AN amateur photographer has been left baffled by a shadowy figure that confronted him in the woodland near Croesonen Parc on the weekend.

Local lensman Gabriel Archan told the Chronicle that he was out foraging for wild garlic when he came face to face with the unknown.

Gabe explained, “It began just like any other day. I checked my socials, smoked some salmon, and realised I was all out of garlic so I decided to send Biggles, my personal assistant from Portugal, to Waitrose to get some.

“Sadly, Biggles was fiercely hungover from the night before and incapable of functioning like a decent personal assistant should. “So after berating her for a good five minutes in her mother tongue, I decided to bypass the supermarket and pluck some wild garlic from the banks of the River Gavenny instead. It’s a little trick I learned during lockdown, and it’s stood me in good stead ever since.”

Gabe added, “I took my camera with me because I never leave home without it, and boy am I glad I did.”

Gabe told the Chronicle that as he was strolling through Croesonen Parc field adjacent to the woodland, he happened to look down and got the shock of his life.

“There was a patch of unexplained sunlight with what looked like a shadowy figure with its arms outstretched. It looked like it was in some sort of door and trying to break free. And here’s the weird thing. Every time I moved it moved as if mocking me, or perhaps beckoning me into another dimension.”

When asked if he was tempted to inspect the apparition closer, Gabe snapped, “Christ no! Curiosity killed the cat, and it never came back. I’ve heard loads of stories about people being abducted by otherworldly beings and taken to fantastical realms.

“That’s the last thing I need in my life right now. So I just took a picture for proof and went back there the other day to snap a shot of what it normally looks like. If anyone can tell me what on earth is going on here, I'd love to know!"