Cops Arrive on Call and See Little Girl Who Lives Alone in Old House — Story of the Day

My partner Amos and I rushed to an old house after receiving a distress call from a seven-year-old girl who was living there all by herself. How long had she been surviving like this, and where were her parents?

It was a bright, sunny day. Amos and I were seated in our police cruiser parked at an intersection in the busy city of New York. The two of us had just taken a break from patrolling our district and had decided to grab a bite to eat before returning to work.

Amos was in the middle of telling me what he called his "Little pellets" as we wolfed down our hamburgers. The pellets were jokes Amos claimed could make even the most sadistic person laugh, but in truth, the only reason I reacted to them was because of how ridiculous they were.

While we ate our burgers, Amos was going on and on about animals and what they said whenever they wished to cross a road. I was about to shut him up as usual when the dispatch radioed in about the little girl's call for help.

A few minutes ago…

"Hello? Hello?" a girl said as soon as someone picked up the phone on the other line. She was in pain and could recall only one number that would send her immediate help. Her mother had taught her to call 911 when in distress.

"911, what's your emergency?" the emergency hotline agent replied.

"My stomach hurts so much," the little girl said through the pain. "I need help, please."

As part of their protocol, the 911 responder immediately asked, "What's your location? I need you to stay calm and answer, alright?"

The little girl provided her address, and the kind dispatcher, Officer Spleen, quickly pulled up the maps on his computer.

"Help is on the way, just hold on, okay?" he said, getting her exact location. The girl, feeling a bit relieved, hung up the phone.

In our cruiser...

Realizing we were nearby, I grabbed the radio right away to let dispatch know we were on our way to help the girl.

"Right when it was getting good!" Amos pouted while I secretly rejoiced. "You'll have your chance, my man," I said with a smile. "Let's see what's up with this girl."

As we arrived at the girl's location, Amos and I walked to the door and knocked. We repeated the action several times, but no one answered. When Amos tried the lock, we discovered the door was left unlocked, so we entered.

"Hello?" I called out, listening intently for a reply.

"Perhaps no one is home?" Amos wondered aloud.

"I'll go check upstairs," I said.

As I reached the top flight of stairs, I immediately heard someone sobbing and went on high alert, catching myself just before I pulled out my gun and startled the girl who stood in the doorway leading to her bedroom. She was dressed in cozy-looking pajamas and held a medium-sized teddy in her arms.

"Hey there, everything okay?" I softened my voice, approaching her carefully.

"I'm really hungry and my stomach hurts," she sniffled. "I need something to eat."

"Where's your mom and dad?" I asked when I reached her. "Don't worry, my partner and I are here to help."

"My mom left to go and buy us food from my favorite Chinese restaurant, but she hasn't returned."

"Okay. We'll find a way to call her home soon, alright? Can you tell me your name?" I asked.

"Penelope," she answered.

"Don't worry; we're here to help, Penelope. We'll make sure everything's okay with your mom," I assured her.

We took the little girl to a cafeteria to buy her food, and she quickly warmed up to Amos because she kept laughing at his ridiculous jokes. Of course, it had been my idea to distract her while I inquired about her mother's whereabouts.

I quietly made some calls to nearby hospitals and found out that her mom, Layla, had been in a car accident coming back from the restaurant and was now in the hospital, still unconscious.

But rather than telling Penelope that, I decided I would assume responsibility for the child until Layla was discharged from the hospital. She had walked away from the accident with a slight concussion and several scratches, which meant she would be released once she awoke. Hopefully, that would happen soon, I thought.

So Amos and I spent the rest of the day with Penelope, taking her on a sightseeing tour of New York, and we also kept her well-fed. She was so engaged that she didn't ask about her mother until she noticed that we were headed away from the direction of her home that night.

"It's that way," she said in confusion.

"Your mom will be away for some more time, sweetheart, she needs you to wait for her, can you do that?" I asked.

The truth was, Amos and I had hoped Layla would have regained consciousness and returned to her home by nightfall, but that did not happen, and we could not leave the little girl alone to fend for herself.

So, I made a plan to look after her until her mom could take care of her again. I gently told her that her mom was on a long trip and would be back soon, trying to make the hard news a bit easier for her to handle.

"Just be a brave girl for a little while longer, okay?" I encouraged her. I promised to stay close and keep an eye on her, making sure she felt safe. Penelope nodded, understanding.

After three days of keeping her company, we got the good news that Layla was conscious and getting better.

When Layla was to be discharged, I drove Penelope to the hospital in my cruiser. Seeing Layla and Penelope hug each other again made me tear up a bit. After that, I drove them both back to their house.

Layla kept thanking me over and over for looking after Penelope.

Since then, Amos and I often drop by to check on them and crack some of our silly jokes, which always makes Penelope laugh.

Penelope likes to say that not all heroes have capes; some wear police badges, something she learned from Layla. Hearing her say that always makes Amos and me smile big. Being a police officer can be tough, but meeting people like Penelope and Layla reminds us why it's worth it.

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If you enjoyed reading this story, here's another one | I was raised in foster care and never felt like I had a family. But at 35, my biological mother, Caitlyn, contacted me and asked to meet. I pushed her away, thinking the worst about her, and regretted my decision forever... Full story here.

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