Where's Stevie???

The Dark and Stormy Day

It was a dark and stormy Saturday. The students and staff of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point were confined to their halls. The gale force winds whistled against the windows of dorm rooms, and the rain stuck down as hard as hail. But among these horrific conditions, three brave students walked the sidewalks. They were looking for an adventure, but they had no idea what was in store for them.

There was Austin, the photographer, Michael, the goof, and Moua, the brains. Together, they were known as the Three Henchmen. They were master detectives, and always up for a mystery. The Henchmen were headed to the library, known to many as the safest and quietest building on campus, even during this terrible storm. However, today the library was the most mysterious building on campus.
There had been rumors of screams and crashing sounds coming from the library, but no one was brave enough to venture to the enormous building to investigate where the sounds were coming from. No one, except for the Three Henchmen.
Upon arriving at the gigantic book house, the students knew something was awry. While the doors of the library are usually locked tight on the weekend, one door was found opening, fluttering with the strong winds. The students peered inside to find a trail of muddy footprints littering the floor. What could possibly be going on inside of this wonderful structure of knowledge? Curiosity had griped the Three Henchmen, and they entered the library.
The Henchmen entered from the west side. This was their first time inside of the massive building. They quietly wandered the first floor together. After all, this was a library. They searched the lobby area and the cafe only to find nothing. After much frustration, the students entered Room 107. They noticed that the lights were flickering on and off. They turned on their flashlights on their smartphones and found a sheet of paper on one of the study tables, just under the television monitor.

The Mysterious List of Clues

The students studied the list carefully. It appeared that the list would lead to Stevie Pointer, the beloved mascot of the university. He had been kidnapped...well, dog-napped! The students knew there wasn't much time; they had to use to clues to find Stevie, and fast.

The first clue read: "It would be helpful to have a description of what the Pointer dog looks like. Visit the reference room (on the 1st floor) and find the Encyclopedia of the Dog (SF422 F64 1995)**. If you can correctly tell the Reference Librarian what page a description of the English Pointer can be found on you'll receive your letter. (**Use the key to reading Call Numbers on the back of this page for help.)"
So it turns out, they were not alone! There was at least one person somewhat aiding this culprit in abducting Stevie. Luckily, the students knew exactly where the reference section was! They had passed it on their left when they entered from the west side of the building. They headed there as fast as they could.

The Adorable Cover of the Encyclopedia of the Dog

After quickly locating the book, thanks to Moua's brains, they found the page of the English Pointer and told the reference librarian. She proceeded to tell us the letter, "V", and that the abductor had her as well as other library staff held captive to aid his efforts. Looks like there was more than just Stevie to save.
The Henchmen moved on to Clue #2, which read: "A shark in the library?? That's probably a "first!" Maybe you should check it out. Locate where the shark is just "hanging around" and you'll find your next clue."
Instantly, Austin spoke up and said, "I know where the shark is! I photographed it when we first came in!" The students headed back to the lobby area and to the south east corner and found the shark...just hanging around. On the wall near the shark was a mysterious paw print. Upon closer inspection, the three found that it was another clue!

A Paw Print Clue Near the Shark

The clue read, in short, that they must find the Pacific Golden Plover egg in the bird egg collection exhibit just around the corner. The first letter of the state where the bird is from would give them one more letter to help them find Stevie. They rushed around the corner and looked very carefully. After even more frustration, Moua found that the state the Pacific Golden Plover was from was Alaska. This meant the second letter was "A."
After reading the sheet again, the third clue read as follows: "The student newspaper is named after Stevie. Find where the "current" issues of this newspaper as located on the 2nd floor and look for your next clue."
The group took the stairs in the first floor lobby to the second floor. Luckily, the "current" section with the school newspapers were just off to their left on the north side of the building. Searching down each row carefully, the students eventually came across another paw print clue, as well as another picture next to it.

The Clue From the Periodicals Section

The Henchmen were to repeat the phrase "FREE THE BOUND PERIODICALS" to the Periodicals Desk worker, who are always willing to help. Michael said the phrase to the worker, and after commenting that she recognized him, gave them the letter "E."

Glancing at the clue list again, the fourth clue read as such: "Earlier Stevie was seen browsing the CDs looking for some tunes to listen to. Head to the Instructional Materials Center (IMC) and locate the CD collection for your next clue. (**Ignore the initial article: a, an, or the)"

The students were baffled. None of them knew where the CD collection was. They could not find it on the first or second floor, so they hopped in an elevator to find a list of the major of resources the library had to offer. It was here that they discovered that the CD collection was on the third floor, and they headed there right away, careful to remember the helpful list of resources in the elevator.

After arriving on the third floor, they searched valiantly through the IMC in the north east corner of the floor. After a short time, they stumbled upon the music collection. 

The CD Collection in the IMC with Another Clue

Here, it was discovered that Stevie was a HUGE Rolling Stones fan! The next letter for the secret location of Stevie was "R!"

Scrolling through the clue list again, there were only three clues left to answer. They were getting very close! Clue #5 seemed simple enough: "The kidnapper has been spotted, and a description given. To view a sketch of the culprit, find the books in the call number range PN2287.C5** on the 4th floor of the library. Scan these books to see a sketch of the suspect and look for your next clue. (**Use the key to reading Call Numbers on the back of this page for help.)"

It seemed that their troubles were escalating as they headed for the fourth floor! Here, they Henchmen's hearts sank. There were so many incredible books, how were they ever going to find a single range of books? Moua, the brains, offered the idea to split up to cover more bookshelves faster. They agreed, and each began searching different rows. After a solid five minutes of tedious searching, Austin shouted, "I found it!"

As the rest of the group gathered around, Austin opened the book about Charlie Chaplin...but there were no clues in it! Suddenly, Michael, the goof, said, "Oh, wait...there's a clue on the shelf right next to the book." 

The Clue Right Next to the Charlie Chaplin Books

As the group chuckled at their own minor mistake, they began to realize how exhausted they all were. Acting as vigilante detectives was harder work than they thought it would be! Their next clue advised them to look for other pictures of Mr. Chaplin on other doors of the library on that floor. Michael remembered passing one while searching the shelves, and ran straight to that door. The letter they needed was the fourth letter of the third word of the name of that room, which was "C."

Overworked and underpaid, the exhausted students glanced back at the list. Clue #6 read: "Oh no! There's a potential hostage situation! If you can find the hostage, you'll also find a letter. Use the elevator to get to the 5th floor. Walk past the Archives and the computer stations. You should see some bright green shelving. The books in our stacks are arranged by call number, which also indicates the subject of the book. Each row of shelving has a sign on both ends listing the subjects. Look through the few shelves with the subject "Zoology" to find books starting with call number QL737.P96. The hostage is being held in the vicinity."

As the crew rushed to the elevator and the fifth floor, they hoped they were going fast enough to be able to find and save Stevie. This was the final stretch, but time also running out.

The trio of students rushed to the bright green shelving, and quickly found the Zoology area. Much to their surprise, they also found the hostage alive and well! The hostage was a monkey who appeared to have freed himself! The monkey proceed to speak, "I'm okay, don't worry about me! You're next letter is "H," just go help Stevie!"

The group thanked the ape, and peeked at the clue sheet one last time. Clue #7 read in this way: "The kidnapper (dog-napper) was seen up on the sixth floor checking out the view and planning his escape route. This floor contains U.S. government publications. These documents have SuDocs call numbers whose first letter(s) indicate which federal agency issued them. For instance, a U.S. publication from the Labor Dept. has a SuDocs call number that begins with L.Go to the U.S. publications section on the sixth floor. Find the posters that describe the SuDocs call numbers. What are the first two letters of the call number for publications put out by the Smithsonian Institution?"

They were so close, the Henchmen could taste it. This final clue would give them the last two letters needed to unveil the location of Stevie Pointer! The troop of pooped-out students rushed to the 6th floor as fast as their tired little legs would allow. Who knew stairs were such a hard workout?

As soon as they arrived at the U.S. government publications, Moua discovered the poster the described the SuDocs call numbers. The Smithsonian Institute's call numbers were"I" and "S." Now all they had to do was unscramble the letters to form a word. This word was where Stevie was being held captive, meaning it was somewhere inside the library.

The Final Clue: The SuDocs Poster

The students sat down for the first time since they came to the library, and they pondered the letters long and hard. No one could make any sense of the eight letters! Time was running out.

But suddenly, while trying to piece together the letters, Michael had a sort of flashback to the list of places in the elevator. He scanned the list in his mind, starting at the first floor...then the second, third, and fourth. Nothing. But as he scanned the fifth floor in his mind, the answer came to him! "I know where Stevie is!" Michael exclaimed. 

"Where is here?" Austin and Moua asked simultaneously. 

"He's in the ARCHIVES!" shouted Michael.

The gang raced from their chairs, down one flight of stairs to the fifth floor. Austin remembered having passed the Archives on a previous clue, and directed the other two Henchmen to its location. 

Finally, they were there. They were about to rescue the university's beloved Pointer mascot! But there was one final problem...the door was locked. They could hear Stevie yelping behind the door, but there was no way in. They were going to have to break down the large, wooden door. The three were absolutely drained, but managed to sum up a final burst of energy to charge the door together. Their first attempt to break down the door: fail. Their second attempt: fail. But on their third attempt, in typical action movie fashion, they trio burst through the door, sending it off its hinges and flying across the room. If only they had some sunglasses to put on, it would have been what the youngsters call "bad-ass."

As they regained the balance, they saw Stevie whimpering in the corner. He was scared, hungry, and thirsty. The Henchmen did their best to comfort him, and Michael, the goof, always knows for having snacks on his person, gave up his last beef stick and bottle of water to nourish Stevie. Instantly, there was a change. Stevie became very friendly again, and barked with joy. They were sure if Stevie could talk, he would have thanked them profusely, but his actions spoke loud enough for the three students. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Chaplin was never seen again. His whereabouts are currently unknown. All that matters is that Stevie was rescued. 

Stevie Pointer

The students returned to their everyday lives after repairing the door and escorting Stevie to his elegant dog house in Schmeekle Reserve. No one knows who these vigilante heroes are. Only the legend of their first names lives on. Every so often they get questioned since they know so much about the Rescue of Stevie Pointer, but they hold back. They require no praise. The three students reportedly visit Stevie often now. Aside from themselves, it is rumored that the only way to tell who the heroes are is through the look in Stevie's eyes, and that they continuously watch over the Pointer community and campus, always ready to serve and guard the place that they call home for about nine months out of the year.