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Inspector Kibbitz & The
Case of Missing Sunflowers…
 Criminals usually leave
clues behind at a crime scene-a fingerprint, a footprint, a few fibers from
a piece of clothing, a bit of DNA, something, anything, but not this time. The elusive Sunflower Bandit had
been getting away with his, or her, crimes and the local authorities didn’t
have a single lead. As summer
passed into fall, pressure from the public grew. “We won’t have any sunflower seeds to eat,” cried the
children. The Garinim
Association called in the one man they knew could solve the
mystery…Inspector Kibbitz.
Investigation Day
Two, Night Two. Inspector Kibbitz
settled into the comfortable chair for the night. He’d forgotten to bring one the night before and had
been forced to stand while he kept watch over the sunflower field. He’d paced back and forth, covering
what must have been several hundred miles and making a terrible commotion
in the process. You’d think
that would’ve been enough to frighten away any criminal, but apparently not
the brazen Sunflower Bandit. Instead the noise had covered the bandit’s tracks
and, unfortunately, the perpetrator had somehow managed to get past
Inspector Kibbitz. Another sunflower
head was now missing.
News of the latest
sunflower crime spread throughout the city. Inspector Kibbitz, who always enjoyed a good joke, was
now the laughing stock of the city.
The people, the children, and even his fellow inspectors, teased him
all day long. He smiled at
their jokes, though he didn’t find them or their jokes very funny.
By the end of the day, he
was even more determined to catch the crook. No one would get past him, not this time. He tipped the chair back slightly
then looked left, then right, but saw no one suspicious. Actually, he saw no one at
all.
The hours passed, one by
one, and Inspector Kibbitz found himself growing very tired. “Wake up, wake up,” he whispered to
himself then stood up to stretch his legs.
Suddenly out of the
corner of his eye, he saw the culprit in the distance. “Of course,” he shouted, “It all
makes sense now!” This thief
was no amateur. This old bird
knew what he, probably she, was doing. “No wonder I couldn’t catch this Sunflower Thief.”
Inspector Kibbitz climbed
on the chair and watched as the bird expertly used its strong beak to pluck
off a seed-filled flower head from a golden yellow sunflower. Clearly, the bird was just looking for some
food, and the seeds tucked inside the sunflower disk were just too tempting
to resist. Another case
closed, thought Inspector Kibbitz.
The kids would understand.
The bird was just doing what came naturally…enjoying a fine meal, or
maybe a snack, of sunflower seeds just like you and me!
Can you help the “bird bandit” find its way to the
sunflower?
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