Your
True Tales
March 2005 – Page
3
Ghost
Truck of Mex 5
by Nada
Referred to by locals as "Mex 5" or simply "The Road," Highway 5 is the only road along the eastern flank of the Baja peninsula. It begins just below California in Mexicali and ends at a the ragged settlement of Puertocitos, passing through the town of San Felipe on the way, approximately 130 miles south of the US Border. The highway runs through country just about as desolate and lonely as the far side of the moon! It is also said to harbor innate "weirdness" here and there - ghosts, slippages in time and UFOs having been reported in what seemed to me, more-than-usual numbers over the years. Having seen no such phenomenon myself, I did not believe the talk. Not until one night in March of 2004!
A friend and I were coming home from dinner in the "South Camps" and were on the stretch of highway north of town en route to El Dorado, the large American-style community where we both owned homes. (My friend is a respected psychologist and a long-time member of A.A. Aside from Pepsi, neither of us drank that night. I mention that in view of our experience, since many peoples' first reaction later on was, "Were you drunk?")
That much said, it was 9:35
p.m. and we were both entirely sober when we saw ahead of us, an old black pick-up
truck, probably a Chevy, circa 1960-something. That was by no means unusual.
Nor was it unusual, to see the driver plod along at 10 mph, taking up the center
of the lane. Politically correct or not, drivers down in Baja are notorious
for either speeding - or, for barely creeping up the road, often with their
lights out. In fact, they often HAVE no lights! Navigating Highway 5 at night
can be extremely hazardous, as a result. The truck did have tail lights, however.
I remember thinking they were much too dim, as though his battery were about
to go. We both joked about it. "Well, there's another accident just waiting
to happen," said my friend. "I'm going to pull around this jerk and
get away from him. Where are the Policia when you need them? Someone's got to
do something about these lousy drivers!"
She was still complaining as we pulled toward the center of the road. There
was no on-coming traffic, nor was there traffic behind us so it seemed safe
enough to cross into the south-bound lane.
The night was clear -not a shred of fog - and I remember thinking that the side-view mirror on the right side of the truck was sticking out too far, as though it had been bumped but never fixed. I was in the passenger seat, so I was free to turn my head. I was prepared to say something to the driver - or, at the very least to glare my disapproval- but never had the chance. As we pulled alongside, the truck literally dissolved before our eyes! One moment, we were looking at a truck - black, solid, heavy, nothing strange about it whatsoever- and the next, a cloud of dust-motes drifting in the wind - except, there WAS no wind! The air was absolutely still. And the particles were glowing, even though there was no light-source to illuminate the dust. (If it had been dust.)
Needless to say, we were both rattled by the sight! My friend stopped the car. "Did you see that?" In the next breath, "That could not have happened!" We got out. We looked around. We ran over to the spot. There was absolutely no indication of a vehicle. By then, no cloud of dust - no golden glow. We must have spun a dozen theories: light on blowing sand? (There was no blowing sand). Reflection from across the street? (There was nothing over there and nothing to "reflect" it, if there were.) Mirage? At night?
There was no so-called "rational" explanation. It was the most uncanny thing either of us ever saw. I have done some reading on the subject since. It may be pertinent (or not) that this occurred not far from what was Poncho's Market - prior to his murder, the year before. (That little market may be seen in a movie starring Ray Liota, called "Inferno", although the phone he uses in the film did not exist and was a prop). Did we get a glimpse of Poncho's killer's truck? I don't know the answer. All I know, is that we had a definite encounter with a ghostly truck.
< Previous story | Next story >
| Do
you have a paranormal tale to tell? |
