ESQUIMALT -- Although she's cuddling a pair of elephant stuffed animals, Alora is particularly fond of "uni-kittys". "They have horns," the four-year-old explains. "And they have tails!" The girl says they are half-unicorn, half-kitten and her uni-kitty named Savannah is a full-on fan of embarking on magical quests to the nearby beach.
"We were throwing rocks," Alora says with a smile. "Splash!"
But when they returned from the beach, the stuffie was missing from the girl's pocket. "Savannah didn't come home with me," Alora frowns. "I felt worried."
Alora asked her mom – Angie – for help making a missing poster. "In this day and age we don't do posters," Angie says with a laugh. "It takes so long." Instead she posted a picture of the uni-kittie (with a sparkly horn and rainbow fur) on a local Facebook page, Esquimalt Community Connection.
24-hours later, they received a reply from a stranger, named Katrina. She and her daughter found the uni-kitty during an evening walk. Then, they posted a picture of Savannah illuminated by a flashlight, and wrote the message, "Found It!!!!! PM me".
But, they didn't get a response. So, a few hours later, Katrina posted another photo showing Savannah posing amongst a bunch of houseplants. She wrote: "Just hanging out in the jungle before being reunited."
Angie saw the pictures after she'd put Alora to bed. "I kept looking at the post," Angie smiles. "It was hilarious!"
Angie and Katrina messaged each other and arranged to meet in the morning. Then Katrina posted another picture, showing Savannah the uni-kitty and her son's stuffed orca, with their heads poking out of a blanket. The message read: "Tucking in for the night with a new friend. Can't wait to be reunited with family tomorrow."
In the morning, Katrina created another post showing Savannah peering out the window waiting to be picked up. "It doesn't take a lot of effort," Katrina says humbly about her creative kindness.
"Sometimes, what's a little thing for you [has] exponential benefits for other people."
Alora felt relieved when she was finally reunited with Savannah. "Happier again!" the four-year-old proclaims, before explaining how her uni-kitty felt. "Excited!"
Alora's mom says she feels grateful for all the extra effort Katrina made to alleviate her daughter's worry, and for being reminded about the goodness in the world. "It gives you hope," Angie smiles.
"We [usually] hear the worst. We don't hear the happy stories."
Which brings us to the epilogue of this happy story. Angie baked homemade cupcakes and Alora drew a picture, to thank Katrina for her kindness.
Alora tells me it's good that Savannah saw how they expressed their gratitude -- because it’s the most important thing she wants to teach her uni-kitty.
"If somebody does something nice for you, you do something nice for them!" Alora beams before cuddling her mom.
