Midbow

As I boarded the bus to Midbow, I couldn't help but marvel at its almost nostalgic design.

The bus was sleek and aerodynamic art deco style. It was like a combination of two concept cars from the 1930s the GM Futureliner and the Stout Scarab.

The glossy metallic exterior reflected the sunlight but also sported a dazzling display of colors flowing from the front to the back as if a rainbow was trying to escape from a cloud.

The doors slid open automatically as I approached, and I stepped inside to find a spacious interior that was surprisingly quiet.

It was pleasantly cool on the bus and when I found a seat near the window I could feel a light breeze that tried to bypass my mask and blow across my skull.

The seat was extremely comfortable, it was like sitting on a wide fluffy cloud. It was like I was sitting at home relaxing on a lazy Saturday.

If I weren't so excited about my trip to Midbow, I might have fallen asleep.

The windows were tinted to protect against the glare of the sun, and a transparent screen displayed a live feed of the route and estimated time of arrival.

I turned the live feed off and chose to open a section of the window so that I could look outside of the bus.

It was my first time on a bus in a future era, what interesting sights would I see? My excitement was similar to my feelings when I was a kid when we went on a family vacation.

It was a pure feeling of adventure.

As the bus began to move, I felt a slight vibration but no sound. The vehicle was powered by a silent electric engine, and the ride was smooth and seamless.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The trip to Midbow was mostly flat dry plains with nothing more than dried grass and dirt. I could imagine the vivid smells of heat and sweat.

It made me reminisce about when I was a young man driving in my Dodge pickup with the windows down in the Texas heat.

I loved the feeling! I was like a cowboy on his horse.

When I became a detective later, I would roll down the windows and feel the heat on my skin and the warm winds sweep through my hair and imagine myself as a Texas Ranger on the heels of some villain.

As we approached Midbow, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia mixed with unease.

The town had a certain charm, with its quaint buildings and narrow streets, but there was also a sense of decay that lingered in the air.

Many of the shops and stores had closed down, leaving empty storefronts with faded signs and boarded-up windows.

Despite this, the town still had a certain character that was hard to ignore. T

he diner where Brenda's photo had been taken was still standing, with its retro decor and a neon sign that flickered in the darkness.

The streets were lined with trees and flowers, giving the town a natural beauty that was hard to find in the city. The greenery of the town contrasted with the arid plains surrounding the town.

As I walked around Midbow, I noticed a few people staring at me. It was clear that they were curious about the stranger in town, but my disguise seemed to be working.

No one suspected that I was a Skaltan, and I felt a sense of relief knowing that I could move around without drawing unwanted attention.

Overall, Midbow was a mix of old and new, with a sense of mystery that lingered in the air.

As I continued my investigation, I couldn't help but wonder what secrets the town held and what I would uncover in my search for Brenda's true identity.

Given most of the other stores and shops in Brenda's photo were shut down, I decided to take a look at the rundown diner. According to the sign, this place was called the Red Bandana Diner.

The diner was maintained, but it was clear that the owners were barely keeping up with repairs.

Nevertheless, the food was really good. At least, that was the review from the other customers.

Red Bandana was the most popular restaurant in town. The second most popular "Grandpappy Willie's" was the only other restaurant in town.

Being number one didn't take too much effort, I guess.

I sat at my table and breathed in the smell of history.

An older woman in her sixties, it seemed to me, came to take my order. She wore a red dress with white polka dots.

The collar had a white stripe following the collar that went around her neck and was connected with big red buttons starting around her sternum.

The end of the color disappeared, hiding behind her white waitress apron. Below the apron, a long red polka-dot dress reappeared. There was even a nametag that said Gailsu, which I gathered was her name.

Gailsu waddled over, she was a big-boned gal, that's a polite way for Texans to say a woman is fat. Fat men are usually called fat, hoss, or bubba.

My father was fat and he hated all of those terms.

I remember my uncle told me something that I continue to remember until today, "It takes a big woman to weigh 250lbs."

"Hi honey, what can I get 'ya?" She asked in a gravelly voice probably brought about by smoking cigarettes.

Although, so far I haven't seen any cigarettes, so maybe her sweet harsh voice came from something else.

"This place looks like it's on its last leg, how old is this diner?" I asked with a friendly laugh.

"Oh, honey, I don't know. This place has been here since I was a little girl. Even longer than that, it's been around since my G-ma was a little girl.

Just take a look at some of those pictures over there, those are from when the town was alive and full of life. Not like now when it's half dead." Gailsu shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

Taking my cue from Gailsu, I looked around the diner and noticed some photos decorating the walls.

"I love old photos, I'll take a look at them after I eat. I'm starving! I'm practically skin and bones!" I laughed.

Gailsu laughed in a sweet old lady kind of way. I could imagine that forty or so years ago her throaty laugh might have sounded more like the tinkling of belles.

Time does us all in eventually. Although, I guess now you can come back to life as a skeleton. I felt a wave of nihilism fill my heart. I shook the feeling off and made my order.

Gailsu came back after a few minutes and filled my table with pancakes, maple syrup, eggs, and bacon, it was breakfast at dinner.

I large cup filled with ice and sweet Texas tea was placed down. When I first drank the tea I almost spit it out because I thought my mask was melting.

After a moment of checking myself, I realized that the sound was of the carbonization of the tea. I couldn't believe that I was drinking soda tea in Texas!

Although I couldn't taste the food, I wanted to look like I was eating like everyone else.

I had rigged a pot to catch the food and drink as it went through my throat.

The mask and neck formed a tube that the food flowed down. The tube was sealed around the opening of the pot. The pot had two levels.

The liquid flowed down through a sieve, while the solid food remained trapped above the sieve.

The device wasn't perfect, and at one point the sieve got clogged, and I had to run to the bathroom to empty and clean the pot.

The feeling of the liquid trying to retrace its steps and come out of my mouth was uncomfortable, to say the least.

After cleaning myself up, I returned to my table and "finished" my meal.

I paid for my meal and left a nice tip for Gailsu. She looked like she wasn't getting around very well. I can only imagine how hard her life was.

Her small frame was supporting her abundant weight.

I got up to take a look at the photos on the wall. Gailsu followed me over. I didn't realize how short she was until I stood up. She couldn't be more than 5'2". I'm about 6'4" so I was over a foot taller than her.

She commented on some of the photos, and I saw the photo of Brenda I found online among some other photos featuring her.

I thought it was strange that there were so many photos of Brenda, so I started up with Gailsu about the photos.

"She was a pretty lady, but she must be an old lady by now," I saw Gailsu take a closer look at the photo. The poor woman probably needed glasses.

The waitress looked at the photo and laughed, "That's Brenda Armhurst. She's a legend around here. The poor woman died very young under mysterious conditions."

"Dying under mysterious conditions doesn't sound like enough to become a legend," I commented.

"True, but there were some really strange things that happened around her death, poor dear.

Midbow was a typically quiet little town, but Brenda changed all that."

"How so?" I was curious, it seemed like Brenda's mysterious past was much more mysterious than I first thought.

"Oh, you know, at first there were just some little things. Accidents started happening around her. Minor things, mostly, but my G-ma told me that Brenda started looking awful, and nervous.

But for some reason, the accidents weren't just about her, others were experiencing the accidents. Pretty soon some people started dying. Important people, not important people, there wasn't anything that connected them.

G-ma told me that they even called in the police from Barron County to come out and investigate. They interviewed everyone who was sufferin' from accidents, but know one knew what was going on.

They even investigated Brenda, everyone was sure she knew what was happening because she was the first person the accidents started happening to.

But then, it was like someone flip off the light switch. Everyone having accidents died, all at once. Even Brenda, when they found her body, G-ma told me that she had the most peculiar face, it was like a mixture of grief and joy.

After that, the police looked around a little more, but they couldn't find any clues. The whole thing became an unsolved case and we all moved on with our lives."

"Wow, that's pretty crazy! I can't believe that they didn't find anything. There must be some clues, this whole thing seems too big a thing to end just like that." I said, testing if G-ma knew anything more.

"Well, but that's what happened. It ended suddenly, and the police didn't bother with it anymore." Gailsu said.

"Okay, maybe the police gave up, but what about the families of the victims? That girl Brenda, she probably had a family or maybe a husband or something who couldn't let things go," I pushed.

"Nope, no one else seems to have tried to find out. Once the police stopped investigating, the whole matter was over. At least that's what G-ma said."

Gailsu looked left and right and squinted her old eyes. She looked like she was either about to tell me off or share some gossip.

"But I think it's been covered up. Even G-ma, I think she knew something more, but she would never say it. She always looked a little guilty and scared when she would talk about that whole thing." Gailsu said.

"Did you ever try to find the truth," I asked.

"Oh honey, of course not. What did any of that have to do with me? It's just an interesting story." She laughed at the thought of pretending to be some detective, "there's no one who wants to bother with any of that. It's just fun to talk about. But I'll tell you something interesting."

I perked up my ears, curious about what she would say next.

About a year ago, someone dug up her grave and removed her headstone and her body's missin' too!"

I pretended to be shocked, "Maybe she became a Skaltan."

Gailsu made a peculiar expression, but I didn't understand what she was reacting to.

"There's pretty much no doubt that she's a Skaltan, the question is how much she remembers.

There are a lot of folks in town who have gotten nervous ever since her grave was dug up," Gailsu said in a gossipy way.

I shared a quiet thoughtful look with Gailsu before finally leaving the diner.

As I left, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The mystery surrounding Brenda Armhurst's death and the events that followed seemed to point to something sinister.

I knew I had to find out more about Brenda and the people who were involved in her story.

At the very least, I knew that clues still existed, I just needed to dig them up.