Samantha the Sleuth and Zack's Hard Lesson. David H. Rosen

      SAMANTHA THE SLEUTH

      The Case of the Missing Socks

      Samantha’s socks kept disappearing. Her sock drawer contained nineteen odd socks of various lengths, shapes and colors. Wearing her last pair, Samantha went into her mother’s room and said, “I need some new socks. This is the only pair I have left.”

      Samantha’s mother replied, “I’m not buying you any more socks. I’ve gotten you new ones four times this year. You just keep losing them.”

      “I don’t lose my socks. They disappear.”

      “Socks don’t just disappear,” her mom quipped.

      Frustrated, Samantha said, “I’m telling you, I’m not losing them. Maybe someone is taking them.”

      Not looking up from her knitting, Samantha’s mother stated firmly, “Now don’t be foolish. No one is stealing them. I’m sure they’re in your room somewhere. Go look in your drawers, closet, and under and behind your bed.”

      Samantha was intrigued with the idea that someone might actually be taking her socks. It made sense because this was more than usual sock loss. She scooted away to search her room several times, but came up sock-less.

      The search turned up one thing that mystified her. It was a piece of fur. When she showed her mother what she found, her mother said, “That’s from one of your furry stuffed animals.”

      Samantha ran back to her room to check. She examined Pierre the Poodle, Grizzy the Bear, and Willie the Wallaby. But, this fur was not from one of her cuddly friends. She decided to take this fur as a clue. Then, she wondered, “Who would want to take my socks and why?”

      The next day after school, Samantha had her usual two cookies with milk. She thought about her missing socks when she gulped down the last drop. The thought came to her when she caught a whiff of her smelly, mismatched socks. She had worn them for three straight days.

      Samantha decided to go outside to play basketball. It had rained the night before, but the driveway was dry. She made the first basket. On her second try, the ball hit the rim, bounced away, and rolled into the flower bed by the back door. As she reached down to pick up the ball, Samantha discovered some tracks that she had never seen before. She wondered, “Are those tracks possibly related to my missing socks? Could this be another clue?”