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farm. And when it did, the entire area below was lit up just like it was day. I could see Paul’s cows and his red tractor and his two silos. I tell you, I’ve never witnessed anything like it before in my life.”
    â€œCould it have been an Air Force craft?” asked a man in a blue sweater. He was scribbling furiously on a yellow legal pad.
    â€œI suppose it could,” said Sheriff Mallory. “And I suppose it could have been a pig that learned to fly.”
    â€œHa-ha!” Grandma said, and slapped her knee. “Stan is terrible with cameras, but he’s got a sense of humor that won’t quit!”
    â€œI wish you’d stop talking about him,” said Grandpa.
    â€œNow, now,” Grandma said. “I only dated Stan a couple times. There’s no need for you to be jealous.”
    â€œQuiet!” said my mom, and cranked up the volume on the TV. Someone in the front row had his hand up to ask a question.
    â€œOh, that’s crazy Joey Wallace!” said Mom. “Twenty-five years old and going on ten. He’ll ask something foolish for sure. He’s such a showoff.”
    â€œSheriff, I know you like a beer or two to relax,” Joey was saying, all smiling and pleased with himself. “Any chance you had a six-pack in the car?”
    I saw smiles on the faces in the room. Some of the reporters lowered their heads so Sheriff Mallory wouldn’t see them laughing at Joey’s question.
    â€œShame on you, Joey,” said Grandma. “What an insult to a fine man.”
    â€œI thought you only dated Stan once,” said Grandpa.
    â€œQuiet, everyone!” said my dad.
    Sheriff Stanley Mallory put his hat back on and straightened his tie. He looked Joey Wallace right in the face.
    â€œI won’t dignify that question with an answer,” he said. “This press conference is over.”
    ***
    Mom turned off the television but everyone stayed to talk about what had just happened. Dad and Grandpa and Uncle Horace still believed that with Loring Air Force Base closed, this was the perfect place for secret testing by other bases.
    â€œWhen planes leave the Air National Guard Base in Burlington, Vermont,” my dad said, “they fly northward, right over the Allagash wilderness.”
    I figured he had a good point. Since we’re so isolated here, well, better a few people seeing strange lights than everyone in New York City.
    â€œAnd remember,” said Uncle Horace, “it wasn’t too many years ago that the Flying Wing would have scared the religion out of us. That’s one weird-looking craft.”
    â€œThat’s true,” said Grandpa. “They’ve been experimenting with tailless planes since the Wright brothers. And there are helicopters out there now that don’t even look like helicopters.”
    â€œWhat about that delta wing someone over in England made out of metal?” asked Uncle Horace. “Even aliens would be afraid to ride on that thing.”
    Sometimes, it’s fun to ask the adults a few questions you know they can’t answer. This may be the reason I was born.
    â€œDidn’t Sheriff Mallory say it was twice the size of a football field? Are helicopters that big? Do big airplanes fly that close to the ground?”
    No one spoke for a few seconds.
    â€œDarn Air Force,” Grandpa finally said.
    â€œIf Stan Mallory says he saw a UFO,” Grandma was saying as Marilee and I sneaked out of the room, “then he saw a UFO.”
    ***
    We stood on the back porch steps and thought about what had just happened. Sheriff Mallory was as respected as could be in Allagash. I was so impressed that I put my plan for revenge on a back burner.
    â€œYou know what this means, don’t you?” I asked, and Marilee nodded. “It means aliens are really out there, and they’re visiting this area again. So our chances of contacting them just got better.”
    â€œWell,