The Boy by the River - Tales from Bark Mountain

 Some stories begin with flashing lights and loud sirens.

But this one begins with silence.

On the edge of a quiet river, the firefighters discover a little boy sitting all by himself. His shoulders are heavy. His eyes never leave the water. He doesn't ask for help. He doesn't want a ride home. He barely says a word.

Sometimes the deepest hurts are the ones no one can see.

Not every broken heart cries out loud. Sometimes it simply waits... hoping someone will notice.

And every once in a while, healing doesn't arrive with flashing lights or big speeches.

Sometimes hope arrives with four paws, a wagging tail... and a very wet nose.

This is The Boy by the River.💔

This Tales from Bark Mountain episode was created and narrated by Steve Serbic

Music from Bensound.com

License code: JOMKAMTPZ2OJIAIF

Artist: : Benjamin Tissot

Check out goosethefiredog.com for pictures and more stories 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Welcome to another tale from Bark Mountain. As Rescue Eleven was returning to the fire hall after a call, they drove along the river, and as they got close to the bridge, they noticed a boy sitting on the bank near the river on the other side. They stopped their firetruck and they crossed the bridge, with Goose trotting happily beside them. When they got to the boy, they asked if he was okay. He didn't turn around. Then Goose moved in quietly and sat beside him. He did not move or react. The firefighters continued to try and talk to him. They moved in front of him so he could see them. Tom said, We're here to help you if you need it. But still, he hadn't spoken. Not one word. Not even when firefighter Jake asked him his name. Not even when Dazzle offered him a juice box. Not even when Goose rested his chin gently on the little boy's lap. The firefighters were worried about this little guy. Everyone communicates differently, but something appeared to be wrong. Sometimes silence tells its own story. Firefighter Dazzle knelt beside the little boy and tried a few simple sign language gestures she had learned years earlier. Hello, friend? Are you okay? The boy watched her carefully. His eyes brightened, but he didn't react. He didn't sign back. That's when the firefighter started to realize something might be wrong. Maybe this boy was struggling, or maybe he was injured. Maybe he just couldn't speak or even hear. Dazzle walked right up to him and stuck out her hand. Do you want to come to the fire hall for lunch? He put his hand out and she pulled them off the ground, and they walked hand in hand to the rescue truck with Goose trotting beside them. When they were returning to the fire hall, firefighter Tom let Fire Chief Steve know the situation. Tom had the little boy's ID and gave the phone number to Fire Chief Steve. So he called the boy's mother. When the boy's mother answered the phone, relief filled her voice. Oh thank goodness you found him, she said. I've been looking everywhere for him. He is with us at the Bark Mountain Fire Hall, Fire Chief Steve said. There was a pause. The little boy's mum said, Is he okay? He is fine. He's just not speaking and we were a little concerned. Fire Chief Steve explained that the crew from Rescue Eleven had found him sitting by the river. The mum said that made sense. His grandfather died three weeks ago, and they used to go to a certain spot by the river to go fishing. He loved his grandfather, and it was his only role model as his father had passed away years ago. My son is nonverbal, the mum said. Fire Chief Steve said he understood. We are happy to have him have lunch with the crew and stay around the fire hall for a couple of hours if you are okay with that. The mum seemed very grateful and explained that her son being around role models like firefighters would be very healthy for him, and she would come pick him up at five o'clock if that was okay. Fire Chief Steve said that's perfect. We'll see you then. When Fire Chief Steve came into the room, the little boy was playing with goose near his bed and the truck by windows. With the crew sitting at the galley table, Fire Chief Steve told them that he had a really good conversation with the little boy's mom. He lost his grandfather three weeks ago and his father several years ago. The room became still. Every day since then, he's been walking to the same spot along the river and sitting down where he and his grandfather used to fish together. Now everything's starting to make sense, Tom said. The fishing lure on his backpack, the notebook, the sadness in his eyes. The way he sat staring across the river, Tom said. Yes, he was visiting a memory, Dazil said. He was sitting in the last place he felt close to someone he loved. For a long moment nobody said anything. They just looked at the little boy as he patted Goose who was laying on his back with his feet in the air, enjoying every moment of the little boy's company. They just let the little boy pat goose. There's no perfect words for a broken heart. The little boy just patted goose for over an hour until his mother arrived. With his little backpack, he trotted down the sidewalk to the car in the parking lot and they drove away. A month later the little boy returned with his mum. When the little boy and his mum rang the bell, Fire Chief Steve opened the door with a big smile. Well hello there. Come on in, he said. The little boy had a picture in his hand. They walked up to the galley table and Fire Chief Steve called for the firefighters to gather around. Everybody entered the room, some stood and some sat down, but nobody spoke. The little boy put the drawing that he had colored with crayons on the galley table. It was a picture of him sitting on the bank, patting Goose the Fire Dog. In the background were the Bark Mountain firefighters. They were smiling. And above them in the sky was a picture of his grandfather smiling down on him, watching. And there were six words that were carefully written on the very top of the page. Thank you for making me smile. For a moment nobody moved. Firefighter Tom quietly wiped his eyes. Dazzle looked away as tears flowed down her face. Even Fire Chi Steve felt a lump in his throat. But the picture wasn't about firefighters. It wasn't even about goose or even the river. It was about a little boy finding a reason to smile again. Goose sensed the energy in the room and walked over to the little boy and rested his paw on the boy's leg. The little boy got off his chair and wrapped his arms around Goose's neck. And for the first time in almost a month, the little boy had a massive smile on his face. And as the little boy left with his mom, he turned and looked and waved to the firefighters with the biggest smile on his face. And the firefighters at Bark Mountain, they know this to be true. Words can explain a story, but pictures can open a window into a person's heart. Because while firefighters are trained to rescue people from danger, every once in a while they are given the privilege of rescuing something even more precious. Hope. That day the little boy was at the fire hall with his mum and his picture. He never spoke a word. Yet somehow he told the firefighters everything they needed to know. Because over time, thank you letters are forgotten. Trophies gather dust, certificates fade, but some gifts stay with us forever. A children's drawing, a shared smile, a memory of someone who mattered. And sometimes the greatest reward isn't hearing thank you. It's seeing proof that a hurting heart can smile again.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

Thank you for listening. Please check out GooseTheFireDog.com for more stories and pictures. Every Sunday gathers around for another time for.