Nayeli’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a lady latched on to her arm, blue eyes wide. “Have you seen my son?” Her words tumbled out. “He’s only three. He’s wearing red shorts and a yellow shirt. I only turned my back for a second.” She was on the verge of tears.

Nayeli glanced around. “No, but I can help you look.” It would be a monumental task. The outdoor area was crammed with festival goers. The lady’s voice trembled. “Thank you.” Then she turned to the very next person, grabbing their arm and repeating her questions. Nayeli spotted a festival worker and approached them.

Soon, staff were coordinating a search effort and several other volunteers were scanning the crowd. Nayeli walked to a nearby pond, yards away from most of the traffic. What if? She stood at the edge. It was too murky to see anything. Just as she turned to go, a couple kids ran up to her, breathing hard, terror on their freckled faces. “Lady, some little kid fell in. We saw it from the other side.”

Nayeli looked at the water again and then back at the kids. “Seriously?” They nodded, eyes wide, frantic. Nayeli took a deep breath. “Where?” The kids pointed and ran a little further down the side of the pond. She jogged after them and squatted at the water’s edge. There were no ripples. The water was too muddy to see below the surface. If he really did fall in here, there wasn’t much time. She jumped in. The warm water was up to her waist. The taller kid spoke excitedly. “What are you going to do? You can’t see under that water.” Nayeli turned. “Get help.” The kids stared at her and then ran toward the crowd. She dipped below the surface.

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