The Friendship Bracelet Mystery…
It was the morning of February 13th, and Valentine’s Day was just around the corner at Olive Grove Elementary School. Everywhere you looked, there were pink, red, and white decorations hanging from the walls. Heart-shaped balloons floated in the air, and the scent of sweet treats filled the hallway. But in Ms. Harris’s third-grade class, there was something even more exciting than the usual Valentine’s Day festivities.
Lily, Max, and Mia had spent the entire week preparing a special surprise for their classmates—handmade friendship bracelets! Each bracelet was carefully crafted with colorful beads, sparkly charms, and threads in every color imaginable. They had put their hearts and souls into making the perfect gifts, and tomorrow, on Valentine’s Day, they would hand them out to everyone in the class.
“Look at how great these look!” Lily said proudly, admiring the final bracelet she had made. “I can’t wait for everyone to see them tomorrow.”
“I know! They’re going to love them,” Max replied, carefully tying the last knot on his own bracelet.
Mia smiled as she put the finishing touches on her bracelet. “It’s going to be the best Valentine’s Day ever.”
After school, the three friends decided to put the bracelets in a special box to keep them safe. They chose a small, heart-shaped wooden box and gently placed each bracelet inside, making sure none of the beads would fall off.
“I’ll bring the box tomorrow, and we’ll give them out to the class,” Mia said. “Everything is ready!”
The Mystery Begins.
The next morning, Lily, Max, and Mia arrived early to school, excited for Valentine’s Day. They walked to their classroom with big smiles on their faces, ready to hand out the bracelets.
But when they opened the door to the classroom, they were shocked to find something strange. The heart-shaped box with all the friendship bracelets was missing.
“Where did the box go?” Lily asked, her voice trembling. “We left it right here on the desk!”
Max frowned. “This is so weird! It was here yesterday.”
Mia started to feel nervous. “What if someone took them? We worked so hard on those!”
Ms. Harris walked into the classroom just then and saw the worried looks on her students’ faces. “What’s going on, kids?” she asked.
“We can’t find the box with the friendship bracelets!” Lily explained. “They were here just yesterday.”
Ms. Harris thought for a moment. “Hmm… I think we might have a mystery on our hands! How about we work together to figure out what happened? You can be detectives today!”
The three friends looked at each other, determined to find their missing box. “Let’s do it!” Max said with a grin.
Clue #1: The Glitter Trail…
The three friends began searching the classroom for clues. They looked under the desks, behind the bookshelves, and even in the art supplies drawer. Then, Mia spotted something on the floor near the windowsill.
“Look! Glitter!” Mia exclaimed, pointing to the sparkly trail on the floor.
The glitter led down the hallway, and the trio followed it, stepping quietly so they wouldn’t miss any clues. It seemed to lead them to the library, where they found Lucy, one of their classmates, reading a book.
“Hi, Lucy,” Lily said. “Have you seen a heart-shaped box with friendship bracelets in it?”
Lucy shook her head. “No, I haven’t seen it. But I did notice something sparkly near the art room this morning. Maybe it’s related!”
With that new lead, the three friends rushed to the art room. They checked all around the room, looking carefully at the floor and shelves. And then, Max spotted something—a bracelet bead!
“Look! It’s one of the beads from our bracelets!” Max said, picking it up from the floor.
Lily carefully examined the bead. “It looks like it came from one of the bracelets we made for Tommy,” she said. “So someone must have been here.”
They jotted down their first clue in their detective notebook:
Clue #1: A bead found in the art room.
Clue #2: The Secret Note…
The trio was determined to follow every clue, so they kept looking around the school. They walked down the hallway, past the gym, and into the cafeteria. As they passed by the stage, Mia suddenly spotted something tucked behind the curtain.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a folded piece of paper.
Lily quickly pulled it out. It was a note written in bright pink ink. The note said:
“I didn’t mean to mess things up! I just wanted to borrow one of the bracelets to show my mom. But then I dropped it, and it rolled away. I’m so sorry. I’ll fix it.”
There was no name signed, but the handwriting looked familiar.
“That’s it!” Mia said, “The bracelets must have been borrowed. But who wrote this note?”
Max scratched his head. “Let’s think. Who could’ve borrowed the bracelet without asking?”
The three friends tried to remember who had been acting a little strange lately. Finally, Lily gasped. “Wait, I think I know who it is. It’s Ben! He was asking me all week about the bracelets, and he kept saying how much he loved them!”
“Let’s go talk to him!” Max said.
The Truth Comes Out…
They quickly walked to Ben’s desk. Ben was sitting quietly, looking guilty. When he saw the three friends approaching, his face turned red.
“Ben,” Lily began gently, “did you take our bracelets?”
Ben looked down at his hands. “I… I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to borrow one of the bracelets to show my mom, but when I was walking back to class, it slipped out of my hand. I didn’t know what to do, so I hid them behind the curtain.”
Mia smiled at Ben. “It’s okay, Ben. We understand. But next time, it’s better to ask before taking something.”
“We were really worried,” Max added. “But now the mystery is solved!”
Ben smiled sheepishly. “I’m really sorry. I’ll make sure to return everything, and I’ll help you give the bracelets out.”
The Happy Ending…
Thanks to their detective skills, the three friends had solved the mystery. They returned to their classroom and handed out the friendship bracelets, making sure everyone in the class got one. The class cheered and clapped when they saw the beautiful bracelets.
Ms. Harris smiled. “Great job, detectives! And remember, it’s always best to ask before borrowing something. You all did an amazing job working together to solve the mystery.”
As the class celebrated Valentine’s Day with cards and sweet treats, Lily, Max, and Mia felt proud. They had solved the mystery and made sure everyone had a special Valentine’s gift.
The End ❤️
Follow-Up Questions:
- What clues helped the friends solve the mystery of the missing bracelets?
- Why do you think Ben didn’t ask to borrow the bracelets in the first place?
- How did the three friends show kindness to Ben, even though he made a mistake?
