The Great Toast Mystery
So there I was, actually on time for work for a change. However, upon arriving at the gate I was signaled for a random car inspection. No problem; this happens on occasion and I am happy to comply with force protection matters.
I popped the hood, trunk, and all doors so that they could do their inspection. I noticed the young German guards were speaking and pointing excitedly into my engine. This is typical as they really like looking at American sports cars and were probably debating on whether their BMWs could outrace my Mustang (I’m sure they could). So imagine my surprise when one of them walked over to me, pointed to the engine, and said in a thick German accent “Ma’am, is this your toaster?”
Puzzled, I walked over to the engine and sure enough, laying on the metal cover of the main engine piece (or whatever the actual term is) was laying…
A piece of partially eaten toasted bread.
Yes, my car apparently functions as a method of transportation AND a toaster.
Naturally, I am a little concerned. Was this a prank? No one has access to my car except for me. The only exception would have been my parents during their visit. The toast was not there during the last car inspection, which was probably around April. If I had been doing my monthly oil checks like I should, I would have noticed it sooner. Any other suggestions?
Plans for tonight: call Dad to ask if while he was here, did he thoughtfully take a look at my car and if he did so, was he having a snack?
July 22nd, 2005 at 5:58 am
Do any small stray/wild animals have access to your car? My mom used to have a cat that liked to sleep on the engine when the car was parked. So maybe a cat, squirrel, chipmunk or some other small scavenger found some toast and hid it under you hood with every intention of coming back for it later. This could have happened in a parking lot away from your home and when the little critter came back for his leftovers you had already driven away.
Was it actual toast, or just hard/stale bread that may or may not have been toasted? Was there any jelly?
This is all just a silly theory that either means I really miss my cat, or I’ve been watching too much CSI again.
Then again maybe it was bunnies…
July 22nd, 2005 at 12:58 pm
My neighbor’s cat likes to sleep in the garage so I used to leave the door open just a tad enough for him to crawl in. When I learned that he liked to sleep on the car and left little dusty pawprints all over, I was a bit concerned. One day I came home from work and noticed a putrid yet distinct smell in the garage…3 buckets of Pine-sol later and things were kosher, but now I leave the garage shut all the way. Ungrateful feline! But the engine space is kinda tight so I’m not sure if a cat could fit all the way inside.
It looked like just a plain slice of German bread that had been “toasted’ on the hot engine. No jam, butter, Nutella, or Marmite. It probably was that blasted cat.