Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Joey Nelson was traveling on US 90 on the night of the event, not I-10 as Clarion Ledger was told earlier.

It's been more than 45 years since Calvin Parker and Charles Hickson contacted law enforcement officers with the claim they had been abducted by aliens. The two said they were fishing on the Pascagoula River on the night of Oct. 11, 1973 when an oblong aircraft appeared and aliens took them aboard.

Hickson has since died. Parker, after years of silence, wrote a book in 2018 about the encounter and the story made headlines again. Those headlines rekindled memories of what others say they saw that night and more and more are sharing their experiences.

Joey Nelson of Mobile was 25 at the time and travelled to make money playing pool. He said he and two friends were driving on US 90 on their way to win some money on the night Parker and Hickson claimed to have been abducted.

"That night we were going to New Orleans," Nelson said. "I would say we were probably in between Pascagoula and Biloxi. We were driving and talking."

Nelson was in the front passenger seat and when he looked ahead he saw something he'd never seen before.

'We were just mesmerized'

"A big orb of light up in the air," Nelson said. "We saw that and nobody could could say anything. Nobody could move."

Nelson said the three were traveling at about 75 miles and hour when something came out of the sky and hovered in front of them.

"After a while a small ball of light came down right next to me," Nelson said. "It was about the size of a beach ball, I'd say.

"I don't know how far away it was, but it seemed like if that windshield wasn't there I could have touched it. It started flashing and clicking and flashing and clicking. We could audibly hear it. I know it sounds crazy, but it seemed like they were taking pictures. It seemed like it was in front of me ten minutes or so, I don't know. We were just mesmerized."

And then it streaked away.

Waking up

"It shot off and I've never seen anything move that fast," Nelson said. "It just shot straight up. I don't know if the small orb joined the big one, but they were both gone."

Nelson said none of the three knew what the larger orb was doing during that time because they were so focused on the smaller orb. When it left, Nelson said the three felt like they came out of a trance.

"It was like we woke up," Nelson said. "We couldn't move or gain our thoughts until it was gone."

The following day Nelson saw the news of Parker and Hickson's encounter and said it was confirmation of what he'd seen, but he let 45 years pass and is only talking about it after reading recent articles about Parker.

"I talked to Ricky and Jimmy (who were with Nelson), but other people would have thought you were an idiot," Nelson said. "I wasn't going to tell anybody. I kept quiet a long time."

Rosey Nail of Moss Point had a similar experience that night, only she was almost 300 miles away.

A falling star that didn't

"I was in Bruce, Mississippi," Nail said. "I lived in Calhoun City, but I worked in a little garment factory in Bruce.

"I was staying with a girlfriend. It was after I bathed the girls and put them in bed. We went to the back porch. We just wanted to talk and have a cigarette."

Nail said the home was in a rural area with few lights. She likes to identify constellations, so she was looking at the sky.

"I saw a falling star," Nail said. "Then I realized it wasn't actually falling.

"It was moving across the sky. It was at the 2 o'clock position and when it got to the 10 o'clock position another light shot out of it."

The larger light moved downward and seemed to get closer. It also began to get larger. Nail said it became so large it looked like the sun. Nail said it began changing colors and dropped to the horizon. Nail said dogs began barking from all directions as if they were trying to attack something.

Reliving terror

Nail said she walked into the yard to get a better look, but when she did she was overcome with fear.

"I froze," Nail said. "I was terrified. I don't know what I was terrified about."

Her fear could almost be heard as she told her story.

"As I'm talking I'm reliving it," Nail said. "My heart's beating.

"My chest is tight. My hand is shaking. That thing terrified me."

The scene then played itself out in reverse. The large light rose and became dimmer and smaller. The smaller light joined it and it shot out of sight at a 45-degree angle.

The next day she was at work and heard about Parker and Hickson on a radio.

"Everybody was laughing and making fun of those guys," Nail said. "I didn't think it was funny.

"I was dumbfounded. I believed those guys."

Nail said she felt it was time to tell of her experience because she recently read an article about him and realized they both lived in Moss Point.

"I wanted Calvin to know not everyone thinks he's crazy," Nail said. "I believe him."

A life-changing experience

Parker said he's glad more people are coming forward and said he's received messages from people who saw something that night on a near-daily basis.

"They're all coming out of the woodwork," Parker said. "It makes me feel pretty good I'm not the only one who saw something. Most of these people are credible people."

Parker, who remained largely quiet about the event for most of his life, said the best part of this experience has been writing his book and getting everything out in the open.

"I was able to sit down and talk with my family and friends about it," Parker said. "It was like a weight was lifted off me. It's been a big life-changing experience."

More:'The story is very true. That's what has bothered me for 45 years.' UFO witnesses speak.

More:Alien abduction: 45 years after alleged UFO encounter, Mississippi man breaks his silence

More:LSU's Matt Branch was shot by a dog. His leg was amputated. Now he plans to hunt again.

More:Camp, fish and paddle on this 'undiscovered' Mississippi gem

Did you see anything unusual on the night of Oct. 11, 1973? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com. Follow Clarion Ledger Outdoors on Facebook and @BrianBroom on Twitter.