Mysterious adventures in the shadow of trees

Chapter 10: Missing Poster

-Scarlett-

"I know! I know!" Why don't we put up posters and people can phone us if they've seen Sofia, " shouted Thomas.

If it was me, my parents would probably tell me off and tell me to go to my room

Mother just smiled at him and said, " that's actually a good idea!"

I could not believe it. She literally thinks Thomas, who is probably the youngest in the family, has the best idea.

I mean, I have to admit that his idea is quite good, but you can't expect someone to see the poster, go into the forest, search and phone us.

Everyone always seems so busy!

"Scarlett, you needn't think that all of your ideas are the best," mother said gently but I could hear the hard tone in her voice.

I felt my face go red as I turned away and went to my room and locked the door.

Now Sofia's gone, why am I the one that gets the telling off? I mean, have I done anything wrong?

I sat down at my dressing table and tore a page out of my brand new, A4 notebook.. What if Thomas's idea actually worked?

I paused, hoping to get a brainwave of what to write.

𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓼

A girl named Sofia Jones has been lost, followed by Amanda smith.

Both girls have ventured into the depths of the forest and are now lost, not knowing which way they came from.

I then pasted a picture I got of them at the school disco last month. There, I thought, I just need to write a phone number and address.

If seen, phone 09978380041960

Or visit us face to face at 20 peacock street.

That'll do it, I thought. I brought the paper downstairs and photocopied it twenty-one times.

If I need more, I'll keep one and photocopy more of them. Quickly, I took some tape, ran outside and dashed from tree to tree, taping posters up until there were no more.

I returned home and realized that Thomas had drawn a poster and wrote some things on it. It had lots of spelling mistakes and scribbles that looked like two stick versions of Sofia and Amanda next to one tree.

Next to it, was a corrected version although it still had Thomas' messy scribbles.

I didn't bother to read Thomas's version so I read the neat one

Missing girls

Amanda Smith and Sofia Waters are lost in the forest.

Phone 09978380041960

Address 20 peacock street.

I rolled my eyes. As if one sentence would actually help.

I put the paper down and walked up the steps to my bedroom. I locked the door again and went over to Sofia's bed. She always left the covers untidy.

Suddenly, I remembered that we could text each other. Excitedly, I pulled my phone out and wrote,

Where are you?

She was in the forest but what did her surroundings look like?

I was kind of afraid that she wouldn't text me back, but I waited all the same.

"Scarlett! I just went out shopping and I saw that a kind person had put up lots of posters of Sofia and Amanda!" Mother shouted up the stairs.

I suddenly felt angry. Who else, other than me, was not busy enough to bother about it. My friends? Unlikely, Mr and Mrs Smith? Only about Amanda. Scarlett? Anything to get Sofia back.

" I made and put the posters up," I said quietly as I unlocked my door as mother knocked on the door.

She just stood there, open mouthed like a goldfish and eyes as large as an orange.

I knew she thought that I thought that Thomas' idea was silly.

Well I did, but then it didn't seem so bad after I had tried it. Maybe I was being a bit selfish about it.

"Scarlett, I'm sorry I've been a bit mean to you," she said. "And I'm sorry for being selfish!" I said.

I smiled and followed her downstairs. Once a problem is sorted out, it is all fine, I thought.

The more selfish I am, the more angry my mother is, I thought

"Mother! Time to put the posters up!" Shouted Thomas.

"Do not shout in the house Thomas," mother ordered. Thomas stood there, stunned. He was not used to being spoken to like this.

"But, we need to do it before nightfall," Thomas stammered. I looked at my watch. It was 19:34 already.

Thomas was only seven so he could only read time if he had at least an hour to do it, which is why Thomas skips math homework if it is about telling the time, otherwise he would take twenty hours because he takes two for each question because there are usually ten questions. Sometimes even more!

Thomas looked at my puzzled face and said,"Daddy told me." As if he had read my mind.

Mother smiled and told him about my posters, hoping for him to understand the whole thing.

"I'm so sorry Scarlett!" Thomas said unexpectedly.

Maybe mother told him to say that?

Know-it-all: he's not that bad to anyone.

Me: true, he's only a kid.

"It's ok," I replied. Thomas grinned and went off to hang his picture of Amanda, Sofia, and Tree in his bedroom.

"Right, get ready for bed and come down and play Labyrinth with me for a while till eight," mother said as she ushered me into the bathroom.

I looked at my phone and I saw that Amanda sent a message saying that she learned a lot about the wild and was quite happy.

I smiled. If Sofia did manage to find Amanda, they would have food and fresh water, warmth, protection and all sorts of things.