Lost and Found

By Carissa (Riley Prescott Valentine's Day writing contest, second place)

 “Mister Prescott!” the shout and the sound of galloping hoofbeats shattered the hot afternoon silence and made me look up from the broken fence I was examining. “Mister Prescott!” The rider yelled again as he skidded to a stop in front of me. “The little Weave girl has gone missin’! Have ya seen her?” I recognized the rider as one of Sheriff Tate’s deputies.

“No, I haven’t. When did she go missing?” I asked with sympathy.

“This morning. Her parents are goin’ mad! She’s only five, ya know.” Andi Prescott, my new wife, stepped out of the ranch house and walked toward us.

“What’s the matter Deputy Moor?” Andi enquired.

“Anna Weave went missing early this morning. I was just wonderin’ if maybe you or Riley had seen her?” Moor recapped.

“Well, no. I haven’t…” Andi responded, throwing a concerned look in my direction.

“Well, I’d best be goin’ back to town, to help Sheriff organize a search party. I’ve asked at all the ranches about her, but haven’t heard anything about her.” Deputy Moor turned his horse, and with a “So long,” galloped away.

Andi sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ears. I mopped my brow with my sleeve.

“I think I had better go help find her.”

Andi nodded. “I think so too.”

“I’ll just finish checking out this fence and then I’ll go.”

I went back to examining the fence that I had discovered broken this morning. I figured that a horse had bumped into it, damaging it. My eyes fell upon a light blue, torn piece of fabric caught in the broken fence rail.

I pulled it off of the splintery wood, and handed it to Andi. She scanned it and put it in her dress pocket, shrugging, and then remarked “It probably came from one of the hands’ shirts.”

I nodded in reply, and then called over a ranch hand and asked him to start fixing the fence as soon as possible. I then headed for the barn, and once inside, saddled my horse, Dakota. Leading Dakota out to where Andi still stood, I gave her a parting kiss, and then swung into the saddle. The hot afternoon sun beat down on my back as I galloped towards town.

****

When I got to the Sheriff’s office, a group of men had gathered. The Sheriff was telling them what they were to do.

“I’ll split ya’ll into four groups and have each group go with a leader. Deputy Ormerod, Deputy Moor, Mr Carter and myself will lead you all in different directions.” Glancing over the group of assembled men, I saw Chad Carter standing next to Sheriff Tate. Chad looked back at me and we exchanged friendly nods of recognition.

Once the men were split into four groups, everyone set out. My group thoroughly searched our assigned area, but found nothing. After a couple hours, we all met back at the Sheriff’s office. No one had had any luck. Disappointment and worry hung over the men. It was too dark to keep looking now, but what would happen to Anna? The Sheriff organized for everyone to meet again the next morning, and then we all set of home.

I rode home, all the while fearfully wondering where little Anna could be. Once I reached the ranch, I unsaddled Dakota and bedded her down in her stall. I trudged up the porch steps and opened the door of the house. Andi sat at the kitchen table, reading. She stood up quickly and asked “Did you find her?”

I shook my head. “Nope. We searched high and low, but found no trace of her.”

Andi sighed. “Poor girl… and her poor parents.”

 “Yeah… we’re going to look again in the morning. So we’d best be going to bed now. It’s getting late….” I said.

“Good idea.” Andi agreed.

****

The next morning, Andi told me that she had stayed awake late last night thinking. “I was wondering if maybe the cloth that you found on the fence yesterday has something to do with Anna. I would’ve told you last night, but I didn’t want to wake you. It’s probably nothing.”

I thought about it for a moment and then exclaimed: “Maybe you are right! The Weave Family live right on the edge of Fresno closest to us!”

I beckoned for Andi to follow me outside into the ranch yard. “She could’ve walked here yesterday and is somewhere on the ranch hiding!”

I called together the ranch hands and we checked the barn, the hayloft, the ranch yard, the paddock and even the house. But again, like the search party the day before, there was no luck.  Andi suggested that I go to check the field beyond the paddock. “I guess there’s no harm in trying.” I said. But as I walked and searched, I saw no blue threads hanging on the fence. No signs that Anna had come that way. Unless… a thought came to my mind. What if Anna had climbed over the paddock fence but thought it was too hard and went between the rails on the second? That is, if she even came to our ranch… I added to my thoughts.

But sure enough there was a faint trail on the other side of the fence leading up the field, marking that someone had been there recently. I followed it until the trail stopped at a blue bundle. “Anna?” I softly questioned.  I gently brushed some grass off the bundle to reveal a peaceful face, rosy with sleep. It was Anna. She breathed deep and steady, and I hated to move her because she might wake up.  I have to, though. I thought. Gently picking her up, I carefully made my way back down the field and brought her into the ranch house.

At the sight of the sleeping girl in my arms, Andi gasped and then gently said “I’ll take care of her in the house and you can hitch up the buggy.” I gave her to Andi, and then hitched up the buggy and brought it right up to the porch. Andi, with Anna in arms, climbed in the buggy and we set of.

Suddenly Anna awoke, and with a crumpled face, started to cry. “I want my Mama!” She wailed.

 “It’s alright, Anna.” My wife crooned gently. “We’re going to see your Mama. Real soon.” Soon satisfied, Anna lay back against Andi and looked around. Then Andi and I told her what had happened whilst she had been missing. We arrived in the outskirts of town, and drove to the Weave’s house. Anna and her parents were finally reunited. Sarah Weave cried with joy while Daniel Weave clapped me on the back and thanked me over and over again.

“Thank Andi! It was her idea that Anna might be in our field.” I replied. Andi blushingly accepted the Weaves’ profuse thanks.

When we got back in the buggy, I announced quietly “I’m sure glad that this is all over.”

Andi smiled at me and agreed “Me too.”