Brenda Mendoza became aware that the sun had just set. Just like that. The sun had set and she stood on a platform in a dark room.

She looked around a little afraid. The room was large, larger than her living room at home. Across from her stood dozens of cardboard cutouts of people. She looked left and right and found she was standing among cutout people on her side too.

Brenda stepped off the platform. Her clothing felt odd. She looked herself over with a frown. She was wearing old-time clothes, a petticoat and a stiffly starched shirt.

"Where am I?" she asked aloud. "How did I get here?"

She walked cautiously out of the room. She next found herself in a large hallway. Pictures lined the walls. Artifacts were housed in plexiglass cases. "I must be in a museum."

Brenda walked through the exhibits examining them. She searched for clues. "This must be Costa Rica. This must be a history museum."

"Hey you," a voice called to her.

Brenda looked around but there was nobody there.

"Over here. The bust on the pedestal."

Brenda located the bust and walked up to it. The label was in shadow where she couldn't read it. "Who are you?"

"I was Bob McFee. I had a farm in Kansas. I figure I died and came back as this statue. I can only talk at night. I bet you can only walk around at night too."

"I think so. The first thing I remember was the sun setting."

"Yeah. I was like you at first. Every night seemed new. Then, after a while, I started to remember. Now I remember every night."

"But where are we? How did I get here?"

"I figure you died. Say. Have you ever heard of reincarnation?"

Brenda thought about it. "Yes. That's where you're reborn after death. As a baby or animal."

"Exactly. That's what I figure. We died. But instead of being reborn into a person or an animal, we were reborn into art."

"What about heaven?"

"Heaven, shmeven. You're art now. I suggest you get used to it."

Brenda didn't want to be dead. She didn't want to be art. "It's not fair."

"Death's not fair. That's for sure. But don't take my word for it. You see that window behind you?"

Brenda lookd over her shoulder. "Yes."

"Just outside is an ox cart. He's been around for over two hundred years. You want wisdom, you talk to the ox cart."

Brenda noticed the room was getting brighter. "Is the sun rising already?"

"Yeah. That's something else you'll learn. Time passes faster here. The nights are only a dozen or so minutes long."

Brenda thought the statue winked at her.

Brenda Mendoza became aware that the sun had just set. Just like that. The sun had set and she stood on a platform in a dark room. The platform seemed familiar. Had she been here before?