Autonomous Youth - YSM - 2023

Moonlit nights, there's nothing like them. The shadows that are cast, the sounds of nature in darkness, and the hairs that rise on back of your neck as the city lights disappear behind the mountains. The way the moon lights up the scattered high cirrus clouds. The feeling you're in a forgotten and desolate place.

And when you're young, there's nothing like that adventure to the middle nowhere in the dead of night. Especially the creepy and haunted places. The places of colloquial myth and lore. What better thing for a group occultnik goth kids to do?

Crossed off our list already was abandoned cemeteries, the boarded up convalescent home, and the old 1800's railbridge of suicide. If there was "dark something" we were there wearing black no. 1, blasting Type-O Negative. We were all "little miss scare all's". 16 through 19 years old. Psycho terror demons incarnate. The title student/athlete just wasn't dark enough.

Last week was more macabre, more typical devil kid. This weekend we were going to try to contact UFO's. Spirits and ghost hunts were getting repetitive.

Out into the desert, out that frontage road, out to the creek marsh by the rail tracks. Where the city lights fade from view into the night.

This was the freedom of youth. Provided everything to scare our parents just enough to not restrict our privileges to do so.

I remember Orgy was playing as we turned on to the dirt trail 5 miles down the frontage road, heading out towards the county line. A New Order cover.

What a fun night of seances and nonsense, as always.

We sat in a circle on the ground away from the cattails. We had been told it had to be about our psychic intent. Sheena's brother was usually a good source of alien stuff. We had to project out our intent to contact the telepathic aliens. I suggested we sit yoga style to align our bodies and try to feel like you're broadcasting the idea out your head.

"What's supposed to happen?"
"You're suppose to meditate, and then ufos will appear."

For five minutes we projected to the space siblings to make an appearance. Then we watched. Sheena thought she saw something, but as a more avid skywatcher I ruled them out as satellites. Then Amber did see something. A purplish ball of light seemingly descending from the illuminated broken clouds in the sky.

"Are we really seeing this?"

As that processed, I caught two more as they approached from a 90° direction. One was now in front of the mountains to the Northeast, two more with the sky as their backdrop to the Southeast. They came together in front of mountains to our northwest into an equilateral triangle.

The orbs then began to move together above the ridgeline and then hold stationary. It slowly started spinning holding its shape.

No one was freaked out. Our jaws were dropped, but we were very calm. Too calm. Mind controlled calm. Like a wave of peace and awe was enveloping us.

Then they were gone. Blinked out of existence. They were gone and so we're we. If only this wasn't 2000, we could have filmed it.

After that night it was like we pissed someone off.

The very next day I'm driving and I get followed by an SUV turn for turn through a residential neighborhood. Sheena, the one of us with a cell phone, starts hearing an echo and playback on her phone calls.

"Who did we piss off with this?"
"I don't know, but it's scaring the s# out of me?"

Something happened to all of us, and then nothing happened to any of us.

That was the last time we went out to the marsh by the railroad. Conjuring spirits and demons didn't get you chased through neighborhoods.

We never really talked about it after that. I think there was a mutual opinion we should stop doing things we hear about from Sheena's UFO-obsessed stoner brother. He was the one that said you can contact aliens telepathically. We had to try it.

The End.

a reply to: Degradation33

Very nice!

New Order cover!!!

The best!!!

a reply to: Degradation33

Perfect opening sets up the ambiance and trepidation. Entertaining progression from the paranormal to aliens to those pesky MIB who are always in the way… “leave them kids alone.”

Thanks.

This one was a pure nostalgia trip to write. Except the part about orbs and government. Just a cool spot in the middle of nowhere to do out of the way teenage things.