Homer on the Case

Homer on the Case — page 1 — plan budget new offers president 1 Yet another budget Hmm plan

Homer on the Case — page 2 — Chapter One At the risk of sounding clichéd I’ll tell you that the fog I was flying through was thick as soup And not like consommé more like cream of cauliflower I know you’re thinking just how would I a typical homing pigeon know about things like soups Because I pay attention that’s how I read things Every day in the newspaper News Weather Advice columns Recipes But I’ll explain that later Being a homing pigeon means lots of flying Racing then finding your way home I can find my way back home through instinct alone without any map or compass just the one in my head And flying is serious business especially in fog I have to be careful I reduced my speed to 35 miles per hour nearly half my normal racing speed but even at reduced speeds things can loom suddenly out of dense clouds

Homer on the Case — page 3 — I veered left to miss colliding with the huge Bridgetown water tower My wing tips were just a caterpillar’s length away from the sides of the iron tank Close one I thought With the tower behind me I looked carefully for a slate covered spire In a flash it was there St Marco’s Church A starling gazed at me blankly from his perch on top of the lightning rod as I shot by Where’s the fire he snickered I just ignored him and zipped past When you’re racing seconds count I was really breathing heavily now My pectoralis major was starting to burn I set my beak to 7 degrees west of north and pitched quickly to the left and just in time the needlelike talons of a sharp-shinned hawk swept by barely missing my chest muscles I felt a sharp pain at my tail and an invisible push of air as I tumbled in space With no time to think I maneuvered into a series of dives left right and down and landed on a narrow ledge of an apartment building I was hidden in the fog Two tail feathers my own slowly drifted past The hawk once again a part of the gray mist disappeared disappointed 2 Homer on the Case

Homer on the Case — page 4 — Luck was with me this time I whispered to myself All three of my heart chambers were thumping wildly I took a moment to cautiously look up then down left and right and then I took off again I passed over the tops of some trees ghostly and vague down below Keeler Park I thought Getting close But dang it I’m late I knew my time wouldn’t be great thanks to being sidetracked by the hawk Soon I saw the familiar red-brown brick of home appear It was a five story apartment building Humans lived inside but I lived on the top I could make out my owner Otto down below on the roof Grandad was standing with him as usual smiling I folded my wings and with one final thrust I plunged beak first from the sky swooping to my landing platform just as the gray shrouded dawn was turning into a golden summertime sunrise Also as usual Otto had the gold pocket watch at the ready I heard him calling even before I landed Atta way Homer You made it He smiled proudly as he clicked a button on the watch Otto always gave me a hero’s welcome welcome as if I were a hero not just another homing pigeon doing what I do best coming home 3 Chapter One

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