(A Tootsie Chase Mystery)
by Paula Robinson

Tuesday night

In a land that’s far away,
There is a place called Beetlebay.
The streets are lined with maple trees,
Whose green leaves flutter in the breeze.

The library over on Chestnut Street
Has something that is really neat.
Outside the door sitting all alone,
Is a big gargoyle made of stone.

He guards the library day and night,
The statue is a beautiful sight.
Who put it there, I really don’t know,
But it was done a long time ago.

A roaring lion with wings sits there.
And you can touch it, if you dare.
But if you should harm it; so they say,
A curse will fall on Beetlebay.

When the town’s librarian, Mrs. White,
Went to open the library doors last night.
A rolled up scroll was underneath
The Winged Lion’s top and bottom teeth.

She pulled out the paper with utmost care,
And read the message written there…
A curse will descend on Beetlebay,
Because someone harmed the Winged Lion today.

She tucked the paper into her purse,
She didn’t believe in that long ago curse.
“Someone is playing a prank, that’s all.
I don’t believe a curse will fall.”

But later that evening in Maple Tree Park,
As the sky was turning from twilight to dark,
People had gathered to practice a play,
For the Renaissance Fair, just a few days away.

A stage had been built with curtains and lights,
So the play could be seen on two different nights.
And a chorus of madrigal singers was there
Who would also sing at the Renaissance Fair.

The director called out, “Let’s start with the singing.”
But stopped when she heard the Town Hall bell ringing.
Then the lights went out; there were screams in the dark.
Something was wrong in Maple Tree Park.

There was pushing and shoving and children were crying,
It was hard to be calm although people were trying.
A few minutes passed until there was light,
And people were shocked at the terrible sight.

The curtains were open so all could see
Ugly signs taped on the scenery.
Printed on these signs, in letters of black,
Was the message; THE CURSE OF THE GARGOYLE IS BACK!

Wednesday morning

I go by the name of Tootsie Chase,
A private detective brought in on the case
Of a gargoyle’s curse that may spoil a play.
I must solve this case before Saturday.

I talked to librarian, Mrs. White,
Who filled me in on events of last night.
I now have four suspects, and one just might be
Guilty of causing this mystery.

The Suspects

Mrs. Scott

Mrs. Scott has the lead in the play,
But she runs an antique shop during the day.
She sells lamps and dishes and quilts that are blue,
Antique books and gargoyles too.

Sally Dance

Sally’s been chosen for madrigal singing,
She was not at the park when the bell was ringing.
She loves the Winged Lion, so they say;
And she visits the library every day.

Mr. McNeil

The town historian is Mr. McNeil.
To him the curse of the gargoyle is real.
He has history books, but none of them say,
Who put the Winged Lion in Beetlebay.

The Guardians

There’s a group of boys, led by Jerry Meeks,
They’ve been together for several weeks.
They like to play pranks, which they think are neat.
And in front of the gargoyle is where they meet.

The Curse of the Gargoyle

The gargoyle’s curse means things will go wrong,
Morning and evening and all day long.
The Renaissance Fair would be a flop.
This curse is something I have to stop.

Solving the Crime

I must find who left the scroll yesterday.
Who wants to shut down the Renaissance play?
Is it a prank or does somebody feel
The curse of the gargoyle is actually real?

I thought I’d start in Maple Tree Park,
Where those signs were found last night after dark.
So, I went to the stage to look for a clue,
Hoping I might find one or two.

The signs were all down; the mess was all gone,
Then I noticed that someone had trampled the lawn
Behind the stage, so I took a look,
And found a small, old history book.

The book was tucked under the back of the stage,
And there was a corner turned down on one page.
When I opened the book to page eighty-three,
What I read there was of great interest to me.

So, I took the book with me and went on my way,
Since I needed to talk to four suspects today.
Mrs. Scott’s antique shop was just down the street,
And she was a lady I wanted to meet.

As I stepped in her shop and took one look around,
I was truly amazed at the things I found.
Among the antiques there were gargoyles galore,
Small ones in cases; big ones on the floor.

Some were quite ugly, some were quite tall,
And the Winged Lion’s picture hangs on the wall.
A case of old books caught my eye and I see,
One shelf is marked, GARGOYLE HISTORY.

Mrs. Scott appeared from a room in the back,
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I was having a snack.
The shop has been busy with customers who
Think the curse of the gargoyle really is true.”

I held out my hand and said, “I’m Tootsie Chase,
The private detective brought in on this case.
When I came in your shop I happened to see,
A space where a small history book used to be.”

Mrs. Scott became nervous, she went to the shelf
And said, “Sometimes I don’t run the shop by myself.
That book has been sold or misplaced, I don’t know.
That’s all I can tell you. I think you should go.”

So, the next place I went was the library, where
I saw Sally Dance just sitting there
On the ground, by the Winged Lion made of stone.
She looked quite mad as she sat there alone.

She was wearing her hat for the Renaissance Fair,
It sat on top of her dark brown hair.
A pink scarf was hooked to the point of the hat
And she stared at a picture as she quietly sat.

“Hi, Sally,” I said, “Remember me?
I solved The Golden Book mystery.
Have you heard about the gargoyle’s curse?”
And that made Sally’s scowl even worse.

“Hi, Tootsie,” she said. “You’re here and I’m glad.
Someone damaged the lion and that makes me mad.
His wings are all right and so is his tail,
But his back paw is missing one big toenail.”

“Do you think that’s what triggered the curse?” I said.
Sally looked defiant and nodded her head.
“I love the lion that stands guard here,
And someone was not very careful, I fear.

“I read in a history book something that’s true.
The person who put the lion here knew
That a curse would be the only way,
To save the Winged Lion of Beetlebay.”

I noted that Sally Dance was upset,
But there was an answer I needed to get.
“When the Town Hall bell rang just after dark,
Why weren’t you there in Maple Tree Park?”

Sally shrugged her shoulders and ran away.
Things just aren’t right in Beetlebay.
So, I sat for a while by the lion’s base,
To consider the facts of this curious case.

When I got up to leave, I heard Mrs. White yell,
And then the sound of the Old Town Hall’s bell.
“Ants,” she screamed, as she flew out the door.
“There are hundreds of ants all over the floor.

“And the Mayor just called, there are ants everywhere
In Maple Tree Park on Washington Square.
Our play is in trouble, things can’t get worse.
Tootsie Chase, you must stop this gargoyle’s curse.”

So, I hurried away to find Mr. McNeil,
And I thought, a few ants are no big deal.
But I saw a big sign as I went on my way,
That said, MAPLE TREE PARK IS CLOSED FOR THE DAY.

Mr. McNeil was at the Town Hall
In his office; and hanging there on the wall
Was the Winged Lion’s picture, as you might guess.
He sat at his desk, which was quite a mess!

There were books about gargoyles everywhere,
And history books scattered here and there.
Mr. McNeil was scratching his head.
“Come in, Tootsie Chase,” is what the man said.

I went in and sat down and he said to me,
“I’ve been checking our Beetlebay history.
The gargoyle’s curse has come two times before,
That’s all I can find though there might have been more.

“But I’ve searched every page in this history book,
And no matter how long or how hard I look;
I can’t find a place where historians tell
That the curse is announced by the Old Town Hall’s bell.”

“So, what do you think that means?” I said.
The historian smiled and shook his head.
“I just don’t know, but I think you’ll soon see.
We now have a place in history.”

I left the Town Hall and I went out the door,
I had to find suspect number four.
The Guardians are they, a group of three.
I’ll look by the gargoyle, that’s where they might be.

I found them in back of the Winged Lion’s base.
They said, “Hi, Tootsie Chase. Are you solving this case?
The gargoyle’s curse has the whole town excited.
But we are The Guardians and we stand united.”

“And what do you guard?” I asked of the three.
Then Jerry Meeks smiled and looked right at me.
“We guard the gargoyle, the lion with wings,
And we also guard lots of other things.

“But as you know, the lion was hurt.
We found his toenail here in the dirt.”
“Do you know who did it?” I asked the three.
And none of the boys would look right at me.

They looked at each other, no one said a word.
“We’ve got to go now.” That’s all that I heard.
As I studied the boys, I took a quite glance,
And saw something crawling on Jimmy Meeks pants.

Then The Guardians disappeared just like that,
And I wondered where the boys were at
When ants were let loose and someone rang the bell.
Could they do all of that? I just couldn’t tell.

Well, I’ve talked to the suspects and now I must look,
One more time at that history book.
Where the page was turned down the historians say,
The ship Wind Dance once sailed into Beetlebay.

I closed the book and leaned on the base
Where the Winged Lion sits; then a smile lit my face.
The name on the ship helped me figure it out,
Now I know what this curse is all about.

Now comes the part where you can have fun.
Do you know who did it and why it was done?
Sort through the clues you’ve been given throughout.
I think that you can figure it out.

Was this Mrs. Scott’s plan, so she would sell more
Gargoyles and old books in her antique store?
Or did The Guardians, the boys I think knew
Who harmed the lion; make the curse come true?

Was it Mr. McNeil, who it seems to me
Wants to be put in Beetlebay’s history?
Or did Sally start things after she took a look
In the antique shop’s missing history book?

Who left the scroll tucked underneath
The Lion’s top and bottom teeth?
Which suspect did the deed last night?
We’ll see very soon if you are right.

Who revived the Gargoyle’s Curse?

 Mrs. Scott

 Sally Dance

 Mr. McNeil

 The Guardians

 I don’t know