Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
20/20 Investigations, Inc. The Vacation. Chapter 8.
My phone! I can call for help, but, it’s dead, I forgot to recharge it last night. I check the hotel phone but it’s dead too for some reason, just like the electricity. I think someone deliberately cut the power and phone lines. Then I spot Muffin curled up sleeping on one of the lobby chairs, so I called to her, but she doesn’t move. I go over to the chair but she’s gone. I’m seeing things now. Was I drugged? Now I see Mr. Cat at his post by the door looking out toward where Kathy was on the beach. I go over to him but he disappears just as I got to him. What is going on here? Am I going crazy? I go back to Kathy’s room and…she’s lying on the bed! I run over to the bed and…she fades away. But she looked just like I remembered her, no pink hair, no tattoo. It was Karin from our last case. I have known since I first saw Kathy that it was Karin, but then…there was a change in her, it wasn’t Karin anymore.
They switched her for this other woman who looks so much like Karin, except her eyes, that’s why she uses those contact lenses to change the color of her eyes. That switch must have been made when Karin and Muffin came back from the old castle and were drugged by Clara. But if they were after Karin, why the elaborate switch with this other woman? I don’t understand this at all. But I need to find my cats! I go back to the kitchen and look out back and I notice a couple of small storage buildings so I go to check them. The first one is full of junk, hard to get in the door! Then I thought I heard a noise and I notice some movement in a small sack. I untied it and there was Mr. Cat! Meow!=Hard to breathe in there, happy to see you! And he gave me a big hug. Meow?=Where Muffin? I don’t know, I said, maybe in one of these other sacks. We checked them, but nothing, no Muffin.
Meow!=Look up high! Hanging from the steep pitched roof is another small sack. I can’t quite reach it. I hold up Mr. Cat but he can’t reach the rope holding the sack in place. Meow!=It Muffin in here, we need to hurry! I look outside and spotted a small, old box. I hope it holds me. It did and was just big enough that I could get the sack down. I opened it quickly and poor Muffin was gasping for air. Meow!=Who did this to my Muffin in big trouble now! I agree Mr. Cat, let’s go back to the hotel. I stopped first to look in the van but it was empty, and all four tires were flat. Meow, meow.=Someone is watching us. Meow.=Yes, I sense too. Yes, I can feel it too, I said, but let’s go check that other shed. It wasn’t locked so I opened the door and there wasn’t much in there except some garden tools and hoses. Someone went to a lot of trouble building this little shed from rock. Looks nice though.
That wind! There was a huge cracking, then crashing as a large tree broke and landed on the shed the cats had been in, smashing it to pieces. We rush back to the hotel and safety. Or are we safe in here? Anyway, we were all hungry so I fed the cats and there was already a lot of sandwiches made so that’s what I had. There is a lot of food here at least. After eating we went back to Kathy’s room and I told the cats about Karin being switched for another woman. Meow, meow.=She have lot of shoes in closet. What? I looked. Everything was back in the closet, and on the dresser. I told the cats it had all disappeared. They looked at each other. No, I’m not crazy. I decide we should go back to our room for now and think things over.
We checked our room thoroughly but there were no listening devices. Suddenly the cats ears go straight up! I turn to see what they are looking at. It was Karin! And she said for us to go back home, then she disappeared. Meow, meow!=It ghost! That enough, we pack and go home now! Meow!=Me agree! There’s no way for us to leave, I said, but what we will do is go look through the attic. Meow, meow!=Always you want to look for ghosts. Safer to go home. That wasn’t a ghost, someone is using some kind of projection to try and scare us away. Meow?=What you mean, try to scare us? I scared, time to leave. Meow, meow!=Me too, let’s go! Not until we find out what is going on around here. Wow, that had to be a record loud sigh from you too. Meow, meow.=You giving us lots of practice.
To Be Continued.
©2020 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 
‘Maybe I hide and ghost not see me.’😂
Brilliant write and amazing photos!
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Thank you very much! So glad you are enjoying this!😁😸😸🕵️♂️🏖
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Super cool chapter!
Can’t wait for more!
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More coming sometime soon!
Thanks Lydia!
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There must be a big secret treasure for someone to go to so much trouble. Whoever is watching you, would have had an easier time letting you enjoy your vacation. Now the PI in you is at work and you will solve the mystery!
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Yes, I think you’re right, unless something big is going to happen soon and they didn’t want me around. But they have twice tried to kill the cats, that’s too much, now I’m more determined than ever to get this figured out, whatever it is! So much for a nice vacation.😳🙀🙀
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Glad to see both cats and you are okay! I am with the cats…go home as they said ! Loved the pics ! ☕️☕️🕵️♂️🕵️♂️🙀🙀‼️
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We’re okay, for now anyway. But who knows what’s coming up? We can’t leave, no vehicle, no way to call for help and there’s a storm! So we have to stay and get this figured out. Somehow.😳🙀🙀🕵️♂️🏖
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Wow! Who is playing with you is very clever, they’re playing with your minds…🤔 Is time for 🕵️♂️ in action 😉😻
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Yes, they are going to a lot of trouble to scare us away, but why?🤔😳 If they are after treasure it would have been better to leave us alone.😬 But maybe they want something else. What could that be?🤔🙀🙀🕵️♂️🏖
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I guess we soon would find out 🕵️♂️ 😺😼
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I hope so!😳
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Good Job, better watch that strong tea! You’re seeing things!🤓
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I think it might be the lack of coffee! Amazing what that can do!
Thanks Dusty, now if I can just figure out what is going on around here. Someone doesn’t want us around, but makes it hard to leave, or is that just a coincidence? What happened to everyone? Who is the person watching us? Why is he/she watching us? How am I supposed to sleep like this?😳🙀🙀🕵️♂️🏖
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How do you get yourself into those situations?? Good thing the cat’s are out of the bag(🤭) now they can help save you!😁
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Haha cats are out of the bag! Good one. I like how in your stories you always have time to eat. This is important.🖐😻 keep going!
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Not bad, you’re the only one to catch that! Right, it’s important to eat, best time to think, and besides, Mr. Cat and Muffin would be chewing on my legs if we didn’t stop to eat!😳😼😼
More to come!😲🙀🙀🕵️♂️🏖
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Ha! Now I’m first! Teehee.
I make good PI too, no? I learn from Mr. Cat…even start to sound like cats. (giggle)
So speaking of chewing on legs—Mr. Kittywinkles bites my leg the other day while I’m sitting on the commode totally vulnerable! He wants his Friskies—which we keep to feed the ravens. Ravens ❤️ Friskies cat food. We buy Mr. Cat some special cat food—but he’s not interested. Friskies it is. 🤣🖐😸
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Now I’m laughing uncontrollably!😂😹🤣
Naturally he wants Friskies, he sees you feed it to the ravens, so he wants it too. Muffin is like that. The gulls like Friskies also and so does Muffin!😃😺🖐😻
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🤪😜🙃
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Muffin’s ghost reaction was in time with me hahaha 😂 It’s the only conclusion when someone just disappears like that. I want to cuddle Muffin! ❤
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I think Muffin just pretends, I have told her there are no ghosts.🤔👻
Meow, meow!?=You want sore feet?😾 I want cuddle, I want cuddle!😻😻 Too many ghosts here!🙀🙀👻👻
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Sweet threats hahaha 😂
Ok. Let’s cuddle then go for ghost hunts! 😁
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Meow, meow!=Yay for cuddle!😻😻 NO ghosts!😾😾
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Aw, okay, let’s make Steve hunt them alone haha 😂
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Meow, meow!=Okay with me!😹😻
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Okay, now where is the real Kathy/Karin 😳🤔 Why did you saw illusion, how it all happened 🙄 can’t understand whether this is an illusion or some technology game. whoever does this, I’m sure they didn’t really like you being there, that means, something is very seriously wrong, you have to spend this vacation doing your research 🧐 or you are going to have fun 🤔 or all of this is just a game conducted for this super intelligent PI😜🤣. Nicely done Steve 😍✍️ you are doing amazing…
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Yes, maybe it is an illusion, perhaps I have been drugged so I will see things. But the cats saw it too. Hmm, it could be a computer generated image and using a camera to project the image wherever they want it to go. But I still think there is someone else in on this too.😬 But why so many people involved in this?😜🙄 What are they trying to do?🤔 Is there really a fantastic treasure?🤑🤑 Why did they change the real Karin for the fake Karin?🤔 Why don’t I run outside and scream?😲🤪🤣
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Yes, why don’t you call for help, instead of doing your regular PI 🤔Muffin must had some other ideas 😸 You should have asked her once 😜 or may be Mr. Cat has 😼 So where is the fantastic treasure, have you really come for the Vacation 🧐 I doubt that 🤔
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I can’t call for help, there is no electricity and the battery in my phone is dead,😬 the regular phone isn’t working, I think someone cut the line.😲☎ And there is a storm.😳🌧🌧⛈⛈ It would be a 2 day walk to the nearest town once the storm is over we could try that.🚶♂️🚶♂️🚶♂️🚶♂️🚶♂️ Yes, we did come for a nice quiet vacation. Sigh.😕🙄
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I know that, I was saying some physical help . ☺️ I thought you intentionally came for a PI lying to cats as a Vacation 😜
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No, I really did want to come for a vacation,😃🏖 no case, though I was intrigued by the old castle. Never know what you might find.😁 But now I think the real treasure is in the hotel. Or is it?🤔😳🙄
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I saw your next chapter , I’m working on my Sunday post 😁 I’ll very soon read it. 😋
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