Best way to find out and let Kate know where her lost fabric had gone was to email her, so up to the study Jean went to pass information out and ask for some in. When she had sent the Feds off before it had been with a gadget of theirs; come to think of it, why hadn't she asked if they still had it? But maybe it would only work for the two of them and she might be stuck with the penguins and that sneaky little polar bear -- not a happy idea.
At the computer she called up Kate's email address and typed out a short note announcing the whereabouts of the blue and black cloth and the fact that it still weighed a stone or two but was the size of a gentleman's handkerchief, more or less. Then she asked how Kate has sent the mob off, Feds and animal circus to boot. Could she send them back along with the fabric? She explained that Boss Fed and Carl had some new thing for downsizing, but had no solid idea as to how to use it; that was how the bear and penguins got so small. And the Feds claimed the polar bear used it on the cloth, without their knowledge. She hoped for a quick response.
Back down she went again to find out about the gadget with the REPLACE button she had used before that actually returned them to Kate's, the last place they had been. Well, yes, Carl admitted to still possessing it, but it had gotten even worse than before, he said. Before, the HOME button had quit so they never got back to where they belonged, but travelled all over hell and back on various assignments. Now even the REPLACE button did strange things, sometimes sending them somewhere they had been, but not recently, other times sending them places they had never seen and had no business there. He claimed it was quite frustrating not having any idea where they were going, or of they really were supposed to be there. Jean listened to all of this and asked for the HOME/REPLACE box. Reluctantly, Carl dug it out of an inner pocket and handed it over. "Thanks," Jean said, "I'll take good care of it, along with the red and black thing of yours I have." Then she realized she hadn't seen the bear or the birds during this trip downstairs. "Where is the menagerie, you guys?" she asked and Boss Fed pointed in the guest room while Carl put a finger to his lips signalling "Quiet." Boss Fed explained that while he and Carl were cleaning up and sorting the sewing room the birds decided to play hide and seek in the various drawers and cabinets.
"It got to where we didn't know what we might find when one of us opened a door or a drawer! There might be one penguin or all six squabbling over which one got there first! Then the bear tired of all the fussing, made some rules and joined the game. It was all we could do to get everything straight after they finally quit, totally worn out! And we still have the machines to clean and lubricate for you, new and old." Jean looked in the guest room and found them all asleep, scattered among her collection of stuffed animals on one of the beds. The miniature penguins lay cuddled up to Opus, the penguin from Bloom County; the bear lay on its back on the purple platypus's stomach. This really deserved a picture so up she went for her camera; she would send it off to Kate right away.
The photo taken, Jean went up to the study to send it off to Kate, and found she had a response to her earlier email: "Wonderful the fabric was found, but would it ever be useable for Auntie-Mo-Next-Door to use for a sofa cover?" and she went on to explain what she had done to send the Feds to Jean's house. Off the photo went, and Jean decided she would try the old HOME/REPLACE box with everyone holding hands, paws and flipper-wings. First she thought to butter up Carl, Boss Fed, and the menagerie with tea time. She dug around for a can of sardines, put the kettle on, and sliced some of her banana nut cake ("the best ever" those who ate it claimed). That ought to do the trick. Then off they would go!
Tea time went smoothly until Jean announced her plan to ship them out. Boss Fed argued they still needed to check each and every drawer and shelf in the sewing room since the beasts--er, animals, had been fooling around so much in there. Jean insisted, though, and after the cake and sardines had been washed down with large doses of tea she brought out the small black box. Although it took several minutes to get them all quieted down and together in a group, she finally got all the wings, paws, and hands connected, with the polar bear clutching its tiny suitcase to its side, the fabric safely tucked away in it. She put the red and black gadgets into one of Carl's jacket pockets, aimed the old HOME/REPLACE box at the travelling circus and punched REPLACE. Suddenly they were gone!
And just as suddenly, they all appeared in one of Auntie-Mo-Next-Door's upstairs rooms.
(to be continued)