Friday, November 27, 2009

Storm, Mystery, Mayhem and ... Murder

It was stormy on the mountain ....


we unlocked the door, went in to turn off the alarm ......
the dining room was unrecognizable, the floor strewn with
the rose petals of the bowl of potpourri, the board blocking the
fireplace on the Persian carpet, soot everywhere .... and
two charred bodies in the fireplace!
*
Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Inspector Morse, Inspector
Barnaby and Frost arrayed themselves behind me to solve this
mystery. I could have used Inspector Rex as well ...
I started rubbing the little grey cells together, discarding all
unnecessary information a la methode Holmes, put my nose to
the ground and my fingertips together.
*
The small sitting room opens from one of the three doors of the
diningroom. Near the open doorway, a number of antique books
had fallen from the high shelf over the doorway scattering across
the floor.
*
While the Prof toiled at restoring order, your trusty correspondent
deducted .... two dead possums in the fireplace, one brushtail, one
ringtail. The alarm people had rung us the day before that the alarm
in the dining room had gone off. We had been there less than 24
hours previously.
*
So, what had occurred?
*
Regarde mes amis! Only one sulution applies ... an act of God.
You do not believe me? But it is quite obvious. Lightning strikes the
chimney, the two possums are blocking the flue in an angle thereof,
the force of the lightningbolt propells the possums into the fireplace
and chars them and blasts out the board covering the fireplace. The
blast shakes the the wall so the books fall down.
*
The mystery is solved, the storm prevails, the rain comes
sheeting down.
*


15 comments:

  1. Oh My---OH MY!!!!
    we have possums outside, and that is enough, but INSIDE...and I was laughing as I read (shame on me....)....is more than I could bear, dead or alive.
    What a truly odd/funny/not funny tale!
    And yes, an act of God.

    XXOO!!
    Anne

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  2. WOW, what a Great story Arija. Is it true? Did you solve the mystery? I sure it's really raining!

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  3. That is amazing! Wow! I'm glad you weren't injured! That had to be SOME storm!!

    Have a great (storm-less) weekend, Arija!

    Sylvia

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  4. sounds terrific ... hope you did not get a shock ... greetings from Austria

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  5. LOL! Good deduction Sherlock! I am sorry it is and isn't funny. Poor critters but funny posting.

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  6. Un peu de trop! Or rather, a lot de trop, especially with soot everywhere. But lucky the lightning didn't set fire to the building, I guess, if you can look at it in a Pollanna way.
    (I did like the sleuth touch in this tale of woe...) :)

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  7. That was a fun read! Truth is stanger than fiction. Those poor possums--they never knew what hit 'em. I'm sure there was a charred smell in the air for a long time afterward.

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  8. An excellant mystery Arija. I loved it! I believe your story too.
    We had a lghtening strike once, that came in the house through the exhaust pipe from the hot water heater, came upstairs, and blew out the back of our TV set. It got rather messy too.
    Good story! It's probably a good thing you weren't home.
    B.

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  9. (guffaw) WOW! (grin) You really had me going there!!!! Hahahaaa....how funny--and your title totally pulled me in.

    Wonderful story, fabulous photos!

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  10. You my dear Sherlock are much more clever than most.

    Love Renee xoxoxo

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  11. Glad only the possums got charred! Hope the mess wasn't too bad. Great account of the mystery.

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  12. Crazy!!! move over Agatha Christie!!

    or should it be.." amazing deduction my dear Watson!!"

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  13. Wow! what an extraordinary tale! Poor possums, what a way to go!
    Brilliant deductions to come to that solution :)

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  14. Those poor little possums...they thought they had a safe place to hide. I guess I will have to call your Sherlock Holmes..which I love watching on the BBC...Michelle

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  15. HAHAHAHA! I love how you started this. Hahaha!

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