Bertram's Story
The sarcophagus was removed from the lake and transported up to the college for study. The divers and police were out at the lake frequently after that. I asked them what they were looking for, and they told me it was a part of the investigation so they could not comment. It was strange having people out there, but I suppose it kept the intruder out of the trailer for a while.
The news reported that it might be a year or more until details were released about the sarcophagus, which was of unknown origin. They also had no idea how the sarcophagus, which appeared to be carved out of limestone, started to float. Limestone is porous, they said.
There were lots of rumors in town about the stone coffin. Some folks said it was the first mayor of Milford Bone. Others said it was a member of the Reed family, though Laura said that wasn’t true. Others said the body inside had been covered in bugs, which didn’t make much sense.
Laura Reed and I struck up some sort of friendship after we met at the lake. She’d call me every so often and we’d talk, sometimes for an hour or more. I learned a lot about her family history and a little about how it intertwined with my own grandparents. Ime wanted to meet her, too, so I planned a coffee date for the three of us at a small diner in Milford.
Laura and Ime talked almost the entire time. I listened, fascinated by the things they discussed. They talked about the history of the southern Midwest and what it was like living in Milford. They talked about the Wea, Lenape, and Saawanaa peoples that lived in Southern Indiana. They talked about ghost towns like Hindostan Falls, named by a former British soldier, and other towns that had been sucked up by the woods. They talked about the names of things, including Quiet Lake, and colonialism.
Part of my fascination with this conversation was Ime’s way of speaking and her vast knowledge about a lot of different things. I had developed a crush on Ime. When I got up the nerve to ask her if she’d go on a date with me she smiled and shook her head. I had felt like I wasn’t her type but felt that I needed to at least ask.
It didn’t stop me from spending time with her, though. She was my first friend in Milford and I enjoyed our conversations and trips up to the college. I finally met her brother Owen one day and understood, too, some of the other complexities of her life. It was clear that Owen had seen hard times in some way and Ime told me that he struggled with addiction. He was polite but not warm. Ime mentioned the radio program I’d brought up to her, though, and Owen’s eyes lit up. He listened to it all of the time, he said. He thought it was the most interesting thing about Milford.
I asked Owen what he thought about the sarcophagus.
“It’s nothing. The whole of this country is built on someone’s bones, they’re bound to come up sometimes. It’s only the people that don’t realize how history gets buried that are surprised when something like this happens.”
Ally called me when she read about the sarcophagus in the news. She was mainly checking on me, but also wanted to know more information. She’d caught a local newscast about it and said it didn’t give much information, but she recognized the lake.
It was a very exciting time in Milford, for sure.