Percy’s Case of the Vanishing Goalposts
On Saturday morning, the goalposts have disappeared! Time for the Football Detectives.
On Saturday morning, Percy arrived at Cherry Lane Pitch with a football under one arm. But something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The goalposts had vanished!
‘Who would steal goalposts?’ said Rani. Percy took out a notebook and magnifying glass. ‘Time for the Football Detectives,’ he said. ‘First, we need clues.’
They looked at the grass. There were two big dents where the goalposts had stood. And next to them, Percy found wheel tracks in the mud. ‘Aha,’ he said, writing it down.
‘Perhaps it was a sneaky fox!’ said Rani. Percy shook his head. ‘The tracks go this way,’ he said, pointing at the path. The detectives followed them past the swings and the old oak tree.
They crept up to the little shed behind the pavilion. The door was open a crack. A strange sound came from inside. Scrape, scrape, scrape. Rani gulped. ‘Ready?’ whispered Percy.
They pushed the door open. Inside was Enzo the elephant, the groundskeeper, holding a paintbrush! And there, laid out on the floor, were the goalposts, gleaming with fresh white paint.
‘Surprise!’ said Enzo. ‘The big match is tomorrow. I wanted the goalposts to be sparkling clean.’ Percy burst out laughing. Rani laughed too. The mystery was solved!
They helped Enzo carry the goalposts back to the pitch and set them up. The Football Detectives had solved their first case. ‘And now,’ said Percy, ‘who wants to play?’
The little lesson
When something puzzles you, look for clues and ask questions before you decide.
Let’s talk about it
- Which clue helped the detectives most?
- What do you think the surprise was for?
Finish stories to collect Percy as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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Theo’s Goal That Wasn’t
Theo scores a goal that no one saw was wrong. What would you do?
Leo’s Brave Little Goalkeeper
Leo is scared of the ball flying at the goal. Can a brave heart help?
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