by Ian Elliot
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 05/97) - It was a great way to return a favour.

Three years ago, Brennan Debassige saved Nathan Wilson's life when a dog wrapped its chain around Nathan's neck and almost strangled him. Brennan will be receiving a Commissioner's Award for Bravery for saving Nathan's life soon.

Last week, Nathan returned the favor by saving the Debassige's Halloween.

Vandals destroyed a makeshift graveyard in front of the Debassige's Finlayson Drive home, kicking over Styrofoam tombstones, tearing down hanging ghosts and even uprooting a wishing well that happened to be in the yard.

For Brennan, 10, and sister Lindsay, 5, it was heartbreaking, especially after they had carefully planned, made up and installed the decorations, only to have them destroyed within days.

But young Nathan, on his way to school, noticed the mess in the yard and unbeknownst to the family, cleaned up the mess as well as he could.

"It only took me about 10 minutes," Nathan said on Friday afternoon, his face still bearing streaks of makeup from the Halloween costume that he wore to school that day.

"I had help from my aunt, who was driving by."

Nathan even located some of the ghosts that had been torn off the house and the family was able to greet trick-or-treaters on Friday night -- down a few tombstones but with most of the decorations intact.

For mother Laura Debassige, the vandalism was disheartening but the fact that it had been cleaned up -- by kids on their way to school, she figured, before Nathan told her it was him -- showed the two sides of Yellowknife.

"The kids were very upset that this had happened, but it was very thoughtful that someone would clean it up ... that someone would do that gives you a real sense of community," she said. "It's nice, it's really nice."