A Letter
On that fateful day, she looked into the mailbox and saw a letter. That wasn’t strange in itself, but then she noticed that it was addressed to her young son. But who would write to her son? And why? The answer left her gobsmacked.
She looked at the note in disbelief… who had written her 5-year-old son a letter? What did they want? Opening it and reading carefully, she reread the same line, over and over again. Then, she started to cry.
Pulling herself together, she snapped a picture of the letter and posted it to Facebook. She wanted everyone to know what this man had done.
Little Entrepreneur
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Adam Houssami was 5-years-old and lived with his family in Dearborn, Michigan. One particularly hot summer’s day, he decided to set up a Kool-Aid stall to make some extra cash for the summer holidays.
He thought that if he sold each cup of Kool-Aid for 50c, he would soon have a moderate amount of pocket money.
Heatwave
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Adam’s mother encouraged his entrepreneurial venture and said that he could set up a stall on the pavement outside the house. There were bound to be passersby who would want a cold drink on a day as hot as this.
But Krista never expected anything out of the ordinary to happen that day.
A Stranger
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Krista went inside for her sunglasses as she intended to keep watch on her son from the porch. She had no intention of leaving him alone for more than a minute, but when she glanced out the window, she saw that a stranger had appeared out of nowhere and was talking to Adam.
Then, she saw the van.
“What Did He Want?”
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Rushing outside, Krista just missed the stranger. Krista was sweating. It was so unbelievably hot outside. Relieved, she turned to Adam and asked casually: “Did you sell some Kool-Aid?” Adam replied that no, he hadn’t. “Well, what did the man want then?” Krista asked.
What Adam then told her made her heart ache for her young son.
Thirsty Work
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Adam mumbled a few words and Krista didn’t understand what he was saying, at first. Then he recounted what had happened and she was taken aback. Adam told her that the man was the mailman, and he must be hot from having to walk from house to house to deliver his mail.
So, he had asked him if he wanted to buy some Kool-Aid.
Cold Kool-Aid
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Krista’s heart had leaped in her chest when she heard what the mailman had said to Adam, and she felt terrible for her little boy who had only wanted to make some pocket money. She had begun to wonder if Adam’s Kool-Aid stand had even been a good idea.
Then, Adam continued recounting what had happened with the mailman.
Trying Hard
WXYZ.com
Unfortunately, the mailman had no money on him, so Adam poured him a big, cool glass of Kool-Aid and gave it to him for free. Krista started to grin. What a sweet thing for her boy to do. And then, she thought no more about it.
But she never could have imagined what would happen just one week later.
Encouragement
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Adam continued to man his Kool-Aid stall, but even during the heatwave, it hadn’t been very successful. Krista’s heart went out to her young son for trying so hard to make extra money for himself. She kept encouraging him.
She even told her friends and everyone she met about Adam’s Kool-Aid stand, hoping that they would come to support him. Then, one morning, something unexpected happened.
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Krista was going about her usual routine one morning when she went outside to check the mailbox. She opened it and saw a letter addressed to Adam. What could this be? she thought as she carefully unfolded it. Who would write a letter to her son?
As she read on, it was soon apparent who the letter was from. And then, she started to cry.
Repayment
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
The letter read: “Adam. Remember last week when you were selling Kool-Aid on a hot day? I didn’t have any money but you offered me Kool-Aid anyways. Thanks, man! I was really thirsty. Good things happen to good people like you. Stay cool, dude. Mailman.”
Krista was touched. But that wasn’t all the letter contained.
Touched
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Folded into the letter was a $20 bill. Krista couldn’t believe her eyes! this astonishing gesture was a token of the mailman’s appreciation. Adam would be thrilled! he would have had to sell 40 cups of Kool-Aid to make this amount of cash.
Krista broke down in tears and then ran inside to show her son.
Faith in Humanity
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
In an interview later, Krista said: “It makes me feel really good to know that there are still people in this world that care.” Her faith in humanity had been restored by the mailman’s act of kindness.
And she was so impressed that she immediately recounted the whole story on Facebook for everyone to see.
Facebook Post
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
“Adam was selling Kool-Aid in the front yard last week and he asked the mailman to buy some. He didn’t have money on him, but Adam said, ‘It’s okay, you can still have some,’ and he poured him a cup,” she said.
“Today the mailman put this in our mail. This seriously brought tears to my eyes. What a kind thing to do.”
Viral
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Krista’s post quickly went viral — everyone was touched by the small act of kindness, and the entire community was proud to see people who showed such compassion. Soon, over 500 people had shared Krista’s post, and the positive comments kept flooding in.
But netizens weren’t the only ones impressed by the uplifting story.
The News
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
The story was quickly picked up by news networks, and shortly after, people all around the world had heard about the sweet interaction between the little boy and the mailman.
WXYZ news in Detroit released the story on Youtube, and it garnered over 64,000 views!
Comments
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
A commenter on Youtube wrote: “Help your fellow human with compassion and you will be rewarded,” and another added: “Children will save us all.” Eventually, the story had gained so much traction that Nebraska’s WOWT 6 News Facebook page featured a segment on Adam, too.
And the feedback from the people was astounding.
Positive Feedback
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
“We need this kind of news on a daily basis. [I’m] so tired of negative and horrible stuff all the time.”
“Stuff like this warms your heart and brings back faith in humanity. Keep up the good work, kiddo! And thank you to the mailman for what you did as well!” Someone commented on the Facebook page.
A Lesson
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Krista was bowled over by the response her post got, and she certainly never expected the story to feature on the news! But there is just one thing she is concerned about: she just hopes that Adam remembers his interaction with the mailman forever.
She wants him to see it as a valuable lesson — one we can all learn from.
Repercussions
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Krista hopes that Adam’s actions in the future are guided by his encounter with the mailman, and she wants him to understand that kindness is rewarded with kindness. “I think that it will show him that, no matter what, you should help people,” she said.
Not even Krista expected the small gesture of giving a man a glass of Kool-Aid to have such an enormous outcome.
Kindness
Youtube/ WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
“That small gesture was something really big,” Krista added. And the story serves to show that paying it forward — even if it’s a small gesture — can have a huge impact.
Adam’s small gesture of kindness touched the mailman so deeply that he felt compelled to return the favor… it just goes to show that kindness really does make the world go round!
One group of kids decided to do something so ingenious that it surprised everyone…
Danger Nearby
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The children scrambled into position and quickly dropped to the ground, lying as flat as they possibly could.
The police hovered overhead and knew the danger they were in but then they saw the sign. Something so clever it could have come straight out of a book.
Easter Egg Hunt
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In the quaint town of Capel in beautiful Surrey, a group of about 30 children and adults took to the fields in the annual charity egg hunt Mr. Brearley and his wife, Emily.
They had organized the Easter egg hunt every year since 2010. A chocolate hunt with a cause.
Noisy Helicopter
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As the chocolate hunters began to split off into smaller groups a tremendous racket came from above them. The became aware of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter circling overhead.
The children, between the ages of six and twelve years old, looked up in awe, but then saw something else out of the corner of their eyes.
On The Loose
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One child, a nine-year-old girl told the newspaper: “It was really noisy and we could see it said ‘police’ on the bottom. Then we saw a man running along the side of the field.”
“We could see him but the helicopter couldn’t because it was hovering over the woods. We saw the man take his jumper off and put it around his head.”
A Police Pursuit
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A force spokesman said: “Initially, the presence of the police helicopter was enough to entertain the children and parents but it didn’t take the intrepid residents long to realize they were witnessing a police pursuit set within their quiet rural community.”
Only then did they realize the danger in the field with them.
Intruders
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The helicopter had been called by Surrey Police following a report of intruders at a disused building off Horsham Road in Capel. NPAS Sergeant Paul Sochon said: “I’m sure the last thing the group of daring Capel residents expected when they set out on Friday afternoon was to abandon their Easter egg hunt to assist us in a police search…”
He continued: “…but the initiative they demonstrated proved to be invaluable.”
Quick Thinking
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“The swift action taken by the group of parents and their children was the sort of thing you would usually associate with an Enid Blyton adventure but their ingenuity proved a great help for our crews.”
The children’s’ inventiveness and quick thinking were what ultimately blew everyone away. No one expected this of them.
Group Effort
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Describing what happened next, one of them, a nine-year-old girl, said: ‘It was really noisy and we could see it said “police” on the bottom.”
Everyone tried to catch the helicopter crew’s attention by pointing, jumping and waving but it remained over the woods, what more could they do? Then it happened.
They Couldn’t Believe It
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They began jumping and shouting at the helicopter but it just hung in the sky as though unsure of what to do next. Taking matters into their own hands the children worked as a fast efficient system, almost as though they had practiced this a hundred times.
Moving like a well-oiled machine they dropped to their knees. The police couldn’t believe what was happening.
A Human Arrow
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The children, without hesitation, formed an arrow with their collective bodies which could only be seen from the sky. Nothing happened except for the deafening roar of the wind cutting blades slicing through the air.
The pilot wasn’t taking any notice of them. He dismissed it as ‘just kids pulling a prank.’
Thermal Imaging Cameras
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Luckily at that moment, the pilot decided to take a quick trip over the woods where the children had pointed. He switched on the helicopter’s thermal imaging cameras and saw a human figure scrambling through the branches and trees.
The helicopter crew relayed this information to officers on the ground. The chase was on.
Sweet Thanks
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As a thank you for their efforts, the NPAS crew landed nearby to thank the children for the role they played in the incident.
The kids even shared a few of the chocolate treats they had found before all the action had happened with the helicopter team, which was an added bonus for the authorities after a busy shift.
Suspicion Of Burglary
bristolpost
As luck would have it they got more than chocolate after a hard day’s work… A 28-year-old man and a 27-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of burglary in connection with the incident.
The two had been connected to a burglary at a nearby abandoned building. Both men were released on bail pending a trial.
Adventures Of The Day
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All of the kids were more than happy to tell and retell the adventures of the day, each relating a part of the story, one after the other, in rapid-fire narration; “We feel really proud – it was awesome.”, “It was really noisy and we could see it said ‘police’ on the bottom.”
“Then we saw a man running along the side of the field. We could see him but the helicopter couldn’t because it was hovering over the woods.”, “We saw the man take his jumper off and put it around his head.”
Proud Kids
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‘But the helicopter looked like it was pointing in the opposite direction. Then two of my friends said, “Let’s get into an arrow” and we got into position on the ground.’
Another girl, also nine, added: ‘About five minutes later, the helicopter came back and landed in the field and the officers came to talk to us. ‘They said they thought we were messing around at first but they followed our arrow and caught the men. We feel really proud of what we did.’
Famous Five
reelgood
But the story doesn’t end there. The kids that were likened to Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ became internet sensations when Surrey police have released the video of a group of youngsters that formed a human arrow to point a police helicopter in the direction of two suspected burglars on the run.
They have now earned a name all of their own…
The Tremendous Twelve
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“The Tremendous Twelve – coming as close to being an Enid Blyton story as possible by also having a canine companion along with them, Molly the family Yorkshire Terrier.
However, it seems that although they have reached internet stardom and fame their parent have pointedly asked for the children to remain anonymous following some nasty comments on a social media site.
Typical Of This Community
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Mr. Brearley and his wife Emily, the parents of one of the children, organize the charity egg hunt every year since 2010. This year, the children raised £150 for a one-year-old boy being treated for leukemia.
Mrs. Brearley said the children’s ingenuity was ‘typical of this exceptional little community’. She added: ‘We don’t even know the names of the officers who came and thanked our little heroes but they were generous in their praise.’
Too Much Attention
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Thoroughly pleased with the praise they received for a good deed well done the children still actually can’t believe just how huge their story has become.
Pictures of their human arrow went viral on the internet after they were released by Surrey Police. Mr. Brearley said, “They can’t believe how much attention it has got.”
The Daring Children
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One of the parents, vet Ben Brearley, 40, said: ‘The kids were great and enjoyed the excitement. A lot of people have been saying that it is like something out of Enid Blyton or Scooby Doo. The kids love that.
The quick-thinking children lay in the field in Surrey for a minute before the pilot took notice and headed in the direction they were pointing. Praising the ‘daring’ children, Sergeant Paul Sochon, of Surrey Police, said: ‘The initiative they demonstrated proved invaluable.’