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The Mothman Phenomena

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The Mothman Phenomena
Lauren Lautzenheiser
English Comp II
Julie Jelinek
November 14, 2010
Mothman
Imagine you are driving down the road one night, on a deserted road, and all of the sudden you see a huge figure with wings and glowing red eyes. What would you do when it starts to fly at you and keeping up with you as you drive away at over 100 mph? This exact scenario happened to two couples “parking” at the TNT area (the area where explosives were made and stored during WWII) just outside of Point Pleasant, Virginia on the night of November 15, 1966 (Mothman Sightings).
One of the first sightings in the Point Pleasant area of the, what would later be named, Mothman, was by two couples. Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette were out late that night doing what many couples at that time did. They went “parking.” The first thing they saw was the two red glowing eyes. Then, his dark figure came into view. Roger later told the police, “It was shaped like a man, but bigger.” Startled, they drove off with the Mothman in hot pursuit. They were going over 100 mph and it was keeping up with them zig-zagging above the car. When they got back to town, they noticed it would not go within the city limits were it was illuminated with street lights (Keel).
Many people have seen the Mothman and every account had a similar description of him. People described him as dark in color and large, about seven feet tall. He had a torso of a man with leathery wings that spanned a good ten to twelve feet across. He had no distinct facial features except for his red, glowing eyes. Mothmanmystery.com says that “the eyes in 99% of the sightings are described as being bright-red and hypnotizing.” Many people freeze and feel helpless in the Mothman’s presence (Mothman Sightings).
The Mothman is an extraordinary flyer. According to mothmanmystery.com “It was able to appear as if from nowhere and take flight with equal ease.” It is also said that it lifts straight up into the



Cited: Day, Jason. "The Mothman Phenomena." The Ghost Database. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.ghostdatabase.co.uk/articles/point>. Keel, John A. The Mothman Prophecies. New York: Tor, 2002. Print. "MOTHMAN!" AMERICAN HAUNTINGS: WHERE DEAD MEN STILL TELL TALES. 2001. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html>. "Mothman Prophecies True Story - John Keel, Silver Bridge, Indrid Cold." Movie-O - Movie Trailers, DVD Releases, Reviews, Showtimes... Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/mothmanprophecies.php>. "Mothman Sightings in London." Mothman Mysteryâ„¢. McGuinness Publishing, 31 Mar. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://mothmanmystery.com/>. Nickell, Joe. ""Mothman" Solved! Investigating on Site." The Mystery Chronicles: More Real-life X-files. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 2004. Print. Phillips, Mark. Welcome to the World 's Only Mothman Museum! Web. 13 Nov. 2010. <http://mothmanmuseum.com/>. Pitchford, Jeremy. Interview. 4 Nov. 2010. Point Pleasant Register. "Couple Sees Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something." WestVA.Net - West Virginia - WV. 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://westva.net/mothman/1966-11-16.htm>. "Sandhill Cranes, Sandhill Crane Pictures, Sandhill Crane Facts - National Geographic." Animals, Animal Pictures, Wild Animal Facts - National Geographic. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/sandhill-crane>. "Silver Bridge Collapse." Corrosion Science and Engineering Information Hub. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://corrosion-doctors.org/Bridges/Silver-Bridge.htm>. "Spooky Story Four: The Mothman Returneth." The Phoenix. 24 Oct. 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.blazingtalons.com/2006/10/spooky-story-four-mothman-returneth.html>.

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