Mia and Tom woke up to a bright morning. Sun came in through the kitchen window. Their dog, Pip, wagged his tail. Today was playday. Today was also a mystery.
Mia put on her yellow boots. Tom wore red socks with stars. They ate toast. They drank milk. "Let's play detective," said Mia. "Yes!" said Tom.
They found a print on the garden gate. It was muddy and round. Pip sniffed it. The print looked like a shoe, but small. Mia bent down. "Look," she said. "It has five little marks." Tom touched it with one finger. It was cool and soft mud.
"Who left this print?" asked Tom. They made a list. "A bird?" said Mia. "No, birds don't make shoe shapes," Tom said. "A squirrel?" said Mia. "No, squirrels have tiny feet." They laughed.
Mia took her magnifying glass. She loved that glass. She held it close. The print had a small heart shape on the heel. "A heart!" she said. "Someone with a heart on their shoe."
They walked around the yard. They looked at the flowerpot, the slide, and the big oak tree. They found other small prints on the puddle by the swing. They counted them. One, two, three. The prints were the same. They went to the back gate and saw tiny scuffs on the step. "Come here," said Tom.
They asked Mum: "Who has shoes with a heart?" Mum smiled. "I saw Mrs. Green from next door yesterday," she said. "She wears boots with hearts." Mia and Tom looked at each other. Mrs. Green was kind. She baked cookies. Could it be her?
They walked to the fence to see the neighbor's garden. There was a little hat on the grass. It had a small tear. The hat was blue with a red button. "That hat is small," said Mia. Pip pawed it gently. "Maybe someone dropped it," said Tom.
They knocked on the gate of the neighbor's porch. Mrs. Green answered. "Hello, detectives," she said. Her boots had hearts on them. "Did you find something?" asked Mrs. Green. Mia showed the prints. Tom showed the hat.
Mrs. Green laughed softly. "Oh dear," she said. "My grandson Ben came to play. He left his hat when he chased Pip. He stepped in the puddle and my boots left prints." Ben peeked from behind the curtain. He had muddy knees and a big smile. "Sorry," he whispered.
Mia looked at the prints again. She checked the heart on the heel. It matched Mrs. Green's boots. "We solved it," said Tom. They all smiled.
Mrs. Green baked small biscuits. They ate them on the porch. Ben said, "Thank you, detectives." Mia felt proud. Tom felt happy. Pip slept with his head on Mia's lap.
The mystery was simple and kind. They used their eyes, asked questions, and looked for clues. The day felt warm and safe. Mia and Tom promised to help find lost hats and to look for prints when they played. They waved goodbye to Mrs. Green and Ben. Then they ran back to the garden, ready for the next tiny mystery.
