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In late 2021, an ordinary man from the north of England reported two encounters that would alter the course of his life.

The first took place in the early hours of the morning and left him questioning the nature of consciousness itself.

The second occurred months later. Between these two events lay a period of illness so severe

that doctors could not explain how he survived it at all. Whether these experiences were connected

remains uncertain, but taken together they form a deeply unsettling account of contact, consequence, and the possibility that some encounters are never meant to be remembered. remembered. I'm Most extraordinary accounts do not begin in extraordinary accounts do not begin in extraordinary places.

They begin in ordinary rooms, on ordinary nights, with nothing to suggest that anything

unusual is about to occur.

In many cases, it is this lack of warning that makes what follows so

difficult to process. When something disruptive intrudes without ceremony, there is no context

to soften it, no expectation to frame it as a story. There is only the event itself and the consequences that follow. In the autumn of

2021, life in the town of New Mills-Darbyshire moved at its usual pace. Nestled at the edge of the

peak district, the town sits amongst steep hills and narrow valleys, its streets

winding upwards away from the centre into quieter residential areas. After dark, especially on

the higher roads, the noise fades quickly, street lighting thins out, traffic becomes sporadic,

and the surrounding countryside presses close.

It is not isolated, but it is removed enough that the night can feel enclosed, almost sealed off.

Union Road runs through one of these elevated stretches.

The houses along it are older, many dating back to the late 19th century,

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