1:07 AM 9/13/96 (Friday morning): Tonight I found myself working late again. I had just shut the computer down for the evening, and looked at my watch as I topped the stairs and went out onto the deck. The time was exactly 1:07 AM. Autumn's first chill was in the air as I craned my neck backward and gazed toward the stars directly overhead, until my eyes adjusted to see them clearly in the moonless night sky. Then I fixed my eyes to the east, where I could make out a long, thin cloud bank, stretching across the better part of the horizon.

Suddenly, a yellow light formed, exactly in the spot where I had focused my attention. I recognized it to be, what I refer to as a sphere. It appeared for no more than five seconds, before it "turned off." A feeling came over me, that it had manifested itself exclusively for my benefit. Then, for the first time, for reasons unknown to me, I felt an overwhelming sense of fear grip my entire body. This was a new experience for me. I was never afraid of their presence before, so why now? Every fiber of my being screamed a danger warning. I told myself, "There is no logic to this - my fear is out of proportion to the reality."