next story addition 7

Anything Is Possible (7)
by Spot Kids

Gertie couldn't believe her luck. She had just left Josh's house with her dog Thurber. They lived across the alley from each other and had been friends since she moved there in 2001 when she was five and Josh was six. She decided to take the sidewalk around to her street so she didn't have to go past the old shed. The old shed had long ago lost its paint. It's windows were all painted over. And although there was no reason to be afraid, it gave her the creeps.

She turned the corner and there it was on the sidewalk. Had someone lost it? It was a shiny green $100 bill. Where did it come from? Just then the wind came up and it started to blow it away.

Gertie couldn't believe it. She wasn't even sure it was real money. It was kind of folded up and and looked too new. Thurber saw the bill start to blow away and lurched forward pulling Gertie along. She ran and stomped on it right before it started to blow again into the street. She stood on Thurber's leash with one foot and carefully reached for the money under her other foot. The bill was carefully folded and very new looking.

As she unfolded it, there was another piece of cardboard inside the folded bill. It was a basketball ticket. Who had dropped it there and how could she give it back? And why was it wrapped inside money?

Gertie ran home with the money and ticket in her fist, Thurber excited at the prospect of getting to run. To his disappointment, Gertie ran up to the house, inside, slammed the door, and let go of his leash. Then she ran to her room and flipped on the desk light. She wanted to get a better look at the money and ticket. She opened her desk drawer and found the magnifying glass that she used when she and her dad worked on her stamp collection.

Yup, the money did seem a little too shiny and crisp. She knew why the ticket was inside the bill. It was wrapped up in the money because come to find out the $100 bill was fake. Even though she had never seen a $100 bill, she could tell this wasn't real. But what about the ticket?

She stared at the ticket all night. The next morning she brought the ticket to Josh’s house
and told him about the fake money too.

Josh suggested that it was time to tell someone about the find. Gertie called the police and they set her up to meet Mr. Cruise, the detective. He suggested that they do a finger print test on the bill and ticket.

Gertie and her dad went in the next day to meet with Detective Cruise. He took Gertie and her dad down the hall, down a flight of stairs, and through a door marked “Crime Lab.” After they tested it, Detective Cruise said, they found out it belonged to a Mr. Wilbert Kay.

Detective Cruise scheduled Gertie to meet him Tuesday. Gertie was nervous. Why did this guy drop his ticket and why was it wrapped in a dollar bill?

They met in Detective Cruise’s office on Tuesday. Mr. Kay didn’t look at all like what Gertie thought he would. She gave him the bill and ticket. Then she asked him why he had dropped it and if he knew he had dropped it. She also wanted to know if it was real or not.


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