The nap that turned into a big adventure
By Chief Danny Watson, City of Darlington Chief of Police
On a nondescript street in a sleepy little town, there lived a small boy named James. He lived with his grandmother in a small wooden house at the end of the block. James felt like it was his job to watch over his grandmother, their little dog Woo Woo, Patrick the cat, and Jessa their Saint Bernard. He was very careful to make sure that everyone was always safe under his watchful eye. A small boy keeping a small cat, a small dog, and a huge Saint Bernard from running out of the house every time the door opened was a big job just by itself. Jessa, who was a great big dog, also slobbered everywhere too (Yuck!). So day in and day out James kept guard and no one ever got lost or hurt.
One day after an especially tiring day of schoolwork, Grandma watching, animal care and slobber cleanup (Yuck!) the little boy thought to himself, “Maybe I will just go upstairs to read for just a little while.” He climbed into his big comfortable bed and placed his head upon his pillow. His eyes began to itch just a little bit. Soon his eyelids seemed to just get heavier and heavier. Before you know it, little James was fast asleep dreaming of all the trouble the terrible trio would get in if he didn’t stand guard. Soon soft snoring could be heard coming from the little boy’s room.
While little James lay slumbering, he suddenly heard a noise from downstairs. His eyes sprang open and he jumped from the bed to rush downstairs to see what trouble the terrible trio had gotten into while he napped. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he thought of all the things they could have been knocked over or possibly chewed on. This would of course include Patrick the cat, who Jessa and Woo Woo liked to slobber on occasionally (Yuck!). When he got downstairs, he noticed that all of the animals, Woo Woo the small dog, Patrick the Cat and Jessa the huge Saint Bernard were all behaving just like angels. He let out a sigh of relief. Something was missing though; he thought to himself, “What could it be?”
Suddenly he realized that Grandma was nowhere to be found. He rushed upstairs, but she wasn’t there. He rushed downstairs; she wasn’t there, either. All of the sudden he realized that he was alone. “Oh my, what do I do?” he thought. He was trying hard to be brave because he was a little scared. He still had the terrible trio to look after, though, so he squared his shoulders and chose to be brave. He decided to call his grandfather. He ran to the kitchen picked up the phone and called. After a couple of rings his grandfather answered the phone. “I can’t find grandma!” the little boy cried. That’s where the story takes an interesting turn. The grandfather immediately called the police in the sleepy little town. The police answered right away and said, “How can we help?” The grandfather related the story of the brave little boy and the terrible trio to the officer on duty.
The officer rushed to his car and went to the small house at the end of the block. He jumped from his car, ran to the back door of the small wooden house and you will never guess who greeted him at the door. Since, I am sure that you already know, I will tell you; it was the terrible trio. More interesting than that, however, was who was with the terrible trio- it was Grandma, that’s right. The little boy stood beside the table with his head hung low, his eyes rimmed in red because he felt that he had failed. He just knew the officer would scold him for calling his grandfather who called the police, when his Grandma was only in the yard and not really gone at all.
The kindly officer took the small boy’s hand in his and said, “What a brave boy you are James, you did exactly the right thing.” No one was hurt, Grandma will bake cookies tomorrow, and yes, of course, the terrible trio will live to terrorize (plus slobber – Yuck!) another day. The little boy remembered that if he was alone and could not find anyone, he should call his Grandpa or 911. He had done exactly as he should have done. If Grandma had been hurt, someone would have come to help because he made that call. Little James had done something that a lot of much older, much wiser people can’t do when they are scared; he decided to be brave.
This short story is based upon true events that happened on a call in our sleepy little town. James was indeed scared that he done something wrong, but he had done exactly the right thing. I am grateful that nothing was wrong and no one was hurt. What I am even more thankful for are the parents who continue teach their children what to do if something happens. Having a plan of what to do can be the difference between a good result and a bad result. I encourage all parents and grandparents to continue to train their children or grandchildren of what to do during an emergency.
Chief Danny Watson MPA FBI NA # 228, Chief of Police for City of Darlington, has been on the Darlington Police Department since 1994 and Chief since 2011.
The News & Press will be sharing updates and opinions from Chief Watson on a regular basis; you can also keep up with the department on their Facebook page: Darlington Police Department.