Lost toy attached to balloons floats around neighbourhood for days, inspiring kindness
Before Dorian Weaver discovered how magical his community could be, the nine-year-old was simply playing with his Harry Potter Lego.
“I was doing like a wizard spell,” Dorian smiles, before showing how he’d tied two of the mini-figurines to the end of a couple of half-inflated balloons, hoping they would fly around the living room.
“Balloonus!”
Alas, the lofty spell failed. The Harry Potter characters fell to the floor.
“They were like bobbing,” Dorian said, before revealing that when his back was turned, his spell sent Potter and his pal skyward.
“They must have bobbed out the window.”
Although Dorian didn’t realize that until hours later, when his mom Cristina Weaver noticed something unusual beyond their backyard.
“I guess the wind picked them up and blew them into the tree behind our house,” Cristina says, pointing out their deck door towards their backyard.
“Oh no!” Dorian recalls exclaiming after seeing them stuck so high up, before saying, “Oh yes,” and scrambling up the tree to try to liberate his Lego.
“I was like, ‘No you’re not,’” Cristina recalls saying as Dorian climbed within a few feet of the top of the tree. “Come down!”
While Dorian did what he was told and came down — by the next morning — so had the toys.
“I was like, ‘Oh no!’” Cristina remembers noticing the balloons had disappeared from the treetop. “They’re gone.”
Her boy’s beloved toys were no where to be seen. So Cristina posted a plea on social media for help.
“The amount of people that responded was really quite heart-warming,” Cristina smiles.
The comments ranged from a bucket truck operator offering to look for the lofty Lego in the nearby trees, to a woman gifting Dorian a complete set of Harry Potter Lego characters that her son had outgrown.
“It was awesome,” Dorian smiles.
While Dorian and Cristina couldn’t have been more grateful — three days later — they couldn’t have been more surprised to hear how far the balloons had traveled. Somebody who lived blocks away – across a park, elementary school, municipal hall, and busy streets – from where the balloons were last seen had found them in their yard, and the figurines were still attached.
“Yeah!” Dorian remembers saying when he was reunited with his toys.
“It was so nice,” Cristina smiles. “It’s that old adage of it takes a village.”
While Dorian’s wizarding spell may have made his toys disappear, there’s no doubt that it was simple acts of kindness from countless strangers that made their reappearance feel so magical.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Independent stores and grocery alternatives see sales boost amid Loblaw boycott
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.
Cannabis legalization coincided with uptick in ER visits from seniors: study
A new study has linked the legalization of cannabis with a rise in the number of Ontario seniors visiting emergency rooms.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
Oilers win Game 7 over Canucks, advance to Western Conference Final
The Edmonton Oilers weathered a late Vancouver Canucks charge on Monday night, beating the hosts 3-2 to win their seven-game second-round playoff series in the decisive showdown.
Microsoft's AI chatbot will 'recall' everything you do on a PC
Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you're doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
McGill says pro-Palestinian protest outside senior administrator's home 'crosses the line'
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.