Pirate Pals and the Squirrel Swap

**Beru and Dot's Lost Treasure**

On a bright and sunny morning, Dot spun around the yard in her pirate hat, shouting, “Ahoy, matey!” Her best friend, Beru the rottweiler, wagged his tail and barked. Today, they were pirates, and pirates needed treasure!

Dot held out her shiny silver bracelet. “This will be our treasure,” she said. Beru barked in agreement. They dug a small hole under the big oak tree in the backyard and buried the bracelet. Dot drew a big “X” in the dirt with a stick.

“Now, no one will find it but us!” Dot declared.

After lunch, Dot and Beru ran back outside to dig up their treasure. But when they got to the “X,” the bracelet was gone!

“Oh no! Someone took our treasure!” cried Dot.

Beru sniffed the ground with his big nose. “Sniff, sniff!” He found muddy paw prints leading away from the tree. Dot squinted. “Let’s follow the trail, Beru!”

The paw prints led them to a pile of sticks near the bushes. “Hmm,” Dot said, scratching her head. “Who could’ve left these here?” Just then, a bushy-tailed squirrel popped out from the branches, holding something shiny in its tiny paws.

“My bracelet!” Dot gasped.

The squirrel scurried up into its treehouse, a cozy little nest made of twigs and leaves. Dot looked up and sighed. “How do we get it back, Beru?”

Beru barked and ran off, sniffing around the yard. He came back holding a big, round acorn in his mouth.

Dot’s eyes lit up. “Good idea, Beru! Let’s trade!”

Dot held the acorn up toward the squirrel. “Hey, squirrel! Want this acorn?” she asked.

The squirrel tilted its head, then darted down the tree. It dropped the bracelet at Dot’s feet and grabbed the acorn with its tiny paws.

Dot giggled and put her bracelet back on. “Thanks, squirrel! And thank you, Beru. You’re the best pirate pup ever!”

Beru barked happily, and they ran off to bury their treasure again—this time, somewhere the squirrel wouldn’t find it!