Chapter 21 - Page 294 - Lost In The Woods

   A young girl clung to her mother's dress. The girl wore nice clothes and a hat was pinned to her hair. She looked familiar, but all Jim could see was her back. The crowd began to push and shove, and people at the back of the line yelled at the people at the front of the line, "The train's leaving. Hurry up and get on."

   The young mother climbed onto the train with her bags, but the young girl's hat got knocked off her head, and she reached down to get it. Passengers pushing past the young girl's mother shoved her out of the doorway, back into the train. The young girl didn't know her mother had left without her. She picked up her hat, but saw something moving in the bushes-a rabbit. The train continued to build up speed. The young girl forgot about the train and ran toward the bushes, and the rabbit bolted into the trees. The young girl chased after it, but the rabbit ran deeper and deeper into the woods.

   The young girl's mother knew her daughter hadn't boarded the train. She began to panic, but the other passengers continued to push her forward. They didn't stop until the last person found a seat. The train didn't have compartments or sleepers, just seats down both sides of an aisle. The young mother ran through the train, looking for her daughter. She was nowhere to be found. The mother looked out the train window, but the train station was well out of sight.

   The scene of the young girl chasing the rabbit reappeared, but this time Jim saw the young girl's face as she looked back to find the train. The young girl was Shanha. Jim shifted anxiously.

   Shanha had ended up so far in the woods, she could no longer see the train. To make matters worse, she'd gotten turned around, and didn't know which direction to go. She looked for the train station, but kept getting deeper and deeper into the woods. Fear overtook her and she began to cry.

   Tears ran down Jim's cheeks as he watched.