Stuffed Animals
Tales of the adventure, bravery, and daring of the StuffedZoo Acquisitioners

I partially unzip my duffle bag, put my hands in the Stuffocator grips and say, “Zoe, I know I already owe you big-time but do you happen to have a knife or some scissors you could send me.  I need to get Dinu off the dolly and to his friend’s house quickly.”
“No problem,” says Zoe’s […]

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“Get out your Stuffocator.  Then point it at the owl.  Once your hands are in the grips and it’s locked on the owl say the word ’lights’.  Finn added a feature that spotlights the Stuffocator’s target zone.  The light should freeze Horatiu long enough for you to stuffocate him,” Zoe’s voice says in a light muffled […]

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Circling the clearing a couple of times I finally pick up the start of the trail back to the truck.  The uneven ground makes pushing the dolly hard work.
I set the dolly up one more time and re-tape the flashlight to point toward the back of the dolly.  It’s not great but it allows me […]

Continue reading “Owl Eats Harry Potter - V:Mission 2 Episode 18” »

“V…is Dinu able to walk?” Zoe asks.
“I’m not sure.  Sometimes I think he’s with me and then he seems to slip off to another place in his mind.” I respond.
“I’ve got an idea but it’s a little crazy.  Point your Stuffocator toward the ground again but keep it up about 3 feet.” Zoe says.
I follow […]

Continue reading “Owl Eats Harry Potter - V:Mission 2 Episode 17” »

Patrick makes such a great cup of coffee that Karl asked for another cup.  I think fried tofu is probably next…but we’ll see.

Continue reading “Stuffed Animals Tell Tales - Episode 1, Part 2 Patrick makes breakfast for Karl” »

“Thanks Zoe!” I say, scrambling over to the first aid kit.
I quickly rip open the cellophane wrapper and look to see what items I have available that might help.  I scoop up the bottle of iodine, some gauze pads and tape before returning to Dinu.
My first aid skills aren’t the strongest and I start to […]

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Suddenly I hear Zoe’s pleasant voice, “Is everything okay V?  I’ve got alarms going off all over the control panel here.”
I hadn’t realized that my hands had slipped almost instinctively back into the grips.  “Zoe…it’s so great to hear a friendly voice.  Dinu is hurt.  The owl gave him a nasty gash to the forehead.  […]

Continue reading “Owl Eats Harry Potter - V:Mission 2 Episode 15” »

I use the flashlight to search for the latch that opens the barn door. Giving it a solid tug the door opens easier than I expect and slams with a thud into a door stop.  The meadow lawn is still shimmering silver in the moonlight.
I grab Dinu below his shoulder and we stumble together into […]

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We cross the field quickly and then penetrate the dark resistant forest.  A narrow path meanders purposefully through the trees which are so thick that the full moon rarely finds a resting spot on the forest floor.  We continue this journey for about 10 minutes before Dinu slows to a near stop. 
I can see light […]

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By the time we get back to Dinu’s friend’s house it’s getting dark.  A brief conversation interspersed with lots of laughing and we’re almost ready to go.  But first Dinu’s friend comes over to pump my hand up and down vigorously a few times while saying something in Romanian that was clearly supposed to be […]

Continue reading “Owl Eats Harry Potter - V:Mission 2 Episode 12” »

We clearly have been sleeping quite some time.  As the world comes back into focus I can’t figure out where I am.  There’s a river and trees and shreds of paper…
“Hey V!” Dinu calls, accompanied by a loud chuckle.  “I think we just found our first owl.”  and he points up into the tree.
A quick […]

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Walking up to the house you can already guess it’s deserted.  Knocking repeatedly on the door doesn’t seem to change the situation.  Dinu steps back into the small yard surrounded by a fence to figure out what to do next.  Then he says.  “We’ll wait.  It is morning anyway.  The owl will be easier to […]

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A very modern bus and very empty bus pulls up about 10 minutes after we get to the stop.  The sleepy bus driver opens the door.  We get on and Dinu pays our fare and we move to the middle seats on the bus and sit down.
We’re still in the center of the town.  At […]

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Dinu and I waste no time getting to his car.  Once Dinu is behind the wheel and the car is moving he starts laughing like an enormous bear.  He says,  “That was a good trick you pulled back there.  I hope you’ll teach it to me sometime.”
“I wish I could; but, I’m not sure I […]

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The first lump looks at me in total confusion.  Without so much as lifting a finger I seem to have rendered the threatening guard unconscious.
The next thing we hear is Zoe’s voice saying, “Is everyone okay?  I saw that someone else had their hands in the grip so I pressed the “Neutralize” button.  I hope […]

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I had assumed that the lump on the floor must have a weakness for drink but once I see the face I quickly change my mind.  Both eyes are blue-black and terribly swollen.  There are other abrasions on his face and a look of fear in his eyes. 
When he sees me he winces and covers his […]

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I’m beginning to hate airports.  On my first mission I impressed Karl by literally falling off the plane.  Now I’m looking at a heap on the floor and I’m trying to figure out whether I hope it is my contact or not.
Absentmindedly I reach for my duffle bag on the floor to pull it closer.  […]

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Okay, the trip ended up feeling a little longer than just a couple of quick hops.  It’s a little after 1AM Bucharest time as I make it through the final customs check station.  My contact is supposed to be just outside the customs exit but the airport looks empty except for a few other bleary eyed […]

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Four hours of staring at my Sudoku book doesn’t seem to clear my brain.  Fortunately, our plane is finally ready to board…a quick flight from LA to Frankfurt.  Then a little side jump and I’ll be in Bucharest, Romania…within spitting distance of European Barn Owl Territory.
The only benefit of getting to the airport early was that […]

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Finn barely slows down at the airport.  Karl and I no sooner emerge from the trunk with our luggage than Finn calls out, “Gotta go.  Big meeting!  Good luck you two.  See you in about a week.  Stay in touch.”  The heat and smell of the exhaust billows around us as we wrestle our gear […]

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