Boy Dropped Off 25 Miles From Home For Saying One Word

Alone

The little boy looked around at his surroundings. He’d never been anywhere that his dad hadn’t taken him, and now he was off on his own. This wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

He expected the bus doors to open and for him to see his house past the picket fence.

But it was nothing like that. It looked alien and unfamiliar. He was truly alone, and it was the bus driver’s fault.

A Bad Feeling

Ever since Arthur got off the bus, he felt a bad feeling creep up his spine. Even though the bus had left him stranded, he had a feeling that there was a set of eyes on him.

He didn’t know what to do. He had never been left alone like this without supervision.

Should he start walking or stay put, hoping someone would find him? Then the unthinkable happened.

Dark Figure

Just as Arthur finished pondering what he would do next, he noticed something. Had it been there the entire time? He stood frozen, staring at the thing he hadn’t seen before.

It was a dark figure watching him from the sidewalk. He was just standing there.

Arthur didn’t like it, but things were about to ramp up, and the poor boy wouldn’t know whether to run or fight.

Approaching Him

The figure seemed like they’d had enough of watching the boy and now started walking towards the boy.

At first, it was a walk, but then it turned into a rushed hobble. They seemed eager to get to the boy.

Arthur froze up and didn’t know what to do. He thought back to the bus driver; this was all his fault. Once the dark figure got close enough for Arthur to see him, he screamed.

Arthur Williams

Arthur Williams was a fun-loving eight-year-old who did everything he was supposed to. He tried his best in school and played in his backyard when he got home. But there was something else.

His world was very small. It only consisted of his house and his school. Sometimes, his parents took him to the mall, but he was always under close supervision.

He had no idea that his world was going to change.

A Good Family

The ten-year-old had a devoted family to look after him. His father, Jim Williams, was used to dropping off his son and picking him up from school every day.

This meant that Arthur was never out of his dad’s sight.

It was the way Jim preferred it, but one day, he wouldn’t be able to watch his child just like he wanted to. But things would end poorly.

Getting Into An Accident

It was a normal day with Jim dropping off Arthur at school. He waved his son goodbye and went on his way to work.

He was ready to work until school came out, but then the unbelievable happened.

Jim was on his way to work when he was T-boned by a negligent driver. Jim saw his life flash before his eyes.

Alright

Thankfully, despite being in a car accident, Jim was okay. But it had other repercussions that no one considered.

His car was a wreck, and his insurance company would only pay out after a week or two.

That meant for the next few weeks, the Williams family had to make drastic plans. But poor Arthur would suffer the most.

The Bus

Arthur was used to being dropped off and picked up. He was basically in the lap of luxury every day, but now he would have to face an alternative that he was uncomfortable with.

Jim didn’t like it either, but there was no other alternative while he waited for his payout.

His son was going to have to take the bus just for a week or two. But he had no idea what was going to happen.

No Choice

Arthur knew he had no choice but to obey his father. Life wasn’t easy for his family right now, and he knew he had to help out all he could.

He was never disobedient and was a team player.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t hate what he was about to do. Going onto the bus for a ten-year-old was a scary and intimidating thing to do especially since he had never done it before.

End Of The School Day

Arthur’s teachers let him know while he was at school that he wasn’t going home with his dad.

They reassured him that his dad was okay; it was just the car that wasn’t looking good.

Anxiety flooded the boy’s system as the school bell rang. His muscle memory would have him running out to the front parking, but he realized that wasn’t the way this time. He looked to where the other kids went for the bus.

Stepping Inside

Arthur saw the yellow bus with children hopping on. It was mostly groups of friends chatting enthusiastically.

But for him, this wasn’t going to be a fun ride. He mustered up the courage to step onto the bus and look for a seat.

The back seats were all already taken, but there was one near the front. It was close to the driver of the bus. He sat down before the bus closed its doors and embarked.

Nearby

Thankfully, Arthur knew that he lived nearby. His dad normally only took around fifteen minutes to get them home.

All he had to do was keep his head down and endure the experience for a little longer.

But that’s when the bus driver asked him something. Something he wasn’t ready to answer. It was about to lead to a huge mistake.

His Address

The bus driver looked back at Arthur and realized he hadn’t seen him on the bus before. “What’s your name?” He asked the boy. “Arthur,”

The boy meekly replied. But it wasn’t over.

The bus driver then asked him what his address was. Something that Arthur wasn’t particularly sure about. He tried remembering the one his father had made him rehearse, but was it the right one?

One Reply

Arthur thought about it hard, and finally, an address came to him. He gave it to the driver and sat back down.

But it would take a few moments to realize that something was very wrong.

He was supposed to only take fifteen minutes to get home. Even with all the stops for the other kids, it didn’t make sense. It had already been half an hour, and he still wasn’t home.

Stopping Off

Arthur tried pushing his anxiety back down. He didn’t know the route, so maybe the bus driver was just driving carefully. He waited patiently and tried taking his mind off of things.

Finally, the bus slowed down, and the bus driver turned to him. “This is your stop, buddy,” He said with a smile.

Arthur hopped off the bus and heard it leave behind him. But something was wrong.

Unfamiliar Place

Arthur realized almost immediately that he wasn’t dropped off at the right place. He looked back to the bus, but it was too late.

He watched it drive off and get further and further away.

The hope that he would ever get home waned as the yellow object disappeared over the horizon. He couldn’t believe it, but he had no idea how much worse it would become.

Tears

Arthur wiped the snot on his sleeve as tears welled up in his eyes. He had no idea where he was, and fear gripped every part of his body.

He didn’t understand how he had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere.

That’s when he remembered something. He had told the bus driver one word – did that affect the outcome of where he ended up?

His Surroundings

The little boy looked around at his surroundings. He’d never been anywhere that his dad hadn’t taken him, and now he was off on his own. This wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

He expected the bus doors to open and for him to see his house past the picket fence.

But it was nothing like that. It looked alien and unfamiliar. He was truly alone, and it was the bus driver’s fault.

Stranded

Ever since Arthur got off the bus, he felt a bad feeling creep up his spine. Even though the bus had left him stranded, he had a feeling that there was a set of eyes on him.

He didn’t know what to do. He had never been left alone like this without supervision.

Should he start walking or stay put, hoping someone would find him? Then the unthinkable happened.

Watching Him

Just as Arthur finished pondering what he would do next, he noticed something. Had it been there the entire time? He stood frozen, staring at the thing he hadn’t seen before.

It was a dark figure watching him from the sidewalk. He was just standing there.

Arthur didn’t like it, but things were about to ramp up, and the poor boy wouldn’t know whether to run or fight.

Screaming

The figure seemed like they’d had enough of watching the boy and now started walking towards the boy.

At first, it was a walk, but then it turned into a rushed hobble. They seemed eager to get to the boy.

Arthur froze up and didn’t know what to do. He thought back to the bus driver, this was all his fault. Once the dark figure got close enough for Arthur to see him, he screamed.

Bending Down

The man got to Arthur and then bent down to meet his eye level. Arthur wanted to run, but his body wouldn’t let him.

The man took off his hat and sunglasses, but that was the nail in the coffin.

Arthur recognized the man’s face. He couldn’t believe who it was. He knew that everything was going to change now that he was there.

A Familiar Face

The man said, “Hey, champ. You’re a long way from home, aren’t you? Why don’t you come hop in? I’ll get you home.” Any other child would have run away screaming, “stranger danger!” But not Arthur.

Arthur knew he could trust the stranger despite what others in his place would have done. He followed the man to a strange-looking car.

But he wouldn’t say no to a free lift.

Going With The Man

The man opened the back door of the car, and Arthur climbed in. The man followed and sat next to him before the driver set off.

Arthur wasn’t nervous anymore, despite what his mother would have told him.

But that’s when the man winked at Arthur and revealed everything. Arthur was comfortable with the man for one reason.

Jim 

Arthur was happy to go with the man because of one good reason. The man that had found him was his father, Jim.

Arthur needed answers. He was curious how his dad had found him.

“How did you know where to find me?” The little boy asked. Jim smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Did you think I’d leave you alone?”

The Truth Behind Everything

Jim started explaining how when the school notified him that his son would be taking the bus, something felt wrong.

He knew his son would be in dire straits if he forgot his address.

He had no idea what would happen to Arthur if that happened. The more he thought about it, the more paranoid he became. That’s when he decided to take drastic measures.

Coming To Pick Him Up

Jim decided to try and pick up his son even without a car. But there was only one way that it was going to be possible – he pulled out his phone and made the fateful decision.

The car arrived shortly after, and Jim jumped inside. He told the driver to head to the school immediately.

But when he finally got there, he saw that he was too late.

In Pursuit

Jim’s Uber was just too late. He saw the school bus leaving, and he knew he had to do something. He told the Uber driver to pursue the yellow bus at any cost.

That’s when he saw his son hop off the bus in the middle of nowhere. But he was safe now. Arthur needed to learn his address, but for now, at least he would be heading back home without incident.

To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.