THE CRUSHED DAISIES MYSTERY
By Evelyn Horan
“Bobbie!” Mother called. “Bobbie, come here.”
Bobbie stood on the porch with a toy dump truck in his hands. “Yes, Mommy?” His dog Little Co-Co came out and stood beside him.
“Come here, Son, and look at my daisies. Someone crushed them. Did you play in my flower garden with your truck this afternoon?”
“No, Mommy, I never, ever play in your flower garden,” Bobbie said. He walked carefully around the crushed flowers. “Look!” Bobbie pointed at the ground. “I see a big footprint in the dirt.”
“I didn’t crush the flowers,” Daddy said.
“I know who can help us find out. I’ll ask the Blessed Mother,” Bobbie said, kneeling by the broken daisies.
“Dear Blessed Mother, please help us find out who smashed Mommy’s flowers.”
“Thanks, Bobbie,” Daddy said. “I know the Blessed Mother Mary will help us. Now, let’s go inside and have a glass of lemonade and think about it.”
Mommy poured each of them a tall glass of lemonade as they sat at the kitchen table.
“Now who wears a big shoe?” Mommy asked.
“Uncle John,” Bobbie said quickly.
“Yes, he does,” Mommy said. “And he visited us last week.”
Bobbie remembered something. “Uncle John left his house slippers,” he said. “They’re still in my room. I’ll get them.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Bobbie called, running back into the kitchen. “The house slippers are not there.”
“Hmm! We have a strange mystery here,” Mother said, with a quick glance at the kitchen clock. “But now it’s time to feed Little Co-Co her dinner. Bobbie, dear, please get her bowl.”
Bobbie scurried outside to the back porch. His eyes popped open wide, and he called loudly, “Mommy, Daddy, come here quick!”
“What is it, Son?” Daddy asked at the porch.
Illustration ©2010 Carol Brooke
“Look,” Bobbie said, pointing to the yard. “The Blessed Mother is showing us what happened to the daisies! See, Little Co-Co is sitting in a big house slipper, and her puppies are chewing on another one! And Little Co-Co probably sat in the shoe just like she’s doing now. She made the footprint we found.”
“You’re right, Bobbie,” Mommy said.
“See, I knew the Blessed Mother would help us!” Bobbie said happily. “Thank You, Blessed Mother Mary for helping us solve the mystery of Mommy’s crushed daisies."
©2010 Evelyn Horan
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Winter 2010 Story: Crushed Daisies
