"Where could it be?" Jackson asked, scratching his head with his cool robot arm. "It was right here a second ago!"
His basketball had vanished! He was about to practice his dribbling in the living room of their cozy home in Phoenix. He loved the way the ball bounced, almost like a happy dinosaur hopping around!
"What's missing, sweetie?" Mom asked, looking up from her book of fairy tales.
"My basketball!" Jackson exclaimed, his robot arm whirring as he pointed to the empty spot. "I was going to practice my dribbling and then maybe even try a slam dunk!"
Mom chuckled. "You're a little young for slam dunks, Jackson. But let's find that basketball. Two heads are better than one, right?"
Jackson nodded enthusiastically. He loved solving mysteries, and this felt like a real detective case! He imagined himself wearing a detective hat, just like in his favorite cartoon.
"First clue!" Jackson announced, pointing his robot arm towards a trail of crumbs leading to the couch. "Dinosaur crumbs! Maybe a dinosaur took my basketball?"
Mom followed the crumb trail. "Hmm, these look like the crumbs from those dinosaur-shaped cookies we had earlier."
Jackson gasped. "You're right! And I remember, I was practicing my dribbling near the cookie plate..."
He rushed towards the couch and peeked behind the cushions. There, curled up and fast asleep, was Sparky, their playful Labrador. Sparky had crumbs on his nose and, clutched between his paws, was Jackson's basketball!
"Sparky!" Jackson giggled. "You silly dog! You took my basketball for a nap?"
Sparky yawned, his tail thumping happily against the floor as if to say, "Maybe just a little nap!"
Mom laughed. "It seems our mystery is solved! Sparky must have thought your basketball was a giant chew toy."
Jackson snuggled next to Sparky, patting his furry head. He wasn't upset anymore.
"Maybe later, Sparky," Jackson whispered. "We can play basketball after your nap. But first, how about we practice our dribbling with this?"
He grabbed a bright orange from the fruit basket. It wasn't as bouncy as a basketball, but it would do for now. After all, dribbling practice was important!
As Jackson happily bounced the orange, Mom smiled. He might be only five, but he had the makings of a true detective, always ready to solve a mystery, even if it involved a sleepy dog and a missing basketball!
