Here’s an intriguing story by Maureen, exclusively for Different Truths.

The day was perfect for a swim. We decided to get away from our job stress and so being a weekend, we headed to the beach eagerly. Mindy agreed to drive her car. There were five of us and our sizes assured us that a big car was necessary. An hour drive, in comfort, was worth the catching up of gossips and listening to old songs. We enjoyed the sceneries on the highway and the speed of the vehicle that Mindy drove was smooth sailing, especially when there was no traffic. It was the green surrounding that was a sight to behold.

There were five of us and our sizes assured us that a big car was necessary. An hour drive, in comfort, was worth the catching up of gossips and listening to old songs. We enjoyed the sceneries on the highway and the speed of the vehicle that Mindy drove was smooth sailing, especially when there was no traffic. It was the green surrounding that was a sight to behold.

Before we knew it, Mindy landed her car in a perfect lot under a shady tree. When we got out, we could hear the waves hitting against the shore and feel the wind blowing lightly through our untied hair to all different direction. Our faces could feel the fresh air.  We finally felt the freedom, embracing the sea and nature. We got our knapsacks out and headed to a spot to be marked as our own peaceful serenity spot of the beach.

After ten minutes, we lay on the mat and gazed at the infinite blue sky. Our eyes closed for a while though the promising sunshine warmed us. Out of the blue, Sha suggested that we clean up the beach. “What?” exclaimed Malory. “We didn’t come here to be garbage pickers.” “ I know, but I came across an advertisement saying that if anyone collects recyclable rubbish, photos can be taken, uploaded and be sent to the organisers,” she explained. “Photos must depict the increasing number of trash collected. Prizes could be won. In that way, we  could be doing community service and our satisfaction in serving the planet will be fulfilled.” Malory, Mindy, Jenny and Dhini gave it a thought.  We decided it was a nice gesture do a favour for the earth and so we set out to work on being the garbage pickers for the day bearing in mind that the materials we collect have to be recyclable.

Off we went to different directions, to different spots to pick up cans, glasses and bottles that were thrown on the gritty sand of the beach. Our eagerness to embark on this task was great that we didn’t realise time was running out.

Off we went to different directions, to different spots to pick up cans, glasses and bottles that were thrown on the gritty sand of the beach. Our eagerness to embark on this task was great that we didn’t realise time was running out. Malory collected mostly drink cans. Mindy and Jenny did not collect much but they did fairly well in their collection. Dhini took advantage of collecting shells for her project amidst the cans and glass. Thus, she was slow. As she was collecting various shells, she noticed a little girl doing the same. Dhini stopped for a while and stared at the little girl. She was shabbily dressed and Dhini at once thought that this little girl was not with adults because of her appearance. Dhini looked curiously around to see if there was anybody that could be nearby. There was none to be seen.

Dhini slowly picked a conversation with the little girl. “ Are you collecting shells like me?” she asked. The little girl replied, “Yup.” Then Dhini asked her, “Did you get a lot?”. The little girl said  “Yup” while looking at Dhini’s hand full of her shells. “Are you here with your family?” Dhini queried further. The little girl did not reply but instead continued bending down to pick up a shell. This made Dhini more suspicious about the state of the little girl. For a moment, Dhini started looking out for Mindy, Sha, Malory and Jenny. “Could this be a lost or an abandoned child,” she thought.

Quickly, in the pretence of helping the little girl to look for more shells, Dhini held her hand hoping to bring her nearer to at least Sha. Finally, Sha caught sight of Dhini and Dhini whispered to Sha telling her about the little girl. Malory and Jenny caught the sight of an extra member from afar and immediately knew something was not right.

Quickly, in the pretence of helping the little girl to look for more shells, Dhini held her hand hoping to bring her nearer to at least Sha. Finally, Sha caught sight of Dhini

and Dhini whispered to Sha telling her about the little girl. Malory and Jenny caught the sight of an extra member from afar and immediately knew something was not right. We came quickly and joined Sha and Dhini. The little girl was surprisingly excited to see us outpouring attention on her. We got along very well. She spoke about the number of shells she collected comparing with Dhini’s and we slowly walked back to our spot. We ended up sitting on our mat with the little girl who was all with laughter looking at the garbage collected by us. Sha managed to take pictures with her camera as this was planned earlier.  We explained to the little girl about our mission to clean up the beach and win a prize. The little girl was astonished by our ideas and was listening attentively.

Talking with the little girl for only ten minutes, she suddenly wanted to leave us. Being a psychology student, Jenny casually asked the little girl where her family was. The little girl hesitantly said, “somewhere around.” Dhini immediately asked the little girl if we could look for her. To this, the little girl said she has searched for her family but in vain. “For how long?” asked Mindy. “Weeeellll…..for about two hours” she lamented. “ I’ve stopped crying, I can’t walk long and it’s no point running and looking for them. Probably they will look for me because they know that I must have their care. You see…I’m a poliomyelitis patient and so I get tired easily. I can’t walk fast either.”

We were completely dumbfounded. There was complete silence among us as none of us knew what to say. At the same time, we were thrilled with the energy of the little girl. Her maturity in handling a panicky situation as such touched each one of us despite the little girl’s age of eight or nine years.

We were completely dumbfounded. There was complete silence among us as none of us knew what to say. At the same time, we were thrilled with the energy of the little girl. Her maturity in handling a panicky situation as such touched each one of us despite the little girl’s age of eight or nine years. It was time for us to put on our thinking hats. In a moment of clarity, Dhini suggested that we go to the nearest police station to make a report.

Hurriedly, we packed our belongings and headed to the nearest police station with the help of Sha’s waze, bringing the little girl. In five minutes we reached the station and went to the front desk. We lined up behind a couple. Malory overheard the couple reporting their missing child. She interrupted the couple and asked for the child’s description. Before the couple could answer her, the little girl screamed for joy and ran to her mother. “Mommmyyy…there you are,” she burst out. We all had tears welled up in our eyes. The little girl’s father kept on thanking us. It was simply a beautiful reunion at the police station. Sha could not be silent about this and took moments of it with her handphone.

After a while, the parents and we exchanged contact numbers to be in touch. We said our goodbyes with love for the little girl.

After a while, the parents and we exchanged contact numbers to be in touch. We said our goodbyes with love for the little girl. “It was a day well spent although there was no swim,” we thought. “We killed two birds with a stone. We did justice to the environment and humanity.” When we looked back, the waves were still hitting the shore, we still felt the gentle breeze. But the thought of coming back had no more excitement…

Photo from the Internet