×

The Case of the Missing Donuts

By Saanvi in Junior Kalam
Updated 22:46 IST Jul 13, 2018

Views » 719 | 10 min read

The Case of the Missing Donuts

 

Chapter 1

Knock, knock! `Jack, open the door, will you?’ someone called. `Coming,’ Jack said getting up from the chair. He opened the door of the playroom. His younger sister entered the room. `When is Peter coming back?’ she asked. `Nora, I have already told you that Peter is not coming back till next week. This is the twentieth time you have asked me this question today,’ Jack sighed. `Jack, isn’t it soooo boring without Peter here?’ Nora asked sitting down on a chair. `Well, it is, but what can we do? We just need to wait till Peter comes.’

`Yea, but it has been so long since Peter is gone’ Nora said. But she was wrong. That week passed by very quickly. Everyone was excited on Sunday, because Peter was coming back. They had decided to go and pick him up at the station with their mother. They reached the station and saw the train coming. `That must be his train, come on, hurry up!’ Jack shouted

Soon Peter climbed down from the train. Nora ran and hugged him. `Finally, you are back Peter. It was so boring without you!’ she said. Peter’s mother also climbed down from the train and met the children and their mother. `Hey Jack, where is Steffi?’ Peter asked. `Oh, I am so sorry Peter; we forgot to bring her along. Don’t worry, you will meet her soon,’ Jack replied.

Peter, 14 years, Jack who was 12 years old and Nora of 7 years were all best friends. And yes, how can we forget? Steffi was Jack and Nora’s little poodle. Everyone loved her a lot, especially Peter who took care of her as if she was his pet. Soon, Peter’s mother said` Ok kids, we will now go back to our house, freshen up a bit and all of you can meet tomorrow morning.’ `Ok’ all kids shouted and waved goodbye to each other before going back to their houses.

 

Chapter 2

The next morning, Jack felt someone punching him in his sleep. He got up and saw that Nora had climbed up on his bed and was punching him. `Wake upppp, wake upppp….Don’t you remember Peter has called us to his house today’ she yelled. `Oh yes, I do remember’ Jack said getting up. `Are you ready Nora, I will take five minutes to get ready.  You finish your breakfast till then’ he said. Nora ran downstairs, quickly ate her breakfast and waited for Jack. Jack came downstairs too, hurriedly ate his breakfast and was just about to push Nora outside the house when Nora said` What about Steffi, don’t you think we should take her too? Peter was asking about her.’ `Oh yes, how can we forget her. Just a minute, I will fetch her.’ Jack replied. He ran to Steffi’s kennel and got her along.

`You know what Steffi’ Nora said to Steffi on the way to Peter’s house `we are going to meet Peter. Yes, the same boy who brings you biscuits every single day’. Steffi started jumping around and Nora had to carry her in her arms finally so that she didn’t jump too much. They reached Peter’s house and saw him standing in his balcony. He waved at them excitedly. They went inside to his house and Peter took them to his room. Nora let go off Steffi and Steffi started jumping around Peter so fast that soon she became a small white blur.

Peter laughed at her and said `Steffi, stop jumping. I was away only for a month, not a year.’  Peter then turned to Jack and asked” Found any new mystery yet?’ `Not, at all.’ Jack groaned. `It’s been so boring without you Peter,’ Nora said. `Don’t worry, I am sure we will stumble across a new mystery soon” Peter said.

`Hey, have you guys eaten your breakfast. Well, I haven’t. So let me just get a few biscuits for us to munch on. My mother is away at the market.’ Peter said. `Sure, we will wait’ Jack said. Soon, Peter came up…but with an empty plate!!

`What happened?’ Jack asked `where are the biscuits you were supposed to bring?’ `I don’t know myself! I think someone may have eaten them all…or was it me?’ Peter replied. `Peterrrrrr..!!! You are so forgetful’ Nora said.

`Hey, why don’t we go to the café near your house? We will get some yummy food there and I have also got some money that my mother gave me’ Jack said. `Sure, let’s go’ Peter said and everyone was on their way to the café.

Nora ordered a donut for herself. “Me too!” screamed Jack and Peter. But they were in for a surprise. Because the man at the counter said that the donuts had just disappeared!!!

‘What do you mean? Donuts disappeared? ‘Nora asked. ‘My dear, see for yourself. My donuts have disappeared,’ the man said. And surely there were no donuts in the shelf where they were supposed to be. `Oh, you are right, the donuts are really not there!’ Jack said. `Where could they have gone?’ he asked Peter and Nora. `Hmm, maybe we are too late, the donuts must have gotten over,’ replied Peter sadly.

`No, no…of course not! How can they be over? Its early morning and I had 10 donuts ready and you are our 6th customer of the day!’ said the man at the counter. `Strange!’ Peter remarked. `Looks like we have a new mystery to solve! ` Nora grinned. ‘Oh yea, we do’ replied Jack `Don’t you think so Steffi?’ Steffi barked. Suddenly Nora said `Hey, what’s that?’ pointing at a white block in the shelf. Jack looked closely. `It’s a small piece of cheese,’ he replied `I wonder who could have eaten a cheese over here and left the piece in the donut shelf.’ Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that there were two display counters at the café, one for donuts and one for cheese.

Suddenly, Peter saw something astonishing. He gasped so loudly that Nora and Peter jumped with fright. `Hey guys, did you notice that? The cheese is also missing from the cheese counter. No one can eat up all this cheese, ‘Peter said. The man at the counter was listening to their conversation and said `Oh yea, someone has taken the cheese too, I forgot to mention this earlier.’

Suddenly, Nora noticed her watch and realised it was close to lunch time. She said to Jack, `Let’s go home, else Mom will shout at us. We will be late for lunch.’ So they all bade good bye to the man at the cafe and left for their homes.

 

Chapter 3

After lunch, when Jack and Nora went to the playroom, Nora said to Jack, ‘I wonder how the donuts disappeared!’
`Yea, me too. Hey, why don’t we go back to the café tomorrow and see whether anything new has happened.’
 ‘Good idea. Let’s tell Peter about it.‘

 So the next day the kids went to the café .They ordered for three cups of hot chocolate. Suddenly, Nora noticed something. ’Hey Peter, Jack, see there are some paw prints over there,’ she said. Peter and Jack looked at the donut shelf and saw some flour which had tiny paw prints in it. `Strange and funny’ said Jack .The others nodded. Peter turned around and saw a small table. He rushed to it and called the others. Everyone came and sat down at the small table. They were sipping their hot chocolate when they suddenly heard some noise. The man at the counter came out of the kitchen and looked a little angry. He came to meet the little children to say Hello to them. `What happened Uncle, you look worried. Anything else is stolen again?’ Nora asked.

`Yes, yes...all the donuts and the cheese is stolen. But now there is another new problem. There is a hole near the wall near the donut and cheese shelf. We are trying to close it. I am so angry, what’s all this disappearing of food happening in my café?’ he said.

`Wait, don’t close the hole. It might be a clue for us to find out about the donut thief, uncle’ Jack said looking at others.

`Yes, Uncle, can we go and see it pleassseee!’ Nora said.

`Ok, if you really want to! I will show you the way,’ the man said. He led them to the wall where there was a little hole.

`Hmm, must be just a regular hole. It’s ok Uncle, don’t worry, there can’t be anyone inside such a tiny hole.’ Jack said.

They finished their hot chocolate and went back to Peter’s house. `I wonder who the thief can be.’ Peter said. `Let’s do one thing, let’s write down all the clues we have collected so far, shall we?’ he asked the others. Nora giggled and said. `Hey, don’t you think it’s like becoming detectives, all these clues and mysteries to solve?’ Peter hugged her and said, `Yes, of course we are detectives! Let’s give a name to our group. How about The Tremendous Three! `

`No! I think The Terrific Three sounds better!’ said Jack.

`You mean The Terrific Three –And Dog,’ Nora corrected him. ‘Yea, The Terrific Three – And Dog,’ Peter and Jack said together.

`Ok, now back to the mystery. I have written all the clues over here…paw prints, crumbs of cheese in the shelf and a hole in the wall near the shelves…Hmm, who could be the culprit?’ Peter said.

`I think it must be a little elf that must be very hungry. Or it could be a fairy who comes every night to take food back to fairy land, ‘Nora said.

`Nora, come out of your fairy land stories..this is not a fairy tale,’ Jack said. `It has to be someone little.’

Suddenly Peter looked at his watch. ` Lunch time guys, we need to take a break. See you at the café tomorrow.’

The next day, all four of them met at the café. The man at the counter looked really scared today. `What happened Uncle? Did you see a nightmare? ‘Nora asked.

`No, no…not a nightmare..but I heard something scary at night. I heard a squeak…My room is near that hole and I have been hearing this squeak since yesterday,’ the man explained.

`Uncle, I would like to see that hole again, ‘Peter said. The man took them to the hole again. Suddenly, Steffi started sniffing around the hole. `What happened Steffi?’ Nora asked her. But Steffi kept on sniffing. `Steffi, will you tell us why you are sniffing around the hole?’ Jack asked her. Suddenly, Steffi started barking. But her bark was really soft.

Nora giggled. ‘Steffi, are you trying to squeak like a mouse?’ she asked her. Surprisingly, Steffi nodded.’ Steffi have you found a mouse or something?’ Jack asked her. Suddenly, Nora said, ‘I think I have understood. Steffi are you trying to tell us that there is a mouse in that hole?’ Steffi started jumping up and down as if to say yes. ‘Now everything seems to be coming together. I think there is a mouse in that hole that comes out every day and steals all the donuts and cheese,’ Peter said. They went to the man at the counter and revealed him everything. `Ok, so it was a little mouse after all, not a thief like I had been imagining…thank you children for solving this mystery..’ he exclaimed.

`No, no uncle, don’t say thank you to us, say thank you to Steffi because she is the one who solved the real mystery!’ Nora replied.

`Yes, yes..how can we forget Steffi…you all will get a treat from me today, including Steffi,’ said the man.

`Uncle, let’s keep a few pieces of donuts and cheese crumbs everyday near the hole for our thief..Oops, I mean our new friend, ‘said Jack…Everyone laughed!

Soon everyone went back to Peter’s house. `I wonder what should we name our first mystery as we have solved it like real detectives.’ Peter said to the others

`I think we should call it “The Mystery of the Café”, ‘said Jack

`I think we should call it “The Mystery of the Missing Donuts” instead’, Nora said. Everyone agreed.

‘I hope that we have more mysteries to solve in the future’, Peter said. Everyone nodded.

You will have more mysteries like this, The Terrific Three-And Dog, you will!

 

 

 

 

0 likes Share this story: 0 comments

Comments

Login or Signup to post comments.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Follow Us