-- By Ron Hamm
When I was 7 years old, I was in the second grade. One day in early May, I had been selected at random to stay after school and clean the blackboards and erasers. I assure you this was not punishment, contrary to what my Mother may say. As a result of cleaning I walked home alone. It wasn't a long walk, about 4 blocks; it usually took about 5 minutes to walk home. However, on this day I walked a little more slowly, enjoying the beautiful May day. Picture a kid picking up a stick and running it along a picket fence, picking up rocks, and looking at the bugs. Lollygagging as it were, well that was what I was doing that day.
It was a picture perfect day, the sun was out, not a cloud in the sky. I was walking along not really thinking about anything, when all at once the sun was being blocked by something in the sky. I turned my face to the sun and watched in horrified fascination as a huge silver spaceship completely blotted the sun from my view. As my eyes became accustomed to the dramatic change in lighting, I could clearly see the shape of this long cigar shaped ship slowly, and silently moving through the sky. Scared the living daylights out of me.
I was still about a block from home. And I knew from the things I had heard and read about UFO's, was that it would, in all likelihood take off in a flash, leaving me with no proof that I had actually seen this thing. So I ran like the wind to my house. Bursting through the front door, I yelled for my Mom to come quick.
I'm standing half in and half out of the front door, watching this astonishing thing. My mom came bursting into the living room worried that something had happened to me. After assuring her that I was fine I told her about this strange craft hovering in the sky above our house. She wasn't impressed, having spent many a night listening to my stories from my comic books. I pleaded with her to at least look out the window; she did, and turned back to me and said "You are a funny little guy, aren't you?" So I looked out the door again and it was still there. "Doesn't that scare you at all?" She looked back out the window and said "Now why should I be afraid of the Goodyear Blimp?"
I have since seen an actual UFO, but that's another story!
--Ron Hamm
reggieh562000@yahoo.com