The Adventure of the Quite Curious Case
ACT: 1
“Sir Codlock Holmes, sleuth extraordinaire.”
A voice called from behind me. A man approached me with an outstretched hand and suddenly withdrew that same hand. I barely had time to judge his character when he began to speak.
“My apologies Bunkson, Monkey Pox precautions are in play.”
“My name is not Bunk-”
“Never mind that Bunkson, Follow me.”
He brushed me aside and I caught a brief whiff of what I had first thought was patchouli.
“It’s not patchouli you have whiffed Bunkson, but rather latakia tobacco. As you see, I am an avid tobacco smoker and I have made study of the intricacies of all manner of tobacco in different states of order…and chaos.”
“Mr. Holmes? Is it? How did you know that I had smelled-?”
“I heard your nostrils inhale, and that scent that you had originally presumed to be patchouli, register in your brain. Call me Codlock. Here we are Bunkson!”
I observed before me a large concrete sign that was not quite done but will be inscribed with the words “Dr. Festus Claybon Memorial City Park”.
“Where are we?” I asked. “I have surely never been here before.”
“Doubtless you have not Bunkson. This is the memorial park of my late friend Dr. Festus Claybon. You are now at the corner of Hopewell and Elm in Madisonville, Kentucky. Believe it or not Bunkson, but this large concrete sign used to be completely constructed of wood. The men who tore it and the bushes down said they found some used hypodermic needles and an empty bottle of booze in the old bushes that used to adorn this area. Quite sad really, but I must warn you to be very mindful of how you find this cache. As you see now the sign is incomplete. If you see men here working on the sign then I urge you to step away and do not approach the sign, you may have to come back another day. Also, be very mindful of the location that you have removed the geocache from. The place was selected very carefully as to not disturb anything and as such it must be placed back exactly in the place that you have found it.”
“How did we-?”
“Never mind that Bunkson. Move along!”
Codlock lead me around to the back of the concrete sign and asked me a simple question as to which hand the majority of the population writes with. I wasn’t quite sure what he was getting at but I instinctively answered that it was the right hand that most people write with, here in America at least. Codlock nodded in approval and directed me toward the right-hand corner of the base of the concrete pad, being very careful to not disrupt anything by approaching it stupidly. At first, I did not see anything and as I was crouched down by this point, I turned and looked questioningly at the man who had led me on this insane adventure.
“Of course, you don’t see it Bunkson! It was hidden with purpose. You must look harder to find what we have come here to discover.”
I turned back to the right-hand corner of the concrete pad and began to look diligently, when suddenly I discovered a curious looking rock amidst the dried and broken pieces of concrete mingled in the grass. On closer observation, however, the rock appeared to have J-B Weld adhering it to a conical plastic test tube coated with beeswax stuck down in a hole at the corner of the concrete pad with a rolled-up logbook inside it.
“Curiouser, and curiouser.” I murmured.
“Sign just there Bunkson.” The figure pointed over my shoulder to the tightly rolled logbook.
“I don’t have a pen, Sir!” I exclaimed, with a dropping feeling in my gut.
“Very well Bunkson, borrow mine. You must always have a pen with you on these ventures from here on out, on any cache you find with me, Bunkson! You’ll never know what you might need to sign! You will notice, however, that the originator of this cache must have some technical skill and experience with paper clips. I am also a paper clip enthusiast, and deduce that if you are having trouble removing the log book then you must do nothing other than turn the plastic cone upside down and flick it a few times for the paperclip removal device to fall down so you can gain access to the log. You can be assured that there are more of these curious cases lurking around. I dare not ask if you may be able to deduce their number.”
“I would only be guessing, Sir.”
“Indeed, you would Bunkson. Now, place it back as you have found it and be on your way! The muggles are becoming quite interested in your actions over here on the ground by the corner of this unfinished sign. We must be on our way, Bunkson, there is also a villain lurking about by the name of “ddsnag”. He has stolen some of the geocaches in this area already! I’m sure he lives in the side-streets around this area or closer, so we must be wary of him and his animatronic Freddie. They may be lurking in the darkness under the streetlights. We must be on our way to the next cache. ACT:2 was recently stolen by “ddsnag” but I have made the clues more difficult in hopes that ddnsag will be too immature to find it! But will it be too difficult for you to find Bunkson? You must be up to date on your geology and botany on this next one Bunkson!
Alas, the sign is complete and this cache is in full swing. This geocache has been through some changes over the years to be sure. Enjoy the adventure. Be sure to look for the mystery cache on Halson street as it is the culmination of the two caches at Festus Claybon Park and provides some legitimate historical information surrounding the character of Festus Claybon. Thank you to the Historical Society of Hopkins County for providing the information.