There hasn't been a whole lot of news
coming out of Area 51 in recent months, and
sightings have become increasingly rare. It
seemed as though I had picked a good time to
enter into my retirement from Dreamland.
Alt.conspiracy.area51 has become little more
than a forum for shameless website plugs
(which on rare occasion I myself have been
guilty of), ridiculous conspiracy theories,
and mocking posts that fall short of their
humorous intentions. Perhaps an era has ended
in the history of area 51. It seems as though
that mysterious base in the desert is
slipping back into the shadows of the Nevada
Test Site for a quiet slumber away from the
public eye.
Area 51 was dead to me, and I thought I
had moved on, but something strange happened
the other night. I was in the remians of my
Area 51 office (see
A Growing Obsession and Epilouge) amongst the boxes that
housed files filled with two years of
research, and the tubes that contianed the
blueprints, maps, and satilite photos I had
acumulated. I looked to a wall and saw a
picture of myself leaning against "The
Mailbox". In the photo the desert behind me
stretched back for miles meeting with a range
of mountians in the far distance. The setting
sun was casting crimson rays of light through
the sky that painted the deep grey clouds
behind me with bright red highlights.
I starred at that photo for a long time. I
remember the day it was taken as if it were
yesterday. It was the day I climbed Tikaboo
Peak. At the time the picture was taken my
body was worn from the days exertion and my
head was still throbbing from the dehydration
I had experienced hiking back to the car. I
couldn't help but smile, it was a good
day.
As my eyes wandered across the room they
caught something, it was my copy of "Area 51:
The Dreamland Chronicles". It had played an
insturmental role in my induction into the
Dreamland phenomenon. I had read through that
book countless times. I opened it up and
began to read. Almost instantly I could feel
a hint of the magic that had drawn me to Area
51 returning. All the wonder and mystery came
back to me, just for a moment. And like some
bad t.v. show reusing clips from past
episodes for a series of flashback sequences,
the memories of my own excusions flooded my
mind. And to put it simply, I felt a bit sad.
I was sad that it was over, I was sad that it
just didn't mean as much to me anymore.
I've been thinking the last few days,
am I really done with Area 51? Since
I'm writing this article I guess the answer
is "no". Will it ever be the same again? No,
it won't. I feel myself caught between the
magic that I once felt for Dreamland, and the
less mysterious place I now know it to be.
Its an uneasy balence to maintan, but if I
take it in moderation I think I can preserve
the magic a bit longer, at least I hope I
can.
-Majestic
