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The Lime Grove Encounters, Florida USA

The following is an excerpt from the book Where Heavens Meet, by K. T. Frankovich, 1999. Where Heavens Meet details the author's near-death experience, survival of the devastation of Hurricane Andrew, being destitute and homeless, and her Lime Grove encounters with aliens while living in southern Florida. The entire chapter of the Lime Grove Encounters can still be viewed here.

She had two encounters with Greys. The first one happened outside and is excerpted here. In the second encounters she saw two grays, a female one with an adolescent male one inside her house. I am quoting only the first one the Grey encounters inside a house are common.


The Lime Grove Encounters - First Incident

It was a typical May day in South Dade, Florida, an afternoon that would forever change my life. Everything felt just as usual when I decided to walk the dogs for the last time, before the dusk set in. The sun was just beginning to droop toward the horizon, and as it had done so many early evenings before, the blazing ball of fire illuminated the blue tropical skies. Even the gentle summer's breeze seemed to skip merrily through the grove, as if teasing the trees.

It was the time of day I loved most.

My apartment was in the back, quiet and isolated from the rest of the complex. It faced the lime grove directly. A grove which had been abandoned long ago, now left to fend on its own. Ten steps out the front door and there I stood, in the midst of my delight. Rows and rows of lime trees, stretching for miles beyond sight, now deserted and still there to explore. My dogs loved it as much as I did. We walked it every single day, often miles at a time, until both dogs and I were too weary to take another step. It was our private little haven, created just for us, or at least I liked to think of it that way.

There were hushed secrets, whispered rumors, which circulated in conversation amongst the residents of the apartment complex. "Don't move back there," I had been warned beforehand. "Strange things happen in that grove."

"What kind of things?" I had asked, my curiosity peaked by the mystery of it all.

"Just strange kinda things," my neighbor quietly advised. He leaned a little closer, "No one ever stays back there very long. They move right out. Whatever you do, stay out of the lime grove. It isn't safe..."

The thought of a deserted grove not being safe, mildly amused me since I had spent years working in remote swamps, secluded forests, and in deep dark seas. After alligators, bears, poisonous snakes, and sharks, what more could possibly be strange? I had done it all. At least, I thought I had.

The day I had moved into the apartment, I noticed a strange inscription on the front door, facing the outside. Someone had taken a sharp tool and heavily engraved the words 'May God protect us'. The message had been deeply carved. Whoever inscribed it had spent a lot of time doing so. I thought the message seemed a bit strange but I never connected it to the subtle warnings I had been given by other residents. I more or less assumed whoever wrote it must have been religious.

I had four rather large canines. Two of them weighed approximately seventy pounds, the other two weighed approximately a hundred pounds apiece. The apartment rules stated no resident could have more than one dog, and only a small one at that. The manager kindly turned her back on my canine situation because my dogs were well trained and my apartment was always immaculate. Of course, being friends with the manager helped just a tad.

The grove had been abandoned for quite some time. The weedy grass was overgrown and easily reached a height of three feet tall. The lime trees were stunted in growth from lack of attention and care. There were rows of twig-branched trees mixed amongst leafy trees still able to sprout occasional limes. The only thing that disrupted this picturesque scene were gigantic two-story transformer poles. These ran the entire length of the grove, extending well beyond its reach. They carried huge electrical cables all the way to the Florida Keys.

Once in a great while during the summer, a handful of crop-pickers would show up to pick the few limes that grew. The dying trees were in such bad condition, they did not yield a great deal of fruit. Other than the crop-pickers, I never saw anyone in the grove. Everyone I knew was too afraid to enter. Even the children were not permitted to play in or around it.

All four of my dogs were trained to attack. I had trained them myself. Knowing they were very protective and devoted, I felt safe and comfortable. Secure with them at my side. They were all alert animals, obedient to my every command. It was obvious they would not hesitate to aggressively protect me under any threatening circumstance.

Quite a few times when strolling my dogs through the grove, I had the distinct feeling my every move was being watched. It was an eerie feeling. The dogs never barked to indicate a stranger lurked. All of my dogs would have reacted to the slightest indication of another person. Or even the presence of another animal. A few times the feeling was so incredibly powerful, I intentionally hurried them to another location in the grove. I do not scare easily so even my behavior seemed strange. I became so uncomfortable with the situation, I openly discussed it with a long time friend.

On this particular May day, which forever changed my life, I had already walked the two German Shepherds before dusk. Nothing unusual had happened in the grove during our thirty-minute stroll. I returned them to the apartment and took the two most aggressive dogs of the pack, a big black male Labrador and a giant male Schnauzer. Both excited animals were leashed as we entered the grove.

We cut through the nearest clearing to walk on the other side of the grove. The side isolated by surrounding woods. I ran the dogs on this side because no one could see us and no one dared to go back there.

As soon as we had cut through the clearing, we turned left and headed toward SW 152nd Street. We had walked approximately ten feet, when suddenly out of nowhere, I heard what sounded like someone chopping down a tree! I stopped abruptly! The noise stopped. From the sound of it, the chopping seemed to be right on top of us. But the incredible thing was neither dog had reacted. Instead, both dogs stood calmly at my side wagging their tails and waiting for me to continue on with the walk. The chopping had been so loud, I could not figure out what was going on. Had I imagined it? I knew I hadn't. Why weren't the dogs barking though?

I stood very still, waiting to hear the noise again. Everything was deathly quiet. Even the wind had died. Suddenly, it happened again! I quickly turned my head to look through the rows of sparse trees. Exactly three rows over, approximately thirty feet from where I stood, was the strangest sight I had ever seen!

Standing there quietly watching me was the oddest - the strangest - the most bizarre looking being - I had ever laid eyes on! So outrageously strange that at first glance, I honestly thought someone was standing there in a Halloween costume! I clearly recall thinking, 'Is this some kind of joke?'

Then it hit me. Really hit me hard! That was no costume! It was real!... I absolutely froze. Too shocked to move or even think about trying to.

The dogs looked directly at it. Their reaction was unbelievable! Instead of lunging forward to aggressively ward it off, both dogs simultaneously laid down on the ground, putting their heads on their front paws and closing their eyes. Two trained attack dogs, who would not hesitate to attack, laid down and appeared to be asleep! The entire situation was so bizarre I could not believe what was happening! It was as if my mind had suddenly gone mad! Half of it insisting, 'This is not real!' The other half arguing, 'Oh yes it is! This is very real!'

It was the haunting eyes that took my breath away. Those big-black-almond-shaped eyes, staring back at me. Not human. Not animal. Solid black eyes without pupils. Without eyelids. And not a trace of any white-of-the-eye showing. So big in proportion to the rest of the strange face, they dominated it. Like the spine chilling affect of a hooded cobra, they stared back, daunting, not blinking. Locked in an eye-to-eye showdown. Silently powerful. Waiting, just waiting, for me to make the first move.

It was all so insane! Yet so real!

the grey being

The harder I tried to identify what I was looking at, the worse it got. The being's head was similar to a human's but with obvious striking differences. There wasn't any hair on the head, or the rest of the body, and from the looks of it never had been. The skin was a grayish color with a slight pinkish hue. Appearing to be non-porous, the texture of it reminded me of the soft skin of a dolphin.

The circumference of the head was much larger than that of the human. Particularly around the temporal and occipital lobes, resulting in an exaggerated, distended looking forehead. The overall structure was pear shaped, coming down into a non-descriptive chin. The nose appeared too small in contrast, as if nothing more than two tiny nostrils. The mouth was about half the size of a human's. No well defined lips, making it appear more like a small slit.

The arms were long and emaciated looking, with no visible muscle tone. Following the arms down to the hands, I was reminded of the orangutan ape, only because this emaciated arm extended into a hand with long fingers. But unlike the ape, the thumb was located in the same place as the human hand.

It took several moments to realize there were a total of six digits on each hand! Five fingers and one thumb. I could not believe my eyes! I had to recount them several times for it to sink in. Each time I came up with the same figure. Six digits on each hand!

It suddenly struck me how incredible this being was! Still trapped in a mental tug-of-war, I repeatedly tried to identify what stood before me. I had no reference point to identify it with because I had never seen anything like it. The basic characteristics of the body were human. But the grayish non-porous skin and solid black almond eyes - which I assumed were some sort of protective lens - with a total of six digits on each hand, did not fit any description I knew of.

What was it?!

The abdominal area was small in circumference, frail looking, with a small potbelly. There was no definition of muscle tone. This added to the overall appearance of the upper torso looking emaciated. And yet, this emaciated look did not carry through to the lower portion of the torso.

The legs were definitely contoured like those of a human. But unlike the human's, they were a sharp contrast to the rest of the body. Extremely muscular, well-defined tone, to the point of almost being overly developed. The muscular the legs of a trained athlete. Bulging tight muscles protruded in the thighs and calves. Adding to the startling contrast of the small feet. Although shaped like human feet, they appeared to be too small for the size of the powerful legs. Almost 'child like' in comparison to the well-developed legs.

Since we stood in such close proximity to one another, I knew its height fell in the four foot tall range. It was definitely smaller than I was. Based upon my own height of 5' 3", I guessed it to be about 4' 9" tall.

Even though there was nothing by which to indicate it, I instinctively knew this being was male. He wore odd looking clothes, made out of a weird metallic looking substance. A substance not made of cloth. I had ever seen anything like it before. It appeared to be thinly layered, hugging his body like an outer sheath of protective metal skin. So tightly contoured, even the slightest body bulge was obvious. A thin metal cloth, impervious to tears or frays, yet capable of giving way with each bodily movement. His chest was covered by something that resembled a short-sleeved, silvery white, metallic tee shirt. It had a distinct sheen to it like tight fitting spandex. So did the shiny black shorts he wore. Even the shiny black fitted ankle-boots were made of the same metallic substance. There weren't any buckles, buttons, zippers, or laces on his shoes or clothing. As I stood there staring at him, I wondered, 'How did he get those boots on?'

During our stand-off I had quite a long time to observe him. Repeatedly looking him over from head to foot. He stood there quietly doing the same, neither of us moving. Finally, he took the initiative by leaning over toward the tree next to him, hiding his head from my view. The rest of his body remained in plain sight.

My initial shocked reaction was immediately followed by fear. Yet I was driven by curiosity. I had never witnessed anything like this before! Beyond extraordinary! I had no idea any form of life such as this ever existed. Even the acute awareness of being in a deserted lime grove by myself was not enough to make me panic. The intrigue and impact of standing before a living being so phenomenal, so extraordinarily fascinating, was more predominant than any fear. Fleeing the scene would have been the last thing in the world I would have chosen to do.

As I stood there watching to see what he would do next, a slight movement in the next tree next caught my attention. I quickly looked toward it, shocked by the sight that greeted me. Hanging on a branch was the strangest looking animal I had ever seen. So inexplicably strange, I could not identify it!

the strangest looking animal I had ever seen

The fur on the creature was a prominent bluish-gray color. The sight of it so startling, I could hardly believe my eyes! Had I not personally witnessed it myself, I never would not have believed it possible for fur on a living creature to be that color. The coat had a thick rich appearance and exhibited a healthy sheen, indicating a well-cared for animal. Well cared for indeed! Animals living in the wild do not have groomed healthy coats because of the elements and hardships they are constantly exposed to. The length of the fur was about three to four inches, unusually thick and finely textured. Exactly like the texture of short-hair felines but there was nothing else cat-like about it.

I assumed it hung to the branch with paws, even though I could not actually see any. The length and thickness of the fur prevented me from doing so. The position in which it was hanging reminded me of sloth. It even moved in a slow sloth-like manner. But the body shape and color was all wrong. I could not see any indication of a tail. I couldn't distinguish a head either. I assumed the head was positioned on the other side of the body, making it impossible to observe. I kept thinking, 'Come on! Move your head so I can see it! Please, move your head!'

Trying to estimate the body weight was impossible to do because of the thick fur. Although the creature hung in a curled position, I could tell the body was long. Much longer and fuller than the body of a raccoon or possum. The roly-poly abdomen didn't match either.

The moment I spotted the creature, I began receiving telepathic communication. The telepathic thoughts were so strong, I had to logically disqualify them by going through a step-by-step process of reasoning.

The first message came to me quickly. "This is a possum..."

I immediately followed this telepathic suggestion with my own logical deduction, "No! This is not a possum! This animal is not the right color of a possum! The fur is all wrong to be a possum! The body is too big to be a possum! And besides, it does not move like a possum! This animal is definitely not a possum!"

A slight delay occurred before receiving the second telepathic message. "This is a raccoon."

Again I had to reason, "No! This is not a raccoon! This animal is not the right color of a raccoon! The fur is all wrong to be a raccoon! The body is too long and too wide to be a raccoon! And besides, it does not move like a raccoon! This animal is definitely not a raccoon!"

Immediately following the suggestions, I found myself reacting in a manner totally out of character. Definitely not a course of action I would have chosen to carry out of my own volition! I wasn't aware of receiving any form of telepathic suggestion. If I had, I would have rejected it immediately. Once I had logically deducted the creature was neither possum or raccoon, all my conscious thoughts ceased.

I suddenly discovered myself tugging on both leashes. The dogs opened their eyes, lifted their heads, and calmly sat up. They then stood as if nothing unusual prevailed. Both completely oblivious to the strange being and the creature. I proceeded to calmly walk away from the scene with them at my side. As if, we were simply continuing on with the walk we had begun earlier.

My movements felt mechanical. Robotic in a sense. In a trance-like state, I kept walking as if nothing had ever happened. When I had taken about fifteen steps away from the site, my conscious thoughts suddenly jolted back! My reaction was instantaneous. I stopped dead in my tracks and burst out loud with, "What the hell was I looking at?!"

The dogs reacted to the sound of my voice, whining excitedly with waggy tails. Instantly I spun around and broke into a run! Racing back toward the site with dogs eagerly leading the way! Straining the at the leashes. Struggling to pull me faster.

While running, I quickly formulated a plan for my next course of action. Rationalizing from the being's-point-of-view, I had to have appeared pretty intimidating. I was bigger and I had two huge dogs. My advantage placed him in a bad position. But I didn't wish to harm him and somehow I had to communicate this. The best way would be for to sit down on the ground with the dogs. The body language (commonly used by wildlife observers) would hopefully communicate that I was not aggressive.

When we reached the area he had been standing in, I noticed how quickly the dogs calmed down. This was odd behavior considering they had just been running excitedly. Before I had time to mentally question it, they sat down beside me. But unlike before, they were alert, watching me for the next move. I quickly scanned the area hoping to see the strange being. Much to my great disappointment he was no where to be seen. The strange looking animal had disappeared too.

It struck me odd that he could have disappeared so quickly. I stood there quietly, scanning the area as I strained to listen for sounds. Everything was quiet except for the panting dogs. I realized things were just a bit too quiet. I glanced back down at the dogs. They were too calm for having just run the distance. Their behavior was a dead give-away. The being had to be in the immediate area. In all probability, somewhere very near.

I stood very still, barely daring to breathe. Listening for the sound of breaking branches or the rustling of leaves. When suddenly, he darted out from behind a tree! And, broke into a run!

I yanked both leashes! Jerking the dogs to their feet! And, the chase was on!

The being clutched a silvery-white metallic bag up to his chest, tied at the top with a strange looking silver rope. The bag was much like the type of burlap bag one would use to carry an animal in. It was quite obvious from the size of the bag and the way in which he carefully cradled it to his chest, the bluish-gray creature was inside. In holding the bag, I could clearly see his left hand with all six of his fingers spread wide apart. The instant he sprang into a run, the rope flew over his right shoulder.

At that moment I would have sold my soul for a camera. What I witnessed was way beyond my human comprehension or understanding. If I had not seen it myself, I never would have believed it possible.

The way he ran was incredibly shocking! He ran exactly like an African deer known as the gazelle! His feet barely touched the ground, he sprung up in a forward motion. I estimated each leap he made, straight up in the air, to be three feet high. He covered yards with each independent stride. The distance he covered not possible for a human being to achieve.

He could have easily outrun me in a heartbeat. But he didn't. Instead, he paced himself so we ran neck-to-neck, parallel to each other, approximately thirty feet abreast.

There was something else I noticed about the incredulous way he moved. While standing back by the tree, noticeable when he leaned over to hide his head, I noticed he moved his body queerly. He appeared to float or glide his body through the air. His movement was similar to the way astronauts move about in space. Weightless astronauts float their bodies through the air, as opposed to pushing their body through the air. The being appeared to move his body the same way, although not quite so exaggerated. There was only one exception. The being, unlike the astronauts, maintained precise control and co-ordination over his body. He directed it with ease.

The weightless sensation and lack of gravitational pull, became extremely evident when he broke into a run. He moved quickly but each movement looked like slow-motion-grace. So mesmerizing, I could not take my eyes off him! Not even for a split second.

We ran parallel to each other for quite a distance. I would estimate between five to six short city blocks. While doing so, he kept sending me a telepathic message. It was the same word repeated twice as one word. "Biente-Biente." I do not speak or understand any languages other than English. But because this was sent through telepathy, I immediately perceived the meaning to be, "Welcome! - Come hither." Sent as a friendly gesture meant to entice me to follow.

I was not able to get a confirmation of the meaning until I did the Art Bell Show, Coast to Coast AM. During the live broadcast, Art stated on the air, "I have just received a fax from Charles in Mexico, confirming the meaning of "Biente-Biente." It is the friendly version of Castilian Spanish meaning, Come, friend!"

During the chase, we ran through an area of about fifty yards, where the lime trees had died off and fallen to the ground. There was nothing to obstruct my view. I had plenty of time to observe his movements.

After passing through the clearing, the terrain abruptly changed to overgrown weeds and underbrush. Massive tangled vines blanketed the lime trees, creating a natural tunnel. He darted into it and disappeared. The moment he did, I ran into a wall of stench! The same affect as if someone suddenly shoved smelling salts underneath my nose. The burning stench so strong, so repulsive, I immediately experienced a violent wave of nausea. It smelled like a combination of sulfuric acid and formaldehyde mixed together. So pungent, the fumes burned the lining of my nostrils.

The moment I ran into this wall of stench, I instinctively knew there were others like him in the same area! I perceived they were in the tunnel, where they had been waiting for him all along.

I realized that I was out numbered!

Frightened out of my wits, I turned on my heels as fast as I could, heading in the opposite direction! Zigzagging through the grove with both dogs racing at my side! Too scared to cut through the clearing that lead to the other side of the grove. Mainly because, I had to run directly through the endless rows of trees. How could I be sure they weren't lurking there? I felt safer staying on the path because in the far distance I could see the road at the end of the grove.

I ran all the way up to SW 137th Avenue, ducked under the bob wire fence, and stepped out onto the road. From there, I had to walk about a quarter of a mile to reach the apartment complex. By the time I reached my apartment, the sun had already set and darkness had set in.

There were a number of problems created by what I had experienced. My body was pumping out adrenaline as fast as it could. I was aware of being in shock. I had just witnessed the most phenomenal discovery of my life. Yet, I could not pick up the phone and report it to the newspaper or police! I couldn't risk jeopardizing years of credibility I had worked hard for. I had to talk to someone! But the question was who? This was not something I could just pick up the phone and say, "Hey Mom, guess what just happened to me!"

I needed to talk to someone who trusted me. Someone who understood things like this. I decided to call a friend of mine. We spoke for hours as I repeatedly went over the lime grove encounter in detail.

"I can't identify what I was looking at!" I vented my frustration.

"An alien," she replied. "The type known as the Grays."

"But if it was an alien, why would it have been so careless to be in the grove during daylight? Surely it wouldn't have risked being seen by a human!" I argued.

"Maybe it wasn't as careless as you think. Maybe it wanted you to see. Maybe... it had been watching you. You've told me there are times when you walk the dogs, you have the distinct feeling someone is watching. I've heard you say it quite a few times."

"Maybe the meeting was intentional," she stated emphatically.

The word 'alien' was extremely uncomfortable, awkward, for me to use. I cringed every time I heard it. Definitely out of place for my life. By no means a part of my vocabulary or background. The word 'being' sounded more tangible.

I had difficulty coming to grips with it all. Everything had suddenly become so foreign and bizarre. Whatever happened to that nice peaceful stroll just before dusk? I knew what I had seen was real but with no reference point to mentally identify it with, nothing made sense. The more I tried, the worse it got. The worse it got, the more I tried. Round-and-round in circles I went, until I finally exhausted myself.

Having very limited knowledge on UFOs and ETs, did not help at all. I had never investigated the subject. Only briefly did I question the existence of other life, like any other person who has little or no experience of such things. Ideally, I truly believed there had to be other life forms existing throughout the Universe. To suddenly be confronted by a being so obviously foreign to this planet, on my planet!, was a ten-thousand volt shock! An entire lifetime of snug security had just blown up in my face!

What was this being? Who was this being? Where had he come from? How did he get here? How long had he been here? And, what were his intentions? And, why the lime grove? Why? Why? Why?!

I was fully aware I had experienced fear during the encounter, a very real fear of the unknown. But not enough fear to keep me out of that lime grove. I wanted to see the being again. Obviously I had not been harmed in any way, a thought I kept pondering over. My fears had been self-created, a side-product of mental shock. My only regret was not being able to adjust to the shock quick enough to eliminate the fear during the confrontation. Had I been able to accomplish this, my actions and reactions might have been different.

The next morning I went back into the grove as soon as it was light enough to see. I found the exact spot where the being had stood and looked at the lime tree carefully. A few big branches had been cut off. But they weren't lying on the ground. There weren't any signs of footprints because the grass was too long and thick. I traced the path of the chase, carefully retracing it with the dogs, but there was no indication of anything unusual having occurred. I knew what I had witnessed was very real. I had had a lot of time to observe the being and every course of action he had taken. This was not enough for me. I wanted to see more, knowing if it were possible to do so, the second time around would be different. I would have the benefit of a reference point, a memory to relate to, helping me adjust to their strangeness.

There was only one minor problem. This was not my decision to make. I could do nothing other than wait and hope for a second chance.