1985

1985 (Part 1)

"She's still preoccupied with 1985..whatever happened to sitcoms, game shows (on the radio?) Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana. There was U2 and Blondie, and music still on MTV" (1985, Bowling for Soup)

Dear reader,

Before we begin our story, a quick note. This story takes place in a world similar but not exactly like our own. I wonder if you can spot all the differences. If you read the story carefully, you will find some musical and non-musical easter eggs throughout. By doing so, you may even figure out one of the twists earlier than other readers. I have also created a playlist on Spotify (Michael and Miranda 4ever?) to accompany this story. I hope you enjoy this story while listening to these songs.

Prologue (Mystified Miriam)

Twelve-hour shifts are the worst, Detective Miriam Markham thought to herself as she drove up to the house. The ill-advised hamburger she picked up hours ago from a local convenience store was rumbling around in her stomach. She should be on her way home, but dispatch asked for her help. Officers had responded to a 911 call when a next-door neighbor reported seeing two bodies in the house. One officer had radioed unknown trouble. Miriam was staring at a non-descript house in a part of town that holds the record for the number of 911 calls in any given year. Great distinction, Miriam thought to herself. Two officers in medical masks were standing outside the house on a porch. As Miriam left the warmth of her vehicle, the drizzle that had been falling all day turned torrential and Miriam cursed her decision to leave her raincoat at the station. Miriam put on her mask which quickly got soaked by the rain.

"What do we have?", Miriam asked the two officers.

"Umm, I don't know exactly how to tell you this, M'am".

M'am, when did she become M'am? Wasn't that an honorific reserved for grandmas who played bridge and served tea and cookies? I fought for my country, for God's sake! M'am? Ugh!

"Tell me what, Jenkins? What am I missing here?"

"It's the house, M'am. It won't let us in."

"Okay, it's not April first so quit dicking around and tell me why I am wasting my time here when kick off is in twenty minutes". She knew that the two officers were almost as avid Buffalo Bills fans as she was. Miriam was not so much intrigued by this mystery but annoyed that she would most likely miss, at a bare minimum, the first half of the Monday night matchup between her beloved Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. Miriam took great comfort in the fact that at least her team had won four consecutive Super Bowls while the Chiefs had not won anything since 1970. Since the start of the global pandemic, there were no crowds allowed during professional sporting events but at least the players got to play and fans could watch on television.

Officer Martinez piped up, "He's not kidding, detective. The house won't let us in. Each of us tried to enter and each time something pushed us back when we tried to open the door".

Miriam knew both officers. They had played softball together and gone out drinking before the quarantine rules changed their world. They were good guys and, unlike some of their brethren, were supportive of her promotion to detective. Miriam tried to turn the handle and braced herself for what was coming next. Deep breaths, never show fear, she told herself. Miriam could not open the door. She silently cursed to herself. The two officers followed Miriam around the side of the house. While the house was showing signs of neglect, the garden was beautiful. They peered into a side window in what looked like a living room area.

As a seasoned detective, Miriam was used to seeing blood, lots of blood at some crime scenes. That's what was most notable about this peculiar scene. Two bodies lying perfectly still but no visible signs of trauma. Maybe they had succumbed to the new virus. Everything in the house looked perfect, staged. Then why did Miriam feel her skin begin to crawl? A coldness crept upon her, and she suspected it wasn't the dampness from the rain.