Conversations with Critters
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. And the highly anticipated conclusion of The Case of The Misplaced Priority Envelope! Chapter 20!
Today, Critters, we are ecstatic to present to you the highly anticipated release of the Conclusion of the Detective Story with Chapter 20 of The Case of The Misplaced Priority Envelope! Brought to you by the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency! Previously, we saw the Serval Family and Finnegan, the Rhinoceros Auklet, safely taken to the sanctuary, RRUFFS, and Sgt. Det. Jojo poised on the very verge of retirement. Please, join our Core Community Critters, Jasper Kitten, Chris & Jojo for an excellent conclusive critter commentary and conversation.
Jasper: Hello, Critters! Are you ready for the story wrap?
Chris: Friends, we’re putting a big bow on it!
Jojo: Happy Holidays, Everyone! Thank you for reading! Thank you very much!
Jasper: That’s right, Jojo. Because. Without you, our Dear Gentle Critters and our Dear Gentle Readers, we wouldn’t have a Story.
Chris: We luvluvluv you and let’s read all about it!
The Case of The Misplaced Priority Envelope
Book 1 from the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency
By Jasper Kitten, Chris and Star in Heaven Furever and Ever and Introducing Jojo
Dedicated in luvluvluving memory of Star
CHAPTER 20
MEANWHILE BACK AT THE CONDO
Jasper Kitten turned the car into the main drive of the Condo in the Wooded Valley. Chris tapped the garage remote with a pink toebean and they pulled inside. Each of the Critters unfastened their seatbelts with a simultaneous click.
With a white gloved paw, Jasper Kitten switched off the ignition and hopped out. Chris, riding shotgun, hopped out of the Passenger side door while Star and Jojo opened their carriers on the Backseat and hopped out of the car, too.
Striding into the Condo, Jasper Kitten and Chris checked their perimeters. They nodded to each other in their natural routine, surrounded by the comforts of home, and scratched the pair of wingback chairs next to the fireplace.
“Welcome to the Condo, Jojo!” barked Star. “There’s no place like home.”
“Thank you very much, Star, Jasper Kitten and Chris,” replied Jojo. “Now that I am officially retired from the Sheriff’s Department, this homecoming to the Condo is most welcome indeed.”
“Jojo,” mewed Jasper Kitten, “we are most pleased to welcome you to the Condo and to the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency HQ. Thank you for coming on board with Star to fill out our Canine Unit.”
“Thank you very much, Jasper Kitten, I look forward to a most rewarding and, dare I say, relaxing retirement experience here with you at your residence,” said Jojo.
“Why, let’s all relax on the Couch in the Catio,” purred Chris. “It won’t take long for me to unpack the car and then I’ll prepare a tray of refreshments with Snacks and Ginger Ale.”
They took a deep breath together and inhaled the sweetness of the Wooded Valley that drifted through the Catio screens. Leaves fell and drifted in a colorful cascade and a light rain began to fall, the patter soft and steady.
Chris returned to the car with Jasper Kitten and they unpacked their travel gear. Chris hefted the load back inside and Jasper Kitten carried the Attache Case of Evidence to the utility closet in the hallway.
He patted it onto a top shelf with both white gloved paws and gave a respectful mew, considering the contents of the Treatise on Animal Magnetism, the Priority Envelope, the collection of Haiku Clues, and the Chrome Plated Bell which he had found in the Big Rig wreck. He set the headlamp and the supply of magnifying glasses on the shelf below and placed Star’s backup pair of reading glasses next to the UV light. And then he closed the door.
Star checked the mail and tugged and lugged at a large canvas bag, pulling it over the threshold with both of her cinnamon brown paws.
Jojo hopped off the Couch in the Catio where he had been enjoying a little retirement R & R and helped her manage the bulky weight.
“We’re the Canine Unit,” he barked.
“Thank you for helping me with this very large mailbag, Jojo.” Star adjusted her reading glasses.
“Of course, Star, you’re very welcome,” said Jojo.
”Gosh and oh my goodness, this mailbag definitely will not fit through the mail slot!”
She emptied the contents into an enormous pile and began to sift through it.
“Everything is professionally addressed to the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency!” she exclaimed.
Star held up a picture postcard and adjusted her reading glasses again.
”Oh my goodness! Look! Jasper Kitten! Chris! Jojo! We’ve received a picture postcard from Mr. Cecil Serval and Family!”
They all gathered around the glossy piece of mail.
”Gosh, it’s a photo of them on a family vacation. Clementine and Petal are wearing Sheriff Cadet Uniforms,” barked Star and continued reading out loud, “Having a wonderful time on the Savannah. Wish you were here. Thank you for solving The Case of The Misplaced Priority Envelope. Luvluvluv, Cecil, Rose, Clementine & Petal. Furever. P.S. The Furbabies are heading soon to The Officer Training and Survival School of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. So proud!”
“The East Coast of North America!” barked Jojo, “I am most impressed with their choice of wild locale for Sheriff Cadet training with over 1.1 million acres of an entire and remarkable international biosphere reserve.”
“They are going to cover a lot of ground during their Sheriff Cadet training. Truly invaluable,” said Jasper Kitten.
“We will be eager to learn of their progress,” Chris growled loud and proud.
Star spied another picture postcard and held it up for all to see.
”Gosh and oh my goodness! It’s a glossy picture postcard from Finnegan! He finished Ground School and had his first Solo Flight with his healed wing! He flew directly home to his Family in the Farallones! He wrote a Haiku! Nothing but blue skies. Having a wonderful time. Tip my wings to you. Luvluvluv, Finnegan. Furever.”
Star dipped her cinnamon brown paw back into the stack and pulled out four more glossy postcards.
“Here we have news from the Pangolins! They’ve formed a Support Group using music therapy! Thank you for freeing us, we keep on singing and added electric guitars to our band. Playing benefit concerts to raise awareness for the animal kingdom and to stop wildlife trafficking. Furever. Luvluvluv, the Pangolins.”
She held up the next postcard and laughed as she read outloud.
“The Baby Orangutans have all been reunited with their parents. They have lots of time to play and cuddle. This is only the beginning. Thank you J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency for our freedom! Luvluvluv u! The Baby O’s!”
Star flipped over the next postcard and continued reading.
“Gosh and oh my goodness, it just keeps getting better! The Clipped Wing Parrots have helped advance the field of avian wing orthopedics along with Finnegan our Rhinoceros Auklet. We’ve never felt better! Thank you for helping us achieve new heights! Luvluvluv from The Flock at 35,000 feet standard cruising altitude. Furever.”
Star began to pass the glossy postcards around to Jasper Kitten, Chris and Jojo who studied each one and smiled. She called their attention to the last of the postcards.
“Who wants to take a wild guess about the Critters who sent this one?” barked Star.
“Could it be from South America, perhaps?” mused Jasper Kitten.
“Furthermore and specifically, from Chile?” speculated Chris.
“Or even from the High Seas?” suggested Jojo.
“To answer your questions, and I quote,” replied Star, “We finished our Culinary Tour of the Lettuces of the Americas and really learned a lot. So great to have met you along the way. We’ve started an Organic Garden. Please, come visit. Luvluvluv, Capt. Kangaroo Rat & The Degus.”
Jasper Kitten, Chris and Jojo trotted off to the Catio to reread the cherished postcards, but the light flashed in Star’s eyes as she gazed at a particular envelope in the mountain of mail.
“What is it, Star?” asked Chris, setting down a tray of Ginger Ale that he had prepared for a celebratory Case Closed Critter toast in the Catio.
“Is it a Priority Envelope if my instincts serve me correctly?” joked Jasper Kitten.
“Nope,” she replied. “It’s Airmail. The return address reads and I quote, ‘From across the Pond. The Purrington Estate, England.’”
Jasper Kitten and Jojo hopped off the couch, Chris pivoted away from the Ginger Ale, and they trotted back to Star. An Autumn gust rattled the Catio screen, scattering envelopes in a whirlwind around them.
In her cinnamon brown paw, Star held fast to the piece of Airmail, light blue and addressed not only to the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency but marked in bold letters, Urgent, Personal, and of the Utmost Immediate Importance.
The Critters took a collective gulp and then, in one decisive and deft move of his retractable claw, Jasper Kitten sliced the envelope open.
The End
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Poetry with Pets
Cinnamon brown paws
A letter sent from England
Start a new Story
By Jasper Kitten, Chris & Jojo in honor of Star for the conclusion of The Case of The Misplaced Priority Envelope
Arya and I are so pleased to read so much good news, including that Finnegan took his first solo flight. We are more than sure it was a joyous flight of freedom. To take to the air without any need to care.
Arya, who works as a flying instructor, says if Finnegan needs any flying instruction and tips, he is ready to help. Happy holidays to everyone at the condo. It seems, though, that rest and relaxation might be short lived. Another case, from across the pond, requires their attention.
THE DEGUS AND CAPTAIN KANGAROO RAT!!! They started an organic garden! This really sounds like something my degus would do, if they didn’t keep eating my current garden! What a wonderful end to a fab story!!
Waiting very patiently for #2. :)