Members
of Girl Scout troop 561 reported an unusual encounter at their cookie sale
table in front of the Idyllwild Inn. Talk about meeting new customers…. The
creature emerged from the forest and asked how many cookies he could take with
the crumpled bills he produced from his shag. The young entrepreneurs
calculated the Beasts “wad” to be equal in value to 6 boxes of cookies
(exercising their sense of fair play) and assisted the animal in selecting an
assortment of favorites (solving problems and thinking creatively.) The animal
seemed to take a special interest in the peanut butter Do-si-dos and the Thin
Mints, but expressed skepticism about one daring youngster’s attempt to foist
“mango crèmes” off on him. “Mango crème? What kind of animal eats Mango Crèmes?
Give me another box of Caramel DeLites!” The budding sales person explained
that mango crèmes are filled with “NutriFusion” enhanced with nutrients from
fruits, and the animal agreed to experiment. These beastettes are without a
doubt learning skills and showing the
confidence and team work that will serve them well in the future.
When asked what he would do with all those cookies the
Idyll-Beast explained that he was going to feed people. “People feed the
squirrels and blue jays for fun. I find feeding people relaxes me. If you stand
completely still they come right up and take them out of your paw!”
The scouts did not allow the Beast to return into the forest
without first “signing” autographs. These youngsters have definitely earned their
“patches” in Cryptozoology; the Idyllwild troop is the first known to have sold
cookies to a crypto-hominid.
They even invited him to join the troop. At a loss to
explain to the girls why he couldn’t be a girl scout also, he suggested that
maybe a Heidi Beast back at the Research Center might adopt the troop. Indeed,
the Girls Scouts and the Idyll-Beast Research Center would both benefit from
collaboration. We respect any group the sends small animals scurrying through
the woods distributing boxes of snacks to winter-distressed villagers. They are
like little saint Bernards.
Sources at the Chamber of Commerce confirm that no Chamber
of Commerce funds were “embezzled” to buy the treats.
In an unrelated story, local musician David Jerome reported
“probably about $30” missing from his tip jar at the end of his Saturday
morning 9-12 gig at Café Aroma. “One of the servers reported a huge, shaggy,
lumbering creature lurking around the jar. I’ll have to have a word with Vince
Day. Enough is enough.”
