Mark shook his head. “Just keep moving, Mattie; you’ll be fine.”
She grabbed the sleeve of Mark’s jacket and gave it a shake. “Please, let’s stop. I’m really worried about the storm.”
“Okay, Mattie, but only till the snow lets up a bit.” Mark stopped walking and turned toward the barn.
Mattie followed in his footsteps, thankful he’d agreed to go inside.
When they entered the barn, a musty, damp smell caused Mattie to sneeze. “Ah-choo!”
“Bless you,” said Mark as he and Mattie took a seat on a bale of straw. There was an old horse blanket there, too, and they huddled under that, trying to stay warm.
They sat quietly for several minutes, listening to the wind howl as it whipped the snow and swirled it around the outside of the barn. The force of the wind was so strong that snow could be seen seeping in through the back wall of the barn where the wood was falling apart.
Mattie turned to Mark and said, “I am vergeksagdert, aren’t you?”
Mark shook his head. “There’s nothing to be terrified of, Mattie. You’re safe here with me. Besides, this old barn has been around a long time and held up through a lot of storms. I’m almost sure it won’t come down now with us sittin’ in it.”
Mattie figured her twin brother was just trying to sound grown up. She could see by looking at his furrowed brows that he was worried, too. She blew on her left hand to keep it warm.
“Why don’t ya put your other glove on?” Mark questioned.
“I think I lost it outside somewhere.”
“Then you’d better put your hand under your coat to keep it warm,” Mark said. “This is not a good time to be losin’ your glove, sister.”
Mattie groaned. “Don’t remind me of that.” She wished Twinkles were with her right now. Whenever she held the dog, she always felt relaxed.
Wo-o-o-sh! Wo-o-o-sh! The wind howled eerily from outside, rattling the windows and shaking the barn door. Pieces of straw floated down from the loft as the drafty air whisked through the upper level of the barn.
Mattie moved closer to Mark. As frightening as it was to be in this old barn, she’d be more afraid if she were outside right now. If not for this shelter, they might have gotten buried in the snow trying to get home. She’d heard stories about people getting lost just going from their house to the barn in blizzards such as this. The storm didn’t sound like it would be letting up anytime soon, either, so Mattie was glad she and Mark weren’t out there in the blinding snow.
“What can we do while we’re waiting for the storm to pass?” Mattie asked her brother.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Guess we could play a game.”
Mattie’s forehead wrinkled. “What kind of game? There are no games in here, Mark.”
“We can play a question-and-answer game,” he said. “I’ll ask some questions, and you can answer them.”
“What kind of questions?” Mattie wanted to know.
Mark tapped his chin a couple of times. “Let’s see now…. Guess I’ll just ask you whatever pops into my mind.”
Mattie sighed. “I suppose that would be okay—as long as you don’t use any big words.”
He frowned. “It won’t be any fun if I can’t use big words.”
Mattie folded her arms. “Guess I won’t play the game then.”
“Oh, all right.” Mark tapped his chin a couple more times. “Okay, here’s the first question. What’s the best way to attract a hummingbird?”
“Now what kind of a question is that?” Mattie asked. “It’s the middle of winter, and there are no hummingbirds here this time of the year.”
“I know that, but they come every summer, and it’s fun to watch ’em eat at the feeders Mom always puts out.”
“That’s true.”
“So what’s the best way to attract the hummers?” Mark asked.
“By putting out our feeders,” Mattie replied.
Mark shook his head. “I meant without the feeders.”
Mattie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You can attract them by plantin’ flowers in the yard, such as honeysuckle, butterfly bush, trumpet vine, fuchsia, and—”
“Snapdragons,” Mattie interrupted. “Some of the hummingbirds that have come into our yard get nectar from the snapdragons Mom has planted near the house.”
Mark smiled. “See, you do know about the flowers that will attract hummingbirds. I thought you would, since you like wildflowers so well.”
“That’s right,” Mattie said with a nod. “And the hummers especially like the color red. That’s why most hummingbird feeders have a red base.” She glanced toward the barn door, already tired of the little game Mark had thought up. “I wonder if the schnee is letting up. It’s cold in here, and I’d like to go home.”
Mark stood and went over to the door, but when he tried to open it, nothing happened.
“What’s wrong?” Mattie asked, jumping up from her seat and rushing to the door.
“It won’t open.” Mark’s blue eyes widened. “I—I think we’re trapped.”
Mattie grasped the door handle and pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge.
“Maybe the snow’s coming down so hard that it’s piled up by the door. There could be a big drift pushing against it, and that might be the reason we can’t get it to open.”
Mattie gulped. “Oh no! We might be stuck in here forever.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Mark said.
She scrunched up her nose and stared at him. “I’m not melodramatic. I’m worried.”
“Maybe if we go to the back of the barn where the boards are loose, we can pull some of ’em aside enough so we can try and squeeze through,” Mark said.
“Jah, let’s see if we can.” Mattie jumped up, grateful that they had another option. “I hope it will work.”
The twins worked their way toward the rear of the barn, crawling over more bales of straw and then over a pile of old lumber. It was a bit difficult in the now-darkened barn, but somehow they managed to find their way through all the obstacles. Their eyes had adjusted to the dimness inside, and when they reached the back section, they stood and surveyed the few wobbly pieces of boards that were hanging by only a nail or two.
“I think if we try to get those two boards loose, it’ll give us enough room to squeeze through to the outside,” Mark said. “Let’s see if we can work the boards apart enough to pull ’em off the wall.”
“Okay, but we’d better be careful of those nails sticking out.” Mattie pointed to one end of the plank. “The nails are old, just like this barn, and I’ll bet they’re rusty. We don’t wanna get punctured by one of them. We could get a bad infection if that happened.”
“Since I have both of my gloves, you’d better let me try to work the boards free,” Mark said, sounding confident. “I’m sure you’re right. Those nails are probably corroded.”
“Corroded? What does that mean?”
“It means rusty, just like you said. Or it could also mean decayed or eaten away,” Mark explained as he yanked on the first board. Thankfully, that one came right off the wall, and he heaved it to one side.
Before Mark reached for the second board, which Mattie hoped would allow enough space for them to squeeze through, he peered through the opening where the other loose board had been. “Don’t think it’s gonna work, Mattie,” Mark said with a shake of his head.
“How come? Just one more board and we’ll be able to get out of here and head for home.” Mattie was tired of being in the old chilly barn.
“We can’t do it, unless you wanna be swallowed up by a whole bunch of snow.” Mark groaned. “There’s a snowdrift on this end of the barn, too. If we go through where the opening is, we’ll be jumping right into it. How would anybody find us then?”
“Oh Mark, you’re right; we sure can’t do that. But then how will anyone find us in here? Now I’m really worried,” Mattie whined as they made their way back to the front of the barn.
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“Well, you shouldn’t be worried. I’m sure once Mom realizes we’re not home on time, she’ll send Dad or one of our brothers to come looking for us.” Mark motioned to the bale of straw where they’d been sitting before. “Since this building is on the way home from school, I’m sure they’ll think to look here when they go out searching for us.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” Mattie quietly answered.
“While we’re waitin’ for help to arrive, let’s play another question-and-answer game,” Mark suggested.
“I don’t want to,” Mattie said. “I’m too naerfich to answer any more of your questions.”
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Mark said, taking a seat beside her. “Let’s pray and ask God to help us.”
“You’re right; we should do that,” Mattie agreed. Sitting on the bale of straw, she bowed her head. “Dear Jesus,” she prayed out loud, “please send someone to rescue us, and help me to trust You and not worry so much.”
“Let’s sing one of the songs we’ve learned at school,” Mark suggested after Mattie’s prayer ended. “It’ll help us relax and take our mind off the predicament we’re in.”
“Pre-dic-a-what?”
“Predicament. It’s the same as saying we’re in a mess, a fix, or a bind.”
Mattie bobbed her head. “Jah, we’re in a big mess all right. I should never have suggested we come into this old barn. We should have kept walking toward home, no matter how hard the snow was coming down.”
Mark reached for Mattie’s gloved hand. “Let’s sing the ‘Little Children’ song.”
“Okay,” Mattie squeaked. That song seemed to fit their situation, since she felt like a little child right now.
“Sing, little children, sing, sing,” Mark and Mattie sang at the top of their lungs. “God is good, and He cares for you. Sing, little children, sing.”
Mattie started the second verse, and Mark sang, too. “Pray, little children, pray, pray. God is good, and He cares for you. Pray, little children, pray.”
“Wish I’d never listened to you and come in here,” Mark said to Mattie sometime later as they huddled under the horse blanket together. “If we’d kept going, we’d be home by now, sitting in Mom’s kitchen with a cup of hot chocolate and some of those pumpkin kichlin you and Mom made.”
Mattie sniffed as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was cold and frightened, and now she felt guilty. “I–I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I wish we’d gone home, too. I was worried we might lose our way when we couldn’t see, and then we’d have really been in a predicament.”
“Now don’t start cryin’, Mattie. It’s making me feel sad.” Mark tickled Mattie under her chin. “Does that make you feel any better?”
She pushed his hand aside. “No, and I don’t want to be tickled right now.”
“Sorry. I just thought it might make you feel better.”
“I’ll feel better when somebody comes and rescues us,” Mattie replied.
“I agree.” Mark glanced at Mattie’s lunch pail sitting at her feet. “Do you have any more of those pumpkin kichlin, or did ya eat all of ’em at lunch?”
“Sorry, Mark. I ate them all. What about the ones Mom put in your lunch box?”
Mark shook his head. “I ate all of mine, too.” His stomach rumbled noisily.
Mattie giggled. Mark laughed, too.
“I wonder if Mom and Dad will be mad at us.” Mark’s expression and tone of voice had turned serious.
“I wonder if we’ll have to spend the night in this old barn.” Mattie shivered and moved a little closer to Mark. Then she tipped her head to one side. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” he asked.
“Listen, there it is again.”
Whoo-hoot! Whoo-hoot! Whoo-hoot!
“I hear it now.” Mark pointed to the rafters. “I think there’s an owl up there.”
Mattie tilted her head way back and stared up above. “I don’t see anything. ’Course, it’s really dim in here—especially up there in the rafters.”
“Sure wish we had a flashlight,” Mark said. “Pretty soon we won’t be able to see anything at all. Maybe our eyes will adjust as it gets darker.”
“Do you think we’ll freeze to death if help doesn’t come soon?” Mattie’s chin quivered, just thinking about it.
Mark patted her arm. “Naw, we’ll be okay. Just close your eyes and keep praying. Someone’s bound to come lookin’ for us.”
Mattie closed her eyes and leaned her head on Mark’s shoulder. She felt kind of drowsy all of a sudden. Maybe if she slept awhile it would make the time go quicker. She could tell by Mark’s steady breathing that he was getting sleepy, too.
Mattie thought about a Bible verse Dad had read to them once, Psalm 56:3: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” That helped her feel a bit better, and she took a deep breath, trying to relax.
Suddenly, the barn door rattled, and then Mattie heard voices.
“Mark! Mattie! Are you in there?”
Her eyes snapped open, and so did Mark’s. “We’re here! We’re here!” they yelled at the same time. Help had finally come. God had answered their prayers. They were about to be rescued!
“We were worried about you two,” Mom said, looking at Mark and Mattie from across the supper table that evening.
“That’s right,” Dad said with a nod. “When you didn’t come home right away after school, we thought at first that the teacher might have kept you there because of the storm.”
“But Anna Ruth didn’t keep Russell and me,” Calvin said, reaching for the salt and adding some to the green beans on his plate. “So we told Dad that we didn’t think she’d kept you two, either.”
“How long were you looking for us?” Mark questioned.
“We didn’t start right away,” Dad explained. “We waited awhile, hoping you’d show up, but when it started getting dark, and you still weren’t home, we became concerned.” He took a drink of water. “So I hitched my horse to the buggy, and Ike and I headed straight for the schoolhouse.”
“That’s right,” Ike agreed. “But when we got there and saw that everyone, including Anna Ruth, was gone, we really got worried.”
Mark looked over at Mattie and said, “I guess even grown-ups and teenagers worry sometimes.”
“That’s true,” Mom put in, “but I try not to worry about every little thing.” Her forehead wrinkled. “However, something like missing children is enough to make any parent worry.”
“How’d you know to look for us in that old barn?” Mattie asked. “Did you see our footsteps in the snow and follow them there?”
Dad shook his head. “The snow was too deep to see any footsteps. However, when we found one of Mattie’s gloves stuck to a bush near the barn, we had a hunch you two may have taken shelter inside.”
“Remember, Mattie? I gave you the missing glove that we found, and you said how cold your one hand was,” Ike reminded her.
“Oh, that’s right. Maybe there was a reason I lost that glove. Maybe it was to help you find us.”
“You both made the right choice by going in the barn and taking shelter from the storm,” Mom added.
“That’s what we did, all right,” Mark said. “We thought we could wait there till the snow let up, but it got worse, not better. Mir hen bang ghat.”
“That’s right,” Mattie agreed. “We were afraid.”
“When we tried to push open the barn door, it was stuck.” Mattie wiped her mouth on a napkin. “I was really scared at first, but then we prayed and that made me feel a little better.”
“It’s always good to pray when we’re in a difficult situation,” Mom said. “When your daed and Ike were out looking for you, I was here praying, too.”
“God answered our prayers, and I’m glad we’re home where it’s warm and we can eat. Sure wouldn’t have wanted to miss supper.” Mark’s stomach growled, and everyone laughed. He didn’t care; he was just happy to be safe and at home with his family
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CHAPTER 13
Thin Ice
It was the perfect evening to go ice-skating, and Mark was really excited. After the heavy snowfall they’d had earlier in the week, the skies had cleared, and today had been bright with sunshine. Now, after the western horizon had glowed orange and pink, a few stars became visible as the night sky began to turn black. Someone had brought several torches, which they’d stuck in the snow around the pond. That helped to light things up well enough so they could all see. Some of the kids also had flashlights and battery-operated lanterns.
As Mark sat on a tree stump and laced up his skates, he watched some of the other boys already gliding on the ice. There was still a light covering of snow on top of the ice, but he could see where most of it had been shoveled off to one side.
“What do you think of this pond?” Ike asked as he stood and waited for Mark to finish with his skates.
“It’s a lot bigger than I expected.” Mark was really impressed, especially since the ponds around their home were so much smaller.
“I don’t get to come up here very often, but whenever my friend Wayne invites me, I try not to pass up the opportunity,” Ike said. “Wayne said this is a popular ice-skating spot, and from the looks of all the kids that are here, I think he’s right about that.”
Mark smiled up at Ike, feeling pleased that they could do something fun together. Since Ike had started courting his girlfriend, Catherine, several months ago, Mark didn’t get to spend much time with his big brother. “I’m glad you invited me to come along. Mom and Dad said if I got all my chores done today, I could go, so I hurried up and got ’em finished right away.”
“Let’s do some skating now,” Ike said as he stepped onto the frozen pond. “Our driver said he’d be back for us in two or three hours, so we don’t want to waste any time.”
Mark joined his brother and the others. Around and around the pond they went. This was great! Even with the other boys and girls skating on the pond, there was still plenty of room, and nobody seemed to get in anyone’s way.
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