He Was Back
The bright red car stopped at the gate as its passenger door swung open. The old man slowly got out of the car and watched as it sped off again, leaving him behind.
The entire family stared at him, speechless as they stood frozen in their steps. They hadn't seen him in so long, it felt like they were watching a ghost. This had to be some kind of joke.
Rural Area
Bacau is a city in Romania, widely known around the world for its colorful culture. But the outskirts of Bacau consist of many different villages.
For the residents of these villages, rural life was extremely tough. These villagers lived off of their own cattle and homegrown fruits and vegetables. But in 1991, one of these quiet villages in the East of Bacau experienced a tragedy.
Saying Goodbye
Vasile Gorgos was a quiet man. He loved his family and he worked hard to provide for them as best he could. He would often travel to the city where he would find potential buyers for the cattle he raised at home.
These trips would only last a few days before he would safely return to his family. But on one ordinary day, Vasile greeted his family, but no one could have guessed how long he would be gone for.
Something Wasn't Right
Vasile boarded his train into town. The 63-year-old was lively for his age and previous trips had never caused for any concern.
But this trip was different. The first troubling sign was that he never checked in with his wife, to inform her that he had made it there safely. But no one was worried at first, but it quickly became obvious that something just wasn't right.
Suspicious
Days had gone by, and his family still hadn't heard from him. It wasn't like him, and it didn't make sense. He loved his family and he had always been responsible and loyal to them. Why hadn't he tried to contact them?
It was a common occurrence in Romania for people to abandon their responsibilities. But it was so unlike him, he would never have done that. People began to grow suspicious and the evidence of his disappearance seemed to point to something criminal.
No Sign Of Him
His family was agony as the days passed by and they had still not heard from him. They were growing more and more anxious with every passing hour. Eventually, they decided to call the authorities and to report him as missing.
But now weeks had no gone, and they had nothing. Even the authorities couldn't understand how Vasile had vanished into thin air. The family had lost all hope and they had assumed the worst.
Heartbreaking Decision
Weeks turned into months , and still, there was no information. There was no sign or clue to help them find him. His family believed that something terrible must've happened to him.
They didn't know if he had been kidnapped or if he had gotten hurt or lost, or if something even worse had happened. They were unable to prove anything and were left to make a heartbreaking decision.
Memorial Service
They didn't want to live with the speculations anymore, so they decided to hold regular memorial services for him. Everyone in their village decided to come and pay their respects.
Then the months turned into years, and the family had faced the painful truth. They decided that i was best to pronounce Vasile dead.
30 Years Later
Life was hard without him, but they had to move on. Times did make things better. The family grew and changed over the years, but they never forgot about Vasile. They still spoke about him all the time.
Before they knew it, 30 years had gone by and he now just a memory. But on one ordinary day, everything instantly changed.
The Red Car
It was a day like any other. At this point, the family had accepted that they would probably never see Vasile again. But then a bright red car approached the entrance of the village.
The passenger door swung open and out stepped an old man. No one could believe their eyes. He had aged drastically but everyone could see that it was him. It was Vasile Gorgos.
No One Knew Where He Came From
With everyone stunned by the old man’s return, nobody had reacted fast enough to write down the car’s registration number or see the driver before it sped off.
Despite being 93 years old now, there was no doubting that this was Vasile. As shocking as it was to see him again, his unexpected reappearance was not the biggest surprise.
It Made No Sense
In yet another unexpected twist to this tale, Vasile had returned wearing the exact same clothes he had been on the day of his disappearance.
The family had so many questions. However, It was soon apparent there were no answers. The reason—when questioned—Vasile was convinced it was still 1991 and believed he had only been gone a few days.
The Truth
Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Vasile Gorgos certainly proves this. His story became a national sensation, causing much speculation.
There are many theories for why Vasile cannot remember what happened to him or where he was for thirty years. Chief among these theories is that he suffers from dementia. Some experts, however, have a much more extreme theory.
Is It Possible?
Some experts believe that Vasile had fallen into a kind of “fugue” state. This affliction might have caused him to experience a dissociative state—meaning he may truly believe that he was never gone.
Whatever the truth of where had been all these years, there are other strange sides to this story that makes it even more bizarre.
Whodunit?
Wherever Vasile was, it appears he was well kept and was found to be in good physical health. As can be expected, the internet has however had a field day since.
Theorizing everything from aliens, to dimensional glitches, and time travel, the web has been abuzz with all kinds of answers to the mystery of Vasile Gorgos—what’s your theory?