Restaurant 1 “The Actress”

As always, the recounting of the following is not meant as a criticism, or as a commentary on the behavior and life of the deceased. The events recounted here are for the purpose of study, and are in no way included for the mere sake of entertainment. The majority of the information provided comes from eye witness testimony.

Near the end of Wellington Street, at a crooked four-way intersection, perched on a sharp corner, is a small sit down restaurant. It seems every town has one, and this one is of a far better quality than many. The staff are warm, and though it seems little effort is made to learn people's name, there is a sense that everyone gets treated the same, whether you are a regular or not. That sort of treatment is usually hard to come by, and offers a welcome escape for those passing by.

I first arrived at the restaurant shortly after arriving at the strange crossroads, looking for directions. Even after getting instructions, I still ended up making a complete circle, before I arrived back at the intersection and finally sorted it out. The exterior is rather unassuming, just your standard fare that one would expect of such a place. The interior is similarly uninspired, save for a long line of photos recognizing some of the lesser talents that came from the theater nearby. Wellington Street has had its share of success stories, but most end up never seeing their desires fulfilled, the older waitresses more than willing to indulge in your curiosity if you ask about them.

If you look among the photos on the wall you will see one of a young woman. It is a black and white photo. The young woman has thick, curly hair, a perky nose, and a well formed neck and jaw. Her most surprising feature are her eyes. They are surprisingly unassuming, without any characteristic that ends up setting them apart from the rest of the people on the wall. Despite the lack of unique features, she was by all accounts an actress of significant talent.

Most assumed that she would go on to find great success. But as I said before, very few ever end up getting to that point.

Her last role was a production of the French play “Vous si Gentil.” It was her first time performing as a lead character, and the Friday leading up to its opening was full of anticipation. But as it turned out, it would be her understudy who would end up playing the part.

The play was to open at seven. At five o'clock, the young actress was seen at the local restaurant, sitting in a booth, enjoying a bowl of the house soup, a tradition that she thought helped to calm her nerves. After a couple of minutes went by, a young woman came into the restaurant and sat down across from her. She was described as having dark hair, cropped close to her head, with green eyes and wearing a plain blouse and trousers. A simple exchange seemed to happen over the course of several minutes, the actress growing more and more agitated. At the end of it, the woman stood up and walked away, the actress paying for her unfinished meal a couple of minutes later.

After paying, she left the restaurant, in a state the eyewitnesses described as “distraught.”

Approximately ten minutes later the actress was observed walking down the street with an unidentifiable person. The person seemed to be injured as they moved in a strange manner. All the while, the actress kept her eyes on the ground, walking in what seemed like an automatic, remote sort of way. People who were slightly closer to them said that she was trembling.

It wasn't until forty-five minutes later that the actress was seen again, this time closer to the theater. Once again she was seen with the figure, who was still walking with a strange gait, as if one leg and one arm were shorter than the others. People were able to get a better look at the person due to the lighting, and said that their eyes seemed to be spaced an odd distance apart from each other. They passed down one of the side streets, the woman being described as being mechanical in her motions.

The last time anyone saw her was a half an hour later. She was walking along a lone side street quite a fair distance from the theater. She was no longer just with the lone figure, but was instead attended by several others. Some people had thought it strange that she would be walking with these unknown persons and went to confront them, but seemed to never be able to keep up, even after breaking into a dead run.

Shortly after the last sighting, locals reported hearing a struggle of some sort. However, the source of the commotion was never found.

The actress was never seen from again, nor were any of the people she met with that night. Many theories have been brought forth, and it is thought that perhaps the woman who met with her was a rival actress, though that is doubtful since no one who matched her description has ever been recognized, even after an extensive search by local law enforcement. The men have never been seen again either, and to this day no further evidence outside of that already presented has ever been found.

The understudy ended up doing quite well in the role, and up to this date it has remained one of the theaters most prosperous productions. However, a community rarely forgets one as beloved as the original actress, and even today other actresses partake in the same ritual that she did, having a bowl of soup before shows to calm their nerves in the hope of a great performance.