The Lost Girl

 by Ellia Ulrich (ages 6-9)

Andi was walking to feed her horse Taffy on a sunny day.  When she stepped in the barn, she heard a sound.  It sounded like someone crying.  She turned, and there in the corner of the barn was a girl that looked Andi’s age.  The girl looked into her eyes.  She said something, but Andi couldn’t understand her.

“What?” Andi asked.

The girl shook her head, and Andi knew that she couldn’t understand her either.  Andi didn’t know what to do.

Andi had an idea.  She could do hand motions to talk to the girl.  Andi did a motion that looked like she was eating, and the girl nodded.  So Andi fed her horse, then went to the house to get some food for the girl.

She soon came back to the barn and motioned to the girl that she had to go to school.  She gave her the food and water, and one of her quilts from her room.  She showed her she could stay for a while, until they could figure out what to do.  So Andi went to school, but she couldn’t pay attention in school, because all she was thinking about was the girl.

When she got home, she asked the girl, “Can I take you someplace?” and motioned for her to come with her for a ride.

The girl nodded.  Andi took the reins and the saddle for her filly and she motioned to the girl to mount her horse.  Andi climbed up in front of her, took the reins, and called out to Chad that she was going to her ‘special spot’.  She rode off with the girl.

When they reached the creek, Andi got off her horse, helped the girl down, then found a stick and drew in the mud by the water.

N-A-M-E she spelled. 

The girl took the stick and drew in the mud, and she spelled out A-N-A.

Andi nodded and smiled.  She spelled out A-N-D-I.

The girls played in the ‘special spot’, until Chad rode up to ask her why she was late for supper.  As soon as Chad saw the other girl, he asked surprised, “Andi, who is this?”

Andi said, “I found her in the barn, when I was feeding Taffy.”

“Have you told anyone?”

Andi gulped.  “No.”

“When did you find her?” Chad asked.

“This morning.”

Chad said, “It’s time for supper, Andi.”

“What about Ana?” 

“She’ll have to come with us, until we find out about her parents.”

Andi sighed.

Andi, Ana, and Chad rode home.  When they returned, Mother was surprised, but she fed Ana and took care of her.

That night after supper, Mother sat on the sofa reading the newspaper, and she said, “The paper says a girl is lost from a wagon train.  She is eight years old, her name is Ana, and her parents requested that if anyone finds her to bring her back to town.”

Ana was playing on the floor with some of Andi’s wooden toys.  She looked up and pointed to herself.

Andi said, “Ana.”

It was Saturday the next day.  Andi, Chad, and Justin looked for Ana’s parents in town for many hours.  Mother, Ana, and Melinda stayed at the house.  They asked people around the town, but finally Chad said, “It’s getting late, Andi.  Maybe we should go back home and look tomorrow.”

But then they heard a voice call, “Ana?  Ana?”  There was a man and woman walking around.  “Where are you?”

Andi said to her brothers, “Over there!”  They galloped to where Andi had heard the voice.

They asked them, “Is your daughter named Ana?”

The woman said, “Yes!  While we were traveling near town, she was walking close to the wagon with a friend.  The children were stopping to get water, when Susan, her friend, came back without Ana and told us that one second she was beside her, then the next second she wasn’t. We are new here, and don’t speak much English.”

“We know where she is,” Andi said excitedly.

They all rode back to the Circle C Ranch.  When the parents saw Ana and Ana saw them, she ran into their arms.  They were happy to be together again, and so was Andi.