“The cupcakes have disappeared from the table!” Rose yelled in a panic. “What are we going to do?  The party hasn’t even begun!  Oooh …  this is a disaster!

The other kids in the house left their party decoration activities and came into the dining room, where the cupcakes had been placed.  They were all getting ready for a surprise party for Sylvia’s 11^th birthday.

“That’s strange …” Clara spoke up, “last time I walked through here I saw them looking beautiful and tempting on the dinning room table.

“Hey Beatriz, do you have ghosts in your house?” Tom winked.

“You fool …  stop that! You pretty much know that ghosts don’t exist! Plus, we’re in the middle of a crisis here and there’s no time for jokes!” Beatriz said angrily.

“Have any of you hidden the cupcakes?” Carlos looked at everyone.  “If so, that’s really a bad prank to pull right now.”

When Beatriz, Tom, Clara, Alexander and Rose shook their heads, Carlos spoke again, “Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems then that we have a case of disappearing cupcakes to solve …”

“How exciting! I never thought I would become a detective!” cheered Glugar from inside Clara’s body.

“Hey Beatriz …” Rose became frightened, “you said that there were no ghosts in your house! But, what was that?”

“Oh, don’t pay attention to THAT Rose,” Clara said, “it’s just Glugar Sugar, my diabetes …  too long of a story to tell now.”

“I’ve heard her before!” Tom was very proud.  “At the school cafeteria!”

“Actually, many of us have heard her too …” Alexander pointed out.

Soon after that, all the children—except Alexander—searched around the house for the cupcakes, they even looked in the bathtub!

“Hey Alexander, why are you resting in that couch? Not the best moment!” Tom became upset.

“Ugh, I’m allergic to the mold in this house and it’s making me really tired!” Alexander replied miserably.

Suddenly Rose yelled from the back yard, “Hey you all, I found them! They’re here, in the trash can!”

“In the trash can?” they all said, very puzzled.

Back inside the house, the kids gathered in the living room to figure out what to do about the cupcakes, when suddenly they heard a sob that came from a corner.

“Who else is here?” Carlos asked.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you that my little sister Julia wanted to help with the party,” Breatriz explained.

“I love Julia!” Clara exclaimed.  “Hey Julia, come in here, why are you crying? Could you help us to get ready for Sylvia’s party?”

“I can’t,” she showed up crying.  “I was the one who threw the cupcakes in the trash!”

“Oh Julia … you’re so busted!” Beatriz grew angry.

“Ooops!” said Glugar.

“Why did you do that, Julia?” Clara asked.

“I like you a lot Clara …” Julia sobbed, “and since I met your Glugar Sugar the other day, I decided to help you because she’s very mischevious! I’ve heard that people with diabetes shouldn’t eat any sweets or chocolate—and those cupcakes had lots of that stuff!”

“So you like Clara but not me!” yelled Glugar.  “That’s not fair!  I’m very cute!”

“Be quiet Glugar!” Clara scolded, and then said, “I’m very grateful that you want to help me, Julia! My little brother also tries to help me from time to time.  But, let me tell you something that I’ve learned: I can eat sweets and chocolate if I add the right amount of insulin for them!  Hey, and I’ve also learned that I have to eat healthier foods most of the time and exercise more, for my own good, but anyone should do that! Right?”

“Right!” a big smile lit up Julia’s face.

After that, and since they were running out of time, Beatriz and Julia’s dad purchased a new batch of cupcakes.  Everyone had a great time at the party … except …

“I can’t believe I have such a bad reputation among people!” Glugar mumbled to herself. “They don’t even realize that at least I help Clara to grow personally!”