Sophie Was Blamed for Ruining Christmas — Then the Living Room Camera Showed the Real Culprit Had Four Paws
Chapter 1 — The Christmas Disaster
Little Sophie was sobbing beside the Christmas tree when Michael rushed into the living room.
Broken ornaments covered the floor.
A string of lights hung crookedly from the lower branches.
Several wrapped presents had been pushed aside.
And near the center of the mess lay Grandpa Richard’s favorite ornament.
A delicate glass music note.
Broken into three pieces.
Richard stood beside the tree, furious.
“I told her not to touch it.”
Sophie shook her head desperately.
“I didn’t!”
Michael knelt beside his daughter.
“Sophie, tell me the truth.”
“I didn’t do it.”
Richard crossed his arms.
“She was the only child in the room.”
Sophie cried harder.
“I was upstairs.”
Michael looked around.
Then remembered the small security camera mounted above the television.
It faced almost the entire living room.
“Then we’ll check.”
Richard sighed.
“Michael—”
“If she did it, we’ll know.”
He opened the recording on his phone.
The footage showed the Christmas tree standing peacefully.
No Sophie.
No one else.
Then a gray-and-white cat walked into view.
Milo.
Richard went silent.
Milo stared up at the lower branches.
His tail twitched.
Then he jumped.
One paw caught a strand of silver ribbon.
The ribbon tightened around a branch.
Milo panicked.
He pulled backward.
The lower half of the tree shook violently.
Three ornaments fell.
Then the glass music note dropped.
Crash.
Sophie looked up through her tears.
Michael paused the video.
Richard stared at the floor.
“Oh.”
Sophie whispered:
“I told you.”
Michael put an arm around her.
The real culprit had four paws.
But as Michael began collecting the broken glass, he noticed something strange.
The shattered music-note ornament wasn’t empty.
A tiny folded piece of paper had been hidden inside it.
