Sky People (34 page)

“How old were you when you had your first encounter with a UFO?” I asked as we settled on a bench near the back of the tent.

“Eight years old or so.”

“Can you tell me about the encounter?”

“It was a beautiful evening. I remember it was a full moon. We decided to walk to our cousins. They lived less than a half kilometer (.3 miles) away. The moon lit our way. After we visited, we started our walk home. By that time it was dark. Clouds had come up and hid the moon.”

“Who was with you?” I asked.

“My brother. He was older. About ten years old. When we caught sight of the house we raced each other to the backyard. We needed to latch the chicken pen and make sure the hogs were safe. Our mama hog had nine little piglets and we had to make sure they were all safely locked up for the night.”

“Was your brother with you at that time?”

“Yes. He was helping me. Just as we latched the chicken pen, a very bright light filled the backyard. I jumped back behind the chicken pen and my brother, too. We were frightened. We watched as the light changed from a very bright white to orange and then blue.”

“So the blinding light changed. Is that what you are saying?”

“Yes. It was just a beautiful glow. A warm feeling.”

“Did the light shine on you?”

“I don’t remember. I only remember the light moving slowly over the trees, and then it disappeared. There was no sound. Only this warm feeling.”

“What did you do once the light was gone?”

“We ran into the house and lay down for fear it would come back and see us. We waited for maybe an hour, and then the
sun started to come up. We were more confused than ever. It had only been a few minutes ago when we were at our cousins’ house. How could it be daylight? We were confused.”

“Do you have any recollection of being taken onboard a UFO?”

“None. My brother said that two strange men appeared near our chicken pen, but I never saw them. He said they were like machines.”

“What did he mean when he said they were like machines?”

“I remember he said they walked strange, like a wind-up tin toy we had.”

“What were they doing at your chicken house?”

“I am not sure.”

“Did they steal your chickens?”

“That is the great mystery. One of our chickens was gone and had been replaced by a strange chicken. It was totally black. We had no black chickens. My mother was upset. She thought it was a devil chicken, and she killed it and we ate it. It tasted like a regular chicken. Mama said if you kill evil and eat it, it cannot hurt you.”

“Can you tell me more about the two men?”

“I did not see them. If I did, I don’t remember. I was so frightened that I panicked. I could not talk for days. I was that scared. I had large red bump on my arm and my stomach hurt. I had a high fever. My mother worried about me, but as the days passed, she thought I was cursed by the Devil. My father and his friends performed religious ceremonies. Eventually, I got out of the hammock and walked around, and soon I was back to my old self.”

“Did you tell your mother what happened to you?”

“No. We told our cousins, and they laughed at us. They said we were imagining things in the night. They laughed so hard we never told another person. We just kept it to ourselves.”

“Have you seen other UFOs since that time?”

“Two times. Once when I was about fourteen. I was working with my brother. We were harvesting our corn. It was a hot, sunny day. There was not a cloud in the sky when it came. It was
a round, silver object. Not too big, but big enough to block out the sun. They landed in the field near us. We hid behind a rock so they would not see us.”

“Did they discover you?”

“I didn’t remember anything after they landed. My brother said that he saw two men again.”

“Did he tell you how tall they were?”

“About one meter (3 1/3 feet). They were funny looking too. All the same color and skin like a blue squash. No wrinkles like a newborn baby but blue skin. Have you ever seen a blue squash?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember the color of the squash?”

“Yes.”

“That was the exact color of their skin according to my brother. He said they were not from around here. We had nobody who looked like that.”

“Where does your brother live?”

“He died two years ago. I blame the UFO and those strange men. He always believed they took him and did awful things to him. He was never strong after that first night. Always sick. My mother protected him from our father. He became an artist, too. He was better than me. I use to sell his artwork. We were partners until the end.”

“What kind of things did the men do to your brother?”

“They stuck needles in his head and belly like they were doctors. But he said they were no doctors. They just acted like doctors.”

“Why did he believe they were not doctors?”

“Because he was not in a hospital. He was in some strange place that smelled evil. It made him sick instead of feeling good. That is not a doctor’s office. A doctor is suppose to make you feel better. These men made him feel bad.”

“Can you tell me anything else?”

“I saw another UFO when I was about thirty-five. By that time, I knew more about them. My son learned about them in school. He told me that these machines came from the sky. I am not sure about that. If they are so smart, why would they steal a chicken and replace it with one that doesn’t belong to us? They have to be stupid to do such a thing. It is the biggest mystery of my life.”

I
remember Jorge nearly every night when I make sure my chickens are safely inside their coop and away from raccoons, foxes, skunks, and any other night predators that traverse my backyard. I always look at the night sky but so far, there has been no attempt to replace my chickens with an alien one, although I do have two solid black girls among my flock. The farm co-op salesman said they originated in Australia, not space
.

I
t is unknown how many people experience UFO healings. Thomas E. Bullard, a well-known American folklorist who has examined UFO encounters as folklore, conducted a study of270 abduction accounts and concluded that four percent (thirteen cases) experienced UFO healings. He reported in
The Myth and Mystery of UFOs
that many of the cures appeared to be the result of a “deliberate intervention” and that the cures required advanced medical expertise. In other words, diseases that were beyond human medical science appeared to be easily cured by extraterrestrials
.

In this chapter, you will meet Salvador, who was diagnosed as being in the last stages of lung cancer and was cured by an “angel from the stars.”

I met Salvador through his wife, Carla, a Maya woman I met at a small village near Uxmal. Her father was a close friend of my driver, Auturo. Auturo, who had picked me up at my Merida hotel, had been recommended by the concierge. Once I climbed into his van, he asked if I minded if we stopped off at his cousin’s house so that he could deliver some cornbread from his wife. When we arrived at Carla’s house, we were greeted by several children, who rushed to Auturo and hugged him. He reached in his pocket and handed each of them candies and coins.

“My nephews and nieces. Uncle Auturo always brings them treats,” he said, referring to himself. Carla appeared in the doorway and welcomed us into her home. She introduced me to her two sisters. Dressed identically in white embroidered
huipils
,
they could have passed for triplets. We were shown to the backyard, where a small table was set with refreshments. Auturo spoke to the women in the regional Mayan dialect as we sat in the shaded backyard and drank freshly squeezed orange juice. As he explained that I was following the path of Stephens and Catherwood, the women nodded in unison and smiled knowingly. When he explained that I was also collecting stories about UFOs and Star People encounters, the trio fell silent momentarily and began discussing the various sightings of unexplained UFOs that frequented the area. Speaking in a combination of the Mayan language and Spanish, I was able to understand some of their discussion.

“Carla says she has seen UFOS many times,” Auturo said. He paused as she continued, and then translated. “Once she saw a V-shaped craft with red lights.” She outlined the shape on the table. “She said that it hovered over her village.”

“Would you ask her to describe what happened?”

“It came from the west. It hovered over the village, shining lights on the village below.”

“We were frightened. We thought it meant us harm.” She paused and looked at the women. They nodded approval and she continued. “Then, it turned, and before our eyes it disappeared. Later that night, four lights appeared in our home. My husband was ill. The doctors said he had lung cancer from years of smoking and they sent him home to die. He had trouble breathing. He could no longer walk or feed himself. It took all of his energy to breathe. My sisters and I cared for him. One of us was always by his side.” She paused, allowing Auturo the opportunity to translate.

“Is her husband still alive?” I asked Auturo.

“Sí
. He is very healthy.”

“How did that happen?”

“She says that the UFOS carried angels who healed him.”

“Did she see the angels?”

“I don’t think so,” Auturo responded. I waited as they spoke in Mayan. The other two women joined in the conversation. “She
says the Star Men healed her husband. She says that if you want to meet her husband, he will be home in another hour. He is working in the orchard now. He will come home for lunch.” Carla excused herself to prepare lunch. Her sisters disappeared with her.

“Auturo, did you know about the UFO incident?”

“Sí
. I was not sure she would tell her story. She is very reluctant to talk to strangers. But I told her that you were
Indios
. She has never met an
Indios
woman from the U.S.A. She wants to share her husband’s story.”

“I am honored.”

“When Salvador arrives, please give me time to speak with him. I think he will agree to tell his story, but I want to approach him first. He is a private man, and his story is amazing. I think I can convince him to talk.”

“I will follow your lead.”

No more than twenty minutes had passed when Salvador entered the backyard. Auturo and Salvador greeted each other and spoke briefly. Auturo turned to me and introduced us. “Salvador speaks some English and Spanish. He worked at Uxmal as a guide when he was younger. After his father died, he took over the orchard and took care of his mother until she passed.”

“I am happy to meet you, Señora,” Salvador said. I looked at the man, slightly bent, from the years of toiling in the fields. He was old for his age, and yet there was a glint in his eye that confirmed he was full of life. He stood barefoot before me, his feet caked with the dirt of the fields, and yet he appeared almost regal in his demeanor. He was a man reborn, according to his wife, and he displayed the confidence of a man who expected to live a long life.

“I told Salvador that you were following the route of Stephens and Catherwood. He is impressed.”

“My third-ago grandfather served as a guide for Stephens and Catherwood. He worked at the hacienda in those days and the owner gave permission for him to go with the two to Uxmal. He helped care for Catherwood, who became so ill with malaria
before they returned to New York. When they returned to Uxmal a year later, Stephens and Catherwood requested that he accompany them on their return trip to the site.”

“What is a third-ago grandfather?” I asked.

“It is a great-great-great grandfather, I believe—three grandfathers before his grandfather.”

“Tell him I am very impressed. I feel like I am touching history.” Auturo explained to Salvador what my comment meant, and he smiled and nodded.

“The señora is also collecting stories about UFOS,” Auturo said. “Carla told her about your healing. Would you be willing to share your story with her?” Salvador nodded, removed his straw hat, and wiped his brow with a rag he pulled from his back pocket.

“I was close to death,” he said, pausing as though remembering his illness. “The priest had been called to my bedside twice, but I kept holding on, waiting for a miracle from Jesus. The doctors had given up on me.” I saw his wife walk to his side and bring a fresh pitcher of orange juice. He looked at her and nodded before continuing. “The night the UFOS came, I could see the lights from my hammock. The whole outside was red. I did not know what was going on. Carla came in and told me what she saw. I prayed to God it was my miracle, but my breathing stayed the same.” He paused when Carla appeared with a plate of tortillas and beans. Salvador filled a tortilla and passed the plate to me. I passed the plate to Auturo. We ate and drank orange juice in silence. Salvador ate another plateful of tortillas before he spoke again. “It was later that night. I fell asleep. A bright light woke me. The room was like a full sun had come up, but that was not true. Five balls of light circled my hammock. They slowly went up and down my body. One centered over my head and stayed there.” He pointed to his forehead. “It was warm and felt good. The others centered on my chest, which became very warm. Suddenly I could breathe. I sat up and the balls of light went out the door. I followed them and just as they reached the backyard, I saw them. Five men came out of the balls of light. They stopped and looked at me. I saw a beam of light come from
the trees above, and they disappeared upward into the light. I watched as the V-shaped machine moved upward. Red lights outlined it. It climbed into the sky and then it was gone.”

“Where was Carla at this time?”

“She slept. She did not hear or see.”

“When did you tell her about what happened to you?”

“I woke her up. I knew I was healed. She was shocked and worried. She wanted me to sit down, but I was too excited. For the first time in years, I could breathe easily.”

“When did this happen?” I asked.

“Four years ago. The doctors said there was no sign of cancer. They did not understand. They said it was a miracle, but I knew that it was the angels sent by Jesus to take care of me. Otherwise I would be gone. Father Felipe said it was a miracle,” he said, referring to the local Catholic priest.