You need to get away from Pink Rose for a while. You make a discovery

You drive into town with no particular destination in mind, just wanting some time to yourself away from the school. Finding yourself on the main street, you park the car in front of a small café and buy a cup of coffee before starting a leisurely stroll. You idly look in windows, enjoying the day and the quaint and picturesque street.

You stop in front of an antique store, sipping your coffee as you look at a window display of assorted furniture and elderly dinnerware. It looks like as good a place as any to spend a few minutes, and you open the door and step into the store.

A bell dings as you enter, and you see an elegant middle aged woman smiling as she approaches you.

"Good afternoon and welcome! Feel free to look around. And if there's anything specific you're interested in, don't hesitate to ask."

"Just browsing for now thanks. Ok to bring this in?" You smile and hold up your coffee cup.

"Please, make yourself at home. Are you new in town, or just visiting?"

"I'm new in town," you smile, browsing through the store which manages to be both cluttered and artistic at the same time.

"How wonderful! What brings you here?"

"I'm teaching at Pink Rose Academy," you answer.

"You must be another of the new male teachers they hired? How wonderful to meet you!"

"I am, and thank you. You've met another teacher."

"Yes, a very charming young man dropped in the other day. Pleased to meet you, I'm Cynthia Marsh."

"Mason Carter, pleased to meet you Ms. Marsh. This is your store?"

"Every inch of it. Once again welcome and please make yourself at home. If you have any questions, just sing out."

You nod thanks and start to roam, sipping your coffee and occasionally picking up random items. You walk deeper into the store, finally stopping before a display of old photographs. Your attention is captured by an aerial photograph that has a look of familiarity.

"Ms. Marsh?"

"It's Cynthia, Mr. Carter. How can I help you?"

"This photograph. Is that Pink Rose Academy?"

"Yes it is. Taken about 1961 I think. I have a number of aerial photographs of the town that were taken at the same time. Would you like to see them?"

"No thank you. I was rather interested in this one. Can you tell me anything about it?"

"Well...." she pauses, taking the picture down from the wall, "That would be the main building in the center, and the Mellon building there. Some of the buildings here were demolished and replaced by the Arts and Sports buildings in the early nineties."

"I was wondering what was going on here," you point to an area north of the main building where there is obvious construction activity going on. Several pieces of heavy equipment are visible and what appears to be the foundation of a substantial building are in place.

"Oh, I'm not sure," she says thoughtfully, her brow wrinkled in thought, before suddenly clearing. "Of course! That would probably be the bomb shelter. You know, back in the Cold War when we used to do nuclear attack drills? There were a lot of people building shelters back then. My father built one in our back yard. I remember hearing that Pink Rose built one, but I don't know much about it. The timing would be right."

"What happened to it?"

"I have no idea. I assume it's been abandoned, or used for storage or something similar. You don't know anything about it?"

"First I've heard of it. I'll buy this. How much is it?"

"Let me make it a welcoming gift to you. No, no, I insist. It has sat here for years and you're the first person to show any interest in it at all. Take it with my blessing."

"You're very kind Cynthia. Thank you very much. You wouldn't happen to have any books about Pink Rose would you? Its history and so forth?"

"I might. Let's take a look." She leads you to some bookcases and starts to run her fingers over the spines. She pulls a few off the shelves and lays them in front of you. Two of them are Pink Rose yearbooks, one from 1973 and another from 1986. The third is titled 'Facing a Brave New World: Pink Rose Academy.'

The book that appeared to be missing from the school library, and that the librarian said was missing from three other libraries.

"I'll buy this," you say, smiling at Cynthia.