Sabella's Journey

Chapter 7

"She can't swim!" I screamed as hard as I could at David, while Joseph and I hurriedly climbed our way down the wagon to help.

David's legs were trapped under the wagon, so he wasn't of any help. I ran and scanned the entire surroundings where she fell, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Ava?!" I screamed again, tears beginning to roll down my eyes.

More people came to help, all of them searching different places in the water, while some helped David out from under his wagon.

"I can't find her!" Joseph yelled from a corner, panic evident in his voice.

"She has to be somewhere around here!" I yelled back with a cracked voice.

I ran from one direction to another in the lake, even though I fell down numerous times from the water current, I somehow managed to get back up to search for my sister.

Minutes passed, but it felt like hours, and there was still no sign of her anywhere. I looked at Joseph, and we both held that gaze in our eyes; we were scared.

I made my way towards Joseph. I wasn't thinking straight anymore; everything around me began to spin out of control.

"Ava?!" I continued to yell as I stood beside Joseph and the rest of the folks who were also looking for her.

As I called out, I turned towards the edge of the lake, and in the corner of my eye, I saw something between the rocks that sent chills down my spine. "Ava?" I whispered.

I began walking, stumbling towards the direction, not sure what to make of it. Was it really her? Or was it just my mind playing tricks on me?

The closer I got, the more clearly I could see the brown dress she was wearing. It was her.

"Joseph!" I yelled, startled at the sight of my sister lying there helplessly. "Ava. I found her!" She looked lifeless from afar. Joseph and David bolted past me, trying to get to her.

"No, no, no..." I mumbled as I began to run as fast as I could, tumbling along the way to get to her.

By the time I got there, Joseph and David were already there, lifting Ava's lifeless body out from between the rocks.

When I saw her, my mouth fell open, but no words came out. I felt weak. My entire being came crashing down as I landed on my knees to hold her. "Ava?" I whispered.

"They found her!" I heard someone yell as I cradled my sister in my arms, crying my eyes out.

After that, I couldn't hear anything more; everything, every noise was cut off from my hearing as I held onto someone who had been so precious to me all of my life.

I turned to look at Joseph with tears flowing down my eyes. He sat beside me, tears falling down his manly face like a waterfall. As for David, he just gazed at her in disbelief, just one drop of tear fell from his eye, no real emotion, as if he was looking at a mere stranger.

I stared on, still in disbelief at the dead body of my sister now lying in our wagon. Draped in her finest dress, a burgundy and gold ball gown, filled with ruffles on the bottom and on both sides of its long puffy sleeves.

Papa had brought it for her on her twenty-second birthday; she never got a chance to wear it, saving it for a special occasion. I had told her to wear it on her wedding day, but she refused, saying she'd get mud on it. Now she has finally got the chance to wear it.

Wildflowers surrounded her as she lay on top of her blanket; I picked them myself.

"I told her that we should go back home when pa died... but she didn't listen," I said in a low voice to Joseph, who was sitting beside me in the wagon, David standing on the outside glancing in.

"Why didn't..."

"... enough... please," Joseph muttered, not sounding angry, just sad.

I didn't say anything after that. I just kept staring at my beautiful Ava, for it would be the last day I'd be seeing her.

Mr. Boone came; I looked up with swollen eyes. He was looking at me and then at Joseph, opening his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Until after a while, he spoke.

"I'm sorry. But we need to bury her. It's getting dark... and we need to..."

"A few more minutes," Joseph interrupted with a soft voice, not taking his eyes off Ava.

"But we need to leave tomorrow as early as..."

"I said a few more minutes!" Joseph slammed his fist into the sideboard of the wagon, which sent it shaking from the impact. I couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes.

"Alright, alright. Take as much time as you need," Mr. Bonne told him with a shaky voice, raising both of his hands in defeat, and walked away.

"I, um, I'm going to dig the hole," David stammered, bending his head, and without waiting for our response, went fast behind Mr. Boone.

"How will we come back... if we... wanted to see... her?" I asked Joseph while crying my eyes out, as David filled the last empty spot of her grave with mud.

"I..." was all he could mumble back at me.

"Answer me!" I screamed, unable to hold back the tears flowing furiously down.

Without so much as a flinch, Joseph turned to look at me, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to leave his eyes. "I'll find a way sister... that I promise you. We will come back to visit her... I promise," Joseph assured me as sorrow filled his eyes.

Wiping away the tears, I went over to him and held his hand, looking up at him.

"We'll make it through this," I assured him, as uncontrollable tears flowed down my face.

Without a second thought, he grabbed me and hugged me as I cried onto his chest.

"I know," he muttered, "I know."

I had thought this journey was going to bring a little adventure to my boring life, but it has brought nothing but misery and pain into it. But as I had told my brother, "we're going to make it through this."