A mother's worst nightmare

Maggie looked at her watch for the fifth time in the last thirty seconds, before turning back to scanning the street. “Where are they?” she asked out loud but talking to no one in particular. Her tone echoed the concern she felt. Both her daughters had been home for fifteen minutes or more. But there was no sign of her ten year old son and his friend, who had asked to be able to make the short trip home on foot. They should have been home twenty minutes ago, but they weren’t. Neither of her girls had seen them along the way and they had to travel the same street to get home. 

Maggie tried not to panic as the minutes ticked by. Bad enough her own son was missing. But what would she tell the parent’s of the other boy, if it became necessary to inform them. Please god don’t let it come to that, she prayed. However this thought was too much for her. She had to do something. Grabbing her keys and her phone she turned to her daughters and said “I’m going to the school to see if I can trace them. If they turn up, ring me.”

Both girls nodded without hesitation. 

Maggie walked out the back door and jumped into the car. Backing out of the drive way she drove slowly along the road to the school. She scanned the footpaths on both sides of the road as she went praying she would spot the two boys. There were only two corners they needed to turn on the trip home so it was an easy job to follow the path they should have taken. However she reached the school half a minute later having seen no sign of them. Maggie grabbed her phone, but for a minute she didn’t move.  She sat staring out the windscreen and took a deep breath. She didn’t see anything outside the car, her focus was inward as she fought hard not to give into the panic welling within her. A few seconds later she clambered out of the car and hurried into school yard, blinking and blowing out her breath to prevent the tears that threatened, from over flowing. 

There were still a few people in the school yard, mothers talking while children laughed and played on the climbing equipment. Maggie wanted them to be her boy or to shut up.  She couldn’t stand to hear their delight just then. How was it fair that they could play while she was beside herself with worry? But they weren’t her son nor were any of them his friend and they didn’t shut up. She hurried past the other mothers without making eye contact. They knew where their children were, unlike her. She didn’t want to see their pity. None of them were anyone she recognised anyway. Their kids were from different year levels, so there was no point is asking if they had seen the boys. She continued on her way to the boy’s classroom and seconds later she burst through the door, frantic eyes looking everywhere. There was no sign of them here either but the teacher sitting at her desk, started by the intrusion, looked up with a worried expression, “can I help you?” she asked.

“Shaun and Liam haven’t arrived home yet. They were walking” Maggie said. Her sentences were choppy and disjointed. Her eyes darting around the room as if she expected the boys to pop out of a hiding place. But in her heart, she knew they wouldn’t.

“Maybe they went to visit a friend?” the teacher said after a second as she rose and came towards Maggie.

Maggie nodded, not wanting to stand there talking any longer. Stupidly, she almost felt embarrassed and was sorry she’d come in now. Attempting a smile she said “yes that must be it, sorry” and hurried out before the teacher could say any more. 

Outside in the fresh air Maggie stopped. Her chest was heaving and her eyes burning as she struggled to hold back the emotion. Each minute they were missing made her more fearful. Then as she started moving again her phone rang.