After being missing for over 3 years, Andrew’s family suddenly starts seeing stories about him appear in the news. He is apparently in Australia, on the other side of the world, claiming that he had been kidnapped by aliens and spent all that time on another planet. And he has proof.
And when his wife finally finds Andrew again, she is shocked by the details in his strange story…
Everybody was amazed by these strange coins that Andrew was showing off, claiming that he got them from aliens. At first, people thought he was lying and that the coins were fake, just like his kidnapping story. But soon, they would find a lot more compelling evidence that he was actually speaking the truth…
For example, the coins were made from a strange metal that had never been encountered on Earth before. After a lot of research, the scientists conducting the investigation regarding his disappearance started to have doubts. What if he had not made it up and his story was true after all?
However, there was one more piece of crucial information that Andrew kept from the researchers. He only wanted to share it with his wife… And when he was reunited with her and told her the entire truth, she was completely shocked!
But what exactly had happened to Andrew? Where did those coins come from, and what secret did he reveal to his wife?
Andrew Long had been missing for nearly three years. He was a loving husband and father, with a very ordinary life. When he suddenly disappeared, many people around him were shocked… They wondered what had happened to him, and it would take them a long time to find out.
Andrew never had any enemies, debts, or other things that would make him leave so suddenly, without saying goodbye to his loved ones. He loved his family so much, and he would never leave them behind, no matter what! So, people were convinced that something had happened to him, and he had not left by choice…
His wife had tried her very best to keep the search for Andrew going for as long as possible, but after 5 months without any leads, the police simply could not justify continuing to look for him. It was costing too much time and resources. They had to assume that Andrew was dead at this point…
And for 3 years, that was the reality that Andrew’s family and other loved ones accepted. They tried to move on with their lives the best they could, but they never seemed to fully forget about the man they called husband, father, or friend. And then, one day, those memories instantly got pushed to the front again!
Andrews's son, Maliek, was actually the first one to see his father again. But it was not in a place he expected to see him whatsoever. He was just browsing Youtube and was going down a bit of an alien conspiracy hole, watching video after video of people making ridiculous claims.
And one of these videos completely stopped the young man in his tracks, and not for the reason you think. It came from an Australian “news” channel that was covering the story of a man who claimed to have been kidnapped by aliens and had spent almost 3 years on their planet.
He was also showing very strange-looking coins, which he claimed were currency on the planet he had been living on. The story was very strange, but the reporter did note that he was getting a lot of the scientific facts right. All while he should not know about that at all…
But Maliek did not care about what the man was saying at all. He only cared about the man himself as he was 100% sure he was looking at his long-lost father, Andrew! He waisted no second and immediately showed the footage to his mother, Amanda, who couldn't believe her eyes.
She was just as stunned as her son, as there was no way around it. That was her husband! But what the hell was he doing in Australia after so many years, and why was he telling such a crazy story? Why had he not even bothered to contact them?
Amanda had so many questions, and she knew the only way to find out the truth was to confront her husband directly. She needed to get in contact with Andrew, sooner rather than later. But that would prove a bit more difficult than she had first expected…
She tried to get in contact with Andrew through every means of communication she had with him 3 years ago. Social media, phone, email, etc. But he didn't respond anywhere. Then she decided to send a message to the Youtube channel which posted the video; they must know more, right?
But here, too, Amanda found nothing but disappointment. Apparently, Andrew had approached them on the street with the story out of nowhere, and they had no contact information from him whatsoever. They literally only knew his name and where they had met him. This wasn't going anywhere...
And thus, that location was the only lead Amanda had to go on. The reporter had interviewed Andrew somewhere in Sydney, so Amanda knew that, if she wanted any chance of getting answers, she had to fly out there and look for her husband herself, no matter how crazy it sounded.
Meanwhile, Maliek had actually been looking for more recent videos that might feature his father's story, and he was actually finding a couple of them along with some news articles detailing how crazy it was. It was clear that Andrew was very eager to share his experience with multiple news channels.
Amanda ended up buying plane tickets for a flight to Sydney in 2 days' time. She made arrangements with her mother that she would watch the kids for the time she would be away, and took 2 weeks of vacation from work to look for her husband in Sydney.
She was very confident she would find him in the area where the reporter had encountered Andrew in the first place. By now, Maliek had also contacted all the other publishers of Andrews's story, and they all told a very similar story about the encounter they had with him…
Amanda had read all the interviews as well, and the story just baffled her completely. She had never once heard her husband tell stories about aliens before. He was normally not interested in things like that. He was way too matter-of-fact and serious for strange stories like this one.
But whatever happened to him in those 3 years time seemed to have completely changed him. And then those coins that he was showing off in every interview... Amanda had to admit they looked incredibly strange and “out of this world.” But they could not really be from aliens, could they?
The reaction to all the videos and written interviews seemed to be very mixed. A lot of people were laughing at Andrew and were sure that he was making everything up, while a good amount of other people believed his every word and were saying this was some of the strongest evidence for aliens in a while.
In the short period that the interviews were published, they started to gain a lot of attraction online. People were massively sharing this video about an alien encounter. You could even say that the story was going somewhat viral. And Amanda noticed that as well in her search for Andrew.
When she finally arrived in Sydney and made her way to the neighborhood where everybody was saying they encountered Andrew, she found that she was not the only person looking for him. Whole groups of alien enthusiasts were in the area, hoping to hear the story straight from Andrews's mouth.
But seemingly, nobody had any luck finding Andrew today. They were asking people who lived in the area and showed them pictures of Andrew. And while most people had seen him around here the past couple of weeks, it had apparently been a couple of days since his last sighting…
And this was, of course, a blow to Amanda’s confidence, but with all these people looking for Andrew, she knew he would be found eventually. And so she gave her number to all the alien enthusiasts and asked them if they wanted to call her when they found Andrew. And seeing her situation, they were more than happy to.
In the meantime, Amanda had arranged a meeting with the reporter that first broke the story that Andrew had told him. She wanted to know from him directly how her husband was doing at that time and what he thought about the whole ordeal when he first heard about it.
The reporter explained that he had heard many crazy stories in his time and that he did not believe 95% of what he posted online. But a lot of people did, and this had kept the lights on. But Andrew’s story was a bit different to him. Mainly because he saw how much Andrew himself believed in it.
You could tell by the way he was speaking that there was no doubt in his mind that this all really happened to him. Did the story sound ridiculous? For sure! But maybe there was still more than met the eyes. Andrew had to have done something in the years that he was missing.
Amanda was surprised to hear that the reporter thought Andrew truly believed the story he was telling. She had expected it to be some kind of act, but maybe she was wrong… There was only one thing she knew for sure, and that was that she wanted to find him.
As much as she wanted to see him, she was also angry with him. During those years that he had been gone, she was heartbroken. She couldn’t think of any reason why he would just leave her like that, and she assumed that something terrible had happened to him… And now, she found out that he was alive and well – and she couldn’t even reach him!
The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions, ever since her son showed her that video. She couldn’t believe that Andrew hadn’t even tried to reach out to her, or anyone else in his family… If his story was real, he surely could have called her after he “returned to Earth."
Amanda was having a hard time believing the whole story, but she decided she didn’t want to focus on that now. The most important thing was to find him, and she would hear all about his experience later. However, she had no idea where to start looking, so she thought of a plan.
She gave the reporter her contact information and asked him to please keep an eye out for Andrew. They made a deal that he would contact his colleagues, and if he heard that anybody else heard of him, he would contact her immediately. Amanda thanked him and said goodbye – it was time to continue her search now.
She walked around Sydney, searching around places where she would expect to find him. She went to all of the restaurants that served his favorite kinds of food, all the hotels and motels she thought he might be staying in, and she even went to museums about things that interested him.
Everywhere she went, she showed a photo of Andrew, hoping that somebody would recognize him and be able to tell her where he was. But sadly, nothing like that happened. Amanda looked for him for days, but nobody she spoke to even had a clue of where he could be.
She wondered if she would ever see her husband again. Despite her efforts, she still hadn’t been able to get in touch with him… And she noticed that he didn’t mention her, Maliek, or anybody else from their family in a single video or interview. Had he completely forgotten about them?
One night, she decided to stay in her hotel room. She was extremely tired, and she had looked for Andrew the whole day already, but now it was time to get some rest. She ordered some pizza, took a shower, and watched some tv before she went to bed. She would continue her search the next day.
Suddenly, she heard a loud noise. She jumped up and realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch. It was early in the morning, and the sun shone through the curtains. That's when Amanda realized what that loud noise was; it was her phone! Someone was calling her.
When she looked at the screen and saw the caller ID, she didn’t recognize the number. Usually, she didn’t pick up when an unknown number called her cell, but now it could have something to do with Andrew… So she picked up the phone and said, “Hello, who is this?”
She was surprised when she heard who was speaking on the other side of the call, but she was also relieved. It was the reporter who she had spoken to just a few days ago! He had to have some news; otherwise, he wouldn’t call her. Would he tell her where to find Andrew?
Wow, he is definitely not wasting any time, she thought. As it turned out, he had spoken to his colleagues, and Andrew had indeed reached out to one of them. They set a meeting to discuss the matter and maybe do another interview. Amanda thought about her husband. He had done so many interviews already!
She couldn’t help but find the whole thing really very weird. Her husband, as she knew him, never liked to be the center of attention. He hated speaking in public or in front of a camera. But now, he seemed to be eager to do as many interviews as possible.
But the reporter had even more news for her. His colleague felt sorry for Amanda and could only imagine what she had been through, so he wanted to help. He gave the reporter the location of their meeting, and asked him to pass it on to Amanda! She couldn’t believe it…
This was amazingly unexpected! She had given the reporter her number in case he heard anything new about Andrew, but she had never expected to hear back from him this soon, especially not with this kind of news. It was so much better than what she had initially hoped for!
She wrote down the address and time the reporter gave her on a piece of paper. “Thank you so much for this! I still can’t believe it,” she told him. Then she hung up the phone and got ready for the day. It was going to be a special one, after all.
She got dressed and ready, and then she looked up the address online. She still had a couple of hours left before the meeting was scheduled, but she decided to go there early anyway. That way, she could have a look around the place. It was always good to be prepared!
She took a cab and asked the driver to drop her off at a bus stop, close to the address the reporter had given her. She didn’t want anybody else to have the exact location, just in case… She also made sure that nobody followed her there. She needed to be careful!
Even though she had not been in any of the interviews herself, she had spoken to quite a few of Andrew’s fans, and they would probably recognize her, too. And she knew that she wasn’t the only one looking for him… She didn’t want anybody to see her, because they might follow her. And that would definitely blow her cover…
Upon her request, the other reporter hadn’t told Andrew about the fact that his wife would be there, too. She was going to wait until after the interview to go to him, and she wanted it to be a surprise. That way, she could see his genuine reaction to seeing her again. But that wasn’t everything…
Amanda was having serious doubts about her relationship with Andrew. From the short videos she saw of him online, he looked like a completely different person… He had always been loving and caring, but he looked totally off the rails now. And he still hadn’t gotten in touch with her or Maliek yet…
She didn’t even know what she wanted to say to him when she saw him, or how she would feel. Would she be happy, or angry? Would she laugh, or cry? All she knew was that she needed to see him as soon as possible, and the rest would follow.
The address the reporter had given her was of a big park. Amanda found a good hiding spot in a coffee shop close to it, from where she could see the entire park. She ordered a latte and went into waiting mode. She would sit here for quite a while…
The hours crept by, and it was almost time for the meeting to begin. They still had about 10 minutes left when Amanda saw a man walk into the park, look around and sit down on a bench. He looked different from the other people who were just taking a walk in the park… Amanda figured that this had to be the reporter.
She kept an eye on him as they both waited for Andrew to arrive. She wondered how he would react to seeing her… She just hoped he would want to talk to her, and not run away immediately. She was thinking of many horrible scenarios in her head, and suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted.
The reporter wasn’t alone anymore. Someone had joined him on that bench… And when Amanda took a closer look, she realized it was indeed Andrew. She almost didn’t recognize him anymore. Her heart was beating fast, and her eyes filled with tears as she looked at her husband, alive and well, for the first time in years…
Her first instinct was to run to him, hug him, and then smack him in the face. But she controlled herself and stayed in the coffee shop. She would wait until he had finished the interview, and then she would walk over to him. Until then, she would just look at him…
It was so bizarre to her that she finally really found him. She still couldn’t realize that this was really happening, and she had no idea how this story would continue. After about half an hour, Andrew and the reporter got up and shook hands. This was her cue. They were done!
She had already paid for her coffee, so she hurried outside. She approached them from Andrew’s back, so he couldn’t see her yet. The reporter had already recognized her, and he tried his best not to give anything away, but Andrew must have noticed him looking behind him…
The next second, Andrew turned around. Amanda was just a couple of steps away from him. He looked her directly in the eyes, and she saw the absolute shock on his face. He froze and showed no other emotion at all… Amanda doubted whether she had made the right decision.
But then, it looked like Andrew suddenly woke up, and he ran over to her. He took her in his arms and whispered in her ear, “Ames, what are you doing here?” Amanda didn't know what to say but eventually answered, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Andrew. We thought you were dead.”
She couldn’t deny that she was a bit disappointed by his reaction. Secretly, she had hoped their reunion would be romantic, like in the movies, and he would pick her up and swirl her around, or something like that. But in reality, it was kind of awkward, and it made her sad.
After the reporter left, the two of them went back to her hotel room to talk. Amanda was happy to be reunited with her – alive – husband, but also angry at him for not getting in touch with her. And Andrew was truly surprised that she had found him… And he knew that he owed her an explanation.
They talked for hours in her hotel room that night, but it did not end the way they had hoped… Andrew confessed to his wife that the entire story of alien coins and other planets was fake. He made everything up! And his reason for doing so completely shocked her…
Those years ago, when Andrew disappeared? He ran away. He hadn’t told anybody about it, but he was tired of his life, and he wanted something new, something special, something adventurous. So one day, he just left and bought a plane ticket to the other side of the world. He hadn’t even packed a suitcase.
He hadn’t brought his phone or any other belongings, except for his passport and his wallet, and the clothes he had worn that day. He wanted a completely fresh start, and he thought he would be happier there. He had left without saying goodbye to anyone because he felt like people would not understand him, or be angry with him for leaving…
And at first, he was happy. His plan seemed to work. He enjoyed his life again, and he had high hopes for a happier future. He did all the things he wanted to do, he had fun, and he enjoyed himself. But after a while, that happiness started to fade.
He started to miss his old life, his family, and his friends. He even missed his old job! But he felt like he couldn’t just call them after all those years, and tell them, “Hey, it’s Andrew. I’m alive, I just ran away to the other side of the world for a while, but now I want to come home, and I need your help.”
So he thought of a way to make some money. He made those coins himself and made up the whole story around them. He hoped to gain just a little publicity in Australia, so he could finally sell the coins and have enough money to fly back home. But he hadn’t anticipated that his son would see that Youtube video…
Long story short, Andrew and Amanda flew back home together. They tried to work things out, but Amanda just couldn’t forgive him for what he had done. If he had just told her that he wasn’t happy, they could have found a way to make it work… But instead, he let everyone think he was dead.
They got a divorce, but they remained on good terms. Andrew learned from his mistakes and went into therapy, and he learned a lot from it. Maliek continued to live with his mom, but he saw his father regularly. Their relationship became better over time, and finally, they all went back to their normal lives again. The end!
Lila had been feeling uneasy for weeks. Her stomach was bloated, and she had a constant feeling of nausea. She finally decided to visit the doctor. After a few tests, the doctor asked her to get an ultrasound. Lila's heart raced as she watched the screen while the technician performed the scan. Suddenly, the technician's expression changed, and she called for the doctor.
Lila’s heart pounded in her chest while she waited for the technician to return. She feared for her health and wondered what could be so wrong that she had to get a doctor. Lila waited anxiously, feeling a sense of dread creeping over her. She tried to distract herself by looking around the room.
Finally, the technician returned with the doctor. She showed him the screen while turning it away from Lila. The doctor looked serious, and after looking at the screen for a while, he simply nodded at the technician, who hurriedly left the room. Lila frowned. What the heck was going on?
Lila wiped the leftover gel off her stomach and sat up straight. She got dressed and wanted to walk out of the room, but the doctor stopped her. “I’m sorry, Lila, but you can’t leave. We’ve called the police….”
But why was Lila in so much pain? Why was the doctor so secretive? And why did they call the police?
Lila (17) had been feeling uneasy for weeks. Her stomach was bloated, and she had a constant feeling of nausea. She desperately tried to ignore it at first, thinking it was just a stomach bug, but when the symptoms persisted, she started to worry that something was seriously wrong with her.
One day, while sitting in class, Lila felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. It was so sudden and intense that she doubled over in pain. Her classmates looked concerned and asked if she needed help. Lila was too embarrassed to say anything and quickly composed herself, telling them it was just a cramp
After class, Lila decided to visit the doctor. She had never been to the doctor alone before and was a little nervous. She tried to shake off her nerves and focus on getting the help she needed. When she arrived at the clinic, she checked in and sat down to wait her turn.
The waiting room was full of different kinds of people, and Lila felt self-conscious. She wondered if anyone could tell that she was sick. As she waited, she started to feel more and more anxious. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong with her and felt very alone.
Finally, it was Lila's turn to see the doctor. She was escorted to a small room and asked to sit on the exam table. A female doctor entered the room shortly after and asked her what was wrong. Lila hesitated at first but eventually told the doctor about her symptoms.
The doctor listened attentively and wrote everything down. She really made Lila feel at ease and taken seriously. Then, the doctor asked her if she could do a physical. Lila wasn’t sure at first, but after another painful cramp, she agreed. So, the doctor performed the exam and asked her a few more questions.
One of the questions was about Lila’s sex life. Lila was almost too embarrassed to tell, but she had a loving boyfriend, and they always used protection. She was certain this couldn’t be a pregnancy, as she also had an IUD. The doctor agreed and told her to get an ultrasound at the hospital as soon as possible.
Lila was a bit shocked by the referral. She had hoped to be done after one day, but now she had to find a way to skip school without them notifying her parents. Lila left the clinic feeling overwhelmed and scared. She had never been to a hospital alone before, and the thought of it made her anxious.
She knew her mother and father would both be working the next day, so she decided to call in sick for school. Usually, her mother had to call the school, but Lila had no other choice. It was very unlike her, but she had to pretend to be her mother.
Lila always left the house before her parents, and because she didn’t want them to suspect anything, she did the same today. But instead of going to school, she hid in the garden shed. There it was quiet enough for her to call the school and tell them she couldn’t go today.
To Lila’s surprise, it worked, and as soon as her parents left for work, Lila stepped out of the shed and headed to the hospital. It was a short bus ride, but it felt like an eternity. Lila’s heart pounded in her chest when it was time for her to get out, and she slowly walked to the entrance.
When she arrived at the hospital, Lila checked in and sat down to wait for her turn. She was surrounded by people with all sorts of ailments, and she felt even more nervous. She kept checking the time, hoping that her turn would come soon. But the wait was longer than she had hoped.
The waiting room was filled with uneasy people and crying children. After waiting for thirty minutes, Lila walked over to the receptionist. She asked if her turn was almost coming up, but the receptionist couldn’t give her the specific time that a doctor would come. This only made her more nervous.
Finally, Lila was called in for her ultrasound. The technician was kind and made her feel comfortable. She explained the procedure and what to expect. The technician placed a cold gel on Lila's stomach and began to move a wand over it. Lila watched the monitor intently, hoping to see something reassuring.
Lila had no idea what she was looking at. She only had an ultrasound once before at the gynecologist before they placed her IUD, but this ultrasound was different. She looked at the technician, but her facial expression gave nothing away. The pain was less prominent by now, and Lila hoped it would all be over soon.
However, the technician's expression became more and more serious as she conducted the ultrasound. Lila's heart sank. Deep down, she knew something was wrong. But before she could ask what was going on, the technician told her to wait while she consulted with the doctor, leaving Lila all alone in the room.
Lila waited anxiously, feeling a sense of dread creeping over her. She tried to distract herself by looking around the room. It had different kinds of posters and flyers on the walls, but her eyes kept returning to the door. Then, finally, the doctor entered the room, and Lila braced herself for the worst.
The technician followed close behind the doctor and showed him what she had seen, turning the screen away from Lila. The doctor looked serious, and they talked about several things Lila didn’t understand. Finally, the doctor turned to Lila. “Lila, do you have somebody we could call? Your parents, maybe?”
Lila was shocked. Why would they call someone for her? What was going on? The doctor could see she was scared and reassured her everything was fine. They just wanted to talk to her parents because of her young age. But Lila refused. She told them they could discuss everything directly with her.
The doctor looked at the technician and simply nodded his head. After that, the technician left the room in a hurry. Lila wondered what that was about, and she desperately wanted to get up and leave, but she still had gel on her stomach that needed to be wiped off.
Lila had a horrible feeling in her stomach. There was something else going on that they weren’t telling her about. Why else would they want to call her parents? She grabbed a tissue and cleaned the gel off her stomach. The doctor noticed and assisted her. After that, she got dressed and wanted to leave the room.
The doctor shook his head and told her she couldn’t leave just yet. He asked if she could wait there for a while and he would come back soon to discuss the results. Lila didn’t like this, but she agreed to stay and wait. She needed to know what was going on anyway.
When the doctor came back, he had shocking news for Lila. He told her she would have to wait for a bit longer, because they had called the police. Lila couldn’t believe it. Tears gathered in her eyes, and she felt like she wanted to scream.
She felt so alone and helpless. She just wanted to leave this place and go home! She asked the doctor what the heck was going on one last time, and demanded an explanation. What was happening to her and why did they need to involve the police?
The doctor knew that Lila needed to hear the truth sooner or later, and she deserved to know what was going on with her body, so he decided to just tell her. When Lila heard the words coming out of his mouth, she froze in shock. “That’s… impossible!”, she exclaimed. She knew it could not be real.
The doctor told Lila she was pregnant. And because they couldn't contact her parents and Lila was so young, they had to call the police. But, Lila told the doctor she couldn’t be pregnant because she had an IUD, and it must all be a huge misunderstanding.
However, it was definitely no misunderstanding. The doctor and the technician had clearly seen the baby on the ultrasound and they were one hundred percent sure of it: Lila was pregnant. When they showed her the scan, Lila felt like she was going to faint. How could this be happening?!
The doctor explained that her IUD had dropped and because of that, it wasn’t working properly anymore. It had stopped working a while ago, actually – Lila was 10 weeks pregnant… She was still shocked, but the proof was there. She had to just accept it now.
By the time the police arrived, Lila had already called her boyfriend, Jonas. He had immediately come to see her and he wanted to be there for her. Lila was scared of what was going to happen next, and having him by her side did make things a bit easier.