Once upon a time, Meep was strolling down the street quietly humming to himself when something caught his attention. It was a blue building that stood out. All the other buildings were gray. It also had big orange-yellow signs that flashed DETECTIVE CENTER.

Meep was very curious and decided to check it out. He entered the building, which was a little room that had a table. And, when you entered it, there was a person sitting behind it. “Can I be a detective?” Meep asked. The person at the table just stared. Then, the person handed Meep a little slip of paper that said: ‘Unfortunately, you cannot be hired as a detective here. However, you can be hired as a detective if you go to this place: Detective Hiring Center.’

Meep handed back the slip and walked back through the opened door. On his phone, he searched for ‘Detective Hiring Center’. It was 2 hours away if he’d walk. So, he began his 2-hour journey to ‘Detective Hiring Center’.

Halfway there, he found a store that sold donuts. Meep’s stomach grumbled. Time for donuts! He thought. Meep entered the fine-looking store. It was painted pale pink as the walls inside the store. There were so many options for donuts!

After paying for his $2.99 chocolate-sprinkle-and-chocolate-covered donut, he continued his journey for ‘Detective Hiring Center’. Before he knew it, he was there. A decently large light gray building with big flashing white words saying, ‘Detective Hiring Center’. This was exactly where Meep wanted to go!

Meep entered the modern store, and it was actually big! He waited in line for a few minutes, (Not too shabby, he thought) and then he asked to be a detective. The person paused for a moment and said: “Sure! I can’t say I’ve ever had a cat detective for my company! You’re hired!”

Meep walked out of the store holding a magnificent brown briefcase that included these items and more:

• Magnifying Glass
• Fingerprint Detector
• Detective Hat (and Clothes)
• Detective Badge

He started his journey back. “What an exhausting day!” he said out loud. Later when he entered his neighborhood, he said “It’s good to be home.” Unfortunately for Meep, this was NOT the end of the day. While passing near the park, Meep heard a sound: “YEEEEOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” followed by a bunch of scurrying and crunching sounds.

I’m a detective, he thought after all. So, he headed over to see what on Earth was happening. He saw someone laying on their back, plus something spikey running out of sight.

TO BE CONTINUED, IN Porcupine! (Part 2) (Fiction Story)