My Small Town by TheLittleMermaid

Chapter 4: Missing

   By now the whole village has woken up and started walking around. We were all looking for Imogen, where could she be?

I walked through the woods. A few adults looking as well. We all had gone down different trails. I walked fast. Maybe I would find Imogen twice as quick if I was twice as fast.

  My head still hurt from yesterday's impacts. I could hear my heartbeat and feel the rasping raw air in my throat. But Imogen was out there. All alone. No body to call home. And here I was complaining about my troubles.

  Then I broke out into a sprint. I passed trees. Bushes. Roots. No sign of Imogen. Oof. I was knocked backwards. My elbows saved me, but not without pain and most definitely future bruises.

  "What are you doing." Aoife (ee - fa) the village baker, a plump woman with messy shoulder length hair that curled into ringlets and had a smattering of freckles asked me.

  "Looking for Imogen." I replied.

  "Not like that Dearie." She said. "We have to walk and call out her name. Not sprint. The chances that you will see her while you are sprinting is low. Walk and yell out her name. This has worked with almost everyone who has gone missing."

   "What about the rest?" I questioned.

   Aoife didn't reply, she took my hand in hers and continued walking the opposite direction on the path I had sprinted on before.

"Come on, let's check again Aisling." She smiled at me.

We called out Imogen's name over and over, hearing no reply.

Nothing. Aoife smiled lightly just to make me feel better. I couldn't bear to return it. Imogen was gone. And maybe it was my fault. She probably had gone to find Fergal. I should have kept a better eye on her and promised to help her find it.

"It's not your fault dearie." Aoife said, practically reading my mind. "Imogen is a little girl. You can't take responsibility for her actions." She set her hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, she is a little girl, that is the point. She is too young to know better." I snap. I realize what I have done when Aoife's face falls. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"Aisling, it's okay dearie, you miss her terribly." Aoife surrounds me in a flour smelling hug. I return it. Aoife is always there for everyone, it's part on her nature.

We walk back to the makeshift camp in the potato fields.

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"She isn't here? She hasn't been found!" My mother panicked.

"Don't worry. We will find her." My father comforted her.

"I'll go help too." Fiona said.

"I think it's best if I go and check on my darling son." Aoife smiled and walked away.

Fiona and I set out, walking again on the paths. The woods was teaming with life even though it was January. Birds chirped, small rodents skittered and bushes and trees stood tall. I couldn't help but notice the beauty, even through the chaos and worry, it was still a sight to behold. However, I probably was a sight to behold in the bad way. My blonde hair was frizzy and out of control, my brown eyes fuller than normal complete with purple rings from not enough slumber.

I averted my eyes from the beauty and looked, searched for any clue of Imogen.

A small raggy looking doll lay on the forest floor. Fergal! I sprinted towards the ugly doll. He was here the whole time! My sister could be near. I picked up the doll and wiped the dirt off of him. I looked around in a circle. No footprints, no hiding spots, it was a big clearing, maybe she hadn't come through here.

"Did you find something?" Fiona comes running after me.

"No, just Fergal." I hold him up with two fingers.

Fiona grimaces at the dirt then quickly regains her posture. "Maybe she is nearby."

"Doubtful, no footprints, no place to hide, this is a clearing." I sighed.

"Don't give up, everything will be okay. We will find her and go back to the town, and live life like normal." Fiona hugged me.

This topic seemed to make people very huggy, but I didn't mind. I hugged her back.

We left the clearing and continued walking, calling for Imogen. We were holding hands and our spirits were slightly lifted.

We came to the end of the path in the woods. There lay our town of Ballykil.

Houses upon houses were demolished. Stones and roof shingles scattered all over. Broken and dirty. Trees were fallen. Branches, rocks, anything you could name thrown about. It was like a giant had come through and destroyed everything. Pieces of fabric cast about, shattered china, belongings.

Fiona screamed. I heard footsteps, I stood stock still, what had happened? Was the storm last night really that powerful?

A few minutes later some of the people who had searched the woods with us had made it to our demolished town.

I felt paralyzed. Imogen was already missing, and now this? What would I do? Help the town or Imogen?

People kept coming, hushed voices, screams, anger, I stood still through all of it. The whole town had probably came by now. My whole world had been torn apart in pieces. My sister, my town, it was now a once perfect story that had chunks ripped out of it. What would I do?

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Thank you for reading!

-TheLittleMermaid 🧜‍♀️