**"The Great Garden Mystery: A Tale of Friends and Carrots"**

**Garden Pals: Graham, Georgie, and the Mystery of the Missing Carrot**

On a warm, sunny morning, Graham the cat dashed into the garden, his gray and white fur puffed up with excitement. "Georgie!" he called, his whiskers twitching. "The biggest carrot in the vegetable patch is GONE!"

Georgie, his black and white sister, yawned from her sunny nap spot on the porch. “Are you sure it’s not just hiding?” she mumbled.

“Carrots don’t hide, Georgie!” Graham said, bouncing on his paws. “We need to find out who took it!”

Reluctantly, Georgie stretched and followed her brother into the garden. There, they found something strange—tiny footprints in the dirt and bits of orange scattered on the ground.

“It’s a trail!” Graham said, his green eyes wide.

The two cats followed the footprints past the lettuce, around the tomatoes, and all the way to Bella the bunny’s burrow. Bella hopped out, her soft fur glowing in the sunlight.

“Good morning!” Bella said cheerfully. “What are you two up to?”

“We’re solving a mystery,” Graham announced. “Did you or your bunny family take our carrot?”

Bella’s nose twitched. “No way! We only eat the carrots Mama grows for us,” she said. “But I’ll help you look!”

With Bella leading the way, the group followed the trail further. It wound under a bush, around a tree, and up to a big oak. Suddenly, a squeaky voice called out, “Hey! Who’s there?”

They looked up to see a bushy-tailed squirrel nibbling on the missing carrot.

“Why did you take our carrot?” Graham asked.

The squirrel’s cheeks turned pink. “I was so hungry, and it smelled so yummy. I didn’t mean to cause trouble!”

Bella thumped her foot thoughtfully. “Maybe next time, you should ask. We can share!”

The squirrel nodded. “I’ll do that!”

Together, Graham, Georgie, Bella, and the squirrel worked to make sure everyone in the garden got enough to eat. Graham and Georgie learned that solving problems is better with friends—and even a little squirrel can be part of the team.

From then on, the garden was the happiest place for everyone.