They stopped again when the path suddenly turned and went straight up.
"This isn't right," Maddy said. "We should be going down, not up."
"Yes, I think we need to go back," Hannah replied. "I hope we're not lost."
"No, we're okay. Riversleigh is just over there." Maddy pointed out into the mist towards what she hoped was Riversleigh, trying to sound confident for Hannah's sake. "If we head back and take that other path, we should be fine."
The girls turned around and walked back the way they'd just come, but before long they found themselves back at the spot where the path headed straight up again.
"We’ve just walked around in a circle! It's hopeless, Maddy. We're lost." Hannah sat on a rock and started to cry.
"We'll be okay, Hannah. We'll find our way out." Maddy sat down beside her. She reached out and gave her friend a hug. "I'm sorry I got you into this."
"Mom and Dad will be so worried," Hannah sobbed. "I'm going to be in so much trouble."
"I'll tell them it was my fault, not yours," Maddy said. Why did I do this? God, if you're there, please help us. "Come on, let's head back this way. We must have missed a turn somewhere," she said, pulling Hannah to her feet.
They trudged along in the rain, and eventually Maddy saw a path that she thought looked familiar.
"This looks like it," she called out to Hannah.
"I don't know, everything looks the same."
"Well, it's worth a try. There's a ledge over there where we can sit for a while to get out of the rain. Let's go," Maddy said, already heading towards it.
Thankful to be out of the rain, the girls took off their wet jackets, and leaned against the rock wall. Their backpacks were saturated, and most of their food had turned into a soggy wet mess. They found one packet of dry, unopened crackers, and one apple, which they shared. Their sleeping bags were also wet, so to keep warm, they huddled together while the rain continued to fall around them.
"What are we going to do, Maddy?" Hannah asked. "I think we're lost."
Chapter 14
The men had gathered at the Community Center at six am the following morning as agreed. Sarah had been annoyed that the search hadn't continued throughout the night, but was relieved to hear that at least the girls' bikes had been found. Hank couldn’t stop her from joining the search party the next day, although he had tried, thinking that it was still too dangerous, but she'd persisted, and he finally agreed to let her go with him.
The plan was to head back to where the bikes had been found, and then to spread out along the bottom of the ridge and thoroughly check each possible track that led upwards. They knew that the rain would make visibility difficult, but they were hopeful of finding the girls quickly.
Hank, Sarah, and Brian McDougall stayed together, and took the path nearest where the bikes had been found. The going was slow and tough, especially as they were looking all around them to find any clue that might suggest the girls had come this way.
Sarah had been heartened by the support shown by the community. It made her realise how many friends she had in Riversleigh. Although she knew they had to leave because of Hank's job, she'd be sad nevertheless, and could understand to a degree how Maddy was feeling. But this was madness! How could she have done something like this!
Sarah controlled her emotions, and focused on the job at hand. They had to find the girls.
"I haven't seen anything at all," Hank said when they reached a fork in the track.
"No, either have I," Brian McDougall said, "but that's not unexpected, with this rain. Which way do you think we should go?" he asked, looking left and right.
"There's another group over to the right, so maybe we should head left," Hank replied.
They set off again, Hank in the lead, followed by Sarah, and then Brian McDougall. The track was almost impassable, as several large branches that had come down in the height of the storm hindered their way. They finally managed to get around them, and continued on very slowly through the mud and debris that the storm had left.
Hank saw the opening between the rocks. He didn't want to get Sarah's hopes up, but as soon as she saw him heading that way, she started to run. "Slow down!" he called out. "It's slippery!"
They reached the opening, and Hank went in first. He only just fitted through the small gap, but Sarah was able to squeeze through quite easily. Most of the ground was wet, but they could see the trench that had been dug. Hank turned on his flashlight so they could see better.
"It looks like someone's slept here." He pointed to a smooth dry patch on the floor. "I think there are some footprints too."
"Let me see," Sarah said, crawling closer so she could get a good look. "That looks like Maddy's shoe print," she said hopefully.
"We'd better call Tom," Brian McDougall said.
Tom Brown was encouraged by the news, but suggested that as they didn't know which way the girls had gone, the groups should continue looking all along the ridge for them. He said that it would be easy for the girls to get lost in the rain, and so they could be anywhere. He would have called in the emergency services helicopter if it hadn't been for the rain, but the visibility was too poor, making it too dangerous, so they'd have to continue the search on foot.
The searchers soldiered on, encouraged by the news of the cave find, but there was a growing, silent concern among them that the girls may have slipped in the horrendous conditions and be lying hurt somewhere.
Before deciding which way to go, Hank and Brian McDougall checked the ground outside the cave carefully to see if there was any indication to suggest which way the girls had gone. The rain, however, had done too good a job, and had washed away any evidence that might have been there.
"They would have headed off the way they came up," Hank said, "but as we didn't pass them, they must have taken a wrong turn somewhere."
"That's if they were heading home," Sarah piped up. "Maddy might be so determined to not leave Riversleigh that she decided to go further."
"If that was the case, wouldn't they have stayed in the cave?" Brian McDougall said.
"The cave's wet and cold. My guess is that they had a bad night, and decided to either head back home, or try to find somewhere that was drier," Hank added.
"That means they could have gone either way," Sarah said. "Where have you gone, Maddy?" She called out loudly, looking in both directions.
She could hear some of the other searchers calling out to the girls as well. Lord, please let them hear, she prayed silently.
They finally decided to go back the way they'd come, but to take it very slowly and look for any sign of the girls. They knew how easy it would be to get lost in the mist, so they took notice of their bearings and tracked which way they were going on Brian McDougall's compass. Sarah continued to call out to Maddy, but her voice didn't travel very far because of the rain.
Chapter 15
"Maddy, did you hear that?" Hannah had just stirred after having fallen asleep, and wasn't sure if she was dreaming.
"What? I didn't hear anything." Maddy replied. She too had just woken up after having a short nap, but immediately became alert.
"I thought I heard a voice."
The girls stood up so they could hear better. The rain had almost stopped, and the mist had lifted a little, although it was still difficult to see very far.
"There it was again. Did you hear it that time?" Hannah asked.
"Maybe," Maddy replied. "Not sure."
"Cooey!" Maddy yelled at the top of her voice, just in case someone was out there looking for them.
Sarah stopped. "Did you hear that?" she called out to Hank.
"Maddy!" she yelled as loudly as she could.
They all stopped and waited. Yes, there it was again. It was Maddy! Sarah danced for joy. She grabbed Hank, and almost knocked him over.
"Whoa. We don't want to fall down that cliff!" he said, but he also was extremely relieved to have heard the call from Maddy.
They continued to call ou
t to each other, until Sarah, Hank and Brian McDougall reached the girls.
"Mom!" Maddy ran to Sarah as soon as she saw her appear round the corner. "I'm sorry," she said, sobbing into her mother's chest.
"It's okay. You're safe now. That's all that matters," Sarah replied, her cheek leaning on top of Maddy's head.
Once the rest of the search party had been notified, the group started the long trek back down the hill towards town. Hank had checked the girls over, and said that they were in good shape, although cold and wet. Hank and Brian wrapped emergency blankets around them, and helped them walk down the path that was still slippery, muddy and dangerous.
Ambulances were waiting to take them to hospital when they emerged an hour or so later. Shirley McDougall had been waiting eagerly to see her daughter once she'd heard that the girls had been found. Both Sarah and Shirley sat in the ambulances with Maddy and Hannah as they were raced to hospital.
Maddy didn't know what all the fuss was about. She felt okay. It was all a bit dreamlike.
At the hospital, the girls were wrapped in warm blankets, and checked thoroughly by the medical staff. Although they enjoyed the attention, they just wanted to go home.
When they were finally allowed to go, Maddy gave Hannah a hug before her parents led her to their car. Maddy was dreading the talking to she was going to get, and felt bad that Hannah was going to get into trouble too. She waved to Hannah as they drove off.
Maddy climbed into Hank's pickup, and sat in the middle between her Mom and Hank. She was quiet on the drive home. Was it only yesterday that she and Hannah had set off on their bikes? It seemed a lot longer. So much had happened since then.
Sarah too was lost in her own thoughts on the drive home. Glad to have found Maddy unharmed, she reflected on God's goodness, and thanked him for helping them to find her and Hannah. It could have ended so badly.
"Come on Maddy, we're home," she said tenderly as they pulled into the driveway. "I think you need to have a nice hot bath, some food and then a sleep. We can talk after that."
Sarah and Maddy walked to the house, arm in arm. Hank ran the bath while Sarah heated some left-over food.
Maddy thought it all seemed so strange, but yes, it was good to be home, even though she’d failed in what she’d set out to do.
Later that day, after she'd woken from her sleep, Hank and Sarah sat her down for a talk.
"What did you really think you could achieve from running away?" Hank asked, looking at Maddy intently.
"I just wanted you to listen to me, that's all." She looked away. Hank's eyes were scaring her.
"We have been listening, Maddy. We know you don't want to move, but as we've said many times before, there is no other option," Sarah said.
"I know. I'm so sorry." She lifted her head and looked at her mom. "It was a stupid thing to do. I still don't want to move, and I'm not happy about it, but I guess I'll just have to get used to it." She fidgeted with her hands, and looked out the window into the garden. The rain had stopped whilst she'd been sleeping, and everything looked fresh and clean. The rays from the late afternoon sun had created a kaleidoscope of color in the sky. It was beautiful.
"You know that you and Hannah could have been badly injured out there?" Hank asked, bringing her back to the present. Maddy nodded. "You also put your mother and me through a great deal of worry. It wasn't a good thing to do, Maddy."
She looked him in the eye and said, "I know. I'm sorry."
"We’ve talked about your punishment, and we feel that two weeks without your bike is appropriate," Hank continued. "Especially since you left it out in the rain."
"You found it, then?"
"Yes, we did. That's what made us look for you up on the ridge."
"Okay. I guess that's fair then," she said. "I'm sorry about leaving the bike."
"No harm done. But don't do it again," Hank replied.
Hank and Sarah spent the rest of the evening discussing the wedding. It was only three weeks away, and there were a lot of last minute details to sort. Maddy tried to show interest, but her heart still wasn't in it.
She went to her room after a while, and sat on her bed.
"God, if you're there, thank you for looking after Hannah and me today. I know it was a stupid thing to do. I'm just confused about everything. You know I don't want to move and leave all my friends. I don't know what living in Smithtown is going to be like, and I don't really want Hank living with us. I want things to stay the same.
I know this is all about me, but if you're there, please help me to sort through it all. Amen"
The following day at school, Maddy and Hannah were celebrities. Talitha, Skye and Beccy ran up to them as soon as they entered the gate, wanting to know all about their adventure.
Hannah had told Maddy that she'd been banned from riding her bike for two weeks, the same as Maddy, but that her parents had been so happy to have her back home safely that they weren’t really gotten angry with her. Her brothers and sisters had made a fuss when she'd arrived home, and the whole family had sat around their big kitchen table after dinner, talking and having fun together.
The two girls settled back into their school routine after their initial celebrity status started to wear off. They even went to Concert Rehearsal after school, as it was the last rehearsal before the live presentation the following Sunday night at church.
Maddy felt much better as soon as the music started. She put everything into the practice, and Steve Taylor was more than happy with the girls' routine. He'd been involved in the search for Maddy and Hannah, and was surprised to see them at practice, but was pleased that they'd recovered from their ordeal so quickly.
Chapter16
The rest of the week passed quickly. Sarah wanted to spend some time alone with Maddy, and took her out for a drive in the country on the Saturday. Sarah loved going for drives, and she and Maddy had spent many hours in the past just wandering through tiny country town markets, looking at all the interesting items for sale, having lunch in quaint cafes, and just spending time together.
Months had passed since the last time they'd been out together. Life had become so busy, and Hank always seemed to be around, so Maddy felt very pleased when Sarah had suggested it.
"Will it just be the two of us going?" she asked.
"Yes Maddy. Just the two of us. Just like old times." Sarah reached out and gave her a hug. "I've missed our times together, Maddy, and I'm sorry for neglecting you. We'll have to do it more often in future, even after the wedding. Hank won't mind."
"That would be real nice, Mom," Maddy said. Maybe it was going to be okay after all.
They had a lovely day together, just like old times. They decided to stop at Sarah's parent's place on the way back. Jim and Betty were ever so pleased to see them both. They lived out of town on their farm, and didn’t get to see Sarah and Maddy as often as they would have liked.
"Will you stay for dinner, love?" Betty asked Sarah as they relaxed with a cool drink in the shade of a large tree.
"That would be lovely, Mom," Sarah replied.
"Good to see Maddy still enjoys pottering around with her Grandad," Betty said. "He's going to miss her when you move."
"Yes, I know. It's going to be hard on all of us, I think. I can't say I'm really looking forward to living in the city either, but I guess we'll get used to it."
"You'll be with Hank, and that will make all the difference," Betty said. "That's not to say I'm not going to miss you, because I will." She smiled at Sarah, and patted her leg. "I'll go and get dinner started."
Following dinner, Sarah and Maddy said their good-byes, and climbed into Sarah’s car. They chatted happily all the way back to their little bungalow, and as they pulled into the driveway, Maddy looked over at Sarah and said, "Thanks for today, Mom. I really enjoyed it."
"So did I, sweetie, so did I."
You could feel the excitement building amongst the congregation of the Riversleigh Community Church. The annual concert put on by
the youth was the highlight of the year, and never disappointed. This year the concert promised to be better than ever, with more of the youth involved, and a special guest performance by well-known gospel singer Matt Daly.
Sarah had dropped Maddy at the church several hours earlier, and she and Hank were now sitting in the audience, waiting for the performance to begin. Sarah looked around at the people sitting nearby. She was going to miss her friends, that was for sure. The ones who had supported her in the early days after Dave's death, even when she stopped going to church; the ladies from her Monday night Bible study group, and of course, her best friend, Robyn.
Robyn had been Maddy's pre-school teacher, and although she didn't have any children, she and Sarah shared a lot in common, and they had become great friends. Sarah had been Robyn's maid of honor when Robyn married several years earlier, and now Robyn was to be maid of honor at her wedding to Hank.
Hank. How thankful she was that God had brought him into her life. She turned and looked at him. Her heart overflowed with love. He looked more handsome than ever tonight, if that was possible.
Hank noticed her looking at him, and squeezed her hand gently. "What's up, honey? Everything okay?"
"Yes. Just thinking how much I'm going to miss everyone. I can kind of understand how Maddy is feeling."
"It'll be okay, you'll see."
Any further conversation became almost impossible as the music got louder. All eyes were to the front, as the congregation eagerly awaited the commencement of the evening's performance. The music stopped abruptly, the lights dropped, and a lone figure dramatically entered the stage.
The audience was mesmerized by the unaccompanied singer's beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace". The whole youth group had assembled behind her without being noticed whilst she was singing, and joined in with her to sing the first verse again. The effect was awesome and spine tingling.
The Madeleine Richards Box Set (The Madeleine Richards Series Book 4) Page 6