At the Santos family's apartment in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the doorbell is constantly ringing. All the friends and neighbours are there to hear what happened to two-year-old Carmelita. Her mother has tears in her eyes, but they are tears of relief, of thankfulness. Her Carmelita is smiling shyly, safe in her father's lap.
The story could easily have ended very differently, not so happily. It all started this morning just before noon. Mrs. Santos was returning from the supermarket wtih her daughter and a friend, their neighbour. They stopped on the stairway of their building at their fifth-floor apartments. The neighbour opened the door first, and little Carmelita ran past her. She knew the apartment well, since she had visited it many times. The friend put down her keys and shopping bags, and turned back a moment to Mrs. Santos.
At that moment, there was a sudden gust of wind and the door to the apartment slammed shut. Carmelita was inside, alone.
Then the friend remembered she had left her kitchen window open. She and Mrs. Santos rushed to the Santos' apartment and telephoned the police. But there was no time to get help in opening the neighbouring apartment. They could see that Carmelita was already leaning out of the kitchen window. She had climbed onto a chair, and soon she was climbing out onto the window sill.
Mrs. Santos called to Carmelita to go back inside. But the little girl did not understand the danger and did not want to go back. She only waved to her mother.
Then she lost her balence and her feet slipped off the window sill. She managed to hold on for a while with her hands, but she began to be afraid. Her mother screamed for help, and now Carmelita was crying desperately.
And then she could hold on no longer. Several people had run out into the street on hearing all the screaming. They say the child hanging onto the window sill and got ready to carch her. Down she fell, five long stories - and landed safe and sound in the arms of three strong men. They were Luis, Augusto, and Alfonso Nunes, father and sons. When they heard the screams, they ran from their auto repair shop across the street.
"I never thought we'd do it," said Alfonso afterwards. "But I kept thinking, if we don't catch her, she'll die and it'll be on my conscience all my life."
All the neighbours want to shake hands with the three heroes. Carmelita's parents cannot believe how close they came to losing their daughter. And how lucky they are to have her still.