Incident at Devils Den, a true story by Terry Lovelace, Esq.

Terry Lovelace has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a juris doctor from Western Michigan University. He worked in private practice, mostly in civil litigation and criminal defense. He entered public service as an assistant attorney general for the United States Territory of American Samoa. He later retired as an assistant attorney general from the State of Vermont in 2012. He lives in Dallas Texas with his wife of 44 years and family. He served on active duty in the USAF from 1973 to 1979. He was trained as a medic/EMT and drove an ambulance at Whiteman Air Force Base for his entire enlistment. In 1977 he and a coworker named Tobias went to Devils Den State Park in Northwestern Arkansas to photograph wildlife. Eagles in particular. Rather than stay in the designated campground they opted to drive deep into the wilderness to find an area of high ground better suited for eagles. They came to a small summit, a plateau with a carpet of late blooming wildflowers and a treeline almost halfway around. It was perfect. They set up camp with the meadow in front of them and the treeline to their back. Exhausted from the day’s travel they were sitting around what was left of a campfire. Terry noted that all of the wildlife sounds they had heard just an hour earlier were now silent. He found it unnerving. He asked Toby, ＂It’s so quiet ... is that normal?＂ Toby assured him it was and said their laughter had quieted them. ＂Just wait, they’ll be back,＂ Toby said with confidence. At that moment something on the western horizon caught Toby’s attention. It was a triangle of three bright stars. ＂Hey, were those there before,＂ he asked? ＂No,＂ Terry replied, ＂not that I recall.＂ They were discussing what they could be when they suddenly moved. They were both amazed! The three stars rotated as if on an axis. A few minutes later they began a slow ascent straight up. As it climbed higher in the night sky it grew larger, with its three points of light spreading further apart as it climbed. It was obvious this was a single solid object and not three objects moving in unison. Toby noted the area inside the triangle was deep black, much darker than the night sky. They both noted that as it moved past a field of stars they would bling-out for a moment until it had past, and then blink back on. Terry noted the uneasiness he felt earlier when the forest fell silent had left him. He felt a calm wash over him. Later, Toby would admit to feeling almost sedated. They watched ...