It’s hard holding one’s breath for twenty-four hours, but that’s been my situation since we got the awful news that Dad was missing. I know that I should hope for the best, and that’s what I’ve been doing.
We’ve pieced together what happened at the motel where Dad was staying for the ISP convention. The trouble began when a swarm of moths broke the window to his room and devoured all of his clothes while he was in the shower. So far, just an inconvenience. However, a vicious snowstorm was blanketing the area, which knocked out all the motel’s power and phones. Dad ventured outside to go to the front desk, but as he did the towel covering him was blown away by a gust of wind. At that moment the motel clerk on duty (an enormous ursine) stepped out of the front door to see a naked rabbit standing in front of him. Instinct and appetite took over, but Dad outran him.
I’ve wondered why Dad didn’t stand and fight the clerk; with his wrestling experience he certainly could have had a chance of holding him off long enough to explain that he was a guest. My theory is that he now has a family that depends on him, and that factored into his decision to choose the flight option. (From the picture we saw, it was one of the largest bears I’ve ever seen.) I think a standard-sized predator would have gotten a battle from Dad.
Kell’s been frustrated since her boss won’t let her go find him. Instead, R.L. hired Canine, the Bounty Hunter from TV, who immediately went off in pursuit with his camera crew. As I write this, we’ve heard nothing from Dad or the Canine. Kell’s going nuts, and Rudy and I aren’t faring too well, either.
Yes, I said Rudy. He won’t admit to being sick with worry, but I caught him eating the grass buried under the snow in our front lawn. He claimed he was looking for a pencil he’d dropped in the fall.
