THE FIFE INCIDENT

Like Eleanor's encounter, the remarkable series of events which occurred close to Kennoway near Leven in 1996 didn't start in any dramatic way, but developed from a simple car trip by two friends, Lyn and Jean, and ten-year-old Peter, to a local shop to buy a jar of coffee. It was around 7.30 p.m. (timed by the start of a television programme) on 23 September, dark at this time of year, although it was a clear and dry night.

In an opening scenario reminiscent of the famous Barney Hill case,' Lyn, who was in the front passenger seat, spotted a bright oval-shaped light low down in the sky. She watched for a few seconds, wondering what it could be, then turned away. When she glanced back, the single light had become two circles of light. Lyn was now intrigued, as the object did not appear to be moving and so, she was sure, couldn't be a plane and seemed too big to be a helicopter.

Lyn drew Jean's attention to the light and both agreed that it was difficult to account for. A UFO, then, although neither described it as such at this point. Jean, who was driving, slowed the car to a walking pace so that they could get a better view. The object was now to their left and seemed to be hovering behind a farmhouse whose silhouette was visible against the gentle glow. Beams of light seemed to be travelling from the sky to the ground. Suddenly, the field below the UFO was lit up like a firework display, the intensity of the light turning night into day all around them.

The explosion of light ended as dramatically as it had begun. The object, which had remained stationary for so long, now started to move and as it did so Jean and Lyn noticed its triangular shape and that there was a dome on its uppermost section. The UFO then moved away swiftly, rotating slowly to display small red dots of light.

Understandably bemused, Jean and Lyn nevertheless drove on to the local shop. Jean bought the coffee and they set off on the return journey. But on the way back they were again confronted by the strange object as they passed the site of their original encounter at around 8.20 p.m. They first spotted red lights ahead travelling at speed, before the object turned and headed directly towards them. A whole battery of lights came on for an instant, and was then extinguished. And then, as suddenly as it had arrived, the UFO disappeared into the night. Lyn noticed that three cars were travelling behind them, although there was no indication that any of their occupants had seen the mysterious object.

Having returned home, the witnesses decided after further discussion to revisit the area of the incident. They were both nervous and intrigued, not to mention anxious to resolve an incident which they could not explain. So, at 9.45 p.m. they drove back, and as they approached the site their attention was caught by a blue glow which was visible just above a wood. A star-shaped object could also be seen pulsating and emitting coloured streaks of light - alternately red, blue and green - in a rapid sequence. Lyn described them as being like torch beams, narrow at the base and widening as they reached upwards. Strange events were taking place, but no-one could have been prepared for what happened next

Moving among the trees were several small entities, and whatever they were, they were definitely not human. Above them towered a tall individual, its height estimated at around seven feet, which seemed to be in charge of its smaller companions. Understandably frightened, Jean and Lyn turned the car round and drove home.

The incident had a terrifying ending, described by Jean: 'suddenly dozens of bubble-like things came out of the woods and flew across the field towards us. Then they were all around us, about four feet away, motionless. They were all alike. We could see through them and each one had one of these small creatures inside. They had big black eyes and big heads.'

Later, weeks after the incident was over, Lyn began to have dreams about being taken into the craft. Were details of an abduction experience emerging? The witnesses, quite correctly, were wary of undergoing hypnosis. Their conscious recall of events is the very best type of evidence as it allows investigators to examine the evidence without the worry of 'false memory syndrome'.