David Lynch imagined the mysterious death of Laura Palmer and how such an event could worm its way into a town’s psyche. Twin Peaks, much like Fredericton, was a leafy and secretive riverside town with a dark side. There, the mystery of Laura’s death became a community experience which grew in supernatural fervour with each passing day. Pandemics create a similar sense of psychic surreality with so many people in a state of heightened grief and stress. How strange and heartbreaking it’s been to watch Fredericton grapple with the disappearance of a beloved author at the threshold of the pandemic’s “second wave”. A seriousness settled in as bleak as the weather. There were hopeful “socially distanced” searches, heartfelt appeals for information and lingering glances along the river’s edge. This town has lost loved ones who turned up in the river before. We’ve even lost men to mind-boggling attic situations. In the end, the beloved author was found tragically lost. (Nathaniel Moore’s description of his dear friend’s last days best capture the impact of this loss.) If Bob is indeed depression in this scenario, this town may collectively be facing an epic foe “Alone Together” as winter approaches. Then again, some of us have been fighting Bob for many years. We were already expecting him.
