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2 Gobbledygook Original Short Stories and Articles for Students in the ntermediate Grades The Dog Detective

3 The Dog Detective t had been almost twentyfour hours since Kayla had last seen her dog, Goldie. They had been walking together in a large, wooded park when Kayla turned around to realize that the canine was missing. Goldie! Kayla had shouted throughout the park for hours. Even so, Goldie didn t appear. This isn t like Goldie. She always comes to me when call, said Kayla. Gradually, it became dark and Kayla much distraught had no choice but to go home for the night. However, today is a new day. Kayla is determined to either find Goldie, or at the very least find out what has happened to her. She parked her car at the entrance to the park just like the day before, and slung her backpack over one shoulder. Time to locate my dog, said Kayla, as she walked into the woods for the second day in a row. Kayla trekked for about an hour roughly the same period of time she and Goldie had done so the day before. As she walked, she repeatedly belted out her dog s name. Goldie! she yelled. Come here, girl! But, she received no response. After that first hour, she came up to a small creek that dissected the park for a mile in both directions. Briefly, she looked at her reflection in the trickling water. Her shoulderlength, brown hair was hastily combed this morning. She had dressed in the first set of clean clothes she could find. After all, her concern was far more about locating her dog not how she looked. As she gazed intently at her reflection, Kayla noticed that the creek was actually home to a lot of fish. n fact, there was aquatic life of different colors and sizes. Maybe one of these fish will know what has happened to Goldie, said Kayla to herself. Wasting no more time, the worried Kayla quickly rolled up the sleeve to her shirt and plunged her hand right into the clear water of the stream. After some early struggles and misses, she eventually pulled a very surprised and wiggling fish into the air. She held it tightly in her grasp. Now, she was getting somewhere. What s the idea! shrieked the fish. t was blue in color, with speckles of orange hues on its fins. You put me back in the water this instant! The fish kept resisting. You know, m poisonous. f you dare try to eat me, you will surely get very sick! Relax, said Kayla, as she tried to avoid the drops of icy, cold water the wiggling fish was flicking all over the place. don t want to eat you. m just looking for information. promise. Almost at once, the animal stopped thrashing, and Kayla turned it sideways so that she could look into one of its eyes whilst they spoke. Well, why didn t you say so? asked the fish. have to say, thought was one dead fish. My name is Reginald. What sort of info do you need? m looking for my beloved dog, said Kayla. A Golden Retriever. Her name is Goldie. was walking with her in this park yesterday and lost her. Well, the name isn t very original. Still, m very sorry to hear that, said the fish. But, haven t heard anything about your dog. Animals come and go in this park. Some stay for a while. Some live here forever. But, usually not dogs. The canines like to be with humans for some odd reason. Go figure. Would any of your fellow fish have seen or heard about Goldie?

4 Probably not, replied the fish with a frown. We spend most of our time under the water. We don t interact with the other animals too often. Reginald thought for a second. f were you, would ask the robins over by Red Rock Cliff. They see everything in these woods from above. Thanks, said Kayla. She gently placed Reginald back in the water and watched him hurriedly swim away. know just where that cliff is located. Goldie and had a nice picnic there once. As Kayla hiked to the cliff, she started to worry about Goldie even more. The dog was the one friend who was always there for her. Goldie had been right by Kayla s side during many of her life s ups and downs. She just had to find her beloved dog. When Kayla reached Red Rock Cliff, she gazed upward at the striking dark crimson stone that seemed to shoot up out of the ground at this spot for no reason whatsoever. She also noticed the many nests at the cliff s apex. That must be where the robins live, she said to herself. Robins! am here to do you no harm! m looking for a friend! Will you help me? Kayla waited for a minute or so, and then a group of three robins dove from the cliff tops and glided down to perch in a nearby tree. Kayla walked over to the tree to look up to them. She had always thought robins were beautiful birds. She loved the vibrant red underbellies they had, and the enchanting songs they would sing each spring. These three birds were in the midst of having a heated discussion at first, but then quieted down rather swiftly. Why have you come here? asked the robin in the middle. He had a very stern voice. Well, began Kayla. Like said, plan you no harm. m just looking for my dog. She went missing in these woods yesterday. The robins again whispered to each other. The bird on the left spoke next. Perhaps your dog has decided to live here in the forest. t s a very nice place for animals to live. Kayla shook her head. We are best friends. don t think that would happen. Goldie is a good dog. The robins conversed more. Kayla tried to overhear them, but couldn t. Then, a fourth robin swooped down to the tree from the red cliffs above. t seems Chauncey, here, has some good news for you. Kayla looked at the newest robin to join the group. As you may know, we robins see everything in the forest. We have quite the view. Kayla nodded in agreement. Today, just before sunup, overheard two deer talking while they ate berries from bushes near the old caves on the other side of the creek. They seemed to think they had an uninvited guest in one of the caves and didn t know what to do about the situation. Each time they came near the cave to investigate, the thing inside growled so loudly that they were too afraid to get any closer. Could that be your dog? Kayla thought for a moment. Could be, she said. But, why would she be growling? She s really just a very sweet Golden Retriever. The birds shrugged. n what direction do go in order to find the caves? The birds pointed westward. Thank you so much, dear robins. You ve been helpful. Kayla practically dashed to the caves. When she got there, she was amazed at what she saw. Goldie was in one of the caves alright, and had given birth to a litter of puppies! Kayla had once read that dogs will often go off to hide when they re ready to give birth. didn t even know you were going to have puppies! said Kayla, as she hugged her dog. Lying on her side, exhausted, Goldie wagged her tail, while the newly-born litter nursed. Let s go ahead and get all of you back home, said Kayla.

5 S Review Questions: 1. Of these statements, what is the most likely reason Kayla chose to stop looking for her dog when it became dark on the first night? A. She doubted that she could search for Goldie very well in the dark and decided she better wait for the sun to come up. B. She knew the forest would be more dangerous in the dark, as nocturnal animals woke up for the night and began to prowl. C. Some animals warned her not to go into the woods in the dark because she might get lost and never find her way back out. D. No person is allowed in the park after sunset. The park rangers might arrest Kayla if she stayed around to look for Goldie. 2. What is the meaning of the word determined, as used in paragraph 3? A. Uncertain. B. Weak. C. Strong-minded. D. Cowardly. 3. Why don t the fish interact with the other animals of the forest? A. They re private animals and like to keep to themselves. B. The animals of the forest are always trying to catch and eat them. C. The other animals don t like to get wet, and so they try to stay away from the fish. D. The fish have to spend all of their time underwater and merely never get a chance to talk to other animals. 4. Which of these statements about the story is an opinion? A. Kayla would do anything to find Goldie. B. The robins suggest that the dog might be near the caves that are found on the other side of the creek. C. Chauncey heard some deer talking about a stranger in one of the caves. D. n the past, Kayla once had a picnic with Goldie at Red Rock Cliff. 5. Why did Goldie run off in the forest the day before? A. She was scared Kayla might hurt her. B. She wanted to make friends with other animals before going back home. C. She had to find a secluded place to give birth to her puppies. D. She wanted to go swimming in the creek. 6. An antonym for the word practically, as used in the last paragraph, would be A. almost. B. nearly. C. just about. D. barely. 7. What happened before Kayla hiked to Red Rock Cliff? A. She discovered Goldie had a secret. B. She talked to the robins. C. She talked to Reginald. D. She trekked to the caves. 8. This story is mainly about A. a crime. B. a strong friendship. C. an adventure. D. a crisis. 9. What do the robins suggest that might have happened to Goldie? A. A bear might have gotten her and that she will never be found. B. She might have drowned in the creek or fallen from the cliffs. C. She could have become a slave of the evil emperor of the forest. D. She might have decided to simply run off and live in the forest. 10. Which word means the same as swooped from the story sentence below?...a fourth robin swooped down to the tree from the red cliffs above. A. Dived. B. Floated. C. Sprinted. D. Hopped.

6 Bonus Activity: Synonym String f your students enjoy the following word puzzle, and you would like to use it more, you're in luck! The full Synonym String digital download has 101 of these challenging puzzles, each with a different group of linked synonyms from which to choose! This allows you to use a Get the Full Download on TPT new puzzle each and every day. Yay!

7 Synonym String Challenge: Complete the string of synonyms for the word hot by using the given bank of letters. #1 E R S H L W T O R Z S L R Y B T L N H T E D F A G B R N G N O L G Y Letter Bank: A A B D E E E E F G L L M N N N O R R R S S T T T U V Z Z Synonym String Challenge: Complete the string of synonyms for the word hot by using the given bank of letters. #1 E R S H L W T O R Z S L R Y B T L N H T E D F A G B R N G N O L G Y Letter Bank: A A B D E E E E F G L L M N N N O R R R S S T T T U V Z Z