by Sandy Nadeau
“Yeah, not like people, huh?”
“Especially parents.”
Mandy turned and looked at Jenny. “Anything you need to talk about?”
“No, I’m just tired of being treated like a kid. I’m not a kid anymore. I’ll be fourteen in three months.”
“It’s hard for parents to let go of their little girl, sometimes. Things will get better. You want to try a ride around the corral?”
Jenny’s face lit up, and she nodded.
Just as they were about to climb into the corral, Jenny’s mom called out to her to come back to the cabin.
“I was just going to ride, Mom.” Her emphasis on the last word took away any endearment.
“I need you in here now, Jenny!”
Jenny stomped off muttering, “They never let me do anything.”
“We’ll do it another time, Jenny.” Mandy watched her go, remembering a similar scene in her own life so many years ago.
****
“Hey, Mandy. How are you today?” Sue was cheerful.
“Oh, fine. How ‘bout you?”
“Good. We had more reservations come in for the first week of June. Another is for mid-July. We’re filling up fast.”
“That’s great to hear.” Mandy settled in to do her paperwork.
Connie Carter burst through the door. “Jenny’s run off! Rick went looking for her.” Connie’s frantic look broke Mandy’s heart.
“What happened? Where did she go?” Mandy asked in a calm tone, despite her racing heart.
“She ran up the hill behind the cabin. She was mad when I told her to pick up her room. She just started yelling about not getting to do anything and ran.”
“I’ll radio a couple of the guys. We’ll find her. Don’t worry. She’ll be all right.”
****
Jenny scrambled up the steep hill. The brown pine needles were slippery. She could hear her dad calling, but she couldn’t see him. She wanted to escape. To be left alone. As she ran faster, her lungs struggled for enough air.
There might be wild animals, but she didn’t care. She was tired of being told what to do. She was tired of not being able to do what she wanted. She was tired of being away from her friends, and especially tired of being treated like a child.
The trees were thicker now, but she continued to run. She pushed at bushes that scratched her arms. Suddenly the ground vanished. She dropped into an opening hidden by the ground cover.
Falling.
Her skin scraped against cold rock and dirt. Her body bounced down into the darkness. Rocks and small roots poked through and grabbed at her hair as she slid into the underground tunnel. She came to a stop when her tennis shoes hit a hard surface with a thud. Small pebbles and dirt tumbled into her back.
The darkness overwhelmed her racing heart. Panic elevated. The rising dust made her cough and coated her sweaty skin. Her body ached. She brushed at her arms and legs as she looked up. Branches crossed over the opening, blocking most of the sunlight.
A whimper escaped.
She could see a faint light down the tunnel. There seemed to be something, but she couldn’t focus on it. Where was she? What had happened?
Jenny shifted from one spot to another, hands pushing the matted mess of hair away from her face; the dread of what could come from the darkness scared her. What if wild animals lived in here?
She crawled forward and maneuvered in the cave…tunnel, whatever it was…to where she was able to stand upright, but her head bumped on the dirt ceiling.
Was that a light down there? She rubbed at her eyes, wondering if she was really seeing something.
She whimpered again. Were there big spiders? Beating hands against her body frantically, the hysteria rose. Her scratched arms stung.
How would anyone find her?
What if a mountain lion lived down here? Did they live in holes? In caves?
She tried to climb back up, but with every step, she slid back.
Tears formed and her voice came out just above a whisper, “Dad?” Then louder, “Dad? Help me, Dad. Where are you?” Panic began to rise as she heard her own voice hollering for help, echoing in the dark chamber.
Screaming, she tried to crawl up the steep slope, clawing at the dirt as it rained down.
****
After calling the available staff together, Jon sent everyone out to comb the forest and call for Jenny.
Even Barney tagged along, sniffing the ground and checking shrubbery.
Rick and Connie swatted at bushes, their expressions grim and fearful.
Mandy walked nearby, searching her own little grid.
The mine was up to the left, but they’d have seen her if she headed that way. There wasn’t anything to the right except Shonee’s property.
Mandy continued to call out, her fear intensified. Once again, she commanded Barney to find Jenny.
“Lord, please let her be all right,” she gasped out while she climbed. “Be with her, Father; keep your angels around her. Help us to find her. Lead us in the right direction. In Jesus’s name.”
Barney’s ears were attentive, eyes wide and searching. Stopping from time to time, he would raise his head and sniff the air. He wasn’t a blood hound, but he was smart and knew the area.
The adults dotted the hillsides and called for Jenny, and then paused to listen. Nothing. They kept going. Time slipped away. Every minute built more fear and anxiety.
About fifty feet in front of Mandy, Barney suddenly stopped, his ears raised, his head cocked. He took off at a hard run, and then started pawing at the ground and barking.
“Jon. Everyone. Barney’s found something. Come over here.”
“Help!” A faint voice echoed from the earth.
Everyone ran towards Mandy.
Barney dug and continued to bark, his claws ripped the smaller branches right out of the ground.
“Jenny, are you down there?” Mandy hollered. Her heart pounded as she prayed for an answer from the girl.
“I’m down here! Get me out!”
“I’ve found her,” Mandy called to the others. “Jenny, can you climb back up?”
“I don’t think so. It’s too steep. Please help me, Mandy.” Jenny’s voice trembled.
Jon pulled at the vegetation that partially covered the opening. “I’ve never seen this opening before. It has to be a ventilation shaft for the mine.” He pulled away the grasses and stomped down the brush.
“Jenny. Sweetheart. Are you all right?” Her dad called down as he dropped to his knees to help clear the opening. “We’re all here. We’ll get you out. Just hang on.”
“Oh, Daddy, get me out of here. Please?” Her whimpering was heart wrenching.
“Let me get down there.” Nate offered. “These shafts usually run at an angle, so I should be able to help her get back out.”
“How?” Mandy asked, a myriad of fearful possibilities running through her mind.
“I’ll show you. Step back, Jenny.” He called to the girl. Then, he went in. His long legs stretched from side to side as he climbed down.
The waiting searchers could hear the murmur of voices and then a few minutes later, Jenny’s head popped out of the hole.
Hands reached for her and Barney’s lapping tongue made contact with her cheek.
Connie grabbed her daughter into a tight embrace and cried. She pushed her back a bit to look her over. “Are you hurt? Are you OK?”
Jenny nodded, and then her face reddened when she saw everyone.
Barney rose on his hind legs and the girl petted him, breaking the tension.
“How did you find me?”
“You made a friend with Barney,” Mandy said, putting an arm around Jenny. “He found you. I just followed him.”
Jenny knelt down and put her arms around Barney’s neck. “Thanks, Barney.”
The dog leaned against the girl, wallowing in her attention.
“Jenny, you can’t just run off like that. You scared us to death.” Rick said, his tone
stern, but his expression said something else…relief. He took her into a secure hug when she stood.
“I know, Dad. I’m sorry. I just got so mad…” she wrapped her arms around her dad tighter. “I was so afraid you’d never find me.” She sobbed, unable to say more.
“I would never give up looking for you.” A tear ran down the man’s cheek.
Connie put her arms around them both. “Let’s head back. We need to wash up some of those cuts.”
As everyone walked down the hillside and returned to work, Jon grabbed Mandy’s hand. “Crisis averted,” he whispered fervently. “Thank God.”
Yes, Lord…thank You. Mandy’s relief made her feel able to breathe again.
7
Mandy pulled off her dirt-covered shirt. “That was scary. I’m so glad she’s all right. Why have we never found that hole before, Jon? We’ll have to search more over there. We can’t have people falling into these shafts ever again.”
“I know. I’ll take a couple of the guys up and see what we’re dealing with. We’ll have to really comb over our hills and seal off anything we find. I can’t believe we’ve missed that one all these years.”
“I’m really getting overloaded with all that’s happening lately. All of this at the same time? It’s weird. And we have someone running around threatening us.”
“We have to leave that part up to the sheriff, and most importantly, to God. Why don’t we sit down and pray for a bit. I think we need a lot of divine intervention these days.”
Jon gave thanks for Jenny’s rescue, praying for protection, resolution, and peace to overflow the ranch.
It was the only way to get through their days.
****
Rick and Connie and their daughter, Jenny, stood together at the pond.
Mandy walked down to check on her guests.
Jenny rushed over. Scratches covered her face and arms, but the attitude of bored teen was gone. The girl threw her arms around Mandy. “Thank you so much for finding me.”
Mandy hugged back. “I think Barney had more to do with it than me. I’m so glad you’re OK. You’re scratched up pretty bad. Does it sting a lot?”
“Only when Mom sprayed stuff on it. I’ll be all right.”
“We really do thank you for helping us find her,” Connie said.
Rick’s expression was stern. “Didn’t you know about that hole?” His agitation was obvious.
“No, unfortunately, we didn’t. We thought we’d been over every inch of our property. When you’re in the mountains, these kinds of holes can be anywhere. When the gold fever was high in the 1800’s, people dug anywhere looking for gold. Mines always need ventilation to prevent the buildup of gases. We think that’s what she fell into. Jon and some of our staff will go around the perimeter of our property, work their way in and do another thorough search. We have a lot of acres to go over. Meanwhile…” Mandy looked at Jenny. “Try to stay within the ranch compound, OK?”
Jenny’s face turned pink, and she looked down. “I will. I’m really sorry I ran off like that.”
****
Jon sent Phil into town for supplies, and then grabbed flashlights, some hand tools and the property map to mark the spot of the ventilation hole.
Nate and Mark saddled the horses, and all three headed out to do a thorough search of the section.
“Let’s head over to the fence line and start from there. We’re going to be busy all summer with this mission.” Jon led the way.
“Why can’t these kids just stay where they’re supposed to stay? There are rules.” Mark was perturbed.
“Kids are kids, Mark. They don’t always do what they’re told. Besides, we run a business here and we need to make sure it’s safe.”
The fence line ran along Mr. Shonee’s property.
Jon spotted the man behind his house. They did their best not to draw his attention.
A gruff voice hollered out to them, “What’re you doin’ there?”
Jon raised his hand in greeting and rode closer to the fence. “Hello, Mr. Shonee. Just checking the property over here.”
“Well, don’t be messin’ with my side or you’ll be sorry.”
“Yes, sir.” Jon waved and turned the horse back to the guys.
“That sure is one cranky old guy.” Nate shook his head.
“I don’t know why you’re so nice to him. He doesn’t deserve it.” Mark leaned against the saddle horn.
“Well, Mark, none of us deserves to be treated nice, but God’s love is the only way to get through to someone.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. We’re all worthless. We all need Jesus. I’ve heard it all before.”
Nate pulled on the reins of the horse, and headed up the hillside to check out some heavy underbrush. Finding nothing, he returned to Jon and Mark.
“We’ll just cover this northwest flank of the property today. I’ve got it marked on our map where Jenny fell in. We’ll have to get a heavy gauge screen installed over that. When Phil gets back, we’ll figure out how to get that done. That will be tomorrow’s project.”
“Maybe we ought to explore in there a little before we seal it off. I sure thought I saw a faint light off from where she went in.” Nate said.
“What do ya wanna do that for? We’ve got enough work to do. It’s just an old hole leftover from the mining days. Just seal it up and keep people out of there.” Mark did his job, but never wanted to do more.
“We’ll see if we have time. There’s still a lot to do at the barn for repairs. And there could be a methane problem in there. You don’t want to mess with that.” Jon referred to the deadly gas often present in old mines.
“I ain’t goin’ in there,” Mark mumbled.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me,” Nate said, but he was troubled.
At dinner time they headed back to the corral, having found no evidence of other holes, mine shafts or other dangers.
8
Mandy spent the afternoon teaching Jenny how to ride around the corral.
Connie and Rick watched from the rail.
After the lesson, Mandy showed Jenny how to brush Cookie, the horse. Jenny took to the task eagerly, wanting to know everything about horses, asking questions of Mandy as she worked.
Mandy walked over to Connie and Rick and leaned against the wood fence. She enjoyed watching the young girl’s delight.
Jon, Nate, and Mark rode in.
Jon dismounted at the hitching post next to the corral. “Hey Jenny, how’s it going? You got the full lesson today I take it.”
“I sure did. That was fun. I like horses.”
Some guests were coming in from their adventures in the Jeeps. Others came up, carrying their catch of the day from the pond.
One of the Reynolds’s family’s young boys ran over to the group at the corral. His pockets were overloaded causing his shorts to hang a bit long on the waist. “Hey. Wanna see my rock collection?”
David…no, this was Danny. “Sure, Danny. Let’s see what you’ve found.” Mandy said.
Danny pulled rocks out. He had pink granite pieces, pyrite, quartz and lots of plain old gray stones. “Oh, wait. I got a real pretty one. Where’d I put that?” He patted the pockets of his cargo shorts. “Here it is. I put it in a special place.” He unsnapped a small pocket. The rock was less than a quarter inch square, but had a brilliant, red glassy look with sharp edges.
Rick’s eyes opened wide as he bent down for a closer look. “Wow. Do you know what you have there?”
“Yeah. It’s a pretty red rock.”
They all laughed.
“Can I hold it?” Rick asked.
“Yeah, but you have to give it back ‘cuz I found it.”
“I will. I promise.” Rick took the small crystal out of Danny’s grimy little hand. “This is Rhodochrosite. A nice piece of it, too.”
“Rodo what?” Mandy asked.
“Rhodochrosite. I’m a geologist. Most collectors consider Rhodochro
site to be the most beautiful crystal in the world. It’s a very fragile mineral, so it isn’t surprising this piece isn’t very large. Do you know where you found it, Danny?”
“I dunno. I been finding my rocks all over. I think I found this up on that hill over there,” he said pointing behind the row of cabins. “Or maybe…I’m not sure. I just like it. Can I have it back now, mister?”
“Oh, sure. Here you go. Take good care of that one. It’s very special.”
Danny dropped it back into his small pocket. He snapped it carefully again, loaded up the other rocks that had been on display, and took off running for his brothers.
Rick watched him go. “What kind of mining did they do around here?”
“Gold, mostly,” Jon said. “We actually have an old mine on the property. It’s to the southwest of here. The shaft Jenny fell in could have been ventilation for that mine. They found some gold in it in the 1880’s, but it played out about 1896. We have it blocked off until we can firm it up. There’s no telling how far in and down it goes. We’ve never explored it. One of our plans is to build a small old Western town for the kids to play near the mine. We hope we can shore up the entrance and a little ways in so the kids can really experience the old West.”
Danny’s family came up, led by the boy, who was telling them about the rock and gesturing at Rick. After a short explanation, the topic returned to the building of the town.
“We’re hoping to start building, soon,” Jon said.
“Well, we hope to build,” Mandy interjected. “We don’t know if it’ll happen.”
Mr. Reynolds asked, “Why not? Sounds like a fun idea.”
“We have an unhappy neighbor and we have had a lot of opposition from him.”
Mr. Reynolds raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’m a lawyer. If there is anything I can do to help, I could look into it with you. I know with these boys of ours, the more there is to keep them busy, the better. I think they’d get a real kick out of playing cowboy in a real town.”
Jon put his arm around Mandy’s shoulder. “Well, that’s good to know. I’ll certainly let you know if we need more legal help. As it is, we missed an appointment with the county judge because of a fire that broke out the morning we were supposed to appear to defend against the grievances of our neighbor. They are supposed to call about a new appointment. But the judge is pretty booked.”
