Like a tarantula, Dante crept silently into the night. His prize lay before him in the middle of the island. He looked around, straining to see in the darkness. He tip-toed closer. It was too dark to see his target clearly, but he knew it was there. As he circled, a sliver of moonlight nearby threatened to reveal his presence, so he turned the other way to avoid the light. The cover of night was his only hope for success. Getting caught wasn’t an option. Darkness and silence were his true companions on this dangerous mission.

As he closed in on his prize, he wished Talon was beside him to share in the glory and the spoils. But he knew Talon would never agree to this mission. And so, Dante was on his own.

Thinking he was close, Dante stretched out his arm, reaching for the prize.

Nothing.

Maybe he miscalculated. He crept sideways, then reached again.

Nothing.

The longer this took, the higher his chances of being caught. It was time for a brave and daring move. He reached forward with both arms, hoping to seize hold.

He missed.

When he pulled his arms back, his elbow hit a ceramic jar, causing the lid to fly off. The lid crashed into a nearby object with a loud bang.

Dante froze.

His mission had failed.

He heard footsteps quickly approaching. Then, as if lightning had struck, a bright light nearly blinded Dante, revealing a look of terror on his face.

He was caught.

“Dante! Didn’t I tell you to stay out of the cookie jar? Get back to bed. I’ll deal with you in the morning,” said Dad, ruining yet another grand adventure.

__________

Liked this story? Leave a comment at the bottom of the page!

April Wenzel writes family-friendly fiction. She is a multi-story FaithWriters Challenge winner. Her readers often describe her work as sweet, intriguing, funny, and surprising. April firmly believes that her most valuable and joy-filled roles are wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Read her full bio at aprilwenzel.com/about.

Copyright © 2026 by April Wenzel. All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, events, and incidents in this book are the product of the author’s imagination.