Going Home

Part 50

Grace nodded and started her bike. 

Ten minutes later they spotted another old mine shaft and stopping their bikes went to take a look. Squatting, Josh shined the torch down the shaft. He gauged it to be about thirty feet deep and he could see water glistening in the bottom. But there was no sign of the girl. So getting back on the bikes they resumed their search. A couple of hundred meters further on Josh signaled for Grace to slow down, he remembered that the land falls away there and there is a steep cliff face that drops about twenty feet before leveling off again. Getting off the bikes Josh and Grace scanned the land below. But walking along the cliff face they could see no sign of anything until Grace spotted a small shoe just below where she is standing. It looked to be in good condition. Grace called out “Josh over here” and began to search the land below. 

Josh ran over.

 Grace pointed to the shoe “it’s has to be hers, it hasn’t been out here long. But I can’t see her.”

Josh looked around “maybe she didn’t go over, she might have just lost her shoe.”

Grace turned her head and looked at him sadly.

Josh nodded “yeah I know, wishful thinking. But where is she.” Then suddenly Grace spotted a foot and pointing she called out “Maddie”

There is no response.

She tried again, “Maddie” she called and as they stand quietly they hear a moan. Looking at each other they breathe a collective sigh of relief. Then Josh grabbed the phone while Grace talked to Maddie. “Maddie we are coming to get you okay? Just stay still.”

When Josh got through to the farm, once again, it was Margaret who answered. “It’s Josh we’ve found her. She’s alive but she could be hurt. It looks like she fell about twenty feet down a cliff face.”

Her hand on her chest Margaret sighed then turned her attention to practicalities. “Where are you and what do you need your father to bring?”

Josh gave his mother their location and a list or requirements then added “you’d better get an ambulance out.”

“Okay Josh I’ll send your father now and then I’ll ring them.”

Josh said “right” and hanging up and he got to work.