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Entertainment Magazine: Books: Mysterious Disappearances These pages are extracts from Ron Quinn's book "Mysterious Disappearances" available on Amazon.com The Mysterious MirrorBy Ron Quinn During my numerous years of traveling and exploring I’ve heard countless strange tales. This one is by far the weirdest. On August 1917, Grandma May passed away. She had arrived from England several years earlier, and was living with her grandson George and family. After being laid to rest, George remembered the old mirror she brought with her across the sea. It still was in the attic gathering dust. The frame was quite unique. It was almost four inches wide and made with great craftsmanship. Weeks later it was removed and placed against a tree in the back yard. After being cleaned, George entered the house for dry towels. Upon his return he discovered it had moved and was now against the fence. Both children denied touching the mirror. It was hung above the fireplace where it remained. One day, his wife Jill saw it hanging crooked and straightened the out old mirror. Later that month, it was discovered on the floor beside a chair. Once more it was returned to its rightful place. Jill jokingly said, “Perhaps it’s haunted by Grandma’s ghost.” How wrong she was. Months later the mirror was moved to the hall. One day while he looked at it, George noticed a transparent picture that slowly covered his reflection. As he gazed, the picture of a tranquil country scene covered the mirror’s face. The landscape was rolling grassy hills covered with trees. Nearby, there was a small gurgling stream that ran beside some rocks. From one side, two small people appeared about three feet tall. They sat besides the stream and were talking. Each wore odd-looking clothes and appeared to be a boy and girl of teenage years. Moments later, the boy happened to look in George’s direction. He acted quite startled. He pointed toward him and both ran off. At that second the scene vanished and the mirror returned to normal. George related his strange experience to Jill. She thought it was a combination of light, shadows and a good dose of wild imagination. Throughout the months, George would occasionally pause beside the mirror, but nothing odd appeared. When both parents passed away, Bill their son, heard the tale numerous times while growing up. He moved the mirror to his home. Bill’s sister wanted nothing to do with the spooky thing, as she called it. It hung on his wall over the years and nothing out of the ordinary occurred. The tale told by his Dad was mentioned several times among close friends and relatives. One spring day, Bill approached the old mirror and stood quite close. Without realizing why, he gazed intently into it. Suddenly, the same scene described by his father appeared. Two small children sat beside the stream. Once again, the boy looked toward Bill’s direction and both ran off. Only this time the scene didn’t fade. Bill continued to look at the peaceful surroundings. The boy reappeared and walked cautiously toward his side of the mirror. He came quite close and gazed up at Bill. The boy smiled, backed off, waved and ran away. What logical explanation could be given to explain this fantastic chain of events over the years. When the mirror mysteriously moved was it trying to draw attention to itself so somebody would gaze intently into its domain? For what purpose? Where did Grandma May find this strange oddity? Why didn’t she ever tell George about its strange powers? Why was it stored alone in the dusty attic away from view? Why did both witness the same scene years apart? So many questions, so little answers. This mysterious mirror now hangs on the wall of a relative’s home somewhere in New York. Nothing unusual has happened since Bill’s encounter many years ago. Occasionally, a family member gazes “briefly” into the haunting mirror. But, nothing is seen except ones own reflection. Is the mirror waiting patiently for someone to gaze longer into its world? If all this is true, where did the odd mirror originate and how old must it be? Where is this land of peaceful scenery? Does it exist only in the viewers mind? Or is the mirror a doorway into another time or dimension? If we knew the answers to everything, life would become rather dull. Don’t you agree? The Phantom CarScattered across southern California are many lonely deserts such as the Borrego Badlands, west of the Salton Sea. The great Mojave and others like the area near the Chocolate Mountains, now a Gunnery Range, are closed to the general public. Like others regions throughout the Southwest, all have their legends of lost mines and mysterious happenings. One particular tale involves an old Model T Ford. Jack and two friends, Hank and Don were four wheeling and exploring the desert sands southeast of Indio. The time was during the mid 1970’s, I’m told. Jack always carried his metal detector, as there was always a chance to find something – old mining tools, perhaps a rusted gun or other items hidden among the sands. By late afternoon they came upon a group of rock outcroppings, at times, used by fleeing outlaws to hide their ill-gotten loot. They would return months later when things had cooled down. They stopped and searched the surrounding area. But, nothing of value was found. However, a box of old dynamite was discovered between two rocks. It looked as though it had been there for many years and was unstable, as beads of nitro covered each stick. There were around ten in the wooden box. If dropped, it could go off. It was decided to blow the dangerous power-up before someone else stumbled across the deadly cargo. Jack, himself a weekend prospector, had some fuse and blasting caps in his truck. After he lit the one-minute fuse, all ran for cover. At that moment an old Model T Ford appeared from out of nowhere and headed in their direction. Hank ran and waved his arms to signal the driver to stop. Too late, the charge went off and knocked Hank to the ground. After the smoke and dust cleared they expected to find wreckage of the truck, and perhaps a body. But, nothing was there. They couldn’t believe what just occurred before their eyes. While back in Indio, they mentioned the strange incident to several locals. One old timer told them an interesting tale. Years before, a miner known as Tom, had lived in the hills. He worked a small gold claim, and dug out enough to keep the wolf from his door. One day he was found dead behind the wheel of his Ford. It appeared he died from a heart attack while driving. Some claim his ghost can still be seen driving his Model T Ford across the hills, day or night. It was coming from nowhere and heading to nowhere. Perhaps, Tom doesn’t realize he’s dead and still travels the lonely deserts. Did Jack and the others witness Tom making his trip across the flats that late afternoon? There are tales of ghost ships sailing the seas, and phantom trains traveling on old rusted tracks no longer in use. They why not old Model T Fords? Now available from Amazon
Mysterious Disappearances
By Ron Quinn Paperback: 202 pages
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