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The Pied Piper of Peterville

  notes and additional chapters...

i think that the WCCO report may work better at the end,

it also lays out how the story should / could progress, i'll put the "Chapter 8" piece below...

what wild animals might come in for a snack?

Chapter 8

     "Hel, Hello?"

     "Yes, good morning Mr. Gudmer, this is Unis, ...your next door neighbor... Ms. Jenson...  you borrowed my potting shovel two days ago? Mr. Gudmer are you there?"

     "What? Who?"

     "Not an owl Mr. Gudmer, I'm your neighbor, Mrs. Jenson and I have a few questions for you."

     "I'll bring the shovel by this afternoon. Goodbye."

     "Hello?"

     "I can't believe you just hung up on me Mr. Gudmer."

     "Was that you who called?"

     "Yes, it most certainly was me who called, I would like to know exactly what you installed in your yard, and what it was that was in all those garbage bags you whisked away in your station wagon yesterday.

     Well, what do you have to say for yourself Mr. Gudmer?"

     "Ah, who am I speaking with?"

     "Unis, Unis Jenson, Mr. Gudmer, look out your kitchen window and you'll see my house, it's green and brown with big white shutters, you can even see me waving to you from my window across the yard."

     "The yard?"

     "Yes, Mr. Gudmer that's exactly what I want to talk to you about, I want you to tell me what kind of device you have buried in the yard."

     ...

     "Mr. Gudmer,"

     "Yes."

     "I'm waiting."

     "You really want to know that it is?"

     "And what it does, if you want to get truly technical Mr. Gudmer."

    "It's called the Singing Bucket. It traps roaches and ants. It was great talking to you Mrs. Jenson, I'll return your shovel this afternoon."

     "Excuse me, but why on earth would you want to trap innocent bugs that aren't even bothering you? Namely those which live outside."

     "The Singing Bucket Insect Removal System draws house hold pests out of the house by emitting an ultra-high frequency tone that entices them into the pail in the yard."

     "You mean to tell me that all those black plastic garbage bags you haul away in your car each afternoon were full of cockroaches and ants from your house?"

     "No, even better Mrs. Jenson, according to the instruction booklet, the Singing Bucket has a range of over 100 yards. Thanks to me the entire block has been debugged free of charge."

     "Mr. Gudmer, did you ever stop to consider that we might not mind having spiders, ants and yes, even a few roaches in our homes?"

     ...

     "Mr. Gudmer, what did the instruction booklet say about outdoor bugs?"

     "It's guaranteed 100% worm and night-crawler safe."

     "What about crickets Mr. Gudmer? It was awfully quiet last night. Did you happen to see any crickets in your bucket?"

     "A, a couple, Mrs. Jenson, now look, I have to go, we can talk more when I bring your shovel by this afternoon, have a nice day, goodbye."

---------------------

possible beginning and outline...

It came all the way from Reno Nevada, exactly four days after Hubert Gudmer ordered it. Just another delivery for the man in brown but nothing short of extraordinary for Hue. It had been the infomercial after Tony Robins and before Morgan Sheets. In the entire town of St. Peter, Hue was the only person to watch all 4 minutes and 19 seconds. If anyone had seen it they wouldn't have cared. Not like Hue. To him it represented a chance at a real life. His fear had kept him from getting married, it drove his electric bill up, it was why he always looked tired, it was why he hated life, and thankfully -it was what had kept him up that night until 3:47am. 

Just the thought that it might work sent him into a state of multiple smiles. 

It was red and looked like an everyday five gallon pail. Hue picked up the four 9 volt batteries which the operator told him that he would need. 

These must send out the signal, he thought to himself as he extended the five mini antennas spaced evenly around the rim of the bucket. 

While hue was extending the last antenna he realized he had forgotten to dig the hole. He took a quick look out the window and decided that he had about half an hour of sunlight left. He smacked himself on the side of the head. No shovel meant he would have to wait until tomorrow when he could stop at his brother's place on the way home from WORK. He was counting on getting his first night of good sleep since his company flew him to Fairbanks for the space heater convention. 

'All right now think he told himself, sit down and have a good idea.'

Open to Unis' house next door. Hue comes over to borrow a shovel, but all she has is a potting shovel...during this part we could get some background/hearsay on Hue from Unis' point of view.

Hue back in the yard...

Back to Unis getting ready for bed (part about why she likes bus and crickets especially...

Back to Hue turning the bucket on for the first time... i think here the directions could say to leave the house for a while ...he could go to get something to eat. Or maybe he goes to the house across the street to have dinner with the Santiago family, one of the girls has a bug collection, Hue notices how all the bugs are scratching on the glass pointing towards the house. Maybe she is doing some sort of physiological experiments on them which goes wacky as soon as the bucket is turned on. 

Hue returns later in the evening to find the bucket heaping with bugs he has to reach his hand into the bugs (gradual accommodation) to bring the plastic bag type liner over the bugs at the top and close it tight. He seals the bag and puts it in the back of his station wagon (later one of the bags has a tear in it and while he is taking them to 7 mile creek they crawl out and all over him- but in the car with him is his brothers child Noelle, Hue has to stay in control...) by the time he gets it all taken care of and comes back to check the bucket it is half full already. ...

Hue takes the next day off of work to tend the bucket, makes multiple trips back and forth, finds a roach in the upstairs bathroom and decides that the signal must be getting weak or needs a boost, tries new batteries, then antennae boosters...

Back to Unis the next morning, her spider in the web in her garden, the one she calls Mr.. Digs is not in his web. 

That afternoon, Alma and Linda Santiago are trying to complete their experiment with their bugs but things are not going well...

The next night, Unis opens her bedroom windows, climbs into her bed and hears...nothing... as she is contemplating things she notices that hues house is dark for the first time in ....

Next morning calls Hue up on the telephone (chapter 8). 

Unis has her Book Club meeting at her house (they are reading Charlotte's Web) her friends including Sharron from the Zesty Bandit story, agree to help her put a stop to this Hitler of the Bug World. 

Hue's brother's wife teaches science at the local HS, she comments to her husband about Alma and Linda's data about their experiment. Hue's brother goes to talk to him (they link it up with what their kid says about going taking the bugs out for a ride to 7 mile creek...

now let's go picketing, through ought need to show how Hue's life has changed thanks to the Singing Bucket.

Unis' life changes due to this as well, her bugs were all she had, but now she is being interviewed by CCTV... (small stuff to the world but big for her)

hue makes his offer...

next day, bug zapper, bug huggers go nuts, hue overwhelmed, conversation with the police

Phil Elliot

Hue by himself...

      Justin Olmanson

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