Good evening, Marshalltown. As the clock approaches the witching hour, it's time
to delve into another chapter of our town's peculiar past. Tonight, we delve
into a tale that spans decades, a story that binds the past and the
present, the young and the old. I call it unchanging faces. Look
closely at this photograph taken in eighteen ninety at the old Marshalltown's schoolhouse. The
faces are cheerful, young, but one face stands out, that of a
young girl named Clara. Clara was just like any other girl of her age,
except for one detail. Her face, her eyes, her smile.
They bear an uncanny resemblance to a resident of our town today, Martha Collins,
a name many of you will recognize, a face many of you know
well. The owner of Martha's Dinah. She's been serving us the best apple
pie in Indiana for decades. But how is it that she shares a face
with a girl from a photograph taken over a century ago. Does Marshalltown have
its own portrait of Dorian Gray? Or is this just an uncanny coincidence?
Let's dig deeper. Martha Collins loved by all she has been a part of
our town for as long as most of us can remember. But what if
I told you her face has been a part of Marshalltown for far longer.
The resemblance between Martha and Clara has sparked speculation and stories throughout the years,
and I've heard them all. Some say Martha is a time traveler, like
our time lost traveler from last week's tale. Others speculate she's found the secret
to eternal youth. So, my fellow night Owl's, what do you think.
Is our beloved Martha a woman out of time? Or does she just
have an old soul and an ageless face. While we ponder these questions,
let's take a step back and look at the young girl who started it all,
Clara. Who was she and what was her story? Born in eighteen
seventy five, Clara was the daughter of Samuel and Agnes, the towns blacksmith
and his wife. Just a typical Marshalltown family living typical Marshalltown lives, or
so it seemed. Clara was known to be a cheerful child, a friend
to all. She had dreams of becoming a school teacher, but fate had
different plans. She vanished one day she was there, full of life,
and the next day she was gone, no trace, no clues, just
a town left in shock and despair. Clara's disappearance shook Marshalltown. Searches were
conducted, prayers were offered, but Clara was never found, and now,
over a century later, her face has returned to us on Martha Collins,
an eerie reminder of a mystery left unsolved. So as midnight nears and our
town sleeps, we are left with our thoughts, our theories, and our
unchanging faces. As our town's eyes close for the night, ours remain open,
peering into the past and the mysteries it holds. Who was Clara and
why has her face returned after all these years? Let's return to Martha.
It's a known fact that she moved to Marshalltown in her early twenties and opened
up the diner. Over the years, Martha has become a beloved figure in
our community. She's lived her life in peace, unaware of her uncanny resemblance
to Clara until now. So what does Martha think of all this? As
per my conversation with her earlier today, she is as intrigued as the rest
of us. Martha has no known family ties in Marshalltown and had never even
heard of Clara until now. As the mystery unfolds, it's not just our
town's past that comes into question, but also the life of one of our
dear friends. Is it possible that Clara has returned to Marshalltown through Martha or
is this merely a bizarre twist of fate. We may never know that the
speculation, the theories, and the mysteries continue. Stay curious, Marshalltown,
and good night.