Mr Jones' passenger

One day Mr Jones had to work late at his office. He finished his work and got into his car to begin the long drive home. He was feeling tired and it was a dark night. He opened his window to help him stay awake as his car threaded its way along the winding country lanes.

In the distance he could see a patch of mist. "Oh no!" he thought, the mist would make his journey even more difficult. But as he approached it seemed to clear and in the moonlight he made out a figure standing by the side of the road. It was a little boy, and he was crying.

Mr Jones stopped his car and spoke to the boy.

"What are you doing here at this time of night?" He asked.

Through his sobbing the boy explained that he'd come there with his mummy for a picnic hours before. He'd run off to play in the woods but got separated from his mother. He'd been looking for hours.

"Jump in." said Mr Jones, "I'll take you to the nearest town and from there you can call your mother. She must be out of her mind with worry."

The boy got into the back of the car. Mr Jones tried to make polite conversation. He asked the boy's name and where he lived. But the boy didn't answer. He just sat there sobbing. After a while there was silence in the back of the car. Mr Jones looked in the mirror. The boy was asleep.

Mr Jones felt relieved as he neared the town. He glanced in the mirror to check his passenger. There was nobody there. Mr Jones stopped sharply. He got out and opened the back door. The seat was empty. He looked on the floor. Nothing. He felt a shiver run down his spine. He couldn't have dreamt it. He knew he should drive back and check to see if the boy had somehow silently opened the door and jumped out. But it was 1am and something told him not to.

When he got to the town he stopped outisde the police station. He told the desk sergeant what had happened. The sergeant wasn't at all surprised. He asked Mr Jones to sign the incident report he'd been preparing as he listened, then he went to the filing cabinet and pulled out a bulging file.

"That road is haunted." explained the sergeant. "I've lost count of the number of stories like that I've heard since I've been here. Even a few of our officers have had strange experiences driving along there."

Next: Mr Smith and the UFO