[Gasping.] Just looks at me. And then there — she's trying to get this thing on me.

" Oh. I feel much better. It feels — I know it's there but I'm not scared. I'm not trying to run away anymore. This is really something. Boy. I'm lying down on the grass. On the lot.

I'm not on the grass, I'm on the lot and it's all stickery underneath. I just had my T-shirt on and it's got something that's gonna — I just know it's there, I can see it clear as day. It looks just exactly like a bug. A praying mantis is what it looks like. Only it's so big. How can it be so big? And I don't feel so bad but jeez. it's just doing that. It's got this thing and it's like working it down into my hair or something. I can't feel a thing Now it's up in the air. And it's gone. And I know that the stars was coming out and it'd been all cloudy before."

"How old are you?"

"Twelve. And now they're all yellin' at me because I collapsed the tent. My sister's real triad ant she's gonna get !Momma to spank me because I collapsed the tent. And they get scared. And we take our stuff and we go on inside. Patricia tells Momma she saw a fireball.

Mom and Dad are inside watching TV They're watching — Ed Sullivan Show. And Momma says we'll be able to see Senor Wences if we stay inside. And it's cool anyway, cool in the house. It was hot and muggy outside. I feel — Patricia tells Momma there was a fireball in the lot is why we came in. And I wonder why she doesn't say I collapsed the tent. And there was no fireball in the lot. Momma says not to worry about it. it was just a fireball.

"And that night we slept out on the screened-in porch. Daddy came out and sang us a song. It embarrassed Patricia but I loved it. So did Roxy and Angie."

"This vision you had of this praying mantis thing — is that the same as the others you've seen?"

"They all look like that. Yeah. I thought at first it was like a skeleton on a motorcycle or something. It was flying-no, it wasn't flying. I could just see it, and I see it almost does, really does, look like a praying mantis, only bigger. It's got great big eyes that just scare the hell out of you. Scare you real bad. Big, big eyes. Doesn't really look like a praying mantis. They've got white eyes. This has got dark, black eyes. I thought it was a motorcycle because at first it looked like a guy on a motorcycle wearing dark glasses. Then I saw, God, it wasn't that!

"It came right up past the tent and just up to the honeysuckle hedge. And I just wanted to get across that hedge and into the yard so bad. Oh, God."