One of the leads the Halsalls gave us was the name of Alex Whitecross, a writer living at Alexis Creek where, as we have reported, a strange flying object was seen by Zander Robertson. Alexis Creek is in the uniquely beautiful and scantily developed Chilcotin country of the Cariboo which has inspired other resident writers to describe their struggles against the wilderness. Since the road was unnavigable by our car at the time, we spoke to Whitecross by phone and include his story here because its dating seems to place it in the secondary flap.

The incident occurred late one afternoon in the Christmas season last year as the Whitecrosses were driving home after a visit to Williams Lake.

"It was dark on the ground when we saw a tremendous bright green light passing high in level flight in front of us," he said. "The sun was still shining at that altitude but this light was self-illuminated. It was as bright as a magnesium flare. I've never seen anything like it but I'm not saying it was a UFO. I don't believe in them. I just don't know what it was."

Disbelieving though he was in the existence of UFOs, Whitecross did not suggest what he saw was a meteor. Obviously the impression it made on him was too strange to allow such a ready answer. Others merely reading of his experience, however, might conclude that was exactly what he saw.