The Missing Kit

On Maple Street, the air was bright and busy. Music bounced from the block party, and colorful chalk drawings covered the sidewalk.

An ambulance rolled in, shiny and neat. Its lights winked in the sun. Paramedics Jade and Marco waved from the open doors. They had calm smiles and quick, careful hands.

Tessa, who loved puzzles, tugged her little brother Niko toward the ambulance. She liked the soft beeping inside and the neat shelves of helpful things. She liked how Jade and Marco spoke in kind, steady voices.

'Would you like to see our Comfort Kit?' Jade asked. 'It has things that help worried kids feel brave. Stickers, a tiny teddy named Button, and bubbles.'

Jade reached for a soft blue bag. Her hand touched empty space.

Her eyebrows made a gentle question. 'Hmm. Where did it go? Marco, the Comfort Kit is missing.'

A missing bag! Tessa’s eyes sparkled. A mystery.

Niko pointed to the ambulance step. 'Star!' A tiny gold sticker shone on the metal.

Jade nodded. 'Clue number one.'

They looked around the party. People laughed at the lemonade stand. A radio played a bouncy song. A friendly dog wagged near the bakery tent. Across the grass, the splash pad sprayed tiny rainbows.

'If the bag walked away, which way would it go?' Marco asked, smiling.

Tessa crouched low. On the ground lay another gold star, then another, like a little path. 'This way!' she said. The sticker trail led them toward the lemonade stand.

By a stack of paper cups, Tessa found a bubble wand with slippery drops on its tip. 'Clue number two,' she said. 'Bubbles. The kit has bubbles.'

Niko giggled. 'Pop, pop!'

They followed wet spots to the bakery tent. Crumbs dotted the table. A blue strap curled under a chair leg, as if a bag had brushed past.

'Clue number three,' Marco said. He tapped the strap. 'Our bag is blue.'

Just then, a small shout rose from the splash pad. A little boy had slipped. He sat on the ground, surprised, with a red scrape on his knee.

Jade moved quickly but gently. 'We can help right here,' she told the boy and his dad. 'Big breath in. Big breath out. That’s it.' She cleaned the knee with cool water from her bottle. The boy squeezed his eyes shut.

'I wish we had the Comfort Kit,' Jade said softly to Tessa. 'Button the teddy is so good at brave hugs.'

Tessa stood taller. 'We’ll find it fast.'

She looked left, then right. She listened. Somewhere close came a squeaky-honk sound, quick and playful, like a rubber duck. 'Clue number four!' she whispered. 'The kit has a squeaky toy.'

The sound came from behind the bakery tent. Tessa peeked around the corner.

There sat Benny, the bakery dog, soft as a loaf and twice as wiggly. He was very pleased with himself. A blue bag sat by his paws, and in his mouth, a yellow duck squeaked as he chewed.

Niko clapped. 'Benny found it!'

'Benny borrowed it,' Tessa said. She remembered how her teacher got their class guinea pig to trade a block for a carrot. Trades worked better than taking.

Tessa held out the bubble wand. 'Hey, Benny,' she said in a warm voice. 'Want bubbles?'

Benny’s ears perked. He sniffed. Jade shook a tiny bottle of bubble mix from the bag. Marco, who knew dogs, crouched low and still. 'Sit, buddy,' he said.

Benny sat. Tessa blew one gentle bubble. It drifted like a shiny soap balloon. Benny watched, eyes wide. The duck squeaked once more as he opened his mouth to follow the bubble.

Plop! The duck dropped. Jade scooped up the blue bag.

'Good dog,' Marco said, scratching Benny’s chin. 'Thank you for the clue.' He gave Benny a small dog treat from his pocket. Benny’s tail thumped like a happy drum.

They hurried back to the splash pad. Jade knelt by the boy. 'I brought Button,' she said, holding out the tiny teddy. The boy hugged it. Marco dabbed medicine and pressed a square bandage with a gold star. Niko blew bubbles that popped on the breeze.

The boy’s tears slowed. He took a big breath in and a big breath out. 'I’m okay,' he said, surprised.

Jade smiled at Tessa. 'Case solved. Friend helped.' She placed a shiny sticker on Tessa’s shirt. It said JR. HELPER in bright letters.

'How did you know where to look?' asked the boy’s dad.

Tessa counted on her fingers. 'Stickers made a path. Bubbles showed the way. A blue strap told us the color, and a squeak told us who. Benny likes squeaky toys!'

The music started again. Jade and Marco showed the kids the soft beeping of a heart monitor and how the stretcher rolled so smoothly. They practiced a puzzle with everyone: 'What sound do we make so cars move aside?'

People called back, laughing together, 'Woo-woo! Make way!'

The ambulance’s lights blinked once, friendly and bright. Tessa looked at the blue bag, safe on its hook, and at Button tucked inside. She felt warm and light.

Mystery solved. Helpers helped. Maple Street danced on.