I'm Only the Trombone Player

Mysterious Items?

5 DAY Andre the Blog Monkey's April Fools Mystery Writing Challenge

Blog Prompt for Day 1 - When mystery surrounds an object, that object then becomes a clue. Have you ever discovered a mysterious item, which became a clue to an investigation? Tell us about what you found and where the investigation led to.

When I was much younger, way back around 1965, making me about 10 or 11 years old my family put an addition on our house. That addition created an attic space with ready access. My Father decided to take advantage of that by "flooring" that space.

My job was to move boxes stored in the crawl space to a temporary holding spot and put them back after Dad and my big brother put the plywood floor down. It was late fall, so it wasn't to bad heat wise, and I liked the idea that I had a project to myself.

In the process of moving the boxes I found one way in the back that was identified in my Mom's neat hand writing. In fact, there was no writing at all on this box. Cleverly, I decided to leave that box till last as I put the others away for easy access later.

Later came, we finished renovating the house, and I transferred my mystery box to my room. Opening it in secret, I found training manuals, flight logs and other documents associated with the Army Air Corp, the precursor of the modern day Air Force.

Like any good detective I questioned witnesses, My Mom being the most likely "suspect". I found out that five years earlier we had bought our house from a former pilot, a member of the Air Corp during World War Two. He and his wife had purchased the house one year earlier. My family bought the house when he was recalled into the service during the Korean War.

Mom helped me write a letter to the address we had, but we never received a reply.

Jump forward to the present; I came across the box again, now cleaning up in preparation for selling the house. Now armed with the internet and it search capabilities I decided to try one more time.

Alas, sadly my quest found rather bad news. I found the pilot in question, his name listed on the dry casualty reports from a War that still goes on.

The box? It's now in the hands of the local Air Power Museum, built on the site that most likely manufactured the jet the pilot was flying.

...I'm only the trombone player!

Janus on WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group