The cold metal of the telescope pressed against Garrett’s eye. *Click, clack.* He adjusted the little knobs with careful fingers. The smell of old paper and peppermint tea filled his bedroom, but Garrett barely noticed. He was on a mission.

Every night at seven o'clock, he checked on the moon. It was his job as the Detective of the Dark. But tonight, when he looked through the glass lens, he saw something terrible. He saw nothing at all.

The sky was a giant bowl of dark blue ink. The stars were there, twinkling like spilled sugar, but the big, bright, round moon was gone. It had simply vanished.

Garrett pulled back from the telescope and frowned. He felt a little wobble in his tummy. The night felt too big without the moon watching over it.

"This is a mystery," he whispered to his stuffed bear, Barnaby. "And I have to solve it."

Garrett grabbed his detective kit. He had a magnifying glass, a notebook, and his lucky flashlight. *Click.* The beam of light cut through the dark room. He shined it on the windowsill.

"Aha!" he said. There, stuck to the wood, was a smudge of something glowing. It looked like silver jelly, and it shimmered even in the dark. It was moon dust. Someone had dragged the moon right off the sky!

Garrett opened his window. The cool night air tickled his nose. He climbed out onto the balcony, his flashlight beam dancing ahead of him. The trail of silver dust didn't stop at the window. It went up. It hopped onto the roof and disappeared toward the chimney.

Garrett was brave. He pulled his pajama collar up and climbed onto the sloped roof. *Scritch, scratch.* His slippers gripped the rough tiles. He moved slowly, following the glowing spots until he reached the tall brick chimney.