A blinding light filled the skies above New Toulouse and Bayou last night.
Our astronomer friend, Miss Eugenie Theriot, home from college to visit her parents, said, “Meteorite, it had to be a meteorite. No way was it a space kraken.”
When asked how she could be so sure, she said, “Quite simple, really. First, several people witnessed seeing it going from south to north right over town. Frannie Alva said it passed to the east of her. Mirri Rosca said it passed to the west of her. Both of them said it was moving really fast and going straight north and ‘it probably landed just over there.’
“Second, no pieces. Everyone knows that large meteorites have such enormous kinetic energy that they convert into heat on impact. They vaporize on impact and never leave pieces. Since no one has found any pieces, this is just exactly like a meteorite strike.
“Third, it’s obvious—krakens don’t exist.”
Miss Theriot went on to explain that a meteorite is a perfectly natural phenomenon caused by the entry of a small rock from space into Earth’s atmosphere.
“Yes, really, it’s a rock from space, and not a giant orange invertebrate that lays small green eggs that get into everything and everyone. And if someone finds it, it’s worth a heap of money.”
When reminded that a damn Yankee once tried to besmirch old Thomas Jefferson’s reputation by claiming that old TJ said, “I would sooner believe that a Yankee professor would lie rather that rocks would fall from the sky,” Miss Theriot commented, “Piffle. Those guys were really old. And this is the twentieth century.”
Miss Gigi Damour, who was looking after Mayor Godenot’s chickens while he was away, noticed that all of the chickens were gone today. She also reported that Henri’s third horse, the flashy palomino, was completely missing. Miss Nikita Weymann, aware that Godenot was away on business, thinks he may have taken the palomino with him.
Gigi Lapin resides in New Toulouse Bayou with her pet crawfish, Jimbo.