The Healing (27 page)

Whoosh!
Something flew past Esther’s head. She thought it was a bird at first, but when it swooped past her again, she realized it wasn’t a bird at all—it was a bat!

E
sther dropped to her knees and tried not to panic. While one of her biggest fears was high places, at the moment, being trapped in the attic with a bat seemed much worse.

I need to get out of here now!
Several minutes went by, and Esther pounded on the door. “Help! I’m trapped in the attic with a bat!”

No response. Where was Bonnie? Surely she couldn’t still be out feeding the chickens.

The bat made another pass over her head, and Esther screamed. If she didn’t get out of here soon, she didn’t know what she would do.

She thought about Samuel and the way he’d caught that fly the other day. If only catching a bat could be as simple. Not that she’d have the courage to do it of course. She might be brave enough to whack the bat though—if she could find something suitable to use.

Esther glanced around the attic but didn’t see anything that would make a good club.
I wish I had that baseball bat I got for Leon with me right now
, she thought.
Maybe there’s something in one of the boxes up here I can use
.

She crawled over to the box closest to her and was about to open the flaps, when the bat swooped in front of her face, brushing her nose with the tip of its wing. She screamed and covered her head with her hands. Being trapped in the attic was definitely worse than her fear of heights!

Bonnie’s stomach rumbled as she entered the house. It was past time to fix supper. I think I’ll fix some spaghetti tonight, she decided. That’s one of my favorite meals, and it appeals to me right now
.

She checked in the pantry for some tomato sauce, but seeing none there, she decided to go to the basement, where she kept her excess canned goods as well as the strawberry-rhubarb jam she and Esther had made this spring.

She opened the basement door and turned on the light, then carefully descended the stairs. Heading toward the shelves where the canned goods were kept, she spotted an old pie cupboard in one corner of the basement. She’d been meaning to take a closer look at it for some time, thinking that if it was in good enough condition she would put it to good use in the kitchen.

Think I’ll take a minute and check it over right now, she decided
.

Bonnie knelt on the floor beside the cupboard. The outside appeared to be in pretty fair shape. Just a little bit of sanding and a coat of varnish and it should be good as new.

She opened the cupboard doors, and when she looked inside, she was surprised to see a stack of old newspapers. “I think Grandma must have saved just about everything,” she said with a chuckle. She pulled out the newspapers and was even more surprised when an envelope fell to the floor. She soon realized that it was a letter addressed to her dad.

Bonnie slipped the envelope into the pocket of her jeans, took three cans of tomato sauce from the shelf, and then headed upstairs.

Back in the kitchen, she placed the sauce on the counter and took the letter from her pocket. She noticed that the postmark on it was older than she was, and the envelope was still sealed shut.
I wonder who it’s from and if Dad even knew about this letter
.

She stared at the letter several seconds then tore it open and read it silently.

Bonnie sat staring at the letter. Trisha must have been Dad’s girlfriend before he and his folks moved to Kentucky. Obviously Dad didn’t know about Trisha’s letter, since it’s never been opened. I wonder what he would say about this now. Did Trisha write to Dad again, or was this the only time? Should I tell Dad about the letter or pretend I never saw it? Would he even care after all these years?

Unsure of what she should do, Bonnie placed the letter on the counter and flipped the radio on to her favorite Christian station. When a song of worship and praise came on, she turned up the volume and sang along: “I will give you all my worship. I will give you all my praise. You alone I long to worship; You alone are worthy of my praise.”

By the time the song was over, Bonnie had the water boiling for the spaghetti and was about to put it in the kettle, when the lights flickered then went out. She groped around in the top drawer below the counter and was relieved when she found the flashlight. Then she made her way slowly to the living room and discovered that the lights were out there, too. Since it was a calm evening with no wind or rain, she figured someone in the area must have run into a pole and knocked the power out.

Remembering that Esther had gone up to the attic with the box of Christmas decorations, and seeing no sign of her now, Bonnie called Esther’s name as she swung the flashlight around the room.

No response. Could Esther still be in the attic, or had she gone out to the guest house?

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Bonnie tipped her head and listened. The sound seemed to be coming from upstairs. She returned to the kitchen, turned off the stove since there was no power, and went up to investigate. When she reached the top of the stairs, the pounding grew louder, and she heard Esther’s voice calling for help.

Bonnie rushed to the attic door and turned the knob. Nothing happened. It appeared to be locked. “Esther, are you in there?”

“Yes, and the light blew out so now I’m in the dark with—”

“The lights are out throughout the house. I think someone may have hit a pole.” Bonnie grabbed the doorknob and pulled again, but it still wouldn’t budge. “The door must be locked from the inside. Try to open it, Esther.”

“I have tried, but there’s no button to unlock it, and if there’s a key somewhere, I can’t find it in the dark.”

Bonnie grimaced. If there was a key to the attic door, she didn’t know about it, and if the door was locked, short of taking it off the hinges, she had no idea how to get it open. The job would require more strength and expertise than her limited handywoman skills. Besides, with it being so dark, she’d never be able to see well enough to do anything constructive. What she needed right now was a man’s help.

“Hang on, Esther,” she called through the door. “I’m going to get you some help.”

Samuel and the kids had just finished supper when someone knocked on the back door. He opened it and was surprised to see Bonnie on the porch holding a flashlight.

“Esther’s locked in the attic and our power is out,” she said breathlessly. “Can you come help me get her out?”

Samuel glanced over at his children sitting at the kitchen table. “I’d like to help, but I’m not comfortable leaving my kids here alone.”

“I’ll stay with them while you’re gone,” Bonnie offered.

Samuel hesitated a minute and finally nodded. “They’re almost done eating supper, so if you’ll make sure they clear the table and that the dishes get done, I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Hopefully I won’t be gone too long.” Samuel grabbed his straw hat and hurried out the door.

Whoosh!
The bat swooped past Esther’s head once more. It was so close that she could hear the flutter of its wings.
Dear Lord, don’t let it touch me again
.

As Esther’s fear escalated, she crouched closer to the floor.

Sometime later, Esther heard footsteps clomping up the stairs. She figured Bonnie had probably gone for one of her English neighbors—maybe Harold Reece who lived down the road.

The doorknob rattled; then everything got quiet. Esther leaned against the door. She hoped whoever was out there hadn’t given up, because she didn’t think she could stand being trapped in here with that bat much longer.

Esther heard some banging, which gave her a ray of hope. Suddenly the door came off, and she fell into a pair of strong arms. As a beam of light hit the man’s face, Esther looked up. “Samuel?”

S
amuel, I—I didn’t know that was you.” Esther stammered. “Danki for getting me out of that attic.”

He gave a nod, thinking how cute she looked as her cheeks turned a pinkish hue. Then he berated himself for having such a thought. Thankfully, she didn’t know what he’d been thinking. “Bonnie came over to get me. She stayed at the house with my kinner so I could come over here.”

“Th–there’s a bat in the attic,” Esther rasped. Her covering was askew, and she quickly pushed it back in place.

“A baseball bat?”

She shook her head “No, a bat that flies—and swoops—and …”

Seeing how shaken Esther was, Samuel suggested she go downstairs while he tried to capture the bat.

She looked up at him, eyes wide and wrinkles in her forehead. “Are—are you sure?”

“Jah. Go on down.”

She hesitated but finally nodded. “Be careful, Samuel. Capturing a bat isn’t the same as catching a fly.”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her.

As Esther started carefully down the stairs, Samuel stepped into the attic and hit the light switch, relieved when it came on. It would be much harder to try and capture the bat with only the light from his flashlight.

Whoosh!
The bat flew right over his head.

Samuel ducked. Gathering his wits, he grabbed an old sweater he spotted draped across a wooden trunk, and then he began a merry chase after the bat. After several foiled attempts, he finally captured the creature inside the sweater and hurried down the stairs.

“Got it trapped in this sweater!” he said to Esther, who stood shivering in the living room near the fireplace.

“Wh–what are you going to do with it?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“I’ll take the critter outside and let it go.” Samuel stepped onto the porch, opened the sweater, and gave it a shake.

When he returned to the living room, Esther pointed to the sweater and squealed. “It–it’s still there!”

Samuel looked down. Sure enough, the bat was clinging upside-down to the sweater. He’d thought the bat had let go, but with it being so dark outside, he must not have seen it.

He rushed back outside and gave it another good shake. This time he saw the bat flap its wings and fly off into the night.

“Good riddance,” Samuel mumbled as he headed back to the house. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one night.”