Living a Nightmare

A TRAGIC INCIDENT -MARKUS

In June 1968, sixteen years after Jane and I had built our life together up in Bow Street, a terrible tragedy occurred.

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On 12th June 1968, Jane and I were having breakfast and I was reading the newspaper, as I did every day. It was Jane's and my anniversary and I had planned to surprise her with some flowers when she came home from work later that day.

The weather was lovely and everything seemed normal.

After breakfast, Jane gave me a kiss before she left to go and work in her shop and a few moments later, I left for work myself. I decided to pick up the flowers on my way home. The day went on as normal.

After work, I headed to the flower shop in Llandrindod Wells as my office was in Brecon and I kind of passed through Llandrindod on the way. It took me roughly an hour and forty minutes to get to and from work each way. Taking the detour through Llandrindod Wells would only cost me an extra ten minutes and I could not get my beautiful wife flowers in her own shop. That just would not seem right!

Besides, I had overheard Jane talking about a flower shop called "Petals" in Llandrindod Wells that she absolutely adored. She claimed the flowers there to be the of the most beautiful sort she had ever seen. So I thought I would get her one of those special flowers for our anniversary. I was sure she would love that.

I finally got home from work at six o'clock, flowers in my hand. Jane had already made dinner. She had made Sheppard's pie, my favourite. I gave her the flowers and she was overjoyed. Then we ate our meal, curled up on the sofa to watch a film and then went to bed.

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The next morning, 13th June 1968, I awoke to the sound of birds singing in the distance. I was just about to put my arm around Jane, something we did every morning for five minutes before we had to get up, when I noticed that the bed beside me was empty. I got up, quickly put on a dressing gown, and headed off downstairs.

'Maybe she is already preparing breakfast," I thought to myself, as I reached the top of the stairs.

But my stomach immediately turned, when I heard no sound coming from the kitchen, nor did I smell breakfast.

"Jane, darling. Are you down there," I called from the balustrade. There was silence.

"Jane, where are you?" I called, rushing down the stairs. I had searched every inch of the house that morning. Nothing... I then went outside to see if she was doing anything in the garden, but there was no sign of her there either. So I decided to go to her flower shop. Maybe she had gone there early today, although that was a bit strange, because she never left without saying goodbye. But nevertheless, I decided to go and check there anyway.

When I got to the shop, it was closed and the lights were out. No one had been there since yesterday.

'But if Jane was not at home and she was not in the shop, where could she be?' I decided to drive to all of Jane's friends' houses to see if she might be there. But none of them had seen Jane, and none of those who had been in her shop yesterday had not seen her since then.

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Since that tragic day back in 1968, I never saw Jane again. I searched every area in and around Aberystwyth and nobody was able to help me. Jane had disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving no trace.