Where are you? Come on now, get back here!”
Galen motioned for Tonio to follow, and they headed as fast as they could up the mountainside. They found Edison, Nancy, and Carmelita in a panic.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Freddie and I were walking over that crest. I sat down to tie my shoelaces, and when I stood up he was gone! Nancy and Carmelita didn’t see him, either.”
Galen’s mind raced. Little boys do foolish things. He spoke quietly to conceal his own nervousness.
“First, everybody should stay together. We’ll all go back to the place where Freddie disappeared. Then we’ll plan our search.”
The five moved slowly toward the crest, turning their heads left and right, trying to catch a glimpse of the missing boy. As they mounted the hillside, Nancy spotted something.
“Look, his cap! He must have come this way!”
They moved toward the fur hat caught on one of the ever-present, wild-raspberry canes.
“Slow down.” Galen spoke quietly. “And pipe down. Watch the ground for any sign of his tracks, and listen for him.”
As they proceeded, Nancy noticed a depression in the moss and forest-plant ground cover. Then they all saw it: a hole, who knows how deep, but just wide enough to swallow a young and maybe overly curious boy. Was it an animal burrow or a surface communication to the vast, underlying limestone honeycombs in the mountain? The three adults silently prayed for the shallow-burrow alternative.
They moved ahead slowly and carefully, not wanting to disturb any dirt by their vibrations. Edison gently squatted down next to the hole and tried to peer inside, but the cover was too dense to reveal anything.
“Freddie, Freddie,” he called. “It’s Tio Eddie. Can you hear me?”
All five strained their ears and waited.
He tried again. “Freddie, it’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong. We just want to help you.”
Then they all heard the soft whimpering. From the sound of it, Freddie hadn’t dropped in very far. Nancy spread apart the cover and stuck her face in the opening.
“It’s okay, Freddie, we’re all here—me, Carmie, Tonio, your tios. We want to get you out. Queremos ayudarle. Tio Eddie will get some rope and a flashlight from the car.”
At that, Edison took off through the forest.
“Escuche cuidadosamente. Listen carefully, Freddie. We know you’re a big boy. When Tio Eddie returns, he’s going to lower the flashlight with the rope. When you get it, I want you to shine the light to where you hear us and tug on the rope. Okay? ¿Usted entiende?”
She heard him snuffle then say “yes.”
Soon Edison charged back carrying a coil of heavy tacking rope, flashlight, car shovel, and a bag of chocolate candies—as usual, he traveled prepared. He lay flat on the ground next to the hole, while Galen tied one end of the rope around a nearby tree. Edison tied a smaller string to the rope, attached the flashlight to it, and then spoke as calmly as he could.
“Freddie. I’m going to lower the flashlight to you. It will be on, so you should see the light. When you get it, hold onto it very tightly. Shine the light back up, so we can see where you are.”
Nancy piped in.
“¿Todo a la derecha? All right? ¿Usted entendía? Do you understand?”
She had made it a habit to mix English and Spanish when speaking to the children.
“Yes,” was the sheepish reply.
Edison lowered the rope slowly. About six feet played out before he felt a tug on it.
Good! He’s not too deep.
He stuck his head as far in as he could and saw the light beam.
“Good boy, Freddie!” Edison said. “Now turn the flashlight around toward you so I can see where you are.”
“Brille la linterna en se,” Nancy added.
The light moved and Freddie’s face appeared. Edison saw the frightened boy sitting in a small, natural, cave-like formation with his knees drawn up to his chin.
“Freddie, remember when you and Tonio and I played cowboys, and I made a lasso out of the big electrical cable, and we practiced making loops with it?”
He didn’t wait for a reply.
“Make the same loop with the rope then put the lasso under your arms.”
“¿Usted entendía?” Nancy asked again.
Edison called down, “Did you do that, Freddie?”
“Yes.”
“Shine the light on yourself again, so I can see what a good job you’ve done.”
The light moved erratically then outlined the boy. He had done it right, just like when they were playing.
“Freddie, I want you to raise your arms up high and grab the rope. It’s going to feel very tight across your chest. Tio Galen and I will pull you up, so hang on.”
He felt the rope moving. Galen stood behind him, wrapping the cord around his powerful forearm for traction.
“Edison, keep lying there to help guide the rope, while Nancy and I do the pulling. Keep your flashlight trained on it to make sure nothing sharp is in the way.”
Edison nodded. Galen and Nancy began a slow, steady, backward motion. They felt the weight increase, as they pulled the boy toward the opening.
Edison held the light in his teeth, while he used both hands to prevent the rope from rubbing the sidewall of the tunnel. The other two children stood wide-eyed, watching the determination of the three adults to save their brother.
Little hands clutching the rope appeared first, and then Freddie’s head, torso, rump, and legs slid through the opening.
Galen experienced a strange thought: Good Lord! The forest just gave birth to Edison’s new son!
Nancy removed the “umbilical cord” from Freddie, who was blinking at the sudden burst of leaf-dappled sunlight hitting his dark-acclimated eyes.
Carmelita and Tonio moved toward him with the bag of candy, and Tonio put the coonskin cap back on his brother’s head. He examined Freddie, dirt-streaked all over, and made the remark that broke the tension-filled moment.
“Freddie, you smell like dog poo!”
Galen’s face creased in a rare smile.
“Congratulations, Edison, you have a bouncing new son!”
Nancy cleaned up Freddie as best she could and wrapped him in one of the car blankets. Edison carried him at the head of a triumphant
