The sun shone brightly on Mrs. Beatrix Periwinkle’s annual garden party. Guests walked among bright flowers, drinking tea. Miss Primrose Buttercup, a lady with kind eyes and a sharp mind, watched everyone from a quiet bench.
“Oh, you must see it!” cried Mrs. Periwinkle. She was a small woman with a loud voice. “My ‘Midnight Velvet’ rose! It just bloomed this morning, the darkest red you ever saw!”
Everyone followed Mrs. Periwinkle to a special pot near the greenhouse. The pot stood on a small table. But when Mrs. Periwinkle pointed, her hand stopped. Her eyes grew wide. The pot was empty. The beautiful, dark red rose was gone.
A gasp went through the guests. Mr. Silas Thistle, the gardener, looked very sad. “My prize rose!” he cried. “Who could do such a thing?”
Young Master Barney Finch, known for his tricks, suddenly looked very interested in his shoes. Mrs. Periwinkle looked at him. “Barney, did you touch my rose?”
Barney shook his head quickly. “No, Mrs. Periwinkle! Not me!”
Miss Buttercup walked closer to the empty pot. She saw the soil inside was smooth. There were no marks from digging. If someone had taken the rose by its roots, the soil would be disturbed. This was strange.
She looked around. Her eyes fell on Professor Squawk, Mrs. Periwinkle’s pet parrot. Professor Squawk usually made a lot of noise. Today, he was quiet, sitting on his perch, looking a little sleepy. Miss Buttercup also noticed a small, dark red stain on his green feathers, near his beak.
She leaned closer to the empty pot. She smelled something faint, not like a rose. It was a sweet, fruity smell, like berries. She moved her hand through the soil. Her fingers touched something small and hard. She pulled it out. It was a tiny, shiny silver cap. It looked like the top from a very small bottle.
Miss Buttercup stood up. She held the silver cap. “Mrs. Periwinkle,” she said gently, “did you give Professor Squawk a special treat today?”
Mrs. Periwinkle thought for a moment. “Why, yes! I got a new bottle of special berry juice for him. It’s supposed to make his feathers shine. I gave him a little in his water just this morning. He loves new things.”
Miss Buttercup smiled. “I believe I know what happened to your ‘Midnight Velvet’ rose.” She held up the tiny silver cap. “This cap was in the soil. The soil is smooth, meaning the rose was pulled, not dug up. And Professor Squawk has a small red stain on his beak. He is also very quiet, as if he ate too much.”
She looked at Mrs. Periwinkle. “The berry juice was dark red, wasn’t it? Professor Squawk, seeing the dark red rose, may have thought it was another lovely treat. He pulled it from the pot and ate it.”
Mrs. Periwinkle gasped again, but this time with a laugh. “My clever parrot! He thought my prize rose was a giant berry!” She hurried to Professor Squawk. “Did you eat the pretty flower, you naughty bird?” Professor Squawk gave a small, happy squawk.
Mr. Thistle laughed too, relieved it was not a thief. Young Barney Finch looked sad that he wasn’t the culprit, but then smiled at the funny story. The mystery of the missing rose was solved, not by a crime, but by a very hungry parrot.
The End.