Midview time stoppage event

The Midview Time-Stoppage Event occurred in April 1976, when Midview residents reported a peculiar moment when time seemed to stand still. Clocks halted, and a mysterious humming sound filled the air. Local authorities were inundated with reports, but the cause of this event remains a subject of debate, with some attributing it to shared psychosis and others to unexplained natural phenomena. This incident left a lasting impression on Midview residents, sparking fascination and bewilderment.
Evidence of the actual events leading up to the stoppage can be found in The Real Unreal inside the Lightning Room, a mysterious laboratory equipped with a large lightning collector.
== Shift reports ==
In the Lightning Room, a binder of shift reports can be found:
Date: 	ID: 	Comments:
4/21/1976	8024	Cleaned the enclosures as asked. Recalibrated lightning collector. Addressed 12 of 326's requests for updated data. Noticed a slight rattle in Enclosure 3. Polished Gerald.
4/22/1976	607 	Time stoppage prep proceeded as planned. Completed report awaits 326's approval. Freak thunderstorm left a hairline fracture in Enclosure 3. Descaled coffee pot.
4/23/1976	326 	Reviewed data collected by 8024 and 607; requesting once again for revisions and clarifications. Apparent spike in data from specimen in Enclosure 3; further analysis required. Request for 8024 for feasibility for full-time stoppage event. Noticeable dust on Gerald.
4/24/1976	8024	Collated latest regional weather data; recommendation for full-time stoppage event awaits 326's approval. Addressed 326's and 607's requests for data visualizations; request for overtime pay awaits 326's approval. Polished Gerald.
4/25/1976	607 	Unexpected time stoppage occurred today at 1347 hours lasting approximately 2.047 seconds. Checked all equipment and reinforced Enclosure 3. Felt a distinct sensation of being watched; rebaited mouse traps. Submitted request for more coffee.
4/26/1976	326 	Data shows definite upward trend in activity emanating from specimen in Enclosure 3; activity correlates with specific weather conditions. More analysis is needed. Approved 8024's data analysis as it pertains to the full-time stoppage event; denied request for overtime pay. Coffee pot is filthy.
4/29/1976	8024	Organized Weepuls by color and personality per 607's request. Experienced several freak electrical shocks when interacting with equipment. Submitted further analysis of correlation between weather conditions and activity emanating from Enclosure 3; noted my concerns about the upcoming time stoppage event. Freed trapped mice.
4/28/1976	607 	Performed routine maintenance on lightning collector; noticed same stray voltage that 8024 reported. First aid kit is woefully understocked. Collected data on time discrepancies between this facility and sites 1, 2, and 3. Signed for coffee delivery.
4/29/1976	326 	Concerns from 8024 RE: upcoming time stoppage event have been duly noted. Documented the instance of concentrated atmospheric pressure gathering at an unusually low altitude above this facility. Lodged a complaint RE: continuing empty state of cigarette vending machine.
4/30/1976	8024	Completed all preparations for tomorrow's time stoppage event. Confirmed necessary atmospheric conditions are ideal RE: tomorrow's time stoppage event. Followed up with cigarette vendor. Fed mice. Again experienced the sensation of not being alone; the feeling was strongest in the general vicinity of Enclosure 3. Noted several very close lightning strikes. Maintained prolonged eye contact with Gerald. Swept. Performed redundant safety checks; left forms for 236's approval. All checks indicate go for time stoppage event. Standing by.
File:ShiftRep1.jpg|Page 1
File:ShiftRep2.jpg|Page 2
File:ShiftRep3.jpg|Page 3
File:ShiftRep4.jpg|Page 4
== Newspaper clipping ==
Elsewhere in the room is an excerpt from the April 11, 1976 issue of The Midview County Sentinel-Record that sheds more light on the effects of the stoppage:
Midview residents claim that time stands still
Staff report: Is shared psychosis or unexplained phenomenon to blame?
Midview residents are claiming that, for an indeterminate stretch on Thursday, time literally stood still.
"It was like a great big bolt of lightning reached down and unplugged all my clocks," says Midview High School Booster Club president Sandra Friedrich.
And she isn't the only one who's making this claim. Several locals reported disturbances, overwhelming Midview County emergency lines and stumping local law enforcement.
"We've always had some interesting characters who say all sorts of nutty things, but I've never experienced anything like this. We got dozens of calls," says Sergeant Allan McGreeley. "Except that one time, back in '62. But everyone was smoking a lot of grass back then."
"It was a normal spring thunder-storm," says Garrison's General Store owner Reginald Garrison. "I was tossing a nickel to myself and then it just got stuck in mid-air. Then I noticed some kind of low hum, like a tornado, but this was no tornado."
Local psychic Bunny Mathison says that the phenomenon seemed to be emanating from the prairie north of town.
"I sensed a distinct vibe coming from that direction, you know, where those secret underground bunkers are," she says. "A sort of dark energy that seemed to be growing and growing, trying to escape from something. As usual, the authorities just wouldn't listen."
When asked to comment, Sergeant McGreeley says that Ms. Mathison's concerns have been "noted."
Though they acknowledge that time in Midview is now progressing normally, residents are still on edge.
"I just can't help but check the clock a little more carefully now," says Ms. Friedrich. "How many times has that second had stopped ticking and I didn't even notice?" Interestingly, the cut-off article at the bottom of the clipping mentions Omega Mart, placing this event around the same time of the store's initial franchising push. This may mean that Omega Mart has a presence in or near Midview.
Category:The Real Unreal
Category:Lore