Friday, June 20, 2014

Lizzy and the Riddler pt. 6

Tyrone, Jack and Lizzy were dropped off back at the airport after receiving crucial news from a mysterious squirrel in a limousine.
“Where's my package?” I snapped, surprised that this was the first thing to come out of my mouth.
The squirrel chuckled and studied us. She leaned over and grabbed a cardboard box. She tossed it over at my feet. It was my package and it was open!
“Hey! You opened my mail!” I yelled. “That's a federal offense . . . I think!
The squirrel smiled, “Oh I didn't open it. Someone else did.”
“Who are you?” asked Jack, “what do you want?”
“We didn't expect you to be joining us,” she replied, “but then we didn't expect Lizzy to ask for help.”
Jack smirked, “What can I say? Liz is stubborn . . . but then again so am I.”
Jerk, I thought but right now I was actually thankful he was here, for once.
“It's Lizzy,” I corrected him, again.
“Now I apologize for the misunderstanding,” the squirrel continued. “We had to examine your package.”
“So you sent Liz on a hunt to stall for time,” Jack interrupted as I blurted out my question.
“What could . . . my package possible have that you would be interested in?” I demanded. “Who are you? Where are we going?”
The squirrel completely ignored my questions and glanced down at her laptop.
“Our company got infiltrated last month by a hooded figure.” She continued, “They sent warning messages to several key members.”
“So, what does that have to do with us?” Jack interrupted, again.
“The hooded intruder also stole some important data from our facility,” she added. “They plan on sending it to your boss.”
“Mr. Smiley?” I asked, “Why?”
“I can't answer that. I only came to tell you the reason why we took your package,” she announced.
Suddenly the limousine came to a stop, Jack looked out the window and found out that we were back at the airport. The driver got out and opened the back door gesturing to us to get out. It was clear that the squirrel was done talking. Tyrone somehow slept soundly during the ride and didn't hear a thing until the car stopped. He kept muttering something about his bottle collection that somehow “got lost” in the airplane luggage. I was the last one out but before I went, I asked one more question.
“What organization did you come from?”
The squirrel looked up from her laptop and smiled.
“You'll know very soon,” she answered and then the limo took off.
Jack exchanged a few glances and wondered what to say to Mr. Smiley. We didn't say much until he showed up. Mr. Smiley walked across the parking lot and over to us.
“Sorry I was late,” he exclaimed, “there was this huge detour.”
He looked at us and somehow knew something was wrong.
“What's wrong?” he asked, as we all headed to the car.
“Uh . . . surprise!” I exclaimed, handing him the mangled package. “I got uh . . . a gift for you for . . . actually it's more like a thank you gift for letting me join the Animal Adventures Inc.
Mr. Smiley glanced down into the package.
“Thanks I've always wanted one of these!” He exclaimed, as they got into the car. “I know something's wrong Lizzy. Do you mind telling me what's bothering you?”
Jack and Lizzy exchanged a silent argument and finally told Mr. Smiley everything that had happened. Lizzy started with the missing package and the riddles and Jack ended with the mysterious organization and the intruder. Mr. Smiley listened carefully as he drove us to the News Incorporation.
“A squirrel you say?” he asked, as we entered the building.
“Yes.” I confirmed, “do you know her?
I saw a flicker of recognition in his face then it was gone.
“No . . . I don't but Lizzy, we should do something about this,he added.
“Like what?” I asked.
“If a hooded figure is out there and this organization . . .” he stated, “we need everyone on high alert.”
I nodded a little confused and watched as Mr. Smiley left quickly to his office. So that is why I have written this story viewers. You are all to be on the look out for this hooded figure. If you find anything please contact Mr. Smiley. Until next time, friends.

Written by: Lizzy the Lizard
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond and Mr. Smiley

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Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Chupacabra . . . Moving North?!?

Cows and chickens were recently killed and drained of blood at Mac Dee Dee's Organic Farm, alledgedly by the Chupacabra . . . but Chupacabra reports have never occured this far north! Continue reading to learn more about this discovery!
Many haven't heard about the creature focused in today's article, but many in the southern parts of the United States and places around Costa Rica and neighboring islands have, and they fear it greatly. What mysterious creature am I talking about? I'm talking about an elusive beast said to roam the aforementioned areas that sneaks into people's farm's . . . leaving nothing more than dead goats and other livestock, sucked dry with no blood remaining in their bodies. I'm talking about the dreaded Chupacabra!

The Chupacabra is Spanish for “goat sucker”. But what in the world is it? Well, for those of you who don't know, it's a cryptid (those are secretive animals, such as Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster) that is believed to be rather dog or coyote-like in shape and body plan, but it is said to mostly covered in sparse hair. Unlike members of the canine family known to science, the Chupacabra is said to feed on the blood of livestock in the darkness of night (fortunately, it doesn't attack humans). Like Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster, Chupacabra sightings have been numerous over the years; there have been sightings dating back to the late 20th century and the most northern ones taking place in the southwestern United States (specifically Texas) . . . until now!

Just last Thursday night, the local farmer Mac Dee Dee at Mac Dee Dee's Organic Farm experienced something beyond bizarre. Yep, you guessed it: my trusty, junior photographer and I went over to the farm to get an exclusive interview with Mac Dee Dee. Upon arriving, Daniel and I were astounded by what we saw: five dead cows were lying in the pasture, dead. Something happened with the chickens too: at least a dozen chickens were lying on the ground, blood sucked out of their bodies through small holes on their abdomens. Mac Dee Dee is quoted for saying, “I heard some noise last night from the cows, and later the chickens. They seemed to be in a panic. I figured they were just spooked by a noisy car driving past with the boombox on too loud, so I went back to sleep . . . [but once I] woke up, I found otherwise.” He went on to explain that he nearly fainted from shock when he discovered what happened to his cattle and chickens. He called his wife, Jules to come have a look. “I'm just glad the cows and chickens that died were meat animals, meaning we were going to kill and sell the meat anyway.”

“We had something like this happen to a farm belonging to a neighbor when we were living in Texas,” Jules says. “Two cows were sucked dry of blood and they were sure it was the Chupacabra that did it. Our cows that were killed show the telltale signs of a Chupacabra attack, but Chupacabra attacks have never been reported this far north!”

Jules was right. A Chupacabra attack in New York (the farm's not too far from Animal Adventures Inc.) is unheard of until now. Mac Dee Dee took Daniel and I to see the dead cows. Man! Did they smell! But I saw what I was looking for: a pair of holes – bite marks – in the cows' necks where the blood was drained out. Daniel took the photo above.

So does the Chupacabra exist? Is it possible something else is responsible for the livestocks' deaths? I put that question to the resident zoologist at AAI., Dr. Arizona Stevenson. When asked what she thought about the Chupacabra, she was quoted for saying, “Many people have seen the creature over the years. Unlike many other cryptids, the Chupacabra has allegedly been photographed by people who've claimed to have seen it.” At this point in the conversation, Arizona brought out a photograph of what was supposedly the dead corpse of the Chupacabra. It showed a dog-like creature with no fur. For a second, I thought why on earth people could doubt the existence of such a creature that has been thoroughly photographed; and not just blurry photographs either! It was a clear picture. Arizona asked us what we thought it was and Daniel and I both replied that it must be the Chupacabra. Arizona shook her head. “Actually, that's what the people who photographed it thought it was too. But it turns out that this is really a coyote with a condition known as mange.” The scientist told me that mange is a disease that some dogs catch and it results in the animal loosing its fur. Without the fur, it looks extremely different! “Many alleged Chupacabra sightings are actually of a coyote or other member of the canine family with mange.”

Of course, I respect Dr. Arizona's opinion and to an extent, I agree with her. But, you also have to remember that not only are there other Chupacabra sightings that aren't so easily shrugged off as coyotes with mange, but also the numerous livestock killings. Whether or not the Chupacabra exists, something is either snatching away and/or killing livestock. I for one contend that the Chupacabra exists, but we've yet to find it. After all, we don't know everything about the world we live in.

“I definitely believe in the Chupacabra,” says Mac Dee Dee. “Even though there hasn't been any real physical evidence for it [yet], as the old saying goes, 'Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence'.”

Written by: Mr. Smiley
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond

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Next Issue: Lizzy and the Riddler pt. 6

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Rerun Article: The Things We Do For Balls!

The balloon seller, the customers, the balloon cart, AND Buddy went up high into the sky, yes, that's Buddy hanging by his collar (thank goodness he was alright!)

The account you’re about to read sounds pretty ordinary at first, but believe me, I thought this was a pretty remarkable story: one morning in the park, Earl Bradley was walking his dog, Buddy, a Black Labrador. Now a preteen girl named Sarah Bus Stop Guy was rolling a ball around in the park that greatly resembled Buddy’s favorite ball at home. Buddy thought that Sarah’s ball was his own ball so of course he ran after it. Earl tried to grab hold of his leash but he missed, and as he later found out, he was glad he missed! “I really tried to catch Buddy before he got into trouble,” Earl said, “but he is always way too fast for me when he sees something he wants, in this case, his ball. When Buddy wants something, nothing can get in the way!” Then the trouble started as the ball rolled around a balloon sales man and some paying customers. As Buddy chased after the ball, one of the customers saw Buddy was loose and grabbed his collar. Big mistake! While Buddy ran around the balloon cart, the sales man and the customers, Buddy accidentally tripped over a weight that kept the balloon cart on the ground and the cart, the people and Buddy started to rise into the sky! Earl forgot his phone at home so I loaned him mine (see now I’m a hero!). Earl quickly called 9-1-1 and the fire department, police, an ambulance truck, a helicopter flight squad and the Doggy Pants Society rushed to the scene. After it was all said and done, it took a whole 12 hours to get everybody safely down (it turned out the Doggy Pants Society just wanted to take a picture with Buddy and they left the scene). Boy, Buddy is one bad dog!

Written by: Mr. Smiley
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan

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Written by: Mr. Smiley
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond

*Advertisement*
We here at Smiley’s News, I have been working night and day to get articles ready. I could really use some help! So we are looking for people interested in writing (especially kids and teens). If you are interested, PLEASE(!) send an email to animaladventures@aol.com and save me from working night and day! I’m exhausted!

Next Article: The Chupacabra . . . Moving North?!?