Losing a child.......to stoners
The background to this story will play into another that I'll probably tell. I once drove an old bus from England to Nepal and back. Don't ask why, it just seemed a good idea at the time. This tale happened in Pokhara, Nepal, which was pretty much end of the line.

It was myself, my then wife, and our 2 year old son, and we were sitting in a restaurant with some friends. These were: two dutch couples, Nettert and Marije, who we'd met in Iran, and who had travelled with us for 6 weeks - we'd just met up after not seeing each other for a couple of months, and Kees and Mitchi, who we had met some weeks earlier in Delhi. Also there were Magnus and Jon, a pair of Swedes who we'd recently met, who were on their way home from Thailand.

This restaurant was big, and open sided, with a straw covered roof, we had a big table, and had pretty much finished eating. Little Sammy was playing happily on the floor by the table, Magnus, Jon and Kees were smoking prodigious amounts of weed, and the rest of us were chatting. I realised I couldn't see Little Sammy, so I went off to find him - he'd probably be 6 feet away. But he wasn't. So, I went right round the restaurant, but no sign. I get the Missus, and we look together, asking in the kitchen, looking around the edges in case he's hiding, or has found some random place to play with his cars. Nothing.

So, now we're shitting ourselves. Back to the table, this time Marije comes with us, we hunt more, we go out in the street, still no sign. Back to the table for a conference, and this time Nettert and Mitchi come too, we go to all the shops along the way, asking if anyone has seen him, we're stopping people in the street, still no sign.

By this time, we're sure he's been kidnapped. Damndamndamn, why didn't we pay more attention to where he was? We'll have to go to the police, but they're not likely to be much help. We go back to the table, where the three lads are still sitting in a happy haze, to grab everyone and head for the Police Station. We attract their smoke-raddled attention; "Come on, we need to get to the police station, fast". Why, they ask? "We can't find little Sammy anywhere!". "What?" says Jon, "You're kidding? He's asleep here on the bench next to me!"

It turned out he'd got tired playing under the table, crawled up onto the bench, leant against Jon, and fallen asleep. The lads had all been so stoned that they hadn't noticed anything was going on, despite multiple paniced conferences at the table next to them!
(Sammyhaswoefullyneglectedyou, Wed 28 Feb 2007, 12:44, Reply)