- Written by PursuitPrimal (10 years old) & rsPajamas (7 years old)

Once upon a time, in a cozy house on Mountain Sage Drive, lived two brothers named Henry and Andy. They had a big backyard which was a magical place filled with a garden with colorful flowers, vegetables, and towering trees. Inspired by the famous nursery rhyme “An Apple a day keeps the doctor away” the two little brothers harbored a fondness for apples and dreamt of growing an apple plant in their backyard. The two brothers knew exactly how to make their dream come true. They showed their best behavior throughout the holiday season, won their parents’ hearts, and requested an apple tree as their desired reward when the opportunity arose. Daddy got an apple tree from the nursery that already has small apples. When these two sidekicks finished planting the tree with dad. Andy told Henry, “I bet these would be the juiciest apples in the whole neighborhood”.

One sunny spring morning, as the boys were playing in the yard, they noticed something unusual. The apples on their beloved apple tree had bite marks on them! "Who could be eating our apples?" wondered Henry.

The next day, Andy checked the apples before going to school and he found more apples with nibbled edges. Andy couldn’t stop thinking about it and suddenly screamed with a frustration in his voice “Okay, that’s it,” while mom was driving the boys to their schools.  Mom asked “What’s the matter”?  Henry replied, “a thief is eating apples from our tree, mommy, and Andy and I are sad.” “He found more apples that were half eaten.” Andy added. Mom suggested, “Why don’t you boys apply your detective skills and find out who that is?”. The boys agreed and decided to investigate over the weekend.

Time flew by with weekday school works. early morning on Saturday, Andy and Henry shoved down the breakfast quickly and then climbed up the ladder and sat in the treehouse, waiting patiently to catch the thief. Time passes but no one shows up. Humming birds are drinking nectar from the birdfeed that mom hung, butterflies are hopping on flowers, and the love birds are chirping, but – nope, no one came out to steal the apples. The two young detectives lost their patience. How long they can wait, right? – they are just two kids. However, Henry and Andy got plenty of time to share with each other what was going on at their schools.

During lunch time, Henry asked, “Dad, who could be the thief, eating our apples?”. Dad nodded his head, “No idea”. Then mom, added, “How about two of you camp in the backyard and guard the apples”. “You never know the thief might be a nocturnal and show up at night, while you sleep.” Andy got excited! Henry asked mom and dad ‘Will you both be watching us through the window if we camp out?” “I don’t want to get eaten by a coyote”, with a thrilled and nervous voices, Henry added. Mom and dad happily agreed to the deal to watch them through the windows.

Andy has been camping since he was 6 years old and enjoying the nature with his 3 years old little brother. Camping in backyard sounds fun.  With high enthusiasm, they set up the tent as the evening golden sun was setting. They brought their two favorite toys: two staffed animals. Andy’s dog named ‘Max’, and Henry’s wolf named ‘Rocky’. While Henry brought some crackers, Andy got two bottles of apple juice. As soon as the sun set, they both started waiting to find out who the thief is, who is enjoying the sweetest apples without their permission from their very favorite apple plant, and from their own backyard. Henry whispered to Andy “why waiting makes time go s..u..p..e..r s..l..o..w?”

Before he finishes the extended tone, they heard noise in the dry leaves which sounded like a lizard is running through the leaves. Henry looked at Andy and asked, “Is our thief a lizard or snake?”. Andy who is only 10 years old but watched all Sir David Attenborough’s shows and read couple of dozen books on nature knows all about animals, reptiles, and birds. He confidently replied, “Nope, the lizards we have in our backyard sleep at night, but it might be a snake”.

 From the tent, while they were peeking through the window and waiting eagerly, the mystery thief made its appearance. To their surprise, they saw a tiny, furry thief in action—a little mouse! Ha ha. The mouse was sneaking up the tree and munching on a sweet apple. Henry and Andy exchanged glances, unsure of what to do for several seconds. They smiled facing each other and turning back and forth to the apple tree and the mouse. The cutest thief one can ever imagine.  

 While two youngest detectives were delighted with joy by resolving the mystery, mom hollered “dinner is ready”.. Without thinking twice, the boys opened the tent zipper, and ran into the house like ‘The Flash’. Super excitedly, Andy and Henry shared about their discovery with mom and dad. Parents are super happy to hear the news. “Mystery solved”, said dad. “Since you already found out who the thief is, bring Max and Rocky back and sleep in your room?”, asked mom.

After dinner, Henry and Andy went back to the tent to get Max and Rocky for bedtime. Suddenly, Henry’s eyes got stationary and became bigger. Andy asked “What? Did you see a ghost? If so, mom said ghosts are not real”. Henry shushed Andy, “Look”. They both looked at the tent and saw the little mouse is in the tent. Apparently, when they went for the dinner, the boys forgot to close the tent zipper with in excitements and the mouse smelled the crackers. With a blink of an eye, the mouse ran away as soon as it saw Andy and Henry.

 Kind hearted Henry and Andy didn't want to harm the little thief. So, they came up with a plan. They got few apple slices from inside of the house and decided to leave at the base of the apple tree for the mouse, hoping it would satisfy its cravings and leave their tree and the baby apples alone. Aha..what a long day, but hey, they solved the mystery that was keeping them up at night. Time for a sound sleep on a tucked in bed.

 The mouse was a clever one. It didn't just stop at the apples. It ventured into the side yard where they had a decompose bin. Andy and Henry found the little thief also enjoyed nibbling on the leftover veggies and fruits. It even discovered a little pumpkin in the corner, taking tiny bites out of it. The two little brothers couldn't help but be fascinated by the mouse's ingenuity and courage. They decided to name it "Muncher" because of its love for munching on tasty treats.

 Days turned into weeks, and Muncher became regular visitors to their backyard. Henry and Andy even set up a tiny picnic area for their little friend, complete with crumbs of cheese, bits of bread, and of course, apples. Instead of feeling upset about their stolen apples, the brothers looked forward to seeing Muncher every day.

 One day, while climbing down from the treehouse, Henry spotted a hole between two rocks on the landscaping edge. It looked like a cave. “Is that Muncher’s house”, said Henry. Andy replied, “Looks like”. In a mystic way, they saw Muncher and two baby mouses close to the cave’s opening. “Muncher is full of surprises”, said Andy.

 Andy and Henry would now watch from their treehouse as Muncher nibbled away, his little cheeks puffed with food that he was bringing to its little baby mouses. Occasionally, Muncher would bring the babies for a stroll and have a snack stop at the apple tree.

One chilly autumn evening, as the leaves turned golden and the air grew crisp, Henry and Andy sat in their treehouse, sipping warm apple cider. Muncher scampered up, carrying an apple slice in its tiny paws. It offered it to the brothers as if to say, "Thank you for sharing with us." Henry and Andy couldn't help but smile. They realized that sometimes, even a little thief could become a treasured friend.  

From that day on, their backyard felt cozier and more magical than ever, all thanks to their tiny, furry visitors, Muncher, and its family. And the apples they shared tasted even sweeter, knowing they were enjoyed by the most delightful little thieves in their backyard.