The Case of the Missing Golden Compass Author: Jefferson 1
Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Camping Trip p. 3-4 Chapter 2: The Trail p. 4-5 Chapter 3: The Lost Travelers p. 5-7 Chapter 4: The Culprit is... p. 8-9 2
Chapter 1: The Camping Trip It was an ordinary summer day in Chelsea, Massachusetts and my cat Snickers was sleeping on my lap. I heard my mom packing for my annual camping trip in my room. I was expecting my friends to come over so that we could leave. Jared! my mom called, your friends are here. I looked out the window and saw Denis, Jackson, and Jayden walking up the driveway. Denis was chasing after his dog Trooper. Trooper is always getting into trouble. My cat snickers saw Trooper, and you know how cats and dogs can be, she immediately ran to the window and hissed in DISGUST. We all met in Kindergarten 7 years ago today, it was our anniversary. I needed a place to sit in the cafeteria and they had an open spot. They all pitched in to buy me an ice cream, since I forgot my money at home; we ve been friends ever since. Right when the boys came in, my mom told us we had to leave right away because it was a 4-hour drive to Lake Winnipesaukee where the camp was. Don t forget your detective kit! mom exclaimed, you never know if a mystery we need to be solved! Just then, the boys came into the house and I got the rest of my things to leave. I wish I brought my pet fish, Pablo, Jayden frowned. Turn that frown upside-down, buddy ole pal, Jokester Jackson cried back. 3
Oh, Jackson, you re always trying to crack a joke. Crack, crack, crack, Jackson mocked. Okay boys, time to hit the road. Yeah lets get out of here I replied back to my mom. I had to hold Snickers close so that Trooper wouldn t cause any problems, and off we went. Chapter 2: The Trail Mom dropped us off once we arrived. I waved as she said, see you in a few days my detective. I was ITCHING to solve a case. We were staying in a small, wooden cabin in the woods. I call top bunk, Jayden called out. Ugh!!! You got top bunk last year, said Denis. Denis, you re afraid of heights anyway, Jackson laughed. Ya, ya, ya, Denis goofed back. Oooooh campers, where are you?! Maria the councilor welcomed us. I have so many exciting things planned for us today! We will begin with a hike in 20 minutes! I better leave Snickers in the cabin and, you should tie Trooper up outside, I said to Denis. Good idea, why can t they just get along? Denis wondered. 4
Before we left for the hike, I quickly grabbed my detective kit (I m ALWAYS prepared to solve a case). Just as I we prepared to leave, I heard a loud scream coming from outside the cabin. It was Maria! My golden compass! she cried. It was my great great great great great grandfathers- it has gone missing!!!! It has been passed down to me- not to mention it was made of real gold. I M ON THE CASE! I exclaimed. I asked Maria where she had seen it last and I got out my trusty notepad and detective pencil to write down all my clues. She said that the last time she saw it was on a hike earlier that morning. So I grabbed the gang and off we went down the trail. Chapter 3: The Lost Travelers As we were all walking down the trail, we saw 2 travelers walking our way. I wondered if they might know if they had seen anyone take Maria s golden compass... Or if they were a suspect and stole it. I decided to walk up to them to ask a few questions. 5
Hello, I m detective Jared, and these are my friends. I was wondering if you have seen a compass while walking, our councilor lost it? Sorry kids, one of the travelers said, we haven t seen a compass, we have been too busy running from a wolf we saw in the bushes... One of them said out of breath. A wolf? I questioned. Yes! the traveler replied, We heard it rustling in the bushes and could have sworn we saw its snout! That s when we made a run for it Thanks for the help, I said. I crossed off their names in my notepad as possible suspects. Do we have to keep walking Denis asked. What if we get hurt? Sleuthing is a dangerous job- but Maria s counting on us- lets keep walking. We walked and walked, and walked some more, until we were deep in the woods. Just then, I looked down and noticed animal tracks in the dirt. They must have been the wolf tracks the travelers were talking about! I took out my trusty nature guide to match the tracks in my book. 6
Yep, they were a perfect match. It was the wolf who took the compass I just know it- this is exactly where Maria said she lost it. Maybe we should follow the tracks, I said. Oh man, Denis wined, I have a bad feeling about this. Come on frady-cat, its an adventure, Jayden replied. Yeah, and anyway we re hot on the trail... the real one and the mystery! We ve been walking forever!!!! Jackson joked. Maybe Denis is right, I said. Lets go back to camp and grab a snack before we head out again. Okay deal! We all agreed. When we got back to the cabin, Denis called for Trooper but he was nowhere to be found. We searched and searched, but now the compass wasn t the only thing that was lost. We decided that Trooper needed to be found before it got dark outside, so we went looking for him. Just as we were exploring the woods, I noticed the same wolf tracks as before, except this time they were leading to a nearby cave. I was too interested, so I separated away from my friends and followed the tracks. 7
Chapter 4: The Culprit is... I walked into the cave; it was so dark I could barely see. I heard a hooooooowl nearby. It scared me, but I kept walking. Just then, in the light of my flashlight, I saw something shiny on the ground. I leaned closer... IT WAS THE GOLDEN COMPASS!!! It was was all chewed up with slobber. I picked it up in DISCUST! I wiped it off and knew I solved the case! BUT, who was the culprit?!?! Just then, I heard the howl come closer, and out of the bushes popped out TROOPER! Trooper was the one that took it all along! I told you, he was always getting into trouble! He must have ran away because Denis didn t tie him up tight enough. The travelers saw a wolf in the bushes... but it was really Trooper the whole time!!!! His paw prints looked the same as the wolf prints. Then, all of a sudden I heard my friends nearby. They came into the cave and I showed them the compass- the shiny, golden compass! 8
We immediately brought it back to camp to Maria, and she was so excited that she gave all of us $25 dollars- a total of $100 and gave Jokester Jackson a comedy book to enjoy. It was a camping trip to remember- It was the best camping trip in my life so far! Onto the next case, for me, DETECTIVE JARED and my trusty sidekick, SNICKERS the CAT! THE END!!!!! 9