Bridging The Gap; The Final Records In Unova: An Autobiography

Nine Tales

The backhoe loader scooped up one of the final boulders, backing away from the remaining boulders with a low rumble and roar to make room for the next backhoe loader to move in, and it dumped the large boulder down the huge hole to the side.

The boulder slammed against the side of the mountain and rumbled before going silent as it fell down a long, deep drop.

Several loud noises from the top of the mountain made me look up momentarily, but I returned my gaze back to the remaining two boulders as the next backhoe loader lifted one and backed up, the first backhoe loader moving in to grab the final boulder.

June stood by my side, staring with worry on her face as the backhoe loader lifted the final boulder and backed up. She whimpered by my side as she stared at the empty ground as the backhoe loaders released the boulders down the hole.

The police had formed a line several feet in front of me, staring at the spot where the boulders had once been before being removed.

I shakily walked over to the line of male and female police officers, getting a better view at what they all were silently looking at.

Nothing.

The gray ground of the mountain sat empty with no signs of anything having been there previously. A thin path curved around the side of the mountain.

The officers all turned to me with matching, solemn glares.

My eyes closed as tears filled in them, and I silently cried to myself, lowering my head, hot tears dripping from between my eyelids. Melissa... I thought to myself. I heard footsteps from in front of me draw closer before stopping.

"Gary," a male officer spoke.

I wiped at my eyes, sniffling, but I couldn't manage to bring my head up to look at the man.

"There's no sign of anyone here," he spoke firmly. "No blood, no body, no anything. Your sister wasn't underneath that pile of boulders, luckily."

The distant, low rumble of the boulders that had been tossed down the hole, crashing to the bottom of the mountain, rose to my ears.

I nodded and sniffled again, closing my eyes even tighter, forcing more tears to the ground.

The crackle of his walkie-talkie made my eyes open, and I looked over at it on his hip. I couldn't understand what was being said from the other side, but the officer raised the device to his mouth. "Alright. Same here. Nothing. Over and out." He lowered his walkie-talkie and stared down at me with a serious glare, sighing. "Our officers have searched all throughout the forest, kid. There's no sign of your sister. They didn't find anybody at all."

I swallowed and looked down, the tears falling from my open eyes.

"The woods around here don't go very far and only empty out onto this mountain," the officer explained. "There isn't anywhere she could have run off to since we began searching. She isn't here."

I sniffled as I rubbed my hands into my sore eyes.

"We'll keep an eye out for her and be sure to inform your mother if we find her, but for now, there isn't much more we can do," the officer said. "This hasn't been anything more than clearing the path of some fallen boulders, for now." He reached up and patted my shoulder. "Come on, boys, ladies!" he called to the other officers, and the collection of law enforcers followed the man into the woods, leaving me alone with June.

Another rumble as the final boulders finally reached the bottom of the mountain echoed out before silence returned.

Where did she go...? I thought weakly, my body trembling hard with fear.