A café owner uncovers the horrible life of two youngsters after his pet dog guides him to a sewer grate. Will his genuine efforts in rescuing them and changing their lives bear fruit?
Carl’s grandfather had built the café he owned in the early 1980s from the ground up. It was then passed down to Carl’s father and then to Carl. Over the years, Carl not only kept the eatery going but also the tradition of greeting customers with a furry friend.
So every morning when Carl arrived at the café, he tied his pet dog, Jack, to a chair near the front door, where the doggo was showered with pats, kisses, and cuddles from the customers.
Not to mention, it was a business strategy that drew more customers to the café. Who doesn’t love a furry companion when they’re out shopping for their favorite baked goodies and coffee!
That particular noon was no different. Carl tied Jack to a chair, flipped the sign on the café’s entrance to ‘open,’ and tied the apron around his waist. As customers arrived, they greeted Jack by patting him on the head and shaking his paws. But Jack was staring at the sewer grate instead of interacting with the visitors…
“You all right, Jack?” Carl called out to the dog while packing freshly baked bread for a customer. For the first time, Jack didn’t respond to Carl and continued to stare outside.
“Hey, boy, what’s wrong?” Carl asked the dog as the customer left. But before he would get an answer, more customers arrived, and Carl got busy.
For the next two days, Carl noticed Jack always stopped by the sewer near the cafe and peered through the grate. He dismissed it as something unimportant until the next day.
Carl tugged on Jack’s leash, but the dog refused to move. He continued clawing the sewer grate as if there was something he desperately wanted inside. “Boy, we’re running late for work!” Jack said furiously. “I’ll leave you here if you don’t come with me!”
Despite Carl’s warning, Jack refused to budge.
“Fine! Just stay right here!” Carl gave up and walked away, tossing Jack’s leash to the ground. But the dog pursued him and began pulling him to the sewer.
“Leave me alone, Jack!” Carl muttered as he yanked his shirt from the dog’s grip. “I’m running late! If you do—”
It was then that a loud voice distracted Carl. “HELP! PLEASE!”
“Wait a minute, what was that?”
“HELP!” A different voice echoed around Carl this time, and it was then he realized where the noise was coming from. He dashed up to the sewer and pressed his ear to the grate.
“Is someone in there? My name is Carl, and please let me know if you need help!” he shouted.
In response, Carl heard two screams in unison, begging for help, and it was clear they belonged to two children. What frightened him was the fading frequency of the children’s voices, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
Carl panicked. “Guys, hang in there, alright? I’m calling someone for help!” he yelled through the sewer grate as he pulled out his phone with trembling hands.
“Ple—please help us!” shouted one of the voices one last time as everything fell silent.
Carl quickly dialed 911, and minutes afterward, firefighters in safety suits were entering the sewer. Imagine Carl’s shock when the firefighters rescued not one but two unconscious boys bathed in putrid water, algae, and sewage garbage.
The children were then transported to the hospital by paramedics. And days later, Carl would find out about their horrifying life.
“We discovered signs of harmful gasses in their lungs, and they are in a coma. We need to wait till they reg