Sabella's Journey

Chapter 4

A new day had arrived. It had been eight long days since we left home. Every day so far had been pleasant, but today, for some reason, I felt as if something horrendous was coming upon us.

Dark clouds began circling the sky, and the winds had picked up. I hopped off the wagon so the horse could feel a little eased from the weight since it was going towards the blistering winds that had just come about.

Distress filled my heart from all the unpleasant feeling in my gut, telling me that we shouldn't go any further for today, but unfortunately, it was not my decision to make.

"Horrible weather we're having, ain't it!" I turned around, looking at Anna who was shouting behind me while trying to hide her face from all the dust that was blowing through the air.

"Yeah!" I shouted back.

As I was about to say another word, one of the wagons fell over from the wind. I heard screams from some women, and I just froze. Wagon covers began blowing off, heading in all directions, and the rain came pouring down on us heavily. Everything was happening so fast.

"Circle the wagons!" Mr. Bonne shouted.

"We need to get the cattle and horses as quickly as possible so they won't run away!"

All the men were hurrying to circle the wagons to put the animals in, while some women tried to shelter their children from the rain. Then it quickly crossed my mind. Ava. Where is she?

"Ava?!" I shouted from the top of my lungs for my sister.

"Ava?!" I could hardly see anything from all the rain. I didn't even know where Anna went, but to lay it on the line, I didn't care as much. My sister was more important to me now than anyone else.

"Ava?!" I shouted even harder but heard no response. I paid no mind to the harsh rain as I kept going.

After running for about a few minutes, yelling, I saw Pa come running towards me.

"Get under the wagon!" he shouted through the thick rain.

"Where's Ava? I can't find her?!" I yelled as Pa tugged my arm towards the wagons.

"Get under, I'll go look for her!" Pa told me, releasing my arm.

I was making my way under a wagon when the wind picked up and became fiercer in mere minutes. I didn't want him to go alone. I stretched out my hand from under the wagon and held onto his feet. "Pa, I should go with you!" But it was no use; he managed to break free of my grip.

"Be careful, papa!" I shouted, not sure if he heard me or not. Tears were now forming in my eyes as I saw my father running out of the tiny space that was left from the wagon circle and disappeared into the harsh winds that were blowing.

There were two persons already here. A child and her father. The little girl's eyes were filled with terror as she held onto her father, trembling. I took hold of her pint-sized hands and held them into mine.

"Everything's going to be alright," I assured her with a smile as she sobbed.

Not long after, we were joined by two more persons. I could see Joseph from a distance with some men; they were trying to keep the horses and cattle from being scared from all the thunder and lightning flashes.

I kept thinking of Pa and Ava if they were okay. I've been waiting here for a while, and I haven't seen them. Thinking of all the worst that could have happened, and just when I had become fearful, I looked up and there they were, Pa, Ava, and David came running.

I watched as Ava hid under a wagon, while Pa and David went with the rest of the men. Relief swept over me, and my tears turned to silent laughter.

With more roaring thunders and rasping wind, the animals had gotten more scared. Horses jumped high into the air, all trying to jump over the wagons while the cattle mooed, running from one direction to another.

All of a sudden, a loud outburst of thunders filled the skies, and with the wink of an eye, a flash of lightning bolted through the circle, hitting the earth, leaving a mark in its place. Screams could be heard through my ringing ears as I saw the animals stampede through the wagons, smashing them through their way as they were making their way to escape. The men tried to stop them, but it seemed to be of no use.

"Get help!" I heard someone yelled from around the shattered wagons. I pulled myself from out under the wagon as my heart raced in fear during the time that I was making my way to the shattered wagons.

By now, virtually all the animals were gone; all that was left was sloppy mud trails. Everyone was coming out, even though the rain was still pouring down hard on us.

The more closely I got, the better I could make out who it was. By now, my walking became pacing, with panic flowing through my body, tears gushing from my eyes. I finally came to a stop, my knees crashing down on the muddy earth. With silent sobs and screams escaping my lips, I held onto the lifeless body of the man I've called father my entire life.

"Papa! Wake up! Please, papa!" I held onto his face as I sobbed.

Not long after, Ava and Joseph came; they both sat beside Pa, crying. I couldn't make out what Ava was saying from all my sobbing. She pushed my hands away and grabbed Pa and pulled him onto her lap.

"Please, someone help him," my voice came out barely a whisper. Someone touched my shoulder; I turned my head to see who it was with tears filled in my eyes.

"He's gone, sweetie," an old lady covered in mud told me with a gloomy look on her face. I then turned my head to the other man that lay there almost as lifeless as Pa, people surrounded him, trying to help. He was alive, injured, but alive. I turned back to look at Pa; he was covered entirely in mud, his clothes partly ripped, exposing his bruised body that the animals had left behind when they ran over him. Why did he have to die? I kept asking myself.

I sat on the ground with my brother and sister as I clutched the dirt in my hand from my father's grave. There had been no more tears left in my eyes to cry.

We buried him not far from where he had died. There was no coffin; we wrapped him in a cloth and led him down, and placed two sticks made to look like a cross. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to die like this. The other man who was also injured had died an hour after Pa did. The folks give us some time to mourn our loss, but we couldn't have stayed there.

Everything had been packed up; everyone had salvaged what little they had left. Some of the animals they couldn't find. They managed to get back the horses and a few cattle, but all the seeds and some goods had been damaged from the rain.

"I think we should go back," I told Ava and Joseph through a hoarse voice.

"No!" Ava raised her voice at me, which made me jump at her response.

"Papa wouldn't want that. He would want us to continue, to get a better life," she spoke firmly and clearly, then she walked away, heading towards the wagon. I looked at Joseph, who was staring at our father's grave, not saying a word.

"We can't stay here all day," Mr. Bonne came walking towards us.

"I suggest it's time you say your goodbyes now; we have to get going," he told us, taking off his hat and bending his head. Then he left.

A tear rolled down my eyes as I turned back my attention to my father's grave.

"I guess this is goodbye, papa. I'll see you again," I kissed my hand and placed it on the cross as tears came pouring down, and walked away.