An object resembling a mysterious monolith whose recent appearances in remote areas in the US and Europe have sparked curiosity and speculation has now popped up on potato field in northern Belgium.
It remains unclear who placed the mirrored rectangle in the middle of a muddy field in Baasrode, in the northern city of Dendermonde, East Flanders.
The event on Tuesday spurred local interest, with media reporting "astonished reactions" from passers-by who ran into the glimmery item.
While it was described as "less impressive," online speculation was also rife on whether monolith erected in the middle of the Flemish field shared anything more than a flawed resemblance to other sightings reported in far-fetched areas around the world.
A first of several ephemeral appearances was reported at the start of December in the desertic southwestern US state of Utah, where a clear-cut glimmery pillar drew in droves of curious onlookers before disappearing.
The discovery was quickly followed by other monolith appearances in California and later in Europe, in Romania and in the British Isle of Wright, which also vanished, some overnight, some temporarily, frustrating locals' investigative attempts.
This week, hikers in the Netherlands also reported seeing a "mysterious grey pillar" in the De Kiekenberg natural reserve.
After an initial wave of wonder and speculation, an anonymous artists collective came forward to claim ownership of the Utah monolith, but mystery continues to shroud the appearance of the copycats that followed.
The dented surface on the more flimsy-looking exemplary in Baasrode has not failed to spur local fascination, with many on social media sharing the news and offering their take on the object's origins, with some exchanging jokes over "the strangeness of this year's Christmas trees."
As world fascination continues over the mysterious monoliths, any prospects for otherwordly speculation on the Belgian copy's origins was squashed as local media noted that the presence of several footprints and of nails holding the panels together made it hard to suggest that the glimmery pillar was anything more than a man-made contraption.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
