The manager was taken aback when one of his most reliable employees failed to show up for work without prior notice. With an urgent issue looming regarding a crucial computer system, the manager decided to call the employee’s home. To his surprise, a child’s voice greeted him on the other end with a soft, “Hello?”
“Is your father home?” the manager inquired.
“Yes,” the little voice replied.
“Could I speak to him?”
“No,” came the hushed response.
Confused, the manager continued, “Is your mother there?”
“Yes,” whispered the child.
“Could you put her on the phone?”
Once again, the answer came in a quiet “No.”
Frustrated but determined to reach an adult, the manager pressed on. “Is there anyone else I can talk to?”
“Yes,” the child replied, still in that barely audible tone. “A policeman.”
The manager was now completely bewildered. What on earth was a policeman doing at his employee’s house?
“Can I speak to the policeman?” he asked.
“No, he’s busy,” the child answered softly.
“Busy doing what?” the manager asked, his concern growing.
“Talking to Daddy, Mommy, and the fireman,” the child whispered.
At this point, alarm bells were ringing in the manager’s head. He could hear a faint sound in the background. “What’s that noise I’m hearing?”
“A helicopter,” the child answered calmly.
The manager, now on edge, asked, “What’s happening over there?”
The child replied in an almost playful whisper, “The search team just landed the helicopter.”
Heart pounding, the manager asked the final, dreaded question: “What are they searching for?”
The child let out a giggle before replying, “Me.”
