The story so far ... Ben makes the traveling soccer team and is busier than ever. He's finally convinced that the messages he sees are real, and he wants to keep riding and getting more messages. One of the last warm days of fall, he sets out on a ride, even though his mom wants him to watch Rosie instead. He searches the clothesline and sees two slogans that only confuse him. Just then, the woman of the house comes out and talks to him, sadly telling him she sold her horses. Ben hurries home only to find out that Rosie is missing.
Mom pulled away and took a deep breath. "Let's do this in an orderly way. The Lehmans should be here any minute. Why don't you boys take another look around the house? You might see something I didn't. Ben, you take the upstairs. Conner, you take the basement. Look absolutely everywhere a 3-year-old could squeeze. My brother took off, but I stayed.
"I'll look again on the main floor. When the Lehmans get here, we can do the outside. Divide up and search the yard and beyond." She glanced out the window. I followed her gaze. There were acres and acres of tall corn, woods, and so much more. I saw Mom's lips quiver.
"How long do you think she's been missing?" I asked. We both looked at the clock. 5:15, and the hands were moving.
"I'm not sure." She sounded frustrated. "She was here when you got home from school at about 3:30. We were in the garden for a while, and then came in here. She started playing with puzzles and was so engrossed that I went into the kitchen to start supper. I didn't hear a peep. When I went to check on her, she was gone." She started to cry and motioned me away. "Just go and start searching."
I began in my room, checking the obvious - under my bed, in the closet, behind the bookshelf. Nothing. "Rosie, where are you? Are you playing hide and go seek?" But only silence answered.
I did the same in Mom's and Conner's room with no luck. Last I did the bathroom, even checking the top shelves in the closet. Nothing. I hurried downstairs and found the front room filled with people. Mrs. Lehman was sitting on the couch crying. Mom with her arm around her was trying to calm her down. I could hear Jack out in the yard calling "Rosie. Rosie. Come to Daddy."
John Lehman, Rosie's grandpa, had a penciled sketch in his hand and was talking to the neighbors who had gathered. "...So you two" and he pointed to Mr. Schmidt and Doc Olson, "take the old barn. Check the loft, the stalls, every single inch." His voice cracked, and I saw fear in his eyes.
He quickly assigned everyone else a job - the chicken coop, smoke house, machine shed, and yard. "If we don't find her," he paused to regain everyone's attention, "we'll start a search line and check every acre of land." And there was so much land, not only acres and acres of tall corn, but woods, and streams... and then the roads and houses beyond.
I looked out the window. The sun was moving ever so quickly toward the horizon. It would soon be dark. Then what?
Conner and I were assigned the machine shed. On one side was an old tractor. It was coated in bird poop and cobwebs. The other side was used mainly for storage - lots of broken machine parts, a tool table, and rusted junk that had piled up over the years. Conner walked through calling her name. I searched all around and under the tractor. There was an old tarp covering up something. For a moment I was hopeful as I whipped off the tarp thinking maybe Rosie was under it playing hide and seek. But there was just our old rusted wagon, no little girl.
"I'm going to check up above?" Conner said, heading for the ladder and starting to climb up to the small loft.
"I'll head back and see where else I can look." I started toward the house, hearing calls of "Rosie" from every direction. Maybe there were some new developments. A police car was parked in front of the house. I knew it was serious when the police were involved. I walked inside. An officer was talking to Mom and Mrs. Lehman. He had a notepad and was asking questions and writing stuff down.
Mrs. Lehman looked a wreck with streaks of black makeup running down her cheeks from crying. Mom was patting her knee, trying to comfort her. Someone must've made coffee because I could smell it. It was getting dark outside, but no one turned on any lights. It was as if that simple act of lights inside meant that it was too dark to search anymore.
For some reason, I had been so sure that Rosie would be found quickly. She was only three years old and wouldn't have the energy to walk very far. And she never took off, not at our house. I kept expecting that she would appear, giggling and ready to hug you. But it had been too long. Suddenly, I felt really scared. What if something bad had happened to her?
Within fifteen minutes, more police arrived. They organized a bigger search party and fanned out in all directions. Every place we searched earlier, they searched three more times. Mrs. Lehman's parents and sister arrived, and with them were Rosie's two older sisters just five and six. They looked confused.
"Ben, come here," Mom called, spotting me over near the door. I walked over. "Please take Faye and Avery into the den and see if you can set up a Disney DVD for them." I started to protest. "That's an order. And stay with them too."
I was disappointed, afraid I'd miss the action. "Come on, girls; let's see what we can find to watch." They followed me without protest. Although upset, I don't think they understood what was going on.
"What happened to Rosie?" Faye, the older girl asked.
"I guess she decided to go on a little adventure by herself, and now everyone is trying to find her." I grabbed the pile of DVDs and quickly looked through them. "We'll watch Bambi."
I got the movie started and the girls sat together on the couch. I pulled off the blanket from the back and put it over their laps. I watched with them but was really trying to think of any possible place we might have missed in the search.
I don't know why my mind suddenly went back to the clothesline. Maybe it was just that I felt so helpless. But I remembered the two shirts, one about carpet cleaning, and the other about Earth day. Was there a message in the words? Would it help in the search for Rosie?
Mom pulled away and took a deep breath. "Let's do this in an orderly way. The Lehmans should be here any minute. Why don't you boys take another look around the house? You might see something I didn't. Ben, you take the upstairs. Conner, you take the basement. Look absolutely everywhere a 3-year-old could squeeze. My brother took off, but I stayed.
"I'll look again on the main floor. When the Lehmans get here, we can do the outside. Divide up and search the yard and beyond." She glanced out the window. I followed her gaze. There were acres and acres of tall corn, woods, and so much more. I saw Mom's lips quiver.
"How long do you think she's been missing?" I asked. We both looked at the clock. 5:15, and the hands were moving.
"I'm not sure." She sounded frustrated. "She was here when you got home from school at about 3:30. We were in the garden for a while, and then came in here. She started playing with puzzles and was so engrossed that I went into the kitchen to start supper. I didn't hear a peep. When I went to check on her, she was gone." She started to cry and motioned me away. "Just go and start searching."
I began in my room, checking the obvious - under my bed, in the closet, behind the bookshelf. Nothing. "Rosie, where are you? Are you playing hide and go seek?" But only silence answered.
I did the same in Mom's and Conner's room with no luck. Last I did the bathroom, even checking the top shelves in the closet. Nothing. I hurried downstairs and found the front room filled with people. Mrs. Lehman was sitting on the couch crying. Mom with her arm around her was trying to calm her down. I could hear Jack out in the yard calling "Rosie. Rosie. Come to Daddy."
John Lehman, Rosie's grandpa, had a penciled sketch in his hand and was talking to the neighbors who had gathered. "...So you two" and he pointed to Mr. Schmidt and Doc Olson, "take the old barn. Check the loft, the stalls, every single inch." His voice cracked, and I saw fear in his eyes.
He quickly assigned everyone else a job - the chicken coop, smoke house, machine shed, and yard. "If we don't find her," he paused to regain everyone's attention, "we'll start a search line and check every acre of land." And there was so much land, not only acres and acres of tall corn, but woods, and streams... and then the roads and houses beyond.
I looked out the window. The sun was moving ever so quickly toward the horizon. It would soon be dark. Then what?
Conner and I were assigned the machine shed. On one side was an old tractor. It was coated in bird poop and cobwebs. The other side was used mainly for storage - lots of broken machine parts, a tool table, and rusted junk that had piled up over the years. Conner walked through calling her name. I searched all around and under the tractor. There was an old tarp covering up something. For a moment I was hopeful as I whipped off the tarp thinking maybe Rosie was under it playing hide and seek. But there was just our old rusted wagon, no little girl.
"I'm going to check up above?" Conner said, heading for the ladder and starting to climb up to the small loft.
"I'll head back and see where else I can look." I started toward the house, hearing calls of "Rosie" from every direction. Maybe there were some new developments. A police car was parked in front of the house. I knew it was serious when the police were involved. I walked inside. An officer was talking to Mom and Mrs. Lehman. He had a notepad and was asking questions and writing stuff down.
Mrs. Lehman looked a wreck with streaks of black makeup running down her cheeks from crying. Mom was patting her knee, trying to comfort her. Someone must've made coffee because I could smell it. It was getting dark outside, but no one turned on any lights. It was as if that simple act of lights inside meant that it was too dark to search anymore.
For some reason, I had been so sure that Rosie would be found quickly. She was only three years old and wouldn't have the energy to walk very far. And she never took off, not at our house. I kept expecting that she would appear, giggling and ready to hug you. But it had been too long. Suddenly, I felt really scared. What if something bad had happened to her?
Within fifteen minutes, more police arrived. They organized a bigger search party and fanned out in all directions. Every place we searched earlier, they searched three more times. Mrs. Lehman's parents and sister arrived, and with them were Rosie's two older sisters just five and six. They looked confused.
"Ben, come here," Mom called, spotting me over near the door. I walked over. "Please take Faye and Avery into the den and see if you can set up a Disney DVD for them." I started to protest. "That's an order. And stay with them too."
I was disappointed, afraid I'd miss the action. "Come on, girls; let's see what we can find to watch." They followed me without protest. Although upset, I don't think they understood what was going on.
"What happened to Rosie?" Faye, the older girl asked.
"I guess she decided to go on a little adventure by herself, and now everyone is trying to find her." I grabbed the pile of DVDs and quickly looked through them. "We'll watch Bambi."
I got the movie started and the girls sat together on the couch. I pulled off the blanket from the back and put it over their laps. I watched with them but was really trying to think of any possible place we might have missed in the search.
I don't know why my mind suddenly went back to the clothesline. Maybe it was just that I felt so helpless. But I remembered the two shirts, one about carpet cleaning, and the other about Earth day. Was there a message in the words? Would it help in the search for Rosie?
