Hi. I’m Albie. Today we had to find a missing paper form.

Papa walked us into the post office. Cold air rushed around our legs. The place smelled like dusty cardboard, old stamps, and winter coats pulled out too soon. The doorbell jangled like it forgot how to finish ringing. Sure enough, a pigeon paced on the window ledge, waiting for its big scene.

Nomi pointed. “The royal scroll! A pigeon took it!” Papa held up a form. “This is the return one,” he said. “The real one is somewhere in here.” The kingdom’s scroll. Lost.

We spread out. Papa checked the counter. Nomi checked the window. I went low. There were boxes, loose envelopes, and dust drifting under the lights.

Moo sneezed so hard a tower of catalogs fell over. Sadie spun in a guilty circle.

My knees pressed the floor. My nose tickled. The dust closed in. Papa’s frown stayed—the same frown from the last time something important went missing.

I crawled farther, past the rubber band ball and past the shelf leg. My fingers brushed paper. I pulled out an envelope. Not it.

The dust made my eyes sting. The shelf felt deeper than it looked. I reached farther, arm stretched flat against the floor. Nothing.

For a second I thought maybe it was gone for good—slid somewhere nobody could reach.

Papa shifted his weight above me. The frown didn’t move.

I pushed my shoulder closer to the leg and reached one more time. There it was, crumpled against the wall. The form. Papa’s form.

I worked it loose and held it up.

Rock blinked once.

Nomi snatched it and marched it over to Papa. “Your couriers saved the day, sire.” Papa’s frown folded away. “Rewards for royal couriers.”

We stepped back outside. The air felt clean after the dust.

Five minutes later, we had cones.

I got mint chip. Cold. Green.

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