Budget & Beagle
CASE #5: WOODSTOCK'S NEST IS MISSING (AGAIN!)
Woodstock was hard at work building a new nest before it got too cold outside. He had gathered the best straw and twigs to make it and when he was finished, it looked like a work of art. He laid in it for a bit before heading over to Snoopy's house to show him what he had built. Snoopy was laying on top of his doghouse as he usually did when Woodstock landed on his stomach to tell him about his new nest. Snoopy yawned and stretched and followed his little friend to the tree he lived at. When they got there, Woodstock was shocked to find that his nest was gone!
The bird was crying uncontrollably. Snoopy did some thinking. This had happened before. Sally had taken Woodstock's nest, thinking it was a prehistoric nest, for her science experiment. Thinking she did it again, he went to his owner's house and kicked on the door (that's how Snoopy usually knocked). Charlie Brown answered it.
"Snoopy, it's not time for your supper yet," he said, thinking Snoopy was wanting his supper early. But, for once, that wasn't the case. Snoopy handed Charlie Brown a note.
"Woodstock's nest is missing?" he said, shocked. "And you think Sally did it because she had done it before?! Oh good grief! Come on in. We'll get to the bottom of this." And Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and an angry Woodstock went to see Sally.
"Hey, big brother," she greeted. "What's going on?"
"Sally, you don't have another science experiment going on, do you?" asked Charlie Brown.
"No, thankfully," said Sally. "We won't have one for another couple of months."
"Well Woodstock's nest ended up missing again."
"Well I didn't take it. Not this time."
Woodstock started angrily chirping at Sally, who recoiled in shock. "Snoopy, get your friend away from me!" she yelled. Snoopy managed to restrain Woodstock.
Finally Sally said, "I'm telling you the truth! I never touched your dumb nest! I learned my lesson from last time!"
"Well someone took his nest, Sally," said Charlie Brown. "Well, Snoopy, ol' pal, it looks like Budget and Beagle has another case to solve. I'll give Lucy a call."
A little while later, Lucy and Snoopy was going over the scene at the tree where Woodstock's nest was located. They were looking for any clues to where it was taken.
"Well, beagle, we should start looking for footprints in the ground," suggested Lucy. And both of them were searching for any kind of footprints leading away from the tree where the nest was. Snoopy found some prints that looked like Woodstock's, but bigger. He pointed them out to Lucy.
"Well, we may have found the suspect," said Lucy. "Let's follow them and see where they lead."
Lucy and Snoopy followed the footprints over to a weird-looking tree that was fat in the middle of its trunk. On one of the branches was Woodstock's nest, still intact. But inside the nest was a huge bird named Dolph, who was a bully to all the other birds, Woodstock included. The detective team figured Dolph would take Woodstock's nest for his own so he wouldn't have to build his own nest.
"Hey, you fat fowl!" yelled Lucy. "That's my partner's friend's nest! You give it back or else!" The bird looked at Lucy and started laughing. Snoopy managed to knock the bird out of the nest when he wasn't paying attention. The other birds noticed that Dolph was out. After Lucy and Snoopy left to return the nest to Woodstock, the other birds surrounded Dolph. In spite of pleas in the form of worried chirping from Dolph, the birds extracted their revenge on the bully.
A grateful Woodstock hugged Snoopy and shook Lucy's hand. Sally was also relieved that she was exonerated.
"It was a bully bird named Dolph who took Woodstock's nest, Sally," Lucy explained. "According to Snoopy, this bird has been a problem since the day he arrived."
"Well I'm just glad I'm in the clear," said Sally. "Thanks for finding the culprit."
"No problem," said Lucy, who then left for home.
Later that night, as Snoopy was sleeping on his house, he was awaken by a battered Dolph, dragging a suitcase. It was obvious that the other birds, after beating him to a pulp, told him to leave town and never come back. Dolph was more than happy to oblige that request after getting his tail-feathers handed to him!
CASE CLOSED