An old woman observes a boy’s unusual routine at the local park, and when her curiosity could no longer bear it, she tries to find out more.
Lily Bolton was a 70-year-old woman loved and respected by everyone around her. She and her husband Jim Bolton were a popular couple in their small town. It was, after all, where they were both born and brought up.
Every day for the past ten years, Lily and her husband have made it a habit of theirs to take a walk alongside her husband and their dog at a local park.
Their dog, Bruno, was a playful golden retriever who loved walking the park with them because it meant a lot of fun catching the frisbee they always took along.
During the last month, Lily and her husband noticed a weird phenomenon. A sad little boy appeared seemingly out of nowhere to sit in the same spot at the park.
Lily noticed him first because he had on an oversized hoodie that always covered his face and flashy red sneakers. He always seemed to be exuding a spirit of sadness, and Lily’s heart went out to him each time.
After seeing the boy a third time, she pointed him out to her husband, and they both started watching the boy.
He would appear just before dusk, sit for some time, and just as it got totally dark, an old lady would come for him, after which they would leave the park together.”I wonder what his story is,” Lily said one day as she watched the woman lead the boy away.
“Best stay out of it,” her husband, ever the cautious man, told her. Lily gave him a smile that day, but she resolved to approach the boy. But how?
One day, Lily went to get herself and Jim burritos just outside the park. On her way back, she saw the boy seated once again on the grass, looking sad.
She quickly changed directions, choosing a path that would get her as close to the boy as possible. “Today, I’ll meet the child under that hoodie!” she affirmed in her mind.
As she got close enough, she made a slight sound that made the boy look up, revealing his face. “Nice sneakers,” she said with a smile before moving on.
When she returned to her husband, she told him that she had seen the boy’s face and recognized him. “Really? Who is it?” he asked, curious.
“It’s the boy who was always playing frisbee with his father every day some months ago.”
“A lot of kids do that around here,” Jim said lazily.
Lily was expecting that. “Well, it was that boy who got scared when Bruno tried to catch his frisbee,” she said.
“Oh, that kid. He was so scared the dog was gunning for him,” Jim laughed.
“I wonder why he no longer plays with his father,” Lily said.
The following day, she deliberately bumped into the boy and the old woman who often came to lead him away. “I’m sorry,” she said to the old woman. Then she faced the boy and smiled before saying, “I remember you.”
The boy also recognized her and looked around for her dog, but she had left him with her husband.
“It’s okay, Bruno isn’t with me today,” she said reassuringly. Then she faced the old woman and asked her why the boy was always sitting sad and lonely every day.
“I’m his granny,” the woman replied. “His parents lost their lives in a car accident. His name is Roy.”
“He used to be so happy playing with frisbees every weekend with his father on that spot,” Lily said, feeling terrible for the boy.
“That’s why Roy comes here every day,” the old woman said.
The next day, Lillian baked a pie and prepared a couple of sandwiches then went to the park with her dog just when she knew Roy would be there.
The little boy had been drowning in his own misery when he looked up to see Lily, accompanied by her dog, bearing delicious food. Bruno wagged his tail and had a frisbee between its jaws. He wanted to play with Roy, but the kid just turned away.
Not one to take no for an answer, Bruno jumped on Roy and started licking him all over. It elicited a smile from the boy, but he was still irritated.
To get rid of the dog, he threw the frisbee, but a few moments later, the animal was back pestering him for another throw. Roy threw it again and again, and before he knew it, he was doing it for the first time with the hint of a smile on his face.
On the fifth time, Bruno failed to bring the frisbee to him, so he had to get up to get it. Bruno wasn’t about to let that happen, so it ran around with the frisbee in its mouth. Roy tried to catch him sever times and it soon became a fun sport that elicited a laugh from him.
“It’s been some time since I saw him laugh,” the old woman said from behind Lily, startling her. Engrossed by Roy and her dog, she had not heard the old lady creep up.
Finally, after more than 30 minutes of play, Lily invited Roy to join her and his granny for some pie and sandwiches. Bruno remained by the boy’s side, and it was clear that they liked each other.
Since then, Lily visited the park every day and sought Roy out to play with Bruno. One day, the boy visited the park, but Lily and her dog were nowhere to be found. He returned home, and his granny told him why — Lily had passed on.
After her burial, Roy visited her home a week later and saw Bruno lying sadly next to the doorstep. Trying to make the dog feel better, he picked up the frisbee and placed it beside him.
As he got up to leave, he suddenly heard a dog barking behind him. He turned around and saw Bruno running towards him with the frisbee between its teeth.
“She would want you to have him,” Jim, Lily’s husband, said from his doorway. “He’s yours now.” Bruno followed them home, but now and then, the dog would return to his former home to check on Jim.
Bruno followed them home, but now and then, the dog would return to his former home to check on Jim | Source: Pexels
What did we gain from this story?
Those who do good will always be remembered. After Lily passed away, the boy she blessed with her kind heart never forgot her, and her demise did not go unnoticed by him. If she had been mean to him, he would not care about her death, and this emphasizes the importance of doing good while alive.
Keep your curiosity alive. Lily’s curiosity was what pushed her to find out what was going on with Roy. She was able to help him in her little way, and her passing left him with a friend that would protect him just like his late father used to.
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