Examining the Box

Freckles:

The object in front of me had two sides, a top and bottom, and a back. It resembled a cave, but was not deep. Poking my head inside revealed to me that the floor was constructed of a soft material, even softer than the ground in the Other World. It wouldn’t make much of a hiding place – everyone would be able to see me. But, the possibility existed that it might have other uses. I continued to examine it carefully.

Deb Gets an Idea

Deb:

I needed some new plastic containers to carry lunch to work, so I stopped at Costco after work one night and found the perfect Rubbermaid 28 piece set. After unloading the containers, washing them, and stacking them neatly in the cupboard, I grabbed the empty box with a plan to break it down for recycling. As I picked it up, however, I had an idea. I headed for the utility room to get an old towel from the rag shelf.

Something New

Freckles:

One morning when I awoke in my Home Place and ran down the tunnel to the Other World, I discovered something new and different sitting in the middle of the clearing. I absolutely, positively, and with all certainty knew that the large rectangular thing had not been there when I left the Other World for my bed last night. I cautiously crept closer to it, then hopped around to check out the back of it. Hmmmm, who could have put this here and what was it for?

Letting Go

Deb:

With the back door barricaded shut, we finished picking up the mess throughout the house. We’d go shopping for a new door next weekend, but I didn’t know of any store where we could purchase some fresh piece of mind. Even though the burglars had not taken anything of great value, they had invaded our home. Our lives had been violated. They had gone through our stuff and searched through the pieces of our history trying to rob us of our hard-earned dollars. I felt angry, livid, infuriated, incensed, furious, and pretty darn mad!

I allowed myself an evening of being outraged, and then I told myself I had to let go of the anger. What was done, was done. We needed to move on. So, move on we did.

Putting Things in Order

Freckles:

The new creature with the shiny middle talked with the High-Voiced One and Big Guy for a long time. Although I worried at first that it might be one of the Invaders, I relaxed after observing that it seemed to be no threat. I even let it pet my nose under the mistaken assumption that it might have special treats to share. No such luck.

After the shiny one left, Big Guy shared it's treat with me and then it worked on the smashed back portal, making terrible banging noises as it pounded the portal back in place. Huge boards now blocked anyone from smashing it in again.

That night I did not sleep well. Every little sound brought me to my feet as I listened for a return of the Invaders.

The Police

Deb:

A police officer arrived three hours after I called. He said he’d been answering several other calls similar to mine – doors broken in with only money (cash) taken. He suspected that the intruders were looking for quick money and drugs. They hadn’t taken any valuable electronic items. The police believed that the culprits were teenagers who would have trouble explaining televisions, computers, cameras to their parents. Or maybe they simply didn’t know where to pawn such items.

He wrote down the information regarding the robbery, gave us a case number for our insurance company, and left.

After we closed the door, I grabbed Freckles and squished her in a huge hug. When I thought about how lucky we were that she wasn’t hurt and how it could have turned out so differently, I couldn't help but hold her. Maybe I'd never let her go.

A Stranger Arrives

Freckles:

It had been a tiring day and I dozed under my favorite tree in the Other World while the high-voiced one sat in the bush. It seemed to be waiting for something as it scribbled on some paper. Big Guy came home and they talked as they cleaned up some of the mess on the floor that the invaders had made.

Suddenly, there was a loud BANG BANG on the front portal. I jumped awake and watched as the high-voiced one ran to pull open it.

A strange creature came into the Other world. This was one I had never seen before. It had shiny objects jingling on its middle and it talked in a deep, booming voice like Big Guy.

Making Lists -- Checking Them Twice

Deb:

The 9-1-1- operator asked if the intruders were still in the house.
She asked if anyone was injured.
She asked what was stolen.
She said they would send someone as soon as possible.

I sat down in the living room to wait and called Big Guy at work. He said he’d come home immediately. While I waited, I grabbed paper and pen to write down:

What was missing:
Big Guy’s State Quarter Collection - worth $56.25
Costume jewelry – 1 necklace, 1 pr earrings, 1 bracelet - worth about $20.00
Some change from a dish on the kitchen counter – probably $5.00 worth

What wasn’t missing:
All TVs/VCRs
Both computers & printers
Checks & checkbook
Prescription medication
Computer games, DVDs, videos, etc.

Damage:
Back door smashed in
Stuff scattered around rooms (but not much was broken)
Cracked mug

I knew we might find something else missing in the future when we went to look for it, but for now that was all I could account for. They might have taken personal information to use for identity theft, but I didn’t know what. All in all it wasn’t much like the crimes I’d seen on TV. I don’t know which was more depressing – that we had been robbed or that we didn’t have anything worth stealing!

A Short Intermission

Deb:

I spent the weekend at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Western Washington Chapter Spring Conference in Bellevue, Washington. Although I had a wonderful time and met some terrific people, I am exhausted. Therefore, I'm a little behind on my blogging. Freckles spent the weekend being spoiled by Nice Guy, so she's been too busy to think about blogging. We'll be back with our story in a day or two.

Another Mystery Solved!

Freckles:

The High-Voiced One moved quickly to a portal on the other side of the Slippery Ground Land. When it opened the portal and peered at the new land beyond, it let out a strange noise -- not quite a scream and not a sound I'd ever heard it make before. I peeked into the new land and saw a huge portal lying across the entrance. The horizontal portal was about a bazillion feet long and blocked any entry to the land (unless you wanted to climb over the top of it, which is what the invaders must have done.) This explained that huge bang I'd heard when I was hiding in the Other World during the invaders' escape. The invaders must have blown up this portal. How rude!

Suddenly, everything that had happened this day became overwhelming to me. I just couldn't look at the senseless destruction any longer.

The Remains of the Door

Deb:

I almost dropped the Breyers Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream when I saw the dreadful damage before me in the utility room. Suddenly I knew how the burglars had gotten into the house. The remains of our back door, including the door frame, stretched across the utility room, splintered wood poking out in all directions. Obviously, the invaders had smashed in the back door. It now blocked my way to the freezer. There was no way I could hold up the heavy door and frame while opening the freezer door. I backed up and tossed the ice cream into the kitchen sink.

I'd put it off long enough -- it was time to call the police.

Following Behind

Freckles:

The High-Voiced One seemed to suddenly think of something important. It stiffened and then charged through the Slippery Ground Land to the Other World. Much to my chagrin, it dropped me to the floor and grabbed the containers it had set in the bush when it arrived.

My ride through the land was over. Without even a glance at me, it turned and walked back the way it had come. Well, it wasn’t going to get rid of me so easily. I followed along behind to see what it was up to.

Melting Ice Cream and Surprise

Deb:

As Freckles and I headed back into the kitchen, I suddenly remembered my groceries! I’d left them on the chair by the front door. My ice cream was probably melting all over the living room! I didn’t need a sticky, oozing ice cream mess on top of everything else, so I rushed to the living room and gently placed Freckles on the floor. Scooping up the grocery sacks, I headed back to the kitchen.

I soon discovered my ice cream only slightly soft. If I got it into the freezer now, it might still be okay. I opened the utility room door where our upright freezer is housed. The sight before me froze me in place.

The Ball is Safe!

Freckles:

We searched the Slippery Ground Land. It was hard to tell from my vantage point in the High-Voiced One’s paw whether anything was different. I had only seen this area from the ground. At this higher viewpoint, everything looked different. I suddenly realized that I enjoyed seeing things from this height. I felt fairly certain that the High-Voiced One had a good grip on me and wouldn’t drop me.

The next stop on our expedition was the Sky Place. The High-Voiced One looked confused rather than sad as we wandered around the room. I noticed my twine ball lying on the ground under the tree. Thank goodness the Invaders did not take my ball! I rememberd back to the time Nice Guy brought me the ball. Ahhhhh, memories!

Strange Burglars

Deb:

Freckles and I reached the family room after a quick glance at the kitchen. I hadn't seen much out of place in the kitchen. Maybe the burglars hadn’t had time to go through that room or had been scared away by something. Once in the family room, I again observed assorted items lying on the floor. This room wasn’t as big a mess, because none of the furniture here had drawers that could be dumped onto the floor. The computer sat untouched as did our new television that we had purchased two months before. How strange, I thought. Why wouldn’t they take a brand-new television?

I checked the patio door, but it was locked up tight. How did they get into the house? The front door had been closed and locked when I arrived. The patio door was secure. I hadn’t seen any open or broken windows. The back door – that must be it!