Beak & Paw Detectives. Nataliya Bogoluibova

ck hadn't slept much and felt completely exhausted. The Detective Agency “Beak and Paw” was located in Jaipur, a very noisy and chaotic Indian city, where the claxons of tuk-tuks can be deafening.

      “I don't like mornings, especially if they start with trouble sprinkled with circus glitter,” grumbled the peacock.

      “What happened to you? Mornings are bliss! Quiet and cool, and the streets are empty. It's much easier to solve crimes. No fuss, no gawkers. I love India in the morning!” said Raja the chipmunk.

      “The monkeys woke me up! They were fighting over a mango that had fallen from a tree. I had to separate the brawlers!” groaned Krish. “There's an emergency at the circus! Donut the elephant has been kidnapped!”

      “We finally have a new case! It's as big as an elephant!” cried the chipmunk.

      “Why is Barry the parrot late? There's no time to lose! I have a bad feeling about this,” said the peacock.

      “Barry must have overslept again. Come on, we can handle this ourselves!”

      “No, let’s wait for him. We need an interpreter to question the witnesses. Barry knows Hindi, the language of the locals.”

      The door swung open. A disheveled parrot flew into the room.

      “Hi! A thousand pardons! I went to buy some peanuts and had to wait in line for half an hour!” said Barry.

      “Peanuts? I'll fire you someday!” Krish was outraged.

      “Well, I didn't waste time. I talked to the meerkat acrobats in the shop and learnt something important about our case! And what did you find out?” Barry asked. “Have you questioned the clown?”

      “Why should we?” asked Krish.

      The parrot shook his head in confusion and disbelief.

      

      “Have you missed the news? The whole street has been buzzing like a disturbed beehive since this morning. Friends, you are a few steps behind me in the investigation!” exclaimed the parrot.

      “What?” Raja cried out. “Tell us!”

      “There was a terrible quarrel between Sparky the clown and the lion cubs. The next morning, the clown's shoes were found chewed and torn. The lion cubs had disappeared from the circus. No one has seen them since. Is there any connection between these two events?”

      “Of course! We have to find it out! Let's have a talk with Amita; she's the one who tells us the circus gossip,” Krish suggested.

      “Shall we go to her house?” Barry asked.

      “Amita must have arrived at the circus by now! Her performance is vital for the morning show. The audience loves the way the girl juggles balls and walks the tightrope!”

      WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO AMITA? IT'S TIME FOR BARRY THE PARROT TO FIND OUT!

      Chapter 2

      Donut’s diary

      

      Not an hour later, the detectives were in the circus.

      “How can we find Donut's dressing room?” asked Raja.

      “His dressing room is the biggest in the circus. I think it won't be hard to find it, but to save time, it's better to ask,” Krish said, approaching a pony with brightly colored ribbons that were braided in its lush mane. “Can you tell me where Donut's room is?”

      “Turn the corner, and the dressing room will be on the left,” answered the pony, galloping away.

      “When we get to Donut's dressing room, be quiet and don't knock!” warned Krish. “The owner is missing. If there is someone in the room, it is better to catch him and ask who he is and how he’s got there.”

      “Amita hasn’t shown up for work today. I’ll go to her house and find out what happened,” said Barry excitedly.

      “Okay, let's split up. Find Amita! We'll take a look at the elephant's dressing room," said the peacock.

      The huge dressing room was full of colorful circus outfits. Giant hoops, balls, and pins were scattered everywhere.

      “What a mess!” Krish marveled. “Look at this gigantic hat! I feel so small compared to it.”

      “What a massive hula-hoop!” Raja exclaimed.

      “Don't waste time! Look for clues,” said Krish.

      “What should I look for?” asked the chipmunk.

      “Weird things that don’t belong here.”

      Raja walked to a large chest by the window. He opened the lid and examined the contents. The chest was almost empty, with two yellow buttons, a fake clown nose, and some silver garlands at the bottom.

      “Well, what is it?” asked the peacock.

      “Nothing important,” said the chipmunk disappointedly.

      “Keep looking.”

      Raja went to the dilapidated wicker basket and looked inside.

      “I think I'm lucky today! It's Donut's diary!” Raja shouted happily. “It might contain clues to his disappearance!”

      Chipmunk opened the diary and muttered, “Oh, it’s like a chicken scratch! Impossible to understand!”

      “Let me see. The last entry in the diary was yesterday. I can't make out what he wrote.”

      “Donut must have been in a hurry,” suggested the chipmunk. “Yeah, it takes a bit of talent to read his scribbles! But I'll try!”

      The lion cubs chewed on someone else's shoes, Only half remaining, their mischief amused. But punishment looms, severe and stern, Yet the cubs prepare for a newfound turn.

      The red wig, once green with anger's flame, Crafts revenge mixtures, magic in its name. Saffron and sandalwood form the base, A brewing scandal, a captivating chase.

      Hidden within our shoes, secrets lie, Stage props kept safe, out of prying eye. Amita dons her red nose, laughing loud, But how dare you disrupt the playful crowd!

      The elephant dances in his hat, in vain, For amusement and jest, a harmless game. Yet my hour nears, revenge shall unfold, No hand-to-hand combat, a different mold.

      Magic weaves like strings for marionettes, The chief instigator reduced to ash, no regrets. A tale of retribution, a lesson learned, In this short verse, a twist unearned.

      “These lines are relevant to our case. The lion cubs chewed the shoes, and some kind of punishment awaited them next,” Krish the peacock said thoughtfully.

      “Who was going to punish them, I wonder? The clown? I can’t believe that! He's supposed to make everyone laugh!”

      “Sparky the clown wears a red wig,” reminded the peacock.

      “That doesn't prove anything. A wig can be stolen and used in such a way that everyone would think it was the clown's fault!”

      “What does sandalwood magic have to do with it? I have a bad feeling about this. What are these revenge mixtures? If magic is involved, then the usual methods of investigation won’t be successful.”

      “I don't know much about magic. You'd have to ask Barry.”

      “What could be hidden in a shoe?”

      “That's for us to find out!”

      “Donut mentions the party. The elephant and Amita were there.”

      “They were dancing and laughing. What went wrong?”

      “The last quatrain really scares me,” muttered the peacock.

      “Marionettes? That’s ridiculous!” exclaimed the chipmunk.

      “Puppets? Dolls? What does Donut mean? How can you explain the last lines of the verse? It sounds frightening.”

      “The elephant must have added it for fun or to rhyme the words,” suggested Raja.

      Krish shook his head incredulously and continued, “I feel that