In 1999, UFO Researcher Lynn Taylor of Bloomington, Indiana, U.S., was introduced to «Adrian», an individual having expressed interest in local UFO activity. Adrian showed Mr Taylor a photo of a strange looking alien creature and said it was a «Reptilian», taken by an abducteed friend in the North Eastern United States.

According to Adrian, the friend was angry and frustrated at the regular intrusions into his life, and decided to snap a picture during one of the alien visits with his Polaroid camera. Fearful of the consequences of his actions, he gave the photo to a trusted individual for safekeeping.

Supposedly, a day or so later, the abducteed was visited by military/government individual who demanded he turn over the photo to them. When he indicated that he was no longer on possession of the photo, they responded (paraphrased), «Well, you'd better not show it to anyone, or so and so will happen.»

After worrying about the threats, the abductee made up his mind not to be bullied. He proceeded to have several copies of the Polaroid image made and shared them with trusted friends.

Adrian allowed Mr. Taylor to make several scans of the photo before leaving town for the summer and promised to get more information from the abductee friend. Eventually, Adrian moved but left no forwarding phone number. After some deliberation, Mr. Taylor chose to make the photo public, and gave it to the Alien Abduction Experience and Research (AAER) web site where it can be seen at www.abduct.com/research/r2.htm.

Shortly after this remarkable photo was uploaded, the AAER web site was contacted by David, a former ordained minister who recognized this alien. David shared his encounter with this alien he named, «Mr. Flame» due to its orange-flame coloring.

David said, «It cannot be said of me that I am a UFO fanatic. I am not a kook. I am not a «New Ager.» What CAN be said of me is that I am a conservative (I like Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh). I am a Christian. I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Although I am no longer an ordained minister, I still practice my faith, still believe in the claims of Christianity, still read my Bible, and I pray, a lot.»

«My training in Seminary included Education and Behavioral Psychology. I worked with youth, street gangs, kids who wanted to escape cult groups, victims of ritual abuse, kids who were severely abused by their families. My secular training was as an athlete, an electrician, a technologist, and some engineering background. My non-secular training was certainly not cozy with the subject of UFOs. Christians are certainly aware of the Spirit world (some still are, anyway). We know there are demons, there are angelic beings (that are very much misinterpreted by too many people). As a minister, I never included UFO studies in my repertoire, but I always included the possibility that there are other planets with beings on them.»

«Somewhere in 1995/96 I saw a picture of a 'grey' probably from Whitley Strieber's book, «Communion.» But it struck such a chord of terror in me, that I thought I was going to pass out. I recall the room started spinning, things went fuzzy, and my heart rate was going through the roof. I thought these beings were only the product of my imagination, or dream induced creatures from studying about the demons many cult groups hang around. I put the book away. If I had such a visceral reaction to a drawing on the cover of a book, I needed to put it away and give myself a break. I also needed some time to process this and think. That's when the «memories» started coming back.»

«I refer, of course, to that creature on www.abduct.com/research/r2.htm that was captioned, «Have You Seen this Alien?» I had that old familiar feeling when I saw this picture. This creature is not one of my «repressed» memories. I had a very real encounter with this being, and I did not suppress it. I still remember it as if it happened last night. This has haunted me for a very long time. I told myself that if there was such a thing as aliens, then, that was one. I also consoled myself that I have never seen a drawing or a picture of that creature, ever. I thought I would just keep my mouth shut. I though I was safe until I saw that photo on the AAER web page.»

«Here is what happened. It was around March/April of 1978. I was about 19 years old. I was attending a small private college in the high plains in the panhandle of Texas. I worked as an electric motor winder at a small town electric shop. I was able to afford tuition then because my dad was an administrator at that college. Administrator's kids went practically free at that time. My folks decided to go to Hawaii for spring break. I was staying in the dorm. My folks asked me to house sit for them while they were gone. I threw all my dirty laundry in a bag and headed to the house. I was glad to have an entire house to myself. Boys' dorms are really noisy. I got settled in for the night.»

«What happened next is a big blur. I know it took 3 days, because, well, I can tell time and read a calendar, and see the news, etc. Three days passed like a big blur.»

«I went to bed the night of day one. Nothing unusual. No creepy feelings, nothing going bump in the night. No premonitions. Just a 19-year-old college boy enjoying some space and soaking up some quiet. My mom's dog decided to sleep in my room. It usually slept in my folks' room. I guess it wanted company.»

«Over the years I have tried to sort out this next part. What I remember is that after I had gone to bed and fallen asleep, I was awakened by my mom's dog. She was growling and shaking and looking at my bedroom door. All this has a real dream-like quality to it, so I don't know if it was a dream or not.»

«But I remember getting out of bed and barely opening the door a crack, to see if I could see a bad guy, or whatever the dog was growling at. The bedroom I was in opened up to the hallway in the house. The hallway led right into the den of the house. Off the den was a kitchen and the door to my parents bedroom. I remember hearing something knocking around in the den.»

«This is where things get really sketchy. I remember the hair standing up on the back of my neck. I remember turning around and seeing something that resembled a human, but it didn't feel like a human. I was a Kenpo Karate teacher, so I decided to attack. I did.»

«When I «came to,» it was the next day, around noon. I found that I had been wadded up and stuffed under the kitchen counter, into the cupboard with the pots and pans. I was naked, my blue jeans were right where I had been standing the night before when I attacked whatever it was. My nose was bloody and there was blood all over me and the cupboard. I cleaned myself up. I felt like total hell. I was sick and disoriented all the rest of the day.»

«Mom's dog was hiding under the couch in the den and refused to come out. I picked up the couch. She was shaking. I picked her up and held her. Every time I tried to put her down, she would jump into my arms and shiver and whimper. I couldn't eat. My muscles felt as if I had had them all pulled out of my body and tightened and then replaced. I was too dazed to even think. I was supposed to go on a date that evening. I called my date and cancelled. I told her I was feeling sick. I made a date with her for later in the week.»

«I couldn't focus on television, food, or finishing my laundry. I was covered in bruises. My face hurt. I felt like I had been set on fire and recently extinguished, or left to burn out. I went outside. The sunlight felt like a fist hitting me hard between the eyes. I had been smashed up in karate tournaments, but this beating was like none I had ever experienced before. I went back in and put ice packs on my face. I turned the air conditioner down as low as I could because I felt as I were going to burst into flames. I was wearing a tank-top and jeans, but it hurt to wear clothes. I guess I fell asleep on the couch with the dog laying on my chest.»

«I woke up suddenly. It was night-time. I was still on the couch. But I was naked again, and my nose was bloody again. I looked over toward the door of the house. That is where I first encountered our friend the «Flame». I don't know what to call it. It was about 7 feet tall, looked really muscular, but looked as if it were on fire. It glowed as if it were a bright hot coal in a furnace.»

«I remember wondering what was keeping the house from burning down with this giant, flaming creature standing in the den. Its back was to me when I saw it. It turned around as if it were checking on me. It saw me trying to get up, but I couldn't get up. It was as if I had been paralyzed. It came over to me and put its hand on my chest. I waited to feel the flames burn me. I didn't feel any type of fire or heat. What I did feel was as if I had been hit in the chest point blank with a shotgun. I also felt a great deal of some type of energy emanating from it. My skin was vibrating and so was the couch. The dog was beside herself. It touched the dog, and she shut up and fell over.»

«To say I was frantic with fear is to say the ocean is a puddle of water. I was terrified. It, the «Flame» spoke to me. It was not like it spoke out-loud. It was not like it used words either. Its words had weight and substance, and they appeared inside my head. So when I say, «It said», I am only trying to relay as best as I can in words that make sense. But it told me to not be afraid. It told me I was ok, and was safe. It told me it has been with me since I was a little kid (although I have no recollection of that at all, I'm not so sure I believe it.) It told me that I have been learning lots of things, and I will remember them when it is time to remember. What I do remember thinking and still think, is that this sounds like some cheesy sci-fi movie.»

«I tried to think of questions, but at the time, my brain was not in the mood for displaying any type of cognitive skill at all. I tried to get up again. It told me to go to sleep.»

«It was after 3 p.m. the next day when I woke up. If I thought I felt bad after the first night of fun and games, I was mistaken. I felt 10 times as lousy when I woke up. All I could do was lay around the house. I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I took a shower, got dressed and tried to go outside again, with the sun feeling like a fist. I went in. The dog had become a new appendage. She was not going to let me out of her sight all the rest of the day.»

«I remember trying to eat some crackers and drinking a coke, but my throat felt as if it had been sand-papered with barbed wire. I was really hoarse. I felt as if I were going to burst into flames. I turned the TV on to try to catch the evening news. That's all I remember. I woke up the next day, naked again, bleeding again, just in time to see the creature of flame disappear right through the front door of the house. The door acted as if it were on a time delay because, after Mr. Flame went right through it, with it closed, the door looked as if it opened and then slammed shut. Mom's dog was really barking and howling this time.»

«I was sick for a few days after that. I slept a lot. I broke another date. I developed a really good case of insomnia that persists to this day. It took several days for me to get «re-oriented» to my environment. I was really sensitive to sunlight for about a week. The sun in the Texas high plains is pretty brutal, but I couldn't even stand to be near a window that the sun was hitting, even if there were blinds and shades on it.»

«The creature was about 7 feet tall. Looked really muscular. Radiated some type of energy. Had stripes on it. I know I saw its face, and I know you asked for a description of the face, but I cannot recall what its face looks like, try as I might. I can remember many things about those three days. I have left a few things out because they sound way too fantastic to be believed. I was there and I don't believe me. I can imagine what others will think. I am not a kook. I am not crazy. My sister has had similar experiences.»

«I would really like to hear from anybody that can help me research this and other things related to it. I also am trying to figure out how to reach Mr. Flame. I have some really good questions my adult mind knows to ask, that I could not even think of at 19 years of age.»

AAER received mail from at least two other readers who recognized «Mr. Flame» as having been the alien they encountered. While a few readers dismissed the photo as an outright implausibility, Dr. John Gedye stated that, «alien photographs should be judged primarily by whether they are acceptable to «experiencers» (abductees) as representing what they see when they «experience.» Only if the photos are acceptable, is it worth spending time discussing how they are produced.»