People are seriously confused by mysterious 'third arm' in government photo

The debate between the three arms of government has been raging for almost as long as democracy has been the political model of choice. However, most arguments about governmental appendages don’t involve actual limbs. Then again, these are unprecedented times. 

In a photo message issued by the British government to promote responsible staying at home amid the pandemic, people on social media were left baffled after people spotted what appears at first glance to be a disembodied arm reaching out from under a blanket.

The UK Prime Minister's officer Twitter page has been sharing a number of public service posts, all featuring an image of a family or individual staying at home and accompanied by the hashtag '#StayHomeSaveLives'.

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However, one of these posts, in particular, has raised a few eyebrows, as it appears to show a third arm intruding on a snuggly movie night.

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Like many great mysteries, the picture itself seems pretty innocuous at first glance. Two women, clad in creamy and yellow jumpers respectively, sit on a sofa, grabbing fistfuls of popcorn from a communal bowl. A small dog sits beneath them, sniffing suspiciously at what appears to be one of the women’s fingers. 

Obviously, the medical industry is pretty preoccupied at the moment - but even if they weren’t, they’d still probably struggle to explain this. 

On closer inspection, the image looks like a frame from a David Lynch film. The hand that the dog seems so perplexed by sits at an awkward angle, and appears to be coming out of one woman’s waist. Look closer still, and it’s clear that the hand is partially obscured by a black sleeve. Cue alarm bells.

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Somebody even went as far as to find the original stock image on Getty:

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There are several possible explanations for what’s going on, none of which are good. The two women could be keeping a third person captive in their sofa, who they sustain only with occasional movie snack scraps.

Even more sinister, the mystery hand could be an uninvited guest, who has managed to conceal themselves underneath the small dog and plans to strike at any moment. 

Clearly, society is facing a number of pressing medical problems. But, as soon as we’ve come out the other side of this crisis, we urge the powers that be to look into story behind the floating arm.