Eight year old Kori Kent loved going to the amusement park with her parents and occasionally with her aunt and uncles. There were so many rides to choose from; scary to look at from afar, but fun when you actually ride them. But since most of the rides had an age restriction of ten years, little Kori had to wait to go on the rides she wanted to. Still she loved spending time with her parents who were extremely busy reporters, always on the trail of uncovering the truth.

Once when Kori and her parents were strolling through the park, a huge crowd of people rushed by them to get in line at a new ride which had just opened across the park. Since Kori was not holding on to her father’s hand firmly, she was pulled away and into the crowd.

Kori was strong for someone of her age, so she was able to pull out of the crowd as they rushed towards the new ride. She caught her breath and then looked around. But alas! She did not recognise her surroundings as they were unfamiliar. Kori was lost!

Realising the fact that she was lost and couldn’t find her parents, she started to cry. Her mother had warned her not to wander far from them and she did not. Crying was never as option to solve any problem, Kori decided to search for her parents.

A small distance away, eight year old Jason Todd was watching the Ferris wheel, waiting for the orphanage teacher to collect him and return to the orphanage. That’s when he noticed a girl, about the same age as him, with black hair and blue eyes. She was walking past with tear streaks down her cheeks. Jason knew at once she was lost. He went over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, um…. Are you lost? He asked, a little hesitantly. Kori lifted her tear-filled eyes and saw a boy with soft brown eyes and black hair.

“Yes, I am lost but who are you?” Kori inquired. “Oh, sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Jason Todd” he replied. “Hi, I’m Kori Kent. Could you help me find my parents?” said Kori. “Absolutely!” said Jason. Kori smiled and both started walking. “So Kori, where were you when you got separated from your parents?” asked Jason. “We were near the main entrance, opposite the Free Fall” answered Kori. “Oh, I know where that is! Come on!” said Jason, pulling Kori along with him.

Meanwhile, Kori’s parents were at the Security booth, retelling their story.  Joanne, her mother, was pacing in front of the booth. The security had left to find Kori. Joseph, though scared from inside, was trying to keep calm and pacify his wife. “Don’t worry, honey”. Joanne began to relax at hearing her husband’s words when she saw Kori running towards them with a boy close at her heels.

Joseph and Joanne ran over to their daughter and hugged her, silently thanking God for returning their daughter safely to them. “Jason! Jason, come here at once!” a voice called. “Oh, that’s for me. Bye!” said Jason and ran off. “Who was that?” Joseph asked her daughter. “That was Jason Todd. He brought me here when I got lost” replied Kori, gazing forlornly at the retreating figure of the said boy. She knew that she had to thank him, but she was also sure that meeting him again was impossibility.

A few days later...

At Grand Park Academy, the third grade teacher started the lesson by introducing a new addition to the class. Kori looked up to see who this was. To her surprise she saw Jason standing in front of the class. The teacher made him sit next to her in class and both were overjoyed. Kori found out that that Jason had been adopted by billionaire Wayne Jordan and that’s how he was able to attend school. They became firm friends and planned many expeditions to the park and the zoo, and later, they were more than friends but that is a story for another time!

Please comment with your thoughts and thank you for reading!