What Sarah saw in the backyard changed everything
When elderly Mr. Jenkins mysteriously vanishes one night, his concerned neighbours John and Sarah launch their own investigation. But Sarah’s terrifying late-night sighting in Mr. Jenkins’ backyard will lead them down a path more strange than they ever could have imagined.
It was a beautiful summer evening in July when it happened.
John and Sarah were sitting on their back porch, enjoying the sunset with a glass of wine. They lived on a quiet cul-de-sac in a suburban neighbourhood, and rarely anything out of the ordinary occurred.
John noticed the elderly neighbour across the street, Mr. Jenkins, stepping out onto his front porch to retrieve the evening newspaper.
“There’s old Jenkins, right on schedule as always,” John remarked to Sarah.
They smiled and continued chatting as the sky faded from orange to pink to purple.
A few minutes later, Sarah turned to John and said,
“You know, I haven’t seen Mr. Jenkins come back inside yet. That’s odd, it only takes him a moment to get the paper.”
John looked across the street but the porch was empty.
“Hmm, you’re right. I’m sure he’ll be back in a sec though.”
But minutes passed, and there was no sign of their neighbour. Now curious, John stood up and said,
“I’m going to run over and check on him. Probably fell asleep reading the funnies.”
Sarah nodded as John jogged across the quiet street and up Mr. Jenkins’ walkway.
He knocked a few times but received no answer. Trying the doorknob, he found it unlocked and peeked his head inside.
“Mr. Jenkins? It’s John from across the street, just checking in.”
Only silence greeted him.
Stepping further in, John called out again but still nothing.
He searched the downstairs rooms, finding no sign of the elderly man.
Growing concerned, John hurried back to Sarah
“He’s not in the house! I’ve looked everywhere and there’s no trace of him.”
“I’m calling the police.” Sarah gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.
Within minutes, squad cars arrived, and officers fanned out, carefully searching the property and neighbourhood for clues.
They found nothing. It was like Mr. Jenkins had vanished into thin air without a trace.
Days passed as the search expanded but no leads surfaced.
His bank accounts and credit cards went untouched. His car remained in the driveway, keys still in the ignition.
Forensics turned up no evidence of foul play either.
It was one of the strangest disappearances anyone in the quiet suburb had ever seen.
Weeks went by and there were still no answers. The case made local headlines but faded as new stories emerged.
Life went on for everyone else but John and Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about what might have happened to their kindly old neighbour.
One night, Sarah awoke with a start, jolted from a nightmare. Not wanting to wake John, she quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the window.
Peering out into the darkness, a strange sight across the street caught her eye.
There was a faint, flickering light emanating from Mr. Jenkins’ backyard.
Creeping slowly outside as not to alarm whoever was there, Sarah inched towards the property line and peeked between the wooden slats of the fence.
What she saw made her gasp aloud and clap a hand to her mouth to stifle another scream.
There, huddled around a small campfire, were at least a dozen humanoid figures with leathery grey skin and oversized black eyes. And among them, appearing dazed and confused, was unmistakably their old neighbour, Mr. Jenkins.
His clothes were tattered and filthy but it was definitely him.
As Sarah watched in horror, one of the strange creatures turned its large eyes directly towards her, as if it knew she was there.
She bolted back inside and woke John, breathlessly recounting the unbelievable sight.
The next morning, police and news crews descended on the quiet street once more.
But when they searched the backyard under the light of day, there was no campfire, no creatures, and, of course no sign of Mr. Jenkins.
The police were sceptical of Sarah’s claims, making her doubt what she saw. Only John fully believed her story.
In the weeks that followed, John began researching strange disappearances and UFO sightings, convinced their neighbour had been abducted by aliens.
The case remains unsolved to this day.
Sarah sometimes wonders if she dreamt the whole bizarre event.
But late at night, when lights appear in the sky, she can’t help but peer out her window and hope for answers about what really happened to kindly old Mr. Jenkins on that strange summer evening so long ago.
Thanks for reading…
If you enjoyed reading my story, please highlight any parts you think other readers would find interesting.
A couple of claps 👏 wouldn’t go amiss, either.
Don’t forget to leave your comments about what you thought of this story.
Consider following me here on Medium and subscribing to my stories.
nom@d learning 
Leave a comment