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gave myself up to the urges!
“‘I ran
outside and fled wildly into the darkness. I live by myself on a small farm in
the country; when I left, my direction of travel led into a dense wood near my
house. This forest covers more than ten thousand acres, and is totally deserted
and isolated. I fled recklessly without caution, crashing through thick brush
and woods as fast as my legs could carry me. “‘After more than fifteen minutes of this
crazed flight, I slowed. I had to, for my lungs felt as if they were on fire.
My clothes, a thin pair of pajamas, were nearly torn from my body and I was a
mass of bruises and scratches and ached all over; but I kept moving. I noticed
my direction of travel was toward a large, rough, hilly area, about three or
four miles from my farm. The urge prodded me on until I reached the area, and
there I finally stopped.
“‘The
panic left me. Suddenly I was calm and at peace with myself. I knew that I was
near my unknown destination.
“‘I
started walking again... slowly, up a long, dry creek bed. After about ten
minutes I stopped again. I was in a ravine, about thirty feet deep. It was
there
that I heard the word for the first time --
"DERO"! The word began to echo over and over in my mind, tormenting
me.
“‘The word
echoed so loud and distinct that I could hardly think! Then one of the sides of
the ravine began to glow strangely - first a faint shimmering of multicolored
radiance and then whiter and brighter until I could see into the very earth!
The glowing then diminished into a brilliant seething ring of incandescence,
forming an almost circular "door", which led into a brightly-lit
cylindrical chamber. The call came again and I quickly entered.
“‘The
chamber walls were seamless, perfectly slick and highly polished, and glowed
with a dull iridescence pleasing to the eyes. The opening dimmed and vanished,