Rockford, IL - Sphere

IN ROCKFORD, A FRIEND AND I WERE 14 YEARS OLD. WE WERE WALKING TO A ROOT BEER STAND. WE THEN NOTICED A SMALL OBJECT THE SIZE OF THE TIP OF MY LITTLE FINGER IT WAS BLACK AND ABOUT .5 OF A CENTIMETER IN DIAMETER. IT ALSO HAD A BLINKING LIGHT THAT WAS A WHITISH GREEN CREAM COLOR. WE NOTICED NO WINGS. THE LIGHT BLINKED ABOUT EVERY 2 SECONDS EXACTLY. NOT 1 SECOND, THEN THREE SECONDS. THE OBJECT CAME TOWARDS US SLOWLY, BUT AT A VERY STEADY SPEED. IT THEN STARTED CIRCLING US AT CHEST HIGH IN A PERFECT CIRCLE ONLY ABOUT 4 FEET AWAY. IT CIRCLED US FOUR OR FIVE TIMES WITH THE LIGHT BLINKING AT A STEADY SPEED. FOR SOME STRANGE REASON I PULLED A SMALL FIRECRACKER OUT OF MY POCKET AND MY FRIEND LIT IT. I THREW THE FIRECRACKER AT IT AND IT EXPLODED RIGHT NEXT TO THE FLYING OBJECT. THE OBJECT THEN TOOK OFF AT A VERY FAST SPEED AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. I SAW ITS LIGHT BLINK AT ABOUT 20 YARDS AWAY, THEN MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN OR CHANGE OF DIRECTION THEN THE LIGHT BLINKED AGAIN AT THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AS USUAL. IT THEN MADE TWO MORE CHANGES OF DIRECTION BEFORE DISAPPEARING IN THE DISTANCE FROM OUR VIEW. IT WAS MOVING VERY QUICKLY. I ALWAYS WISHED I HAD TRIED TO GRAB THE OBJECT. I HAVE SPENT 36 YEARS TRYING TO FIND AN INSECT THAT GAVE OFF LIGHT THAT FIT THIS DESCRIPTION. I HAVE TALKED TO EXPERTS THAT SAY ONLY A LIGHTNING BUG OR FIREFLY GIVE OFF LIGHT. WHAT DID WE SEE? I SWEAR THIS STORY IS THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE SEEING AN OBJECT LIKE THIS BEFORE. WAS IT A PROBE?

((NUFORC Note: Date is approximate. PD))