Every Parent’s Fear

Ian darted past me and I lunged for him. He was too quick, though, and ran up the walkway. I limped after him fast as I could on my bad knee.

“Ian!” I called, “Stop!” He ignored me and ran out of sight around the hill, but I wasn’t too worried. This walkway at the Overland Park Arboretum runs without intersection in a spiral up the hill overlooking the Children’s Garden. Confident that Ian would stay on the pavement until he reached the dead end at the summit, I hurried up as fast as my knee would allow. When I reached the top, though, Ian wasn’t there.

“Have you seen a little boy?” I asked the couple already there. They shook their heads and my heart lurched. Without a trace, Ian had simply disappeared. I hurried back to Sandi and we began to search in earnest.

“Ian! Ian!” we called repeatedly, and the silence mocked our desperation.

“Call the police,” I told Sandi after frantically looking, knowing that time was critical.

“Are you looking for a little boy?” a lady on the walkway asked after the police had arrived. “There’s a boy lying down up here.” I ran up as fast as my knee would let me and saw Ian lying on the ground. He was still, but unhurt. I lifted him and crushed him to me, never wanting to let him go. I was so relieved to have him safe and unhurt that I didn’t even get angry.

The dried foliage on his jacket solved the mystery. Ian had crawled under the juniper patch on the hillside and hidden. We talked to Ian about how scared we were and how upset James had been. Although we gave Ian no dire punishment, we haven’t been back to that spot since.

Bill Bartlett lives in Belton with his wife, Sandi, and two sons.