Rachel

Lost and Found

 

She looked at the car as it disappeared in a cloud of dust, and knew that things would never be the same again. She could still feel in her pocket, the wad of cash the two men in the car had given her, along with the promise that she would see her family.

                Raised in an orphanage since she was five, Rachel led a life of loneliness and misery. She was separated from her family when they tried to flee during the chaos of war. Rachel was left on the battlefield and might have perished if not for the sympathetic heart of a soldier. He pitied her and sent her to an orphanage where she lived the rest of her battle scarred childhood.

                Both her parents and her two brothers made it to safety, and when peace returned, her father started a small business which expanded considerably. He lived with his remaining family members in a lap of luxury, however, there was always a big piece missing from his life. Every night, he would wonder if it was possible for him to see his daughter again. He hired numerous private investigators to track down her whereabouts. Every day passed with the hope that there would be some news of his missing Rachel. Then one day, his secretary burst into the studyroom.

                "Rachel has been located!" Rachel's father stood up, his eyes brimming with tears. In a few hours, he had sent two of his trusted investigators to contact her, along with some money for her to spend.

                Rachel watched the car disappear into the horizon and went inside the orphanage building. This would be the last night she spends in this terrible place. She entered the dull bedroom which contained over twenty beds.  She climbed into her bunk and took out a tarnished family photo that she had salvaged from the smoldering remains of her home many years ago. The five faces that smiled back at her were frozen memories in time. She wondered how much they have changed till now. The serious rigid expression of her father, the cheerful smile of her mother, and the three mischievous faces which grinned girlishly behind their parents shoulders. Soon she would be meeting them in person!

                Early the next morning, a small group assembled in front of the mansion to await Rachel's arrival.  A car pulled up and out stepped a shy young woman

                "Father and Mother look very different from what I remembered," thought Rachel, "and I thought that I have two sisters, why do I see these two young men standing beside Mother and Father?"

                Just as the family moved to embrace their long lost sister, Rachel's father received a phone call. "What is it? There was a mix up? There was another girl named Rachel from the same orphanage?"

                A few days later, after some careful investigation, the two namesakes were reunited with their proper families. Rachel was reunited with her brothers, and Rachel was reunited with her sisters.

 

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good story. I like those sad stories that end with a happy ending. Your description made the story come alive. War leave many families separated. Few will find safety again. A excellent story.
Coyote

[VincentRayne]

Wow. That was a very heartwarming story. I threw my hands up when the people discovered that there was a mix up but it was solved at the end. Thank goodness.

[Dustin Chang]

Oh thank god. It has a happy ending! I almost screamed when Rachel finds out that it wasn't her family waiting for her at the end. A riveting stuff. It reminded me of a great documentary called Betrayal by Ellen Kuras.