Chapter 1: The Big Match
Sam and Leo were best mates and the star players of the Northcote Nighthawks cricket team. They had a big match coming up on Saturday. Sam always used his favourite bat, a special one his grandfather gave him. He kept it safe in the sports shed.
Chapter 2: Empty Space
On Thursday afternoon, Sam went to the shed to give his bat a polish. He opened the door. The shed was dusty, but tidy. He looked at the hooks where the equipment hung. His heart dropped. The hook where the bat should have been was empty.
Chapter 3: An Interview
Sam ran to find Leo. “My cricket bat is gone!” he whispered. Leo looked serious. “This is a mystery, Sam. We have to be detectives.” They decided to interview the other players. Marcus said he saw an old man near the shed on Wednesday. Chloe said she heard a strange, loud CLUNK sound near the goalposts after school.
Chapter 4: The Clue
Sam and Leo walked to the goalposts. They looked closely at the grass. They didn’t see a bat, but Sam spotted a piece of red, sticky tape stuck to the bottom of the post. His grandfather had always used red tape to fix the handle grip on his bat! The bat must be nearby.
Chapter 5: Solved!
They looked behind the goal. There it was! The bat had fallen off the hook, bounced outside, and landed behind the goalposts where no one could see it. The old man Marcus saw must have been the groundskeeper. The CLUNK Chloe heard was the bat falling. Sam gave the bat a hug. He learned a good lesson: always look carefully before jumping to conclusions.
Exercise: Sequencing Events
Put these events in the correct order by writing 1, 2, or 3 next to them:
- ___ Sam and Leo found the bat behind the goalposts.
- ___ Sam discovered the bat was missing from the shed.
- ___ Chloe reported hearing a strange CLUNK sound.