An autistic woman who unexpectedly bumped into a good friend while out is reportedly unsure of why she’s reacted like she’s encountered a terrifying creature coming at her with outstretched limbs.
Beth Hapworth, 31, from Ormskirk, was taking a pleasant evening stroll around her local park when she noticed housemate Ben Espenson, 39, about to pass her in the opposite direction – and reacted like she was about to be hunted down and murdered.
Hapworth explained: “With Ben, it’s nothing personal. I just hadn’t anticipated having an interaction with him at that precise moment and in that context. So basically, I had to no choice but to run like I was fleeing from a humanoid monster with tentacle-like arms.”
“As I fled, I could hear him calling my name again and again,” Hapworth continued. “I suppose it didn’t help that he was in a black suit like the supernatural character himself – although he had been to his great aunt’s funeral that day.”
According to sources, Hapworth was seen sliding to the ground behind a bronze statue before dashing behind a nearby litter bin, breathing heavily.
“Some would argue that a simple hello or a brief nod of acknowledgement would have sufficed,” Hapworth added. “Yet I simply couldn’t risk the horror of the two of us ending up pointlessly mangled in a conversation neither of us could escape from.”
Espenson commented: “Beth seems completely in her own world. I don’t think she even spotted me.”
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