I had planned to spend my last week as the school janitor quietly, finishing my rounds and saying a few goodbyes to the teachers and students I’d come to know over the years. After thirty-five years at Ridgewood High, I was ready to retire, maybe move closer to my sister in the countryside. I thought I’d seen it all: graffiti in bathrooms, food fights in the cafeteria, even the occasional break-in.
But nothing could have prepared me for what happened on that rainy Thursday afternoon. It was nearly six o’clock, long after most students and teachers had gone home. The corridors were silent except for the soft hum of the old fluorescent lights.
I was mopping the floor outside Room 212 when I heard a faint sound, barely noticeable over the distant rumble of thunder. At first, I thought it was the wind whistling through a loose window. But then it came again, a sharp, high-pitched cry.
It wasn’t the kind of sound you could mistake for anything else. It was a baby. My heart started pounding.
I froze, mop in hand, listening. The sound was coming from one of the classrooms down the hall. “Hello?” I called out, my voice echoing in the empty building.
No response. Just another small, desperate wail. I dropped the mop and hurried toward the noise.
When I reached Room 209, I pushed the door open slowly. The lights were off, and the room smelled faintly of chalk and old books. At first, I didn’t see anything.
But then, near the teacher’s desk, I noticed movement, a small bundle lying on the floor, wrapped in what looked like a navy-blue school jacket. My breath caught. I knelt and pulled back the edge of the jacket.
Inside was a tiny infant, no more than a few days old, his little face red from crying. His hands flailed weakly as he let out another wail that tore straight through me. “Oh, dear God,” I whispered.
“Who left you here?”
I looked around the room, half-expecting someone to appear, but it was empty. The windows were locked from the inside, and the door had been shut when I arrived. Whoever had done this had left quietly, maybe hours ago.
I carefully picked the baby up, my old hands trembling. He was cold, his skin pale. I pulled the jacket tighter around him, trying to keep him warm.
Then I noticed something that made my heart sink—the school emblem stitched on the jacket’s sleeve. It belonged to Ridgewood High. And I recognized it.
The initials embroidered just below the crest—L.R.—belonged to one of the students. Laura Reed was a quiet senior, always polite but withdrawn. I’d seen her sitting alone during lunch breaks, sometimes sketching in her notebook.
She was one of the few students who ever greeted me kindly, never too proud to say hello. I felt a lump form in my throat as I looked down at the baby again. Could it really be hers?
There was no time to think about it. I needed to make sure the baby was safe. I rushed down the hall toward the main office, clutching the tiny bundle close.
The principal, Mrs. Jennings, was still in her office, typing away at her computer. When she saw me burst in, her eyes widened.
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