Dot and the Glowing Mystery Squad

Detective Dot loved mysteries. She had a magnifying glass, a notebook, and two very helpful sidekicks—her fluffy dog Beru, who loved to sniff out clues, and Polka, a parrot who was always full of ideas (and lots of squawking!).

One night, just as Dot was getting ready for bed, something strange caught her eye. Through her bedroom window, she saw a soft, golden glow coming from the backyard. “Beru, Polka, look!” she whispered. “What could it be?”

Beru wagged his tail, ready for adventure. Polka flapped her wings and said, “Clue time! Let’s go!”

Dot grabbed her flashlight and led the way outside. As they stepped onto the cool grass, they noticed tiny glowing footprints leading across the yard. “Hmm,” Dot said, scribbling in her notebook. “Let’s follow the footprints!”

The glowing prints led them to the bird feeder. Beru sniffed around, but all they found was a leftover sunflower seed. Polka squawked, “Nothing here! Keep going!” So they did.

Next, the footprints glowed through the vegetable garden. Dot spotted a shiny, wiggly trail on a cucumber leaf. “Slugs!” she guessed, but no glow came from them. “Not our answer. Onward!” said Polka, flying in circles above them.

Finally, the glowing prints led them to a flower patch. Dot parted the tall flowers, and there, blinking and twinkling, were a group of fireflies putting on a magical light show. “Ohhh!” Dot whispered. “It’s beautiful!”

But Polka was so excited, she squawked loudly, “Fireflies! Fireflies!” The startled bugs flew off into the night.

“Uh-oh,” said Dot. “Wait, I have an idea!” She put her flashlight on the ground and covered it with her hand, letting little beams of light peek through, just like a firefly glow. One by one, the fireflies floated back.

Dot, Beru, and Polka lay on a picnic blanket, watching the fireflies dance in the dark. “Mystery solved,” Dot said with a smile. “And what a glowing adventure!”