I saw the two figures on the road ahead of me. Their shadows were dark in the bright sun. I could see they were traveling in the same direction as me. I was heading to the dome building at the end of the road. Someone told me it was worth seeing. I really didn't know what to expect. The anticipation in me was growing as I got closer to the building.
The two figures slowed and I was almost upon them. They stopped and were talking to a small child. I could see the child more clearly as I walked up to them. I was going to walk past but I heard the child crying. It was a little boy about 5 years old all dressed in blue. The two figures were women. Their shadows had covered my view of the boy. They were trying to comfort him. I stopped to see if I could help.
"What seems to be the problem," I asked?
One lady looked up at me. Her face was old and wrinkled. "This boy is lost. Do you think you could help him? We have family waiting for us ahead and we can't stop." Her eyes begged for me to help. Her young companion nodded. They pushed him at me before I could say a word and hurried down the road.
"How rude," I thought to myself. I looked down at the little boy. His nose was runny and I fumbled in my pocket for my handkerchief.
"What's your name boy," I asked as I handed him the tissue.
"Tommy," the boy said as he blew his nose and wiped his eyes. "Tommy McTavish. I've lost my parents. I stopped to look at the fountain over there and I looked up and they were gone!" He started crying again.
"Calm down boy. I'll help you find your parents." All thoughts of the dome passed and my mind was filled with thoughts of the little boy. I smiled at the boy and he smiled back. "Now show me that fountain please." The boy led me to the fountain and I could see it was a big one. A child could easily get lost behind the falling waters of the statue and high walls of the pool. "I bet your parents are just as panicked as you are," I told Tommy. He nodded his head and looked at everyone passing by but no parents in sight.
Everyone looked the same here, all dressed in blue gowns with hoods over their heads to keep out the sun. We looked for an hour and asked everyone we saw if they had seen a mother and father looking for a little boy. No one had. We searched another hour before I finally told Tommy that we should head to the police department. "Maybe your parents have filed a missing child's report," I said.
Tommy held my hand and chattered away the whole way to the police station. He and his parents were visiting from overseas. They had only been here for a few days. They wanted to see the Dome before they left to go back home. I told him I had planned on seeing it today too. Maybe I'd still have time after I dropped him off at the police station.
The police station was all a bustle with people coming and going, pushing and shoving. I almost lost Tommy twice because people were not watching where they were going. The poor little guy looked like a rag doll being tossed all over the department. We made our way to the main desk and waited in line. Who’d a thought we'd have to wait in line?
"NEXT!" A large man bellowed to his hands. He never looked up as Tommy and I made our way to his desk. "What seems to be the problem?" He asked as he scribbled some writing on a stack of papers.
"This little boy has lost his parents," I said to the man behind the desk. He just shrugged and said "yes... yes..." He lifted a large stamp and pounded it on some ink and then on a stack of papers. It made a large bang and then he put the papers in another large pile to his right. Finally he looked up and I could see his face. He was a round fellow with a neatly shaven face and sweat rolling down his forehead. He wiped it away with his sleeve. He looked at me and then looked for Tommy. I had to lift the boy on the counter for him to see.
"What's your name son," he asked Tommy.
"Tommy McTavish, sir. Can you help me find my parents?" The man nodded and looked through some paperwork. "McTavish... McTavish... I know I had it here somewhere. They were just here about 2 hours ago. I know it's here somewhere." He looked frantically through some papers then with a sigh he picked up the paper at the bottom of the pile. "There it is... always on the bottom. Why is it always on the bottom when you are looking for something?" He looked at me and I shrugged.
"And you... who are you?" The man looked at me and I explained how I was going to the Dome, and about how the two women had pushed Tommy off on me, and how we had gone to the fountain and looked for the boy’s parents but couldn't find them and decided to come here to the station. He picked up his phone and called a number on the paper and said a few words to someone on the phone and then hung it up. Then he bellowed to a man behind him some orders and turned his attention back to me.
"I will need you to file a statement," he handed me some papers and a pen.
"It's been a long day sir. I have not had any dinner and I am tired and thirsty. Can't I do this tomorrow," I asked?
He ordered me to have a seat and fill the papers. Then he yelled to another man to bring me something to drink and some food. I took Tommy and the two of us sat and filled out the papers as we ate and drank. About a half hour later Tommy got up and yelled to two people being escorted through the door.
"Mommy... Daddy..." the boy yelled. He ran to their arms and gave them both a big hug. He proceeded to tell them of his adventures. They listened to every detail happy to have their son back in their care. The came up to me and thanked me for helping their son.
"It was my pleasure. Tommy was an angel and I enjoyed his company." I finished writing and walked up to the desk and handed the papers to the Sargent behind the desk. He looked at it and read it. Took out his stamp and pounded it in the ink then on to the paper with my statement.
"You may go," he said.
"Great... I really would like to get back to the Dome and check it out." I made my way to the door but was stopped by Tommy's father. He shook my hand and said... "The Dome will be closed by now. It closes early today. Please come and have some dinner with us?" I shook my head yes and said "O.k... I guess I'll go visit the Dome tomorrow."
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