<div style="font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;color:black;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Cleora sujb for Feb 21<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Terrific story Well written.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">   </span><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">This is pretty tight. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">I have nothing obvious to correct. Cudos.</span></u></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">915 words<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Infected<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">by Sly Duck<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">‘What luck,’ he thought. He didn’t usually find
one so soon. Up ahead, a young girl was coming toward him swinging a white cane
back and forth in front of herself. His brain tingling with anticipation, he
slipped out of sight behind a tall bush beside the path to wait.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">She stopped a few paces away. “Hello?” She spoke
cautiously. “Is anyone there?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">He grabbed her, yanked her behind the bush and
placed a knife at her throat. “Make a sound, and you’re dead,” he warned. He
was surprised when he felt her relax.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“Infected,” she whispered in his ear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“That won’t work on me,” he said scornfully.
“But, don’t worry. That’s not what I have on my mind.” He pulled a folder out
of her pant pocket and extracted a credit card with the picture of a dolphin on
it. “Ah, here we are.” Pretty,” he commented, “You’re in luck, today. Tell me
your PIN and you’re free to go.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“Two four eight six,” she said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“Very smart,” he said. Then, checking to see if
anyone was near, he gave her one last warning to say nothing and strolled away
at a normal pace. After a while he looked behind him, he didn’t see the girl.
‘Oh well,’ he thought. ‘Not my problem.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">On his way to work, he stopped at three
different convenience stores, and two banks and used the ATM at each to make a
$200 cash advance on the girls card. At his bank, he deposited the $1,000 in
his own account along with the $4,000 he had already charged to the cards of
his four previous victims. At work, he pulled the five cards out and pitched
them in the shredder. As the girls card went in, he thought he saw the picture
of a dolphin on the front swish its tail fin, turn its head to look at him, and
wink.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">The rest of the day was uneventful. On his way
home, he stopped at the corner Quick Mart and gave a check for a bag of
skittles, some beer, and a jar of peanuts. As he left the store, he rubbed his
eyes. His vision was a little cloudy like there was a film on them. “Darned
allergies,” he muttered.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Over the next few weeks, he bought some tools, a
season pass to the water park, and some other incidentals. He was having some
trouble with his vision so he spent some of the money to have his eyes checked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“I can’t make you see 20/20,” complained the
optometrist. “I can’t see anything wrong in there, but I’d like you to be
checked out by an ophthalmologist.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">He went to the recommended eye doctor, but that
doctor didn’t see anything wrong either. When he opened his wallet to pay the
receptionist, he noticed a card with a dolphin on it. he pulled it out. It
looked like the girl’s credit card. He was sure he had shredded it. No matter,
he would do it for sure tomorrow. After a while, he noticed that each time he
spent some of the money from the stolen cards, his vision became more blurred.
He tried a test. He used his pay check to buy some things. Nothing changed with
his vision. He deposited the rest of his check in his bank account. He wrote
checks to pay his bills. This took most of the remaining funds he had. ‘Time to
get another batch of cards,’ he thought as he dropped the payments in the
mailbox. As the envelopes hit the other mail at the bottom of the shoot, he noticed
the room seemed to get darker. ‘Probably a cloud came over the sun,’ he
thought.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">He went to the park and walked along the
sidewalk where he normally found his victims. He walked slowly and carefully,
something was definitely wrong with his eyes. He came to the tall bush and
stopped. “Hi,” said a female voice behind him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">He whirled around. He could just make out the
face of the girl he had taken the dolphin card from. She was holding out a
folded up white cane. “Here,” she said. “You need this more than I do, now.” He
was confused. Had this been a trick? Had she been able to see him all along?
But, if she could see him, why hadn’t she turned him in?<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“Thank you,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“You thank me?” he stammered. “Thank me for
what.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“Taking the card,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“About that,” he said, reaching into his wallet
for the card. “Here, I’m so sorry, I’ve been feeling so guilty about what I
did.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“No,” she said, “it’s yours now. You can’t give
it away and It can’t be destroyed. The only way to get rid of it is for someone
to steal it from you. When the time comes, you must tell the person you are
infected.” She thrust the folded white cane toward him again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">He brushed it aside, I don’t want it. “Please,
you have to take the card back.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">She shook her head. “It is yours now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">He looked at the card to get her name. For the
first time he noticed that it had his name on it. “How did you get it?” he
asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">“That doesn’t matter,” she said. “The important
thing is that it’s yours now.” She smiled. “Thank you,: she said again.
“Enjoy.” And, dropping the cane at his feet, she walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">_______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Group1 mailing list<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="color:black;mso-color-alt:windowtext"><a href="mailto:Group1@bluegrasspals.com"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue">Group1@bluegrasspals.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="color:black;mso-color-alt:windowtext"><a href="http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/group1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue">http://bluegrassp</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br data-mce-bogus="1"></div>