CHAPTERS 7 AND 8

CHAPTER 7

“No! Monica!”, Andrew was paralysed for some instants, completely taken aback by the sight of his best friend being carried away by that powerful flow of wild water, and the angel, as well as the boy beside him, were immediately thrown into a panic:

“Sally! My sister! We gotta save them!”

Quickly, Monica and Sally were taken down the river, as it was impossible to swim against it, and soon disappeared from their sight.

To make things worse, Bill was still there, threatening to use his gun against the remaining hostages at any moment:

“Hey you two, don’t move, ‘cause I ain’t gonna think twice before shooting at any of you!”

They had no choice but to remain where they were, which only increased their anguish and despair towards the situation. The other criminal, Jack, arrived at that moment:

“We can’t let them escape this time!”

In a hurry, the two started to cross the old wooden bridge, in a new attempt to recapture the angel and the boy. But all that sudden movement caused by Sally’s attempt to escape had made some of the old ropes that kept the bridge to be torn. And, before the thieves could make it to the middle, they realised that the rotten ropes that tied the construction up to the other side of the river were parting again, due to their own weight, and the bridge started to collapse:

“Oh no! Let’s get outta here, the damn bridge is falling to pieces!”

Andrew and John took that opportunity to grab their backpack and start to run away from the bank of the river, hiding themselves in the nearby vegetation.

“Damn!!!”, the thief stormed, after shooting 4 times in their direction and missing. But Bill and Jack had to return quickly to the left bank, and watched as the bridge collapsed down in the river.

“What are we gonna do now, Bill?! They’ll tell we’re here to the first one they bump into!”

“Those damn children! We should’ve got rid of all of them at the moment they stepped in that clearing!”, the criminal fumed, with his eyes shining in anger, “But I’m telling you: when I see them again they’ll be sorry, ‘cause I ain’t gonna miss one single shot...”

Although the only connection between them and the evil men completely destroyed, Andrew and John kept on running desperately through the woods. That fast escape had another reason besides protecting themselves from the bullets: they had to follow the course of river and try to find Monica and the little girl as soon as possible.

*

Sally splashed her arms in the water in a desperate search for air and it wouldn’t take too long before she got drowned:

“Sally... Hold on dear, I’ll get you!...”

Trying to overcome her enormous fear of water, the Irish angel put all her effort into trying and reaching the little girl, but the distance between them only made her attempt to fail.

“Monica... please... help me...”, she cried, and after that, left the surface. Monica’s eyes widened in shock:

“Sally! Sally! Please, answer to me!”

The angel looked around her, completely filled with panic:

“Sally! Oh God... Sally!”

Seconds later, the girl fought her way back to the surface and tried to catch her breath, and, this time, closer to Monica:

“... help...”

“I’ll get you dear...”

The angel stretched out her hands and finally managed to grab Sally by the waist, keeping her head out of water. The girl wrapped her arms around Monica’s neck, but the two continued to be carried away by the river and there was no way they could fight against its force:

“ Hold tight to me, Sally...”, the angel said, although she herself wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer, as swimming definitely wasn’t one of her specialities.

They were carried away for nearly a mile until it was possible to hear the noise of the water falling down: small waterfalls were forming straight ahead, and, considering the force the river flowed, as well as its velocity, one could easily get drowned or be severely injured when hitting the stones that lay on the way.

Striving to keep their heads out of water, Monica and Sally were just some meters before being thrown against the first stones when a big thick tree trunk suddenly appeared near the right bank: an enormous tree had probably been hit by the wind some days earlier and its trunk had fallen in the river, still hanging onto its roots. Joining all her forces, Monica pulled Sally closer to her and made a desperate attempt to swim in the direction of the big piece of wood. Seconds later, they hit the tree trunk with violence and the angel let out a whine of pain, as she protected the little girl with her own body:

“Quick, Sally, try to climb on it...”

“I’m trying...”

Monica helped the girl by lifting her up until she could finally climb on the top of the trunk, followed by the Irish angel, and both crawled until they could reach the river bank.

*

Monica and Sally got out of the river and sat under a nearby tree. Although they were wet and feeling cold, none of them was hurt. Besides this, the sun at that time of the day was warm and shining brightly, and soon their clothes would be dried.

“Take off your coat, dear. Let’s put it on the ground, so it’ll dry faster”, the angel said, doing the same thing with her own coat. Completely in shock and with her eyes full of tears, the little girl held her tightly:

“I wanna go home, Monica. I want my mom and dad... I want John...”, she wept, having flashbacks of everything that had happened so far. Equally shocked and extremely scared, the angel gently stroked her wet hair and tried to hold back the tears which were already forming on the corner of her eyes:

“I know sweetie; I’m sure you will see your mom and dad very soon. There are people looking for us right now, you know, and it won’t take too long before they find us...”

After a brief silence, the girl spoke again:

“Monica, did John and I behave badly?”

A confuse expression appeared on the angel’s face:

“What do you mean, Sally?”

“Why are all these horrible things happening to us?”

Monica considered that question for some seconds and found herself surprised when she couldn’t answer to it:

“I don’t know, sweetie...”, she held the little girl once more and blinked some tears, which she couldn’t help from falling, feeling completely lost in all senses. How come an assignment could go so wrong? And all that horrible situation seemed to worsen each and every minute. Their lives were in great danger, threatened not only by the inhospitable conditions of the woods and the mountains, but also by the two criminals that were following them. And it was when the Irish angel remembered something that caused her to worry even more: if those two thieves had seen her dearest friend and Sally’s brother, where would they be now?

“Andrew... John... We have to find them as soon as possible!”

“I’m scared, Monica...”

“I’m scared, too, but we can’t just let the ones we love out there; imagine how scared they must be now.”, she held the little girl’s hand, “Sally, let’s pray for help...”

“Pray?”

“Yes...”, the angel answered, with tears in her eyes, “For some moments I almost forgot that it’s God who is in command and He is always listening to His children and taking care of them...”

“So God can see us now?”, the girl asked, with hopeful eyes.

“Yes, he can, dear...”

They said a quick prayer asking for guidance and for Andrew and John’s safety. After that, the Irish angel looked into the little girl’s eyes and stroked her cheek:

“Let’s go find them?”

Sally nodded; they picked their coats and left, walking opposite to the course of the river.

*

About 40 minutes of fast walking under a 2 o’clock sun was enough to dry their clothes and to make them fell more exhausted and hungrier than never:

“My stomach is making funny noises...”

“I’m hungry too, Sally. Maybe we can look for some berries after we find Andrew and John, they can help...”

Suddenly, they heard a noise not far away from where they were. The two were immediately paralysed:

“Monica...”, the girl whispered, squeezing the angel’s hand, and their hearts started to pound loudly in their chests when they saw a strange movement in the bushes that stood just a few meters ahead:

“Oh no...”

But before they could even move, a flood of relief invaded their souls when they saw Andrew and John coming up from behind the vegetation:

“Monica! Sally! Oh, thank God!...”, all the concern which was previously evident on the angel’s face disappeared at that moment and he wasted no time in running until his best friend and holding her tightly, as if he would never let her go again. John, feeling equally relived, did the same with his beloved sister:

“Oh Andrew... I was so afraid...”, Monica wept, with her arms wrapped around his neck and nearly collapsing.

“Shhh, don’t think about that... I’m here, we’re together again, Angel Girl, and I’ll never ever let you stay away from me more than an inch, you hear me?!”

He softly stroked her hair and let her cry on his shoulder for some minutes, while the siblings remained holding onto each other, tears also rolling down on their faces.

Realising that she was calming herself down, Andrew gently pulled Monica away and looked into her brown eyes:

“We have to go on, dear, maybe follow down the river in order to get to the foot of the mountain and find some help.”

She nodded and the blond angel wiped away the tears on her cheeks:

“Yes, you’re right...”, she held his hand in hers; it was possible to see in her eyes all the love she felt for the other angel, “I... I was so worried about you and John...”

“Well, you can’t imagine how much we were worried about you two, right John?”

“I’ve never felt so scared in my whole life, Monica.”, the boy replied, “When I saw her falling from the bridge, I wanted to jump in the water and help her out myself. But I’m glad you were there, and I wanna thank you for saving my sister’s life.”

The Irish angel managed a slight smile, happy that at least that horrible accident on the bridge hadn’t had any serious consequence. Andrew released the hold on his best friend, grabbing her hand, and caressed the little girl’s hair:

“And who would let anything bad happen to this pretty lady here, um?”

She looked at the angels:

“John is right, I’m happy you’re here with us. With you two near us, I don’t feel so afraid...”

“Hey, what about me?”, the boy protested, with mock seriousness:

“You’re my brother, John, and you don’t count because I’m always happy you’re with me!... But I think I’m not gonna swim in a river for a long long time; that one was definitely not funny at all!”

The group couldn’t help laughing at the girls words, which seemed to have cheered their minds up, chasing their fears away for a little while.

CHAPTER 8

After taking a 40 minute walk through the woods, the group stopped to rest in a small clearing not far away from the river bank. While the children were eating their last package of cookies, Andrew and Monica took some water in the river and picked some berries that grew on the nearby bushes. It was over 5 o’clock in the afternoon and, feeling extremely exhausted by the events of the day, Sally and John lay on the grass, under a tree, and fell asleep, using the backpacks as pillows and their coats as blankets. Leaning on a fallen tree trunk, right beside the siblings, Andrew held his best friend close to him and, lovingly, started to run his fingers through her hair, while she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder:

“I’ve never been so afraid in all my existence, Andrew. For me and for Sally.”

“Well, I guess I can say the same thing. To think that I would never see you again; to think that I would lose you at the moment I saw you being carried away by the river was a fear that... I had never experienced before...”

After a brief silence, she spoke again:

“Those two men were planning to attack the campsite... We would have met them even if the accident hadn’t happened at all. And all those children would be exposed to them right now...”

“But they won’t try to go there. The police or the search and rescue team must have been called and they must be at the campsite and its surroundings by now.”

“When will all this be over?”, she questioned, with a sad expression on her tired face.

“To be honest, I’d rather not think about it anymore...”, the blond angel answered, equally distressed, “I think the best and the only thing we can do is keep on walking through these woods and looking for help; maybe we’ll find some...”

The tone is his voice was a mix of discouragement and frustration towards that horrible and endless situation. Worse than that, it was as if the angel had lost his most distinguished characteristic: faith.

“I’m sure we will... Maybe there are people looking for us around here, maybe they are closer than we think...”, Monica replied, although she herself was feeling lost and without much hope left.

“I know it may sound horrible but... I feel like we’ve been... abandoned...”

The Irish angel pulled away from him and looked into his green eyes, which were full of sorrow and pain:

“Andrew don’t say that, please! You’re the only reason why I DON’T feel abandoned! You’ve always been at my side since all this tragedy began, giving me support and strength to face my worst fears. Like I’ve said before, I thank the Father for sending you at this very difficult hour. And if He sent you to stay close to me, it means that we and these children are not abandoned at all, for He is taking care of us all! Remember that His time is perfect and He will provide us help when we need it most!”

Quietly, he made a brief reflection about what she had just said and those words had an immediate and clear effect on his emotions: he nodded his head and grabbed her face with both hands, smiling:

“And I think I have to thank Him for sending me an angel who has the gift of speaking the right words at the right time straight to my heart.”

He gave her a long kiss on the forehead, with all the love in his heart evident in his eyes. Also smiling, the Irish angel wrapped her arms around his neck:

“I love you, you know...”, she whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek afterwards. He tightened his hold on her and, affectionately, kissed the side of her head:

“I love you too, Angel Girl! Deeply... With all my heart.”

They remained like this for some time; then, she pulled away just enough to look at his face:

“Um... so that means you’re not gonna tickle me anymore?”

He considered that question, and finally shook his head in disagreement:

“Nope. You know, when you love someone you usually love hearing them laughing out loud. It’s practically a rule, and I cannot break a rule!”

She sighed, with mock disappointment. Andrew smiled once more and put some strands of her hair behind her ear, softly stroking her cheek. Suddenly, they heard a girl’s voice near them:

“Aren’t you gonna kiss each other now?”

Monica couldn’t help giggling at two things: that embarrassing question and, specially, at the expression on her best friend’s face, which became completely red:

“Oh, Sally...”

Andrew, for himself, was deeply annoyed and embarrassed:

“For your information, young lady, the next thing that is gonna happen right now is that two slumbers will get up immediately and start walking, ‘cause we need to get at least near the foot of the mountain before it gets dark!”, the blond angel commanded, with mock seriousness, while his best friend was still laughing, annoying him even more.

*

The night fell down slowly, as it had been a hot and very beautiful summer day, with no clouds in the sky. But with the dark came the cold air of the mountains and they had to put their coats on and, some time later, stopped walking.

“We’ll stay here for this night”, Andrew decided, as it would be risky to continue to go down the mountain. The path that lay ahead wasn’t plain anymore; on the contrary: it was rocky and inclined, possibly with some caves and abysms hidden along it. The blond angel lit up a small fire and the group sat around it.

“Isn’t it dangerous? I mean, those guys could see the fire in the dark...”, the boy’s concern was shared by his sister’s and Monica’s.

“We’re pretty far from the river bank now, John, and I don’t think they’ll manage to cross it. We don’t have to worry about them anymore.”

Sally looked around her, with fear evident in her eyes:

“I’m so afraid of the dark...”

Monica and Andrew looked at each other understandingly:

“Come here, sweetie...”, the angel called, opening her arms to hold the little girl, “You’re gonna sleep with me, ok? And John and Andrew will be right here, on your other side. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Feeling more secure, she nodded, and the group arranged themselves on the grass, once again using their backpacks as pillows.

“G’night Sally...”, the boy said, lying right beside her and rubbing his hand on hers.

“G’night John...”, she replied, already drifting off.

“Try to get a good sleep, you guys, ‘cause tomorrow is gonna be a pretty busy day...”, Andrew warned, sitting beside John and leaning against the tree trunk. The Irish angel looked at her best friend:

“Aren’t you going to sleep a little?”

“I’ll be fine, Monica. I just wanna stay awake a bit more, I’m not sleepy right now.”

“Are you sure? Don’t you want me to stay awake so that you can...”

“It’s alright, honey. I just don’t feel any sleep. You, on the other hand, had a very busy day, and should be snoring away just like these ones.”

“But... If you need me...”

“I promise you’ll be the first one to know, ok?”

He winked at her, feeling that, despite of all her exhaustion, her love was flowing from her twinkling brown eyes straight to his.

“Have good dreams, Angel Girl...”

“I hope I’ll dream about you...”, she whispered, almost sleeping, but was still able to see him blowing a kiss in her direction.

Darkness spread all over the mountains, and the only source of light available in the place was the small fire Andrew had lit up hours earlier. Try as he might, the blond angel could not sleep, although it had been an extremely exhausting day, as that permanent and horrible sensation of abandonment still filled him with anguish. He stood on his feet and took a look at his surroundings, despite the fact that there was not much to see. Wondering when and how that situation would be over, Andrew took some twigs that were spread on the grass, threw them into the fire and, pensively, watched the flames dancing in front of him. Was the river really a barrier that protected them from those two criminals or was there another way to cross it? Were the other children, together with Mrs. Peters and Mr Stokes, found on the road? Were they safe now?

He sighed with so many questions filling his mind and looked at Monica and the siblings. Trying to chase his concern away, Andrew went to sit beside his dearest friend, who was sound asleep with little Sally in her arms, and watched her for a while. Taking some strands of hair off her face, he checked the new bandage on her temple and started to, softly, run his fingers on her hair:

”...could you get me some coffee, Andrew?”, she murmured, making him smile with amusement. The blond angel leaned to brush a loving kiss on her cheek and, after that, lay beside her, with his hands crossed on his stomach, and with the same worried expression than before.