There came a scratching...

I thought this one was complete and posted...but I can't find it, so...

A hot summer evening and the girls are upstairs sleeping. I have just come up myself. Our bedrooms are the only ones with air conditioning so there are visions of nice cool goosebumps in my head. But, before I can fall off to the land of Nod I hear,"Max...there's something outside!"

I throw on some shorts and head back downstairs into the humid night. Mary Ellen has heard some strange noises and our Cats are showing their agreement...huge fluffy tails! Then I hear them too, scratching sounds, low moans, etc. Bad movie noises! We are on a busy street, I am afraid that I am about to find a hit and run victim.
Nothing! Dark and silent night is all I see and hear. Closing the front door with a shrug and a few words I start for the stairs...more scratches.

Grabbing a flashlight I yank open the front door, fully expecting to find laughing teenagers...more nothing. Dark and silent nothing. Once again I close the door. Before I can turn around the noises return. I throw the door open and for the first time step outside, almost tripping over a three inch ball...of stinky and unhappy feathers. A baby owl had dropped out of it's nest and was not happy. All unhappy children, human or feathered voice their displeasure the same way, screams. Most human babies don't smell like this though...not often anyway. 

The big fluffy cat tails are now very twitchy and almost point to the "vicious" break and entry suspect. The fun begins. Number one, cover up that mound of odor with something and fast. Protect it. Cats to the cellar...so they can grumble and hiss without harm.

Now there is a smelly owl in our living room, screaming. Our cats in the cellar equally upset and vocal, plus the girls are wide eyed and loving it. So we start. Call number one; Animal Control..."Please leave a message at the beep, if this is an emergency...blah,blah,blah!" Call number two; local Park Ranger...more of the same. In desperation the police. They give us more numbers which give us more of the same. Tired of voice machines we call the friendly police station again, at least they have humans to speak to. 

It's just about midnight, the desperation must have been pouring through the line...they sent a cruiser! With two of the largest cops on the force. They came in to "arrest", perhaps the smallest "B&E" suspect ever. He went peacefully, which was pretty good because they didn't have any handcuffs in Owl sizes.

Sleep!

The morning watch commander told us that the "suspect" had been released in the custody of one of the officers. One that lived in the woods. The cats approved. The girls didn't. Can't please everyone.