Tom is two. Tom likes to look. Tom likes to find.
One day, a toy car is not in the box. Tom says, "Uh oh." His mum is near. She is calm. She says, "Let us look."
Tom gets his tiny hat. He is a little spy. He walks slow. He looks at the rug. He looks at the mat. He looks in the arm chair. He finds a small red shoe. He says, "No car."
Tom points to a trail of blue dots. They are drops of paint. He says, "Look!" Mum smiles. She says, "Where do they go?"
The dots go to the door. The door is a bit open. Tom listens. He hears a soft tap. Tap, tap. Tom peeks. The tap came from the toy box lid. Tom lifts it. "Aha!" he says.
Inside is Mr. Duck. He is yellow and dry. He is very kind. Next to him is the car. The car is a bit shiny from the paint dots. Tom laughs. He claps. "Good car!" says Mum.
Tom thinks. He finds a small pot on the floor. The pot has blue paint on the rim. Tom points. Mum says, "Maybe Max the cat saw the blue paint." Max is on the mat. He purrs and has a blue spot on his paw. Max blinks. He looks a bit funny. Tom giggles. He pats Max. Max purrs more.
Now the game. Who moved the car? Tom looks at the paw print. He looks at the shoe print. He looks at the tiny slide mark. Tom and Mum say, "We all help." Tom puts the car back in the box. He wipes the paw with a soft cloth. Max gets a gentle hug.
All is calm. All is bright. Tom claps one last time.
Kind hearts and small hands can solve big little puzzles.
