David zoomed his toy dinosaur across the living room floor. "Rarrr!" he roared, making the dinosaur chomp at the air.
"Excited about moving to the new house, David?" his dad asked, carefully packing a box labeled "Kitchen."
David stopped zooming his dinosaur. "I don't know," he said, his shoulders slumping. "What if I don't make any new friends?"
His dad smiled and patted the spot next to him. "Of course you will! But you know what will help? Exploring!"
David crawled over and sat beside his dad. "Exploring?"
"Exactly! Tomorrow, we'll go to the park across from our new house. I hear there's a friendly monkey who lives there!"
The next day, David and his dad drove up to a big, beautiful house. Across the street was a park, even bigger than David imagined! Towering trees shaded the playground, and colorful flowers lined the winding paths.
"Wow!" David exclaimed. He couldn't wait to explore. As they unpacked boxes, David kept thinking about the park and the monkey.
Finally, his dad announced, "Time to meet our new neighbor!"
The park was bustling with kids playing tag, throwing frisbees, and pushing each other on the swings. David's eyes scanned the trees, searching for the monkey.
Suddenly, a girl ran up to them, her face worried. "Have you seen Mr. Bubbles?" she asked. "He's gone missing!"
"Mr. Bubbles?" David's dad asked.
"The monkey!" the girl exclaimed. "He always sits in that big oak tree, but now he's gone!"
David’s heart thumped with excitement. A real-life mystery! He imagined himself as a famous detective, like the ones in his books. He pointed to a brown leather pouch lying under the oak tree. "What's that?"
The girl gasped. "That's Mr. Bubbles's treat bag! He never goes anywhere without it!"
David’s dad joined the search, his sharp eyes scanning the park. "Look for anything out of place," he told David.
David noticed something odd. A trail of brightly colored buttons led away from the oak tree, disappearing into a cluster of rose bushes.
"Dad, look!" David exclaimed, pointing.
They carefully followed the trail, David pushing aside branches. He felt like he was walking into the jungle, on the trail of a mysterious creature.
The buttons led them to a small, clearing where a picnic blanket lay spread out. And there, sitting in the middle of the blanket, was Mr. Bubbles! He was happily munching on grapes, surrounded by scattered buttons.
"He must have grabbed my mom's sewing basket when no one was looking," the girl giggled, scooping Mr. Bubbles into her arms. "You found him! Thank you, you're amazing detectives!"
David beamed. Even though he was moving to a new house, it felt like he already had a new friend, and they had solved their first mystery together!
As they walked back home, David skipped ahead, no longer worried about moving. He knew that with a little exploring, he could find adventure anywhere, even in his own backyard!
