“Mooooom, where is the Celisto?” Simon was deeply hunched over his toy box and rummaged around in it. His favorite spaceship was gone. He just couldn't find it. It had to be somewhere.

“Have you looked inside your box?”

“Yes, she is not there!” Simon threw one toy after another out of the box and scattered them all over the floor. He was sure, that he had put the Celisto into the box, but now she was gone.

“Slowly, slowly, my darling”, his mother was there and stopped him from scattering more toys around the room. “If the Celisto is not in the box, then you have to look for her somewhere else. Perhaps one of the other kids borrowed the spaceship.”

“WHAT?”, Simon was shocked. The Celisto in foreign hands? “How even could you let that happen?”

His mother raised her hands in defense. “I am sorry, but I can't sit on top of your box all day to defend it against vicious thieves.”

Simon let his head hang.

“Don't be sad. The Celisto can't be far”, she tried to comfort Simon. “Just ask around a little, perhaps you can find someone, who has seen her.”

“Questioning people, on the hunt for a back-stabbing thieve?”, Simon raised himself up and tried to look noble and serious. That sounded like a case for Detective Sir Tracey!

“Mother, I have to go and I will not rest, until I have recovered the Celisto. Or my name shall no longer be Sir Tracey!”

“Ahm, ok. But don't stay away too long and be careful”, she managed to say, before Sir Tracey left the house.

But where should he start his search? Where would this sneaky little thieve hide? In what cave would he desecrate this sparkling jewel with his filthy, unworthy hands?

Ice cold shivers ran down his spine, just for thinking about it.

He needed help. Sir Alex was a good friend of his and maybe he was able to help him with this difficult case as well. Sir Tracey had heard, that Alex currently worked at the local airport. He decided to start his search for the thieve there. After all he had to start somewhere.

Detective Tracey went to the next stop for horse carriages. He didn’t had to wait long for one, he went in and said to the driver “To the airport”. The door closed behind him and the carriage started moving.

It was just a short ride.

There was a lot going on at the airport. The incoming machines landed only long enough to unload big, long boxes, that got lined up on the ground, before the plane took off again. The trade with the neighboring countries boomed.

But something was wrong with this picture.

There was a small group, that tampered with the unloaded boxes. Judging by their clothes, they looked like doctors. Except for a young woman with a long braid, she didn't quite fit the group, but neither was anyone bothered by her being there. She wasn't wearing white, instead she wore light brown clothes and held a big, steaming cup in her hand, she drank out of once in a while. She looked tired.

The box, they worked on opened … and a man surfaced. He looked pale, weak and disoriented. The doctors immediately took care of him, but it seemed, that what helped him the most, was what the woman said to him. Sir Tracey was too far away, to be able to hear what it was.

As it looked like, the buzz of activity had nothing to do with the booming trade. According to the many boxes and the ongoing air traffic, there had to be a major disaster in the area and they brought the victims here for medical care.

Sir Tracey saw, how Sir Alex carried one of those big boxes, all by himself, out of the cargo hold of an aircraft. The detective scurried past the other people and some additional boxes and reached Sir Alex, as he gently put his load down.

“Hello Simon, what are you doing here?”, Alex greeted him friendly.

“Today I am Detective Sir Tracey! I investigate the theft of the Celisto.”

Alex smiled. He liked to play with Simon, when he had the opportunity to. Simon’s imagination was remarkable and it never got boring with him.

“The Celisto was stolen?”

“Yes, Sir! I had hoped that you could help me finding her again.”

Alex sighed. He would love to roam around with Sir Tracey to find his lost space ship, but he had obligations, that were more important at the moment. “I am sorry, Sir, I can't help you today. As you can see, I have still a lot to do here.”

Sir Tracey let his head hang in disappointment.

“The Celisto can't be far. I am sure, that a brilliant detective like you will find her quickly. Have you already tried in the kindergarten?”

Sir Tracey looked up. “You mean the amusement park for criminals and thieves?”

Alex lifted an eyebrow. “The amusement park for … I can't believe, that it is that bad, or is it?”

Sir Tracey sighed. “Oh well. Then, I guess, I'll have to go into the lion's den without reinforcements.”

“Alex, there is still no news about the landing spot of the others. We will fly another round.” Sarah stood on the loading ramp and looked over to them.

“Lady Sarah is calling”, said Alex. “Sir Tracey, I have total trust in your abilities to solve this case. Hopefully we can work together again soon.”

“It would be a pleasure”, said Sir Tracey.

The both of them said their good byes and left in different directions. Sir Alex went back to his aircraft and Sir Tracey went back to the horse carriages.

The carriage brought Sir Tracey to the amusement park for criminals and thieves, as he phrased it. The place was located close to the center of the town and offered everything you needed for your enjoyment. Slides of all sizes and style, trampolines and various toys that lay scattered around the floor.

The place was well visited and there was a chaos, that you could expect from a good amusement park. Sir Tracey had to force himself to look away from the red, extra long slide. He wasn't here for the amusement. He had a mission. One of those running around creatures had to be the thieve, that had stolen his jewel.

Sir Tracey tried to get past the slides as inconspicuous as possible and moved towards the area with the toys. There were puzzles with sooo many pieces, that you weren't able to count them, balls in all colors and sizes and plush animals of every kind. Tracey's look got caught by the huge puma, that lay there unappreciated in a corner. He could … just for a moment … a little bit?

“No! Concentrate!”, scolded Sir Tracey himself silently. “You are here because of the Celisto. No time for jungle adventures!”

“Hello Simon!” Sir Tracey looked up.

“Crap!”, his cover was blown. It was one of the guards of the amusement park. They took care, that the place wasn't drowning in total chaos. Sir Tracey tried to hide behind a cupboard, but it was pointless. You couldn't escape the guards. As the guard came around the corner and hunkered down beside him.

“Hei, everything all right? You look so tensed, are you ok?”

“No”, said Sir Tracey.

“Can I help you somehow?”

Sir Tracey sighed. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to talk to the guard. After all they knew about everything that happened inside the amusement park and maybe he could help him with his case.

“I'm looking for my Celisto, she has been stolen”, said Sir Tracey.

“The Celisto? The spaceship of Captain Haiton?”

Sir Tracey nodded.

“I have seen a girl playing around with a spaceship. I believe she wanted to go up to the observation deck.”

“Thank you”, said Sir Tracey. So the forest it is. The thieve had to know, that he was on his heels. The forest was big and a perfect hiding place for stolen goods of all sorts. You could even hide an aircraft there, easily. He had to hurry. Maybe he was able to catch the thieve before the Celisto would disappear into the depths of the forest forever.

Sir Tracey left the amusement park swiftly and took a carriage to the edge of the forest.

The forest was in front of him, dark and abandoned.

There was nobody to be seen.

Was he too late? Was the thieve already gone for good?

What was that? In the distance he had heard something, but he wasn't sure, what it was. Slowly he moved towards the noise.

With every step he took, the noise got clearer. It was the sound of engines! The thieve wanted to flee!

Sir Tracey started running. He couldn't let that happen. Not now, when he was so close to catch the thieve. He will not slip through his fingers. After all, he was Sir Tracey! No one escaped him! He would bring justice and the thieve into prison, as it was fitting for such a capital crime! That would be a lesson for him, to never touch anything again, with his filthy paws, that doesn't belong to him!

The noises were already very close.

There was the thieve! On the clearing in front of him. Sir Tracey only had to arrest him.

He stepped out into the clearing.

“Hei, that is my space ship!”, said Simon.

A girl sat on the floor of the observation deck and looked up to him. She had to be the same age as Simon. In her hand she held the Celisto, the toy space ship.

“Oh”, she said. “I just wanted to borrow it once. It's so cool!”

“I know”, said Simon. He smiled. “Are you a fan of Captain Haiton as well?”

“Oh, yes! When I am grown up, I will be a space ship captain, exactly like him, and I'll explore the universe and fight aliens!”

“Hei, we can play together! I have the space ship of the alien leader as well. We could reenact a battle!”

“The one with the blinking laser turrets?”, the eyes of the girl glowed in excitement.

“Of course. My name is Simon, what's yours?”

“Cathrine.”

Simon helped her up and together they left the observation deck.

The thing with the theft was forgotten.