The Day Nathan Became the Navigator
Nathan Jenkins had a reputation in Willow Creek Elementary School—but not the kind he wanted. The kids in his class called him "Nathan from Neverland" because of his uncanny ability to get lost, even on the simplest routes. Whether it was finding the cafeteria, the library, or even his way back to the classroom after recess, Nathan would invariably go in the wrong direction.
“You’d get lost in your own shadow!” his classmate Greg teased one day, prompting laughter from the group. Nathan would smile sheepishly, pretending it didn’t bother him, but inside, he wished he could just find his way around, like everyone else.
The Big Trip
One crisp autumn morning, the entire fifth grade was buzzing with excitement. They were going on a field trip to Evergreen Woods, a sprawling forest filled with trails, streams, and wildlife. For Nathan, though, the idea of navigating through a forest filled him with dread. “Don’t worry, Nathan,” Mrs. Harper, their teacher, said kindly. “Just stick with your group and you’ll be fine.” Nathan nodded, clutching the map she handed out, even though he doubted it would help. Maps confused him even more than hallways.
Lost in the Woods
The trip started off smoothly. The class walked along the main trail, learning about plants and animals from a park ranger. Nathan tried his best to keep up, but his shoelace came undone. By the time he finished tying it, the group had moved ahead. He ran to catch up, but instead of finding his classmates, he found himself alone.
Nathan’s chest tightened. “Not again,” he muttered. He looked around, hoping to spot a familiar face, but all he saw were towering trees and endless paths. He listened keenly to hear the chatter of the other children, or the soft-spoken voice of Mrs. Harper. All he heard were the whistle of the wind through the trees, and the chirping of the birds. He tried calling out, but his voice sounded hallow to his ears. He felt no one would hear him or if they did they would hear the fear in his voice, so he kept silence, willing himself not to cry. But panic started to creep in.
The trip started off smoothly, with the boys and girls walking in their groups learning about plants and animals.
The Shout for Help
Nathan tensed his muscles, cleared his throat, and was about to give the biggest shout of his life, when he heard it—a distant shout. “Help me! Someone, please help me!”
Nathan froze. The voice was faint but desperate. He strained his ears and heard it again, coming from what he thought was the east. For a moment, he hesitated. His internal compass was notoriously unreliable. What if he went the wrong way and got even more lost?
But the voice called out again, and Nathan’s fear was replaced with determination.
“I have to try,” he said to himself.
Trusting Himself
Nathan unfolded his map and studied it carefully. He remembered Mrs. Harper’s instructions about using landmarks. He spotted a stream nearby and realized it matched one on the map. Slowly, he began to orient himself. Following the sound of the voice, he used the stream as his guide and moved deeper into the woods.
After what felt like forever, Nathan found Greg, the same classmate who always teased him. Greg had slipped on a mossy rock and twisted his ankle. He was sitting by the stream, tears streaming down his face.
“Nathan?” Greg said, shocked. “What are you doing here?”
“Finding you,” Nathan replied with a small smile.
Saving the Day
Nathan tore a strip from his shirt to wrap Greg’s ankle, just like he’d seen in a first-aid book. “We need to get back to the main trail,” Nathan said. “Can you lean on me?”
Greg nodded, and with Nathan’s help, they began the slow journey back. Nathan’s confidence grew as he recognized more landmarks from the map. Finally, they stumbled onto the main trail just as Mrs. Harper and the ranger were organizing a search party.
“Greg! Nathan!” Mrs. Harper exclaimed, running to them. “Are you okay?” Nathan explained what had happened, and Greg added, “Nathan’s the reason I’m here. He found me and brought me back. He’s a hero.”
For the first time, Greg's voice wasn't mocking. It was full of gratitude.
A New Reputation
From that day on, Nathan wasn’t “Nathan from Neverland” anymore. The kids at school started calling him “Nathan the Navigator” instead. He even became the go-to person for map-reading during future field trips. Nathan was glad and grateful that his classmates were no longer teasing him. Their attitude towards him had changed. But the biggest change was within Nathan himself. He realized that getting lost didn’t mean he couldn’t find his way. He only needed to be positive, and to use the resources he had. Sometimes, it takes being lost to find out that you have what it takes to be a hero.
Lost, But Not Alone
It wasn’t just a mild problem. Mia could get lost walking home from school if she wasn’t paying close attention. She once spent an entire hour searching for the restroom at the mall and another thirty minutes trying to find her way back to the food court.
One day Mia’s mom took her to the mall to get her ears pierced. Mia had been nagging Mom for several months about getting her ears pierced. “Everybody at school wears earrings,” she had lamented.
Mom was therefore, a bit surprised, when , as soon as she entered the beauty parlor, Mia declared, “I only want my left ear pierced!” “Why just your left ear?” Mom had inquired. “
Just because I’m Me-ah,” she had said impishly, playing on the words in “me” and her name.
Mom had shrugged in agreement, thinking that at least on the occasions when her daughter needed to wear both earrings, she could use one made for the pierced lobe, and a snap-on for the other lobe.
Mia was relieved when Mom did not make a fuss. And although she did not, at first, know which was her left ear, by the time the small procedure was completed, she not only knew which was her left ear and her right ear, she could also tell, with certainty, which was her left hand, and which was her right hand.
In fact, having that earring on made a world of difference for Mia’s life, and many activities that she had found nigh impossible, in the past, became so much easier. When mom asked her to set the table for dinner, it was a cinch to place the knives on the right and the forks on the left.
When her homeroom teacher told the class to form lines – boys on her right and girls on her right – it was so easy for her to go to the correct side.
She thought she had it made. She thought nothing could confuse her anymore. But her big challenge came on the day of the annual school scavenger hunt. The event took place in the sprawling city park, a maze of winding paths, identical-looking trees, and too many picnic tables to count. Each team had to race to different landmarks, solving riddles along the way.
Jasmine was ecstatic when she and Mia were paired together.
Mia forced a smile. She was excited too—if only she wasn’t silently panicking…
When the race began, Mia tried to rely on Jasmine’s instincts, but soon, Jasmine turned to her. “Okay, Mia, you lead the way to the next clue. It’s at the old stone bridge.”
Mia gulped. “Uh, sure! I know exactly where that is.”
She did not.
She tried to act confident, striding forward like she had a plan. The problem was, after five minutes, the bridge was nowhere in sight. After ten, they had somehow ended up back at the playground—the exact opposite direction of where they needed to be.
Jasmine frowned. “Are you sure we took the right turns?”
“Absolutely!” Mia said, her voice a little too high-pitched. “I just thought we could take the scenic route.”
Jasmine gave her a suspicious look but didn’t argue. Ten more minutes passed, and the location of the bridge remained a mystery. That’s when Jasmine suddenly stopped walking. “Mia,” she said slowly, “You don’t really … know where we are, do you?”
Mia felt her face burn. She wanted to deny it, to make up another excuse, but the worried expression on Jasmine’s face made her pause.
As her friend looked at her intently, with such a concerned expression, Mia thought, ‘Maybe, just maybe—I don’t have to hide this anymore. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll understand.' Then she sighed. “Fine. You caught me. I have no idea where we are. I’m terribly confused by directions. I don’t know left from right, I can’t identify east, west, north or south, and I didn’t want you to know because ... because ... it's embarrassing.”
Jasmine blinked, then burst into laughter. “Mia! Why didn’t you just say so?”
Mia stared. “You’re… not mad?”
“Of course not! Everyone has stuff they’re bad at. You know that I’m terrible at Maths, don’t you? Many times, I’d get a big fat zero, if you didn’t help me out! That’s what friends are for!” Jasmine said, as she hugged her friend.
Mia let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Maybe she was directionally challenged—but at least she wasn’t lost alone.
With Jasmine leading the way, they managed to get back on track—mostly. Along the way, they had a few unexpected adventures. They accidentally wandered into a birthday party, where a group of toddlers mistook them for entertainment and demanded they sing a song. Then, they followed what they thought was a shortcut, only to get stuck in a thick cluster of bushes, emerging covered in twigs and leaves.
By the time they found the last clue at the stone bridge, they were behind almost every other team—but neither of them cared.
As they sat on the bridge, finishing their ice cream, Jasmine nudged Mia with a grin.
"So, do I have to be your GPS from now on ?"
Mia laughed. “Only if you’re willing to make a few detours along the way.”And with that, they walked—together—toward the finish line, knowing that no matter how lost Mia got, she’d always have someone to help her find her way.