The Ghost Lights of Marfa

A regular, terrifying phenomenon has mystified residents and travelers in West Texas, 100 miles or so north of the small town of Marfa, on the plains of the southwestern state, for over a century. The objects that pop up on the horizon at dusk are known as the Marfa Lights and they’re strange orbs of glowing, pulsating light. Some say they're spirits. Others whisper about aliens. But no one knows for sure.

Emily and her brother Sam had gone city kids with an interest in the paranormal, and wanted to go to it as much as possible. An autumn night and a camera and they drove out to the viewing area. The horizon stretched far above me; dark, quiet, until—there embarked.

At first, it was enchanting. The lights tinged her colours red, yellow and blue, with shimmies to their own minds. Emily started filming and Sam joking about UFOs. Then one of the lights pulled off from the other lights and started walking toward them.

He mumbled a word he didn't say aloud anymore.

I focussed and turned, and the light came closer, became brighter, until it hovered right beside me. It was wasn’t light, it was alive, a flickering, crackling orb winking with energy. Emily felt her own chest start to tighten and suddenly the air around them went cold.

The shot orb lit up the entire landscape. For a moment, they were back, but only a moment, but then they saw figures, shadowy people, humanoid people gathered in the distance, standing motionless. Dozens of them.

"Get in the car!" Emily screamed.

Miles later the lights chased after them and vanished as they appeared.

When they tried to show it to a local ranger back in Marfa, they failed. Static, but the camera, and the ranger just shook his head.

He said: “Well, everyone sees something out there.”