Inexperienced Heart

Chapter 8: Searching for Landa

Meanwhile, while Landa was making fast progress towards her destination, her parents, Goldtin, Goldtale, and Logan were just waking up. At breakfast, they were all quiet. The silence and stillness of the house made you feel like you were attending a funeral.

Eventually, Logan broke the silence suddenly, making everyone jump.

"Where's Landa?" he asked.

Her father shrugged his shoulders and said, "Maybe, she doesn't want to get up today. Possibly, she's sick." Then, he started calling her loudly, "Landa! Landa, come on down! We know you're up there!"

They listened expectantly. No answer. Logan got up from his chair and said, "I'll go check on her." He dashed up the stairs two at a time and as quietly as he could, threw open the door. His eyes quickly scanned the room and a look of dismay crossed his face. He turned around to face the others and announced loudly, upset, "She's gone!"

It was plain to see the others' shock as they simultaneously exclaimed, "WHAT?!?" They quickly ran up the stairs and into Landa's room, pushing Logan aside, causing him to lose his balance and almost fall backward.

"How is she gone? And there are no clues! Her bed is done. Did she even go to bed last night?" panicked her mother, on the verge of crying.

"There's only one explanation. She must have run away. She probably realized she was not herself or she overheard us talking, so she ran away," explained Goldtin somberly.

Everyone just stood there, looking at each other, hopelessness and misery plainly written on their faces.

"We must find her as soon as possible! She's not safe out there, all alone. She'll only get herself in trouble and in a dangerous situation," said Goldtin urgently.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. and Mr. Polymer. We greatly appreciate it and we're sorry we can't thank you properly. We really must go!" said Logan quickly.

"We'll go with you," said Mr. Polymer gravely.

"No, you mustn't!" said Goldtin sternly. "Not in your condition. Goldtale dear, you must stay with them. Logan and I will go."

They argued for some time about who should go and who shouldn't, wasting precious time. Finally, they arrived at a conclusion, the one they started at. Goldtin and Logan were to go, no one else. Goldtale rushed to Goldtin. They hugged and kissed. It was very emotional. Logan watched for a couple of seconds and then pretended to be fascinated by looking at the floor. He felt very awkward and uncomfortable.

Mrs. Polymer hugged Logan as if he was her own son. When she finally let go of him, Logan saw Mr. Polymer right in front of him. As he was in a wheelchair, Logan did not expect him to hug him. His assumption proved correct. Instead, Mr. Polymer extended his hand, Logan took it, and they shook hands in a manly fashion. Logan was a bit astonished to see Mr. Polymer crying as he said, in between sobs, "Promise me you'll take care and look after my daughter. If my wife and I die, make sure she's safe and well protected from her enemy."

Logan solemnly responded, "I promise."

As they were going out the door, Mr. Polymer called out, "Good luck and don't come back empty-handed!"

Logan was surprised that Mr. Polymer could have such humor in such a sad and desperate situation, but he called back, "Don't worry! We'll find your daughter and bring her back."

"At least, I hope we'll find her," thought Logan as doubts started to creep into his mind. "What if we find her, but she's badly injured or worse, dead?" "No, I must not think about that," thought Logan quickly as he pushed that thought out of his mind. Logan decided to put forth a question that had been bothering him for some time.