It was a bright and breezy morning in Sunpatch Park, the perfect day for a picnic. Under a big shady tree, four animal friends were spreading out a colorful blanket. Lila, the cheerful squirrel with a backpack full of snacks, placed a big basket on the grass. “Ta-da!” she beamed. “I packed everything we love—fruit, sandwiches, cookies, and my famous nut butter crackers!” Zuzu, a fast-talking bluebird who was always full of energy, zipped through the air, doing tiny loops. “Ooh! My tummy is rumbling like thunder!” she chirped. Milo, the clever raccoon and self-declared detective, placed his hat on his head and gave a proud nod. “Picnic detectives are ready to munch!” And just as Toby, the quiet but smart turtle, settled down slowly onto the blanket with a smile, his face suddenly changed. “Uh… guys?” he said softly, blinking in confusion. “Where’s the basket?” Everyone froze. Lila spun around. “What?! I just put it down right here!” But the basket had vanished. No food. No basket. No cookie crumbs. Just empty grass. Zuzu flapped frantically. “This is a snack emergency! Someone call the crumb cops!” Milo stood up straight and dusted off his paws. “This sounds like... a mystery,” he said in his most serious voice. “Don’t worry, everyone. Detective Milo is on the case!” The group jumped to action. “Let’s start at the scene of the snack,” said Milo. “Where exactly did you put the basket, Lila?” Lila pointed. “Right next to the blanket! I remember because I lined it up with the corner.” Toby nodded. “I saw it right before I sat down.” Zuzu zipped low to the ground. “So that means... the basket disappeared while we were distracted!” “Time for clues!” announced Milo. He crouched low, inspecting the grass with a magnifying glass. “Tiny paw prints,” he whispered. “More than one set. Hmm…” Zuzu swooped in from above. “And crumbs!” she said, landing near a trail of little cookie bits. Lila gasped. “That’s my peanut butter crunch! Someone’s been snacking!” The four friends followed the trail, weaving past bushes, trees, and a park bench. The crumbs led them behind a big leafy shrub near the playground. “Wait,” Toby whispered. “Do you hear that?” Everyone paused. There was laughing... and chewing? Peeking through the leaves, they spotted a group of tiny chipmunks sitting in a circle, giggling and munching happily. And in the middle of their picnic? Lila’s basket! “Best sandwiches ever!” said one chipmunk, licking peanut butter off his paws. “And these crackers? Crunchy gold!” Zuzu puffed up. “Mystery solved! Snack-nappers!” she whispered. But Milo gently held her back. “Wait, let’s talk first. We don’t want to scare them.” The friends stepped out together. “Hi chipmunks,” Milo said kindly. “That’s our picnic basket. Did you find it?” One of the chipmunks looked surprised. “Oh no! We didn’t know it belonged to anyone. It was just sitting there under the tree. We thought it was a park treat!” Lila blinked. “But I only left it alone for a minute!” “We’re sorry,” said another chipmunk. “We didn’t mean to take something that wasn’t ours. We were just soooo hungry...” Toby smiled gently. “That’s okay. We’re just glad the basket didn’t disappear forever.” Zuzu flapped her wings. “And we still have food left. How about we share—for real this time?” The chipmunks squeaked with joy. “Really? Thank you!” Back under the tree, everyone sat together and shared the picnic. The chipmunks even performed a little silly dance to say thank you, which made everyone laugh so hard they dropped their sandwiches. Lila passed out extra crackers, Toby told a story about a time he accidentally ate a leaf instead of lettuce, and Zuzu started balancing grapes on her beak. Milo leaned back against the tree and grinned. “Mystery solved,” he said. “The basket wasn’t stolen. It just made new friends on the way.” Lila giggled. “Next time, I’m tying it to my tail!” Toby added, “Or we could write a note that says ‘This is not a park snack.’” Zuzu flapped her wings proudly. “Or I could sit on it like a feathery alarm system!” As the sun dipped lower and the breeze picked up, the friends packed up the basket—this time holding onto it tightly—and waved goodbye to their new chipmunk pals. It turned out to be the best picnic ever… and the yummiest mystery they’d ever solved.