The Puck Puzzle

The ice at Bright Rink shone smooth and white. The Snow Sprouts team wiggled their toes inside skates and zipped their jackets.

Jojo was the smallest Sprout. She wore red laces and a smile that made her eyes crinkle. Luna was the fastest. Max had the big goalie pads. Theo and Pip loved to pass. Coach Pepper blew her whistle and laughed like a bell.

Today was the Friendly Cup against the Blue Bunnies. The Bunnies waved from their bench. Their captain, Gigi, called, "Good luck!"

Referee Ms. Bell skated to the center dot and looked down. Her eyebrows jumped. "Oh! Where did the game puck go?"

Everyone looked. The black puck wasn't on the center dot. The dot was empty, like a plate with no cookie.

"No puck, no game," said Coach Pepper. She winked. "Unless we find it. Sprouts, eyes open!"

Jojo's hands flew to her hips. "Mystery time!"

They peered at the ice. Jojo knelt and touched the center circle with her glove. Right there, in the frosty white, was a round dry spot and a skinny, shiny scratch leading away.

"Clue number one," Jojo said. "A slide line! The puck rolled off the dot."

"Where did it go?" asked Max.

"Let's follow the scratch," Luna said. They tiptoed their skates, tiny sounds like mouse squeaks. The scratch slid toward the open gate.

At the gate, Pip pointed. "Look! Orange sprinkles!"

Tiny orange dots freckled the ice. A practice cone lay on its side, as if it had been booped.

Jojo nodded. "Clue number two. Orange paint. Maybe the puck bumped a cone and kept going."

They stepped onto the rubber walkway. The scratch mark ended, but little glittery bits twinkled on the floor.

"That glitter is from our signs!" Theo said. He lifted a painted poster that read GO SPROUTS. A sprinkle of gold glitter fell, making a trail.

"Clue number three," whispered Jojo. "Glitter path. The puck rolled past our posters."

They looked under the bench. No puck. Behind the water bottles. No puck. Under Max's bag. Only socks.

"Listen," Luna whispered.

Something went tap! tap! tap! very softly, like a beetle knocking on a door. The air from the big fan puffed, and somewhere a plastic thing chattered.

Jojo cupped her ear. "I hear the rink talking."

They followed the tiny taps to a corner where practice cones were stacked in a tall orange tower. The tower wiggled when the fan blew. Tap. Tap.

Gigi from the Blue Bunnies rolled over. "Need help?"

Jojo grinned. "We're on a puck hunt!"

Gigi tapped the top cone with her glove. It went clack but stayed quiet.

Jojo tapped the next cone down. Clack.

Max tapped the third cone. Thunk! Something answered back.

Jojo's eyes sparkled. "Clue number four. A thunk!"

Together, Jojo and Gigi lifted the third cone. Under it was another cone turned upside down like a little house. The tap-tap was louder here.

Theo slid his fingers under the rim and lifted. A black circle sat inside, wearing one gold sparkle and a tiny orange smudge.

"The puck!" everyone cheered.

Jojo hugged the cone. "You were keeping it cozy!"

Coach Pepper laughed. "Sprouts and Bunnies, nice detective work."

Referee Ms. Bell took the puck and rubbed it clean. "Clues solved. Game on!"

They skated back to the ice. The Blue Bunnies lined up. The Snow Sprouts lined up. Ms. Bell dropped the puck.

It kissed the ice with a soft tick and slid. Luna swooped and tapped it to Theo. Theo passed to Pip. Pip zigzagged like a happy bee. Max thumped his pads and guarded the goal like a friendly giant.

Gigi stole the puck and whooshed. Jojo stretched her little stick and poke! sent it to Luna again. Everyone giggled because it felt like a secret dance.

At last, Jojo saw a tiny space by the net. "Now!" she called.

Pip tapped the puck. It slid, spinning, spinning—dink!—and kissed the net.

"Goal for everyone who hunted!" Coach Pepper cheered.

The game ended with high-fives and glove bumps. The Sprouts and Bunnies lined up and said, "Good game! Good game!"

Afterward, they sipped warm cocoa. Jojo held up the puck. It still had one gold sparkle stuck to its side.

"This is our lucky clue sparkle," said Jojo. "We didn't just play. We solved a rink riddle."

Gigi smiled. "Next time, we'll make the clues even trickier."

Jojo giggled. "Next time, we'll listen for the tap-tap."

Coach Pepper patted Jojo's helmet. "Detective skaters, you saved the Friendly Cup."

Jojo wobbled, then drew a tiny circle in the air with her finger. "Mystery solved. Now, let's skate some more!"