Tap, Tap, Who Goes There?

Tap, Tap, Who Goes There?

"Attention, Detective Jose," said Papi in his most official voice. "Tonight is the Great Living Room Sleepover. A test run." Mommy grinned. "Your very first sleepover, right here at home." Jose's whole face lit up like a birthday candle. "A practice sleepover? That's brilliant!"

Jose packed like an expert. Pillow, check. Toothbrush, check. Two fuzzy monster toys and one fierce dinosaur, check, check, check. Then he pulled on his orange dino pajamas. Last of all, he tucked his orange flashlight into the backpack. "Essential equipment," he announced.

Mommy and Papi went to get the campsite ready. Zues trotted in and sniffed the backpack. "Zues," Jose whispered, "you are my partner. Our mission is night patrol. We investigate every mystery." He clicked on the orange flashlight. Zues thumped his tail. Mission accepted.

Jose slung on his backpack and stepped into the hallway with Zues at his side. The little nightlights glowed near the floor. Everything looked longer at night. Stretchier. Stranger. Jose tiptoed forward, one sock at a time.

Tap. Tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap. Jose froze. His heart went thumpity-thump. Zues pricked up his ears. "Something," Jose breathed, "is knocking." His eyes went big and round. But detectives don't run away from clues. They follow them.

Jose lifted his orange flashlight high, higher, all the way up to the tall window. There, waving in the wind, was a leafy branch. Tap-tap-tap went the branch on the glass. "Aha! Suspect identified," Jose declared. "It's a tree. A very rude, knocky tree."

Papi leaned out of the living room doorway and gave a slow, serious nod. "Excellent work, Detective. The code word for a solved case is pickle." Jose snorted with laughter. "Pickle!" he whispered, and Zues sneezed, which clearly meant pickle too.

Then Jose saw it. In the living room stood a real tent made of quilts, draped over two chairs, with tiny star lights twinkling along the edges. "Whoa," Jose said softly. It was the most magnificent campsite in the entire universe.

Everyone crawled inside. Papi tucked the green sleeping bag snug into the corner. Mommy passed around warm cinnamon toast and cups of cozy milk. They whispered secrets. Papi's secret was that he once got stuck in a sleeping bag. Jose giggled so hard he hiccupped.

Soon Mommy kissed his forehead. "We're right down the hall, my love." Papi squeezed his hand. "Pickle if you need us." Then they tiptoed away. Now it was just Jose, Zues, and the quiet. A very big quiet.

Zues wriggled out through the flap to stretch. Jose snuggled down alone. Then, rustle. Rustle-rustle. A shadow wobbled across the quilt wall, lumpy and swishy. Jose sat straight up. His lip wobbled. His chest felt fizzy and tight.

He took one deep breath. Then another. "Clues," he told himself. "Swishy. Lumpy. Near the floor." His detective brain whirred. Wait a minute. Where was his partner? Jose gripped the orange flashlight and reached for the flap.

Zzzzip! Jose flung the flap open and shone his light. There was Zues, turning circles on a cushion, swishing his tail against the tent. Rustle-rustle. "Suspect identified!" Jose cried. "It was you, you fluffy rascal!" Zues wagged proudly.

Mommy and Papi peeked in from the doorway, smiling sleepy smiles. "We heard a detective," Papi whispered. "Case solved?" Jose beamed his very best smile, the one that melts hearts. "Pickle," he said. Mommy blew him a kiss and they tiptoed back to bed.

Zues flopped down beside Jose and began to snore a small, snuffly snore. Jose pulled the blankets up to his chin. The star lights twinkled. He clicked off his orange flashlight. "Goodnight, partner," he whispered. "I'm ready for any sleepover now."