Elle's fictional prose

Search...and rescue? (ASR)

Derek’s head snapped up as sounds of fright and panic came across the campground. He looked across the orderly arrangement of tents, cars and campervans to see a harried woman moving frantically from group to group. Even as his hands continued automatically connecting tent poles, he started to analyse the situation.

He guessed the woman was a few years younger than him, perhaps early to mid thirties. It was her voice that contained the panicked notes he’d picked up on. By the way her head was in constant motion, eyes darting everywhere, he assumed she was looking for someone. A wave of dread washed over him. Kids. He’d bet anything she’d lost some children. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, wishing he could ignore the heart-wrenching situation but knowing he couldn’t live with himself if he did. He placed the tent poles on the ground beside him and stood up, watching as the woman headed towards him.

“Have you seen two children? A boy about this tall,” she said, holding her hand straight out from her nose. “Light brown hair. And a girl about this tall,” she added, this time holding her hand level with her chest. “She’s blonde. Have you seen them?” Even as she talked, her head was in constant motion, searching for any sign of her missing children. When Derek shook his head, she bit her lip and started to move on to the next group.

“Wait. Let me help. I’ve done search and rescue before.” As he spoke, she turned back to him. He could tell the idea of a formal search made her feel even more hopeless – surely they were just around the next corner? “Even if they’re not far away, it makes sense to be organised, otherwise you might double-check some spots and miss others. Let me help.” She looked up at him, then her shoulders sagged and she nodded miserably.

“Sure. Thanks. What...?” She couldn’t seem to stand still, turning away from him to continue her visual search. Derek gently grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him.

“Let’s start where you last saw them. While we walk, have you got a recent photo of them?” She looked up at him in confusion even as she started walking back the way she’d come.

“We’re camping. We didn’t bring any photos.”

“What about digital ones? On your phone?” He saw understanding light her face.

“Oh! Yes!” She pulled a small white phone from her pocket and started pressing buttons as she led Derek back to the tent site she and her husband had been assigned. Derek thought absently that it was a good task to keep her busy, even as his mind was listing all the things they needed to do.

“When you find it, text it to me. We’ll forward it to all the searchers.” He tugged his wallet from his back pocket and withdrew a business card for her. “We’ll set up base at your tent site. Is there anything the kids were looking forward to, that they’ve been talking about? The beach? The playground? Where would they have wanted to go first?”

***************************************************

“What should we do?”

James drew in a deep breath as he realized the enormity of the situation. He was the only one who could answer his sister’s question. The only one who could save them. “Um…” He blinked and looked around for inspiration. “Let’s look around and see what we can find.”

Catherine nodded, her eyes wide. James started pressing his hands against the steel walls of the container, but she didn’t move, her gaze following him.

“Touch everywhere and make sure there’s no gaps or…” James shrugged. “I dunno, panels or something that we could open.”

“I’m scared,” came Catherine’s whisper and James could hear the threat of tears in her voice.

He reached out to pat her on the shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll be okay. Mum and Dad will be looking for us.” He smiled reassuringly at her. “Do you really think Dad will just give up? Or do you think he’ll do whatever he needs to so that he can get us back safe and sound?” He pulled a funny face and tried to mimic his father’s deep voice. “I want my children found now! Don’t give me any excuses!” He saw a smile finally curve his sister’s lips and grinned at her. “Well?” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for his sister’s response.

“He won’t give up.” She breathed in and straightened her shoulders. “Should we bang and yell so they can find us?”

James pursed his lips as he thought. “That’s a good idea, and I think if we hear them calling us, we should make as much noise as possible. But if we can’t hear them, they probably can’t hear us. Let’s make sure we haven’t missed some way out of here, but keep listening the whole time in case we hear them calling us.”

Catherine’s small hands started patting the walls, and James was relieved to see that she looked calmer. He had been trying to reassure her, but as he looked up to check the ceiling, he knew everything he’d said was true. He just hoped they found them in time.

***************************************************

“James!” Derek listened to his call disappear into the distant trees and waited a moment for a reply. No wind stirred the dusty grass that crowded the edges of the gravel road. There was no answer. Two Friesian cows eyed him from behind the wire fence, but he ignored them and breathed in, filling his chest with air in preparation for another shout. “Catherine!”

Kicking a rock out of his way, Derek strode onwards towards the next house. He frowned down at the tyre tracks that marked the way out of the seaside town, not wanting to even consider that the children may have been removed by car. There would be no hope of finding them then. Derek’s lips firmed with resolve. No, they were here somewhere and they would find them, damn it!

A faint metallic noise drifted across the grass to him, and Derek’s feet skidded to a halt. His shoulders tense, he waited for it to repeat. When it did, he spun to his left, his eyes cataloguing all the potential sources. A water tank covered with clinging vines was partially visible behind the peeling weatherboard edges of a cottage. Off to one side, a shipping container, no doubt once used for storage, caught his attention. Could that…? Even before the thought finished in his head, his breath caught and he started running. As his feet trampled the grass, he prayed.

“James!” It was almost a plea this time. Please be in there. Please be found. Please be safe.

A deep graze in the container’s shell showed where a metal bar had been wedged into place to hold the door closed. Reaching for it, he shoved, but it didn’t budge. “Are you in there?” A muffled noise confirmed that someone or something was trapped inside, but he’d only find the answers he sought if he broke in.

Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, Derek withdrew his phone. As he dialed the number the searchers had been given, his eyes scanned the container for areas of weakness.

“I don’t know if it’s them, but I’ve found something.” The words flew out of his mouth so fast they nearly ran together. “Can you send someone strong with a crowbar to…Where am I? About two miles up Old Deer Road. Don’t call off the search yet, I can’t be positive it’s them. Hurry!”


Written 7 March 2013