I sighed as my stomach rumbled loudly. Was there anything at home that I could eat? My eyes lit up as I recalled the jar of cookies that Aunt Sera had bought for my family. Those delicious chocolate chip cookies would satiate my hunger! As I entered the kitchen, my eyebrows lifted in surprise when I regarded the jar on the table. Once an overflowing jar, it was now completely clean and empty! Where had the cookies gone? My eyes narrowed in anger. There was only one suspect in my mind – my brother, Carlos! He must be the culprit! Determined to confront his selfishness, I grabbed the jar and stormed up to his room. “How could you eat all the cookies?” I yelled as I flung his bedroom door open. “What?” he answered, ruffling his hair in bewilderment as he looked up from his book. His eyes widened as his gaze landed on the empty jar. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t even go near the cookies!” he protested. I cocked my head to one side. My brother had a number of negative traits, but a liar he was not. However, if he did not eat the cookies, then who did? Sitting down on his bed, I explained the mystery to him. At the end of it, Carlos was as confused as I was. With no evidence and no suspects, how could we solve this mystery? Just then, the sound of keys jingled from the door. I met my brother’s eyes, knowing that he was thinking the same thing I was. Together we dashed down the stairs, almost barreling into her as she strolled into the house. “Mum,” I began breathlessly, “the cookies that Aunt Sera gave us are all gone!” “Yeah,” Carlos added. “I didn’t eat them, and neither did Adam…do you know what happened to them?” Mum stared at us, before giving a soft laugh. “Oh, those? Unfortunately, Dad didn’t close the jar tightly when he ate one last night. When I checked them this morning, the entire jar was swarming with ants! I had no choice but to throw them all out.” A chorus of “Ohs” emerged from Carlos and me as the puzzle pieces fell into place. Who would have guessed that this was what had happened? At least ‘The Mystery of the Missing Cookies’ was finally solved!