Forget Me Not, Books I, II and III

The Wreckage

The powerful rain left the world in ruin. Mr. Jergen'scutlass lay crushed by a fallen poplar. Glass and broken boards from buildingsfar down the road littered the street. A bathtub sat in the center of it all."They have to get rid of it. It's an eyesore," Elizabeth Donovan said, hervoice catching on a well of tears. The Donovan home, like every other home ontheir block, was still standing, or it looked that way if you happened a glancefrom the outside. Behind the tall hand-carved front door, Mrs. Donovan and herhusband were in the middle of their worst nightmare.

She was missing. Their Teddi was missing. Elizabeth stoodwhere she had been for the last hour, holding the green curtain in the drawingroom back, waiting and watching for a sign of her. It had been hours, too manyhours. The child's grandfather did not seem to know where she'd run off to, buthe said he had a feeling she went to see that boy at the orphanage, which waswhere Eustace Holliday and his son were right now, looking for her. They'd beengone for nearly an hour. Why were they taking so long? Suppose she wasn'tthere? Suppose she hadn't made it there and had been caught in the storm?

"Elizabeth, will you please sit down?" Judge Donovan'sweakened and worried tenor grumbled toward his wife. He sat in his old maroonleather chair, tapping his unused pipe against its arm. Neither of them couldfully formulate the worst possiblility, but their hearts were a differentmatter. Fear had settled in.

"Here we are," said Rose Holliday, emerging from the kitchenwith a tray holding three steaming cups of warm tea. The judge gave a smallshake of his head, while his wife heard without acknowledgment as she staredlock-jawed out of the window. Tea would be saved for later.

Mrs. Holliday set the tray on a round table near one of theonly new things in the old couple's home, a brand new Zenith radio, a radiothat, unfortunately, did their situation no good -- for electricity had beenblown out hours ago. "Ben and Eustace will find her."

Mrs. Donovan would not speak, afraid to visibly relinquishcontrol of her senses. Where was her little girl? Was it her fault that she wasgone? Perhaps she'd been too hasty in insisting she attend Miss Carrington's.Perhaps she should have allowed her more freedom. But it was in her bestinterest. Teddi did not know what horrible people lurked out there in theworld. She had been rescued from that kind of life, put back into Elizabeth'shands. It was up to her and her alone to keep Teddi safe for as long as shecould. She loved her so much. Holding back the threat of vicious tears,Elizabeth Donovan smacked the back of her hand against her mouth and slammedher eyes shut, praying for her granddaughter's safe return.

***

A minute before those fitful moments in the Donovans' livingroom, young Calvin Wynne began a difficult journey down a slippery hill withhis arms full of a girl named Theodora Donovan. He carried her more carefullythan he had anything in his life, including the delicate packages Miss Pinchleyentrusted him with. The pound of the earlier wind turned to a haunting whistle.If someone saw him with Teddi, they'd expect the worst. There were so manyreasons he should not be touching her, or even be near her. He looked down ather. Her eyes closed, her lips pale. She was worse, damn it. All worries ofbeing caught fled his mind. His only concern was to get her to safety. But thewalk was a good four miles, and he feared her weight might make the trip tooslow through the muddy streets.

Water reached his upper calf at the bottom of the shorelineroad. It didn't look like anything he'd seen before. Homes that had been therehours before were gone; piles of debris lined the blocks before him. He nearlydropped Teddi several times. Thankfully, the center of town was not flooded. Hestopped for only a minute, in order to catch his breath. "You okay, Teddi?" heasked as her eyelids fluttered open.

She nodded. "I can walk if you want me to." She sounded evenweaker than she had in the lighthouse.

Calvin's heart clenched. "You just hold on to me; I'll getyou home." He held her closer and began walking again.