Little Girl Lost

This story follows a mother's frantic search for her daughter when she suddenly disappears from a department store.

An awful sound tore through the tranquility of my dreams, ripping me back to reality. I let out a groan but it got caught somewhere in the dryness of my throat and came out sounding strangled. Could it really be that time ALREADY?!

 

My eyes blinked open once, twice and then squeezed shut in a flinching motion. Agh! Woah, that's bright! I let out another strangled sound and rolled over to my side. I put my weight into my right shoulder and made a feeble attempt to sit up. I almost made it too - but not quite.

 

The awful sound was still shrieking away in the background. Mustering every ounce of strength in my body, I forced myself out of bed and made my way to the chest of drawers where my alarm clock sat. My arms were oustretched and flailing about like a zombie from an ancient horror film. I clutched my head with my hands in an attempt to soothe the pounding that was going on inside.

 

After quite a bit of fumbling and a few objects clattering to the floor, I managed to get my hands on the alarm clock. I punched several buttons before I found the one that I was looking for - the one that would make the cursed thing shut up!

 

Thank GOD for that!

 

This sucks!  I moaned as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the sunshine filtering through the blinds. Shimmering golden rays were bouncing off the furniture.

 

It's Saturday today - I know it's a beautiful day outside but I just want to sleep in! - I'm not in the mood for attending children's birthday parties!

 

At that moment I caught my reflection in the oval mirror perched on top of my dresser. Aaagh! Is it even possible for me to look worse than I feel?!!

 

Apparently it was. My hair was a tangled mess, my skin pale and lifeless, and there were huge dark circles bulging underneath my eyes. It had been another late night last night. I wasn't even sure what time it was that I had eventually passed out on the lounge with my book in my hand, nor was I aware of the exact time when I finally stumbled my way back to my bed.

 

The truth was that I hadn't had a single decent night of sleep in several weeks. I had always had trouble drifting off since I was a kid but I had learned different methods of relaxation that could help me deal with this problem. 

 

Unfortunately, none of these things seemed to be working for me lately and it was only getting worse and worse. I had been tossing and turning for hours until I couldn't bare it any longer. Then, I would get up and have a shower or drink some warm milk or read a book - anything to pass the time until my body finally succumbed to exhaustion.

 

There would be maybe 2 or 3 hours of un-interrupted sleep before my daughter Abi would bounce into my room and wake me up for the day. What I wouldn't give to have some of that energy?!  It was as if she had an unlimited supply. Of course, Abi didn't have the same problem that I did. She could sleep through a tornado - sometimes I even worried that she was sleeping too much!

 

Just then, Abi bounced into the room. She was late this morning. The alarm clock usually didn't even have the chance to bother me because Abi had been stealing its thunder. We were up well past her regular bed time last night watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on tv so it didn't surprise me that she had slept in a little bit.

 

"Mum!" she squeeled with delight. "Get up! Get up! it's Morning Time!"

 

For a four year old Abi was excelling beyond most of the other kids in her preschool class when it came to things like knowing the days of the week, months of the year and telling time. She loved to watch the clock and sing out whenever it was time to do something like get out of bed, eat breakfast or take a nap. She always knew what day of the week it was and what we needed to do on that day.

 

I smiled, her radiance was providing me with a newfound supply of strength. "Ok, kiddo!" I replied. "We had better get up and get ready then, hadn't we?" "Uh-huh" she nodded in agreement. A huge smile spread across her face "We have a birthday party to attend!" I laughed and tussled her curly brown hair. "You don't miss a beat do you?" I asked. She giggled and flashed me a cheeky grin "Nope!"

 

It took longer than it should have to get ourselves ready for the party. Abi cried and kicked off her shoes when I tried to dress her in the beautiful party dress her Nanna had bought her last christmas. It looked so gorgeous on her that I was just aching for an excuse to see her wear it but the fabric was synthetic and it itched her skin so it didn't matter how much I begged and pleaded - she didn't want to wear it!

 

Abi was a headstong little girl and stubborn just like her father. She knew exactly how to throw one hell of a tantrum and over the years I had learned to choose my battles wisely. This was not a battle worth fighting. I heaved a dramatic sigh and gave in to her demands. She would be dressed as a fairy princess today and if anyone had a problem with that - too bad!

 

We piled into the car and made our way towards the park where the party would be held. I slowed to stop for some traffic lights and looked out the window to the left. "Oh, No!" I cried. "We forgot to buy Gemma a birthday present!" Abi gasped in the back seat. "Oh, NO Mum!" she moaned. "We can't go to the party without a present!"

 

I looked down at the digital clock built into my dashboard. It was ten to nine - if we stopped for a present now we would be late to the party. Better to be late than turn up empty handed to a birthday  I thought. "Ok, sweetheart. We'll stop and find her a gift, but we must hurry or we will be late. Gemma's mum has hired a magician to entertain you kids and he is supposed to be really good so we don't want to miss it!"

 

I reversed a little and changed into the lane that would take me into the shopping centre car park. Luckily, no one else was behind me so I was able to get around the manouver without complication. I pulled into the closest carpark I could find and raced around to help Abi out of her seatbelt. She beamed up at me and held up her buckle in explanation. "I beat you mum!" she said. "I already unbuckled myself!"

 

We half ran into the shops. Abi had one of her hands gripping mine and the other was clasping the leg of her favourite stuffed Care Bear toy that I gave her for her second Christmas. The bear was filthy far beyond his years from being dragged around with us everywhere and the tag was mangled and sodden from being constantly chewed on.

 

I was about to stop and ask Abi to leave Wish Bear back in the car - she wouldn't need him in the store - but I decided against it. We were running out of time to turn around now and this was another one of those battles that were not worth fighting.

 

As we trailed through the department store isles looking for a suitable gift, Abi became impatient and started acting difficult. She broke completely free of my hand when she spotted a brand new Barbie doll she wanted on a large display stand in the centre of the store.

 

"Abi!" I growled, growing qucikly more frustrated. "We don't have time for this! Come back now and hold my hand!" Abi looked me straight in the eyes, folding her arms and stamping her foot. "No!" she replied. "I beg your pardon young lady?" "No!" she repeated, an octave higher, stamping her foot again.

 

I did a double take. Abi was usually such a good little girl - granted she could throw a good tantrum or two - but it wasn't usually over something as trivial as this. Abi planted her bum on the floor now, refusing to budge. I decided to try another angle.

 

"Abi," I soothed. "Don't you want to go to Gemma's party? You're going to miss out on all the fun. The magician will be performing very soon and I hear there is even a jumping castle!" I made my eyes dance with enticement as I said this. If I pretended to be excited then she just might follow my lead.

 

Instead, Abi just glared up at me with a face like a storm cloud. She took a deep breath now and started screaming "I DON'T want to hold your hand! And I DON'T want to go to the party!"

 

Her sudden fury took me by surprise and I unconsciously took a step backwards. By this stage people all over the store were staring at us with mixed expressions. A pair of older women shook their heads disapprovingly, a teenage boy looked completely shell-shocked and a young mum attempted to communicate her understanding and sympathy for me through her eyes.

 

Who is this child and what have they done with my beautiful, sweet Abi?!  I wondered.

 

Abi continued to scowl. I bent down on one knee and held out my hand invitingly toward her. "Abi darling, c - " I was interrupted by a fierce slap as she smacked my hand away with more strength than I imagined a child her size could possess. It stung not only my hand but also my heart.

 

Before I could shed a tear, my feelings of sadness and rejection turned to anger as I overheard one of the older women mutter something disapproving under their breath. I misdirected my anger at Abi.

 

"Abigail - Jane - Cook!" I glowered. "You will get up off that floor this instant!"

 

Abi knew that when I addressed her by her full name I meant business! And, usually, it was enough to shock her back into obedience! Today, however, it appeared to have little effect on her. She stuck out her tongue and then spat at my feet.

 

"RIGHT!" I shouted in a voice that surprised even myself. "You CAN stay right here then! On your OWN! Because I am LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!" I bluffed, wheeling around and stalking off through the isles.

 

I was careful enough to only go a couple of isles over and when I was sure I was far enough away for her to believe I was serious I peeked my head around the corner to see if I could spot her - expecting to see her come rushing back and leap into my arms in remorse. But when my eyes scanned the area of floor where she had been sitting there was no sign of Abigail and my heart skipped a beat.

 

I stepped out from my hiding place now and began searching more fervently. As each isle turned up empty I became more and more concerned. She can't possibly have gone that far?! ... Could she? I began calling her name as I went, searching underneath clothes racks and behind displays. Still there came no respone from Abi, nor any sign she had ever been here at all. Until... there, lying on the floor beside a pile of scattered childrens books was Wish Bear... abandoned. I gasped.

 

Abi never EVER lets Wish Bear out of her sight! Not EVER!

 

The realisation that Abigail was missing finally sunk in and a painful, involuntary cry escaped from my chest. Suddenly, I felt extremely dizzy. The people and products whirled around me in a blurr and just before my feet gave out from underneath, a young woman dressed in the department store uniform rushed to catch my shoulders. "Oh my GOD!" She cried, helping me back onto my feet and trying to steady me.

 

"Lady, ARE YOU OK?!"

 

"Abigail!" I breathed, gasping for a fresh supply of oxygen.

 

"My... My - Abi - has - GONE!" 

 

My voice cracked on that last part. I doubled over in agony clutching my sides as a thousand different possibilities went rushing through my mind - most of them too terrifying to linger on. I choked on the bile that was rising up in my throat.

 

"Is Abigail your daughter?" she probed, assuming the role of detective. "Yes" I whispered. "And how old is Abigail?" she waited patiently for my answer. "She's four" I replied. "She's only FOUR years old and she's MISSING!"

 

My eyes were darting everywhere around the store, franticly searching for any sign of my daughter. "Abi has probably just gone for a wander..." she continued. "Kids wander off all the time in this store and mums get all worked up for nothing when they find them just moments later riding the bikes around or chasing balls" she said waving her arm towards the outdoorsy toys.

 

"Come on, let's go take a look around and you can tell me what Abi looks like and what she is wearing along the way. We're going to find her. It will be ok" But she didn't look very convincing. Even in my heightened state I didn't miss the chewing of her bottom lip or the nervous sweeping of her fringe behind her ears. She turned away and lowered her voice as she whispered some kind of instructions into the walky talky that had been clipped to the waist band of her skirt.

 

With my thoughts running wild there was no way of coming up with a better plan so I simply nodded my head in defeat. She took my arm and led me down the next few isles asking dozens of questions I struggled to answer. I could feel the precious seconds slipping away and I couldn't stand it any longer.

 

I was screaming Abi's name now and, unsatisfied with the slow pace of the store assistant, I shook her off and broke into a run. Tears were streaming down my face, flowing faster and faster as every isle I turned down revealed nothing - no traces of my sweet Abi.

 

The agonising fear and panic that was taking hold of me now was indescribable. Never before had I ever experienced such pain and heartache. My entire body was so overcome with despair that I fell to my knees in surrender, giving in to it all - no longer strong enough to fight back.

 

I had been down every single isle in the store now at least two or three times, screaming out her name at the top of my lungs, and yet I had not found her. Twenty to twenty five minutes must have already passed since I had last seen her. I was smart enough to understand that just about anything could have happened in that short space of time. These were the longest minutes of my entire life.

 

In that moment the whole world was drowned out in my sorrow. The people rushing around me seemed no longer to exist - the sound of the store assistant shouting out to me, begging for a response, did not seem to reach my ears. I would be able to hear one sound and one sound only, and that would be the sound of Abi's voice calling back to me. But there was nothing. The silence was excrutiating. I  felt as though my heart was literally tearing in two.

 

I just lay there completely paralysed for a moment until the sounds started drifting back to me and a concerned face suddenly appeared in front of mine. It was a womans face and it took me a moment to register that she was trying to tell me that she thought she had seen Abi just a few minutes ago down the front of the store and did I want her to run back there now and see if Abi was still there?

 

"Oh my God, YES!" I cried, fresh tears streaming down my cheeks, stinging the flesh.

 

The woman ran off back in the direction I assumed she had come from and a few people followed close behind. More time passed, I don't know how much because by this time my brain had completely shut itself down in self defense - refusing to acknowledge what was really happening. I sat on the floor with my arms wrapped protectively around my knees, staring down at my feet. I was completely numb.

 

My baby was gone and it was all MY FAULT! I was a terrible mother and I deserved to suffer for eternity for my mistakes. I wondered how I would ever live without her if she never came back to me and then I answered my own question - I wouldn't!

 

When I finally dared to look up again I saw the woman coming back towards me with a massive grin on her face. She was positively beaming! She turned to look back over her shoulder and I followed her gaze. Then I understood the reason behind her smile... ABIGAIL! 

 

Abigail was walking hand in hand with two shopping centre security guards chatting away animatedly as if nothing had ever happened - but I could see the stains on her cheeks where the tears had been streaming down moments earlier and the puffiness of her eyes.

 

"ABIGAIL!" I cried. "Oh my God! - Sweetheart, you're OK!"

 

Abigail looked up towards the direction of my voice and her face lit up when she recognised me. "MUMMY!" she cried back and the security guards let go of her hands so she could sprint back to me. I bent down to pick her up and swing her around in the air, holding my arms around her so tightly that she began to squirm.

 

I set her back down on the ground and the tears started to well up again as I begged her to never, ever walk off on me again. And then, realising what I had just said I corrected myself. "Mummy will never, EVER walk away and leave you again, EVER. I PROMISE! I'm just so glad you're alright! Thank GOD you're alright!" I was kissing her all over her face now and she started to giggle. "Stop it Mum, that tickles!"

 

I turned to the store assistant, the security guards and the woman who went back for her. "Thank you" I said sincerely. "Thank you All from the bottom of my heart. There are no words that can describe the gratitude I feel..." I threw my arms around them one by one. They didn't seem to mind the gesture.

 

"So please, tell me what happened? Where was she and how did you find her?" I begged for the answers I so desperately needed.

 

The woman that found Abi, who I now knew as Erin, pointed out towards the front of the store "She heard the carousel start up and wanted to jump on and have a ride with the other kids. Then the security guards here noticed that she wasn't with any adults and they were about to take her back to the customer service centre. Then, just as I came running out looking for her they saw me and thought I must have been you. So I explained to them what the situation was and ... well... here we are!"

 

The carousel! Of course! Why hadn't I thought of that?! She loves that thing! Every time we come here she begs me to let her have a ride and I always say no because it costs four stinking dollars just to turn slowly around in a lousy circle a couple of times!  Now I was wishing I had just let her ride the damn thing and satify her curiosity. It might have looked boring to me but it was probably amazing to her.

 

I thanked them all again and taking Abigails hand in mine I turned to leave the store. "Are we going to the party now Mummy?" Abigail asked. "No honey" I replied. "No?" she repeated looking confused.

 

"No," I continued. "We are not going to go to the party because there are more important things we need to do right now. First of all, we're going to go ride that carousel Abigail. And when we're done riding the carousel we are going to go home and watch movies all day and eat popcorn and when we get sick of that we'll read fairytales in bed and I'm going to fall asleep in your bed with my arms around you and never let go of you ever again!"

 

"I love you, Mummy" said Abigail.

 

"And I love you" I replied.

 

"More than anything else in this whole world"

 

Author's Note

It is 2:05am. This was another spur of the moment decision to write this story. At this point I'm so tired I'm not even sure it makes any sense :) but I worked hard to get it here for you and I hope you all enjoy reading it!

Reviews

[Emmie]

I love this story. As a mother, I have been in this situation and it is the worst feeling in the world! You just want to wake up from the horrible nightmare to see your daughter still with you. My daughter wandered off at Disney World and she was missing for over 30 minutes. I thought I was going to loose my ever loving mind! We finally found her down by the train. She had decided we weren't getting there fast enough for her so she went by herself. She was about 6. Thanks for sharing, you hit the nail on the head with this one!

[Through the Gateway]

I thought this story wasn't bad, and as parent I can totally relate. It seems a little disjointed, though, about the time Abi goes missing. And with all the onlookers during the exchange between Abi and her mother, I find it a little difficult to believe that *noone* saw Abi make a beeline for the door. Also, Wish Bear being left behind, although a nice red herring, doesn't seem realistic. I've a daughter with a stuffed dog ("Momma Puppy") that she used to take everywhere. She would be more likely to leave one of her own limbs than leave that dog anywhere.

I'm also on the fence about Abi's sudden refusal to go to the party. On one hand it sounds like she's been looking forward to it for a while. On the other...children are indeed mysterious.

Still, though, I thought you captured the panic of a parent missing a child well. And I'm always happy when there's a happy ending.

[FairOphelia]

I agree with the other reviewers that this is a really good story, but I do think that some of the beginning bit could be cut down in order to really stress the mother/daughter relationship of the rest of the story. Also (and this is just me being really picky) there are a couple of bits where there's a bit of punctuation missing.

All in all, a really good write :)

[Closed Account]

i love this. it reminds me of when i got lost in a store, when i was younger. this sounds exactly like what happened, just a little different. this is really good. thanks for sharing!

[Voice]

This is a great write!!! I use to hide in the racks at the stores all the time I can see why my mom is so messed up lol just kidding...kind of. When my cousin ran off one time when she was 6 I felt the same way it scared the H E double hockey sticks out of me! Your story really pulls the reader in and it's something many people can relate to...

Voice

[Kerwin]

very nice story....at first i thought that it might be a really dull story of a overly protective, doting mom and her daughter going to a party, but the suspence and the intensity really kicked in good!! i liked reading it....

[chocolate_addict]

"She would be dressed as a fairy princess today and if anyone had a problem with that - too bad!" This line just made me laugh. Oh I loved this. The fear was immense! I have a little sister and many times she has disappered for a moment only to be right behind me and for that instant you feel your body break down and suddenly there are a million possiblities. Anyway I loved Abi's character. She was a very typical little girl, becoming stubborn for sometimes no reason. I thought you displayed her character very well, so much so that I just fell in love with her. You have a knack for getting a character to grow on you. For example the Care Bear that Abi loved was a very nice tidbit of information that made her character all the more real and wonderful.

The only suggestion I would have would to be to provide a description for the characters (for example were Abi's eyes blue or brown?).

:)

[BrightEyes]

I did not mind the build up to the story. I think it was important to setting up your characters here for if the reader does not have any sympathy for the mother, nor any affection for the precocious child - what good is the rest of the story? I think though at the part where the little girl is missing, you might add some as to the inner workings in the mothers' mind. There is much about where she is looking and who she is speaking with, though only a few brief glimpses within her own thoughts and what she is feeling. I think what is missing here giving it a little thought is that first thought that always comes to a parents' mind when their child is missing - did someone take them? Are they scared? Are they hurt? Are they calling for me? Those sort of things. I have to say though - for a 2 am write that you were trying to get down so you could go to bed - this is pretty well fleshed out and detailed.

[LaineyBeetle]

For those who are wondering, the little girl in the story is not my daughter - it is almost completely fiction except that I did draw on some similar experiences I have had with my younger daughter Chloe. The young girl in the photo however is my eldest daughter Jasmine who is also four years old like the girl in the story - only much better behaved! :) Though she does run off sometimes too! Gotta love em!

[LaineyBeetle]

I considered that I was taking too long to get into the story myself but when I went back to look at which pieces to cut out I decided that they were all important in order to establish the characters and the compounding impact that the lack of sleep had on the mother's ability to cope when her daughter threw the tantrum. If I had just said "I was really tired from not sleeping well" it would not nearly have had the same effect. But I totally understand where you are coming from and in hindsight I probably could have cut it down a bit more by rethinking my sentences and omitting some un-necessary descriptive such as the part about the sunshine etc. but it was 2am when I wrote this and so I just wanted to get the story out before I was too tired to even finish it. I can always do a final edit later. Thanks for the kind reviews. I'm glad that people can identify with my characters and what is unfolding in the story :)

[Eagle Cruagh]

Your story is a service to the public in
general and it should make a great impact
on Mothers everywhere.

I would suggest that you get in to the story
quicker. The whole bit about the alarm clock
and the preparation for the party could be
eliminated ---- the story is Abigail missing, get
to it ! If you want to expand on the story, great.

'As I said before, this story should be reccommended
reading for every Mother before she leaves the
hospital with her new baby. 'You just don`t leave
a child out of your sight --- PERIOD !

There are not enough kudo`s to cover this story.
It is better than , 'the best'.

The most valuable story to date.

Rate-----100 %

------ Eagle Cruagh