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Fandango’s FOWC is extra, the Word of the Day Challenge is delayed, Paula’s 3 Things Challenge words are Dublin, waterbed, baseball , and Teresa’s Story Starter Challenge phrase is “I have no idea how it got there.”

On Monday morning, I delayed getting out of my brand new, extra-comfortable waterbed, custom-designed by Dublin waterbed engineers. It was the most comfortable bed I’d ever owned; it felt like sleeping on air. For a person with arthritis in both hips it was a godsend.

I’d ordered the bed through a direct from the manufacturer website a month previous. The company included free delivery and setup in part of the price and gave an approximate delivery time of six weeks.

It was the four-week mark when my boyfriend, Cody, told me he’d gotten us two tickets to see a baseball game in Chicago the next weekend. I’m not a big baseball fan, but there are some great museums and the Shedd Aquarium not far from the stadium so I was pumped. We had a wonderful Saturday at the game – the Cubs lost – then went to a jazz club that evening. On Sunday we hit the Field Museum and the aquarium, then drove home that evening. Cody dropped me off at my house and went home as he had to be up bright and early the next morning and I didn’t.

Walking through the door at home, all I could think about was kicking off my shoes and collapsing on the bed for a quick nap. I went in the bedroom and flipped on the light – and about flipped out: the waterbed was set up where my old bed had been, no signs of the old bed. The complimentary set of shamrock motif sheets laid in their package on top of it.

I called Cody and told him what I found.

Cody asked, “How is that possible?”

My half-scared, half-excited response was, “I have no idea how it got there.”

Cody, ever practical, said, “Check your surveillance camera recordings to see if they show anything.”

“Thanks Cody, I’ll check and let you know what I find out.”

I ran to the computer and started checking the files, which are stored by hour. The cameras are pointed at the front door, the back door, and side views of the house and garage. I also have a cams set up in all rooms just because. Starting with the outside cam, front door, on Friday afternoon, I finally hit paydirt at around 3pm, when a UPS truck pulled up and delivered two very large boxes and left. At 9pm, the camera showed the front door opening and the boxes sliding in, but the light was too dim to see who was pushing/pulling them. Then the front door shut.

Next I checked the bedroom cam, starting at 9pm Friday. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I would never have believed it. A crew of at least two dozen leprechauns busily set about taking my old bed apart and moving it to who-knows-where, but it’s probably in the garage; then, as dedicated as bees collecting pollen, set up the new waterbed. It was so funny watching them struggle with the hose as they filled the bed, which took a good long while. When it was all done, I saw one throw sparkly dust into the air. They climbed up to the window and opened it, then climbed on the backs of fairy horses and flew away.

I never found my old bed, and when I tried to show the tapes to Cody, they were erased. So, if you are ever in the market for goods from Dublin and see free setup and delivery, know that they mean it!