"Where'd it go?" Scarlett wondered, looking around her room. Her favorite purple binky was gone! She crawled over to her Mom, who was reading a book. "Mama, binky gone!"
Mom smiled. "Hmm, this sounds like a case for Detective Scarlett! Let's look for clues."
Scarlett giggled. She loved playing detective. First, they checked under the couch cushions. No binky. Then, Mom suggested, "Maybe the binky fairies took it?"
Scarlett gasped. "Fairies?"
Mom winked. "Fairies love binkies. They use them for their swings!" She pointed to a drawing Scarlett had made of a fairy on a binky swing. "Remember when you drew this?"
"Fairies like swings!" Scarlett agreed, clapping her hands. A new thought popped into her head. "Fairies at the market?"
Mom loved the street market, and today was the day they were going! She loved all the bright colors and yummy smells. Maybe, just maybe, they would see some fairies there too!
At the market, Scarlett held tightly onto Mom's hand. She looked everywhere. She saw colorful fruits, smelled warm pretzels, and even heard a dog bark! But no fairies.
"Maybe they're hiding?" Scarlett whispered to her Mom.
Just then, they walked past a stall with sparkly wings hanging from the top. A lady with a kind smile was selling them.
"Look, Mama, fairy wings!" Scarlett squealed.
"Those are pretty," Mom agreed. "Maybe the lady knows about fairies?"
Scarlett, feeling brave, tugged on the lady's skirt. "Excuse me," she said, "Have you seen any fairies?"
The lady chuckled. "Fairies are quite good at hiding. But sometimes," she whispered, "they leave behind a little sparkle." She pointed to a trail of glitter leading to a basket of colorful binkies.
Scarlett's eyes widened. Her purple binky was in there! She reached in and grabbed it. "My binky!" she cried, giving it a big hug.
"You found it!" Mom said, proud of her little detective. "See, you were brave and asked for help, and you found a clue all by yourself!"
Scarlett beamed. She learned that even though she was little, she could be brave and smart. She even had a little help from the magic of believing in fairies! And the best part? She had her favorite binky back.
