By Sara Matson -
“Mia, you have a letter,” Mom said, flipping through a stack of mail.
“An invitation!” Mia cried. She read it aloud.
PLEASE COME TO MY MYSTERY PARTY
When: Four o’clock on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Where: Demarco’s house
Why: That’s the mystery! The first guest to guess the reason for the party will win a prize!
“How exciting!” Mom said. “Do you have any ideas?”
Mia frowned. “Demarco turned ten last month, so it’s not a birthday party. And a Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa party would be too easy to guess. What do you think?”
Mom smiled. “I think you’re good at solving mysteries. Keep working on it and maybe you’ll be the one to figure it out.”
After school on Wednesday, Mia rang Demarco’s doorbell.
“Happy St. Nicholas Day!” she cried when he opened the door.
Demarco looked confused. “What?”
“I found these by the door,” Mia said, holding up two dirty sneakers. “It’s a St. Nicholas Day tradition to leave shoes out to be filled with gifts. That’s the reason for your party! Am I right?”
Grinning, Demarco shook his head. “My shoes are outside because they smell like the rotten apple I found in my locker. Besides, St. Nicholas Day was on December sixth. Today’s the twelfth.”
“Oh.” Mia’s face fell.
“But it was a good guess,” Demarco added.
Mia followed him into the living room, where the other guests were sitting.
“Everyone’s here, so we can start,” Demarco announced. “First, time to eat!”
“Stop!” Mia cried as they filed into the kitchen. “There are six girls and six boys. That’s exactly enough for two basketball teams, right?” She turned to Demarco. “Is today National Basketball Day? I’ll bet we’re going to play a game of six-on-six later.”
Demarco laughed. “Sorry, Mia. Only five people play at a time in basketball. And I’ve never heard of National Basketball Day.”
Mia sat at the table and sighed. “Strike two. But I’m not giving up yet!”
“Maybe this will help,” Demarco’s mom said, handing Mia a plate of food. “It’s a clue.”
“Egg pie and doughnuts?” Mia said. “This is breakfast food. Is today the birthday of the person who invented the doughnut? Or, or…I know! Eggs mean EASTER! We’re going to color Easter eggs!”
This time, everyone laughed...
