It was a huge sensation when it happened.
Every once in a while his story still appears on documentaries and tabloids.
He hasnt spoken publicly about the incident in years.
Bianca Isofache
But first, let me say this: I never believed a single word of it.
He was there, at least for the first part.
As his only daughter, I was never invited.
Im sure the cooler of cold Budweiser resting between them aided in their introspective mood.
When it happened, my father was distracted by his first bite of the night.
He never had a chance to haul it gasping into the boat.
In the center was a larger globe of light, which radiated a pale yellow.
It gave off a deep, bassy hum, but showed no clear source of propulsion.
It hovered perhaps one hundred and fifty feet above their heads, completely motionless.
Having gotten my fathers attention, Jason fell into an awed hush.
My fathers reaction was much the same.
Jason did nothing, just stared up at the ship, mouth agape.
Before my father could repeat himself, the lights on the ship flared up, blinding bright.
The next thing he knew, the U.F.O.
flew away so fast he could not even track its departure.
There the story should have ended, a cute tale to tell around the campfire and believed by none.
Jason left with it.
My father was alone in the boat.
If he had fallen overboard, there was no chance he might have drowned in the still waters.
Whatever strange creatures manned the U.F.O.
had, for whatever strange reason, abducted my uncle.
When he returned to shore alone, he was met by Derek and Edgar.
If they lied, how would they possibly explain Jasons absence?
The three of them drew straws to see who would stay and wait for his return.
My father drew the short straw and the others left to find help.
They dredged the lake, intending to find his waterlogged corpse.
A manhunt of the surrounding areas provided no further leads.
Finally one of them, and no one would admit to having done it, leaked the U.F.O.
story, perhaps hoping to cast doubt on the suspicions of murder.
If anything, I admire their conviction.
The following days were utter chaos.
At any rate, I dont remember much of it.
As I said, I was seven at the time.
The tall and the short of it was this: The U.F.O.
The idea frightened me much more than the prospect of little green men from mars.
One day I was beaten up in the playground by a mob of other children.
I didnt know what to say, the whole thing was very confusing to me.
I told them to leave me alone, but someone started chanting Janies daddys a murderer!
Pretty soon they were all chanting it.
Im not sure where my mother was for all of this.
Someone shoved me, I dont know who.
I fell into a girl named Ashley Simon.
She cried out dont touch me, freak!
and the next thing I knew, they fell upon me.
I was punched, kicked, thrown to the ground and dogpiled.
Eventually my cries reached the ears of my mother, who dragged the other kids off me screaming admonishment.
As far as I was concerned, it was too little too late.
I was bruised, bloodied, and fully terrorized.
All because of my uncle and his disappearing act.
I didnt the capacity at the time to wish he really was dead, but the seed was there.
I didnt leave the house after that.
More than a week had passed since the night Uncle Jason disappeared.
Through it all they stuck with their story.
It turns out, the test never happened, because something else happened first.
I crept down the stairs to see what was the matter.
It seems the county sheriff had a man in custody claiming to be Jason Meyers.
He was naked, soaking wet, and terrified to the point of near incomprehensibility.
But he was alive.
Somehow, they never had to take a lie detector test.
My dad was played by Gary Lieutenant Dan Sinise.
It was, I believe you, Uncle Jason.
Which, of course, I never said.
So let me tell you a little bit of my earliest memories of the man.
When I was five years old Jason Meyers came to live with us in our house.
I didnt have the details then, it wasnt the sort of thing you told a five year old.
I thought he would stay with us forever.
More than a few times I smelled the pungent, acrid aroma I later learned to be marijuana smoke.
I didnt understand him and he didnt understand me.
We gave one another space.
His time with us ended catastrophically one stormy July night.
My fathers other brother had come to visit.
Conrad was the oldest brother and by all accounts, he was Jasons opposite.
He was a pillar of the community, a successful business owner, and a family man.
He rarely indulged in alcohol and by all accounts he had little contact with Jason.
That night he made an exception of both points and it very nearly cost him his life.
What I remember of that night was very little.
As I said, I was five.
It seems my uncles came to a disagreement.
No, thats not quite right.
Jason made Conrad furious by alleging that Conrads wife Cynthia was, quote, major boner material.
I really had to ply that one out of mom.
It was the only time I had ever heard her say the word boner, before or afterward.
Jasons was a textbook case.
Do you see what Im getting at?
How hard would it be to fake all of this?
Suppose instead of getting beamed away in the U.F.O.
Someone leaks the aliens story and gets everyone riled up.
That one was also largely suspected to be a hoax, of course.
There was no smoking gun, so to speak.
For all his credentials and boasts, he could not account for my uncles absence those ten strange days.
Thats how it works, of course.
Eventually the general public will forget about the brief hysteria and everyones life more or less returns to normal.
I saw him every once in a great while at family gatherings and such.
I didnt talk to him, he didnt talk to me.
He hasnt been as wild in the recent years as he once was, probably just maturing with age.
Honestly, I have to admit he was sort of turning his life around by that point.
Maybe I let my guard down a little because of all of that.
Maybe thats why I said what I said about the dreams.
So in a way, maybe it was my fault when Jason Meyers kidnapped me.
Uncle Conrad was throwing a new years party.
It was a real big to-do.
As a result, the party was still roaring long after the ball dropped.
There were plenty of other people at the party around my age, including Skyler Tomlinson.
I spent the entire evening trying to get him to notice me without being too obvious about it.
I literally remember nothing else about the party.
Standing in the middle of that blur in perfect focus at all times, Skyler.
The night was unseasonably warm, I remember that.
Along with Skyler and myself were three or four others.
Colby Wilkins was there too, sort of, but he was only ten and he didnt really count.
He just wanted to tag along with his sister.
I sat between Bethany and Skyler, feeling good and watching the stars fall.
I touched Skylers hands a few times accidentally-on-purpose, and he looked at me and smiled.
Three meteors fell in a row, one right after another, and it sparked a memory.
I said, I think I had a dream about this last night.
He looked genuinely interested, which sparked me on.
Except I didnt know about the fire pits or whatever, you know.
So in the dream I was watching the meteor shower from my bedroom.
I remember in the dream there were three meteors in a row, just like that a minute ago.
Bethany asked, leaning forward.
Such a good winglady, she always tried to make my lame stories seem better than they were.
Like, it was dazzling, you know?
It was so bright it lit up my room, even.
I stopped, suddenly remembering I didnt like this dream.
What happened then, you wet the bed?
Caleb cackled, took a long swig of the rum, and squeezed Ashleys thigh.
I scowled at them.
No, Ashley, shut up.
I told her, and fell silent.
What did you see?
He held my hand and my heart leaped in my chest.
I forgot all about Ashley just then.
There were other people in there, standing beside my bed.
I heard a sound close by and turned.
There at the next fire pit over, I saw my Uncle Jason.
He had turned to look at me, and he had a strange look in his eyes.
Then Skyler said something to me and I turned back to ask him to repeat himself.
Thats pretty freaky, he said.
Yeah, I said.
Then someone, I think it was Caleb, changed the subject.
I didnt think any more about the dream and I forgot all about Uncle Jason and his weird look.
The night wore on and I eventually passed out in one of Uncle Conrads guest bedrooms.
I woke up in the back of Uncle Jasons van.
Of course, I didnt know that at the time.
My head TV was still buzzing and there was no picture yet.
There was no picture because there was something tied around my face.
I shifted around and realized all my limbs were still asleep, television static.
No, not just that.
I was tied up!
I moaned something softly, my speakers unwilling to give anything but feedback.
Something was wrong, something was very wrong.
I could hear a sound like a low roar, more a vibration than a noise.
Above that I heard music.
No, it was Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The strange menacing tune fed my unease and I shifted more, trying to understand my surroundings.
I didnt dare speak, I was too frightened.
Through whatever thin padding I lay upon I could feel hard metal and that constant vibration.
I was in a vehicle?
My brain, unnaturally sluggish, finally put it together: I was being kidnapped!
I cried out, I couldnt help it.
Shh, girl, shh.
Came a voice from nearby, trying and failing to be soothing.
Go back to sleep, now.
I cried, Whats going on?
What else could be happening?
This would be one hell of a way to set up a surprise party for me.
It was not even my birthday.
Youre gonna have to trust me, Janie.
Ill explain everything when we get there.
I promise Im not gonna hurt you, Id never hurt you.
I was positive he was going to hurt me.
I dont know why, but I thought maybe I could talk him out of it.
I wont tell anyone, I promise!
Itll be like nothing ever happened.
Someday Never Comes ended, and it was replaced by The Doors.
Blood on the Streets.
Finally he spoke, sounding strange and forlorn.
I gotta venture to help you.
I gotta try.
Hush up, now.
Well be there soon, Ill get you out of them fetters.
He cried, his voice quavering with an energy I took to be the edge of panic.
I mean it, girl, Im too keyed up as it is.
Listen to the music and chill out.
I took his advice, too afraid to do otherwise.
There was a great deal of threat hidden in his message.
Peace Frog gave way to Gimme Shelter, The Stones.
Why did these old rock songs seem so strange and threatening?
Maybe it was just the situation that made it seem that way.
Eventually, I could feel Jasons van slow and turn down a side road.
It was a country road by the feel of it, maybe gravel.
Another turn, another rough road.
Another turn and a rougher road still.
This one must have been nothing more than a dirt track.
Time passed, marked only by the steady stream of classic rock tunes.
Steppenwolf, Led Zeppelin, many and more, some I couldnt name.
Can you blame me?
I was seventeen, it was only thanks to my dad that I knew as much as I did.
Surely by now he knows Im missing, but would he know Jason was the culprit?
As many people as were at the party last night, it could have been anyone.
Still, surely the crazy and unaccounted-for uncle would be the top suspect, right?
The police were probably looking for us now, and theyd find us any minute.
Unless they didnt know what to look for.
As far as I knew, Uncle Jason drove an old Ford single cab truck.
That meant he had been planning this for a while.
Or so I thought.
And if he rented a van, there would be a record.
His name would be on a form somewhere and they could follow that as easily as his own truck.
I could feel by the jolts and jumps that we were well off the beaten path.
If the police were going to find us and stop Jason, they probably would have by now.
I didnt even know how long we had been on the road.
What would I have done if I got loose?
Crack Jason over the head with a blunt object while he was driving?
I didnt have a big urge to fly through the windshield and splatter myself into a tree.
So what was I supposed to do?
I didnt mean to, it just started happening.
Nobody was going to save me, God knows what Jason had planned.
Was he going to hurt me?
What did I do to deserve this?
A ragged sob escaped me.
Jason heard, and he said, Oh.
Oh honey, just dont cry like that.
I know youre scared right now.
Hell, Im scared too.
Ive done a lot of figuring on this, in case something like this were to happen.
A heavier song came on the radio.
Sinister, sludgy riffs and Ozzy Osbournes unmistakable vocals.
Were coming up on the place now, he continued.
As I said, Im gonna let you loose of those bonds when we get there.
Aint no worry of you running off or getting into trouble.
Were miles and miles from civilization now, aint nowhere to go.
If he was trying to comfort me, he was doing a piss-poor job of it.
I felt like I was maybe going to throw up.
We drove on for some time longer, I have no idea how much time.
I only know that Ozzy gave way to another tune, one I didnt recognize.
Then a couple I did.
Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac and Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix.
Jason shut off the engine, threw pop launch the door and stepped out.
I could hear him stretch and groan and shake out the miles.
He was going to touch me soon.
I started to shiver.
The door slid open and he saw me there shaking.
He said, Dont carry on so, girl.
Now you hold real still, Janie-girl, Im fixing to cut you loose.
He took me by the legs and I tried not to cringe too much from his loathsome touch.
His touch, little as I cared to admit it for all my fear, was remarkably gentle.
Im gonna pull off your blindfold first, Janie-girl.
He told me, close enough that I could smell his sour breath.
It stank of a long night and a bad morning.
I couldnt trust myself to speak.
I gasped, in shock more than pain.
Soon the light faded and shape and color began to define itself.
I saw my uncles face before me, unshaven and wild-looking.
His hazel eyes were trained on mine.
He said, Now Janie, look me right in the eyes and hear what Im saying, okay?
Okay, I squeaked.
I tried my best to look into his eyes.
I didnt realize it until he said something, but I desperately had to pee.
I hadnt thought of that, at least not until he said as much.
Let me put that thought out of your mind.
Theres bear out there, theres cougars, bobcats, God knows what-all.
He let this information sink in.
Heavy shutters bookended every window.
It was old when my grandpa was young.
Were safe from the world, and by-God if were safe from them from outside anywhere, its here.
You stay with me and Ill do all in my power to double-check youre safe, Janie-girl.
I promise you that.
You have my word.
He stared into my eyes, maybe to show me his sincerity.
I tried not to start bawling.
I didnt think there was much hope of ever seeing my family and friends again.
I wont do anything, I whispered.
Jason nodded and untied my arms and legs.
That theres the facilities.
Aint much, but its clean.
If you go number two, sprinkle a scoop full of the lime from the bucket in there.
Ill be in the cabin setting things up.
I assumed it meant chasing out the family of raccoons and rewarding himself with a case of beer.
The inside of the outhouse wasnt nearly as disgusting as I had expected.
It didnt smell like much of anything except musty old wood.
I figured it hadnt been used for a while.
All I managed to do was whip myself into another crying frenzy.
I dried my eyes with a wad of toilet paper and tried to put on a brave face.
I wasnt going to let him rape me though.
Id tear out his throat with my teeth before I would let that happen.
Id rip out his eyes with my fingernails.
Just let him try.
Somehow this thought gave me the strength to leave the musty old shithouse and march to the cabin.
Jason was just inside, sitting at a table smoking a cigarette.
He wasnt drinking yet.
Do you want a cigarette?
He asked, then winced, Sorry, I forgot.
Youre still just a kid.
No, I said, Give me one.
I had never smoked before, but I couldnt think of a better time to start.
He shrugged and passed me the pack and a lighter.
I pulled out a cigarette.
They smelled kind of pleasant, before they were lit.
I put it in mouth and lit it.
I didnt like it, but I didnt put it out either.
About the aliens, I mean.
My mind raced to find an answer that would not upset him.
Tell the plain truth?
He waved me off, disturbing the smoke that hung in the air.
No, you dont have to say.
I know you never did, I could see it in your eyes.
You know the one?
He wrote books about monsters you know.
Vampires, werewolves, all that shit.
Figured he made all that up about the little gray men, too.
Just pretended it was a true story so he could sell more books.
But you believe him now?
Hell no, I dont!
It wasnt like that at all.
They dont give two shits about us.
They just want to use us.
Use us for what?
I was trying my best to seem interested.
I had been half-listening and avoiding this sort of tirade from him for half of my life.
He stared at me gravely and said, Nothing good.
Think of a cruel boy with an ant colony.
Those ants are nothing to him but a source of amusement when theres nothing good on TV.
Theyre like that, sort of.
Best comparison I can think of.
Now think of how smart and developed a human being is compared to an ant.
Those bastards are at least that much higher than us.
We can sting them, maybe, but we cant stop them.
Theyll come back whenever it pleases them.
So what do they want with you?
His comparison was weak on this point.
He gave me that strange look again, the same from the night before.
It was a desperately fearful, pitying look.
I knew what he was going to say before he said it.
They dont want anything from me, or if they did, they already took it.
Janie-girl, they want you.
I asked, What would they want with me?
Jason averted his eyes and seemed to study the tip of his cigarette.
It was getting short, so maybe he was thinking of lighting another.
Finally he said, Have you ever heard of hybrids?
Yeah, we learned about them in biology.
Like you make a mule by crossing a donkey and a horse, right?
He nodded, Just like that.
Most of them are probably bullshit like that Communion guy, but not all of them.
I could easily see how one persons delusions could be propped up by other peoples delusions.
Just flashes, really.
I was locked up in a strange little cell covered in some slop.
I was strapped to a table with all of them looking down at me.
Every once in a while another memory, another flash will crop up.
She claimed to have even met some of her hybrid children.
What did they look like?
In spite of myself, I found myself pulled into the narrative of his insane ravings.
She said they were strange and beautiful.
They were thin and pale and their heads were somewhat larger than that of a normal human child.
They had large eyes that were the same blue as her own eyes, and long silvery-blonde hair.
The mental image that came up in my mind was of Macauley Culkin, and I almost laughed.
It seems he could see the disbelief on my face.
Yeah, I kind of thought the same as you, there was no way that could be true.
Itd be like a person and a dog making love and coming out with a dog man.
Only I remembered something a little better the next time I was in my hypnotherapy.
Only this time I could call them up a little clearer and I could see they werent true humans.
They were hybrids like the lady said.
Hearing her story unlocked the memory, you could say.
Or else you heard her story and blended it into your own, I thought.
So wait, I said, Thats what this is about?
You think the aliens want to take me and put an alien baby in me?
Darlin, they wouldnt give you the choice.
The other thing is, that woman, Bridget?
She went up and disappeared sometime after telling her story.
Not a damn person knows what happened to her.
I felt sick to my stomach.
Thank God it was all a fantasy.
Bad enough I should worry about being raped by him, but by some disgusting bug-eyed creature?
Then there was the other thing, the thing I wouldnt dream of telling him.
It was nothing though.
But I was late.
Just a little, but I was late just the same.
I didnt really think too much about it before, because I wasnt sleeping with anybody.
I was a virgin.
But I was late.
My cycle is normally like clockwork, but it happens.
I bit my lip.
Now Janie, Jason said, leaning forward and looking into my eyes, Think real hard.
That dream you had, about the lights and the strangers in your room.
Do you remember anything else.
I thought as hard as I could, but that was all I remembered.
I couldnt even remember what the strangers looked like, I never looked straight at them.
I thought they were just people, and I told him so.
He considered this, and said, Do you ever remember having a dream like that before?
Anything about lights in the sky or people in your room, anything like that?
I shook my head.
I hardly ever remembered my dreams at all.
Do you ever remember seeing an owl out your bedroom window?
No, not that I can recall.
He fell silent for a moment and appeared to be thinking things over.
They have some way of making you forget.
Still, I think theres a good chance that was your first encounter.
They probably havent done anything yet.
I know a way we can tell for sure.
Theyd have put a tracker on you.
It looks like a little piece of metal but its not.
Its a beacon of sorts, and itll lead them straight to you no matter where you are.
Mine was in the back of my thigh, I had to use a hand mirror to find it.
Therell be a strange scar or a little mark, something like that.
Have you noticed any marks on your body you cant account for?
I scanned my arms almost reflexively and said, No, nothing.
He said, frowning.
How could I be positive about something like that?
I didnt scour every inch of my body every day looking for weird marks.
Also, I was seventeen and weird marks showed up on my skin on a fairly regular basis.
So I was a little uncertain when I told him, Yes, Im certain.
He frowned more deeply, and said, Shit.
Otherwise this is all gonna be for nothing, theyll come right to us.
What are you talking about?
I demanded, suddenly terrified.
He stood up, crossed to the window, and peered out.
Nodding, he pulled the shutters, and repeated the process on the other window.
Next he threw a bar across the door, gave it a solid shake, and nodded again.
That is the furthest thing from my mind.
Do you get me?
I nodded, tears already running down my face.
This was the moment I knew was coming from the start.
My skin crawled all over in dreadful anticipation.
I mean it, Janie.
Just think of this like its a doctors examination.
Thats all it is.
If I find something, it wont be no big deal.
Itll just be like removing a splinter.
Now strip down, undies and all.
Sooner we get started, sooner itll be over.
I cried, crossing my arms over my breasts as though they were already exposed and backpedaled.
He sidestepped and intercepted me at the door.
There was nowhere to go.
I noticed something in his hand, shining in the dim light.
It was a scalpel.
My heart thudded in my chest, and I stumbled back over my chair.
He raced over to help me off the ground and I screamed negation at him until he backed away.
The scalpel and the power was still in his hand.
We got to do this, Janie, dont you get it?
Now quit fighting me and lets get this over with.
I cried, though I knew full well the futility of the situation.
I wont touch anything you dont want me to, Janie-girl.
You have my word.
I wont touch you at all unless its to get the tracker out of you.
Now quit fussing and strip down, you mind me.
Strip down before I have to do it for you.
God damn you, I whispered.
Sobbing, I began to undress.
Every time I hesitated, he gestured with the knife and told me to go on.
His expression was even, at least.
I could not see any lust in his eyes.
Not that it mattered.
He didnt have to watch me while I did it.
Soon my clothes were lying on the floor around me.
I complied quickly, fearing his touch as much as the knife in his hand.
I couldnt stand to know when he would be staring at my tits, at my crotch.
It seemed to go on for hours.
Every once in a while he would find a mole or an old scar and question me about it.
Had I noticed it before?
How long have I had it?
Where did it come from?
He was crouched down at my feet, his penlight trained upon my right calf.
I cried, certain I would feel the blade bite into my flesh.
These bumps on your leg here, what are they?
There were three bumps on my calf, all close together.
Its just razor bumps.
I shaved my legs before the party.
I get razor bumps sometimes.
I was almost certain this was the truth.
All close together like that?
It tends to happen that way.
I dont usually get them but when I do they come in little clusters like that.
I was just in a rush trying to finish.
Mom was banging on the bathroom door.
Thats how it happened.
What is it about anticipating pain that made it so much worse?
Finally he asked, Youre absolutely sure?
You understand how important it is that you are sure, right?
This could be life or death.
That was the importance I gave to the situation.
I told him, Yes, Im absolutely sure.
Im positive that those bumps are razor bumps.
A brief, terrible pause, and he said, Okay.
Let me see the bottoms of your feet now.
I lifted each foot in turn and submitted them for his inspection.
He made a small grunt and told me to set my foot down.
Okay, He told me, Go ahead and put your clothes on, Janie-girl.
Im really sorry to have to put you through all that indignity.
It wont happen again.
Ill fix us something to eat, all right?
How I could ever bear to be naked again?
He must have bought them while I was passed out in the van.
