Tiny Wet Paw Prints

I arrived at the shop bright and early this morning.
It was a very rainy day in London.

I unlocked the door, switched on the lights and stepped inside.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Until...

I looked down.

There were tiny wet paw prints all over the floor.

Very tiny paw prints.

And whoever made them had already been inside the shop before opening time.

Suspicious.

Very suspicious.

I put down my bag and got straight to work.

Investigation begins.

The first prints were near the entrance.

I measured one carefully.

Much too small to belong to me.

The trail continued past the panda plushies...

around the gift shelf...

and underneath a display table.

I followed every single print with my magnifying glass.

Then I found my first clue.

A tiny drop of water.

Then another.

And another.

Someone — or something — was still wet from the rain.

I followed the trail around the next corner...

but suddenly—

the footprints stopped.

Nothing.

No paw prints.

No suspect.

Just a tiny puddle on the floor.

I checked behind the boxes.

Nothing.

Under the shelves.

Nothing.

Then—

Drip.

I heard something behind me.

Drip... drip...

I slowly turned around.

Six very small figures were sitting quietly on the accessories shelf.

Purple.

Light Pink.

Black.

Green.

White.

Yellow.

All six were wearing tiny raincoats.

All six had tiny paws.

And beneath them...

six tiny puddles.

I looked at the paw prints.

I looked at their paws.

I looked at the raincoats.

They looked at me.

Nobody said a word.

Apparently, they had been out in the rain before coming to the shop.

And judging by the footprints...

they had explored almost the entire shop before I arrived.

I gave them a very serious warning:

“Next time, wipe your paws before coming in.”

They promised to behave.