The Christmas Lights Mix-Up

On the morning before Christmas, Pip and Nella Mouse woke to the smell of warm cinnamon bread. Their family lived in a snug home behind the wall of Pinecone Bakery. Outside, soft snow covered Mousewood Village.

That evening, everyone would gather for the Christmas Light Walk. The library, bakery, little houses, and tall pine tree in the square would all shine with tiny lights. Pip and Nella had an important job. They had to carry four boxes of lights from the bakery attic to the village square.

“Read each label,” Mama Mouse reminded them. “Every string belongs in a special place.”

The first box said LIBRARY ARCH. The second said BAKERY WINDOW. The third said VILLAGE TREE. The last said FRONT DOORS.

Pip stacked the boxes on a small wooden cart. Nella pulled while Pip pushed. They had almost reached the door when the cart bumped over a lump in the floor.

Bump! The boxes slid off the cart. Their paper labels flew into a bowl of flour.

Pip sneezed. “Achoo! Now the labels are all mixed up.”

For a moment, both young mice stared at the four tangled strings. Then Nella took a slow breath. “We can still solve this. Let’s look for clues.”