Who Stole the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?

Milo waited all morning for his baby brother to take a nap. He had something big planned for when Mama was busy rocking him to sleep.

“Mama, I think baby Andrew is tired. Take him to bed,” Milo said after breakfast.

“Not quite yet,” Mama told him.

Milo eyed the cookie jar on top of the counter. Mama noticed, and pushed the jar as far back as it could go. 

“Okay. I’m just going to go play in the playroom,” Milo announced.

He zoomed down the hallway, and jumped through the second doorway on the left. Milo pulled an empty backpack off the toy shelf and started filling it with his plastic tools. He packed up a saw, a wrench, a hammer, a measuring tape, and a screwdriver. He tossed some plastic screws and bolts into the small front pocket, then closed all the zippers on his pack.

Rascal, the family’s big brown dog, slipped through the doorway. Tail wagging, he stopped to sniff Milo’s backpack. 

“Hey, don’t sniff my backpack, you silly dog. I’m getting ready for a mission. You can come with me, later,” Milo giggled.

He reached up and scratched behind Rascal’s ears. The pup licked Milo’s face, then curled up on the big, fluffy dog bed in the corner.

“Don’t sleep too long, Rascal. We’ve got an important mission,” Milo reminded him.

He scanned the toy shelves for the rest of his supplies. His eyes zeroed in on the bin of dress up clothes. Milo pulled the bin off the shelf and dumped the contents on the floor.

He rummaged through the costumes until he found the bright orange construction vest. He slid his arms through the openings on the sides, pulled the front flaps over his belly, and fastened the Velcro down his front.

Milo reached into the pile of dress ups and pulled out a tool belt. He buckled it across his hips. Then he picked up his binoculars and a magnifying glass and shoved each item into a pocket on his belt. He put his backpack on his back, and clipped the chest strap together.

Milo placed a pirate hat on top of his head, and slid a pair of sunglasses over his nose, and then he was ready.  Or, so he thought. Milo noticed the flashlight on the tippy top of the toy shelf, and knew it would be essential to his mission.

There was just one problem. Milo couldn’t reach the flashlight. He stood on tiptoe, and stretched his arm as far as it would go. It still wasn’t enough. Milo needed to find a solution-fast. He pulled both of the cushions off the couch and stacked them in front of the toy shelf. Milo stepped up onto the cushions, and with tiptoes, was able to grasp the flashlight. He stashed it in the last empty pocket of his tool belt. 

Milo rushed to put the cushions back on the couch. Mama didn’t like when he tried to reach for things on top of the shelf, and he didn’t want her to see the evidence of what he’d done. He got the second cushion into place just in time. Mama poked her head in one second later.

“You look like you’re ready for action,” she said.

“I’m pretending I’m going on a mission,” Milo told her.

“Andrew is ready for his nap. It might take me a little while to get him down. Would you like to watch a show while I’m doing that?” Mama asked.

“Yeah!” Milo said.

“Do you want to take your gear off?” Mama wondered.

Milo shook his head, but did remove his sunglasses. He followed Mama down to the family room. Rascal came bounding down the hallway after them.

“Rascal, you’re in charge until I come back down,” Mama joked as she turned on Milo’s favorite show.

Milo sat on the ottoman. Rascal curled up next to his feet. Milo listened as Mama carried Andrew up to the nursery. When her footsteps stopped, he knew she must be rocking his brother. He turned down the volume on the tv, then crept to the hallway and peeked down. Milo pulled his flashlight out and shined it on all the shadows. When he was certain the coast was clear, he put his flashlight away and tiptoed to the kitchen.

He pulled out his binoculars and held them up to his eyes. He scanned the counter, searching for the cookie jar. It was exactly where it had been last time he was in the kitchen- in the far back corner, next to the fridge. 

Through his binoculars, Milo also saw that his cat, Freckles was lounging on top of the fridge. Freckles spent most of his days hiding, either underneath the furniture, or up high. He was old, and somewhat grouchy. Freckles wasn’t a fan of baby Andrew and all his screams and screeches. He preferred to stay out of reach.

Milo stood on his tiptoes and reached for the cookie jar. He couldn’t get to it, even when he stretched his arm as far as it would go. He pulled out his magnifying glass and studied the counter. He was surprised at how many crumbs were visible through the lens.

Milo brushed the crumbs on the floor just as Rascal came wandering by. Tail wagging, he licked the crumbs right up.

“Good boy, Rascal. Now, if you sit and be quiet, I’ll share the cookies with you when I get them down,” Milo promised. 

Rascal sat immediately upon hearing the command. Milo reached into the pocket that held the measuring tape and pulled it out. He spread the tape out on the counter and found that it was the exact length of the space between the fridge and the sink. 

Milo had a brilliant idea. He tied one end of the measuring tape into a loop. Maybe he could lasso the cookie jar! Milo practiced throwing the lasso in the opposite direction of the counter. It seemed easy enough. 

From his perch on top of the fridge, Freckles flicked his tail. His eyes were glued to the lasso. He was old, and he was grumpy, but every once in a while, something made him feel like pouncing.

Milo tried one more practice throw before turning to the cookie jar. He swung the rope in a circle in front of him. Freckles sat up, tail twitching. Milo threw the lasso at the jar, just as Freckles leaped off the fridge. When he landed, he knocked into the cookie jar, sending it rolling off the counter. Freckles scurried away. The cookie jar landed with a thud. The lid popped open, and all the cookies spilled out. 

Milo stood in shock. Rascal swooped in and ate up all the cookies. He didn’t leave any for Milo. Not even a crumb. 

Once the shock of such a betrayal wore off, he quickly came to his senses. Milo picked up the jar and the pieces of the broken lid. He set them on the counter. Then he shoved his measuring tape into his tool belt, and sat back down on the ottoman in front of his show. Mama appeared a few minutes later.

“Is everything okay down here? I thought I heard a crash,” she said

“Freckles jumped off the fridge and knocked the cookie jar down and it fell to the floor and broke. Then Rascal ate ALL the cookies. He was so fast I couldn’t stop him. But don’t worry, Mama. I put the pieces back on the counter,” Milo told her.

“Oh, Rascal, you really are a rascal. I hope you don’t get a tummy ache,” Mama scolded.

She turned to Milo and patted his back.

“Would you like to make some new cookies? I think we have time before Andrew wakes up,” she asked.

Milo nodded. He couldn’t believe his good luck. He promised himself that he would never try something so sneaky ever again. He hadn’t been caught this time, but next time, he probably would be.