The Mystery of the Missing Cookies

On Sunday morning, Mom baked a big plate of chocolate chip cookies. She put them on the kitchen table to cool. "Don't touch them yet!" she said. Then she went to the garden.

When Mom came back, the plate was empty. Only crumbs were left. "Who ate all the cookies?" she asked.

Tom and his little sister Lily looked at each other. "It wasn't me!" said Tom. "It wasn't me either!" said Lily. Their dog, Buddy, sat under the table looking very innocent.

Tom decided to be a detective. "When did this happen?" he asked. "Where were the cookies? Why are there crumbs on the floor?"

He looked carefully. There were small brown crumbs near the table. They led to the living room. Tom followed the crumbs slowly. They went behind the sofa.

Behind the sofa, Tom found something interesting. There was a small chocolate spot on Lily's favorite teddy bear! Then he saw a tiny chocolate mark on Lily's cheek too.

"Lily!" Tom laughed. "Did you eat the cookies?"

Lily's face turned red. "Only two!" she whispered. "They smelled so good. I'm sorry, Mom."

Mom smiled gently and gave Lily a hug. "Next time, please ask first. Now let's bake more cookies together, and this time we will all share them."

Lily, Tom, and Mom spent the afternoon baking. Even Buddy got a special dog cookie. It was a perfect Sunday after all.