Billy woke up very early in the morning. After having breakfast, he went to his sweet shop. As his shop has become increasingly popular in the town, he ordered many more boxes of sweets for his business. Suddenly, there was a stranger in front of his shop. “How can I help you?” Billy asked with a friendly smile. The stranger said, “I am the Duke of Hampshire’s messenger. The Duke needs your help.” Billy was confused. “With what?” Someone waiting in the line called, “What’s the holdup?” Billy scrambled back to work, handing out paper bags filled with sweets. “I can’t help you! I have customers to serve,” Billy said. “You must come! It’s a disaster!” The messenger demanded. “If it’s a disaster, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Billy was starting to get annoyed. “The Duke won’t tell me!” “Just make an announcement and help your friends!” Billy thought. Billy grabbed a microphone and yelled, “Attention, please! A problem has occurred, Billy’s Grubber is closing early today. We apologize for the inconvenience caused!” Billy had to hopscotch through the crowd and finally got out. “Let’s go!”

By the time Billy got to the Duke’s huge house, the Duke was waiting outside with his three best friends: the Giraffe, the Pelly and the Monkey. His three friends looked fatter than before. They must’ve eaten well here, Billy thought. “You’re here!” The Duke said. “Welcome, welcome.” “We seriously need your help!” The Giraffe said. “What happened?” Billy asked. “Well, you see, there’s a dog that’s been coming here very often. He says he lost his home. He loves sweets, so he stole all the sweets you gave us. He keeps on making a mess in our home to find sweets.” The Monkey explained. “Hmm… I think I know how to help,” Billy said.

The next day, Billy rode a bicycle to the Duke’s house. He set down four jars, one jar of candy for each of his friends. He stuck a note on top that read:

My dear friends:

These candy jars are for you. Don’t worry about them getting stolen, I’ll have the dog handled for you. 😊

Your good friend,
Billy

The dog his friends talked about came out of the bushes about five seconds later. Billy reached out, grabbed the dog, and ran back to his bike. “Hey! What are you doing?” The dog asked. “I’m going to give you a new home,” Billy answered. “What new-CANDY!” The dog wagged his tail in sudden excitement. Billy laughed, “That’s where your new home will be.”