Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Autumn and Insulators, Part 2.
Hello everyone on another very cool October day. Well, today I thought it would be good to continue with the story about Dad and I. Might even be a third part to this one. This was quite the trip. So let’s get going! Dad was still rubbing his head and blaming me that he decided to sit in some wet mud. Amazing. Now, what lay ahead was not such a wonderful sight. A very deep, steep sided ravine. Quite wide too. Only way across to the other side was walking on the tracks. “A long walk with nowhere to go if a train comes,” I said.
“We can see a long distance,” said Dad, “so if a train comes we just move to the other track.” “What if 2 trains come?,” I asked. “Not much chance of that,” he said. I suggested we should go back to the car, after all, we had found quite a few insulators. Dad said, “where is your sense of adventure?” “It went back to the car,” I replied. But off we went. We were not quite half way when we heard a train. “It’s behind us,” I said. “No, it’s in front of us,” said Dad. We were both right, unfortunately.
Two trains. Only way out was over the edge and that’s where we went. It was very steep. Sliding down this steep slope with those trains going by was a strange feeling. I grabbed a small bush as I went by but it didn’t hold me, just pulled it out of the ground. I was sliding on my back. Amazingly Dad was still standing, and running down that steep slope. With a look of terror on his face! Dad finally tripped and started to roll very fast. Not good. Dad used to get dizzy real easy. But he stopped rolling and just slid like me. Right through some bushes at the bottom. I heard a loud yell.
I managed to slow down enough that I didn’t go through the bushes. Poor Dad. He landed in an old beaver pond. Dad was completely wet and muddy. That was too much, I started laughing. Loud and long. Dad didn’t seem to think it was funny, which was kind of strange. “See, we should have gone bottle digging,” I said. Dad just looked at me. “I should have stayed home,” he said. That was an odd thing to say considering this was his idea. “Good thing I’m along though, think what it would be like if I wasn’t here to help you,” I said.
“Hmm, no headache, I wouldn’t be wet or muddy, something to think about for next time,” he said. Not sure what he meant by that. We did find a lot of nice insulators down there. However, we still had to climb back up to the tracks. Dad suggested staying down until we reached the other side. “You go first,” said Dad. Naturally, he usually volunteered me to go first. We each had about 100 lbs of insulators by the time we reached the other side. That made the climb back to the tracks a bit harder. But we made it.
“Good spot for some coffee,” I said, “I’ll get it out while you change into your dry clothes.” The weird look on Dad’s face at that moment. “I forgot them in the car,” he said quietly. That was too much, I started laughing again! Loud and long! “At least it’s warm here in the sun,” I finally managed to say while still laughing. Dad just looked at me and sighed. Well, guess I will stop here and finish up tomorrow or Sunday. I hope you all have a great weekend and God bless!
Steve. ©2026 Steve McLeod.
The Investigators, Inc. The Mystery of Balding House. Chapter 7. Ghosts.
Sky was back here at the chateau, briefly, to pick up Jennifer and Galyna to take them back with her to Jenna’s house. Jennifer wants to try and convince Jenna that she and Roxie need to come back here for their safety. Galyna went along to try and help Jenna remember what might be hidden in her heart that is so important. That information is so important that 3 people have lost their lives over it, and we don’t want Jenna and Roxie to be next. There is something about that house, or in it, that is valuable.
Most likely it is money, jewels or gold, or perhaps a combination of all three. However, something happened that Sky was trying to hide, and that is, her ability to disappear and reappear. A certain little sneak, by the name of Roxie, happened to see Sky disappear when she came to pick up Jennifer and Galyna. “Mommy, mommy, guess what?” said an excited Roxie, “Auntie Sky can disappear, I saw her!” “Now Roxie, what have I told you about making things up like that?” asked Jenna. “But I not make up this story,” she said, still excited, “I just see her go poof, and she gone. She not here now.”
“Come here you,” said Jenna sternly. “But Mommy, I not lying,” sobbed Roxie, “I telling truth.” Kat knew she had to intervene right away or Roxie might get punished. “Roxie is telling the truth,” said Kat, “um, we do have a way of disappearing that one of our team members and I developed some time ago. It really helps in certain circumstances in order to find evidence or listen to conversations and other things. You can come back out here now Sky.” Unknown to Kat, Sky was standing behind her already.
Sky tapped her shoulder and said, “I’m here Mrs. Amazing Inventor.” “YAAAAAA!!!” yelled a surprised Kat, “Was that really necessary to sneak up on me like that?” “You called me and said to come out here,” said Sky, “so I did. That is not sneaking, you should have been expecting me.” “And why are you by yourself?” asked Kat, “Where is Jennifer?” Jennifer was standing behind Kat and tapped her shoulder. “I’m right here sis,” she said. “YAAAAAA!!!” yelled Kat a second time.
“My, you are really jumpy this evening,” said Sky, “you need to relax more.” “I am relaxed,” said Kat frowning, “but people keep sneaking up on me.” “I didn’t sneak,” said Jennifer, “you asked for me so I answered.” Kat sighed. That’s when Galyna poked her head around from behind Kat and said, “I’m here too.” “YAAAAAA!!” yelled Kat again. “See, you are jumpy,” said Sky, “maybe you should talk to Galyna to find out what is bothering you.” “I already know WHO is bothering me,” said Kat. She then sighed again.
“Mommy, look, there is two of Auntie Kat,” said an amazed Roxie. Jennifer giggled. “I’m Auntie Kat’s identical twin sister,” she said, “and my name is Jennifer.” “Wow, that ‘mazing,” said Roxie, “you look zactly the same as Auntie Kat. Um, what is ident, um, iden, um, that word you said?” “It just means we look exactly the same,” said Jennifer smiling. “Then why you not say so?” asked Roxie. “And now I know you can disappear Auntie Sky! Can I go with you next time you disappear?” Sky stood there blinking at Roxie, then at Kat.
“She saw you disappear,” said Kat, “um, so I told her about our invention to make things disappear.” “Oh, right, that cloth of yours, like when we hid the trucks out back, remember Roxie?” asked Sky. “Oh, that how you disappeared,” she replied, “you put blanket over you.” “Well, no, I don’t need a blanket to disappear because I’m a gh…” began Sky, but she caught herself, sort of in time, “I think it’s time for me to head off to bed now.” She then yawned.
“Hey Mrs. Ghostie,” said Misty, “you don’t need to sleep, or did you forget that?” “No, I didn’t forget that, Miss Sneaky,” said Sky, “but I didn’t want to tell Roxie I’m a ghost, it might scare her…” They both stood there blinking at each other. “Yep, time for me to go to bed too,” said Misty and she yawned. Kat and Jennifer sighed at the same time. “You are a ghost Auntie Sky?” asked Roxie, “Really and for truly a ghost? WOW! I never meet a real ghost before. But how come you not see through like ghost, you look like real peoples”
“You’re not scared of me being a ghost?” asked Sky. “Why I be scared?” asked Roxie, “You so super nice and now you super nice ghostie too!” “You will pay for that word ‘ghostie’,” Sky said to Misty. “I can’t help it that you’re super nice and the best friend I ever had,” said Misty smiling. Sky stood there blinking at Misty, then she gave her a hug. “That is such a nice thing to say,” said Sky, “thank you…but you’re still going to pay.” Misty sighed.
Meanwhile, “I thought you put listening devices in that room?” said Chuck. “I did, but they don’t seem to be working, “said officer Jim, “I put 3 of them in there just in case they found one.” “I told you to buy something more expensive,” said Chuck, “somehow we need to get our hands on that little brat Roxie, then Jenna will do whatever Dancer tells her…”
To Be Continued. ©2026 Steve McLeod.
