A significant part of the territory of the "granite" state of New Hampshire is occupied by the White Mountains - a national reserve popular with locals and tourists. There is something to see here: caves formed during the Ice Age, fogs over the morning lake, sheer walls covered with moss, picturesque waterfalls - a rich colorful palette that is taken home in paintings and photographs.
One of the peaks of the reserve is called Black Mountain. In 1981, an incredible event happened here, which many consider a miracle. It all started when the family brought their autistic son, 12-year-old Kevin Barker, here on an excursion. In the camp, they found that the boy was missing.
Black Mountain is not very high - only 975 meters. 250 professional rescuers were sent in search of the child - enough to thoroughly survey the area. They combed the thickets on foot, took search dogs with them, and examined the mountain from helicopters. Three days passed, and the boy was never found. Despite the fact that it was July, the temperature in the mountains dropped to zero degrees, so the chances of finding the child alive decreased.
Meanwhile, 43-year-old Jack Brignoli, a firefighter from Marshfield, Massachusetts and a father of five, who lived five hundred kilometers from the scene, suddenly wanted to turn on the TV. On the evening news, there was a report about a missing teenager: Kevin's father with tears in his eyes told that his son had no drink or food with him. Jack seemed to be shocked: he suddenly clearly understood that he had to find the boy. Without wasting a minute, the man got ready for the four-hour journey to the Black Mountain. Arriving there at 11 pm, Jack spent the whole night searching and at 8 am he found Kevin.
The firefighter later said in an interview that he was able to find the lost teenager thanks to his son. 14-year-old John was also autistic, such children cannot shout "help" - they swallow letters, confuse syllables, their speech becomes illegible. Hearing a muffled scream nearby and indistinct sounds similar to the word "mom", Jack immediately thought of John and realized: he had found a loss.
Jack was skeptical about religion. But in an interview with The Weekly World News he said: “Somehow I KNEW where to look for the baby. All this seems fantastic. People would think I was crazy, but something bigger than myself was telling me where to go”; “… There was such a feeling as if an unknown hand was leading me. The higher I climbed, the more enthusiasm and strength there was”; “I was not alone. … God brought me to Kevin. Even though that didn't end all my doubts. I have a lot to rethink. After his miraculous rescue, Kevin became more outgoing. At first he said that he was very frightened. But when asked how he managed to survive the cold nights, the boy replied that at nightfall he was surrounded by a white glow. This light warmed and gave a feeling of peace and security.
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Jack Brignoli died in April 2014 at the age of 76. Superman, as the journalists managed to call him, had by that time ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. During his life, he saved many people, was nominated for an award, but each time he claimed that he had not done anything outstanding.
Elena Muravyova for neveroyatno.info
