As time passed, the air grew colder. It was obvious she’d been there for hours. When I asked if she knew her phone number or address, she shook her head. My heart sank. Before long, I gently coaxed her into the squad car, assuring her I’d help her find her mom. I couldn’t shake the dread settling in my gut. The thought of leaving a girl alone at playground any longer weighed heavily on me.

We arrived at the station, where my colleagues offered her a blanket and hot chocolate. She sipped quietly, repeating again and again, “Mommy will pick me up later.” We searched every database for missing children but turned up nothing. No reports matched her age or description. It was as if she had appeared out of nowhere. That’s when a call came in about a car behind an abandoned warehouse, matching the same vehicle someone had spotted earlier in the day near the playground, a cold knot formed in my stomach.

Rushing to the scene, I found an old sedan. Inside was a woman slumped over the wheel, no identification in sight. A tiny pink backpack with daisies lay on the passenger seat, unmistakably belonging to the child back at the station. My pulse pounded in my ears. As we searched further, we found a note tucked inside: “To whoever finds her: Please take care of my little girl. I’m sorry.” It was a cry for help, heartbreak in ink. That evening, as we pieced together the events, it became achingly clear the mom had left her girl alone at playground so she’d be safe before taking her own life.

Back at the station, I still had to face the reality of telling this innocent child her mother wasn’t coming. She looked up at me, all wide-eyed and trusting, convinced her mom would walk through the door any minute. In the following days, social services took her in. I visited whenever I could, though there wasn’t much I could do except offer kindness and a sense of security. It never got easier hearing her ask if “Mommy is coming today.” Yet I knew every day spent under a watchful, caring eye was better than leaving this girl alone at playground.

After a few months I received a heartfelt letter from Lily’s new foster family, telling me she was doing better. She had a room of her own, new friends, and the flicker of hope I’d seen in her eyes was finally blossoming. Over it, in shaky, crayon-written letters, were the words, “Thank you for finding me.”

That picture reminded me why I do this job. Though her mother’s story ended in tragedy, Lily’s was just beginning. And I felt a quiet gratitude that, on that cold autumn evening, I found a girl alone at playground and helped guide her toward a new start.