Bear on a Wire ...

Josephine Thornapple toggled the switch of the two-way radio. "Thornapple here," she said, trying to sound confident and not at all squeaky and unsure. Unsure was definitely how she felt. "Say again?" She said into the mike.

"I said," came back the static-y voice of one of the other cops in this out-of-the-way rural territory that had appealed to her so much after the frenetic pace of life in the academy in the big city. Just the assignment she needed - small town, slow life, nice people. "I said, we have a 10-808 over by the Feather Fountain." She keyed the mike and replied "10-4" and put the cruiser into drive and swung out of the parking lot.

As small towns go, this one was particularly pretty - with its quaint main street, with lampposts with pretty notched heart designs, and the antique glass windows with crystal navettes, and the people had made her feel welcome.

The real issue seemed to be that the two existing police officers were twins, California twins, and while they were blue down to their toes, they seemed to have invented their own language. She frequently felt like she had no idea what they were talking about. To say nothing of she couldn't even tell which one she was talking to most of the time. Had that been officer Violet, or Meadows, as she had nicknamed them.

Darn it, she thought - she was just going to have to ask. She picked up the mike again "Uh, where is the 'Feather Fountain'?"

"Sorry," came back the voice of either Violet or Meadows after a pause, "Forgot you didn't grow up around here. The Feather Fountain is the old mattress factory about 5 minutes west of town." She recalled seeing a burned and shattered complex of buildings. "We call it that 'cuz there was an explosion that sent springs and feathers hundreds of feet into the sky! Hoo boy - you should have seen that! It was really something!"

OK - she knew where that was, and, minor miracle, she was headed in the right direction. Did she dare ask what a 10-808 was too? No, she thought, surely it would be obvious when she got there. After all - she knew all the codes for really dangerous stuff. She would figure it out! She was a cop, and that's what cops did - they get on with it and figure things out! She radioed back an affirmative and an estimated time of arrival.

Soon, gravel was crunching under her tires as she pulled into the parking lot of a once-white, wooden building. The remnants of a chimney leaned dangerously to one side, and although weathered and grimy now, she could make out the soot streaks and fire marks that were consistent with an explosion at some time in the past. Her co-worker was already there, Officer Violet, she thought with some satisfaction. Some happenstance of uniform manufacture had replaced the usual blue braided soutache on his uniform with a shade more like an African Violet, hence, her nickname for him. And the only sure way she had found so far of telling them apart.


He was standing, feet spread and arms folded, staring up at what had once been the power feed into the building. Sitting at the top of the electrical pole, spread out across the now presumably dead wires, was a bear - staring glumly off into the distance. A black bear, if she knew anything about bears. Which she wasn't sure that she did, but anyway, it was a bear, it was black, and frankly - it looked a bit like a badly worn toy that really needed washing. She walked up beside Officer Violet. "A 10-808?" she asked.
"Yep" - Violet replied, never taking his eyes off the bear. "10-808. Bear on a wire."
"Black bear?"
"Yep"
Josephine could not help herself. "So - if 10-808 is a black bear up a power pole, what is the code for a grizzly bear up a power pole?"

Violet looked at her for the first time since she had walked up to him. She read the pity and condescension in his face. "That's preposterous - who would ever need a code for that?"
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TLDR; New this week - Bare (uncoated) wire in brass and bronze - suitable for metal working; expanded selection and repackaged soutache; thornapple clasps; 2 hole twins in California finish , matching sliders and clasps for leather with a feathery design, and other assorted goodies, so click on a link or image and hop directly to that item! Go forth and Bead Happy!