My New Family

Chapter Twenty-Six: Father and François return to the War

     Father and François go back to the War

Pauline

     They left last night. I mean, Stepfather and François. I am going to miss both of them terribly.

     We are going on a trip around the woods today. All of us. On the horses. Evelyn sits on Sorrel with Catherine and I sit on Rosemary with Anastasia. Mum sits with Mrs. Lory, Joseph and John take one, and Anna and Philomena take the last one. Susanna walks along with Roger, and we go slowly.

    Deep into the woods, we find several tiny evergreens. We dig up a few and start the long journey back home after having lunch. 

      Three hours later, we arrive back home and discover the house has been broken into. OH NO. The front door is wide open...the food thrown out of the pantry...the flour dumped out of its sack onto the floor...Silky and Pompom hiding and whimpering in a corner...our clothes thrown out of the closets...our bedsheets thrown out the window onto the well shelter...the upstairs window broken...Mum's precious necklace stolen...and, worst of all, Stepfather's gold watch has also been taken. Anna, Stasia, and Catherine pull Silky and Pompom from their hiding place and begin caressing them while crying softly. The rest of us walk about in a shocked daze. Who could have done all this?

     Then, we find a note on the kitchen counter. The crowning insult to our once happy home:

  "INHABITANTS OF THIS HOUSE

I HAVE YOUR BIRD> IF YOU TRULY VALUE HIM THEN HAVE FIFTY DOLLARS ON HAND AT THIS TIME TOMORROW> DO NOT CALL THE POLICE OR ANY NEIGHBORS>SEE YOU THIS TIME TOMORROW"

     John immediately dashes up the stairs to his room to check on Jade. He comes back crying, "He's gone! Gone! We'll never see him more!"