TOBERMORY TEASERS

On August 29, 1980, I decided to drive up to Tobermory. Reports of balls of light being observed over Lake Huron near Cape Hurd intrigued me enough to pack the van and 'hit the road' with the intention of checking it out.

Once I reached Cape Hurd, I searched for a viewing area. I drove down dirt roads in the general direction of Lake Huron, pulling off in various laneways, hoping that one of them would open up to a public beach where I could view, but I ended up at private cottages. Finally, I found a suitable place where I could park my van.

Now that I had a viewing area, I went into Tobermory to a local restaurant. As I waited for my food, I saw two young men enter. Both appeared to be in their early twenties. One had blond hair and large sensitive eyes. The other man was thin-faced and black-haired. They were completely human looking, but I felt a strange, psychic 'stirring' when I saw them. Seating themselves at a nearby table, they ordered something to eat.

I kept peeking over at them during my meal; each time, they met my gaze with knowing looks. I eventually began to feel a little silly about the whole affair and decided to ignore them. I paid and left without any further acknowledgment of their presence.

I walked to the OPP station nearby and spent a few minutes talking to the officer-on-duty about any reports of strange aerial phenomena observed in the area over the years.

Twilight was fast approaching. Grimacing at the thought of spending the night at a lonely campsite with no 'munchies' on hand, I stopped at a small variety store to stock up on treats.

No sooner had I made my purchase when the same two men I had seen at the restaurant walked in and surveyed the merchandise, frequently peering in my direction. Once again, I experienced a psychic connection, which surfaced as confusion and an ill-at-ease feeling.

I decided to leave. I went to a grocery store next door to pick up a couple of food items. Being short on money, I had been living on sandwiches - my only wild, financial extravagance was supper at the restaurant - so I felt I needed to 'round out' my diet. Browsing in the pudding and pastry aisle (old desires die hard), I noticed that the two men were literally following in my footsteps.

I hurried to the checkout and filed through, keeping a wary eye on them. They stood off to the side, waiting for me to pay and leave. My van was parked right outside, so I climbed in and watched intently to see what would happen next.

Both men seemed concerned by my focused attention on them. They kept glancing at me while the cashier rang up their purchases. When they stepped out the door, the blond-haired man said, "Let's go back in here," and they disappeared into the variety store again.

I decided to wait until they came out. I was determined to find out which car in the parking lot belonged to them. I suspected, on a deeper level, that they didn't have any transportation - at least, nothing that we use on this world. I settled in, unwilling to budge.

A sudden thought surfaced in my mind, It's late. I better go to the viewing area before it gets dark.

I immediately started the van and drove away. I was halfway to the viewing area before I remembered why I had been sitting there and about my resolve to wait for the two strangers to reappear. I puzzled over the inexplicable change of mind and forgetfulness that I had so quickly and powerfully experienced. I was certain that the thought hadn't been my own. I knew there was no use going back - they would be gone.

I pulled off the road onto a rough-hewed lane which led to a small wedge of land next to the lake. It was barely light enough for me to study the landscape. I stepped out of the van and surveyed the scene: backed by forest, I faced the shore, separated from it by a narrow bush-dotted, rock-strewn strip. A small patch of black and gray tinged clouds roiled against the light of the moon, but, with the turn of my head, I saw clear night sky and brilliant stars beginning to show on all sides. My gaze returned to the clouds. I had never seen clouds move in such a 'boiling' manner before.

I reached for my flashlight. Sweeping the murky area, I searched for the shortest and safest route to the lake. Just as I decided to take what looked like a fairly easy pathway across the rocky divide, I suddenly lowered the flashlight, turned, and climbed back into the van. I looked at the clock: 9:30 p.m.

As I sat on the van's bed, wondering why I had so abruptly changed my mind about going to the shore, a few raindrops spattered the windshield. Of course! I told myself. That's why I came back inside. It's going to rain. I'll sit here and wait until it stops. (For some reason, I had forgotten about the clear, starry, night sky. The only clouds present were the oddly-behaving ones in front of the moon.) I switched off the flashlight and sat in the dark, listening to the surging heartbeats of Lake Huron, each wave-pulse breaking on the shore with a throbbing rumble.

I slowly sat up. (I didn't recall lying down.) Grabbing the flashlight, I shone it at the clock: 4:00 a.m. I gasped then groaned. Damn! I cursed silently. I must have fallen asleep! The night is almost over, and I haven't done any viewing!

"It's not dawn yet,"I added aloud.

I resolved to spend the hours before sunrise viewing over the lake. Stepping out of the van, I noticed that the ground didn't look wet from the rain. Odd. I was sure it had rained.

I took only a couple of steps toward the lake before I came to a sudden halt. I wanted to go to the shoreline, but something was stopping me. I kept hearing in my mind, Leave - right now! Shaking my head, I tried to dismiss the thought, but it was too strong and urgent to be ignored. I found myself scrambling back into the van, starting the motor, and racing away from the area. I felt like I was in danger.

As I headed home, I fought such intense drowsiness that I had to finally pull into a parking lot in Goderich and sleep for awhile to be able to safely continue driving. It didn't make sense. If I had fallen asleep at 9:30 the previous night and slept until 4:00 in the morning, I would have had six and a half hours sleep. The tiredness I experienced was equal to being awake all night.