Applications :: Word Docs Saved As Aliased To Applications Folder?

My dad was saving a bunch of Word docs on his Mac - he had one large file that he split up into twenty-some smaller files, which he then saved onto both his desktop and on a flash drive. Somehow along the way (neither he nor I had any clue how) but 4 of those files saved as an alias that point to nowhere. In other words, I can't find the originals anywhere on his computer or flash drives.

Even stranger is that one of those files aliased to the Applications folder. Keep in mind these are all supposed to be word documents. They all still end with .doc, but their type is an alias. I have no clue how they were created as an alias, but they were. It's probably a longshot without knowing where the original is located, but do any of you guys know how to possibly retrieve this?