Haley walked into her first-grade classroom and immediately froze, her eyes darting to the reading corner. The cozy spot where Sparkle the Unicorn always sat was empty. Her heart pounded with a sense of urgency.
Liam rushed over, his face a mirror of Haley’s panic. "Haley?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. "Worse," she whispered, "*Sparkle is gone.*" The shock rippled through the room, leaving everyone in stunned silence.
Liam pulled out his detective notebook, determination etched on his face. "We need a list of suspects. Who was the last person to see Sparkle?" he asked. Haley thought hard, recalling the previous day. "She was definitely there yesterday afternoon," she replied.
Haley and Liam approached Jake, the class prankster. "Jake, where were you this morning before class started?" she inquired. Jake, with a mouth full of crackers, shrugged. "Nowhere," he mumbled. But Haley wasn't convinced.
Haley and Liam approached Maya, who gasped at the news of Sparkle's disappearance. "WHAT?!" she cried. "Where were *you* this morning?" Maya frowned, recounting her early arrival and the mysterious disappearance she witnessed.
Liam spotted a trail of pink fluff near the trash can. Haley followed it, leading them to a stack of lunch trays where Sparkle was hidden. "WE FOUND HER!" he shouted, the class erupting in cheers.
Haley held up Sparkle, explaining the mystery to Mrs. Thompson. A small voice confessed, and everyone turned to see Benny, the tiniest kid in class, looking sheepish. "Benny? What happened?" Mrs. Thompson asked gently. Benny admitted his mistake, and the mystery was solved.
