Martha hurried through the woods as fast as she dared in the dark. If only the clouds would drift away so the moon could illuminate her path.
“Sam!” she called out at the top of her lungs for the umpteenth time. There was no sign of him, but for all she knew he could be sitting quite close and she wouldn’t see him.
Just then the moon peeked out from behind the clouds a little and Martha recognized her surroundings. It was the little track on the way to the fallen tree where Sam had found his unusual sticks. Maybe he was headed there now.
As she ran in the direction of the fallen tree, Martha was glad she was wearing jeans and not her Amish skirt. She had not gone far when she caught her foot in a tree root, falling heavily.
Martha rolled over and sat up gingerly, dusting herself down. A searing hot pain shot through her left foot. It was all Martha could do not to burst into tears with the pain and the shock. She clutched her ankle. It was already swelling in her walking boot, so she pulled off the boot and then yelped with pain.
Martha decided to leave the boot there. It was no help. She stood up and leaned against a tree, trying to steady her breathing. “Sam!” she called out again. Then she tried something else. “Sam, it’s Martha. Can you help me? I’m hurt.”
She waited a while, but there was no sign of Sam. At least the clouds had drifted away from the moon and Martha could clearly see. She doubted anyone would find her for some time. “All I can do is go to the fallen tree,” Martha said aloud to herself. “I don’t think it’s much further.”
Martha tried to step forward, but cried out with the pain. She leaned against the tree once more, and wondered what to do. Either she stayed there until dawn and waited for someone to find her, or she would somehow try to make it to the fallen tree. Martha figured she had not fallen enough to break her ankle, but she had broken both ankles in the buggy accident and that left her quite concerned. Martha sent up a silent prayer to Gott that He would keep her safe and lead her to Sam.
Martha spotted a branch lying on the ground so picked it up. She figured if she could lean on it, she could hobble her way toward the fallen tree. She gingerly took one little step and then breathed a sigh of relief. So far so good. She didn’t think her ankle was badly injured after all, but it sure hurt.
Martha edged forward ever so slowly, stopping every few moments to rest. At one point she felt she couldn’t go on, so she stopped and gulped the fresh night air. She could hear something in the bushes. “Sam, is that you?” she called out.
Whatever it was moved away from her fast, faster than a child. Maybe it was a deer, Martha thought.
After a few moments, Martha rallied herself. “You have to find that child,” she said aloud. “You can do it!” With that, she hobbled on some more.
Martha had no idea how long she had been walking, until the clearing came into sight. There, sitting on the ground was Sam, twirling a stick between his fingers.
“Sam!” Martha cried with relief. She hurried over to him as fast she could, which was not fast at all, given the pain in her ankle and the fact she could not put her full weight on it.
Sam did not react to her presence. She knew not to hug him, because he liked to have his own personal space. Martha gently lowered herself onto the ground and sat next to him. Sam showed Martha a stick. It was an unusual stick with lots of knots.
“What a lovely stick,” Martha said. “Sam, we have to get back to Gary. Gary will be worried about you.”
Sam simply showed Martha another stick by way of response.
“That’s a lovely stick too,” Martha said. “Sam, I’ve hurt my ankle. Do you think you can help me get back to the campsite?”
Sam did not look at her but kept twirling the stick. Martha ran a hand across her brow. What was she to do? It would take her an age to get back to the campsite, but they couldn’t sit here all night. The others would be worried and looking for them by now. And what if she was making her way back and Sam ran away from her? She would never find him then, and that could be quite dangerous for him.
Martha sat there for some time pondering what to do while Sam continued to twirl the stick. A large crack of thunder sounded overhead, and the first drops of rain fell. Martha took off her coat and put it around Sam’s shoulders. He did not seem to object. Martha did not want to stay out there for hours with the two of them being drenched. There was no shelter in sight. There was nothing else for it—she would have to go back to the campground.
Suddenly, Martha had an idea. “Let’s go back to Gary, but let’s look for interesting sticks and stones on the way,” she said. “Do you think that’s a good idea, Sam?”
With that, he stood up. Martha breathed a big sigh of relief. If Sam thought they were looking for sticks, then surely he would not run away from her.
Sam hurried down the track, but Martha called after him. “Wait for me. Sam. I’ve hurt my foot and I’ll have to go slowly.”
Sam stopped and waited, but continued looking down the track. It took Martha a while to struggle to her feet. She pulled herself up on the fallen log and seized the long stick.
She hobbled after Sam as fast as she could, but it seemed that every time she had almost caught up with him, he would hurry forward.
Martha thought she should do something to attract his attention. Fortunately, she saw an unusual stick in a Y-shape. “Sam, look at this stick,” she said.
Sam turned around and ran back. He picked up the stick and looked at it this way and that and then tucked it under his arm.
That was how they progressed for the next hour, Sam getting too far ahead of her, and then Martha finding a stick or a rock on the path to show him. Sam didn’t seem happy with most of the sticks or stones that she found, tossing them aside after he inspected them, but at least he stayed with her.
The going was slow and Martha continually had to lean against a tree to rest. Each time, she asked Sam to show her the sticks. Although she repeated this umpteen times, Sam did not appear to mind showing her the same sticks over and over again.
Martha was worried, wondering what was going on back at camp. Surely they were all looking for them. They must be awfully concerned. There were so many tracks through the woods and no one knew which one she had taken. She had already passed her boot and no one had found that. She left her boot there, because she wasn’t able to carry it anyway.
The pain in her ankle was getting worse and Martha fought bouts of nausea, which hit her again and again. Sometimes, stabbing pains as sharp as a knife pierced her foot.
The rain fell harder, so Martha called Sam over. She wrapped the coat tightly around him. “Try to keep dry,” she said.
Sam clutched the coat to him with one hand and clutched the stick with his other hand. “Okay,” he said. “Is it much further?”
“I don’t know how far it is,” Martha said truthfully. “I can’t go fast because I’ve hurt my foot.”
“Okay,” Sam said again.
Martha wished she had taken a flashlight with her. It was foolish of her not to take one, but then again she had been in such a hurry to catch Sam that she hadn’t even looked for one in the tent. If she had a flashlight, she could shine it on the treetops and maybe someone would see it. Still, there was no point wishing she had done so, because she hadn’t. She would just have to make the most of it.
It seemed like an age before Martha came out onto the main track. Within moments, she heard someone calling. “We’re here!” she called back at the top of her lungs. When there was no response, she called again “We’re here! It’s me, Martha, and I’ve got Sam.” This time she called so loudly that her throat hurt.
Soon she heard footsteps. Gary burst into view. “Sam!” he said. He ran over to Sam and hugged him. Sam didn’t pull away, but he stood there stiffly, his arms by his sides. Gary released him. “Martha, you’re hurt.”
Now that everything was all right, Martha crumbled onto the ground clutching her ankle. She was unable to stop the tears that sprang to her eyes. Gary ran over and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll go and get help,” he said. “Wait here.”
“Martha.” The voice was familiar.
She looked up and saw Moses. Was she dreaming? “What are you doing here?” she said. She was aware the words came out like an accusation.
“Martha, you’re hurt,” Moses said too.
Gary at once took his arm away from around Martha’s shoulders. Martha felt guilty, but she had nothing to feel guilty about.
Martha hurried to explain. “I woke up when I heard footsteps outside the tent, and I looked out to see Sam running into the woods. I called to everyone and ran after him, but then I hurt my foot. I guessed he was going to the fallen tree with the unusual sticks, and that’s where I found him, but I hurt my foot on the way. That’s why we took so long coming back.”
Gary was clutching Sam’s hand tightly. “Thank you, Martha. Thank you so much.” Martha thought Gary looked on the point of tears. In fact, he wiped his eyes. “I was just about to call Mom and tell her. Thank goodness I don’t have to worry her. Sam’s all right.”
Martha was doing her best not to burst into tears. “Moses, how did you know what happened? Did somebody call you?”
“Yes, Sheryl called the barn. My father was working late and took the call.” Moses hesitated, and then added, “I gave Sheryl our number at dinner the other night and asked her to call me if you ever needed help.”
“Moses was just about to call K-9 Search and Rescue, the fire company, and a police helicopter,” Gary said with a forced laugh. “He was beside himself.”
Martha looked up, wondering if he was joking.
“We were so worried. I was so worried about you,” Moses said. He put his arm around Martha and helped her to her feet.
Martha looked around her. “I lost my stick I was leaning on,” she said as she all but fell into Moses.
Moses scooped her up in her arms as if she was as light as feather and carried her back to the camping area. Martha was embarrassed that Moses was carrying her, but she was glad of his strength and his warmth. She had no idea he was so strong. When he reached the camp, Laura and Sheryl hurried over. “What happened?” they said in unison.
“Martha has hurt her ankle and she’s broken it before,” Moses said, concern evident in his voice. He gently deposited Martha onto a camp chair. “Do you have any ice?”
Soon Moses was holding an ice pack on Martha’s ankle. “Does that help?” he asked her.
She smiled weakly. “Jah. It’s better now that I’m not having to walk on it.” Moses was here and he was looking after her. It made her all warm and fuzzy inside.
“Where is your first aid kit?” Moses asked Gary.
His request was met with a blank look. “I don’t have one,” Gary said.
“I always carry a bandage in my purse,” Sheryl said.
Laura’s jaw fell open. “You do? Why?”
“Because I sprained my wrist once and it was terribly painful. I did it by falling down the stairs, and a bandage brought me great relief, so I’ve carried a bandage ever since in my purse. It’s kind of a superstition.”
Martha thought it a strange thing to say, and clearly so did Laura, but Martha was simply glad for the bandage. Moses gently bandaged her ankle. She wondered how someone who was so strong could be so gentle.
While Moses was bandaging Martha’s ankle, he called out, “Martha needs to have her foot elevated. Do you have anything like a cooler?”
Sheryl hurried forward with a cooler.
“Where’s Gary? Is Sam all right?” Martha asked.
Moses shot her a sharp look when she asked where Gary was, but Martha simply wanted to know if he was tending to Sam. She thought she had better explain. “Sam was soaking wet and I’m hoping Gary is getting him a change of dry clothes,” she said.
Sheryl hurried to reassure her. “Yes, I’m sure that’s what they’re doing now. I know Gary can be a bit silly at times, but he does look after Sam.”
Not enough not to let Sam out of his tent at night, Martha thought, and then realized she was being unkind. After all, he could hardly lock the tent door, and it wasn’t his fault he didn’t wake up when Sam left the tent.
“I’ll have to take you to have that ankle seen to now,” Moses said.
Martha made to protest, but Moses crossed his arms over his chest. “Martha, you had a serious injury to that ankle and you can’t take any chances. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Denki.” Martha was secretly cut happy that Moses had taken charge. “My ankle is feeling better now I’m not walking on it,” she added.
“I’ll drive you,” Laura volunteered. “That is, if Gary doesn’t mind if I take his car?”
Gary had come out of the tent. Martha noticed his face was white and drawn. He was clutching his chest. “I’ve got Sam into dry clothes and dried his hair. He’s fallen fast asleep. He’s none the worse for wear, thank goodness. In fact, he seems pleased about his adventure. I’m not going to go back to sleep tonight though, in case he tries it again. This was a terrible idea, taking him camping.”
“Has he ever wandered off like that before?” Sheryl asked him.
“Of course not, or I wouldn’t have brought him.” Gary sounded somewhat offended. “It’s probably because Mom isn’t here.”
“We’re taking Martha to the doctor. Can I borrow your car?” Laura asked him.
“Of course. I’ll just fetch the keys.” Gary hurried to the tent and came back, tossing the keys to Laura. “Thank you so much, Martha. I don’t know what I would have done without you. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Martha said, wincing as Moses helped her to her feet. This time Moses did not carry her, but helped her over to the car.
“What’s the address of your doctor?” Laura asked him. “I’ll put it in my GPS. But surely, a doctor won’t see Martha at this time of night? It’s after hours. He’ll be shut.”
Moses shook his head. “No, we’ll go to Mrs. Graber’s. She’ll see us. She sees people in our community after hours for emergencies at her house.”
“Wow! That’s amazing.” Laura seemed quite shocked. “Should you call her and warn her that you’re on the way?”
“She doesn’t have phone in her house,” Moses said. “We’ll have to go there. It’s either that or take Martha to the hospital.”
“Please don’t take me to the hospital,” Martha pleaded.
Moses gave Laura Mrs. Graber’s address. It seemed they were there in no time at all.
Laura stayed in the car with Martha while Moses went to knock. To Martha’s relief, Mrs. Graber answered the door quickly.
Moses hurried back to help Martha out of the car.
“Thank you for seeing us so late at in the middle of the night,” Moses said to Mrs. Graber.
Mrs. Graber shot them a warm smile. “I just had someone here for stomach ache,” she said. “Sit Martha on the couch, if you would, and then go and make us all some chamomile and ginger tea.”
Laura looked at Moses. “Do you know how to make it?’
“Jah, I’ll show you.” The two of them walked toward the kitchen, leaving Martha to wonder why Moses and Laura both needed to make meadow tea. Surely Moses hadn’t needed to invite Laura along.
Mrs. Graber peered at Martha’s foot. “Moses put ice on it and bandaged it,” Martha told her.
Mrs. Graber nodded as she removed the bandage. “En Schtich in Zeit is neine wart schpaeder naus.” A stitch in time saves nine.
Martha told her about Sam running away when she was camping, and added, “And then I didn’t see tree roots on the ground and I tripped heavily. The trouble is, I had to walk on it a long way after that.”
“It’s swollen, but I don’t think it’s broken,” Mrs. Graber said. “You should see the doktor in the morning and have it x-rayed. I also don’t think it’s a bad sprain. If you had been able to stop when you first did it, I’m sure it would have been a lot better. Has the pain worsened?”
“Walking on the pain is nowhere near as bad as it was before Moses put the ice on it and bandaged it. It seems a lot better now,” Martha said. “If I keep it perfectly still, I can’t feel it at all. It’s only if it moves a bit in a certain direction.”
Mrs. Graber rubbed salve into the foot. “This is arnica,” she said. “I will bandage it again after you drink some chamomile and ginger tea which will help with the pain. Keep it elevated as much as you can. Come and see me again after you receive the x-ray results if you have any concerns. I wouldn’t worry, if I were you. The thing is, you need to rest it and avoid walking on it.”
“But I’m on rumspringa and I work in a café every morning,” Martha protested.
Mrs. Graber shook her head. “You need to stay off this foot for a week,” she said.
Martha was disappointed. She was even more disappointed when Moses and Laura returned with the tea. The two were laughing, their heads close together.