-
116 오랫동안 정부 기관에서 일했던 매들린 상원의원은 사람들이 그들에게서 무엇을 알아냈을 때 신발을 신고 싶지 않을 것이라고 말했다. 그들은 대중이 맹인이라고 생각했는가? 많은 사람들이 비행접시를 쫓는 비행기를 보았다. 심지어 아이들도. 그리고 매들린은 분노에 휩싸여 위원회실에서 나왔다. 몇 주 후 그녀는 자신의 “앞마당” 위로 정찰선을 촬영했다. 브뤼셀-안트베르펜 도로를 따라 빠르게 달리자 프레드는 조금 긴장을 풀었다. 브뤼셀 대학에서 공부하고 비행접시에 대해 강의하기도 하는 패트릭은 운전을 잘했지만 빨랐다! “우리가 워싱턴을 떠날 때 매들린은 공항에 있었다. 아, 그리고 그녀의 친구 린다, 당신도 알다시피, 몇 번 목격한 적이 있는 그 젊은 여성 말이다. 그녀가 당신에게 편지를 썼을 것이다. 좋은 여자다. 군중 속에 두 명의 형제가 조금 떨어져 서 있었다. 그들은 매들린과 함께 있지 않았다. 아마 그녀는 그들이 거기에 있다는 것을 알았을 것이다.” 그는 자신이 만났던 형제들 중 일부에 대해 계속 이야기했다. 잉그리드는 가끔씩 눈을 반짝이며 끼어들었다. “오, 로널드!” 그녀는 독일어 억양이 섞인 미국식 영어로 말을 길게 늘이며 말했다. “그들을 만날 수만 있다면! 당신에게 다가오는 것 같은 이 놀라운 선함의 느낌이 있다.” 프레드의 다소 진지한 얼굴은 그가 말할 때 조금 풀렸다. 그는 광신자가 아니라는 것을 알 수 있었다. 프레드 스텍링과 잉그리드는 돈을 뜯어내는 “접촉자”가 아니었다. 그들은 조용히 말했지만, 때로는 강하게 말했다. 아마 프레드는 항상 누군가를 설득해야 한다는 이 느낌을 완전히 떨쳐버릴 수 없었을 것이다. “로널드,” 그는 다소 길고 피곤한 침묵 후에 말했다. 그들은 여러 시간 동안 여행하고 있었다. “로널드, 그들이 우리의 주파수를 가지고 있는 것 같다는 것을 아는가? 얼마 전에 내 생일이 있었는데—” 잉그리드는 자신이 아는 것을 터뜨리려 했지만, 프레드의 목소리가 그녀를 멈췄다. “얼마 전에 내 생일이 있었다,” 프레드는 계속했다. “잉그리드와 나는 TV를 보고 있었다. 무슨 프로그램이었는지 기억나지 않는다. 갑자기—” 그리고 다시 잉그리드는 동의하며 터져 나왔다. “—갑자기 TV에서 두트-디-디-두트-두트 소리가 났다. 딱 그렇게, 아마 열 번이나 열두 번 정도. 두트-디-디-두트-두트. 잉그리드와 나는 서로를 쳐다보았고—그리고 우리는 둘 다 현관으로 달려 나갔다.” 패트릭은 울퉁불퉁한 도로 구간에서 교통 체증 속을 헤치고 나갔다. “집 위에는 비행접시가 있었다. 그것은 그저 앞뒤로 흔들렸다. 그러다가 현관에서 불빛이 비치자 낮게 흔들리는 것 같았고, 워싱턴 공항 방향으로 날아갔다.” 잉그리드는 더 이상 참을 수 없었다. “그리고 로널드, 아는가!” 그녀는 터져 나왔다. “매들린도 생일에 똑같은 일이 일어났다. 린다는 친구 몇 명을 집에서 배웅하고 있었는데, 그들이 매들린에게 보라고 소리쳤다. 그리고 지붕 위로 흔들리는 붉고 빛나는 불빛이 있었다!” 프레드는 아는 듯이 웃었다. “틀림없이, 그들은 우리의 파장을 가지고 있을 것이다!” 그가 말했다. 넓은 잔디밭에 있는 메이의 긴 수련 연못을 내다보자, 크고 잎이 무성한 나무들이 집을 거의 덮고 그림자로 땅을 물들이고 있었다. 프레드는 혼자서 작게 웃으며 나를 올려다보았다. 그는 특히 메이의 집에 모인 사람들, 손님, 기자 등과 이야기할 때 종종 진지했다. 약간 비틀린 미소를 짓는 그를 보니 좋았다. 프레드에게는 속임수가 없었다. “얼마 전에 머리 위 가까이에서 비행접시를 보았다. —그 지역에는 정말 많다— 카메라를 가지고 있었는데, 이 카메라 말이다— 필름을 좀 찍었고 정말 기뻤다! 아는가? 렌즈 캡을 씌워 놓았다!” 그는 형제들과의 대화에 대해 나에게 말했다. “로널드, 아는가, 그들과 함께 있을 때는 질문을 하지 않는다. 생각조차 하지 않는다. 그냥 듣는다. 마치 그들이 당신이 알기를 원하지 않는 것들을 묻지 않도록 되어 있는 것 같다.” 프레드는 생각에 잠겨 입술을 깨물었다. “그들 중 한 명은 일주일에 여러 번 볼 수 있다. 그가 어디에서 일하는지 안다. 그가 어떤 종류의 일을 하는지는 말할 수 있지만, 어디인지는 말할 수 없다. 프레드가 나에게 말했다. “우리가 이야기할 기회가 있는 것은 가끔씩뿐이다. 아마 어딘가에서 커피 한 잔 하면서.” 그는 잠시 멈췄다가 계속했다. “이 사람은 금성에서 왔다.” 프레드의 여행은 지연되었다. 한스와 나는 예약을 변경해야 했다. 프레드는 공항에서 올라오는 길에 누군가—누구인지는 몰랐지만—프레드가 여행을 위해 신용을 마련했던 은행에 연락했다고 나에게 말했다. “할부로 해야 한다,” 그가 말했다. “요리사는 그렇게 많은 돈을 벌지 못한다.” 프레드는 그가 사는 곳 근처 버지니아의 한 호텔에서 일한다. 이상한 점은 프레드가 이전에 같은 은행과 신용 거래를 했었고 아무런 문제가 없었다는 것이다. 아마 누군가 그의 유럽 여행을 막으려 했을 것이다. 문제를 해결하는 데 며칠이 걸렸다. 그는 먼저 안트베르펜에서 메이와 며칠 머물렀고, 그 다음 헤이그, 그 다음 프랑크푸르트와 만하임, 그 다음 오스트리아—비엔나와 린츠—그리고 마지막으로 서베를린에서 6일 동안 가족과 함께 머물렀다. 프레드가 독일이나 오스트리아 강연에서 돈을 받았는지 나는 모른다. 나는 그가 안트베르펜과 덴하그에서는 좋은 친구들의 환대 외에는 아무것도 받지 못했다는 것을 안다. 그것은 스텍링 부부의 대서양 횡단 항공료를 지불하지 못했다. 프레드의 첫 강연은 우리가 안트베르펜에 도착한 저녁, 메이 몰렛의 집에서 열렸다. 기자들을 포함한 50-60명의 청중 중에서 나는 한 젊은 여성을 발견했다. 나는 그녀를 묘사하지 않을 것이다. 그날 밤 늦게, 사실 새벽 3시 30분에—우리가 방문하는 매일 밤 그랬듯이—나는 한스 페테르센과 함께 몇 군데를 걸었다.
116 astic senators, Madeleine, who had ernment office for many years, told them that she wouldn't like shoes when people found out what from them. Did they think the public was blind? Many had seen the planes chasing the saucers. Even children. And Madeleine had come out of the committee room seething with anger. A few weeks afterwards she had filmed a scout-ship over her own "front yard". Fred loosened up a little as we sped along the road Brussels-Antwerp. Patrick, who studied at Brussels University, and who himself lectured on flying saucers, was a good driver, but fast! "Madeleine was at the airport as we left Washing ton. Oh, and Linda, her friend, you know, that young woman who had some sightings. She's written to you, I think. A nice girl. There were two Brothers standing back a bit in the crowd. They weren't with Madeleine. Maybe she knew they were there." He went on talking about some of the Brothers he had met. Ingrid joined in occasionally, her eyes bright and shining. "Oh, Ronald!" she said, in her German-accented American, drawling the words. "If you only could meet them! There is this wonderful feeling of good ness that seems to reach out to you." Fred's rather serious face relaxed a little as he spoke. One could see he was no fanatic. Fred Steck ling and Ingrid were not money-grabbing "contact ees" making a fast buck. They spoke quietly, but forcefully at times. Perhaps Fred could not quite shake off this feeling of having to convince someone all the time. "Ronald," he said, after a rather long, somewhat tired silence. They'd been travelling for many, many hours. "Ronald, do you know, it's just as if they have our frequencies. I had a birthday a while back -" Ingrid was about to burst in with what she knew, but Fred's voice stopped her. "I had a birthday a while back," Fred went on. "Ingrid and I were wat ching T.V. I don't remember the show. Suddenly -" and again Ingrid was bursting with agreement, "- suddenly it went doot-di-di-doot-doot, on the T.V. just like that, maybe ten or a dozen times. Doot-di di-doot-doot. Ingrid and I just looked at each other - and then we both DASHED out on to the porch." Patrick swerved among the traffic on a bumpy patch of road. "There over the house was the saucer. It just swayed there, back and forward. Then it seemed to swing down low as the light showed from the porch and then shot off over in the direction of Washing ton Airport." Ingrid couldn't hold herself any longer. "And do you know, Ronald!" she burst in, "Madeleine had the same thing happen on her birthday. Linda had some more friends were just being seen off from the house and they called out to Madeleine to look. And there ufo contact was this red, glowing light swaying over the roof!" Fred smiled knowingly. "You can bet, they've got our wave-lengths!" he said. As we looked out at May's long lily-pond in the spacious lawn, the big, leafy trees almost overhang ing the house and splashing the ground with shadow, Fred gave a little laugh to himself and glanced up at me. He was so often serious, especially when he talked to the people who gathered at May's house, guests, reporters etc. - it was nice to see him with a, somewhat twisted, grin. There were no gimmicks with Fred. "I saw a saucer close overhead some while ago. - There are a LOT of them around that area - I had my camera with me, this camera - and I ran off some film and I felt so gosh-darned pleased with myself! D'you know something? I left the dust-cap on!" He told me of his talks with the Brothers. "D'you know, Ronald, when you're with them, you don't ASK questions. You don't think of it. You just listen. It's as if you are not meant to ask of things maybe they don't want you to know." Fred bit his lip thoughtfully. "One of them I can see several times a week. I know where he's working. I can tell you what sort of work he does, but not where. Fred told me. "It's only once in a while we have a chance to talk. Maybe over a cup of coffee some place." He paused, then went on. "This one's from Venus." Fred's trip over had been delayed. Hans and I had had to change our bookings. Fred had told me on the trip up from the airport how someone - he didn't know who - had contacted the bank where Fred had arranged credit for the trip. "I have to do it on the instalments," he said. "A cook doesn't earn all that much money." Fred works at an hotel in Virginia, near where he lives. The strange thing was that Fred had previously had credit arrangements with the same bank, and had had no bother. Maybe someone had tried to stop his trip to Europe. It had taken several days to clear up the matter. He was speaking first in Antwerp, staying with May for some days, then The Hague, then Frankfurt and Mannheim, then in Austria - Vienna and Linz - and then on to West Berlin for the last six days to stay with his family. Whether Fred was helped with money at the Ger man or Austrian lectures, I don't know. I know he received nothing in Antwerp and Den Haag, except hospitality from good friends. That certainly did not pay the Stecklings' fare across the Atlantic. Fred's first lecture was on the evening of our arr ival in Antwerp, at May Morlet's home. Of the 50-60 in the audience, which included some reporters, I noticed a young woman. I shall not describe her. Later that night, in fact at 3.30 in the morning, - in the small hours, as we were to do every night of our visit - I walked with Hans Petersen around some
116 astic senators, Madeleine, who had ernment office for many years, told them that she wouldn't like shoes when people found out what from them. Did they think the public was blind? Many had seen the planes chasing the saucers. Even children. And Madeleine had come out of the committee room seething with anger. A few weeks afterwards she had filmed a scout-ship over her own "front yard". Fred loosened up a little as we sped along the road Brussels-Antwerp. Patrick, who studied at Brussels University, and who himself lectured on flying saucers, was a good driver, but fast! "Madeleine was at the airport as we left Washing ton. Oh, and Linda, her friend, you know, that young woman who had some sightings. She's written to you, I think. A nice girl. There were two Brothers standing back a bit in the crowd. They weren't with Madeleine. Maybe she knew they were there." He went on talking about some of the Brothers he had met. Ingrid joined in occasionally, her eyes bright and shining. "Oh, Ronald!" she said, in her German-accented American, drawling the words. "If you only could meet them! There is this wonderful feeling of good ness that seems to reach out to you." Fred's rather serious face relaxed a little as he spoke. One could see he was no fanatic. Fred Steck ling and Ingrid were not money-grabbing "contact ees" making a fast buck. They spoke quietly, but forcefully at times. Perhaps Fred could not quite shake off this feeling of having to convince someone all the time. "Ronald," he said, after a rather long, somewhat tired silence. They'd been travelling for many, many hours. "Ronald, do you know, it's just as if they have our frequencies. I had a birthday a while back -" Ingrid was about to burst in with what she knew, but Fred's voice stopped her. "I had a birthday a while back," Fred went on. "Ingrid and I were wat ching T.V. I don't remember the show. Suddenly -" and again Ingrid was bursting with agreement, "- suddenly it went doot-di-di-doot-doot, on the T.V. just like that, maybe ten or a dozen times. Doot-di di-doot-doot. Ingrid and I just looked at each other - and then we both DASHED out on to the porch." Patrick swerved among the traffic on a bumpy patch of road. "There over the house was the saucer. It just swayed there, back and forward. Then it seemed to swing down low as the light showed from the porch and then shot off over in the direction of Washing ton Airport." Ingrid couldn't hold herself any longer. "And do you know, Ronald!" she burst in, "Madeleine had the same thing happen on her birthday. Linda had some more friends were just being seen off from the house and they called out to Madeleine to look. And there ufo contact was this red, glowing light swaying over the roof!" Fred smiled knowingly. "You can bet, they've got our wave-lengths!" he said. As we looked out at May's long lily-pond in the spacious lawn, the big, leafy trees almost overhang ing the house and splashing the ground with shadow, Fred gave a little laugh to himself and glanced up at me. He was so often serious, especially when he talked to the people who gathered at May's house, guests, reporters etc. - it was nice to see him with a, somewhat twisted, grin. There were no gimmicks with Fred. "I saw a saucer close overhead some while ago. - There are a LOT of them around that area - I had my camera with me, this camera - and I ran off some film and I felt so gosh-darned pleased with myself! D'you know something? I left the dust-cap on!" He told me of his talks with the Brothers. "D'you know, Ronald, when you're with them, you don't ASK questions. You don't think of it. You just listen. It's as if you are not meant to ask of things maybe they don't want you to know." Fred bit his lip thoughtfully. "One of them I can see several times a week. I know where he's working. I can tell you what sort of work he does, but not where. Fred told me. "It's only once in a while we have a chance to talk. Maybe over a cup of coffee some place." He paused, then went on. "This one's from Venus." Fred's trip over had been delayed. Hans and I had had to change our bookings. Fred had told me on the trip up from the airport how someone - he didn't know who - had contacted the bank where Fred had arranged credit for the trip. "I have to do it on the instalments," he said. "A cook doesn't earn all that much money." Fred works at an hotel in Virginia, near where he lives. The strange thing was that Fred had previously had credit arrangements with the same bank, and had had no bother. Maybe someone had tried to stop his trip to Europe. It had taken several days to clear up the matter. He was speaking first in Antwerp, staying with May for some days, then The Hague, then Frankfurt and Mannheim, then in Austria - Vienna and Linz - and then on to West Berlin for the last six days to stay with his family. Whether Fred was helped with money at the Ger man or Austrian lectures, I don't know. I know he received nothing in Antwerp and Den Haag, except hospitality from good friends. That certainly did not pay the Stecklings' fare across the Atlantic. Fred's first lecture was on the evening of our arr ival in Antwerp, at May Morlet's home. Of the 50-60 in the audience, which included some reporters, I noticed a young woman. I shall not describe her. Later that night, in fact at 3.30 in the morning, - in the small hours, as we were to do every night of our visit - I walked with Hans Petersen around some