It was a chilly Friday morning in Williamsburg and it was a sure bet that when the sleepy little town stirred at dawn’s first light, no one was even thinking of how promotional pens could figure so largely and importantly into their day. As things would turn out, it would prove to be a day that no one would soon forget.



As the lights begin to turn on all over town in the dim shadows of early morning, there were many school children rising and remembering with excitement that today would be, quite possibly, one of the best days ever in their short little lives. Today was the last day of school and would close with a carnival-like celebration that made their eyes shine with anticipation. They knew that there would be pony rides, games, candied apples and a cook out with hotdogs for everyone. The best part of all was going to be the fireworks display that would mark the end of the evening.

Little Susie Calhoun was as excited as the rest of the children, maybe even more so because she was going to be in charge of handing out the promotional pens at the carnival, made especially for the day with the inscription “Williamsburg Elementary-Education At Its Finest". Susie had been chosen to do this because of her perfect attendance record for that year. She was almost the only one who hadn’t come down with a case of the Chicken Pox in January that nearly closed the school for lack of students. She skipped as she headed out the door for school after breakfast.

Always a cautious girl, Susie walked the same route to school every day, always aware of crossing streets carefully and waving to the usual neighbors she would see along the way. Today, though, Susie was tempted to do something she had never done before- take the short cut through Taylor’s Woods to try and get to school a little earlier. Being in charge of the promotional pens was foremost in her mind and she wanted to be sure to have everything just right before school started. Susie made a split second decision and turned left down the footpath towards the thick grove of trees.

Halfway through the forest, Susie realized she was being followed by Spot, her beloved Jack Russell Terrier! She told Spot to go back home, but he just wagged his tail and licked her hand. Knowing that she would be late instead of early if she took him home, Susie decided to run and try to lose Spot, thinking he would just then go home on his own. Turning quickly, she didn’t see a large tree root and tripped, losing her footing and sliding down a ravine. Coming to the bottom, she realized that she had twisted her ankle and couldn’t get up. She called and called, but no one could hear her- except Spot. He raced down the steep slope and looked with concern at his good friend. Seeing her in trouble, he sat down and wouldn’t leave her side.

After about an hour, Susie decided on a plan. She had one of the coveted promotional pens in her school bag. She used her shoestring and tied it to Spot’s collar, then, looking at him squarely in the eyes, she told him to go home. He seemed to understand and took off at breakneck speed with the promotional pen tied around his neck. When he got home, the frantic parents, who had been called by the school wondering where Susie was, saw the pen and knew who had tied it to Spot’s collar. They followed the dog back to where Susie was and carried her home. The promotional pen had saved the day and it wasn’t long before the news had spread around the small town that the little girl was safe and the role the promotional pen had played in her rescue. That evening at the carnival, little Susie Calhoun, on crutches, still had the honor of passing out Williamsburg’s promotional printed pens and they became a souvenir of the day when a pen quite easily helped saved a little girl’s dream.