Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: River (08/31/06)
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TITLE: Missing | Previous Challenge Entry
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09/05/06 -
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Officer John Cory knew the report by heart. It was now pre-dawn Saturday. Vehicle headlights and flashlights illuminated the area. Sitting in his patrol car he looked out the windshield and saw the volunteers gather around the Sheriff. Grayish mist puffed out of his mouth as he barked instructions and divided them into search groups. John took another sip of his cold coffee. He hated these cases. He knew the odds of finding the boy alive were getting slim to nothing.
Thanksgiving weekend. Everyone should be home with his or her families, enjoying leftovers, football, and shopping. Not today. That was the last thing from everyone’s mind.
Bowing his head, he said a prayer for guidance. If it were His will, they would find the boy alive.
The baying of dogs caught John’s attention. Slipping on his gloves and hat, he stepped from his warm car into the cold. This was his department, the dogs; they tried them yesterday. The dogs led them to a campsite of two hunters and lost the scent. The two were taken in, questioned and released. They knew nothing.
“Hello, John.” It was his partner, Sam, at the end of the leases.
“Morning. Where shall we start today?”
“Lets have the dogs start around the river.”
Fear stuck John’s heart. Surely the kid didn’t go there. Why was it that fast, flowing water became a magnet to young boys, drawing them close. And at the same time they throw all caution to the wind.
Thirty minutes later at the rivers edge, the dogs picked up the young child’s scent and began howling and sniffing and running. The canine team headed north, circled around and came back to the edge of the river. Here part of the river split around a high piece of ground. This left a pool and this morning it had a thin layer of ice on it. On the other side of the land, the river swirled by, in a hurry to get somewhere fast.
The dogs ran up and down, both wanting to swim across but not sure if they should.
“Ok Dolly and Maggie, let’s take a swim.” Officer Grady led the dogs to the edge, and taking a step or two into the freezing water and got the animals to swim to the island. On land, they shook themselves off, began sniffing and found the scent.
“Looks like the kid was out there, John.”
“I was afraid of that. What do you think? Did he fall in? The river takes him down stream?
“Looks that way, though I hate to even think it.”
“Yeah, I know. Call back the dogs. Let’s head down stream.”
Later, the two men tramped through the thorny thickets that grew wild around the river. The warming sun was shining on the dewdrops clinging to the branches and dead, dried leaves, painted a beautiful winter picture. Any other morning and the two men might have noticed the beauty.
John looked at the river. Silently he asked; let them find the boy alive. But the chances of that weren’t good. Even if he survived the river, he would have froze to death.
“I hate this.” Sam said. “I know you believe in God, but why does He let things like this happen? He’s just a kid.”
“I don’t know why either, Sam. I doubt if anyone does. But there is a God and all things work for His good. In times like this, Sam, I have to remind myself over and over that God is in control. Neither one of us can do anything to change this anymore than we can stop that river from flowing.”
“I have trouble understanding it, John. But you’ve always been straight with me. My wife and I talk about coming back to church. She’s been missing it. Tell you the truth so have I.”
“I hope you do, Sam. Getting to know God better is great, in fact, I doubt if you’ll ever regret it. I haven’t.”
Dolly began to whine and then the dogs frantically took off along the edge of the river. The men looked at each other.
“Pray, Sam. Pray for a miracle.” Then they hurried towards the barking sound.
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I did feel that conversation at the end seemed a bit forced and unrealistic.
I also liked how you left the ending up in the air. That can be frustrating for a reader, but I don't feel that here.
You did a great job with your story.