Carrot Crown Mystery

In Sunny Meadow, three quick rabbits—Nibble, Dot, and Tippy—were practicing their hop-hop-hops around a tree stump. On the stump sat the shiny prize for the Quick Hop Race: the Carrot Crown, woven with carrot tops and a bright red ribbon.

Nibble zipped past the stump. He stopped so fast his ears flopped. "Oh!" he squeaked. "The Carrot Crown is gone!"

Dot’s spotted nose twitched. "Missing?"

Tippy tilted his big ears. "Then we need the Quick-Quiet Club! Quick feet, quiet thinking!" The three rabbits touched paws. "Quick, quick, but quiet," they whispered.

They searched the stump. Nibble found tiny orange crumbs. "Clue number one," he said, tapping the crumbs.

Dot peered at the grass. A curl of red ribbon hid under clover. "Clue number two! Ribbon trail."

Tippy pointed to little arrow-shaped prints in the soft dirt. "Clue number three. These footprints point like arrows." He looked at his own pawprints—round and bouncy. "Not us."

"Arrow feet belong to birds," Dot said. "But which bird?"

They followed the ribbon curl. It led to a patch of dandelions, then wiggled toward the hedgerow. The arrow prints pointed that way too. A small gray feather lay on a leaf.

"Clue number four," Nibble said. He held it up. "Feather!"

From the lane came a happy bark. Sprig, the farmer’s puppy, tumbled toward them, tail wagging like a metronome. "Bark! Play?"

"Quick, quick, but quiet!" Tippy whispered. The rabbits zipped in zigzags. "Zig-zig, zag-zag!" They slid under the clover tunnel—soft leaves brushing their backs. Sprig’s paws skidded to the tunnel’s edge. He sniffed, then rolled onto his back and sneezed. "Achoo!" He found a stick and trotted away, pleased.

On the other side of the clover tunnel, the ribbon curl drifted into a hollow log. The arrow prints circled it. Something inside went peep-peep.

Nibble peeked in. Two bright eyes blinked back. A small magpie chick clutched the red ribbon in its beak. The Carrot Crown was wedged halfway into the log.

"Hello," Dot said gently. "We’re looking for our crown."

"Shiny ribbon!" peeped the chick. "Pretty for my nest. But… stuck."

Mama Magpie fluttered down to a branch with a clack of beak and a swish of wings. "Oh dear," she said. "I thought that ribbon was a stray. I didn’t see the crown hiding in the grass. We only wanted a little bit of red for our nest." She hopped closer and peered at the log. "Now it’s stuck, and the log is heavy."

Tippy rubbed his chin. "Puzzle time," he said. "Push or pull?"

"If we pull the ribbon, the crown might stay stuck," Dot mused. "If we push the crown, we might squash it."

Nibble tapped the log. "What if we lift this end, roll the log a little, and the crown rolls out?"

"We need something to lift it," said Dot.

"Levers!" Tippy brightened. He found two strong sticks and slid one under the log. "On three. One, two, three—heave!"

The log tipped. The crown wiggled, then began to roll. "Quick, quick!" Nibble darted to guide it with soft paws. Dot eased the ribbon free, careful not to tear the bow. The crown scooted out and plopped into the grass with a leafy fwump.

The log went rumble-rumble toward the stream. The rabbits hopped back, whiskers up. "Zig-zig, zag-zag!" They skipped away as the log splashed into the water with a happy glug, sending sparkles up.

Mama Magpie bowed her head. "Thank you, Quick-Quiet Club. May we have a tiny ribbon piece for our nest?"

Nibble looked at Dot. Dot looked at Tippy.

Tippy fished in his satchel and held up something bright. "Trade?" he asked. "A shiny button for the ribbon tip."

"Shiny!" peeped the chick.

"A fair swap," Mama Magpie agreed. The rabbits snipped a small ribbon curl, and Mama Magpie tucked the button into her nest with pride.

Back at the stump, the three rabbits set the Carrot Crown in its place. The meadow hummed with happy sounds—the whirr of bees, the rustle of grass, the far-away bark of Sprig playing with his stick.

"Case solved," Dot declared.

"We followed crumbs, prints, and ribbon," Nibble said. His whiskers quivered with glee. "Quick feet and quiet thinking."

"Ready for the Quick Hop Race?" Tippy asked.

They lined up at the starting leaf. "On your marks," said Mama Magpie from the branch, "get set… hop!"

The rabbits zoomed. They leaped over clover, zigged past dandelions, and laughed as they crossed the finish leaf together, paws touching. The Carrot Crown shone on the stump, safe and bright, and the Quick-Quiet Club’s secret clover tunnel stayed secret—except to friends who listened for clues.