"I don't know. I just think it is. Old too. She's got bald she's got a big head and her eyes have bulges... she's sort of brown-skinned. not like a black person but like leather. Yellow-brown. And when she opens her mouth her lips are all — she hasn't got lips exactly — but it flops down. Her lips are floppy. I never saw her talking tee me. You know. the truth is. I don't know what that is. I don't know whether it's a bug or what. And I also don't know if it's a woman or not. [Speaks in high, light voice.] It talks like this. It's got sort of a — [Normal speech, as if to creature.] 'You know. I'm not buying this. You ran show me all that little insignia you want, and I'm still not buying this."'

"What did she mean by saving can you get harder?"

"I was about half up. Hard. Penis. And she says. 'Can you get harder?' And the truth is, I could not. I didn't even know I was in that state. And with her around. there's just no way."

"Was this natural, or somehow induced?"

"I don't know. No. But you see, that thing stayed to me. I don't even know when it went out. It was almost like it has alive. It was a big, gray thing with what looked like a little cage on the end of it, a little round nubbin about the size of the end of your thumb. And they shoved it into me... they showed me afterward . . , so they must have taken it out of me, but I don't remember them doing it. These things happen sometimes like they're sort of in between. [Pause.] You know, they talk to me, but I can't hear 'em. [Long pause. Sigh.]"

"One thing you mentioned was this message that you were the chosen one."

"Yeah."

"Did you react to that?"

"Yeah. I said exactly what I said then. Because they say, 'You are our chosen one,' and it's just bullshit. Like they're trying to stroke me, you know."

"Did they say chosen for what?"

"Nah. Not for anything. They've got a lot of them, believe me. I've seen some of the others before. All lying down there."

"What others?"

"The other people. There was a whole row of 'em. But that was a long time ago. They didn't know where they were or what they were doing. I was sittin' up in bed. And uh---"

"How old were you?"

"Twelve."

"Where were you?"

"I was sittin' up in bed. And everybody else was asleep. There's a whole bunch of beds . .

. [Sounds of distress. Long sigh, as if resigned.] 'I'm glad you let me be awake.' I'm sittin' on a chair... dust this gray thing in front of me. 'What is that?' It's got red spots on it. 'I'm tired. I feel sick.'

" 'Do you want to go home?'