It was a sweltering summer day in 1984. Eight-year-old Sarah Blackbell was playing by herself in the middle of an empty playground. Her mother, Karen, was away at work, struggling to provide for them after her husband had passed away.
Suddenly, something caught Sarah's eye: a glowing gem, pulsing with a deep, brilliant blue light. She reached out and picked it up, whispering to herself, "What's this?"
The moment her fingers brushed the stone, it began to float. It rose into the air, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface as Sarah watched in stunned silence. Then, it exploded. The sky instantly transformed, bleeding into a vibrant, neon blue as a massive rift tore through the atmosphere.
Sarah felt an invisible force pulling at her. She tried to run, but her legs felt like lead—she couldn't move.
"Help! Somebody, please!" she screamed, but the playground was deserted. The sky claimed her, and in a flash of light, Sarah Blackbell was gone.
At 8:00 PM that same evening, Karen returned home.
"Sarah? Sarah!" she called out, but only silence met her. She searched every room, but there was no trace of her daughter.
Frantic, she dialed the home of Jake, Sarah's best friend. Jake's mother, Alice, picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Alice! Is Sarah there by any chance?" Karen asked, her voice trembling.
"No," Alice replied. "She was here playing at 2:00 PM, but they started quarreling, so she left early."
Karen hung up the phone, her heart sinking. Panic took hold as she began a frantic search of the neighborhood. With no sign of Sarah anywhere, she called the police.
"My daughter is lost!" she sobbed.
The officers arrived within the hour. They took down her statement, and as the sun stayed hidden behind that strange, vibrant sky, the official search began.