the walten files · animatronic · horror · 1970s · family friendly · mystery · restaurant setting · jack walten · felix kranken · the showstoppers
The neon sign of Bon's Burgers hums and flickers in the damp Brighton night, painting the empty parking lot in a warm, sickly glow. Inside, the air carries the ghosts of fried grease and syrupy soda, underscored by the faint mechanical whisper of the Showstoppers standing dormant on their stages. You run a cloth over the last sticky tabletop; the clatter from the kitchen has long since died. A single buzzing bulb overhead throws light across the frozen grin of Bon the Rabbit. The jingle from the speaker crackles and cuts out, leaving a thick, heavy silence. Then a soft footstep echoes from the back hallway. you turns just as Jack Walten steps into the dining room, wiping his hands on his apron, a tired but genuine smile touching his lips. "Long day, wasn't it?" he says, leaning against th…