The Mockingbird's Song
Page 32
Amy’s mouth opened wide. “Oh dear. Do you think Maude may have taken Rachel to that old shack she lives in?”
“I don’t know, but I aim to find out. I’m going there right now.”
“Someone should go with you,” Mom put in.
“I’ll go.”
Sylvia turned and saw Dennis and Jared walking toward them at a fast pace.
“Amy and I can go one way down the road, while you and Dennis go the other way.”
“Maybe we should call the sheriff.” Mom’s chin quivered as she released her embrace of Sylvia.
Sylvia shook her head firmly. “Not until we see if we can find her first.”
“Sylvia’s right.” Dennis looked at Mom and spoke softly. “Give us an hour, and if we aren’t back with Rachel by then, I’ll call the sheriff myself.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
Mom nodded. “I’ll be praying.”
“Same here.” Sylvia prayed silently, Lord, please let my little girl be safe. Allow us to bring Rachel safely home, and forgive me for the lack of faith I’ve had in You. I trust You, Lord, and I believe You will take care of my daughter.
Dennis and Sylvia hurried out of the yard and turned right at the end of the driveway, while Jared and Amy went left. About halfway to Maude’s place, Sylvia paused to catch her breath.
“I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to my precious little girl. Rachel and Allen mean the world to me, and I can’t imagine my life without either of them.”
“We’ll find her.” Dennis’s tone was reassuring. “I promise, we won’t return without Rachel.”
Sylvia didn’t see how he could be so sure, but she’d prayed for her daughter’s safety and needed to trust God to answer that prayer.
They started walking fast again, and a short time later, Sylvia spotted a rundown shack, not much bigger than some people’s chicken coops. “There it is.” She pointed with an unsteady hand at the dilapidated shanty. “That’s where Maude lives.”
Dennis’s forehead wrinkled as he squinted at the wooden hovel. “Seriously?”
She nodded as her pace kept up with his until they reached the border of Maude’s overgrown yard. Dennis led the way on a worn path. Sylvia didn’t like the eerie feeling this place gave her. It was so neglected, and it didn’t seem possible that anyone could actually live here.
“How does she survive the winters in there?”
“I believe Maude goes someplace else during the colder months. We’ve never seen her during the wintertime.”
They approached the small building cautiously, and Sylvia reached out with a trembling hand to knock on the door. When no one answered, Dennis pushed the squeaky door open. There sat Maude and Rachel at a small table with wobbly legs, eating cookies.
In addition to the table and two folding chairs, the sparsely-furnished cabin had only an old cot with a faded, torn quilt; an antiquated woodstove; a dry-sink; and two unpainted boards used for shelving. A beat-up looking suitcase sat at the foot of the cot. Sylvia also noticed a pile of things on the floor that Maude had no doubt stolen from people in their neighborhood, including a watering can like the one that went missing last year outside the greenhouse.
Before Sylvia had a chance to say anything, Dennis bent down and lifted Rachel from the chair. She looked up at him with wide eyes, called him, “Daadi,” and then turned her head in Sylvia’s direction. “Kichlin is gut.”
“Jah, I’m sure the cookies are good, but it’s time for us to go home.” Sylvia glanced in Maude’s direction. “It’s wrong to take things or people that don’t belong to you, Maude. We were worried about my little girl.” Sylvia spoke quietly, in a gentle tone. She wasn’t sure what Maude might be capable of doing and didn’t want to rile the woman.
Maude mumbled something Sylvia didn’t understand, and then the old woman spoke again, more clearly. “Rachel’s a pretty girl. We were havin’ a tea party but without the tea.”
Sylvia tried to hold it together as she talked more with Maude, and a feeling of compassion filled her soul. “From now on if you want to spend time with Rachel, you will need to ask me first. Maybe sometime we can all have a tea party with cookies at the picnic table in my mother’s yard. Would you like that, Maude?”
The elderly woman nodded her head and bid them goodbye.
As Sylvia and Dennis walked back to the house, with Rachel clinging to Dennis’s neck, Sylvia blurted out a question that was heavy on her mind. “I heard you talking earlier with Jared. Are you planning to break things off with me?”
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “I have been thinking about it because your mamm doesn’t approve of me. But I don’t think we should talk about this right now, do you?” He reached up and touched Rachel’s arm, still held firmly around his neck.
“You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I need to take my daughter home and get her cleaned up. Her face and hands are smeared with chocolate from the iced cookies she and Maude were eating.” Sylvia wondered if the cookies had been stolen from someone’s home or perhaps a store in Strasburg. She kept that thought to herself, however. Sylvia had already said too much in front of her young daughter. Even though Rachel was still quite young, there was no telling how much she understood—especially when they spoke in Pennsylvania Dutch, as they had since leaving Maude’s shack.
When they arrived home, Sylvia’s mother ran out to greet them. “Ach, I’m so relieved that you found her. Where was our precious Rachel?”
“She was with Maude in her little shack, but I’ll explain later. I don’t think Rachel was frightened by her, but she clung tightly to Dennis the whole way home. Even called him Daadi when we found her.”
Mom reached out and stroked Rachel’s back. “I’m so glad to see that she’s okay.” She looked at Dennis with a sincere expression. “Danki for helping Sylvia find her daughter.”
“You’re welcome. When I heard that she was missing, all I could think about was getting her back. Rachel is a special child, and I love her and Allen as if they were my own.”
Amy came out of the house and clapped her hands when she saw Rachel. “I’m so glad you found her. Jared and I looked and called, and when we saw no sign of her, we came back here to wait for you, hoping you’d had success.” She hugged Sylvia. “Where did you find her?”
“In Maude’s shanty.”
Amy blinked rapidly. “What was she doing there?”
Sylvia explained the details, including what she’d said to Maude before they came home.
“We’re going to have to watch that woman more closely,” Mom said. “Stealing cookies and produce from our garden is one thing, but taking a child is another matter—one that could have involved the sheriff.”
“We could still call him,” Amy asserted. “It’s possible that Maude’s the one responsible for the vandalism here and maybe even the fire. I personally think she should be investigated.”
“No way! We are not going to involve the sheriff in that matter.” Mom shook her head vigorously.
Sylvia put her finger to her lips. “Can we talk about this later? Rachel needs to get cleaned up and fed a nourishing lunch.” She looked at Dennis. “Maybe when I come back out, we can finish our talk.”
“I can take her inside and see to her needs,” Amy offered.
“Okay, thank you.”
When Amy reached for Rachel, the child went willingly into her arms. Sylvia watched with gratitude as her sister carried Rachel into the house. She closed her eyes briefly. Thank You, Lord, for helping me and Dennis find my daughter, and Thank You for my kind, loving family.
“It won’t be long before we’ll need to feed our helpers who are working so hard on the new barn. I should get back to my kitchen duties and helping the other women soon,” Mom said. “But before I go, there’s something I’d like to say to Dennis.” She looked directly at him. “I am sorry for being so cold to you all these months. I…I didn’t think you were the right man for
Sylvia, but I can see now that I was wrong.” She paused and swiped at the tears trickling down her flushed cheeks. “My daughter loves you, and I can see that her daughter does too. I give you my full blessing to court Sylvia, and if the two of you decide someday to get married, you’ll have my blessing for that too.”
Dennis’s face broke into a wide smile. “Thank you, Belinda. What you have said means a lot to me.” He looked at Sylvia’s shining eyes, then back at her mother. “I love your daughter very much, and if she’ll have me, after an appropriate time and once I’m sure I can support her and the children, I will make a formal proposal of marriage.”
“And my answer will be yes.” Sylvia smiled as she reached for Dennis’s hand, not caring in the least who might be witnessing her act of love.
A bird twittered from a nearby tree branch, and Sylvia looked up and smiled. Go ahead, little mockingbird, sing your song. She no longer felt as if the bird mocked her. Instead, Sylvia simply enjoyed the bird’s melodic song as she and Dennis held hands. She didn’t know what might lie ahead, but if they held tight to their faith and trusted in God, she felt confident that He would see them through anything they had to face in the days ahead.
Sylvia thought of Psalm 30:5, the Bible verse she’d read last night: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Thank You, Lord, for restoring my faith and filling my heart with joy again.
Recipe for Sylvia’s Cherry Melt-Away Bars
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 eggs, separated
1½ cups sugar, divided
1 cup margarine or butter
2 (21 ounce) cans or 1 quart cherry pie filling
Dash of cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together flour, egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, and margarine. Press into 9x13-inch pan. Spread pie filling on crust. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff. Gradually beat in ½ cup sugar and vanilla. Spread over pie filling. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into bars once sufficiently cooled.
Discussion Questions
1. Sylvia became afraid to drive a horse and buggy after the accident that killed her husband, father, and brother. She also didn’t go out or socialize much during the first year after their deaths. Do you think that was a normal reaction? Would you react in a similar way and not drive again because of an accident that happened to a family member or close friend?
2. Sylvia and her younger brother, Henry, were angry at God for the accident, and even after a year, it had affected their faith. Why were their reactions so different from their mother’s and other siblings? Some went to God for comfort, while others turned their backs on Him. Which would you do?
3. Sylvia rented her house to Dennis Weaver, a man she didn’t know and who gave her no references. Do you think that was wise? Would you rent your home to a total stranger?
4. Belinda started trying to control her children’s lives—especially Sylvia’s. Why do you think she did this?
5. The Kings’ neighbor, Virginia, didn’t want to connect with the Amish family. She thought they were strange and that she had nothing in common with them. Have you ever felt reluctant to reach out to someone who is different from you? What were your reasons?
6. Belinda couldn’t seem to say anything nice about Dennis. Why do you think she was negative toward him? Could she have been jealous of Sylvia or simply overly protective? Should she have been happy that her daughter found a new friend and was getting out of the house more?
7. Dennis struggled with commitment and with forgiveness toward the person responsible for his father’s death. What do you think caused his lack of commitment and his inability to forgive?
8. Virginia was stressed over not getting an invitation to Amy and Jared’s wedding, so much that she started smoking again. Why was going to the wedding so important to her?
9. Sylvia and Dennis’s relationship grew quickly. Do you think she should have waited longer to get involved with a man who could possibly become her husband?
10. With all the trouble at the greenhouse and then the barn fire, do you think Belinda should have called the sheriff? Why do you think she didn’t?
11. Was it right for Belinda to hide their problems from her oldest son, Ezekiel? Was her reason for doing it justified?
12. Amish weddings are not the same as English weddings. Based on what you read in this story, how are they different? Have you ever attended an Amish wedding? If so, what were your thoughts?
13. When Sylvia’s youngest daughter disappeared, do you think the elderly woman, Maude, thought she was doing something wrong? Did you agree with the way Sylvia handled it? Do you know someone like Maude? How would you reach out to her?
14. Were there any scriptures or spiritual insights in this book that spoke to your heart or helped you in some way?
15. Like Sylvia and her family, every person is faced at one time or another with difficult situations. What are some things we can do to strengthen our faith when it becomes weak due to a hardship or loss we have faced? How can we help someone who has suffered a loss and seems to have lost their faith?
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written more than 100 books translated in four languages. With over 11 million copies sold, Wanda’s stories consistently earn spots on the nation’s most prestigious bestseller lists and have received numerous awards.
Wanda’s ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Her books are well-read and trusted by many Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.
When Wanda visits her Amish friends, she finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties. Wanda enjoys photography, ventriloquism, gardening, bird-watching, beachcombing, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
To learn more about Wanda, visit her website at www.wandabrunstetter.com.
Check Out the Series!
The Crow’s Call Book 1
When Vernon King, his son, and son-in-law are involved in a terrible accident, three women are left to cope with their deaths, as they become the sole providers of the family they have left. The women’s only income must come from the family greenhouse, but someone seems to be trying to force them out of business.
Amy King has just lost her father and brother, and her mother needs her to help run the family’s greenhouse. It doesn’t seem fair to ask her to leave a job she loves, when there is still a sister and brother to help. But Sylvia is also grieving for her husband while left to raise three children, and Henry, just out of school, is saddled with all the jobs his father and older brother used to do. As Amy assumes her new role, she also asks Jared Riehl to put their courtship on hold. When things become even more stressful at the greenhouse, will Amy crumble under the pressure?
Paperback / 978-1-64352-021-6 / $15.99
The Robin’s Greeting Book 3 (Releasing March 2021)
The final book in the Amish Greenhouse Mystery series! Will the Kings uncover who has been wreaking havoc on their greenhouse before it’s too late?
Paperback / 978-1-64352-479-5 / $15.99