Jodie

It was one of those days when time seemed to drag on forever and ever. A slight breeze rustled the tall sugar maple trees and their dry leaves brushed against one another, bringing some sound to the solemn summer afternoon. The sun was beaming in the sky, its heat waves scorching the already cracked earth below. It had been a particularly hot season in Southern Indiana, and the farmers had expressed worry about the well-being of their crops. As for Jodie, she was more concerned about the well-being of her youth.

Lying on a porch swing, she shifted her body back and forth, forcing the creaking of the old chains to become louder and louder. After gaining more momentum over a few seconds, they cracked and whined, practically begging for oil. The hellish sounds finally elicited the expected response.

“Jodie, won’t you stop that racket!” a heavy voice yelled from inside the house. Her father was a very patient, tolerant man, but during her many years as his daughter, Jodie had learned exactly how to push his buttons.

“You know,” She began, not stopping her swinging, “you wouldn’t be hearing me right now if you’d just let me go with Anika and Madison.”

“I wasn’t sending my eight-year-old to the mall with a bunch of teenagers!”

Jodie groaned and increased the speed of her rocking until the screeching of the chains had reached an intolerable volume. 

Finally, her father swung open the screen door. She met his furious gaze, widened her eyes, and stuck out her lower lip. Jodie’s age might not have had many advantages, but it had always worked like a charm when it came to getting out of trouble. Sure enough, he shook his head and sat down on the porch swing with a sigh. 

“Listen, Jodie. I know you’re disappointed. I get that you wanted to go with your sisters today—”

“No, you don’t get it!” She quickly countered, sitting up. Anika and Madison weren’t leaving him out of things when they went to have fun with their friends. He wasn’t the one stuck at the house with nothing to do and no one to play with. How could he possibly understand?

Her father adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Leaning onto his shoulder, Jodie took a deep breath in. The scent of bourbon and mint made her head feel dizzy. The two of them sat silently for a moment, looking out at the dry forest. The yellows, greens, and browns in the scene all seemed to blend effortlessly in a landscape reminiscent of an old, faded painting. There were large, white clouds watching them from above. Jodie squinted, picking out images of a white rabbit and a racecar locked in heavy competition across the blue background.

“You may remember, Jodie,” Her father started again, breaking the heavy silence, “I was an only child. I didn’t have constant playmates at the house who were available whenever I wanted to do something. I had to learn how to entertain myself,” he explained slowly. “Look at all of this space. You’re telling me there isn’t anything you can do?”

Jodie sniffed, wiping her arm across her dry nose. “I don’t want to do something by myself. I want to play with Anika and Madison. They never play with me anymore.” 

“Well, the girls are getting older now. They might start doing new things, things that you can’t do yet.”

Might? They already have! Jodie thought to herself. Ever since Anika had gotten her driver’s license a couple of months ago, she and Madison had been leaving to go to all kinds of places. The movies, the lake, and now the shopping mall. Being only a year apart from one another, Jodie’s sisters found common interests in filling up their shopping bags and gossiping about boys from their classes. Even if those things sounded boring to Jodie, it didn’t mean she wanted to be left out. Or left behind.

“You know,” Her father started up again, “why don’t you do a little exploring around the area? I don’t want you to go too far away, but I want you to see that I trust you, too. Maybe there are some other younger children nearby that are just as anxious to play as you.”

Jodie crossed her arms but couldn’t hide her piqued interest. They’d only moved into the country house a month before, and between her father’s busy work schedule and her sisters’ desire to be anywhere but home, their family hadn’t yet gotten around to meeting the neighbors. “Really? You’ll let me go by myself?” 

“Only along the main road. I don’t want you getting lost.”

She flung herself to the side, pulling her father into a tight embrace. “Thank you, thank you!” Hopping off the bench swing, Jodie grabbed her red rubber boots from the stoop and quickly pulled them onto her feet. Flash floods and thunderstorms were a constant possibility with extreme summer temperatures. Jodie hoped it would rain soon. She was bored with the humidity.

“Be home before dinner!” Her father cried out, but his words breezed past her as she skipped out into the unbearable summer heat.

* * *

The initial excitement Jodie felt about exploring by herself quickly faded. In thirty minutes, she’d only passed three houses along the main road and had introduced herself to all the residents: a middle-aged married couple, a kind widow, and a farmer with an old bloodhound. Jodie thought they’d all been nice enough to her, but none of them had what she was looking for: playmates.

Beginning to grow weary, drowning in boredom, Jodie’s mind searched for something to keep her occupied. Remembering a game she used to play with her sisters, she started picking up stones from the path as she walked along. Their gray exteriors were plain, but when Jodie squinted hard enough, she swore she saw little crystals of purple and gold peeking through the cracks. Knowing that the colorful stones surely must be magical, she continued picking them up one by one as she found them, furrowing her brow as she determined which stones were worthy of keeping and which were not. She didn’t have time for any non-magical rocks. 

Kicking up the dust along the road, Jodie’s mind wandered back to her sisters. She wondered what they were up to now. Maybe they’d already returned home. How interesting can the mall really be? Jodie asked herself, shaking her head. Her mom had never been into material items, so she wasn’t sure where her sisters had picked up their shopping habits. At the thought of her mom, Jodie felt an uneasy pang in her stomach. It had been two years since her passing, and still, her mother’s image remained sharp as ever in Jodie’s mind. 

Before their mom died, Anika and Madison used to play with her all the time. They made potions out of leaves and chalk dust at their old house, made games with Barbie dolls in the attic, and put on magic shows for their parents. At the end of the day, the girls would often fall asleep on the living room floor in a tangle of sleeping bags and stuffed animals. Jodie missed those sleepovers. After their mother’s funeral, her sisters didn’t want to play dolls with her anymore. Anika and Madison started spending more time at their friends’ houses, none of which Jodie was invited to come along to. When they would finally get home, their doors were shut tight. A couple of months ago, they had placed all of their old toys in bins and given them to Jodie. She took them all, not because she wanted to play with them, but because she hoped that one day her sisters would ask for them back. Then, they would play together as they used to.

Her boot suddenly hit something solid causing Jodie to lurch forward, falling into the gravel. Her magical stones spilled from her hands, instantly becoming lost within the identical rubble pieces. “Ow,” She mumbled to herself, brushing the rocks off her scraped knees and turning to find what had caused her fall. The handle of a small gardening shovel was sticking up, the rest of the tool buried deep in the dry, cracked earth. Frowning, Jodie plucked the tool from the ground with a long tug and turned the shiny item over in her hands. There was nothing remarkable about it other than the word Tomlinson engraved along the top of the handle. 

“Tomlinson,” Jodie said to herself, squinting at the finely printed letters. She looked back at where the shovel had been lodged in the ground and noticed a small dirt path leading away from the road. It was slightly overgrown, and there wasn’t a mailbox to indicate the path led to something, but nonetheless, Jodie straightened up and decided it was worth checking out.

After pushing her way through the tall, dry grass and dodging around the tree branches, Jodie came into a clearing and was surprised by what she found. A quaint country house had been hidden behind the trees. It was covered in light blue paneling with large arching windows looking out onto the front yard. The landscaping was an array of wildflowers growing in many different colors as if God couldn’t decide which was the prettiest. Firewood was stacked near the side of the house, and smoke billowed up from the chimney that towered above her. But the most intriguing detail lay turned over on its side near the front door: a small red bike.

Jodie’s heart jumped in her chest. She jogged to the front door, knocking on the white chipped frame. She heard the sound of approaching footsteps come from inside, and moments later, the door was opened by a tall woman with pale blonde hair and freckled skin. “Yes, dear?” She said, offering a warm smile.

Jodie looked up, returning the expression. “Are you Mrs. Tomlinson?”

“Why yes, I am! How did you know?”

“I found this on the road outside your house,” Jodie explained, holding up the small gardening shovel in her hand. 

Mrs. Tomlinson took it, turning it over and shaking her head. With a sigh, she turned back into the house and shouted, “Laura! Come here a moment, won’t you?” Moments later, a young girl with the same freckled cheeks appeared in the doorway. “Now, darling,” Mrs. Tomlinson said in a calm voice, “how many times have I told you that if you get something out of the shed to play with, you need to put it back?”

“I know, Mom, I’m sorry,” The girl said, looking down at her feet. She hadn’t seemed to notice Jodie standing there yet. “There was a little rabbit that ran by and I tried to follow him to see if he had any more brothers or sisters! I forgot about the shovel.”

With a sigh, Mrs. Tomlinson ran her fingers gently through her daughter’s hair. “Our own little Alice in Wonderland.” Looking back up, she nodded at Jodie. “What did you say your name was, dear?”

“Jodie Puckett, Ma’am. My family lives about a mile away down the main road.”

“Oh, well, it’s very lovely to meet you, Jodie! You’ve met the whole household right here. It’s just Laura and me.” She squeezed her daughter’s shoulder gently in reference. Laura stuck out her bottom lip, trying to blow a strand of straw blonde hair out of her eyes. Jodie couldn’t help but giggle to herself. “You know, girls,” Mrs. Tomlinson began, “why don’t the two of you play together while I fix up some dinner? You’re welcome to join us for a bite if you would like?” 

Jodie opened her mouth to respond but found that nothing came out. Her father’s faint words rang out in the back of her mind. Be home before dinner! With a sigh, Jodie replied, “My family is expecting me home for dinner, Mrs. Tomlinson. But thank you so much for inviting me.” She turned to Laura. “Any chance you’d still want to play together?”

Laura’s face lit up, her cheeks taking on an eager, rosy blush. “I’d love to play!”

Jodie couldn’t hide her excitement. The girls took off running through the yard, their high-pitched giggles and shouts bouncing off the trees around them, creating a small haven of joy. The sun seemed to freeze where it sat in the sky above, demanding time to stop so the two children could talk and sing and dance as they never had before.

* * *

“And then, we gathered up all of the tree branches in her yard to build a fort! There must have been one hundred branches, we had so many! So, we built a teepee for both of us out of the branches and played a game where we had to survive in the wilderness.”

“Very nice, dear,” Her father said with a lack of expression, taking a long sip of his beer. Jodie noticed his glasses rested on the very tip of his narrow nose. When he wore them like that, it meant he was very stressed out. But even if he’d had a long day, Jodie had too! And she wanted to tell him all about it.

“So, during our survival game, the first thing we needed to do was gather food, so we pretended that the pinecones—”

“Hey, Dad?” Anika interrupted. “Do you think Madison and I could go and meet James and Lucas at the movies later tonight?”

Jodie huffed. “Anika, I was telling you guys a—”

“Who are these boys?” Their father replied, his interest suddenly piqued. He used a single finger to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want my daughters hanging out with any troublemakers.”

“Oh, Daddy,” Madison pleaded, tilting her head to the side and batting her eyelashes. Jodie crossed her arms. That was her move. “You would really like James and Lucas! They’re both in Anika’s grade and they’re super smart, they help out at their uncle’s restaurant on the weekends, they're both on the baseball team . . .” Her voice faded off as if questioning whether or not her father needed any further convincing. Jodie didn’t understand why her sisters wanted to hang out with boys so often. They really couldn’t be that interesting.

With a defeated sigh, he nodded his head. “Only if you promise to be back here no later than nine-thirty. I don’t like the idea of you girls driving in the country in the middle of the night. I’ll finish up some work while I wait to make sure you both get home safely.” The two teenagers shot up out of their chairs, running over to shower their father in hugs and kisses.

“Can I go too?” Jodie asked slowly, turning to look at her dad.

“No!” Her sisters shouted in unison, and before she had a chance to make a case for herself, they disappeared upstairs in a fit of giggles and whispers, only the faint scent of vanilla perfume left in their wake. Jodie wrinkled her nose. She couldn’t believe her sisters willingly doused themselves in that gag-inducing sugary syrup. Regaining some of her composure from Anika’s rude interruption, Jodie resumed telling her story.

“Oh, you sure would love Laura’s mom, Mrs. Tomlinson! She is so nice! She let me and Laura play for so long and when we were done, she even let us share a piece of pie she’d made that day! It tasted like cinnamon.”

“Mmm-hmm, that’s great, Jodie.” Another sip of beer. This was the second bottle he’d had throughout dinner. He never drank beer at the dinner table when her mom was alive. Now, it seemed to be part of his daily routine. When he was finally finished with this bottle, Jodie knew he would bring it to the kitchen and set it in the bin with all the other bottles from the week. She wondered if it had become a game to him, seeing how many he could pile up before Sunday. She knew better than to ask.

“They only live about a mile away, the fourth house down the road! ” she continued, trying desperately to engage with her father. “Their house is big and blue, but it’s hidden behind the trees so it’s pretty hard to see. Their chimney is pretty tall though, I wonder if you can see it from here.” Jodie glanced out the window with eyes squinted, searching for a billow of smoke carving its way through the deep golden horizon. “Maybe tomorrow you can come with—”

“Listen, Jodie, I know you’re excited about your new friend, but you’ve hardly touched your dinner. I’ve had a long day, so if you’d finish up and then help me with the dishes, I would really appreciate that.” Her father pushed his seat away from the table and left the dining room, carrying the two empty beer bottles in his hand.

“Have you been listening to me at all?” She called out. 

Her father replied half-heartedly. “I’m exhausted right now, dear. I’m sure there will be plenty more opportunities for you to tell me about your new friend Lilly.”

Lilly? It’s Laura! Biting her lip, Jodie tried to fight back tears. It seemed that she was losing more people as time passed. It had been hard on her when her mom passed away. She had been the one person who had always put Jodie first, no matter her busy schedule or lack of energy. Her mom was eager to hear all about her adventures from the day, encouraging her creativity. My little J. Once her mother was gone, things weren’t the same. It didn’t take long for Anika and Madison to start leaving her out of all of their new activities. And her father? She wasn’t sure he was ever really listening to her. Sniffling and wiping her nose, Jodie glanced back out the window. This time as her eyes scanned the treetops, she could have sworn she saw the top of a chimney peeking out at her. 

We’re here, Jodie.

* * *

The hot summer days started to blend together as the temperature rose and the rain finally started to fall. The season was coming to its peak, evident by the thick green leaves of the sugar maples and the dried, cracked mud on Jodie’s red rubber boots. Thanks to her newfound friendship, the past two weeks had been pure bliss. Between cops and robbers, insect investigations, and puddle jumping, the girls had formed a solid relationship. 

Jodie had confided in her friend about her frustrations with her older sisters and her father. Laura was always sure to listen to all she had to say, nodding along with her the whole time just to let Jodie know she was paying extra close attention. Eventually, Laura opened up about her own family life as well. She was an only child, and her mother a widow. Laura said her father died when she was just a baby, so she didn’t remember it. Upon hearing this, Jodie also opened up about her mother passing away. It seemed to be a match made in heaven. 

This day was particularly humid, the sun beating down on Jodie’s open shoulders. Sunblock wasn’t the first thing on an eight-year-old’s mind; without anyone to remind her to apply it, the young girl’s arms had turned a rosy red. She didn’t mind, though; red was her favorite color. Jodie dragged a long stick alongside her as she and Laura walked down the main road, dust flying in its wake. 

“This is gonna be my new walking stick!” Jodie proclaimed, bringing it to the front of her and using it as a crutch as they strolled along. “I’m going to go hiking deep into the wilderness with this stick, you’ll see! I’ll go through waterfalls, come face-to-face with wild animals, and everyone will know me as the bravest explorer there ever was!”

Laura laughed, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. “You wouldn’t last two seconds in the wilderness!”

“Don’t believe me?”

“Nope!”

“Well then, let’s go!” 

Hesitating, Laura began to walk more slowly before stopping in her tracks. “Actually, it’s almost time for lunch. I ought to get home, my mama is probably waiting for me.”

“But I thought you said you’d come to my house for lunch today?” Jodie asked, trying to mask her disappointment. She’d been looking forward to introducing her new friend to Anika and Madison. Maybe once they saw how much fun the two had been having, her sisters would also want to join in.

“I really wish I could,” Laura assured her quickly, “But my mama has been feeling extra lonely lately. This Friday would have been my papa’s birthday. I don’t want to leave her by herself, you know?”

With a deep sigh, Jodie nodded her head. “I understand. My father gets like that, too, when he’s missing her. I guess you’ll just have to come by next time then.”

“I promise I will. You can count on me.”

When Jodie arrived home for lunch, she was surprised to see her sisters had guests. Two boys were sitting in their family room. One was very tall and slender, with shaggy jet-black hair that hung just above his eyes. He smiled as he spoke, blue-wired braces shining through. The other boy was shorter and had a more athletic build. He wore a backward baseball cap that looked like a dog had chewed on it, and he blew large pink bubbles out of his mouth before they exploded with a loud smack. 

“It’s really cool, trust me,” The tall one said. “It isn’t too far away, just at the end of the main road. Walk straight into the forest for about ten minutes, and boom: you’re there. There’s a creek, so you have to cross it on a wooden plank that someone laid over the edge.”

“Honestly, it’s totally worth it,” The other boy chimed in. With a slight lisp, he went on. “There’s a tire swing there, a zipline, but that might still be broken from when we went with Tommy. I think there’s also an old treehouse in the back. There’s an old tree stump with lots of carvings on it, too. Whoever the first one was to go there kinda made it a tradition to leave your initials every time you visit. I’m telling you guys, it’s kinda sick.”

“Wow, that sounds interesting,” Anika said slowly, her eyes locked dreamily on the braces boy.

“You know what,” Madison piped in, “Why not? Let’s go!”

“I wanna go!”

The room went silent as all four heads turned towards Jodie. Anika raised her eyebrows. “You are not coming with us. I’m sorry James, Lucas, this is our little sister.”

“I am not little!” Jodie protested, stomping her foot. “And I am going with you!” 

“Good luck with that,” Madison scoffed. “Dad will never let you. Just ask him yourself, you’ll see.” The teenagers all snickered, shaking their heads.

Aiming to prove herself grown to finally get some time with her sisters, Jodie stormed off to ask for her father’s permission. She opened the door to his office to find him huddled over piles of scattered papers, his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Jodie squinted, the stench of alcohol burning her eyes. Her father was talking to someone on the phone, the device trapped loosely between his shoulder and ear as he searched the disorganized stacks in front of him. 

“Daddy,” Jodie began, “Anika and Madison won’t let—”

“Not right now, sweetie, I'm on the phone.”

In a high-pitched whine, she pleaded. “But I just need you to tell me it’s okay for me to go with them!”

Shooting her a warning glance, her father said. “We can discuss it when I’m done with this call.”

At that exact moment, the sound of the screen door slamming shut shook the whole house, followed by a fit of laughter. Her stomach dropping to her knees, Jodie ran to the office window. Sure enough, the four teenagers ran away as fast as they could towards the main road. Tears threatened to pour out, and the strain of holding them in caused Jodie’s bottom lip to quiver. 

“They’re leaving without me! Please, you need to tell them they have to take me, too! Tell them I’m not too little! Tell them to play with me!”

Her father jumped out of his seat, grabbed the phone, and pressed its speaker into his chest to muffle the sound. “Jodie, I said not right now!” He shouted, pointing to the door. Finally, the tears broke free, and she stormed out of the office and up the wooden stairs to her room. Each sob racked her body, her burnt-red shoulders shaking with every heaving cry.

“Mommy!” She trembled, pressing her face into her pillow. “Mommy, please!”

It will be alright, my little J. Mommy’s right here.

* * *

When all her tears had been cried out and her pillow soaked through, Jodie devised a plan. She wiped her face with the backs of her hands, smudging salty trails across her cheeks. She was done being treated like a baby. That was the reason her sisters wouldn’t play with her, after all. They thought she was a baby. Jodie knew that wasn’t true. Maybe she was tired of playing with dolls now, too. She was grown up, just like Anika and Madison. She couldn’t be just like them and do the things they wanted to do. They’d just forgotten how much fun the three of them used to have together. 

Jodie slipped out of the house without making a sound. Her father was still preoccupied, punching away at numbers in his office as he downed glass after glass of bourbon so he didn’t notice his youngest daughter’s departure. On the front porch, Jodie quickly slipped on her red rain boots before sprinting across the yard. Her hair blew messily behind her, twisting and tangling as the wind picked up. The gravel road crunched beneath her feet, a steady soundtrack to her growing determination. She would show them. 

Before long she reached the hidden pathway leading to Laura’s house. Jodie slipped between the overgrown branches and tall grass until she came upon Laura sitting next to the garden shed. Her friend was stacking a pile of flat rocks about ten stones high, wavering unsteadily in the wind. Laura looked up at Jodie with a smile. “Hi, Jodie! I just finished eating with my mom! How was—”

“It’s time to go out into the wilderness.”

“What?” Laura asked, her confusion apparent on her face.

“My sisters and their friends were talking about this place at the end of the main road that’s hidden in the woods. It has all sorts of cool things, like a treehouse! They left without me because they said I was too little. But I’m not too little, and neither are you!” Jodie put her hands on her hips to emphasize her point. “So, I think we should go find them there and prove that we can make it all by ourselves. Then they’ll see just how much fun we can be! That I can be!”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea? What if we get lost?”

Laughing, Jodie threw her head back. “We won’t get lost! I’m a professional wilderness explorer, remember? This will be a piece of cake.”

Laura didn’t need any further convincing. The girls made their way down the main road as the world around them darkened. The sun sunk lower and lower as dark clouds pushed their way over the sunset, muffling the magnificent mirage. Eventually, they reached the very end of the road, a place neither of the girls had ever been before. There weren’t any houses built yet, just plots of land for sale. Beyond them, the beginning of the woods lay ahead, their dark treetops casting faint shadows over Jodie and Laura.

A crack of thunder rang out across the sky like a whip. The girls both jumped, stumbling awkwardly towards each other. Before either of them had a chance to lose their nerve, Jodie encouraged Laura to push onwards as they entered the small opening in the woods. After walking for just a minute, it started to pour. The storm was even louder under the tree cover, the rain echoing as it dripped past each individual leaf. Jodie weaved in and out of the open spots, avoiding puddles and rainfall. Despite her best efforts, her clothes were soaked through in no time. 

“Maybe we should go back?” Laura shouted, her voice muffled by a deafening crack of thunder. “Would anyone really be there in this weather?”

“No,” Jodie yelled back. “We’re too close to stop now! I’m sure my sisters are there, I just want them to see I made it all by myself!”

The storm was growing exponentially. The water gathered around Jodie’s boots was an inch deep, making it even more difficult to keep her footing in the mud. Through the clearing ahead, Jodie spotted what looked like a little drop-off in the forest, a small ridge. That must be the creek! she thought to herself. “We’re almost there!”

Jodie ran forward, her eyes scanning for the wooden plank. Finally, she found it. It was perched precariously on top of two tree trunks on opposite sides of the bank. More alarming than the rickety beam was the water itself. The summer storms had caused the creek to grow in size, the depth approaching four feet. With the incoming rain rolling down the bank, the current rushed along, dragging fallen branches and leaves that had been knocked off the trees above. “It’s too late to turn back. It’s too late to turn back,” Jodie repeated to herself, trying to slow her racing heart rate. She repeated the words over and over as she stepped up onto the wooden plank. 

“Be careful, Jodie!” Laura shouted, standing somewhere off to the side. 

It shifted uncomfortably under her weight, jostling back and forth as she tried to keep her balance. The board was no more than ten feet long, making it over the creek with a couple of inches to spare on each side. Pushing forward, Jodie started taking small steps, heel-to-toe. Flashes of lightning illuminated the narrow path before her. Everything seemed like it was going to be alright. That is until a sudden boom of thunder shot through the sky and caused Jodie to lose her footing. 

Everything happened so fast. Her boots stumbled back and forth as they tried to regain her balance. In a blind step backward, her right leg stepped into nothingness, her entire body following in pursuit. Jodie’s legs dragged in the water, jostling as objects ran into her. Knuckles white on the plank, she held on for dear life. “Laura!” She screamed. “Laura, help me!” Her eyes searched the bank for her friend but only fell upon tree trunks and foliage. Jodie choked out a hollow sob. Where is she? Why isn’t she helping me? She said she would never leave me! Jodie called out, again and again, her shouts drowned out by the roaring water. The gruesome reality was sinking in. She was by herself. There was no one there to help her.

“Mommy,” She whimpered, looking up to the dark, clouded sky. Her fingers lost their grip, and she fell back into the current, twisting and turning as the water swallowed her whole.

* * *

Jodie’s father called for his youngest daughter; the rest of the family was already seated around the dinner table. When he didn’t hear the pounding of small feet coming down the stairs, he checked and ensured everything was alright. Stumbling up to her room, he opened the door to find the space was empty, Jodie’s bed still made, and her pajamas lay neatly on the armchair. Returning downstairs, he asked his oldest daughters if they knew where their sister was. Anika and Madison shrugged their shoulders, saying they hadn’t seen her since they had left the house earlier that day. They assured their father that she couldn’t have gone far, especially in this weather. James and Lucas had gone home at the first sign of an approaching storm. No one wanted to be caught outside during this.

“She’s probably at her friend’s house just down the road,” Anika said, “that’s the only place she ever goes.”

“Well if she is,” Their father slurred, “I should go check in with them and make sure she isn’t intruding on anything.”

“Oh, daddy, relax! I’m sure she’s fine,” Madison piped in. “Besides, it’s pouring right now, you don’t want to go outside. In fact, she mentioned something to us earlier about planning to spend the night there.” His daughters exchanged a suspicious glance too quick for him to catch.
“Let Jodie sleepover, I’m sure she’d love to, with that new friend of hers! It will probably help too, with her being mad at all of us right now.”

Their father pondered this, drinking his beer as the condensation dripped down his trembling hands. “She’s only eight.”

“It’s just a sleepover, Daddy! I’m sure she’s warm and snug in bed right now! You can go check on her first thing in the morning, once all the rain has stopped.” The teens beamed up at their father, eager to dig into the places set before them.

The alcohol in his system outweighed his concern for his youngest child. Maybe that’s what she’d wanted earlier, to ask for his permission to spend the night. Yes, that must have been it. Rubbing his temples to soothe his pounding headache, he sighed. “Alright, first thing in the morning, then.” The storm rumbled overhead. 

The next day, Jodie’s father slipped on his shoes and jacket, prepared to encounter the chilly morning air. Instead, he came face to face with two police officers. 

“Mr. Puckett?” one asked, hands on his hips. He looked rather solemn.

“Yes, that’s me. Is everything alright?”

The officers turned to stare at one another, neither wanting to be the first to speak. Jodie’s father glanced between them impatiently. He was about to prompt their response again when he noticed the officer who hadn’t spoken was holding a small, red rubber rain boot. 

While Anika and Madison wept and held one another in the family room, their father sat with the officers at the dining table, a blank, emotionless expression engraved on his face. They explained how she’d been discovered early that morning when the farmer took his dog for a walk. The officers found her boot washed up farther along the creek bed, her last name written on the inner tag. He couldn’t process what they were saying to him. He heard them loud and clear, but the strings of words didn’t make sense. He needed a drink.

“We can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now,” One of the officers said. “But we need to ask if you think your daughter was with anyone else at the time of the accident.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. She could have been. I didn’t even know she was out there. Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t she say where she was going?” He hung his head, squeezing his eyes tight as if soon he’d wake up and this would all be a dream. “She had been spending a lot of time with a friend lately. Laura, I think, Laura Thomas. No, wait, Laura Tomlinson. Yes, that’s it. I think Jodie said she lives about a mile down the road from here.”

The officer started flipping through his book, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, sir, are you sure that’s right? I don’t have any record of a family with the last name Tomlinson anywhere in this area.”

“Maybe they never sent in an updated residency form,” The other officer chimed in. “Sometimes that happens here in rural areas when houses are passed down through family members.”

“That could be it, I guess. Mr. Puckett, would you mind showing us where this family lives so we can check in to see if their daughter is home safe?”

“I can try,” Jodie’s father said, pushing out of his chair. He got into the police car, and they began driving down the main road. Jodie’s small voice rang out in his head over and over again. The fourth house down the road. Their house is big and blue. It’s hidden behind the trees. They hopped out of the vehicle where the start of an overgrown path was barely showing.

“This is it?” The officer asked, his voice heavy with skepticism.

Without answering, Jodie’s father walked forward into the opening, pushing the low-hanging branches out of the way. Eventually, they reached a clearing. There was a run-down garden shed surrounded by overgrown foliage, ivy weaving in and out of the broken windows. The door was hanging on one hinge, creaking faintly as it swung back and forth. Chipped blue paint clung to the shed’s walls, the falling sapphire specks scattered loosely on the wildflowers below.

The sound of ruffling paper and a clicking tongue sounded behind Jodie’s father. “There’s no record of a house being here since the thirties, sir. This plot has been vacant since then.”

Continuing to ignore the officers, he looked around, searching for signs of his daughter. There didn’t seem to be much here except weeds and broken glass. Something peculiar then caught his eye. A bunch of sticks had been balanced together in a small teepee near the tree line. In front of it, there was a pile of pinecones. Jodie’s father cried out, falling to his knees. 

His leg struck something hard, and he looked to see what he had fallen on. Pulling it up to examine it, he turned a rusted garden shovel over in his hands. The entire tool was covered in dirt except for a spot that had been brushed away at the top of the handle. In that spot, a small engraving was visible. Jodie’s father felt his heart shatter.

Tomlinson.