William loved birds! He loved their bright colors and the way they sang. He loved to watch them fly high in the sky. He even had a special bird feeder outside his window in his home in Philadelphia! One day, William was playing with his toy boat in his room. It was his favorite toy, bright yellow just like a real duck! He made it sail across his rug, pretending it was the Delaware River. "Look, Grandpa, my boat is sailing to the doctor's office!" William shouted excitedly.
William had a doctor's appointment later that day. He wasn't feeling sick, but his grandpa always said it's important to visit the doctor to stay healthy! Grandpa, with his kind eyes and a smile that could light up a room, loved to tell William stories about pirates sailing the seven seas. William imagined his toy boat filled with pirate treasures, just like in Grandpa's stories. But suddenly, the boat was gone! Vanished!
"Grandpa! My boat is gone!" cried William. "It was here a minute ago, and now it's gone!" Grandpa, ever the wise one, patted William's head. "Don't worry, William. We'll find your boat. It couldn't have gone far. Let's be detectives and look for clues!"
William and Grandpa searched everywhere. They looked under the bed, behind the curtains, and even in the toy box, but the boat was nowhere to be found. "Maybe a mermaid took it!" William exclaimed, remembering Grandpa's stories about the magical creatures that lived in the water. Grandpa chuckled. "Mermaids live in the ocean, William, not in your room. But you never know, maybe one came to visit and borrowed your boat!"
Just then, William's dad walked in. "Ready for your checkup, Captain?" he asked, winking at Grandpa. "We need to set sail soon!" William, still worried about his missing boat, shook his head. "My boat is gone! It's lost at sea!" he exclaimed dramatically. Dad smiled. "Lost at sea? Well, we'll have to put on our detective hats then!" He looked around the room. "Hmm, I see footprints. Big ones, like the kind a big, cuddly monster truck would make."
William gasped. "My monster truck! It must have driven my boat away!" He ran over to his toy box and dug around, reappearing with a bright green monster truck. And clutched in the truck's big tires was William's missing boat! "My boat! You found it!" William exclaimed, hugging the toy boat tightly.
"See, William?" Grandpa said with a wink. "Even though it seemed like your boat sailed away with the mermaids, it was just taking a ride with your monster truck!" William laughed, relieved and happy. He realized even though things might seem lost, with a little detective work and the help of family, everything could be found. He hugged his grandpa and dad, ready to set sail for the doctor's office, with his trusty toy boat safe and sound in his hand!
