played quietly as Thomas and Janie talked about what they would do on their trip. Then, as they passed a sign signaling that the highway was only 4 kilometers ahead, the cell phone suddenly rang in Thomas’s bag. He went to grab it from the center console, but it slipped out of his hand and tumbled to the floor near his feet.
He slowed the car as they approached a bend near the top of the hilly stretch of road, and attempted to reach the phone with his hand. Unfortunately, it was slightly out of reach, so he glanced down quickly to pinpoint its location before trying again. As he looked, he saw the phone’s glowing screen on the front. It was his wife, Sarah.
Knowing that she was probably calling about the message he had left, he was momentarily frozen by the thought of missing the call. With nowhere to pull over on the side of the road, he tried again to reach the phone. Finally, he felt it with his outstretched fingertips, and lifted his gaze back toward the road... but it was too late.
“Daddy, watch out!” screamed Janie from the back seat as she pointed to the black sports car drifting into their lane.
But before Thomas could react, they were struck head on by the vehicle, and violently propelled off of the nearby cliff. The cars twisted and tumbled over and over until reaching an abrupt stop at the bottom of the rocky valley. As the mangled metal frames lay side by side, one thing was clear: their lives had changed course, and the family trip would have to wait.
CHAPTER 8
As Sarah and Thomas lay lifeless at the bottom of the valley, their still conscious minds listened for the cries of one another. They heard nothing. Despite the violent collision, nobody had seen the accident, and nobody would be calling for help. Nevertheless, a force moved within the countryside, begging them to awaken.
“Help!” Thomas cried as he slowly regained his focus. His voice was barely audible. “Is anyone else there?”
Sarah heard the cry, but was unable to speak because of the way her body was twisted. After much effort, she was finally able to unbuckle her safety belt, and wiggle her way out of the broken window. She checked her body for injuries, but amazingly, there were none.
“Thomas!” she said as she raced over to the other vehicle. “Are you alright?”
“I can’t move,” he replied. “I think I’m stuck.”
Sarah got down near the ground to observe the situation in the upside down SUV. She moved the air bags, and unfastened the safety belt. Thomas fell instantly. He crawled out of the window as well, but was suddenly frightened by the prospect of what he saw when he looked back.
“Where’s Janie?” he asked himself aloud as he frantically searched the backseat area where she had been. “Please God, not my little girl!”
Upon realizing that Janie was missing, Sarah could not respond with words. She stood motionless beside the broken vehicles with her hand over her mouth. Tears swelled up in her eyes as she imagined the horror that the poor child must have endured.
“Sarah!” Thomas yelled as he leaned on the car from the other side. “Have you seen Janie anywhere?”
But still, she remained unable to speak. Sarah simply shook her head from side to side, indicating that she had assumed the worst.
Thomas searched the area around the vehicles, hoping that by some chance, his little girl would be nearby. He frantically examined the overgrown vegetation in the vicinity, checking behind each of the large trees, and throughout the tall grass. Yet as he ran out of places to look, Janie was nowhere to be seen.
Not knowing what else to do, Thomas returned to the car. But as he approached, he noticed that Sarah was without a single scratch.
“She’s not here,” he said. “Something strange is going on. This just doesn’t feel right.” He paused, looking around as he thought, and then returned his concentration to his frightened spouse.
“How did you manage to come out so clean?” he asked with a confused look on his face.
But Sarah was still too shocked to speak. She simply stared at him in return, unable to express the feeling that was rushing through her veins. She considered the mysterious aspects of their current situation.
The rain had suddenly ceased, and not a cloud remained in the mid-day sky. Thomas stood next to her, also unharmed by the tragic accident. The land was quiet all around, and their precious daughter… was nowhere to be seen.
‘
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