Once upon a time, a six-year-old girl became part of her own fairy tale after she found a wallet in a supermarket in Stafford.
When Alaynna Jetley marched out of a photo booth with a wallet in her hand, her mother, Ayesha, was at first intrigued, then full of pride.
“She went straight up to the helpdesk to hand in the wallet, and the woman behind the counter helped her fill in a lost and found form. I didn’t think anything of it,”
But then things got interesting.
That same evening, they received a call from Matt, the owner of the wallet, and discovered just how important it was to him.
“As well as money, his HGV licence and passport photos ready for a move overseas were inside.
“Losing it would have been a huge hassle, and he wanted to thank Alaynna with a gift.
“I said there was no need, but he insisted.
“He wanted to give her something more substantial than chocolate, and asked what she likes.
“I mentioned she was keen on seeing the film Beauty and the Beast.”
And so the fairytale began. Grateful Matt bought tickets for her to see the film and asked to bring them to her the following Saturday.
Icing on the cake
“It was going to be a surprise for her. She was already having her own princess birthday party that day so it was good timing. The icing on the cake was that she had even chosen a Beauty and the Beast cake. It was really magical,”
“He was amazing. She showed him her cake and asked him loads of questions.”
She learned during his 15-minute visit that he was moving to the Philippines and that his granddaughter had been born in the back of a police car one snowy January day.
Such a lovely thing to do
“She keeps telling my mum and brothers all about Matt, who in turn wanted her to remember how good she had been.
“I thought it was such a lovely thing to do. That act of kindness in making the effort to get in touch was a wonderful gesture.
“To be honest, I thought the wallet would just be retrieved and that would be the end of it. If that had been me, I don’t know if I would have done something like that.”
And now proud Ayesha’s little princess has her own fairytale to tell.
Not a short story though but its interesting.
Not a short story though but its interesting.