Every Day Old Lady Sees Lonely Barefoot Triplets Fishing in a Pond and Follows Them — Story of the Day

One day, an older woman who wishes to become an adoring grandmother is intrigued when her eyes fall on a set of three lonely barefoot triplet girls playing by the pond near her house. She follows them to figure out why they're always alone and discovers something shocking.

Ever since her son Bradley moved out of Maine to establish his carpentry business, Maisy Hopkins had grown accustomed to sitting on her windowsill in the evenings. It overlooked the pond and it allowed her to observe the families who frequented it, particularly the grandparents and their grandkids.

Maisy was a cheerful 80-year-old woman who was looking forward to the day her son would inform her that she had become a grandma before God called her home, just as he had called her husband several years previously via an untimely heart attack.

That's why when Maisy noticed a set of triplets, barefoot and unattended, fishing in the pond and returning home late at night for several days in a row, she couldn't help but approach them. The girls appeared to be no older than seven, and they were dressed in pink floral dresses and round glasses.

"Hello, girls," Maisy greeted as she approached them, a broad grin on her face. "My name is Maisy Hopkins. I live in one of the houses near the pond. What are your names?"

"Good day, Mrs. Hopkins. My name is Sally," one of the girls holding the fishing rod introduced herself. "They're my sisters, Beth and Claire."

"You have a lovely name, Sally," Maisy commented quietly. "Actually, I am a little worried about you and your sisters. Did you know that walking barefoot is bad for you? You might get hurt."

"But I don't want Beth to feel lonely," Sally sighed, "so Claire and I decided not to wear sandals."

"What?" Maisy was puzzled. "I'm sorry, honey, I don't understand. Why would Beth feel that way?"

"Because she broke her sandals, and..." Before Sally could finish her sentence, Beth covered Sally's ears with her tiny hands and whispered something.

Maisy stared at them, puzzled, unable to comprehend what was happening. "Okay, tell me one thing, Sally," she asked. "Do your parents know that you and your sisters come here alone every day?"

"I'm sorry, but we have to leave," Sally replied, lifting her small plastic tub containing a few tiny fishes they caught. The girls vanished in an instant, and Maisy was left wondering why they were always alone. The next day, as she watched the girls leave, she followed them to find out why.

After a few minutes of following them, she noticed them stop by an old, rundown house on the edge of the forest in their area. They opened the door and went inside.

Maisy walked slowly to the door with exhausting steps, panting by the time she got there. "Hello? Is anyone home?" she called out, breathing heavily as she knocked on the door. "I'm Maisy Hopkins. I met Sally and her sisters, and I got them something."

Maisy had expected an elder to answer the door, but when the door opened, Sally stepped out. "Hello, Mrs. Hopkins!"

"Oh sweetheart, can I come inside? I feel a bit tired," Maisy requested.

The small girl nodded and guided her inside. Maisy followed her, and she saw the deplorable conditions Sally and her sisters were living in. The entire house smelled like rotting fish, with a garbage can overflowing in the main room and clothes strewn on the floors.

"Where are your parents, honey?" Maisy asked Sally, shocked by the condition of the house.

"Mommy doesn't live with us. She went to an angel when I was born. And daddy is away on a business trip. He said he would be home soon...."

"Oh, dear, so you're by yourself?" Maisy gasped. "Don't worry, Sally. I can help you and your sisters until your daddy comes home, okay? And guess what? I've got something for all of you," she said, gleefully swinging her bag. "Call Beth and Claire fast. I got you girls new shoes and a delicious pie!"

"Really?" Sally smiled brightly at her.

"Yes!" Maisy reassured her with a smile.

Sally ran to her sisters and brought them to the living room where Maisy opened her bag and took out the three pairs of yellow shoes she bought from the market that morning. She helped the girls put them on and she saw how happy they looked.

"THANK YOU, MRS. HOPKINS!" the little girls cried in unison as they gazed at their new shoes. And Maisy couldn't control her tears at that point. She had always wanted to be a grandmother, and she felt like Sally and her sisters were a blessing to her in disguise.

"Shall we have the pie, girls? Did you happen to eat anything? I'm guessing you must not have had a proper meal in a while since you're alone."

"We know how to cook, Mrs. Hopkins," Sally said proudly. "Because daddy is usually away, he taught us how to cook. Beth and Claire make delicious cookies! We go fishing every day, and we try new fish recipes!"

"Oh, really?" Maisy laughed, impressed by how responsible Sally and her sisters were for their age. "That's wonderful, girls. But starting today, old Mrs. Hopkins will prepare your meals, okay?"

"Okay!" Sally laughed as she bit into a large slice of pie.

From that day on, Maisy never needed to sit by her windowsill to watch others' kids by the pond because she had three beautiful girls to take care of and spend time with. However, when several days passed and their father didn't show up, Maisy was getting worried. Should I ask Sally for her father's phone number? I'm hoping nothing bad happened to him.

Luckily, there was a knock on the door that afternoon, and when Maisy answered it, she noticed a tall man in his mid-30s standing there. "Hello, are you…" Maisy had only started speaking when he barged inside the house.

"What the hell! Who are you? And what are you doing here?! Janet, are you home? Claire? Sally? Beth?" he screamed at the top of his voice.

Who is Janet? Maisy wondered. "Look, sir, I…."

"Where the hell are my girls? And who are you? I'm calling the police!"

Suddenly, Sally, Beth, and Claire came running downstairs. "Daddy!" they cried as they hugged him.

"Oh, sweetie! Are you all right? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"No, daddy," Beth said. "Mrs. Hopkins is very sweet. She helped us when you were away."

"What?" The man was surprised. "Where's Aunt Janet?"

"She never came home, daddy. We were alone. Only Mrs. Hopkins helped us," Sally explained.

At that, the man felt bad for lashing out at Maisy. "I'm so sorry for the outburst, ma'am. I don't know you, so I was a little scared. My name is Leo Hodges. Thank you for helping my daughters."

"It's okay, young man. I'm Maisy Hopkins, and I'm glad I found your daughters when you were away. But may I ask you why you left your girls all alone?"

"I had actually asked my sister to look after them, ma'am, but I guess Janet didn't show up. I even paid her for that! She said she'd charge me for babysitting, but she isn't even here! One second, let me just call her."

When Leo called Janet, it turned out that she had intentionally skipped visiting his home because she was away on a trip to Vietnam with her friends. "Hey, Leo, look, I'm sorry, okay," she said on the phone. "I was – I just needed a break, and I…."

"Break?" Leo lashed out. "My daughters were alone at home, Janet! Do you think it is a joke? Don't you dare call me again, and yeah, I want the money back!" he retorted and hung up.

"I'm sorry about that," Maisy consoled him. "But now that you're back home, you can be with your daughters. And if you need help next time, you can call me. I live close to the pond. I loved spending time with your girls, and honestly, it's been a long time since I've felt this happy. My husband passed away a few years ago, and my son hardly visits me."

"Well then, Mrs. Hopkins, you can come here whenever you want. We would love to have you over, and thanks a bunch for what you did for my girls. I would never be able to return your kindness."

Maisy laughed. "You can…you can…how about dinner at my house tonight? You, me, and the girls?"

"Oh, we'd love that, Mrs. Hopkins. Thank you!"

"See you later then!"

Maisy shared her address with Leo before leaving their house, and at night, she prepared a lovely dinner for them, the main dish being a delicious fish curry.

From that day on, Leo and his girls started spending time with old Maisy, ensuring that she never felt lonely. Leo would sometimes drop by her house early in the morning with breakfast, and they often enjoyed evening tea together while the girls played by the pond.

One day, Leo and his girls were at Maisy's house when Bradley arrived. He had intended to surprise Maisy with his visit, but it was he who was surprised – or rather, shocked – when he found Maisy and Leo sipping tea in the garden in front of her house and Sally and her sisters chuckling around their chairs.

They all looked so happy and sweet – like they were a family, and Bradley felt as if he was a stranger visiting their home. He got down from his car and was shocked to see his mom so happy with strangers.

"Bradley?" Maisy was stunned to see him. "I thought you would never be able to make time for me! How come you're…."

"Who are they, mom?" Bradley whispered angrily.

"Shut up, Bradley. When you weren't here, Leo and his daughters became a family to me…It's a long story, but that doesn't matter."

"Family?" Bradley mocked her with a fat sneer on his lips. "Whatever! I don't care."

Leo took the initiative and introduced himself, and Bradley reluctantly forced a smile at him.

He was envious that his mother was so content with someone else and wasn't excited to see him after all these years. It was at that point that he realized that things like family are far more important than money. He had left Maisy alone and prioritized his work all this time and he now regretted doing so.

From that day on, Bradley changed for the better. He genuinely thanked Leo for staying by Maisy's side and became good friends with him. He also started spending more time with Maisy.

Six months later, when he and his girlfriend decided to tie the knot after learning they were expecting twins, the first person who learned this news was Maisy.

She was, obviously, over the moon when she heard that, not only because she was going to become a grandmother but also because she had five lovely grandchildren and two sons now. (Leo and his children, as well as Bradley, his wife, and their twins George and Andrew, who were born nine months later.)

What can we learn from this story?

• Kindness is like a boomerang; it always comes back in some form. Maisy helped Sally and her sisters when she saw them all alone by the pond, and in return, God granted her wish, blessing her with not one, not two, but five grandchildren.
• Family should always be the first priority. Bradley realized this late, but thankfully, he did and improved his relationship with his mother.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a husband who regrets mocking his wife for the sofa she bought from a flea market upon discovering a zipper behind it.

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