So, picture this: early one morning a tiny baby boy gets left on the doorstep of Ashford Maternity Hospital. The first person to spot him is the groundskeeper, Uncle Joe Turner. Joes the kind of bloke who gets up before the sun and immediately starts looking after the bits and pieces hes in charge of. Hes a proper diligent sort, a habit he picked up from his old job as an accountant before he retired and decided he couldnt just sit at home. He took the janitor gig because he needed something to keep his hands busy, not for the pay.
When Joe sees the little cardboard box on the porch, he instantly guesses theres a child inside, even though theres not a sound coming out of it. He opens it, checks and, sure enough, theres a newborn. Without a second thought he hurries to bang on the hospitals door. All he can think about is hoping the babys okay, because the silence seemed a bit unnerving. Luckily, the staff rush in, and the little one is perfectly fine healthy and kicking.
The whole thing happens in a tiny village where everyone knows everyone else, so figuring out who the mum might be is pretty straightforward. All fingers point at Milly Green. Millys the sort of lady whos had a baby almost every year, each one ending up in state care. She never shows up on any official records, and she never even went to the hospital when she was pregnant. After a proper little investigation, though, it turns out Milly had nothing to do with this one.
In the end they never tracked down the mother, and after the necessary checks, the baby gets sent to the local childrens home Little Stars Care Home just a stones throw from Ashford. As soon as the nurses lay him out, someone cant help but shout, Look at that little watermelon! Its the kind of odd nickname that sticks, and for a while everyone at the home calls the tiny fellow Melon because hes such a healthy, cheery sprout.
Soon enough, Uncle Joe suggests a proper name Glen Harper and thats what the staff settle on. Still, Melon clings to him like a second skin, and even the folks at Little Stars keep using it. He doesnt stay long, though; a foster family is found and he moves in with them, much to the delight of everyone, especially Mrs. Alice Matthews, the matron of the home.
Fast forward almost three years, and Glen is brought back. Turns out the family that took him in had their own baby, and Glen suddenly became surplus to requirements. When they returned him, hes no longer that squishy Melon they first knew. Hes a bit lean, goodlooking, and oddly advanced for his age clearly someones been looking after him, but why theyd let him go so easily baffles everyone.
Seeing him like that breaks our hearts. He cries a lot, calling for mum, dad, grandma, staring out the window for hours, waiting for someone who never shows up. Summer comes, the kids spend more time outside, and Glens changed. He stops waiting for anyone, stops trusting adults, and mostly plays alone in quiet corners, unable to click with the other children.
Then, out of nowhere, a cat shows up. We call him Muff. He appeared at Little Stars about a year ago. Since pets arent allowed, Mrs. Matthews tried to get rid of him. She handed him to the kitchen lady, Aunt Jenny, but the cat slipped back to the home. They tried five times to shoo him away, but every time Muff came back with that stubborn gleam in his eye. Hes a clever little rogue Aunt Jenny would take him home, and the next morning hed be trailing behind her to work, whining until she let him out. She eventually nicknamed him Muff because hes always muffling around.
Mrs. Matthews eventually gave up and let him stay, especially since he never bothered the kids, preferring to perch on the roof of the gatehouse. Unexpectedly, Muff becomes Glens best mate. After they bond, Glen opens up a bit, becomes more social. Mrs. Matthews, seeing the change, puts Muff in a carrier and pops him off to the vet just to make sure hes alright. After that, she finally feels at ease. Glen doesnt even notice Muffs brief absence, but the cat holds a grudge against Mrs. Matthews now, refusing any treats she offers.
Soon another family comes looking to adopt. Its a couple, Tara and Simon, who already have a daughter but want to give a child from Little Stars a proper home. Theyre not childless; they just want to make a difference. Theyre warm, genuine people, and Mrs. Matthews thinks theyre perfect. Glen clicks with them straight away, and when they learn hes been turned away twice, theyre even more determined to take him in.
Whats really something is that Uncle Joe, whos still around, recognizes Glen instantly when the new family arrives with him. Hes laughing, saying, Well, would you look at that! Turns out weve known each other forever. I even gave you your name. Talk about fate! He jokes that Glens now his real grandson, a bit lost but sure to be looked after.
Glen cant quite follow all the grownup chatter, but he smiles and nods. Everyone else is stunned by the coincidence, yet happy as can be. As the adults say goodbye to the hospital staff and head to the car, Glen suddenly stops, starts sobbing. Tara rushes to comfort him, clueless about why hes so upset. Mrs. Matthews watches from a distance and explains: its Muff, looking all forlorn from a distance, thats why Glens tears.
So, that day, Tara and Simons family grows by two a wonderful son and an equally wonderful cat. And thats the whole story, just as it happened in our little English village.
