Chapter 3

Chapter 3 What is it?" asked Sugar, sitting behind her sister. "A polar bear? A lion? A shark?" Dirt and Sugar had a clear view from a tree limb about fifteen feet above the ground. "The box is in the shade, and whatever is inside the box, it's kind of grayish, so I can't make it out. But I don't think it's big enough to be a polar bear or a lion. And, well... I'm pretty sure we can rule out a shark in a box." "Sharks can be gray," said Sugar. "And we haven't observed long enough to rule anything out just yet. KEEP AN OPEN MIND!"

"I'm ruling out shark," said Dirt. "Suit yourself. What is the not-a-shark doing?" asked Sugar impatiently. "I can see a flash of white and what I think is a food bowl. I think it's chewing," said Dirt, her binoculars trained on the box. "Write that down," said Sugar. Dirt lowered her binoculars and picked up the observation log. A few seconds went by. "What's it doing now?" asked Sugar.

Dirt picked her binoculars back up. "Chewing," she said. "Write that down," said Sugar. Dirt lowered her binoculars and picked up the observation log. A few seconds went by. "What's it doing now?" asked Sugar. Dirt picked her binoculars back up. "Chewing," she repeated. "Write that down," said Sugar. "Sharks chew. Are you sure it's not a shark?" "Wouldn't it be easier if I just tell you what I see and you write it down in the log?" said Dirt. "No one said surveillance was easy, kid," answered Sugar. "If I do all the work, how will you learn anything?" Dirt shook her head and turned her attention back to the binoculars. "It stopped chewing," announced Dirt. "Write that down," said Sugar. "Every detail is important."

Sugar and Dirt sat in silence for a minute. Then Sugar took out her own binoculars and focused on the box. "Time to call it a day, kid. Three minutes is up." "I'm still not sure three minutes is enough time to really observe something and gather information," said Dirt. Sugar turned around, her mouth full of marshmallows. "Forget the time!" she mumbled. "Let me see the log." She read Dirt's entries out loud: Watching the creature, Chewing, chewing, chewing, stop. I like carrots, too.

Watching the creature, Hopping, hopping, hopping, stop. Are you dangerous? "I bring you to your first stakeout and you spend all your time writing poetry?" Sugar slammed the observation log closed. "It was an accident," said Dirt. "Poetry is never an accident, kid," replied Sugar. Dirt opened her beak to say something, and then she changed her mind. "I don't want to embarrass you in front of the squad," said Sugar, lowering her voice, "but I didn't see the hopping you claim to have seen in your log. You might want to take that part out before we report back to headquarters."

"You may have been napping," said Dirt. "Happens on surveillance all the time, kid." Sugar chuckled. "Especially the long ones." Dirt stared at Sugar for a moment and then packed up her binoculars and observation log. She waited until her sister was out of earshot. "Three minutes," she muttered to herself. "Three minutes!"