The Mystery of the Missing Watch – A Short Story for Kids
Little Reva loses his new wrist watch. Can detective David help
5/26/20264 min read
The Mystery of the Missing Watch – A Short Story for Children
Reva looked at his hand. He was wearing a green watch. Mummy had bought it for his birthday. And he liked it very much.
“I hope everyone can see my new watch,” he thought to himself. Hand on hip, he spun about so everyone would see. Just as he wished, they could.
“Reva, that’s a great watch,” David said.
“I love your watch,” Ellie said.
“Wow,” said Samuel, Reva’s friend. “That’s a really cool watch! Can I try it on?” he asked.
Reva said yes. He took off his watch and gave it to Samuel. Samuel put it on. It looked good.
“Can I please wear it for five minutes?” asked Samuel.
Reva said it was also. He only asked him not to forget to give it back.
The little boys continued to play. They ran about the house and played catch. They played soccer and hide and seek. Soon, it was time to go home.
“Goodbye, Reva,” Samuel said.
“Goodbye, Samuel,” Reva said.
Reva waved goodbye, and Samuel went home.
“Time to go to bed,” Mummy said to Reva.
“No, not yet,” Reva said. He didn’t know how to tell the time. “It’s only…” he said, looking at his hand. But his watch wasn’t there.
“Where is my watch?” cried Reva.
David, his big brother, held up his magnifying glass and said, “Don’t worry, Reva. We’ll solve this mystery.”
So, David, the detective, Ellie, and Reva went about the house looking for the watch. They looked under the sofa, but it wasn’t there. Then, they looked under the table, but it wasn’t there. It wasn’t in the kitchen, nor was it in the yard. They searched for a long time; still, they didn’t find it.
“Hmm,” said Detective David. “It looks like the watch must have left the house.”
That sounded funny to Ellie. “Left the house?” she said with a giggle and a snort. “But it doesn’t have any legs.”
“No, I don’t mean like that,” David said, half laughing. “Someone must have taken it away.”
“But who?” asked Reva. He felt so sad.
“Did you give it to anyone?” asked David, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, I gave it to Samuel. But it was only for five minutes.”
“And did he give it back?”
But Reva couldn’t remember. He held his face and began to cry.
“There, there,” the detective said. “It’s nothing we can’t solve in the morning.”
So, they all went to bed. They would continue their search in the morning.
The next day, Reva was up early. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair. He wore a T-shirt and tied his shoelaces.
“Reva, you put your shirt on backwards,” Mummy said.
“David and I are going to look for my watch today,” he told Mummy.
“That’s good,” she said, “but first, you should have a bath and some breakfast.”
After breakfast, David the detective, Ellie his assistant, and little Reva continued their search.
“Reva, you must have left your wristwatch with Samuel. We’ll stop by at his house to see if it’s there,” Ellie said to Reva. So, they all walked to Samuel’s house. They went up the stairs and rang the bell.
DING DONG!
No one answered. Detective David held up his magnifying glass and said, “No one is home.”
“How can you tell?” Reva asked.
“First,” said the detective, holding his hand behind his back, “there’s a lock on the door. Second,” he said, pointing at the garage, “the garage is empty. And…” he said, wrinkling his nose as if he had whiskers, “No one opened the door when we rang the bell.”
A friendly neighbour told the threesome that Samuel and his family had gone to the vegetable store. The vegetable store was just down the street. After thanking him, they walked to the store together.
When they arrived at the store, Samuel and his family weren’t there.
“They just left for the butcher’s shop,” the store keeper said.
So, they went to the butcher’s shop. At the butcher’s shop, they looked everywhere. But Samuel wasn’t there.
“He’s gone to the barber’s shop,” the butcher said.
So, they went to the barber’s shop. But Samuel wasn’t there.
“We’ll never find him,” Reva said. He sat on the floor because he was sad.
Suddenly, Ellie cried out, “There they are!” She was pointing at a blue car making a turn at the corner. Quickly, they all ran after the car. They waved and screamed, “SAMUEL! SAMUEL!” But Samuel couldn’t hear them, and the car didn’t stop. It drove farther away until they could no longer see it.
“Don’t worry Reva,” said Detective David, “I’ll make an important call when we get home.”
They all went home. At home, they asked Mummy if they could call Samuel’s mother with her phone. David searched for her number and called.
“Hello, Mrs. Johann,” David said. He asked if Samuel was with Reva’s wristwatch, but she said he wasn’t.
“It’s not with Samuel,” David said, after turning off the phone. ”Let’s search one more time around the house,” he said. So they search again. This time, they found the watch case sitting on Reva’s table. It had been there all the while. Daddy had found it on the grass outside. He set it on Reva’s table so it wouldn’t be lost. The detective had successfully solved the mystery.
Reva was happy to have his watch back. He would be more careful next time.
The End