Decemystery (2024) 11: The Durham Force Field

When it comes to Fortean mysteries—or any type of mystery, really—there’s something about ones that lack much, if any, information that makes me excited. It’s something I’ve come to love in the past couple of years; it sets off a fire inside me that causes my mind to wander.

Now, sure, I hate making an abundance of assumptions, but I do enjoy a good rabbit hole—especially when I’m one of the first people to go down it—if not the first person to do so. There’s a certain thrill to it if that makes sense. If it doesn’t, then perhaps I enjoy covering ridiculous stuff a bit too much.

Regardless of how I feel, there’s one place that best exemplifies this thrill, and that’s what’s known as the “Fortean Map.” If you’ve been visiting this blog since 2021 and haven’t stopped under the assumption that it’s dead, thanks to the content droughts that have plagued it ever since 2022, then you might be familiar with that name. If you aren’t, it’s a massive map that someone made; it’s filled with a plethora of mysteries from across the planet.

As it stands, I’ve visited it a total of four times: twice for Decemystery 2021 (where I wrote about “The Elevator Riddle” and “The Signal of Isla Han Samar”) and twice during last year’s Decemystery duology (where I covered “The Groves Kurt Incident” and “Terry Lopi’s Disappearing Barn”). This year will mark the fifth and sixth times I’ve visited it.

Now, each time I visited the map in the past, I’ve covered something that I now refer to as a “Fortean Map Enigma.” They’re stories that have little to nothing about them available on the Internet. In the previous four write-ups, I’ve labeled them as stories made up by the map’s creator for fun. Today, however, all of that’s about to change because there’s a new possibility at play, and it all but makes me want to go back to the previous four write-ups and reexamine them with a fine-toothed comb.

So, for our inaugural visit to the Fortean Map, we’re taking a trip across the Atlantic Ocean and going to good ol’ England—northern England, to be exact. It’s here where we’ll find something labeled The Durham Force Field. On its own, that name is fascinating and would pique my interest. However, the summary given makes border on irresistible. In fact, I considered writing about it last year. However, I believe I swapped it out with Terry Lopi’s case.

Ah, but I digress. Come along, dear reader. Let’s discuss another Fortean Map Enigma and find out how everything’s about to change with these cases!

No-Go Zone

Like the other Fortean Map Enigmas, the Durham Force Field sports nothing more than a brief summary. There are no links, sources, or anything of that nature cited. The story is merely on the map, which you can see for yourself here.

According to the entry, at some point in 1975, a lady named Dilys Cant attempted to “back her car into a vacant space in a car park” somewhere in Durham, England. However, upon trying to do so, she found she couldn’t do so. Purportedly, “it felt as if she was hitting a curb.” Yet, there was nothing there.

Dilys wasn’t the only person to witness this. The entry states that two other motorists were “also unable to enter the space.” Dilys’ daughter was also incapable of entering it, but I don’t know if she tried backing the car into the spot, was in her own vehicle, or tried walking past the alleged “force field.” I’d guess the third possibility, but I digress.

That’s ultimately where the entry ends. Whatever happened afterward is a mystery; it’s as anticlimactic as the other four stories, which is to be expected. However, I did mention that this was a case where everything about the Fortean Map Enigmas would change, and I wasn’t lying. After all, lying would be rude of me. So, what makes this one stand out compared to the other four stories? Well, there are two parts to it.

The first is loosely tied to this story. Originally, I’d planned to cover another Fortean Map Enigma that was from Perth, Australia, entitled “They’re On My Car!” Here’s the summary that the Fortean Map gives:

in 2016, a woman from Perth was sent to the hospital after saying she saw strangers on top of the roof of her car, despite there being nothing on her car, she was sent to the hospital for hallucinations, then people that saw her still parked car started they too, started seeing 3 Caucasian men, all wearing yellow jackets and blue jeans, one with a beard, where on this woman’s car. HAZMAT was sent in and quarantined the area, and found that there was nothing strange about the vehicle, after roughly an hour and a half, the people “disappeared”. out of the 24 people that said they saw the people on this woman’s car, only 4 of them have suffered from a hallucination in the past.

That’s quite a baffling case and one that’s right up my alley. However, when I tried looking up the story, I found nothing. No articles, no references, nothing. Like the other four Fortean Map Enigmas, it was absent from the Internet. So, I chalked it up to another made-up story for the map by its creator.

Then, one day, a lightbulb went off in my head. I figured I’d ask Bing’s Copilot AI for help. While I’m very iffy about using AI for fact-checking or assistance when it comes to things like this, I thought it’d be worth a shot since an AI could potentially reel in something that I’d have overlooked. And given this was around the time I was getting over COVID, that wouldn’t shock me.

Well, the AI wasn’t able to find the story… from Australia. What it did find was a story that sounded nearly identical. Here’s what the AI had to say:

I couldn’t find any specific incident in Perth, Australia that matches the description you provided. However, there was a somewhat similar event in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2016. In that case, a woman reported seeing people vandalizing her car, which led to her being hospitalized for hallucinations. Subsequently, others who came into contact with her also experienced hallucinations, prompting a HAZMAT response and quarantine of the hospital.

It seems like the incident you mentioned might be a mix-up or a fictional account inspired by real events. If you have any more details or need further assistance, feel free to ask!

The AI then went on to cite three websites: Psychology Today, Telegraph, and Newshub. Based on the details in the articles, the story from the map and the incident in Oregon are identical. So, if I had to guess, the map’s creator made a mistake and misplaced the marker or misremembered something. No big deal…

Except this makes me wonder if the other four stories I covered were also products of the same potential mistake—and, likewise, my immediate assumption that this one was like that. Admittedly, it’s quite reckless of me to go into something with a predisposed assumption on my mind, but this story was so weird that it was hard for me not to think it was another prank by the Fortean Map’s creator.

That’s when I got a second curve ball thrown at me. Indeed, there wasn’t just one thing that changed my whole perspective on Fortean Map Enigmas. There are two of them. The second one isn’t as surprising, but it still left me dumbfounded. What’s that second thing? Well, you see, dear reader, this story has a source.

That’s right, this story actually has a source: the Fortean Times. Which issue, I’m not sure, but I’d suspect it was from around the time the story happened. Regardless, knowing the issue this story, in particular, came from isn’t important because we know it to be from the magazine, thanks to its editor. The other four stories I’ve covered, on the other hand, will one day have their origins uncovered, come Hell or high water.

Anyway, the British newspaper “The Independent,” published an article on December 26, 1999, about the fiftieth anniversary of the Fortean Times. In it, the now-former editor of the magazine, Paul Sieveking, picked out the fifty strangest stories the magazine had published. Coming in at forty-fifth was Dilys Cant’s enigmatic tale. The other stories are quite interesting, with many of them being ones I’m familiar with. I recommend checking it out for yourself, too, as the final entry is a delightfully silly treat.

I also checked the stories for the other four cases I’d covered but found nothing. However, that doesn’t outright dismiss the possibility of them having originated from the Fortean Times at some point or a similar one. Why I never considered this to be a possibility, I don’t know. It seems like a very obvious thing to wonder, but I was never the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to the obvious.

Oh well, I digress. Those two revelations reshaped my entire perspective on the Fortean Map. The possibility that the map’s creator made a mistake has only come to mind once, and that was with the write-up I did on Terry Lopi’s Disappearing Barn. In the other three cases, I never thought that the stories could have occurred elsewhere—be it in the country or on the planet. 

But, like plenty of other times, I was wrong, and now I must use my brain more. And with that brain power, I am required to put more thought into the theories. These are truly dark times; I never anticipated that writing would require me to do more than sit on my bed and repeat myself while I let a mobile game run on my phone. C’mon, little tower, defend yourself from the geometry!

Okay, enough joking. With Dilys’ story now done and the revelation that this story has an actual source, I think it’s time for us to dive into the theories. There are only a couple of them, but they’re certainly a whole lot harder to pin down since this story is anything but normal. So, come along; let’s get away from the terrible realization that I may have dismissed four legitimate mysteries because of my own ignorance!

Theories

1. It really happened

This is an incredibly difficult theory to elaborate on because I know of absolutely no other stories like it. I don’t doubt there are many out there, and I’ve yet to read them. Some may wonder how that’s possible since there have been three consecutive years now where I’ve effectively been out of commission. To answer that, the time I spent not writing wasn’t spent doing research. It was primarily spent doing nothing productive while I watched time tick by. The periods when I did do something productive were few and far between.

Despite my ignorance toward other stories like this, that doesn’t mean this theory is going to be something half-baked. No, it’ll be anything but that; it has so many variations that it actually needs to be broken down into variations right off the bat. So, for the first time in quite a while, the overarching theory will be divided into sub-theories. So, let’s begin!

1a. A military experiment

There have been attempts at making force fields in real life. As recently as 2021, the United States Air Force has said that force fields are on the horizon. It’s been three years, and I’ve yet to see any force fields, so I’m guessing the Air Force needs more money.

Still, this story occurred in 1975—and in England. While the United States has a close relationship with the nation it kicked out back in 1776, I doubt it’d share any technology like that with other countries. After all, the United States loves its military toys.

I also don’t know if this technology was available in 1975. But, if it was, one has to wonder why it’d be used to prevent a random woman from parking her car. I’ve heard of field tests, but why would England’s military opt to test it in such an innocuous manner? Surely, there are decommissioned vehicles that could be used, right?

Then again, governments testing on civilians without their consent isn’t unheard of. So, maybe this was a really early prototype that was tested on poor Dilys. Sure, it’s unlikely, but it’s something—and I want to cover my bases.

However, as it stands, I’m a bit iffy on the idea of England’s military choosing to perform a test like this on a random lady. If something bad had happened, like a major accident or explosion, that could’ve caused an international incident—and this was 1975. The Cold War was ongoing. If the Soviets had caught wind of technology like this, tensions would’ve only further increased. As such, I believe that if the British wanted to test something like this, I think they’d test it at Rudloe Manor (also known as “Britain’s Area 51”).

Anyway, with that, it’s time for the theories to take a sharp detour into the realm of the supernatural. From here on out, it’s going to get increasingly bizarre. So, strap in; things are about to get wild!

1b. An otherworldly force field

The realm of the supernatural is filled with concepts that make my head spin like a neutron star. Energies, magicks, curses, spirits, spirit animals, and a whole metric ton of other things all have their roots in decades, centuries, or possibly thousands of years worth of culture and lore. It’s incredible, really.

This idea, however, isn’t really rooted in any of that. Rather, it’s its own beast and then some. I recall reading about it when I was a child, and it always intrigued me. It’s known as “panic in the woods.” You can find it listed on sustained_disgust’s Obscure Unsolved Mysteries iceberg chart under “Pan(ic) in the Woods.” The entry is linked to the ObscUrban Legend wiki, which I haven’t visited in a long time for a story.

The idea behind Panic in the Woods (sometimes stylized as “PANic in the Woods,” after the Greek god Pan, the Greek god of the wilds) is that people get a sudden and unexplainable sense of panic while out in the woods or in a forest. This causes them to run, like they’re being chased by an angry predator, unseen force, or an IRS agent that wants your unpaid taxes. Other times, the person runs into the woods when they’re “far from civilization.”

Logically, the explanation for this phenomenon is that the person had a panic attack from their imagination running wild. This could be caused by not being accustomed to camping or simply being out in the wilderness. Alternatively, the person could’ve heard a near and thought a predatory animal was stalking them, so they panicked.

There are a plethora of other logical explanations, but I’m not here to discuss them. Rather, I want to latch onto something I recall as a kid that stuck with me into my adult life, and that’s that some people claim the phenomenon ended after seemingly passing an invisible barrier.

To elaborate, some people would claim that the so-called “Panic in the Woods” would end when they ran past a certain point. Think of it as an invisible doorway that was open. On one side is sheer, unbridled panic. On the other side is safety from whatever was causing you to feel like you were in mortal danger.

That brings us to this theory. If these doorways or barriers exist within the forest, what’s stopping them from existing elsewhere? Personally, I would say there’s nothing, but I’m sure that someone with infinitely more knowledge would argue that stance. For now, though, I’ll commit the cardinal sin of assuming that the doorways can be anywhere on Earth.

Even with that assumption, I have no idea how one manifesting (invisibly at that) would block the parking spot. Perhaps someone out there can educate me on that, but it strikes me as peculiar that one of these doorways or gateways wouldn’t be opened. I’ve always been under the impression that people can pass through them at any point. I suppose I’m wrong, but even if I am, how on Earth did one block a parking spot?

My best guess is that, despite existing between dimensions (for lack of a better way to put it), the doorway was still physical in some capacity, and so trying to back into the parking spot was like trying to fit a cube through a circular hole. However, that sounds extraordinarily silly and wouldn’t explain why Dilys’ daughter couldn’t bypass it (assuming she was trying to walk onto the parking spot and not trying to enter it with a car).

On top of that, i’s with this variation of the overarching theory that I want to bring up a problem that comes into play across every variation of the overarching theory—including the previous one: what happened after Dilys failed to back her car into the parking spot?

I opted not to bring this up in the previous theory because I feel like it fits here more than it did there (don’t ask why; that’s just my line of thinking). The idea that there was this invisible force field is odd enough on its own. However, the fact there were four witnesses in total and only one spoke about it is even weirder.

I’ve always maintained that the more eyewitnesses there are to something, the more credible it seems to me. Sure, mass hysteria exists, but nothing about Dilys’ account screams that. Nobody was panicking. If anything, it sounds like they were all dumbfounded, and everyone tried to enter the spot. It’s not like the other two motorists ran away screaming when their cars failed to enter.

So, what the heck happened afterward?

I don’t know, but I wonder if the issue of the Fortean Times elaborated on it. None of the websites or Facebook posts that talked about this story said anything after the other two motorists tried to enter the parking spot. There’s nothing on whether they tried to get help from elsewhere, fled the scene, Dilys managed to bypass the force field, or all went to look for parking spots elsewhere and shrugged it off.

I won’t discuss this issue in the subsequent variations to the overarching theory, but I will go into it a bit more when we reach the next theory (which, spoiler alert, is that Dilys’ story was a hoax). For now, though, let’s move on to the next variation; I know it’s abrupt, but there’s no point in not getting through these as quickly as possible so we can wrap the overarching theory up!

1c. An alien force field

When it comes to extraterrestrials, the concept of them having force fields to protect their ships—and themselves—is a staple. The idea of their ships having hyper-advanced technology to protect them from our puny missiles is a must if you plan on having your extraterrestrial race invade Earth!

Just remember that the force fields can’t protect them from germs, though. It may be wise to have them arrive on Earth with hand sanitizer that kills 99.9% of all bacteria.

Anyway, the idea here is that the group had encountered a camouflaged (or invisible) UFO that had landed, and a force field was preventing them from getting close to it. This is honestly far from the craziest idea since I vaguely recall reading and hearing some stories about people who have tried to approach grounded UFOs but have been “stopped” by an unseen force.

That said, those cases involve the UFO being visible. They aren’t cloaked. They’re also typically in forests or some other remote area, not a car park. There are also some signs that a UFO has—or had—landed there, such as scorch marks, a strong odor (I’ve seen various smells, but sulfur is a commonly cited one), and higher-than-average radiation levels.

Now, granted, scorch marks on the pavement aren’t exactly a novelty. There are plenty of ways they could have formed; a wannabe arsonist, pyromaniac, or someone who accidentally caused a fire through a series of unfortunate events. The same goes for a strong odor, especially in a car park. I’m not so sure about radiation levels; I’d appreciate it if someone were to tell me if it’s normal for something like uranium to be left there.

What I’m trying to get at is that if this were a UFO, you’d expect some sort of sign. Even if it were cloaked, it’d still have to leave a sign that it landed. If a helicopter landed, you’d still see the flattened vegetation. Being invisible doesn’t prevent that from happening; it’d still do that. You can cut it a thousand different ways, but the method by which the craft flies would leave behind some sort of sign that it had been there.

Of course, you could argue that aliens left behind this force field for some reason. However, I’ve never heard of such a thing happening. But I’m open to the idea solely because I’ve learned so many different stories while writing on this blog. So, hey, maybe these aliens left it behind as some kind of transponder beacon so they knew where to collect a package from one of the Men in Black. Or would they be called the “Chaps in Black” in England?

Ultimately, I think this variation is on the flimsier side. It’s by no means the most implausible thing, given how crazy some UFO stories can be. However, based on what I know from my years of reading about UFO sightings, it doesn’t align with anything I’ve read (or heard, for that matter). So, I thought it warranted being brought up.

Also, c’mon. This blog is called “Limitless Possibilities.” I would be remiss if I didn’t include a theory that is so commonly used to explain any given number of odd occurrences around the world.

That said, if you happen to know of something that aligns with the scenario presented in this theory, I’d greatly appreciate hearing about it. Despite my personal doubts, I have a feeling there are cases out there that would be uncannily similar to this one (even if they happened in a forest and not a car park). Until then, though, let’s head into the next variation, which is the final one and easily the most fun!

1d. A glitch in “The Matrix”

The last variation I’ll go over is that it was it was a glitch in the so-called “Matrix.” This is something I really dislike talking about due to my very low opinion of the “Simulation Theory,” but excluding this idea would be one of the most brazen and foolish moves I could make.

For those who are unfamiliar with the simulation theory, then you must be quite new to the world of the Fortean and supernatural. In that case, welcome; make yourself comfortable and enjoy having your world flipped on its head! Now, allow me to educate you on a theory that was popularized by a film starring Keanu Reeves. Basically, our world—heck, the entire universe—is a simulation, like The Matrix.

The main reason behind the belief is, admittedly, understandable. Basically, unless you believe in the idea that God created life and the universe, the odds of everything coming together to create intelligent life (us) are improbably low—if not next to impossible. Therefore, a simulation is a likely explanation for such a thing. At least, that’s my understanding of it; it’s an interesting concept on paper, and I can definitely see why people buy into it. It’s just not my thing.

This theory has plenty of supporters and just as many, if not more, detractors. I’ve seen more than my fair share of people debate about it on various websites like Reddit and Twitter. It’s a truly unique sight to behold, and I don’t know if I mean that in a good way or a bad way.

Regardless, my opinion of the theory is that it’s all a load of nonsense. Then again, I’m Roman Catholic, so it stands to reason that I would doubt such a theory. Unless God’s got a supercomputer running the universe for Him, I’ll stick to what the Bible says. As for those who believe it, more power to you! We’re all free to make our own decisions, and I have no intention of taking that away from you.

Anyway, now that you know the gist of the concept, this variation is—oddly enough—the first one to spring to mind. I saved it for last because, despite my dislike for the simulation theory, stories about “glitches in the Matrix” are among the most bizarre things you can find on the Internet. I recall one from a 4chan scary story video; a guy was recounting his experience as a child. His stuffed teddy bear (I think it was a stuffed teddy bear) fell onto the ground and went through his bedroom floor like it was absorbed by it.

Now, granted, you can chalk that up to the man’s memory failing him due to the passage of time. He did say he later found the stuffed animal—I think it was weeks later. It was on his bed if my memory’s correct. Regardless, it’s but one example of a supposed “glitch in the Matrix.”

But I digress; I’ve certainly prolonged covering the variation for longer than expected (that wasn’t intentional, but, hey, it’s not often I get the opportunity to discuss something like this). How this would work is that there was, well, a mishap in the simulation, which is our universe. Just as the 4chan user’s stuffed animal fell through the ground, there was something that caused the parking spot to be inaccessible.

In other words, whereas the 4chan user’s glitch was akin to collision detection being broken in a video game, Dilys’ case was akin to an invisible wall being where it shouldn’t be.

This variation will depend entirely on your stance on the simulation theory. Given you already know my stance, you don’t need my take. However, you and whoever else reads this write-up may think drastically differently. As such, I see no reason to linger here any longer since that’s all there is. It was a glitch. The folks running this simulation have had billions of years to patch out all the bugs, but they still haven’t gotten them all. They really need to get better developers.

1e. Back to the overarching theory

Anyway, those are the variations that I opted to cover. Admittedly, there are plenty of others that I could have gone over, but not only do I not want to overwork myself due to time constraints, but I think there comes a point when I’d be throwing stuff at the wall just to see how many words I can shove into one of these articles. And let’s face it, I’m certain I’ve done that more times than I’ll ever care to admit.

So, rather than do that, let’s circle back to the overarching theory—that Dilys’ story did indeed happen. Based on the four variations I gave, I think you could make an argument for each in some way, shape, or form. It really depends on how you approach the story and what your beliefs are when it comes to this kind of thing. While many skeptics would undoubtedly read this and scoff at everything, I like to think there’s always more to this world than meets the eye.

That said, I must admit that many of the variations suffer greatly from glaring flaws. On top of that, all of them are hamstrung by how we don’t know what happened after Dilys failed to pull into the parking spot, which calls into question so much. If you can look past that, or if the issue of the Fortean Times the story was published in had additional detail, I’m sure this theory would be remarkably strong for a case like this.

Anyway, I think I’ve repeated myself way more than enough. With that out of the way, let’s take a leap over to the flip side and discuss the other theory—that this was a hoax. I know; I’ve spoiled the second theory not once but twice. I’m truly the absolute worst storyteller on Earth. My sincerest apologies, dear reader.

2. It was a hoax

I won’t lie; this theory is quite tricky to cover. Why? Well, I’ve never read the Fortean Times. At least, not an entire issue. I’ve skimmed through some online in the past, but I’ve never sat down to read one front to back. As such, it’s hard for me to gauge how likely it is that this would be a hoax.

On top of that, I don’t know if the editors (past and current) ever attempted to vet the claim (or claims) made by those who would send in their stories. I have to imagine it would be quite challenging to do without contact information being given—and I’m not sure if Dilys gave hers (if she was even allowed to; I’m not a law student, let alone one who’s familiar with British law).

Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the numerous things this theory has going for it. For starters, the idea of a prankster sending in a fake story to mess with the magazine staff—and readers—makes sense. This was in an era long before the Internet, but that really does not matter. People still submit fake stories to any place they have others read them, though I believe most do it where they can see the reactions of those who read it (like 4chan and Reddit).

Because of that, there’s legitimately nothing going against such a concept. Someone could’ve wanted to impress their friend or crush by getting a story they made up published in a magazine. As goofy as that may sound, people have done much more for significantly less. The notion that a skeptic or mischievous young adult wanted to have a laugh at the expense of the Fortean Times doesn’t strike me as improbable.

Additionally, there’s the fact we don’t know what happened afterward. I’ve already gone over this, but I’ll elaborate on why it’s such a major issue now.

Simply put, not knowing what Dilys, her daughter, and the other two motorists did after the incident—which occurred in a public car park—raises the question as to how they reconciled experiencing something so unnatural. It’s not like they were able to draw up any rational explanations. If they did, I wouldn’t be writing about this mystery (unless Dilys shot down everything the other three proposed).

On top of that, one has to wonder why Dilys’ daughter and the other two motorists submit their own reports or corroborate Dilys’ claims in some manner. I don’t know if you can call a hotline the Fortean Times has, but if they do, one would think Dilys’ daughter would at least try to explain her side of the story.

Now, granted, it’s possible all of this was explained in the issue in which the story was published. If it were, then I’d need to do a total rewrite of the case. Unfortunately, as I said earlier, time constraints are a thing—and plenty of people wait a while to submit their stories. So, while this may have occurred in 1975, it’s possible Dilys waited until, say, 1979 to submit her story.

Regardless, by not knowing what happened afterward, it comes across as if the group had just dispersed and thought nothing of it. While it’s a very personal thing, that doesn’t sit right with me. These people clearly experienced something out of the ordinary, yet they seemingly departed the scene like it was another Tuesday in Durham.

It’s like when someone gives the most clinical description of encountering, say, Bigfoot or an extraterrestrial. Humans have emotions, and emotions are shown when something shocking happens. If I tried to pull into a parking spot and hit an invisible barrier, I’d be dumbfounded and, honestly, terrified. Maybe I’m being an armchair psychologist and should pipe down, but as far as I know, humans don’t act like this!

Last but not least, there’s also the issue of my lack of knowledge about other incidents like this. I do know of an incident that happened in Xingtai, China, back in 2015. It caused a few vehicles to flip on their own mysteriously.

Well, that’s what it looked like.

As it turned out, a fallen cable wire caused the unusual incident; CNN ran an article that went over the whole thing. I won’t lie; a part of me wondered if this was the cause of Dilys’ experience, but I think the mystery would’ve been solved since her car didn’t flip like Magneto decided to toss it like a frisbee. Also, as I said much earlier, it isn’t clear if her daughter tried to back the car up herself or if she attempted to walk past the supposed force field.

I do believe other incidents like this have happened—I could be wrong; I don’t follow the news, especially international news, whatsoever. If they have, then it could serve to work in this theory’s favor. At the same time, if there are incidents like it that remain unexplained, it’s certainly a detriment to it. So, just like life, it’s a two-way road, and I wish there were more. Alas, there’s nothing that aligns with what Dilys described.

Anyway, as for what’s going against this theory, I already said that I don’t know if stories submitted to the Fortean Times were vetted. If they were, then I think it would be pretty difficult to get a story submitted without being a good liar—or for the editorial staff to be gullible. Both are more than plentiful on Earth (that’s a statistical given, after all), but I doubt you get a magazine to last as long as the Fortean Times has while also having the most incompetent editors on the planet running it.

I’d also argue that the lack of precedent for stories like this (barring the aforementioned Xingtai incident) makes it an odd case to fabricate. While you could argue that would make it less likely to be scrutinized, I’d say that if people subscribe to the Fortean Times to find out what strange happenings are going on in England (since the magazine’s based out of there), you’d want to make up something less fantastical. That way, you potentially draw less attention to yourself—and the area you’re in.

At the same time, the hoaxer could’ve been from an entirely different part of England or mailed their letter from elsewhere. Honestly, I don’t know. I’m so unfamiliar with how so many things work that it’s a wonder I can operate a keyboard without looking at it and going, “How do I make the letters appear on the screen?”

Self-deprecation aside, I’d say that this theory certainly has more of a leg to stand on than the previous one. However, the issues that hinder it hold it back from being the definitive answer to the story. At least, that’s how it is in my eyes. You’re free to disagree.

3. It was interdimensional beings doing interdimensional construction work

They put up an interdimensional roadblock to prevent our reality from overlapping with theirs. Why? For the same reason, road work is performed at the most inconvenient time imaginable: just ‘cause.

My Take

You know, arriving here at the “My Take” section, I feel just like I did yesterday. I’m truly stumped. My gut tells me this was likely a hoax made up by someone who wanted to have a laugh at getting their story published in a magazine. However, at the same time, another part of me wonders if that fallen cable write that I omitted as a theory is the truth.

Unfortunately, there’s so little for me to go on without snooping around for the issue this story appeared in. While you can hound me for being lazy and not seeking one out, there’s only so much that I can do on my own before I’m pushing myself to the point of a mental breakdown. The last thing I need is for that to happen, especially when life’s been looking up for me as of late.

Well, as up as can be when I still have 21 of these write-ups to go after this one’s done.

Despite my uncertainty, if I had to make a choice, I’d say I lean toward this being a hoax. It feels like the more logical path to take, given I know of no other mystery like this—at least, one that happened in such a public area and apparently never happened again.

Actually, that’s something else that bothers me; I can’t believe I didn’t bother mentioning it above. This never happened again; this force field just so happened to appear one day in 1975, and decided it didn’t feel like returning. Well, for how long was it around? Did no one else try to park there that day? Surely, that can’t be the case. The Durham metro area had a population of around 127,000 in 1975. Unless this car park was somewhere outside of that, that’s really suspicious to me.

Oh well, like I said earlier, it’s possible there are additional details that I’m just missing. However, with that newly realized information that I’m too lazy to copy and paste in the previous section (because I relish my informality and loathe the idea of becoming another formal writer on the Internet), I feel more confident in saying this was a hoax.

And yet, despite that, I must say that even as a hoax, Dilys’ story is one for the record books. It is, without a doubt, one of the most creative and unique cases I’ve ever covered. The idea of a force field blocking a car from pulling into a parking spot is a magnificently enigmatic thing. So, if I’m right in saying that this was a hoax, hats off to whoever thought of the idea. You sure as heck made something weird.

On one final note, there was one other thing that I didn’t mention in the theories. A part of me did wonder if an issue with Dilys’ car could have caused the whole thing. However, given there were two other motorists there who attempted to park there, and her daughter may have tried to bypass the barrier in some way on foot, I doubt this was the case.

Also, I don’t know enough about the inner workings of cars to make an educated guess on whether something would make them stop backing up after a certain point. Then again, the idea of three separate cars having the exact same issue at the exact same time in the exact same location sounds insanely implausible to me. If I’m wrong, then I would appreciate the correction.

Conclusion

After the past two days, I have to admit that I’m so glad I opted to cover this story. It was an absolute; I loved this from start to finish—and I did it all in one day!

That said, I do want to one day revisit it—likely in 2026 or 2027 (the latter’s far more likely than the former, given the other Fortean Map Enigmas, need to be reexamined by me). If life doesn’t throw any curve balls that lay me out like Floyd Mayweather would, I’d definitely try my damndest to find the Fortean Times article this was published in.

I’d also happily try to think of any other explanations—and maybe turn it into some group project where I get my friends to throw around their own silly ideas. I’ve always wanted to have them partake in a write-up in some way, shape, or form, and I think this story would be a great candidate for something like that.

But that’s for the future. As it stands, I’m so happy with how this turned out, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. If you did, let me know; if you didn’t, I’d also love to know so I can work on improving my writing. The last thing I want is to live life under the false assumption that I don’t need to improve.

I’d also love to know what you think is the truth behind this story. Do you believe it was a glitch in the matrix? Aliens? Or was it a hoax? Let me know in the comments, and, as always, stay happy, stay healthy, and thank you for reading!