By way of an introduction.......
 
A few weeks ago the subscribers of a newsgroup were asked
to write a story as part of a vertual birthday party for a lady
known as Kitten. The premis of the "collective story" was that Kitten
had been kidnapped from a placed known as "Callahans" and that
everyone set out to rescue her. The stories that were submitted were
then posted to the newsgroup in episodes as part of a larger story.
The subscribers were also encouraged to submit other stories/episodes
as follow-ups to the original story.
 
As some of you indicated a desire to read my offering, what follows is
the begining (it's to big to send all at once, and you do like
suspense) of what I submitted.
 
                     Puppy's Adventure
 
Puppy decided to spend the first day of his vacation at
Callahan's since KG had a class to teach and would be
gone all day. Then too, it was a rainy day and the warmth
of a fireplace and friends would be a nice start for a vacation.
Pup switched to canine form and left home a few minutes after
KG drove off in her van.  The walk to The Place was uneventful
and rather fun as Pup enjoyed walking in the rain.
Before entering Callahan's, Pup switched briefly into his
energy form to rid himself of water and wet dog smell.
 
Dry and smelling socially acceptable, Pup entered Callahan's
and wove his way to the bar. "Hot chocolate, please Mike. And
some chocolate chip cookies if you have some." Mike greeted
Puppy and placed the chocolate and cookies on the bar. Pup
paid for the treats then walked to a table by the fire
where he could enjoy the warmth and listen to the day's news.
The chocolate, as was usual in The Place, was just the right
temperature and the cookies had that just baked softness that
only grannies seem to be able to achieve.  Pup was starting on
his third cookie and contemplating a second cup of chocolate
when the French Doors flew open and an arrow flashed past his
head and slammed into the mantel.  Pup's shields came up
automatically as he spun around to locate the source of the
projectile. Mike, a frown on his usually smiling face, pulled
the arrow from the wood and removed the letter attached to it.
 
Scanning the letter, Mike spoke to the room in general.
"Kitten has been kidnapped.....a ransom is demanded for
her release....she is safe and will not be harmed...."
Mike looked glanced at those closest to him then spoke loud enough
to be heard by everyone present. "I will make arrangements
to obtain Kitten's ransom, I suggest those present organize
search parties and attempt to locate her before the ransom
is due."
 
After listening to Mike, Pup made his way to the French Doors
and went outside.  The sun was shining brightly
and the air was warm and clear. Pup switched to canine form and
checked the area for scent. Most of the traces he found were
people he recognized as being regular visitors to Callahan's.
There were a few he did not know, but they came out of the doors
and went back inside.  Further searching revealed a number of
tracks that approached the doors then left the area in several
different directions.  Most of the trails were made up of two
or or more individuals, but one trace indicated a lone traveler.
Pup followed this scent for some minutes then stoped abruptly.
The scent he was following ended in front of an object he had
not seen in a long time. Switching back to human form, Pup
approached the arch with caution. The arch was three meters
high, two meters wide, half a meter thick and appeared to
be made of a single piece of marble. "Now where did this
thing come from?", Pup said aloud. "I thought all of these
things had been deactivated years ago."
"Is that what I think it is?", said a voice. Pup turned around
to find a very puzzled Mike standing a safe distance away.
"You know what this is?", asked Pup. Mike glanced at the arch then
replied. "They used to appear here every month or so." Frowning,
Mike stared at the marble structure. "Some poor soul would stumble
out of it and the thing would disappear. The people who arrived
through them said the things were made by some crazy old man.
That's all I know about them. I take it that you know more?"
Pup looked at the arch and frowned.
"Yes, and I'm going to have to lock this one down so it does
not cause any more trouble."  Mike scowled at the arch. "It's
not going to remain here is it?, he asked. "No, Mike. Somebody
might figure out how to unlock it and then all sorts of 'interesting'
things would start happening." Pup looked toward the arch. "From this
side there is only one destination. I'll lock it on the other side
and pick up the trail I was following when I'm done."
"Ok Pup. You be careful", replied Mike.
Pup waved at Mike, turned, and without hesitaton walked through
the marble arch, disappearing from view as he crossed the
front edge of the structure. A few minutes after Pup's departure
the arch slowly faded from view. When the arch could no longer
be seen, Mike began to chuckle. "Knew Pup couldn't resist one of
those things", Mike said to the air. "That ought to keep him
entertained for just long enough." Mike continued to laugh softly
as he made his way back to The Place.
 
***** To Be Continued *****
 
 
Puppy
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http://rampages.onramp.net/~mgiles/