Monty was a fluffy, purple monster with three googly eyes and a very big heart. He wasn't a scary monster at all! In fact, Monty *loved* puzzles. His favorite were crossword puzzles, especially the ones Old Man Tiber, the wise turtle, made for him. But tonight, Old Man Tiber had a problem. He’d finished making a brand-new crossword, a really big one, but he’d accidentally misplaced all the clues!
Monty’s antennae drooped. “No clues? But I love solving crosswords before bedtime! It helps me calm down and dream happy dreams.” Old Man Tiber sighed. “I know, Monty. I’m so sorry. It’s a very tricky crossword, too. I’m afraid it might be impossible without the clues.”
Just then, Pip, a tiny firefly, zipped into Tiber’s cozy cave. “What’s wrong?” she blinked. “Oh dear,” she said when she heard the news. “A crossword with no clues! That *is* a problem.” Then Barnaby, a slow but steady snail, slimed his way in. “I overheard. Perhaps… we could *make* the clues?”
Monty’s eyes lit up. “That’s a brilliant idea, Barnaby! But… how? We don’t know what the answers are!” Old Man Tiber chuckled. “We’ll figure it out together. The crossword is about all the wonderful things in our valley. We just need to think about what fits each space.”
They started with the first clue, a five-letter word. The squares looked like they needed something bright and cheerful. Pip suggested, “Sunshine!” But Old Man Tiber shook his head. “Too many letters, Pip. And it doesn’t quite *fit* the theme.” Barnaby slowly offered, “Flowers?” Monty thought hard. “How about ‘River’? It flows through the valley and has five letters!”
Old Man Tiber beamed. “Perfect! ‘River’ it is!” They worked together, each offering ideas. Sometimes they argued gently, like when Monty thought “Mountains” fit a four-letter space, but Barnaby patiently pointed out it had too many letters. Pip used her light to help them see the puzzle clearly, and Old Man Tiber guided them with his wisdom.
It wasn’t easy. Some clues were really tricky. They spent a long time trying to figure out a three-letter word that described something sweet. Finally, Pip remembered the honeybees buzzing around the wildflowers. “Honey!” she exclaimed. And that was it!
Finally, after much thinking and teamwork, the crossword was complete! Monty carefully filled in the last letter. He felt a warm glow of happiness. It hadn’t been easy, but they had solved the mystery together. Old Man Tiber smiled. “You see, Monty? Even without the original clues, you and your friends were able to solve the puzzle. You showed great patience and kindness to each other.”
Monty yawned, feeling sleepy and content. “Thank you, Barnaby and Pip,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” Pip blinked her light. “Anytime, Monty!” Barnaby left a shimmering trail as he said, “Teamwork makes the dream work!” Old Man Tiber tucked Monty into a bed of soft moss. “Now, close your eyes, little monster, and dream sweet dreams of puzzles and friends.”
Monty closed his three googly eyes, a happy smile on his fluffy purple face. He knew that even the trickiest problems could be solved with a little help from his friends, and that was the best bedtime thought of all.