Rocky Slug had been on the stakeout for almost two whole days. Ever since they found the two bodies on the trail which the authorities attributed to a vicious serial killer. Sam Snail had asked him to stay and try to catch the perpetrator in the act. Ever since he had left the force, Sam had been trying to crack the big case and win the respect of his contemporaries. Rocky, on the other hand, only cared about making as many greenback aphids as possible. And he did pretty good in doing that, if he had to say so himself. This could be a real slimy business, but Rocky was the slug to do it.
The sun was getting pretty high in the late morning sky when he saw a very suspicious character loom up before him. He ducked behind a rock when he realized exactly who it was. ‘That Fenimore kid is loose in the meadow!! And what is he doing???’ Rocky watched in horror as the events unfolded before him. He was as pale as a ghost when he finally regained his wits and turned to rush back to the office and report this unsettling news. This information was going to break the wrinkled torso case wide open!!
Little Billy and Latimer were walking down to Sam Snails office to see how the investigation was going. They would really like the guilty party to be caught since neither of them wanted to have to endure testifying about all the gory details they had witnessed. Latimer had only now been able to sleep at night and not wake up in a cold sweat.
As they neared the office Billy saw Rocky scurrying towards them. Scurrying for a slug, anyway. He was totally out of breath when he got to them and could only motion them inside since he couldn’t yet talk. Inside the office he collapsed on the floor with Billy, Latimer, Sam and Rhonda Grasshopper surrounding him. Rhonda had the foresight to bring her pen and pad to take notes.
“It was horrible………HORRIBLE I tell you!!” It was all Rocky could do to get that out. His voice trembled, sweat covered his furrowed brow and his hands shook as he began to relate what he had seen on the trail. “The Fenimore kid…..he’s the killer…..and it’s even worse than we could possibly imagine. He had a whole bowl of wrinkled torsos…..he must have wiped out an entire village!! And…..and……he…..was EATING them by the handful!!!”
Latimer immediately passed out, Little Billy started retching, Sam paled and Rhonda turned to race to the bathroom but slipped on something that Rocky had drug in and ended up sprawled out on the floor with her long gams twisted beneath her.
Little Bobby was upset that they were out of raisins. He had only gotten this bowl of them because he had raided his older sisters bran flakes.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
WRINKLED TORSOS ARE PILING UP
Raphael Spider was probably the first to spot the bodies from his web high up in the bush. He climbed down for a closer look and arrived at the scene at nearly the same time as Tobias Caterpillar. Another swollen wrinkled torso of some poor creature lay on the trail. But unlike yesterdays find, today there is also a totally different body. This one was green and totally smooth. He started to spin some webbing to surround the crime scene until the authorities arrived. Tobias was dispatched to notify them.
It didn’t take long for this latest news to reach about everyone in the neighborhood. By the time the police and the ladybug carts got there most of the details were known by Little Billy. He was glad he hadn’t run across them. But now, he had to relay the news to Latimer and he didn’t look forward to that ordeal.
Latimer was cleaning up his share of the nest when Billy arrived. Billy put the aphids he had gathered into the storeroom and went inside to tell Latimer.
“Say, Latimer?” Billy asked timidly. “Could you step outside a minute. I have something I need to tell you.” Latimer didn’t like the tone of Billys voice and started to get a strange foreboding of what was to come. He didn’t feel much better outside, and now his feelers were breaking out in a cold sweat.
“What do you need to tell me, Billy?” Latimer asked, his voice shaking. “Well, bend over this twig and I’ll tell you.” said Billy. After a few minutes Latimer stopped retching and the color began to return to his face. Then, he said something that really surprised Billy. “I think we need to face our fears and go down there with the rest of the neighborhood and help them find out who is doing this terrible thing.”
He sounded so calm and determined that all Billy could do was nod his head and start walking with him down the trail. By the time they got there, the crowd was huge and there was a murmur building from the inside that soon turned into a loud demand. “Something has to be done. What are we paying our police for when this sort of thing happens on our trail?” “Yeah!! Our children aren’t safe with this going on in our neighborhood!”
It was getting ugly and the police were just as baffled as the rest of the onlookers. At first, when they had examined the swollen wrinkled body, they thought maybe it was a serial killer. But, what about this green one? It’s totally different from the killers normal m.o.
Little Bobbys older sister poured the bran flakes into her bowl and was disturbed that it didn’t have it’s usual two scoops of raisins. She dug through the cereal and noticed only five stupid raisins. “I know who’s to blame for this, and if Mom doesn’t do something about it, I will!”
It didn’t take long for this latest news to reach about everyone in the neighborhood. By the time the police and the ladybug carts got there most of the details were known by Little Billy. He was glad he hadn’t run across them. But now, he had to relay the news to Latimer and he didn’t look forward to that ordeal.
Latimer was cleaning up his share of the nest when Billy arrived. Billy put the aphids he had gathered into the storeroom and went inside to tell Latimer.
“Say, Latimer?” Billy asked timidly. “Could you step outside a minute. I have something I need to tell you.” Latimer didn’t like the tone of Billys voice and started to get a strange foreboding of what was to come. He didn’t feel much better outside, and now his feelers were breaking out in a cold sweat.
“What do you need to tell me, Billy?” Latimer asked, his voice shaking. “Well, bend over this twig and I’ll tell you.” said Billy. After a few minutes Latimer stopped retching and the color began to return to his face. Then, he said something that really surprised Billy. “I think we need to face our fears and go down there with the rest of the neighborhood and help them find out who is doing this terrible thing.”
He sounded so calm and determined that all Billy could do was nod his head and start walking with him down the trail. By the time they got there, the crowd was huge and there was a murmur building from the inside that soon turned into a loud demand. “Something has to be done. What are we paying our police for when this sort of thing happens on our trail?” “Yeah!! Our children aren’t safe with this going on in our neighborhood!”
It was getting ugly and the police were just as baffled as the rest of the onlookers. At first, when they had examined the swollen wrinkled body, they thought maybe it was a serial killer. But, what about this green one? It’s totally different from the killers normal m.o.
Little Bobbys older sister poured the bran flakes into her bowl and was disturbed that it didn’t have it’s usual two scoops of raisins. She dug through the cereal and noticed only five stupid raisins. “I know who’s to blame for this, and if Mom doesn’t do something about it, I will!”
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Case Of The Swollen Body
It was daylight by the time Sam Snail clocked in at the office. Rhonda Grasshopper was already there, organizing some files from his last case. She was filling in for his regular secretary, Norma, who had stepped in something slippery on the floor earlier in the week and had broken her leg. It was the same day that his operative Rocky Slug had stopped by to fill him in on a subject he had been following.
As Sam studied Rhondas long gams from across the room he thought about the latest investigation that had fallen into his lap. How could anyone be so cruel as to rip all the appendages off a helpless creature and then leave them for dead on a cold wet trail? Armless, legless bodies and secretaries with broken legs……this job could be pretty slimy at times.
Little Billy had gotten word from his cousin that he would be getting a subpoena to testify about the body he and Latimer had discovered. He wasn’t worried about telling the story, but he didn’t think Latimer would feel the same way. And he got confirmation of that theory when he told Latimer about it later that day.
“I really can’t do that!” lamented Latimer. “Every time I think about it I begin to……..to……MMMMMPHH!!” With that he turned towards the wall of the nest and began to retch once again. ‘This is not good.’ thought Little Billy.
The medical examiner had never seen a body in this condition. The body was so swollen and wrinkled and the insides were all mushed together. It was in such terrible shape he couldn’t even determine what species of bug it was. And he may as well forget about trying to figure out this bugs identity. It will probably end up in an unmarked grave somewhere. So sad…
Such was life in the bug world……here one day and gone the next.
Little Bobby had found some other little tidbits to put out on the ground. “Let’s see what else those bugs like to eat.” He laid a jelly bean next to another raisin on the same spot he saw the bugs at yesterday.
As Sam studied Rhondas long gams from across the room he thought about the latest investigation that had fallen into his lap. How could anyone be so cruel as to rip all the appendages off a helpless creature and then leave them for dead on a cold wet trail? Armless, legless bodies and secretaries with broken legs……this job could be pretty slimy at times.
Little Billy had gotten word from his cousin that he would be getting a subpoena to testify about the body he and Latimer had discovered. He wasn’t worried about telling the story, but he didn’t think Latimer would feel the same way. And he got confirmation of that theory when he told Latimer about it later that day.
“I really can’t do that!” lamented Latimer. “Every time I think about it I begin to……..to……MMMMMPHH!!” With that he turned towards the wall of the nest and began to retch once again. ‘This is not good.’ thought Little Billy.
The medical examiner had never seen a body in this condition. The body was so swollen and wrinkled and the insides were all mushed together. It was in such terrible shape he couldn’t even determine what species of bug it was. And he may as well forget about trying to figure out this bugs identity. It will probably end up in an unmarked grave somewhere. So sad…
Such was life in the bug world……here one day and gone the next.
Little Bobby had found some other little tidbits to put out on the ground. “Let’s see what else those bugs like to eat.” He laid a jelly bean next to another raisin on the same spot he saw the bugs at yesterday.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
SAM SNAIL IS ON THE CASE
A private detective needs to sleep with one eye open. Sam Snail had learned this from experience. He had spent many hours on cases when he was on the force where he had to be very alert. You never knew where danger may come from. And now that he was a P.I. he was really on his own and had to be doubly on the lookout. So, the morning that Little Billy burst into his office he immediately threw all his training into the job at hand.
From what he could initially gather from the excited and sweaty little cricket before him, there had apparently been a brutal murder down on the trail to the river. Little Billy and Latimer Beetle had been on route to meet Louise Beetle at the swimming hole, when they had stumbled upon a grisly scene. It was the dismembered body of a large bug of some variety. All traces of identification had been removed and discarded somewhere apart from the body that lay before them.
Little Billy was shocked by what he saw but reacted nowhere near as much as Latimer. Billy finally looked away from the body and towards Latimer who was at this moment bent down over a twig retching violently. He finished retching, turned towards Billy and as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, he passed out cold on the ground.
‘Oh, great,’ thought Billy. ’Now I have two problems.’ He decided to drag Latimer away from the crime scene and waved some skunkweed under his nose to revive him. When he had Latimer calmed down he told him to stay put and he would go for help.
The first nest he came across was Sam Snails detective agency, so now you know why he was there. Sam took it all in and after much deliberation decided that they should return to the crime scene and investigate. All this takes time because Sam Snail is slow and methodical as you might guess.
They finally got to the spot where the body lay. It had obviously endured much trauma during it’s demise and must have been there quite a while. Sam could determine this because the body was swollen and wrinkled by being left on the cold wet ground. He had Little Billy help him secure the crime scene so that the crowd that had gathered would not disturb any evidence. He then sent one of the speedier bugs to run back to the meadow and get the police and a ladybug cart to haul the body back for the medical examiner.
‘What the heck!!’ Little Bobby Fenimore took a closer look at the ground. “Boy, it didn’t take those bugs long to find that raisin I dropped earlier.”
From what he could initially gather from the excited and sweaty little cricket before him, there had apparently been a brutal murder down on the trail to the river. Little Billy and Latimer Beetle had been on route to meet Louise Beetle at the swimming hole, when they had stumbled upon a grisly scene. It was the dismembered body of a large bug of some variety. All traces of identification had been removed and discarded somewhere apart from the body that lay before them.
Little Billy was shocked by what he saw but reacted nowhere near as much as Latimer. Billy finally looked away from the body and towards Latimer who was at this moment bent down over a twig retching violently. He finished retching, turned towards Billy and as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, he passed out cold on the ground.
‘Oh, great,’ thought Billy. ’Now I have two problems.’ He decided to drag Latimer away from the crime scene and waved some skunkweed under his nose to revive him. When he had Latimer calmed down he told him to stay put and he would go for help.
The first nest he came across was Sam Snails detective agency, so now you know why he was there. Sam took it all in and after much deliberation decided that they should return to the crime scene and investigate. All this takes time because Sam Snail is slow and methodical as you might guess.
They finally got to the spot where the body lay. It had obviously endured much trauma during it’s demise and must have been there quite a while. Sam could determine this because the body was swollen and wrinkled by being left on the cold wet ground. He had Little Billy help him secure the crime scene so that the crowd that had gathered would not disturb any evidence. He then sent one of the speedier bugs to run back to the meadow and get the police and a ladybug cart to haul the body back for the medical examiner.
‘What the heck!!’ Little Bobby Fenimore took a closer look at the ground. “Boy, it didn’t take those bugs long to find that raisin I dropped earlier.”
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