Village Tales from Pickle Patch Island: Mayor Spects Disappears

Village Tales 

 from 

 Pickle Patch Island

Mayor Spects Disappears

N. T. Kuhn

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© Copyright 2012 N. T. Kuhn.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

isbn: 978-1-4669-1338-7 (sc)

isbn: 978-1-4669-1340-0 (hc)

isbn: 978-1-4669-1339-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012902853

Trafford rev. 03/12/2012

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Flash Plays A Prank

Chapter 2

Mayor Spects Takes A Dip

Chapter 3

Flossy Goes Undercover?

Chapter 4

A Mystery At Cattail Pond

Chapter 5

The Bicycle Thief 

 Is Spotted?

Chapter 6

Squirrey Takes The Case

Chapter 7

Mr. Spects Disappears

Chapter 8

An Alarm Is Sent Out

Chapter 9

The Search Begins

Chapter 10

The Outlook Is Gloomy

Chapter 11

A Plan Is Set In Motion

Chapter 12

A Stranger Comes Calling

Chapter 13

A Mistake Revealed

I dedicate this book to Dottie who had more faith and confidence in me than I did. Giving me the help I needed when faced with a physical hurdle which made my finishing the book a hardship I didn’t believe I could overcome quickly. Thank you mom for all the support you offered.

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank Dwayne for his assistance in providing me with the technology needed to complete this book, Lisa for the support and help in making it a reality and Dave and Jess for your tolerance, support and informational assistance.

Welcome and enjoy.

In the pages to follow I will take you on a journey to the most wonderful place that you can imagine. A very unique village known as Pickle Patch, named after the private island estate known as Pickle Patch Island; where it’s located. I’m able to tell you the stories of this village; because I have vowed never to disclose the exact location of the island at the request of its residents. What I can tell you, is that it sits in the center of a huge fresh water lake and is the most beautiful place you can imagine; with its lush green valley, tall forest covered hills, and meandering paths painted with a kaleidoscope of flowering color; which make it our home. For you see I am the owner of this picturesque island and my name is Miss Jenny.

The villagers of Pickle Patch have always addressed me by this name from a time when my parents and grandparents were alive and the estate had a full domestic staff. I now live alone in the house with my dog and best friend Flash. I spend my time sketching, writing, and being the benefactress to the village of Pickle Patch. Flash spends a fair amount of his time being mischievous.

My family bought the island about a century ago; when they built and operated the now closed and decaying pickle factory. The island itself was named during this time; by the villagers; due to the large garden of cucumbers (the pickle patch as known to the residents) behind the factory. This same garden still thrives today, as the residents and I maintain it for all our benefit.

I’d like to tell you at this time about a very rare and unique ability that I have and that I have kept a secret from everyone that I’ve ever known, except the villagers that is. I am able to talk to, understand, and communicate completely with the residents of Pickle Patch. You ask why this is so unique. Well the residents of Pickle Patch are the animals of the island.

So come now and meet Mayor Spects, Chief McNaire, Sadie Dawdles and many more of my friends from Pickle Patch. I know that you will enjoy these adventures and stories as much as I have enjoyed creating them.

Yellow rays of light crept across Flash’s face

Chapter 1

Flash Plays A Prank

The warm waking rays of morning sunlight began to seep in through the windows of the century old stone house; where the young dog Flash lay sleeping soundly on the foot of his mistress’s bed. Gently as the lemon yellow rays of light crept across Flash’s face he slowly awoke, yawned and stood stretching the length of his body. He strolled to the head of the bed to wake Miss Jenny who was still fast asleep. Nudging her arm with his nose he stood wagging his tail, watching, and waiting for her to respond to his wake up call. Smiling up at him as she opened her eyes, Miss Jenny wished Flash a good morning as he wished her the same. Flopping across her stomach for his morning tummy rub, which was his daily routine. Miss Jenny lovingly scratching Flash’s tummy said, You lazy fellow. We don’t have time to dawdle this morning we have a lot to do before Mayor Spects arrives for his visit.

Twice a year Mayor Regimole Spects would come and spend a week at Miss Jenny’s and they would spend their time catching up on village events, taking walks into the hills, or working around her yard. Regimole and Miss Jenny have been friends ever since he was a boy and they met by accident one day when she almost stepped on him as she was going to pick blackberries. They now go berry picking as one of their favorite ways to spend a summer afternoon together.

Miss Jenny and Flash headed down to the kitchen; after she showered and dressed; to have breakfast and finish the last minute preparations of the house. Once they arrived in the kitchen Flash headed outside for his morning run and Miss Jenny said she’d get breakfast ready and they’d eat upon his return. She set the table for breakfast and as she waited she began baking the cookies that she planned to serve for tea that afternoon when Regimole arrived.

Pausing on the porch he took in the new morning. Flash is a medium-sized dog, with an umber—colored coat. He has a white stripe that runs between his eyes down to the pink birth mark on the bridge of his nose and a black muzzle. The under—side of his chin is white and blends to the patch on his chest. His fur is coarse; but has an unexpected softness of velour on the top of his head when you run a hand along his back. He has a broad muscular chest and neck. His body tapers slightly below the shoulder area and sleek defined muscles on the rest of his body. He’s very athletic and does everything as if he was running a race. He has a great curiosity about changes around him and anything new. He’s as mischievous as a child and loves to play pranks on his good friends. But his friendship is unwavering, and he will lay his life on the line and take dangerous risks to protect them from harm.

Flash stood on the porch tilting his head into the crisp morning air to take in all the wonderful smells of the new day. He enjoyed this part of the day more than any other time. The grass was wet with the fresh morning dew and the fresh cool air made him feel so rejuvenated after a long nights rest. His nose twitched as he slowly moved his head left and right to take in the scents and smells of the travelers that passed in the night, the newly blooming spring flowers and fragrant trees of the surrounding woods. Flash shot from the porch as if he were catapulted by a giant slingshot and then raced around the yard with his nose to the ground taking in each and every smell one at a time. His morning romp finished on the side of the house where he dropped to the ground under the huge old oak. He rolled about in the soft luscious grass before coming to a rest on his back. While he lay in the plush grass, he began to day dream of a day two years earlier under this same tree when he adopted Miss Jenny.

One very hot summer day two years ago, Flash at three months of age, had been dumped on the island and left roaming the woods to fend for himself. Hunger had begun to gnaw at him without any release and he felt that if a real meal wasn’t found soon his chances were obsolete on surviving much longer. After more than a month of scrounging for food and wandering deeper into the interior of the island, he came upon a large stone house with a lush green lawn and flower beds filled to the brim with every color of the rainbow. Looking upon the inviting structure before him, he saw a woman dozing under an old oak with its huge gnarled limbs reaching high to touch the puffy white clouds of the sky.

She was in her early thirties, with short cut dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a medium build. Her height was indiscernible as she sat beneath the tree. Flash cautiously positioned himself behind one of the stone pillars of the fence surrounding the yard. He watched her doze until his longing for companionship pushed him to wander over and nestle into her lap where he slipped into a motionless sleep due to hunger and fatigue. Waking from her nap with a feeling of heaviness and aching in her legs. She looked down and a smile spread across her face upon seeing him cocooned in the folds of her legs. She gently stroked the velvet soft fur of his head as he slept. Flash, slowly awaking looked up at her, licked the back of her hand resting across her knee and smiled at her as his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth with the widening increase of his grin.

Well, hello there. What’s your name? I’m Miss Jenny. How would you like something to eat? They soon found out that their meeting was to be the best thing that ever happened to either of them. Miss Jenny loved her solitude, but there was still something missing in her perfect life. To her unknowing, it was to be able to love and take care of someone of her own. So you see Flash and Miss Jenny needed each other more than either would ever know.

A pecking sound in the tree above aroused Flash from his day dream, and much to his pleasure he spied Flossy Cardini hoping from branch to branch. Thinking to himself he decided that it was time to play his favorite practical joke on her again.

Flossy, a young cardinal who became separated from her family while crossing over the lake during a terrible thunder storm last spring, is now a resident of Pickle Patch where she lives with Robin Knowall, her adopted aunt and a teacher at the school. Flossy, possibly as a result of being battered around in the storm, tends to have terrible trouble with her memory. She has been seen several times repeatedly flying into the glass of Miss Jenny’s kitchen window and believes her reflection is another cardinal she refers to as her shy new friend. Miss Jenny, continually finding her doing this, has said to her Flossy that’s you. Poor, confused Flossy tells everyone of her new friend named Tahats Tzu who lives out at Miss Jenny’s house.

Flash (being the devilish little boy that he is) was well aware of Flossy’s bad memory. He also knew just how extremely gullible she could be, so he continued to play this trick on her whenever the opportunity arrived. Flash felt that this was one of those perfect times. He slowly positioned himself by stiffening his front and back legs straight into the air and held them completely still as if he were frozen solid. He then pulled in a breath so deep that his lungs felt as if they would burst. Then, with as much volume as he could muster, he exhaled in a startling loud gasp.

Flossy busily looking for insects in the tree, heard the sound from below and jumped to a lower branch for a better view. Peering down through the limbs below her, Flossy gasped Oh no, he’s dead! With shear panic in her voice she began yelling "MAY DAY—EMERGENCY" and shot from the tree flying to the back of the house looking for help.

She continued to yell as she flitted from the back porch to the side of the house trying to attract Miss Jenny’s attention. Flash, lying under the tree was unable to control laughing hysterically as he watched Flossy flit around the yard.

Miss Jenny was removing a tray of baked cookies from the oven when she heard a loud commotion outside the kitchen door. Placing the cookie tray on the counter she opened the door and found Flossy in a terrible state of panic, still yelling her alert. Unable to calm her down or get an explanation, Miss Jenny followed her from the back porch and around the side of the house to see what was wrong. She immediately knew what had occurred when she saw flash lying under the tree. He was laughing so hard that his entire body was shaking and falling from side to side.

Coming to an abrupt stop, Miss Jenny placed her balled fists on her hips and in a scolding tone said, Flash, haven’t I told you repeatedly to stop teasing Flossy with that ‘Dead Dog’ routine of yours?

Flossy hearing this flew over and sat on Miss Jenny’s shoulder as she called Flash over to apologize.

You come over here and tell her you’re sorry and promise to never do it again, instructed Miss Jenny.

Still laughing Flash bounded over to Miss Jenny and Flossy. He bowed down, wagging his tail happily and said I’m sorry I scared you Flossy but I tricked you, I tricked you good. Then he sauntered off around the corner of the house and into the kitchen with his head held high and so very pleased with himself.

Miss Jenny told Flossy how sorry she was and that she would have a talk with him about not teasing her anymore. Looking at Miss Jenny with a puzzled expression on her face, Flossy said I don’t know what you mean? Flash wouldn’t tease me. We’re best friends. I just stopped by to wish you both a good morning.

Then off she flew back towards town.

Miss Jenny, entering the kitchen, saw flash lying under the table and remarked, You should be ashamed of yourself for teasing her the way you do. One of these days she is going to remember all of the pranks that you’ve played on her and when she does I’m not going to come to your rescue.

Flash stopped washing his paws and in a care free manner asked What’s for breakfast?

They finished cleaning up from breakfast and then spent the remainder of the morning putting the finishing touches on the rest of the house, awaiting the arrival of Mr. Spects.

Chapter 2

Mayor Spects Takes A Dip

R egimole Spects, the honorable Mayor of Pickle Patch, was packing the last of his clothing needed for his holiday with Miss Jenny when he heard Sadie Dawdles call that breakfast was ready. Regimole being not so very tall (as moles usually aren’t) and a slight bit on the pudgy side, lived on the third floor of Sadie’s bed and breakfast. He wore a pair of wire framed spectacles that quaintly rested on the bridge of his snout for daytime vision. But honestly, the spectacles didn’t seem to help very much. They did however give him a distinguished appearance. As the slight graying of his hair along the temples did adding to his very alluring animal magnetism (according to Sadie). He closed up his suitcase, locked the door of his room and headed down the stairs ready to begin his spring holiday once breakfast was finished.

Sadie was pouring the tea as Regimole entered the dining room. After wishing her a good morning he asked Did a delivery come for me this morning?

Sadie looking at him with deep concern answered Yes, I had the delivery men leave it alongside the Tea Cozy by the steps leading up to the house.

Sadie Dawdles is the hostess and owner of the Tea Cozy Tearoom and Bed &Breakfast, where