The Missing Birthday Present

(A Tootsie Chase Mystery)

The sun was shinning through Grandma Sparkle’s kitchen window. It was a beautiful summer morning and a very special day. Today was Grandma Sparkle’s birthday. She hurried around the kitchen to get all her chores done because at one o’clock, there was going to be a birthday party in her backyard.

Grandma Sparkle fed Fluffy, her big white dog, before she sat down to eat breakfast. She ate her cereal, drank her orange juice and then hurried outside to fill the bird feeders in the backyard. Fluffy, who had finished his bowl of dog food, was right behind her.

She picked up her scoop and a bucket of birdseed on the back porch and started down the back steps. Suddenly she stopped. “My goodness,” she said. “I almost forgot the peanuts for Skit and Skat.”

Skit and Skat are the two little chipmunks that live in Grandma Sparkle’s backyard in a hole in the old stone wall. They are always out running around looking for food. So, Grandma started buying peanuts in the shell and putting them out on the ground under the bird feeders.

She went back for the bag of peanuts and then hurried out to the backyard. She walked past the big picnic table where the birthday party would be held and stopped in the shade of the old oak tree. Fluffy sat down and started to pant. “My, Fluffy, it’s going to get very hot today. I think I’ll make some lemonade for the party.”

Fluffy plopped down in the grass while Grandma Sparkle walked out to the feeders and filled them with seed. Then she sprinkled two handfuls of peanuts on the ground. “Come on out, Skit and Skat. It’s breakfast time.”

Just as she turned away, she heard, “Caw, caw, caw.” She looked up in the old oak tree and saw a big black crow. “You pesky crow. Don’t you eat all the peanuts before Skit and Skat get here.”

The black crow lived in the oak tree. He liked to sit on a low branch and watch Grandma put peanuts down for the hungry chipmunks. As soon as Grandma went back to the house, he would fly down and snatch as many peanuts as he could before the chipmunks arrived.

“Shoo, you pesky bird,” Grandma said as she walked toward the house.

“Ruff, ruff, ruff,” was heard as Fluffy barked at the noisy crow before the big dog got up from his cool grassy spot and followed Grandma back to the house.

“I’m going to put a few peanuts on the picnic table for Skit and Skat this morning. I think I saw the two little fellows hiding under my rose bushes. Perhaps they can get these peanuts before that pesky crow does.”

She laid a handful of peanuts on the picnic table before she and Fluffy went inside.

Grandma hurried around all morning while Fluffy slept on his rug in the corner of the kitchen. She made lemonade and filled little bowls with mints and party peanuts to put out for her guests. She found a pretty flowered tablecloth to cover the picnic table.

She also made a batch of her delicious chocolate chip cookies, because her grandchildren just loved her cookies.

While she was busy in the kitchen, she would occasionally glance out the window at the picnic table and watch Skit and Skat as they ate the peanuts she had left for them. When she saw the crow swoop down and steal one of the peanuts, she shook her head. “What am I going to do with you, you pesky crow?”

After lunch, Grandma went out and brushed the peanuts shells off the picnic table. Then she spread the lovely flowered tablecloth over the top. “My, doesn’t that look nice,” she said.

Just before one o’clock, she put the bowls of mints and party peanuts on the flowered tablecloth and the guests began to arrive. Mrs. Green, the librarian, had baked a birthday cake and covered it with her special chocolate frosting. Mr. Brown, Grandma’s handyman, came with two cartons of ice cream. One was vanilla and the other was chocolate chip mint, Grandma’s favorite. Grandma’s grandchildren, Susan and Sam, arrived with their parents. They had balloons and presents, which they put on the picnic table. Tootsie Chase was the last to arrive. She wore her red Tootsie Chase hat and her red Tootsie Chase shirt. She put her present for Grandma on the picnic table with the others.

Everyone laughed and talked and drank lemonade. Susan and Sam played with Fluffy until he was so tired he went and laid down in the shade of the old oak tree.

Then Grandma opened her presents. There was a new cookbook from Mrs. Green, the librarian. Mr. Brown’s gift was a beautiful blue silk scarf. Susan and Sam’s parents gave Grandma a round glass serving tray. “My chocolate chip cookies will look wonderful on this,” Grandma said.

Tootsie’s gift was an angel to add to Grandma’s collection,. This angel held a magnifying glass. “She will help you find clues in case you have a mystery to solve,” Tootsie said when Grandma opened the package.

Grandma laughed. “Yes, you never know when there’ll be a mystery.”

The last gift was from Susan and Sam. It was a beautiful gold charm bracelet. “Do you like it?” the children asked.

“It’s beautiful,” Grandma Sparkle said. “And I love the little charms.” She put the bracelet on and held up her wrist so the charms dangled down. She pointed to each charm. “This one is a girl. I’ll bet that’s you, Susan. And this boy is Sam. Am I right?”

The children giggled and nodded their heads.

“And this one,” she pointed to a gold dog, “must be Fluffy.”

“I don’t think it’s big enough to be Fluffy,” Tootsie said and everyone laughed.

“There’s lots of room on the bracelet for more charms, Grandma,” the children said. “We’re going to get you another charm for Christmas.”

“Christmas! How can you talk about Christmas on this hot summer day,” Grandma said. “How about some cake and cold ice cream?”

Everyone cheered and Mrs. Green put candles on the cake. Happy Birthday was sung and Grandma blew out the candles. “I’ll dip the ice cream,” Mr. Brown said, “if you cut the cake, Grandma Sparkle.”

Grandma took the knife and began cutting the cake. The charms of her new bracelet dangled just above the frosting. When she cut the second piece, the gold dog charm swished through the chocolate frosting. She wiped it off. “I think I’ll take off my bracelet while I cut the cake, “ she said. “I’ll put it here beside this bowl of party peanuts.”

After all the guests had their fill of cake, ice cream and lemonade, Mrs. Green was the first to leave. Then Mr. Brown left the party. Soon Grandma and Tootsie walked Susan and Sam and their parents to their car and waved as they drove away.

“I’m going to stay and help you clean up,” Tootsie said.

“Why thank you,” said Grandma. “But it’s not necessary. I can…”

Grandma was interrupted by noisy barking from the backyard. When she and Tootsie rushed out back, Fluffy was standing under the oak tree barking and barking.

“What’s the matter, Fluffy?” Tootsie said as she went over to pet the dog and calm him down.

From up in the tree they heard, “Caw, caw, caw.”

“It’s that pesky crow,” said Grandma. “Don’t be concerned with him, Fluffy. I’ll get you a nice bone.”

As Fluffy settled down with his bone, Grandma and Tootsie began clearing the table. “Oh, I forgot to put my charm bracelet back on. I’d better do that right now before it gets lost,” Grandma said.

But when she looked beside the bowl of party peanuts, the birthday present wasn’t there. “Where can it be, Tootsie? Something has happen to my new bracelet. I think you have a mystery to solve.”

Tootsie walked over to the table. “We’ll have to look for clues and see if we have any suspects.”

First she picked up all the wrapping paper, carefully shook out every piece and put the paper in a garbage bag that Grandma was holding. The bracelet was nowhere to be seen. She looked in the grass all around the table. No bracelet. Then she looked on the picnic table where Grandma had put the bracelet. The bowl the party peanuts had been in was tipped over and there were only two peanuts left. Pieces of peanut were scattered on the flowered tablecloth.

“The last time I looked, that bowl was half full of peanuts,” Tootsie said. “Did anyone take peanuts home with them?”

“No,” said Grandma Sparkle. “When everyone left the table to go home, I noticed the bowl still had lots of peanuts in it. Do you think that’s a clue?”

Tootsie nodded. “Yes, Grandma Sparkle. You’re learning to be a good detective.”

Grandma smiled.

“Well, someone took the peanuts,” Tootsie said. “Does Fluffy like peanuts?”
“Oh no!” exclaimed Grandma. “Fluffy just likes bones and some table scraps now and then.”

“Is there anyone else around your house who likes peanuts?”

“Well,” said Grandma, “Skit and Skat, my two chipmunk friends like to eat the peanuts in the shell that I put out under the bird feeder. Do you think they might have climbed up on the picnic table, eaten the peanuts and run off with my bracelet?”

“I don’t know,” said Tootsie. “But I think I’ll consider them suspects.”

“Caw, caw, caw,” was heard from the old oak tree.

Fluffy stood under the tree and began to bark again. “Ruff, ruff, ruff,” he barked as he looked up into the branches.

“I think Fluffy is trying to tell us something,” said Tootsie. “This might be another clue and we may have another suspect.” She looked up into the tree and spotted something shinny. Tootsie laughed. “I have solved the mystery of the missing birthday present.”

Have you been a good detective? Have you solved the mystery? Who took the gold charm bracelet?

If you think it was the crow, you are a very good detective. You agree with Tootsie Chase. That pesky crow stole the bracelet off the picnic table.

So, Tootsie took Grandma Sparkle’s ladder and put it up against the old oak tree. She climbed up, shooed the pesky crow away and took the bracelet from the branch of the tree. When she climbed down, she handed the missing birthday present to Grandma Sparkle. “You’d better put this on so it won’t get lost again.”

“Thank you,” said Grandma. “You’ve solved another mystery, Tootsie Chase.”

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