my first encounter was late night or early morning. as my wife and i slept, i was awakened by a very bright light and whirring sound. the light came through the bedroom window next to me. i heard this low pitch whirring sound, unlike anything i was familiar with. there was no other noise which seemed strange, because i had dogs in the yard. as i tried to get up and look out the window, i realized i was paralyzed. the sound and light lasted approximately 15 minutes. i went back to sleep and explained to my wife what had happened the next day. the second encounter was also late night or early morning and again my wife and i were in bed. i awoke levitated approximately two feet above my mattress. on my wife's side of the bed i observed two small figures. there was also a third figure at the foot of the bed. all three were wearing hooded cloaks and appeared to be approximately four to five feet tall. as i levitated above my bed, i could feel my body being examined. there was no pain and the figures remained motionless. after approximately thirty minutes, my body abruptly dropped to the bed. i was awake and had regained my ability to move. breathing heavily and wet with sweat, i awoke my wife. i explained what i had just encountered and she seemed unconcerned. encounter three was a little less eventful. at the time of my encounters, i was employed as a sheriffs deputy. this event occurred while i was on duty and in my patrol vehicle. it was winter and i was on a well lit, well traveled road, approaching a railroad crossing. the crossing had no lights or mechanical arms. as i approached the crossing, i noticed a bright light to my right. the light was a great distance away and was not moving. it was a clear night with no moon or stars. the time was approximately 7pm. i kept my eye on the light, looking for movement or something to help me identify it. it never moved and it was definitely not a earthbound light. getting to the railroad crossing, my vehicle stopped and i was still trying to figure out the light source. the next thing i remember was being at the railroad crossing and looking at the clock on my dash. it was approximately 9pm. had i been sitting on a well traveled road, at a railroad crossing for two hours? the light was gone and i continued my work. i have no memory of what happened those two hours and can only speculate on a possible abduction. i have had no other encounters and have shared these with many people. the encounters were interesting, but not alarming. do i believe in aliens? i can only tell you my experiences and let you decide. something happened and i have relayed the information. maybe i'll have another encounter, that will prove they exist.