A hitchhiker was walking alone on a deserted highway when he bumped into a kid’s bike on the roadside. Little muddy footsteps led him to the woods, where he saw a little girl and her dog fighting for their lives in a river just meters away from the edge of the waterfall. He decided to risk his life to bring them to shore, but will he succeed?
The afternoon was torrid and fierce as the midday sun shone with all its might. Richard had just gotten down from a truck he hitchhiked and could barely stand on the hot tar road. His feet were getting baked in his damp, smelly sneakers. He panted heavily, looking around for a thirst-quenching drink. But as far as his sunken eyes could see, there was not a drop of water.
Beads of sweat trickled down Richard’s sun-tanned face as he kept walking, scolding himself for running away from his cozy home seven years ago. He’d just finished high school back then. Seventeen and spirited, he wanted to be a musician and start a band in Los Angeles. But his parents were against it and wanted him to become a doctor. Torn between his passion and his parents, Richard absconded with the money he’d stolen from his dad’s safe in search of fame and wanted to return a celebrity.
But here he was now — defeated, homeless, hungry, and in need of love and support. He had come to reunite with his parents, not sure if they would even talk to him for betraying them. Just as he finished a two-mile hike on the scorching, deserted highway, Richard stopped on the roadside to pick wildflowers for his mother. Suddenly, he noticed a little bike lying there.
“A kid’s bike? What’s it doing here… this far?” Richard wondered and approached the spot, staring in horror at a water bottle and a small pink helmet lying nearby. He leaned closer and noticed fresh little muddy footsteps disappearing into the woods.
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Richard’s brows shot up in terror as he hurried toward the entrance of the dense forest. It seemed eerily unusual for a little kid to be all alone there. And the highway? It was certainly not safe, with the main town five miles away.
What would a kid be doing here all alone? Richard was puzzled.
“Give me your hand… don’t look behind you… just give me your hand.”
Anxious, the 24-year-old walked on the gravel path, his feet shuffling through the creepers and rotten branches. The musky forest air and chirping crickets unsettled him. Imagine a little kid out there alone! Richard’s instincts told him something was wrong, so he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the child.
“Hello, anyone there? Hello….”
Just as he changed course, he heard a faint cry from the heart of the woods. It was a little girl’s cry for help.
“HELP… I’M STUCK… HELP….”
The girl’s voice faded with the wind.
“I’m comin’…hold on….” Richard bolted toward the voice.
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As he approached nearer and nearer, Richard heard a trickling sound at a distance and then a loud roar.
“Oh my God!” he gasped.
Branches of rotting mountain trees twirled on the muddy-brown river, the fierce current gushing through the rocks.
“Don’t give up! I’m coming!” he ran screaming after noticing a little girl and her dog holding onto a log adrift on the river.
The current was washing away everything on its course, and the girl was lucky the log was stuck onto something under the surface. But that would not hold on for long as the current grew faster and stronger.
Richard was running out of time. He could not think of anything immediately. His only fear was to somehow pull the two out to the shore before they were washed toward the edge of the waterfall, which was just meters away.
“HELP!!” the girl’s voice shuddered Richard. Just then, his mind acted fast, and he ran back to get something.
“Hold on… I’ll be right back,” he assured her.
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Moments later, Richard returned with a long coil of jungle vine tied around his waist. He knew it would not bear his weight and the child’s, but it was his only hope to save the girl and her dog.
He dived into the river and swam toward them. To his shock, the current was stronger, and since the water was muddy, he could not see clearly, and it choked his breath. But he kept going, paddling his hands through the fierce water.
“Give me your hand… don’t look behind you… just give me your hand,” he told the girl. She was terrified because the waterfall was just a few meters away from her.
“Trust me… just give me your hand.”
The girl didn’t know how to swim. She threw her hands and legs into the water and crawled toward Richard, grabbing his hand.
“Hold me tight!” he said, piggybacking her. Richard used all his might and pulled the log toward him. He grabbed the dog’s leash in one hand and swam toward the shore.
“THANK YOU SO MUCH!” the girl cried as she finally fell on the muddy shore, panting.
Richard breathed heavily, glad he had saved them on time. “But how did you get here?” he asked the girl. “What is your name?”
“I’m Sandy, and Simba, my dog, is afraid of firecrackers. He ran away last time and never returned for four days. When he heard the sound of firecrackers today afternoon, he ran away again. I was scared he would go missing, so I followed him on my bike to catch him,” said the girl.
“He ran into the woods, so I had to leave my bike on the highway and go after him. He was drowning in the river, and I jumped in to save him. But I didn’t know how to swim and was crying for help for a long time. Thank God you came and saved us!”
When Richard learned the girl was from his hometown, he decided to leave her at her house first before going to see his parents.
“Your parents must be worried… I’m heading that way, so I will first take you to them, alright?”
Richard grabbed Sandy’s cycle from the highway and walked her and Simba on the rough terrain leading to the town. Not much had changed over the last seven years since Richard left, except for the ground he played football with his friends. A pizzeria stood in its place now. He kept walking, recalling his good old days in this town.
A pool of nervousness churned in his belly when he found himself on the road leading to his house. Sandy suddenly stopped and pointed at what was supposed to be Richard’s house.
“That’s my house. I live here with my parents!” she said and ran toward the cottage.
“What?? You live here??” Richard was stunned and disappointed.
“If this is her house, where did my parents go then? What happened to them? Did they move somewhere else?”
Richard’s lips grew thin as despair gushed into his eyes.
For seven years since fleeing, he never contacted his parents even once. He was hellbent on showing them he was meant to be a star, not a surgeon. The endless arguments he had with his dad…his mom’s tears when he refused to go to college… and the silent goodbye he bid them that night when they were fast asleep… those memories haunted him. How he hated himself that day!
“I should’ve called you once… just once,” Richard burst into tears.
He could not hold them back. How could he? He ran away from the two beloved people who saw him as not their son but their world… their sun, moon, stars, and everything in between. Richard had betrayed them, but he had no choice. He had his reasons, but now, was it worth any explanation? The house he grew up in did not have his parents in it, and the very sight of it hammered his heart.
Richard’s arms hung loosely as he turned around to leave when the door creaked open behind him.
“Where did you go?” a voice spoke.
Richard turned around, his mouth falling wide open in a silent scream when he recognized that voice.
“I was worried, sweetie… where were you and Simba? And why are you wet? You almost gave me a heart attack,” said the woman.
“Simba and I were about to drown in the river… that man saved us!”
Richard could not believe his eyes, and his face grew ashen when the woman raised her head and stared into his eyes. How could he forget that face? How could he not recognize that voice? How could he not know that the woman approaching him with her trembling hands and eyes pouring tears was his mother?
“RICHIE??!” Richard’s mother, Doris, threw herself into his arms and cried all at once.
“Look at you! Oh, just look at you! Where did you go, sweetie? I looked for you everywhere… how could you just leave like that??”
“I… mmmm…. mom… I am… sorrr… sorry…” Richard stammered. He could not speak further. His tears would not allow him to, but he took a breath and mustered the courage to continue.
“I don’t even know how to face you, mom. I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to… dad, and you were so strict about my career. Please forgive me, mom. I’m sorry for not calling you. I promise I’ll not leave you again.”
Doris was angry with him. She was terribly mad when she found her son’s bedroom bare and empty that morning seven years ago. She was heartbroken he never gave her a chance to fix things and just disappeared without a trace. But now, she was not mad at him. Her son, the first ever light of her life, was back!
“I’m glad you’re back, sweetie!” Doris hugged Richard.
He was surprised his mother was not angry with him for what he did. He was elated and wanted this moment of joy to last longer. But one question still haunted him.
“Who is that girl?” he asked his mother. “And where is dad?”
Doris didn’t answer Richard and took him home instead. Overwhelmed, he stood frozen as soon as he entered the living room. It was the way he left it seven years ago. Not a thing seemed to be touched or moved from its place.
“Mom, where’s dad?”
Doris led Richard to his dad’s room. He wrapped his arms over his head, burying his pale face between them. Richard’s heart throbbed and wanted to stop beating when he saw his dad, who taught him to take his first baby steps… who taught him to ride his bike… who taught him to play football… sitting in a wheelchair.
When Richard ran away, his parents were heartbroken, and the most to be affected was his dad, Thomas. He suffered a stroke and was paralyzed waist down.
“DAD… I’M….” Richard ran to his dad and dropped to his knees. He had never cried like he did that day.
“I’m so sorry, dad… It’s all my fault. I should’ve at least called you. Please forgive me… Please, I’m sorry… Oh God…”
Thomas was overwhelmed with joy after seeing his son and didn’t utter a word. Instead, happiness poured out of his eyes. The dad and son hugged and cried into each other’s shoulders when Sandy suddenly walked in. Her big, brown eyes and chestnut hair puzzled Richard.
“Who is this girl?” he asked his mother again, knowing little it would rain tears from his eyes after knowing the answer.
“She’s your SISTER!” said Doris.
“What?? My sister?” Richard reeled in shock.
“Yes, sweetie! Sandy is your little sister,” Thomas broke Richard’s silence. “Your mom was three months pregnant when you ran away. We were very excited to tell you that you were going to be a big brother the very next day. But… you’d left us that night and never came back.”
“We tried to find you after that. We walked up and down the police station. Circulated pamphlets with your photo. But nothing helped,” added Doris, in tears.
A painful sensation stung Richard’s heart. He could not find a spot to forgive himself for what he’d done. He cried, and that was the least he could do. Suddenly, he felt three pairs of hands and two paws against his back.
“Let it go, sweetie! Let’s not think about it again. We are happy you’re back to us! You saved your little sister. You gave us not one but two of our worlds back!”
A wave of joy and comfort swept Richard’s heart as he hugged his family, promising himself he would never leave them again.
What can we learn from this story?
- Do not shy away from helping someone. You may never know how your act of kindness could save them. On his way home, Richard noticed a little bike on the highway. He was already exhausted from hitchhiking but decided to investigate. When he found a girl and her dog fighting for their lives in the river in the woods, he did not hesitate to help them. His courage and determination saved those two innocent lives and ultimately reunited him with the family he ran away from.
- Never make a hasty decision that could trap you in a ring of guilt in the future. Always think twice before you decide on something. In his race to become a musician, Richard fled his home. However, he failed to pursue his dreams and returned home seven years later, only to witness the chaos he had caused due to his reckless decision.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental.
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