by Matt Barr

Clues

Somehow the Easter Bunny started a tradition of leaving the kids a trail of clues to their hidden Easter baskets here.

This morning a card that said TOOT!, taped to the TV (first place they'd look!), directed them to Junior's trumpet. (We don't have a train, see, and Pappy's old model tractor didn't have a clue attached to it.)

COMPUTER directed them to the upstairs computer.

STRUDEL directed them to the toaster oven. We like toaster strudel for breakfast.

Two separate clues in the toaster oven. For Junior, AIRPLANES. His military aircraft handbook he got for Christmas a couple years ago, which he happened to be using last night to draw pictures from. A card in the book said:

So you've gotten this far?
As you know, your basket's hidden.
Right under your nose?
Are you someone who smells with their tongue?
Happy Easter!

The fourth line directed him right to the snake habitat, where he found his basket. He kicked himself when he realized he could have read the first letter of each line to point his way. The snake's name is Sarah.

For Muffin, SLIPPY. Her turtle's name. A clue on her turtle tank said GARBAGE BAGS. In the box of garbage bags was this clue:

Find something that has gas and runs without legs.

When the "has gas" giggling fit ended she figured out pretty quickly her basket was in a car outside.

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