This work is supported by the generous backers who adore my cat stories at Patreon.com/amberunmasked and they also get first access to what’s happening with my books and podcast.
Where We Left Off:
A new sea creature was discovered in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the corpse was brought to the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency for analysis.
Samhuinn* (Irish meaning “summer’s end”):
Everyone knows that beavers are the engineers of the wildlife world. They usually get the most recognition anyway. If it’s something that makes you curious, you should search for most complex bird nests and you’ll find some interesting reads. None of them quite compare to what Gus and I found on our patrol at the junkyard.
Is this a miniature Stonehenge? Understanding that as an American, we pretty much call any formation of rocks “Stonehenge” as if that’s the category of architecture rather than the formal name of one such creation. There are multiple earthen henges around the world. We usually forget that henges can be natural material other than stones. The circular ditches, mounds, and timber structures designed in elaborate geometric patterns are also henges technically.
When it comes to dexterity, the rodentia around here could definitely construct complicated structures. They’re pretty strong for their sizes. Some of them are willing to work in teams or at least couples. The rock dwellers don’t seem to need much rearranging and accept the walls or mounds they find. I feel bad when the walls start to topple like the one Cheeks Moretti lives in. They manage, but I still feel like it should be fixed.
In last week’s case file, we talked a little about cephalopods but we forgot to mention their dexterity, need to solve puzzles, and intelligence.
What I find most interesting about the henges is when they correlate to astronomical alignments which Stonehenge does. You may also have heard of the “Manhattan Henge” which is when the sun rises through blocks of skyscrapers. Some people love it and I don’t want to begrudge them that. I don’t because it shows man’s domination over the natural world unlike the way the UK’s henges of natural materials incorporates the planet.
This little Junkyard Henge was built from man-made bricks on top of a neatly stacked pile of trapezoid shaped cement blocks. Gus has met a variety of creatures in this area. Some of them I never had the chance to identify because they were inside those cement condos and kept themselves safe from the detective’s claws. We haven’t had the chance to test the layout of the Junkyard Henge to see how it aligns during the witches’ sabbats (solstices and equinoxes and high holy festivals). However, this adorable henge has appeared one week before Samhain aka Halloween (*Samhain is the more common way to spell it on contemporary witch circles; also it’s pronounced “sow-en” because Gaelic is fucking random).
Have our critters been preparing for this highest of holy days? It’s the Witches’ New Year. It’s one of the nights, the strongest night, when the veil between the worlds is thinnest and communication through the planes’ boundaries is most possible.
If you’re like me and you absolutely LOVED Jenny Lawson’s first book about her exceptionally bizarre childhood in rural Texas and having a taxidermist for a father, you might be picturing critters in robes and conical hats celebrating their second harvest festival of the year (for the northern hemisphere residents).
There was a Bob’s Burgers episode (about literally everything I seem to encounter) about an old woman living in a giant house much too large for her and her nephew is trying to sell it. She kept busy by murdering squirrels that entered the house, stuffing them, and dressing them up in all kinds of outfits.
Dressed up taxidermied mice is quite the collectible hobby. I will report that I have not ventured into this at this time. Finding bones and identifying them is enough fun for now. I can’t say I don’t see the allure of the darling little critters anthropomorphized. This is a cat detective agency after all. The butler just might be getting a taxidermied Han and Leia set from The Curious 13 shop for Yulemas. They also have Dracula, Pinhead, and Batman versions among many others. We’ll see.
All that in mind, I must say this case file is going to remain open until we gather more concrete (no pun intended) data on the motive behind this unique construction.
Case Findings:
The agency discovered a small brick structure in the style of Stonehenge. It’s located in the junkyard. Further evaluation and observation is required.
Case Status: Open
Other information which may interest you:
Vodka O’Clock with MJ, the creator of the Crow Tarot, Wise Dog Tarot, and cat Grimalkin Tarot.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.