John A. Keel WHY UFOS

those whose faith was extreme listened and spread theword. An angel had visited Garabandal (a village in theheart of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain;elevation about 2,000 feet; it's about 150 miles fromLourdes, France).Two days later the same four children were walkingalong a path outside the town when suddenly a brilliantwhite light exploded in front of them, terrifying them andblinding them briefly. (Brilliant flashes of light from anunknown source are frequently reported by contactees andUFO witnesses. There was an epidemic of such flashes inthe spring of 1968. Often people reported that these flashessuddenly occurred directly in front of their movingautomobiles. Others said that a flash "like a flashgun goingoff burst near them as they stepped outside their homes.These flashes do not seem to be related to the "mysteryphotographers" who frequently turn, up and photographthe homes of witnesses.)Soon after these initial experiences, the girls began to gointo trances (termed a state of ecstasy by the religionists)during which they would see the Lady. Sometimes thesetrances would last for hours, and the girls would remainfixed in an awkward kneeling position with their headsthrown back and their eyes staring at the vision, totallyoblivious of the hundreds of people swarming aroundthem.One of their first visits with the Lady is of very specialinterest here. Shortly before 6 P.M. on Sunday, July 2,1961, the children trooped to their now sacred spot outsideof Garabandal and immediately entered the trancelikestate. They were later able to describe in detail what theyhad seen. These descriptions were dutifully recorded in thereligious literature later published by Church-affiliatedgroups.The Lady was accompanied by two angels on thisoccasion. The angels were dressed alike "as if they weretwins." The Lady had long, thin hands, a long angular face"with a fine nose," and lips which were "a bit thin." Sheseemed to be "rather tall." Her hair was a deep nut brown,parted in the center. This is, of course, an almost classicdescription of the "long finger" UFO entities described bymany contactees. Even more startling, on the Lady's rightthe girls said they could see "a square of red fire framing atriangle with an eye and some writing. The lettering was inan old Oriental script!"