Calvin the Capybara is a capybara. He lives in seventh-grader Allie Avamindo’s locker, and he enjoys this home very much in Allieslockertopia. Whether it’s the LED lights, magnet friends, endless snack supply, or Emma Watson fan art, Calvin thinks Allie’s locker is the place to be! Magnet friends, carrying motivational slogans, include a pickle and a duck. However, Calvin has a bit of adventure in him from his great uncle Sylevester. So he likes to explore the world! Today, Calvin was feeling happy.

“Oh, Duckie! I am in a good mood,” Calvin said. 

Duckie waddled down the hallway. “I’m in a good mood, too! What should we -quack!- do today?” 

Calvin thought a minute, then looked out of the Student Commons window. “Ohh, look at that glorious mud! Let’s roll in the mud,” he suggested. 

Duckie grinned broadly, and her feathers fluffed with happiness. “I love mud!” she announced. 

“Mud is wonderful,” Calvin agreed.

Pickles the Pickle jumped from Allie’s locker, and he said boldly: “Well, I for one hate mud. It’s dirty, it’s wet, it’s smelly, it’s yucky, it’s … it’s … it’s muddy! Mud is a curse of nature.” 

“‘A curse of nature’?” Calvin and Duckie shrieked, shocked. 

 Percy the Hedgehog bounced out of the locker. “What did ol’ Pickley-Wickley say now? What’s a curse of nature?” Pickles glared at him. Pickles and Percy did not get along. 

“Goodbye, we’re going to play in the mud,” Duckie and Calvin told Percy and Pickles, who continued to argue as they left. 

The friends hurried out the tunnel door, and Duckie spotted a big puddle of mud on the campus grounds by the brook. Calvin and Duckie ran over to it, and hopped in. They splashed and played, and both animals were very pleased.

“I like mud,” Duckie breathed. “I would love to spend all day in the mud!

“Yeah, mud is nice,” Calvin agreed. 

Percy flew out of the tunnel door, leaping through the air. “Guys! Guys!” 

“What is it, Percy?” 

“There was a horrible happening in the M&M! The white team just knocked out a red in musical chairs!” 

Duckie laughed. “Don’t worry, red will win.” 

“No, no, come see!” Percy insisted. 

“Okay, Percy,” Calvin agreed, getting up and shaking the mud off of himself. “Come along, Duckie.” 

Duckie looked as if she was about to argue, but she looked longingly at her beloved mud and then followed Calvin and Percy. 

“The red team is winning,” Calvin observed. 

“Yeah! Those whites don’t stand a chance,” Percy agreed. 

  Duckie just sighed. 

“Go red team!” Elizabeth shouted from the sidelines. 

“No, white will crush you!” Sofia argued. 

Girls were yelling, teachers calming, and students wrestling for a cheap plastic chair. Duckie didn’t understand. Percy was passionate, as Allie Avamindo was on the red team. 

“Rumor has it, a student broke their collarbone a few years ago,” Percy gossiped. 

“Really? I thought it was their leg,” Calvin gaped. 

“It’s intense. I’m scared for Allie!” Percy added. 

“Duckie, aren’t you scared for Allie? With all those crushing freshmen and seniors?” Calvin asked inclusively. 

Silence. 

“Duckie?” 

Duckie was nowhere to be seen. 

Calvin hurried off to Allieslockertopia, shouting Duckie’s name. 

No answer. 

Where is Duckie? Cavin thought. 

The capybara changed into a Sherlock costume, and brought out his magnifying glass. Percy hurried behind him. 

“When was the last time Duckie was sighted?” Calvin investigated. 

“Umm … during musical chairs,” Percy answered. 

“Good. If you were Duckie, where would you go?” 

Percy paused to think for a moment. “She likes swimming in Allie’s water bottle,” he suggested, “and the comfy chairs in the senior commons.” 

Calvin brightened. “What a wonderful start! I’ll look in Allie’s water bottle. It should be in the locker. You see if Duckie got stuck in one of the locker shelves, okay?” 

“Yes, boss.” 

So Calvin looked and looked in Allie’s bottle, but alas, Duckie was not swimming in it.   And Percy looked and looked in Allie’s shelves, but alas, Duckie was not stuck in them. 

“She’s not in Allieslockertopia,” they observed. 

So the pair snuck soundlessly into the senior commons. However, when they peeked on each chair, Duckie was still not in sight. Calvin and Percy were discouraged and worried. Where could Duckie be? The water bottle and the comfy chairs were her favorite parts of the entire school. The spots were cozy and cool, but Duckie was not in them. They trudged back to the locker, scared and defeated. 

“Hey, Percy! Look at the hallway floor,” Calvin suddenly exclaimed. “What do you see?” 

“I see a shiny tile and some nasty spill of something brown,” Percy replied truthfully, wrinkling his nose. 

“Mud! It’s mud!” Calvin told him. “Duckie was still covered in mud! Follow the mud, and we find Duckie!” 

Calvin and Percy followed the mud for a long while, until finally … 

“Duckie!”  Calvin cried. 

“Hi Calvin,” Duckie said. “I just love the mud!” 

Calvin laughed. 

Of course! Duckie did love the mud. Why hadn’t he looked there first? 

So the adventure ended, the mystery solved. Duckie and Calvin were happy to be together again. 

                            THE END (of this adventure, anyway)