Day to Day happenings in my life

Missing me?

PROMPT November 4th

We've all heard of people who mysteriously 'go missing'. Tonight, write about a person who 'goes missing'. Someone that you read about in the newspaper or online, but nobody seems to know them, or remember them.

This week in Western Australia the headlines and news have been all about a little girl lost. Her name is Cleo Smith aged four years old.
Her family were camping in a remote campsite near the blowholes in a little town of Carnarvon.
She was with her Mum and dad and baby sister. Her mother woke to tend to the baby at 1.30 am and gave Cleo a drink of water. She snuggled her down into her sleeping bag.
At 6.30 the parents awoke to find little Cleo gone from the tent along with her sleeping bag.
A massive police search has been going on ever since but no sign of the little girl or her sleeping bag were to be seen. Eighteen days went by. Posters pleading for information have been everywhere. Her young parents have been on television, pleading for any information about their child. It’s been heartbreaking for everyone.
Then yesterday we awoke to the news she’d been found. She was locked in a house in the town only seven minutes drive from her home. She was alone, the lights were on and at one am the police broke down the door. Police video showed a police officer picking her up and asking her name. He asked her twice and then she said…”my name is Cleo”
So many people I have spoken to said they burst into tears, as did I.
The little town is festooned with pink balloons. Signs saying ‘Welcome Home Cleo’ and others thanking the amazing detective work involved in bringing her home.
Last night in Perth 500 kms away from Carnarvon the bridge was lit up in blue to praise the police.
What a joyful few days. It demonstrates to me how starved we are for some good news these days.
The next few weeks are going to be difficult trying to establish what happened to her over 18 days and nights. The man who took her is in custody.