The Missing Pencil Case

Ilya always carefully prepared for school. Every morning, he double-checked his backpack to make sure he had all the necessary notebooks and textbooks, as well as his favorite pencil case filled with colorful pens and pencils. Today was just another ordinary school day, and nothing hinted at an adventure. But when recess began, Ilya suddenly realized his pencil case was missing. He searched his backpack, checked his pockets, but none of his pens or markers were anywhere to be found.

— Where are you, pencil case? — he murmured quietly, deep in thought.

At that moment, his friend Nikita came over and asked:

— Hey, Ilya, what’s going on?

— Nikita, can you believe it? I lost my pencil case! It was just in my backpack, and now — it’s gone! — Ilya replied, sounding worried.

— Let’s look for it! — Nikita immediately suggested, and together they started searching the entire classroom, looking under desks, checking tables, and even the shelves.

When they couldn’t find the pencil case in the classroom, Nikita suggested:

— Maybe you left it in the cafeteria? You took your backpack there this morning.

Ilya remembered that he had indeed been to the cafeteria with his backpack earlier. They hurried over, hoping to find the lost pencil case there.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Ilya and Nikita began looking under the tables and benches. While they were searching, the friendly cafeteria lady, Tamara Vasilyevna, noticed them and asked with a kind smile:

— What are you boys doing under the tables? — she asked with a friendly smile.

— We’re looking for my pencil case, — replied Ilya hopefully. — Did anyone find one here this morning by any chance?

Tamara Vasilyevna looked around but shook her head:

— No pencil case here. Try the art room. Maybe you left it there?

The boys thanked her and headed to the art room. There they found Mr. Petrovich, the art teacher, who immediately guessed why the boys had come:

— Lost something, did you? — he asked with a smile.

— Yes, my pencil case is missing! We’re searching the whole school, — Ilya replied.

Mr. Petrovich offered to help and checked his boxes of paints and brushes, but the pencil case wasn’t there either.

— You know, boys, why don’t you try the library? Maybe someone accidentally left it there, — the teacher suggested.

The library was quiet and cozy. The librarian, Lidia Pavlovna, helped them search the bookshelves and reading tables. Nikita and Ilya only found books there, but no pencil case.

Just when they were about to give up hope, Lidia Pavlovna gave them another idea:

— Maybe the pencil case ended up in the nurse’s office? Sometimes kids accidentally leave things there. Go and check!

The boys went to the nurse’s office, where the nurse, Galina Ivanovna, greeted them with a smile. After listening to their story, she checked the shelves and tables, but there was no pencil case there either. However, she encouraged them:

— Don’t worry, Ilya, I’m sure your pencil case will turn up! Sometimes things show up in the most unexpected places.

Feeling a little tired, Ilya and Nikita returned to their classroom and sat down at their desks. As Ilya started to open the straps on his backpack, he suddenly noticed that his pencil case was in the hidden side pocket of the bag. How it ended up there, he couldn’t remember, but he was so relieved and immediately showed it to Nikita:

— Wow! It’s been with us the whole time! — Ilya exclaimed joyfully.

They laughed about the whole adventure they had gone on throughout the school to find the pencil case that had been in the backpack all along. During the next break, Ilya thanked everyone who helped in the search and decided that next time, he’d double-check his bag.

Thus, the first school day turned into a fun and memorable adventure. Ilya realized that school wasn’t just about lessons but also about fun moments and new friendships. From that day on, he looked at school life a bit differently, happy to come back every new day.