[Cadaverous Pallor]

Do you think that at any one time in the history of the world a child (or group of children) set off on a rambling journey into the unknown to find a cure/solution to a loved one's sickness/awful problem and actually found it, then came back to save the day, one way or another?

Because damn, if that never ever happened ever in the history of happenings, how come there are so many stories with that exact theme? And why are all those stories so great? Even as an adult I still think these are the height of that sub-sub genre, Empowerment Fantasy.

And if, somehow, someway, this did actually happen, where a kid ran away and actually came back triumphant, then that's the coolest thing to ever happen to any kid anywhere and anytime.

This hit me while looking at the DVD The Land Before Time IV.