This incident was related to me by a friend. He told me what happened to his younger brother during the summer of 2010 when he and his brother were living in the town of Chestnut, California. It was just themselves; their parents died in 1980. I never met his brother, but he always spoke highly of him and I could tell he missed him. I also noticed how his mood would always change when he mentioned his brother. Yes, he would be sad, but I could tell there was something else. There was more he wanted to say.

 

One day we drove into town in my truck to pick up some things he needed at the hardware store. My friend is very open, talkative, and friendly with people, but as we browsed around the store he became very quiet and withdrawn. I asked him a question about something and he just stared straight ahead, not answering. His mind was somewhere else. Then in a low voice he said,

 

"This is where it happened."

 

Then he turned to me and continued, "I want to tell you something."

 

He suggested we go somewhere else, and I said ok. We went to a nearby restaurant, sat down, and ordered some beers. Then he looked at me with piercing eyes and said,

 

"What I'm about to tell you is kind of hard to believe, but it's true. You seem like the kind of person who might understand and make some sense out of it. Two years ago my brother and I were at the same hardware store we were at this morning. He'd just bought a new car and we met up there.

 

I was looking for a particular fertilizer which the store didn't have. My brother knew of another store not too far away, close to where he lives, that carried it. He was so happy with his car that he insisted he would drive down there, buy the fertilizer, and bring it back to me while I waited. I told him that when he got back we would have lunch together."

 

So, as his brother left, my friend began talking to some people that work at the store. Around 20 minutes later, his brother called him on his cell phone. His brother seemed to be lost. He purchased the fertilizer and was heading back, but he couldn't find the right streets. My friend asked him what street he was on. His brother said he wasn't sure... he didn't recognize the area. My friend thought this was odd. How could he be unfamiliar with that part of town. Again he asked him what street he was on. His brother answered back, sounding confused, and told him everything looked different, that he was going to pull over and ask for directions.

 

My friend told him to go east or west until he came to the main street, Wilson. After a couple of minutes his brother called and says he couldn't find a person or business that could help him, so he was going back to the store he came from. My friend asked him if he was joking around. There was no reply. Another five minutes passed during which time my friend kept calling, trying to get a reply.

 

Finally, his brother called, and what he said next was really puzzling. Now he couldn't find the store where he bought the fertilizer! There was panic in his voice as he tried to describe his surroundings: there were hardly any people or traffic. The buildings were different. He said even the sky looked different!

 

The phone reception started to break up and my friend told him to stay where he was, that he would go get him. The people at the hardware store were also listening and offered some explanations, that maybe it could be the weird streets in that section of town, how they can throw you off if you're not familiar with them. Yeah, but my friend and his brother know this town and the streets pretty well.

 

Then his brother called again, and because of the bad reception my friend could barely make out what he was saying. It sounded like he said mountain... "I'm going... LOOK!"

 

That was the last time he would hear from his brother. My friend knew where that other store was and he quickly got in his car and raced down there. All along the way he scanned for his brother's car. At the same time he kept calling his brother with no luck. When he got to the store he asked about his brother and they said yes he was there bought some fertilizer and left. The clerk said he forgot his receipt and when she looked up out the window his car was gone. They said he never came back. My friend looked for his brother the rest of the day and into the night with the help of friends and relatives, unfortunately with no results.

 

He filed a missing person report at the police station. To this day there hasn't been any sign of his brother. His house showed no evidence of him returning since that day. He had a good-paying job and a pretty girlfriend.

 

It's like he disappeared into another dimension.