Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone

by Darlene Foster

  Andy Rowlands looked surprised. “Amanda, what are you doing here? I thought you were at a family reunion.”

  “I came looking for something.”

  “It wouldn’t happen to be a stone; a special stone with writing on it?” asked Andy.

  Bart ran over to Amanda and looked up at her, his tail wagging. Amanda patted his head.

  “What is so special about that stone anyway?” asked Amanda.

  “I believe it is part of a set of stones that make up a large petroglyph of a buffalo hunt,” Andy explained. “Over the years the mural has crumpled, scattering many pieces around the area. If they are collected, the mural could be reassembled. The museum is very interested in obtaining these stones. The mural is of great significance to the history of our province.”

  Amanda gulped. Bart wandered over to the piano, sniffed a leg and sat under the bench. Just before he settled down, Amanda thought she saw the stone under the piano. She looked away.

  “Why does everyone want the stone?”

  Ed said, “This stone belongs to our people. It is part of our history and should stay with The Blackfoot Confederacy. We already have some of the stones. That one must have fallen out of my pocket at the Stampede parade.”

  “Yes, it did. I picked it up and called after you, but you didn’t hear me.”

  “The stones belong to the museum. I have some as well. We should give all of them to the museum so the experts there can reassemble the mural,” said Andy.

  “Well it’s gone now. Amanda lost it so you can all leave.” Hank glared at Amanda.

  “Ya, well why were you holding Amanda captive in the attic, you scum bag?” asked Dan. “You just want the stone to sell to the highest bidder, don’t you? I’ve heard about your gambling debts.” He grabbed Hank by the shirt collar.

  Andy stepped between them. “Now, boys, there’s been enough fighting.”

  Dan let go of Hank. “If the museum would pay for the stones, we could use the money to send Sharon to a hospital in New York City. They could help her get better. We need that last stone to make up one part of the mural. Come on Amanda; let’s get you back to your family.”

  Amanda swallowed and whispered, “I think I know where it is.”

  Everyone looked at her and said, “You do? Where?”

  No one noticed Hank pick up a poker by the potbelly stove. He pointed it at Amanda. “No one is going anywhere until she tells me where it is.”

  Dan moved toward Amanda.

  “If you move another step, I’ll hurt her with this.” Hank pushed the poker in front of Amanda’s face.

  Amanda felt faint. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her chin trembled.

  “Put that down right now, Hank McGavity!”

  An RCMP officer in full dress uniform appeared at the door and pushed his way in front of Andy, Ed and Dan.

  Hank dropped the poker and looked around for an escape.

  Constable Turner grabbed Hank and handcuffed him to the potbelly stove.

  “It’s safe to come in now,” the officer said.

  The old door swung open. A frightened Leah ran in. “Amanda?” She looked around and then rushed towards her. “Amanda!” Leah put her arms around her before she fell to the floor. “Are you all right?”

  Amanda opened her eyes to see Aunt Mary bending over her and burst into tears. “Oh, Aunt Mary, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I caused all this trouble. The stone is…is over there.” She pointed to Bart with a trembling finger.

  “Under the dog?” asked Leah.

  “No, under the piano. Right by the leg.”

  Constable Turner walked over to the piano and bent down. Reaching around the dog, he retrieved the stone and held it between his thumb and finger.

  “Is this what everyone is looking for?”

  Chapter 21

  Many hugs greeted Amanda when she returned to the reunion. Her parents were so relieved they kept hugging and kissing her.

  “How did you know where to find me and why did Constable Turner show up when he did?” Amanda had lots of questions.

  “Well, when Gordon found his truck gone, he had a fit. Not long after, we realized you were missing as well,” Leah explained. “I remembered you were upset about losing that stone, so I mentioned to Aunt Mary that maybe you had gone back to the old house at Red Rock Coulee. At first we thought maybe you took Gordon’s truck. But then I decided, not even you would be that daft to take a truck when you can’t even drive.”

  Amanda’s dad jumped in the conversation. “I called the RCMP immediately and within minutes Constable Turner showed up. He had been part of a Musical Ride demonstration in Bow Island and heard the call on his radio as he was heading home. Leah and Aunt Mary insisted on going along to show him where to find the place. Mom and I stayed here in case you showed up. We’ve never been so worried.”

  With his arm around Amanda’s shoulder, Mr. Ross turned to the constable. “We can’t thank you enough for returning our daughter safely.” He shook the police officer’s hand warmly. “Now what is this about a rare artifact?”

  Amanda and Leah explained everything.

  “I’m so sorry I kept it. I just wanted to show it to Aunt Mary. I didn’t think it was valuable at first. What will happen to it now?”

  “The museum will decide what to do with it. It’s in good hands,” said Aunt Mary as she patted Amanda on the head. “All that matters is that you are safe, my dear.”

  * * *

  Back in Calgary, a few days later, Amanda helped Leah pack. “I wish you could stay longer. It was so much fun having you here. It was like having a sister to do stuff with.”

  “Look, Amanda, you may not have a sister, but you have a huge family that loves you tons. You should have seen how worried everyone was when they thought you had been abducted.”

  “They thought I had been abducted?”

  “Well, yes. When the truck and you disappeared, they thought someone had taken you. Then when Uncle Jimmy asked if anyone had seen Hank McGavity, I couldn’t believe it. I asked him why he wanted Hank. Uncle Jimmy told us he wanted to pay him. He’d heard Hank was in need of some cash, so he hired him to be the rodeo clown. That’s when I put two and two together. I suggested we go to the old house at Red Rock Coulee. Just then Constable Turner showed up, in his dress uniform. OMG did he look fabulous!”

  “Can we focus on my rescue instead of how good the officer looked?”

  “Oh, yes. Aunt Mary and I jumped in his police cruiser and explained things as he sped out to the site. He sure caught Hank off guard, didn’t he?”

  Amanda shivered as she recalled how frightened she was with the poker inches from her face.

  “You’re right. I am lucky to have a family that cares about me. I know my parents work a lot but they do love me.” With tears in her eyes, she smiled at Leah. “I’m also lucky to have such a good friend like you. You saved my life. Thanks.” She gave Leah a great big hug.

  “I wasn’t such a good friend though, was I?” Leah shook her head. “I should have convinced you to turn in the stone right away. And I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight at the reunion.”

  “I should have listened to you in the first place. And I guess it was kind of stupid of me to jump on the back of the truck.”

  Leah thought for a minute and then laughed, “That must have been funny to see.”

  They were both laughing when Mrs. Ross entered the room.

  “Guess what? I just got off the phone with Aunt Mary. You are both invited to a meeting downtown with the Royal Tyrrell Museum Board of Directors tomorrow morning. We’ll have to take you straight to the airport from there, so you best get all packed, Leah.”

  * * *

  The next morning Amanda, her parents, Leah, Aunt Mary, Andy Rowlands, Constable Turner, Dan, Ed and Sharon Crow Feather sat at a boardroom table with some people from the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It all seemed very stuffy and official to Amanda. She worried they might reprimand her for keeping the stone.

 
The man they saw talking to Andy at the museum got up and cleared his throat. “We are pleased that we now have enough pieces of the petroglyph to re-create the mural of a buffalo hunt, as it was thousands of years ago.

  We have many people to thank for this. First of all we’d like to thank Andy Rowlands from the Bar U Ranch for his generous donation of stones from his family collection. We would also like to acknowledge, with gratitude, the donation of stones from the Crow Feather family and members of the Siksika Nation. We understand the importance of these stones to you and the First Nations people. The mural will be dedicated to your ancestors.”

  The man took a sip of water and turned to Amanda and her family. Amanda held her breath.

  “We would also like to thank Mary Johnson for her tireless support of the museum. A big thank you also goes to her great-niece, Amanda Ross, who helped return a stone we had been looking for.” He pulled the stone from a plastic bag and held it up. “This stone has the mark of a buffalo hoof drawn on a rock face many years ago. It fits in with the others to complete the mural.”

  Everyone clapped and Amanda beamed. Aunt Mary squeezed her arm.

  “As much as we appreciate these stones, the museum is unable to pay for them. But, we can make a donation.” He turned to Sharon.

  “We are prepared to give you a cheque to cover your trip to New York City and all medical expenses. We wish you a speedy recovery.”

  Dan gave his little sister a hug. Amanda thought she saw a tear in his eye.

  Everyone met outside after the meeting and shook hands. Amanda and Leah took turns hugging Sharon.

  “We hope you get better soon,” said Amanda.

  “Oh, I know I will. The doctors in New York will fix me up. Let’s keep in touch by email.”

  “We will,” said Amanda and Leah together.

  “You were very brave, Amanda. I’m glad you didn’t hand the stone over to Hank.” Dan patted her on the shoulder. “Everything worked out fine in the end.”

  Smiling, Constable Turner approached the girls. “I understand you’re going back home today, Leah.”

  Leah just nodded her head and swallowed as her face turned a deep pink.

  “I brought you a souvenir to take back with you.” He handed her a postcard with a picture of an RCMP officer in dress uniform. “Safe travels.”

  After he left, the girls looked at the postcard. The RCMP officer on the front was Constable Rob Turner himself. They turned the card over and saw he had signed it to Leah.

  “I will treasure this forever.” Leah carefully put the postcard in her backpack.

  On the way to the airport Leah said, “Thanks for a brilliant holiday, Amanda.” She frowned. “But when will we see each other again?”

  “I’m sure something will come up.” Amanda grinned. “It always does.”

  Also by Darlene Foster

  Amanda Ross is an average twelve year old Canadian girl. So what is she doing thousands of kilometres from home in the United Arab Emirates? It’s her own fault really, she wished for adventure and travel when she blew out those candles on her last birthday cake. Little did she know that a whole different world awaited her on the other side of the globe, one full of intrigue, mystery and folklore. A world with a beautiful princess, a dangerous desert and wonderful friends.

  Join Amanda on her first adventure as she discovers the secrets behind The Perfume Flask.

  Amanda Jane Ross is certainly becoming a world traveller; she’s now in sunny Spain with her friend Leah. While there, she encounters a mysterious young girl who looks eerily like the girl in a famous painting she saw in a Madrid museum. Even weirder, the girl keeps showing up wherever Amanda finds herself - Madrid, the remote mountains of rural Spain, the beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, a lively fiesta and the busy streets of Barcelona. Amanda wants to help this sweet, young girl and her beloved pony escape the clutches of a mean horse-dealer. Come with Amanda on her next adventure as she attempts to unravel the mystery behind the Girl in the Painting.

  Amanda Ross is in England taking in all the sights. She gets lost in the maze at Hampton Court, does some shopping at Harrods, meets the ravens in the Tower of London, explores Windsor Castle, and rides the London Eye. When she discovers a vintage book is missing from a collection, she is determined to find out who stole it. Amanda befriends a pair of tough teenagers from the streets of London, an elderly bookshop owner, and a big, friendly, clever, Maine Coon cat named Rupert. Follow Amanda through cobblestone streets, medieval castles, and underground tunnels in her quest to find the missing novel!

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank everyone involved in making this book come to be. My critique partners, Cyndy Greeno, Marion Iberg, Yvonne Pont and Sheila MacArthur who provided encouragement, honest feedback, brutal editing and some good laughs. I will be forever indebted to all of you. To my talented and wise publisher, Michelle Halket of Central Avenue Publishing who designs the perfect covers for my books and provides the motivation to continue; thanks for believing in me and my Amanda stories.

  Thanks to the good folks at the Bar U Ranch who spent time with me; sharing stories and providing a perfect setting for part of the book. A great big thank you goes to my grandson Jesse who was my research assistant during our travels around southern Alberta. He pointed out things I would have missed.

  I would like to thank Hope Johnson (1916 – 2010), who fuelled my interest in palaeontology and the rich history of Alberta many years ago. I based my character of Great Aunt Mary loosely on this remarkable woman I was honoured to have known.

  I want to acknowledge my parents and my great big wonderful Alberta family, for providing me with an amazing childhood full of love and fond memories. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.

  Notes

  The anonymous poem found in the deserted house can be seen at the Medicine Hat Museum.

  The word tipi and tepee are interchangeable. I used the spelling commonly used at each location Amanda visited.

  Although the places in this story are real, the people are created from my imagination.

  About The Author

  Darlene Foster is an employment counsellor, an ESL tutor for children, a wife, mother and grandmother. She loves travel, shoes, cooking, reading, sewing, chocolate, music, the beach and making new friends. Her 13 year old grandson called her “super-mega-as-woman-supreme”. She was brought up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she dreamt of travelling the world and meeting interesting people. She lives on the west coast of BC with her husband Paul and their black cat, Monkey.

  Her website is darlenefoster.ca.