Taken!

Summary

---

Sightings Podcast – Episode: “Taken!”

Date: September 1, 2025
Hosts: McLeod Andrews (“D”), Brian Sigley (“A”)
Main Storyteller: As “Calvin Parker” (“B”)

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Sightings plunges listeners into one of America’s most legendary alien abduction cases: the 1973 Pascagoula Abduction of Calvin Parker and Charles “Charlie” Hickson. Told from Calvin’s perspective in an intimate, diary-like monologue, the episode explores not just the chilling events along the Mississippi coastline but also the emotional (and social) fallout. After the immersive story, Brian and McLeod return for a lively, skeptical, and insightful discussion on what really happened, the differing personalities of the two abductees, and the puzzle of how such stories take hold in the public consciousness.

---

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. The Pascagoula Abduction: Calvin’s Account

[03:13–22:53]

• Setting the Scene:
  Calvin records his experience on a voice recorder, reflecting on losing time while fishing in 1996—events that stir back memories of his 1973 abduction.

  “It’s 1996. Does this thing record a date? Whatever. And it sure is truly Calvin Parker... Something happened today. I know it’s been years, but I think it happened again.” — Calvin, [03:18]

• 1973 Abduction Experience:

  • Calvin recounts going night fishing with Charlie Hickson.
  • A blue floating light and a high-pitched electric whine draw their attention.
  • A craft (30–80 ft, football-shaped) lands near the bank; three humanoid, gray, wrinkled, clawed aliens emerge.
  • Both men are paralyzed and taken aboard.
  • Calvin’s memory: blackout, disconnection, brief flashes.
    • Later, details: gentle yet unsettling examination, shown visions of Earth and advanced technology.
  • Charlie, by contrast, immediately recalls being inside, examined by a “floating eye,” hears a telepathic voice: “We are peaceful. We mean you no harm.”

  “I was first to notice this blue light on the banks upstream... Instead, they were floating... a craft of some kind. Maybe 30ft long, football shaped and hovering just off the bank.” — Calvin, [05:57]

  “They had arms, but instead of hands, they had these long crab like claws. And I wanted so badly to run, but again, I was frozen.” — Calvin, [06:50]

  “And when they dropped him [Charlie] back by the river, he’d heard a voice inside his head: ‘We are peaceful. We mean you no harm.’ I didn’t hear that voice. I didn’t see that silver eye.” — Calvin, [07:57]

• Aftermath & Public Fallout:

  • They go to the police, pass sobriety tests.
  • Police secretly record their conversation to check for a hoax; ultimately, the sheriff says he believes them.
  • News explodes; Calvin is overwhelmed and withdrawn, Charlie embraces attention and media.
  • UFO investigators (including Dr. J. Allen Hynek) get involved, pressure for hypnosis. Calvin resists.

  “He talked to journalists. He talked about how he felt that he was chosen by fate or God or the aliens for something. He didn’t know what. But, like, he even went on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” — Brian, [30:32]

• Lifelong Impact:

  • Calvin experiences panic attacks, social alienation, eventually joins the Marines to escape notoriety.
  • Charlie claims ongoing contact and prophecies from the aliens.

  “After I got out of the hospital, I made up my mind. I needed a reset... so I joined the Marines. The plan worked. For a while, at least.” — Calvin, [17:44]

  • In 1996, Calvin has another episode on the boat—missing time, returned memories, and acceptance.

---

2. Discussing the Story: The Hosts' Breakdown

[25:07–37:28]

A. Character Contrasts: Calvin vs. Charlie

• Calvin is introverted, tormented, avoids attention.

• Charlie is gregarious, claims “chosen” status, enjoys media attention, reports more subsequent encounters.

  “Charlie seems like he’s having a blow ball. Like, he’s like, oh my gosh, I got abducted by alien Ted. You gotta hear about this.” — McLeod, [25:51]

  “Calvin... didn’t want to talk about this. He kept it all bottled up basically. And that, that inner turmoil, I guess of not knowing what happened or maybe knowing what happened or being afraid of it, I thought was really cool.” — Brian, [26:45]

B. The Abduction Details & Unusual Aliens

• Crab-like claws, “elephant skin,” slit faces—unlike typical “grays.”

• Machine-like “floating eye” scans.

  “They just seem like very weird looking aliens that are kind of unlike any other aliens that I think we’ve encountered in all of our abduction stories.” — Brian, [28:46]

• AI/Autonomy Theory: The “aliens” may be more like automatons, ship intelligence.

  “Whatever these figures were probably aren’t actually the main act. And that explains why, once he goes in the ship, he doesn’t see them anymore. It’s because the ship is the intelligence.” — McLeod, [29:56]

C. Skepticism & Social Impact

• Charlie’s post-abduction “mission” and messianic vibes raise skepticism.

• Discrepancies in craft description over time, skepticism toward witnesses coming forward decades later.

  “I’m dubious. At the end of the day, I just think there’s too many plausible explanations, not least of which is that all we really have to go on is their word.” — McLeod, [36:07]

• Folie à deux (shared psychosis) suggested.

  “It has been posited that they had something like a shared psychotic disorder is what it’s called. It’s called Val Adou, which is French.” — Brian, [37:09]

D. Corroboration and Legacy

• Witnesses emerged decades later, claiming to see a blue light that night.

• Both men allegedly passed sobriety tests.

• Calvin eventually went public, wrote a book, encouraged others to share their experiences.

  “It should be said, though, that when Calvin released his book... people did [come forward]. One woman...said she saw a UFO flying over Pascagoula. In December 1973...” — Brian, [34:47]

E. Final Takes

• McLeod: Ultimately “dubious” but finds Calvin a “credible witness...or at least that he believes what he’s saying.”

• Brian: Wants to believe, but acknowledges the psychological and social dynamics could explain much.

  “I want to believe in the idea of benevolent aliens that just want to help us and advance us along.” — Brian, [36:33]

---

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• “It was like someone had unplugged my brain from my body.”
  — Calvin Parker (as “B”), [06:24]

• “We are peaceful. We mean you no harm.”
  — Calvin, recounting what Charlie heard, [07:57]

• “Charlie, he loved the attention and was telling the story to anyone who’d listen. He even said he thought he’d been chosen.”
  — Calvin Parker, [16:12]

• “Whatever these figures were probably aren’t actually the main act. …the ship is the intelligence.”
  — McLeod, [29:56]

• “Both allegedly passed sobriety tests the night of the abduction. So they weren’t drunk and made this up.”
  — Brian, [34:05]

• “It’s a lot to make something up like this.”
  — Brian, [36:28]

• “It’s called Val Adou... it’s a mental illness that causes two people to suffer the same delusions at the same time. ...the dominant personality drives the belief structure and the more passive person kind of gets sucked into it.”
  — Brian, [37:09]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:13–14:15] — Calvin’s immersive first-person retelling of the 1973 Pascagoula abduction
• [15:54–22:53] — Calvin’s return to the present, aftermath, lifelong impact, and regaining of lost memories
• [25:07–37:28] — Hosts’ discussion: character study, analysis, skepticism, theories

---

Memorable Moments

• The contrast between Calvin’s quiet suffering and Charlie’s zeal for attention.
• The secret police recording during the interview: “What he heard was either the performance of a lifetime or the real deal. And he believed it was real.” [13:04]
• The hosts’ playful speculation about alien claws and “clone soldiers.”
• Reflection on how stories, media, and memory can both preserve and distort such experiences.

---

Overall Episode Takeaways

• The Pascagoula abduction remains one of the most fascinating, divisive stories in the annals of American UFO lore.
• The episode stands out for its intimate, voice-memo storytelling from Calvin’s gritty, human perspective—active dread, confusion, trauma, and acceptance.
• The post-story chat is rich in skepticism, empathy, and curiosity—acknowledging the complexity of memory, trauma, and belief.
• The hosts challenge “legend” while maintaining respect for the psychological truth behind such events, regardless of their literal factuality.

---

Next Episode Tease:
The team hints at a perilous Pacific Northwest cryptid encounter—a Bigfoot story with a “fight for your lives” twist.

---

Transcript

[A]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try it at progressive.com, progressive Casualty Insurance and affiliates. Not available in all states and situations. Prices may vary on how you buy. Thanks for selling your car to Carvana. Here's your check.

[B]

Whoa. When did I get here?

[A]

What do you mean?

[C]

I swear it was just moments ago.

[B]

That I accepted a great offer from Carvana online.

[C]

I must have time traveled to the future.

[A]

It was just moments ago. Moments ago. We do same day pickup. Here's your check for that great offer.

[D]

It is the future.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It's the present. And just the convenience of Carvana. Sorry to blow your mind.

[B]

It's all good. Happens all the time.

[A]

Sell your car the convenient way to Carvana. Pickup times may vary and fees may apply.

[B]

I'm NFL linebacker TJ Watt and this is my personal best. YPB by Abercrombie is the activewear I'm always wearing. That's why I reached out to co design their latest drop. I worked with designers to create high performance activewear that holds up to my toughest workouts. Shop YPB by Abercrombie in store, online and in the app. Because your personal best is greater than anything. There are moments in life when reality frays, when time slips and memory fails. Most people brush it off.

[D]

A dream, a glitch, nothing more. But what if the truth is far stranger?

[B]

What if something reached into your life.

[D]

Took you and let you forget? Welcome to Sightings, the series that takes you inside the world's most mysterious supernatural events. Each episode brings you a thrilling story that puts you at the center of the action, followed by a discussion that dives into the accounts that inspired this and our takes on them. I'm McLeod.

[A]

And I'm Brian. And welcome back, everyone, Q Code plus listeners. We hope you enjoyed our bonus listener story just for you at the end of August. But McLeod, it is September now, which means it's almost October, which means it's almost spooky season, which means.

[D]

Why don't we just get it started? I feel like my spidey senses are already tingling.

[A]

Yeah, well, we're gonna get to some cool, spooky stories as that approaches. But today we've got a really cool alien abduction story.

[D]

Today we're heading to the Mississippi coastline.

[B]

But don't keep your eyes on the water. Watch the skies.

[D]

Find out why on this episode of Sightings.

[B]

All right. Little red lights on. I reckon I'll just start talking. I got no real plan here, so. Well, it's 1996. Does this thing record a date? Whatever. And it sure is truly Calvin Parker. If you know that name, you probably already got your opinion. People always do. But this ain't for them. This is for me to just get it out before it all slips away again. Because something happened today. I know it's been years, but I think it happened again. I went fishing off Cat island this morning. Same as I've done for years. Trying to just keep my mind straight. Most days out there I catch a few fish. Maybe drift a while, clear my head. But today. Well, today wasn't like most days. I was floating. Threw my line in early, sun barely up. And next thing I knew, the sun was low. The whole sky changed color. The cooler was packed full of fish that I don't remember catching. And then there was that smell. Weird. And antiseptic. Took me right back to 1973. Right back to that night in Pascagoula when everything went to shit. And this time I remember details. More vivid, you know? So here goes. October 11, 1973. I was 19. Just started a new job in the shipyard. Charlie Hickson helped me get it. He was a foreman there and he was like family. More than family, actually. Like the uncle you actually listened to. And man, damn, he could tell stories. Korean War, mostly. But he always had a way of making you believe the unbelievable. I remember it was hot that day. Sticky hot. But Charlie thought it would be a good night for fishing, so he. He asked me along. I wasn't really feeling it, but he insisted. So we drove out to the old shipyard around 6 and found ourselves a spot on the little pier. I don't think it was technically legal to fish there, but that never stopped Charlie. And he was right. It was a perfect night for fishing. Full moon, clear skies, barely a breeze. So we just sat there, lines drifting loose, talking on and off about nothing important. I think we were the only two on the whole river that night. Until, of course, we weren't. I was first to notice this blue light on the banks upstream. And my first thought was police. And I worried we'd get caught trespassing or something. But the problem with these lights were they weren't moving. Like they were on a cop car or nothing. Instead, they were floating. And then came this sound. This. This high pitched electric whine. Not loud, but heavy. Like it was smack in the middle of my chest. Charlie heard it too. And he Stood right up. And then I saw the thing for real. It was a craft of some kind. I don't. I don't know what else to call it. Maybe 30ft long, football shaped and hovering just off the bank of the river. I looked at Charlie, trying to ask him if he was seeing what I was seeing. But I couldn't speak, couldn't move. It was like. It was like someone had unplugged my brain from my body. And the craft stopped about 20 yards away, just hanging there above the water. And then a section of it opened up and this white light poured out. And. Boy, oh, man, so bright it hurt to look at. Like a. Like a welder's torch, but even brighter. Brighter than that. And then three figures emerged from that light. Now, I say figures because they looked kind of human shaped, but not, I guess they were 5ft tall with rankly gray skin like an elephant's. And where their faces would have been, there were just these. These weird slits. And as they glided closer to us, I saw they had arms, but instead of hands, they had these long crab like claws. And I wanted so badly to run, but again, I was frozen. You know, my body just. It just wouldn't respond. And those things came right up to us. And one of those things reached out with its claw and touched my arm. And then everything went completely black. Like. Not like sleep, but like. Like something emptier. Like I just stopped existing entirely. Oh, shit, man. I need a Coke or something. I'll be right back. Okay? I'm back. And I know how all this sounds. Hell, I've been wrestling with it over 20 years now. But after everything went black, I came to standing on the riverbank with my arms out like I was trying to catch something. The craft was gone, but Charlie was there. And he ran up, grabbed my shoulders and said I'd been out cold the whole time. Then he said they took us. Those beings from the craft. They took us inside the ship. And though I couldn't seem to recall any of it, Charlie remembered everything. He said they floated us inside the ship and into separate rooms. He said his room had glowing walls and some kind of table and he wasn't able to move as some kind of silver device, he called it a floating eye, scanned him from head to toe. He couldn't move, couldn't scream and was terrified they were going to cut him open and probe his insides like something from a movie. But they hadn't hurt him. And after they scanned him, they simply floated him back out to the riverbank and released him, he says. And when they dropped him back by the river, he'd heard a voice inside his head. We are peaceful. We mean you no harm. I didn't hear that voice. I didn't see that silver eye. I remembered nothing except the blue lights than standing there with mud on my boots. But as I sat on the riverbank, I had this nagging feeling. There was more like. Like flashes of images that made no sense and sounds that seemed familiar but impossible to place. So we sat in Charlie's truck for a while, sharing a bottle of whiskey he kept under the seat and trying to figure out what to do. Do next. I mean, part of me just wanted to drive home and pretend none of this had happened. But Charlie, he wanted to report it. He said if these things were taking people, the authorities needed to know about it. But man, all I thought was, who the hell would believe us? Next thing I knew, we were parked outside a pay phone with Charlie in there calling the Air Force. But this is funny. The woman on the other end actually laughed at him. She told him the Air force stopped investigating UFOs years ago when what's called Project Blue Book or some shit shut down. She said if we wanted to call anyone, we ought to call the police. So, yeah, that's what Charlie did. Sheriff diamond answered the phone himself, and to his credit, he didn't hang up on us. And after Charlie tried to explain what had happened, diamond told us to come down to the station. He said he couldn't promise he'd believe us, but he'd listen at the very least. When we got there, he sat us down in a windowless interview room and asked us to tell him everything from the beginning. So Charlie did most of the talking, and when he finished, diamond asked if I had anything to add. And you know, I felt real silly. I mean, I'd seen the light and the creatures and all, and I know I'd seen it, but I still felt disconnected from everything, like I was watching it all happen to someone else. So I didn't say much at all. And diamond nodded and said he'd need to ask us some follow up questions. Separately. He said he was going to step out for a few minutes to make some calls, talk things over. And he suggested we might want to get our stories straight if we planned on sticking to them. Then he walked out and Charlie and I just sat there in silence for a long time. Finally, Charlie asked if I thought we were doing the right thing. And I told him I didn't know what the right thing was anymore. So we started going over details again, trying to make sense of the timeline. The lights, the beings, creatures, whatever. Charlie kept asking me if I remembered anything else, any detail that might help explain what had happened. And No. I mean, no, there wasn't. There wasn't. I mean, I was still getting these weird flashes, like. Like the sound of wind chimes made of metal or a quick view of a curved wall that seemed to breathe, if you can imagine such a thing. But no, every time I tried to focus on them, they'd slip away like smoke or like those floaters in your eyes. I mean, I couldn't even be sure what really happened to me. And to be totally honest, right then, all I wanted was to get the hell out of that room and never look back. Shit. Well, so much for that. So diamond came back to the room, of course. But this time he wasn't alone. This time he had two deputies. And when they all sat down, they told us the room had been bugged. They'd heard everything we said in here, and they said they did it because they needed to know if we were running some kind of con, some kind of act. But we didn't drop the act when we were alone, because there was no act. And diamond said what he heard was either the performance of a lifetime or the real deal. And he believed it was real. And that should have made me feel relieved, I guess, but it didn't. Hell, no. Instead, I felt this weight on my chest. I could barely breathe. Because if diamond believed us, well, that meant this probably really happened. And I knew right there, right then, there's no going back to normal, I just knew it. And, damn, it sucks to be right.

[A]

This is an ad by BetterHelp. We've all done it before. We've turned to our barista, our barber, or our random stranger for life advice. And as much as I'm sure they'd love to hear about the UFO you saw last night, if you're looking for actual help with anything from relationships to depression to other clinical issues, they might not have the right answers. Instead, get guidance from a licensed therapist online with BetterHelp. I imagine that talking to a professional, especially if you've got a monster in your closet or ghost in your basement, can be incredibly beneficial. And with BetterHelp, it's convenient. You can join a session with the click of a button. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health providers with a diverse variety of expertise. So find the one with BetterHelp. And right now, Sightings listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] sightings. That's betterhelp.com sightings. Thanks, Better Help for sponsoring this episode. It's Wednesday, Adams. I see you're trying to distract yourself from your own banal thoughts. Let me help. Here's a recording thing made of my latest root Canal.

[B]

Wednesday.

[A]

Season 2 is now playing only on Netflix.

[B]

Yeah, I need you to smoke. Anyway. Where was I? Right after that night at the station, things moved fast. I mean, too fast, if you ask me. We figured the sheriff might tell a few folks around town. Maybe a deputy would spill something at the bar. But we never expected what came next. By morning, reporters were calling the shipyard, then the local radio station than the national one. Charlie and I showed up for work, thinking we could maybe just get on with it. But the foreman pulled us aside and asked us what the hell was going on. Because suddenly, we weren't two nobodies who went fishing. We were the Pascagoula abductees. I mean, Charlie, he loved the attention and was telling the story to anyone who'd listen. He even said he thought he'd been chosen. Me, I just. I just wanted to hide under a rock and wait for it to all blow over. I mean, it didn't. Of course it didn't. So soon, this guy named Dr. Hynek even came down from some university up north, and apparently he was a big deal in UFO circles. Even worked for the government or something. And he wanted to ask us some questions, and I hope that would be the end of it. But then he started talking about hypnosis, about putting us under to see if we could remember more and just. Oh, hell no. That's when I ran for the hills. Went back up to Laurel to see my folks and my girl. But all this nonsense, it followed me. People asked about it at the gas station, the diner, even folks I'd known my whole life. Life started looking at me sideways. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. Just couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to all this than I remembered. And even though I. Even though I had to go back to work, I couldn't hack it. I was trying to weld a seam one day when I just couldn't breathe. And my hands started shaking so bad I had to put the torch down. And the next thing I knew, I was on the floor and somebody was calling an ambulance. The hospital said it was a panic attack, stress. But lying in bed, staring at those ceiling tiles, that reminded me of something I couldn't Quite place. I knew better because I was remembering things. I guess you could call them dreams, but they felt realer than being awake. And even though I couldn't make out all the details, I remembered this warm, golden light and voices that they weren't voices, like thoughts that weren't mine sliding into my head. And I knew they were flashes of what happened on that craft. I didn't tell Charlie about it. I didn't tell anyone, because then people would start asking questions I couldn't answer, and they'd ask what else happened to me. And I, honest to God, didn't want to know. After I got out of the hospital, I made up my mind. I needed a reset and to go somewhere. Nobody knew about what happened in Pascagoula, so I joined the Marines. The plan worked. For a while, at least. I kept my head down and almost convinced myself none of this had ever happened. But. Yeah. Yeah, there's always a but. I got in a fight one night over something stupid. I don't even remember what. All I know was, I snapped. The other guy was fine, mostly, but they discharged me for being a pain in the ass. Basically. When I got home, Charlie was waiting for me with his big grin on his face. He said he'd been having more experiences, more contact with those things that took us. Said they kept giving him messages about the future of humanity. And I couldn't even listen to him. Not because I didn't believe it. Hell, I believed every word. But because if he was right, if these things were still out there, I mean, what did that mean for me? So I'm not proud of it. But I cut Charlie off. I just. I changed my number and moved to a different county. No, thank you. And for 20 years, I managed to convince myself I'd put it all behind me. But then came this morning at Cat Island. 12 hours gone, just like that. And now, all of a sudden, all those memories I'd repressed came flooding back like a dam burst. Jesus. I want another smoke. But I need to finish this. I know I do. Damn it. I never wanted any of this, you know, any of this. But I remember what happened to me inside that craft. I wasn't unconscious like Charlie thought. I was awake the whole time, floating through these corridors that bent and curved in horrible ways. They took me to this room where everything seemed to glow from the inside. And, yeah, they. They examined me, but it wasn't. It wasn't like you think. Instead, they moved real gentle, like. I mean, their touch somehow both alien and boy. I don't know how to say this without sounding crazy, but comforting, you know, like it was your mama or something. And when I was up there, they showed me things. Images of Earth from way up in space, technologies I can't even imagine. And then I was. Then I was just back on that riverbank. I haven't been out cold, and they hadn't wiped my memory. They just dulled it. And it took 23 years to get it back. So, yeah, it happened. Every bit of it. And I don't know, now it's on the record or something. Jesus, I sound like some damn journalist. But I remember now. And I don't know what that means. Not yet. But I know they're still out there. And next time, I'll be ready to face whatever they want to show me.

[A]

Sightings will be back just after this. Hey, skeptical geckos. I know you love exploring the unknown here on Sightings, so I want to recommend another show I think you'd like. American Hysteria. American Hysteria is a history podcast that explores moral panics, urban legends, conspiracy theories, hoaxes and crazes, and how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture from Puritans to the present. So think poison, Halloween candy, phantom clowns, haunted dolls, mind control and stranger danger. But also some cheeky ones like the thong craze and Skibidi toilet, which I think I need to look up. Point is, American Hysteria covers everything from oddities of history to politics to pop culture. And I have loved every single episode I've heard. Sometimes horrifying, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartfelt. American Hysteria goes in depth to examine how Americans have constructed the realities we share and also the realities we don't subscribe to. American Hysteria right now, wherever you get your podcasts, eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EBGLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EVGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing.

[C]

Eglis Lebricizumab LBKZ, a 250mg injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled. With prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies, Ebglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to Eglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real relief.

[A]

Ask your doctor about ebgliss and visit epgliss.lily.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979.

[D]

Welcome back to sightings, everybody. Ooh, Brian, this one was good. I don't know why this particular abduction story kind of resonated with me and is sticking with me. I think it's just our. Our guy, our narrator. It's just so personable and kind of intimate in a way.

[A]

Yeah. I think this might be our first abduction story that we did in this kind of stripped back style.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, I remember, like, our Barney and Betty Hill episode where. Which is similar in that, you know, two people theoretically got abducted and came back and started having memories and had that experience. I think what's really cool about this one, though, that we'll get into is Charlie and Calvin. You know, Calvin, the guy you read, and Charlie, his friend, kind of had very different experiences after the abduction.

[D]

I was wondering. Cause it's very interesting that, like, our guy here seems kind of maybe a little, like, tortured by it. A little, like, withholding of all of it, not trusting any of it. And like, Charlie seems like he's having a blow ball. Like, he's like, oh, my gosh, I got abducted by alien Ted. You gotta hear about this.

[A]

Yep, we'll go on to all that. And. And Charlie even had more experiences after the first one. Far more than Calvin ended up having. But there's a lot of really cool stuff to dig in on this one. And that's why I wanted to bring this one to life.

[D]

Can I ask, before we get really into it, what made you choose our fella over Charlie? The kind of more loquacious individual.

[A]

I feel like so many of these kinds of stories are generally who is out to talk about it in a lot of cases. And what was really compelling to me.

[D]

About Calvin, Calvin is the name of the.

[A]

Calvin is the name of the guy that you read. Yeah. It doesn't pop up in the story because he's talking to a voice recorder. But what was really cool to me was that he didn't want to talk about this. He kept it all bottled up basically. And that, that inner turmoil, I guess of not knowing what happened or maybe knowing what happened or being afraid of it, I thought was really cool. And it just, it gave me a really compelling way to get into the story that was different than just here's what happened to me and I'm just going to spill all my guts about it, you know?

[D]

Yeah. So, well, it worked for me. So cool choice.

[A]

I thought it was fun. I thought you really brought, you brought into life in a way that I thought was really compelling and interesting.

[D]

Oh, thank you.

[A]

Yeah. But before I guess we dive into the actual events and just recounting it all, I mean, what, what, what was in the story is what happened basically. The only thing that I kind of played with a little bit was the idea of how much Calvin might have actually known or remembered. You know, in the story. It seemed like in 1996 he had his second encounter where he lost 12 hours of the day and suddenly all the memories started rushing back to him. Yeah, that could have happened. But what seems to be the case is that Calvin seemed to have remembered most of it, but unlike Charlie, just did not talk about it, period.

[D]

Oh. So it wasn't that he forgot or suppressed it, it was just that he just didn't talk about it.

[A]

That's what it seems to potentially be. But something must have happened in 1996 that like trigger it all for him in a really profound way because he went from saying absolutely nothing about it to he wrote a book that came out eventually and just suddenly started kind of evangelizing this idea of here's what happened to me and want encouraging people to come out and talk about it. But let's head down to Pascagoula I guess and kind of just recap a little bit here because there's a lot that, a lot that happened here. You know, we got our two guys fishing on the Pascagoula river and they see the ufo. The UFO opens up, these creatures come out come crab like arms.

[D]

Which is interesting though. Like no eyes necessarily, just slits, like a face. No face and just slits is how he described it.

[A]

Yeah. And then they had the elephant skin. They just seem like very weird looking aliens that are kind of unlike any other aliens that I think we've encountered in all of our abduction stories. Because most of the abduction stories are all like the grays.

[D]

You know, it's interesting now that I think about it, the idea of claws on an alien, because, you know, you imagine if they're here, they're a more advanced Civilization. What are they doing with claws?

[A]

It does seem kind of silly, doesn't it?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Maybe they're just really good at mind control.

[D]

Yeah, I guess. But then why did the claws form, like. I don't know, maybe they are like little clone soldiers. They're like genetically modified soldiers that, like, have been created by the higher ups to fight their battles for them.

[A]

Well, once they're abducted in the ship, though, the aliens seem to kind of disappear into the background.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

And, like, there's this machine that's kind of examining them and kind of like scanning them almost, you know, now that.

[D]

We'Re on the kind of, like, precipice of this AI revolution, potentially, we'll see how it all shakes out. It kind of makes me think, oh, well, of course, like, whatever these figures were probably aren't actually the main act. And that explains why once he goes in the ship, he doesn't see them anymore. It's because the ship is the intelligence.

[A]

Interesting.

[D]

Like, the technology, it's all kind of.

[A]

Weaved together because those aliens never show up again, right? So they go to the police, and the police do this little clever thing where they leave them alone for a while to record them in secret.

[D]

Yeah, that was.

[B]

Is that legal?

[A]

I don't know. But they did it. So there you go. And they're like, okay, we believe you now. And after that, the story kind of blew up, mainly because Charlie just wouldn't shut up about it. Charlie, he talked to journalists. He talked about how he felt that he was chosen by fate or God or the aliens for something. He didn't know what. But, like, he even went on the Tonight show with Johnny Carson.

[D]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Yeah. Calvin, meanwhile, is like, no, thank you.

[D]

Right.

[A]

You know, he went in the military, he bounced around for a while, all this stuff. But. But Charlie just kept having more encounters. Like, less than a year after the first one, he was on a farm. He saw the same spaceship. He heard the voice in his head, you have endured. You have been chosen. There is no need to fear. We will communicate again.

[D]

Yeah, it's funny. It's like if the story was only centered on Charlie, I'd be less inclined to pay it any mind. Sounds like he's milking it. And it sounds very convenient that once he gets famous, he just. Oh, yeah, they keep talking to me.

[A]

Especially because a month after that, without even seeing a spacecraft, the message is just beamed into his brain. And it's a mission, you know? And the mission is, you must tell the world we mean no harm. Your world needs help. We will help in the future before it's too late.

[D]

If I had to skeptical Gecko, our friend Calvin, the one who I narrated's point of view, it would be that kind of like, after years and years of being like, oh, come on, man. He sort of felt like, ah, maybe I missed the gravy train and that was a mistake and I should have capitalized on this.

[A]

Ah, that's a valid, valid thought. We'll have to dig into that a little bit more when we get to. At the end of the theories and stuff. Yeah, we'll get to the kind of the believability factor of all of this in a bit. But Charlie did have one more encounter. The last encounter he'd have, but he was with eight other family members in a car. They were chased by the spacecraft. He heard another voice that said, oh, wait, this isn't actually the right time for this. We'll catch you later.

[B]

Is it Tuesday?

[D]

Ah, I thought it was Wednesday. I'm sorry.

[A]

Maybe because he was with family members or something, but they're like, try again later. And then they never did. He never heard from them again.

[D]

Did the family corroborate this event?

[A]

They have.

[D]

Yes, they have.

[A]

Okay. But, yeah, that was the last time Charlie heard from them. But up until Charlie died in 2011, he was telling anyone who would listen about what was going on.

[D]

Did they ever give more specifics, these aliens, about, like, what they were trying to. We mean you no harm. We're here to help you. Like, nope.

[A]

They only communicated him in those vague ways and said, you know, we're gonna save you or something.

[D]

And then they, to me, is a little fishy.

[B]

That.

[D]

That strikes me as like a. Well, maybe Charlie couldn't think of, like a good thing that would actually save the world. Cause that's kind of a tough nut to crack. So he just left it in vagaries.

[A]

It does feel a little bit like a little bit of a messiah complex happening.

[D]

But my point is kind of like, then there's Calvin.

[A]

On the other hand, then there's Calvin. Yeah. And he didn't have any other experiences beyond that first one with Charlie until 1996, when he was out on his boat early in the morning having not caught any fish. The next thing he knows, he's sitting on the boat again. It's the late afternoon, his fish thing is full. He has no idea what happened to him. And I don't know if that started triggering memories or something, but it seems to have incited some kind of a change in him to Some extent. Like I said, in 2018, he published a book. Could he just been, I'm gonna ride the gravy train. I don't know. He's passed away as well. But he admitted in his book that he'd been lying the whole time. He remembered what happened the night of the abduction and encountered pretty much what Charlie did. You know, scanned by the weird silver eye thing and then just let back out. No real mention of voices, though, that I recall.

[D]

Okay, so let's dig into whether there's anything to corroborate this experience or if it's just sort of the. According to them, this is what happened.

[A]

Well, it's worth saying that both allegedly passed sobriety tests the night of the abduction. So they weren't drunk and made this up.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It is worth saying there are discrepancies in their stories over the years. Okay. In 1975, Charlie told the Washington Post Post that The spaceship was 30ft long. It had a dome on top. Then in 2019, granted, this was 40 years later, Calvin told a newspaper that it was 80ft long and shaped like a football.

[D]

Different size. But I would get. I'll give them over the years, like, and also, like, you're both estimating perspective comes into play. And a football compared to a saucer with a dome is still a fairly similar shape.

[A]

It should be said, though, that when Calvin released his book, I guess I don't know if he was doing press or what, but he did encourage people to, like, if you have anything. If you saw anything weird around, then come forward with it. You know, come forward with the truth. And people did. One woman came forward in 2019, I think, and said that she saw a UFO flying over Pascagoula. In December 1973, two more witnesses came forward and said that they were on the Pascagoula river the same night that this happened, allegedly. And they saw a blue light flying over the river, which is interesting to me. You know, why didn't they say anything earlier? Is a question.

[D]

Also, to be able to, like, kind of, like, date it so precisely, to be like, oh, yes, in December of 1976 or what have you, I saw a blue light.

[A]

Mm. Yeah. 50 years later to come up with that.

[D]

I mean, I guess, like, what? I can buy that maybe it's like, in the moment, you're like, huh, huh, that's weird. But you're like, well, it doesn't look weird enough. It doesn't look clearly enough like a UFO that you're just like, well, I don't know. The World's big and weird and you don't say anything about it. And then this guy comes out with a story and you're like, oh, well, you know, there was this thing valid.

[A]

So before we go into theories, like, just what's your read on this whole thing? That's kind of the overview of what's happened.

[D]

I'm dubious. At the end of the day, I just think there's too many plausible explanations, not least of which is that all we really have to go on is their word. I like this Calvin guy and he strikes me as a credible witness, or at least that he believes what he's saying.

[A]

Yeah, I want to believe these guys though. I want to, like, it's a lot to make something up like this.

[D]

It's like Valiant Thor. It's like I want to believe in the idea of benevolent aliens that just want to help us and advance us along.

[A]

So I guess we've kind of covered one theory which is at the skeptical get go approach of it, which is that it was just made up by Charlie perhaps. And I wonder even if Charlie could have been the driving force behind all this and Calvin being the much younger, the reluctant, along for the ride kind of person, it has been posited that they had something like a shared psychotic disorder is what it's called. It's called Val Adou, which is French. Is the new Joker movie.

[D]

It's French for the new Joker movie.

[A]

Yes, but it's a mental illness that causes two people to suffer the same delusions at the same time. How that works, I don't know, but it does say that the person with the dominant personality drives the belief structure and the more passive person kind of gets sucked into it.

[D]

Sounds very similar.

[A]

That's the Pascagoula abduction. Listeners, we'd love to hear if you have any thoughts on this one. As always, find us on Instagram itingspod or look us up on Spotify. Leave us a comment there. We love reading those and responding to those.

[D]

Brian, I really enjoyed this one and I enjoyed the discussion as well. Where are you whisking us off to in two weeks?

[A]

We are heading to the Pacific Northwest.

[D]

Uh oh, do I smell a smelly Bigfoot story coming?

[A]

Oh, they do smell terrible, apparently. But all I'm gonna say about this one is that we are heading to Washington State and we are gonna have to fight for our lives to survive this story.

[D]

Uh, I can't wait. And I hope you can't either, listeners. So see you all in two.

[B]

Two weeks.

[A]

Bye. Sightings is hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley Produced by Brian Sigley, chase Kinzer and McLeod Andrews written by Brian Sigley Series music by Mitch Bain Mixing and mastering by Pat Kicklater of Sundial Media Artwork by Nuno Sarnatos For a list of this episode's sources, check out our website at SightingsPodcast. Sightings is presented by Reverb and Q Code. If you like the show, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you're first to hear new episodes. And if you know other Supernatural fans, tell them about us. We'd really appreciate it.

[B]

Olivia loves a challenge. It's why she lifts heavy weights and likes complicated recipes.

[A]

But for booking her trip to Palace, Olivia chose the easy way. With Expedia, she bundled her flight with a hotel to save more. Of course, she still climbed all 674 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You were made to take the easy route. We were made to easily package your trip. Expedia Made to Travel Flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.