A twelve-year-old girl got back her lost violin this week, thanks to an honest bus station worker and a lot of teamwork. Anna Golan left the violin on a bench at the central bus station on Monday afternoon, while she was hurrying to catch her bus home.
Anna noticed the problem only when she arrived home. “I felt sick,” she said. “The violin belonged to my grandfather, and I have played it for three years. It is not expensive, but for me it is priceless.” Her parents phoned the station immediately, but nobody had reported finding it.
Meanwhile, a cleaner at the station, Joe Levi, had found the violin case under the bench. He took it to the lost-and-found office, where workers keep items until their owners come for them. “We get umbrellas, phones and keys every day,” he explained. “But a violin is unusual. I knew someone was looking for it.”
The next morning, the office workers opened the case to look for a name. Inside, they found a music book with the name of Anna's music school on the cover. They called the school, and the school called Anna's family. By Tuesday evening, the violin was back in Anna's hands.
Anna and her parents returned to the station with a box of chocolates for the workers, and Anna played a short tune for them. “It was the best concert I have ever heard,” Joe said with a laugh.