A Database to Find a Face

"So, do you think it's pretty?" she asked.

I nodded my head in agreement, but she seemed unsatisfied with my answer. "What do you mean?" she pressed on. "Can you elaborate?"

I paused for a moment, searching for the right words.

Then, I remembered a famous poem by Keats on beauty and decided to recite it.

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know."

Brenda looked even more confused after I explained the meaning behind the poem.

I told her that true beauty comes from within and that it's not just about external appearance.

I explained to her that her strength and resilience made her beautiful in my eyes, not just her physical features.

"I get that, but what about my appearance? Do you think I was pretty...when I was alive?" she asked.

She trembled slightly, my answer seemed more important to her than I thought. It didn't make sense to me, but she's a woman, does it have to make sense?

What kind of answer was she looking for? We've only known each other for a couple of days, and we're skeletons, is it possible to have romantic feelings as a skeleton?

I might be a skeleton on the outside, but on the inside, I was a man who judged beauty subjectively.

The first thing my subjective sense of beauty needed was a living woman, not a creepy pile of bones.

Could I tell her that? Yes, you were pretty before you died, but now you're just a walking treat wagon for a dog.

"I just want to know if you think I'm physically attractive. Before my death, that is."

I could feel my face turning red as I struggled to respond. I didn't want to hurt her feelings by being honest, but I also didn't want to lie.

Eventually, I managed to say, "Yes, Brenda. You were beautiful when you were alive."

Brenda's face lit up with a smile as she thanked me. I was relieved that I was able to give her the answer she wanted to hear.

I sat down with Brenda and started asking her questions to gather as much information as possible to help identify her.

"Can you tell me your full name?" I asked her. "Brenda...I think that's all I remember," she replied, her voice trailing off uncertainly.

I jotted down her name in my notepad, determined to find out more.

"What about your age? Do you remember how old you were when you woke up?"

I inquired, hoping for some useful information.

"I don't remember my exact age, but I feel like I was in my mid-twenties," she said thoughtfully as if trying to recall a distant memory.

"Can you tell me anything about your family or friends?

Do you have any siblings, parents, or significant others that you can remember?"

I asked, hoping to find some leads on potential missing persons cases.

Brenda's face clouded over with a hint of sadness as she shook her head. "I don't remember any of that," she said quietly.

I took note of her answer, feeling a pang of sympathy for the woman sitting in front of me who had no idea who she was or where she came from.

"Can you remember anything about your past? Where you grew up, what you did for a living, any hobbies or interests?"

I asked, trying to jog her memory. But Brenda just shook her head again, her face blank.

As I continued to ask questions, I couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency to find out who Brenda was and what had happened to her.

"Do you remember anything about the circumstances surrounding your death?"

I asked, feeling a bit uneasy. But Brenda just looked down at her hands, her expression troubled.

"I don't remember anything about that," she said softly.

I knew that identifying a victim in a missing person case was never easy, but I was determined to do everything in my power to help Brenda.

"I have some good news, Bonesy. I remember where I was when I died. It was in a small town called Midbow," Brenda said.

"And, interestingly enough, that's also where I woke up. It's been a year since I was reborn.

But, the thing is, when I went to check my grave marker, I found out that it was removed. My birth and death dates and even my full name were gone," Brenda explained.

"At first, I was too shocked when I revived to even bother looking at the headstone. I thought I was still alive.

The process was also weird, I woke up in the earth and couldn't breathe at first, but then I felt a strange force pull me out of the ground.

The thought of being pulled out of the ground was just too much to handle.

Plus, I freaked out when I realized I was a skeleton. There was someone there, an old man, and he tried to calm me down.

He helped a lot." Brenda added.

It wasn't everything I was hoping for, but I could start by looking up the information I had on the internet or a searchable database of some kind.

I asked Brenda if I could use her computer, and she brought me to a desk with a screen extending from the desk, as if it were a natural growth.

I sat at the computer, feeling a bit overwhelmed by modern technology.

Brenda stood behind me, looking over my shoulder as I explained my dilemma and what I needed. I explained what a database was and how it worked. She seemed interested, but when I mentioned the internet, she looked at me with a quizzical expression.

"What is that?" she asked.

I took a deep breath and tried to simplify my explanation as much as possible. Brenda listened attentively, nodding along as I spoke.

Then Brenda mentioned the Skaltans and their Living History Index. I had never heard of it before, "It is a database of historical information from both Earth and Skaltan's planet.

It contained photos and other information that might be useful. It sounds like the internet you talked about."

Excitedly, I wanted to check it out, but I soon realized that I didn't know how to use modern computers. Brenda had to show me how to access the Index and how to search for specific information.

As we started our search on the History Index, Brenda was eager to start typing away on the keyboard, but I hesitated.

I explained to her that we had to be cautious, as our search could be monitored, and we could lose access to the Index if we weren't careful.

"Why do we need to be so cautious?" Brenda asked skeptically.

I told her that there were people who might not want us to uncover the truth about her identity, and they could potentially hack into our search and block us from accessing the information we needed.

So, we needed to take extra precautions to ensure our search remained discreet and undetected.

Eventually, she relented. I reminded her of Detective Ai's attitude. She didn't want to accept it, but it was also better to be safe than sorry.

We continued our search, diving deeper into the Index, and we eventually found what we were looking for - photos of Brenda that matched her description, right down to her distinctive fashion sense.

Brenda seemed amazed that we had been able to find so much information so quickly. "This is incredible," she said. "I never imagined that so much knowledge could be stored in one place."

Now, it was time for action. I needed to physically investigate Midbow and see if I could find Brenda's name and background.

I only had about eleven days, maybe less before the Skaltans arrived.

Needing a disguise, I asked Brenda if she knew where the clothes I had on initially were. She had taken them, cleaned and repaired the clothes.

As I pulled on the clothes Brenda had repaired and cleaned, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation.

The photos we found in the Living History Index led us to a place where Brenda's true identity might be uncovered.

I knew I had to act fast, and the thought of finding answers was driving me forward.

Brenda was eager to join me, but I knew it was better for me to go alone.

I needed to hide my identity as a Skaltan as much as possible, and having two of us would attract too much attention.

I assured Brenda that I would be careful and promised to come back with answers.

With my disguise in mind, I set out to find the materials I needed to alter my appearance. I bought sculpting materials for Brenda's face and a realistic mask to help hide my own features.

With careful application of adhesives and materials, I made sure the mask fits snugly and looked as lifelike as possible.

I even covered up the empty eye sockets with something like sunglasses, knowing that any mistake could mean the difference between success and failure.

Finally, my disguise was ready. I took one last look in the mirror and was satisfied with what I saw - a completely different face staring back at me.

I grabbed a bag and slipped out of the door, determined to find the place where the photos were taken and discover Brenda's true identity.

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