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ce。
〃When I got there I could see this truck floating in the water；〃 Trooper O'Dell explained。 〃There was a fellow hanging on the side of it。 Then they sank。 I don't know if he got out。〃
People came running from all directions； silent；… ashen…faced； knowing their friends and relatives could be out there in the icy water now covered with debris and soggy； gaily wrapped Christmas packages。 Boats of all kinds crisscrossed the river picking up survivors。
On both sides of the river people who had been waiting in the lines to drive over the bridge were crying。 Some had to be treated for shock。
Night was closing in quickly。 Boats with searchlights turned their beams onto the bridge and the surrounding water。 A horrible silence fell over Point Pleasant。 Sheriff Johnson's tall； spare figure stood on the water's edge。
〃Put out a general call for rescue units；〃 he told a deputy softly。 〃And get everyone here。 Block all the roads。 Don't let anyone but rescue units into town。〃
Mary Hyre pulled her coat around her pudgy frame and walked slowly to her office； tears running down her face； her years of experience overriding her emotions。 She pushed open the door and walked to her phones。 They were dead。 She switched on the Teletype machine and started to peck away with two fingers。
〃At 5；：04 P。M。 this afternoon 。。。〃
Sirens wailed outside and the crowds grew。 A girl was screaming hysterically in front of the office。 〃I almost got killed 。。。 I could have been on there 。。。 all those people dead。。。 I could have been killed。〃
II
Two miles north of the bridge； Mrs。 Jackie Lilly was in a grocery store waiting for her teen…aged children。 They were planning to go bowling in the alleys on the other side of the river that night。 Her husband； Jim； was away； working on his boat。
At 5：20 Gary and Johnny Lilly rushed breathlessly into the store。
〃The bridge just fell in the river；〃 Johnny declared。
〃That's not very funny；〃 his mother replied。
〃It's true。 The old bridge just collapsed；〃 Gary said grimly。 〃And it was full of cars。〃
Johnny； who was married； drove them home to their little house on Camp Conley Road。 Mrs。 Lilly headed for a phone。 It was dead。 As Johnny drove off； dashing back to〃 Point Pleasant to be with his wife； Gary； eighteen； turned on the television set and searched for a news program。
A few minutes later Gary glanced out of the picture window in the living room and gasped。
〃There's something out there！〃 he exclaimed。
Mrs。 Lilly looked out and saw a flashing red light disappearing over the trees。
〃Do you think those things are back？〃 Gary asked。
〃It was probably an airplane；〃 she answered。 But she turned off the lights in the living room so they could see 。better into the darkness outside。
A few minutes later a second light appeared； moving in the same direction as the first。 It was one of those glaringly bright prismatic lights so familiar to the residents of Camp Conley …Road。 They went outside to watch it。
〃It wasn't an airplane；〃 Mrs。 Lilly assured me later。 〃It was one of those things； bobbing up and down like they do。 There wasn't any sound。〃
For the next hour； Mrs。 Lilly； Gary； and daughter Linda divided their attention between the TV set and the eerie aerial activity outside。 〃We counted twelve of them；〃 Mrs。 Lilly reported。 〃Most of them were just above the treetops。 They seemed to be ing down from up around the TNT area and moved south toward the town。〃
The hundreds of people milling around the streets of Point Pleasant did not see anything in the skies that night； however。 Perhaps the objects followed their old route； dipping into the ravine behind North Park and cutting eastward to the hills。
〃I was getting scared；〃 Mrs。 Lilly recalled。 〃We'd never seen so many of these things in one night。 I kept trying the phone； wanting to get somebody to drive out and pick us up and take us out of there。〃
Finally around 9 P。M。 she got a dial tone and was able to place a call to a neighbor who drove over； picked them up； and took them to the home of Mrs。 Lilly's mother in Point Pleasant。
A few months later James Lilly moved bis family away from Camp Conley Road。
III
Around 2 A。M。 I finally got a line through to Point Pleasant and was very much relieved when Mary Hyre picked up her phone。 She spoke very slowly； obviously exhausted。
〃It's the most terrible thing I've ever seen；〃 she told me。 〃But I was kind of prepared for it。 You know those dreams I had 。。。 well； it was exactly like that。 The packages floating in the water。 The people crying for help。 Those dreams came true。〃
〃Is everyone all right？〃 I asked anxiously。 〃The McDaniels； Connie； the others。〃
〃I think so。 It'll be awhile before we know who was on the bridge。 There could have been as many as one hundred people。 Some of them were rescued。 But an awful lot of them are trapped under all that metal。〃
After a month of brutally hard work； divers and rescue teams recovered thirty…eight bodies。 Several other people in Ohio and West Virginia were never heard from again and it was assumed they also went down with the bridge。 A number of UFO witnesses were among the dead。
〃I talked to one woman who lives right by the bridge；〃 Mary continued。 〃She says that two days ago she saw two men climbing the bridge。〃
〃Climbing on it？〃
〃Yes。 They weren't walking across。 They were climbing around the sides of it〃
〃Was she able to describe them？〃
〃They were wearing checkered coats and black trousers。
She couldn't see their faces too well because they were so far away。 But she did notice their shoes。 They weren't wearing boots； just ordinary shoes。 She thought that was odd because of me weather we'd been having。〃
〃You'd better have the police talk with her； Mary；〃 I said。
〃I will。 There's just so much to do。 People are ing from all over。 And as soon as my phone was working again I started getting calls from newspapers and radio stations all over the country。1'
〃You'd better try to get some sleep。〃
〃I know； but I just can't leave the office now。 Ambulances and rescue trucks are ing in from all over。 They'll be working all night。 I've got to be there。〃
Later the bridge was lifted from the water piece by piece and reconstructed in a field near Henderson。 Engineers finally determined the collapse was due to metal fatigue and structural failure。
〃John；〃 Mary began hesitantly； 〃do you think this had anything to do with UFOs and the 'Bird'？〃
〃There's no answer to that； Mary。 Maybe there were people on the bridge that could have told us something。 I knew the condition of the bridge。 And I'd had warnings about something terrible that was going to happen。 If I could have put things together sooner； maybe we could have saved all those lives。〃
〃It's not your fault。 Some things are just meant to be。 You can't chang