenacity, a hollow light shot down from the object and engulfed the men on the canoe. The next thing the men remember, they’re on the bank again, and the large bonfire is nothing but ashes. Some time later the men recall through nightmares being beamed up into the craft that night and subjected to various experiments before they were returned here to this very spot.” With that, the boy turned back around and stared peaceably at the lake before him. 

Several minutes passed as the boy and his father stood there staring out into the cold water. Nobody spoke a word as the wind whistled off the lake, chilling everyone standing upon the shore. The boy and father were not affected by this inclement weather as the rest of the crowd shivered from the cold and the fear of the unexpected.

The ranger looked around at those who stood there upon the shore, trying to come up with just the right words for such an occasion. “If you all will follow me, I will take you back up to the ranger station,” the ranger said solemnly. He started back up the same trail, away from the lake.

As he made his way up the trail, the line of tourists followed patiently. All that is, except for the boy and his father. They stayed staring intently out onto the lake.

“Father,” the boy said without looking up. “Will they ever believe what happened to you?”

“I don’t know son…..I don’t know……But they will soon enough……..” the father answered in the same calm voice.

Commentary

Image of Alagash Waterway by Unknown
Image of Flying Saucer by Unknown