Chapter 1: A Plague of Toddlers

This story is narrated by Special Investigator John Buck.

Assistant Director Robert MacLeod had left the previous afternoon with Investigator Karen Stiles to look into a Bank robbery in Dodge City, Investigator Sarah Bullock and I were taking it easy at our new base in Carlinville.

We had gathered together with Becky Lieberman for a drink and chat before lunch, when there was a knock on the front door. Becky went to investigate. After a short conversation she came back with one of the local Sheriff's Deputies.

After the introductions were made, he said, "We need your help! We've run into something beyond our experience. Either we've run into a plague of little girls or there is an outbreak of sorcery. Will you help?"

I looked at the others who nodded, before saying. "Yes, we will, but first, please tell us what happened and the order in which it happened."

"Oh yes! Well as far as I can tell, it happened like this. One of the factories here employs a fairly large contingent of women as machine minders. About twenty minutes after the morning shift had started. One of the women shrieked and cried 'stop the machine'. They did so and then they asked her why she wanted the machine stopped. She said her little girl had appeared inside this heavy machine and she was worried for the girl's life."

He looked at us to see our reactions before he continued.

"Well! They examined the machine and there was no sign of the girl. The matter might have stopped there, but then there was a report that a small girl had been seen up a tree in the Tom Thumb Park; impossibly high up. She then disappeared and since there have been sightings all over the place. It all seems too much for us to handle. Can you help?

"Yes!" I replied, "I think that first we need to interview the mother to see if it really was her daughter. We need someone at your office to keep track of the reports coming in. Becky, can you do that? Take a telepamplifier with you. We can keep in touch that way

We went to the stable and saddled up our mounts. The Deputy retrieved his horse from the rail in front of the house and escorted the three of us to the factory while Becky made her way to the Sheriff's office.

At the factory, we were led into a conference room and the distraught mother was sent for. She explained that it was her young daughter, who should have been with her neighbor, her baby-sitter. She said that she had panicked when she saw her daughter in the middle of the machine with all those tons of force bearing down on her child

I asked her, "What is your daughter's name and age? Also, what is the name of her baby-sitter?"

"Her name is Sam and she's four years old. That's short for Samantha, but Sam is what she answers to. Mistress Hernandez is the baby sitter's name. She lives next door at 150 Button street. I live at 152. Please can you find her? Can you find my baby?"

"Yes Mistress Boon, as soon as we find your daughter, we'll send for you."

We left the factory. As soon as we were on the street, I asked Sarah to contact Becky for an update on the girl's location. A moment later, she came back with, "She's returned to Tom Thumb Park. She's been spotted in the top of one of the trees. The Deputy who spotted her is trying to keep an unobtrusive eye on her."

"Have Becky ask for someone to go and find out what happened to the baby-sitter. We'll go to the park."

"Right oh!"

We mounted up and rode off to the Park. When we got there, we didn't see the Deputy at first. We rode around until we saw him sitting on one of the park seats, apparently contemplating his navel! We dismounted some way off, so we wouldn't spook the little girl and tied our horses to a conveniently placed tree.

We then strolled to where the Deputy was sitting and seated ourselves. I asked him to describe exactly where the girl was without pointing. We didn't want the Deputy to spook her either! After a short while we spotted her concealed in the top branches of an elm tree.

I asked the others, "How are we going to coax her down?"

Sarah suggested, "I wonder, if, like all other little girls, she likes ice cream?"

"See if she's receptive to telepathy! If she is, it could make reassuring her easier."

"OK!" Her face took on an expression of concentration and I could just about sense her telepathic conversation.