Mysterious Encounter and Other Short Stories is a collection of twenty short stories narrated by ordinary people, and some not so ordinary. The reader will discover that some of these characters, in these stories, either have a problem to work out, a secret to hide, a penance to pay, or a lesson to learn These stories will fill the reader with curiosity, suspense, and a few laughs in between BERNADETTE What happened to Sergeant Jack Jensen, that’s what Bernadette was determined to find out. But when she went searching, all she got was a runaround, and in some cases, she was faced with closed doors. Did Jack Jensen lie about who he really was? Was he a deserter? Was he already married when she met him? Who could she ask, who could she turn to that knew Jack or cared anything about him. FATHER MATHEW Saint Christopher's church, in Gallo, Southern Italy, had been without a priest for some time when Father Mathew arrived over twenty years ago. The village people welcomed Father Mathew with open arms. Saint Christopher's was just the place Father Mathew had been searching for, a place where he could live out his life in peace and serenity as God's messenger. Early one morning, as Father Mathew exited the confessional booth, he was pleased to see a lone parishioner kneeling in prayer. When Father Mathew took a closer look at the parishioner, a cold chill ran up his spine. There was something about this stranger that frighten him