The Giant Forest - COMPLETED - True to life adventures of preteens.

Losing Somebody You Love without Trying

Artie was not prone to eavesdropping. Nor did he often overhear the conversations going on around him. He was far and away too much in his own world, studying, watching, daydreaming, drawing, imagining, befriending, introducing ... for all intents and purposes, living in his own world.

This time, however, he couldn't help but hear his parents conversation. He tried to convince himself that they were talking more loudly than usual. As if, he over thought, "Maybe, they want me to hear them!"

He didn't intend to overhear them. But he did. And because he did hear them, in the end he thought what they said was something he should have heard. And acted on.

While the kids played in another room, Bart and Prissie sat at the kitchen table. Prissie faced the doorway that led to the room where the kids were and Bart occasionally looked over his shoulder as if he wanted to be sure nobody could hear their conversation.

Artie was walking outside behind the kitchen door that led to the backyard and just out of sight below the kitchen window when he overheard Bart say, "We have to do something." Something was said louder than usual. Bart's voice carried through the walls and stopped Artie in his tracks. He'd never heard Bart say anything loudly to Prissie. This talk was different.

Artie stopped and sat in a rocking chair on the back porch, still out of sight. The rocking chair was the same one Prissie sat in when Artie joined the family. The chair had grown old and was moved outside, replaced by a newer and stronger one.

Arti whispered to himself, "This old chair has been put outside to make way for something new."

Neither Bart nor Prissie noticed that Artie was there. The backside of the rocking chair did not reach the windowsill. Even if Artie rocked back and forth he wouldn't be noticed. On the first rock, however, Artie caused a creak in the floor board. He immediately stopped. Though he didn't know why, and he certainly knew better, he still wanted to follow the conversation that was going on just inside.

"Yeah. There are too many of us to house and feed. I don't know how we are going to keep this up. We have to do something," Bart explained.

"There are two of us, 10 kids and all those animals. And if we get another kid we're going to have to ..."

Artie didn't wait till Prissie finished the last sentence.

Artie didn't hear Bart finish Prissie's sentence, either. "We're going to have to build onto the house or build another room for the kids. Maybe even go for help."

Artie had already jumped and ran toward the woods behind the house. As he jumped, the rocking chair responded with a bigger than regular rock. The lean forward was more than usual and when it returned it rocked back far enough to knock against the wall.

Prissie's voice quivered as she asked, "Is there someone at the back door? Another child maybe?"

Bart walked to the back door, poked his head out but only saw an empty rocking chair. When the chair hit the back wall it stopped rocking altogether.

"Must have been a gust of wind," Bart surmised.

"They are going to send me away! If someone else shows up, they're going to have to do something. That something is to send me away!" Artie soft shouted to himself.

"There's not enough room for more kids. And more kids are sure to come. I was the first one here. I am the one who has to go. The old has to make way for the new. I've been unwanted before. I know what I need to do. It's okay. I can do this. " Artie further reasoned to himself.

"I'll make it easy for them ... so they don't have to decide," he said out loud as if he needed to persuade himself.

"They have given me a home this long. I must not wear out my welcome. I must not make them wrestle with this decision. I know what I need to do."

--

The next morning Bart called out in his usual perky way, "Breakfast's ready!"

One by one the kids came. They came in pairs, the older ones hand-in-hand with a younger one.

Prissie hustled to get all the food on the table: eggs, bacon, biscuits, orange juice, toast, while the kids took their sets. The oldest girl, Allie, helped her mom set the table and place the food.

After everyone had a seat and without looking up, Bart spoke, "Artie, will you say the blessing for the food?'

There was silence. When the quietness persisted, Bart and Prissie like they had many times before, in unison, peeked up from their prayer like posture to see why Artie hadn't prayed.

Artie's chair was empty!

It was not uncommon for Artie to miss an appointment, to not be where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there. To not do something he was supposed to do when he was supposed to do it. But Artie never missed breakfast. None of the kids missed breakfast.

"A good start leads to a good finish," Prissie always said. Bart and Prissie were not disciplinarians. They allowed for many different personalities among their tribe. However, they insisted that everyone start the day together with prayer and a good meal. None of the kids missed breakfast ... until today. Artie was absent.

Bart and Prissie looked at one another confused. Bart hastily prayed. At the "Amen" hands and plates began to fly. Food servings followed.

"Lemme check on him, dear," Bart said. "Maybe one of the animals ..."

Ten, maybe 15 minutes later Bart returned. The rest of the kids were chatting lively and loudly about chores and adventures for the day.

Prissie looked wide-eyed at Bart. Bart held his arms out and palms upwards, followed by a shrug of his shoulders.

"Kids. We have a surprise for you. It seems that Artie has decided today he wants all of us to play 'Hide and Seek!' BEFORE the day starts. Isn't that funny of him? He's a silly boy. Always in his own world."

The kids laughed, cackled, giggled and burped.

"Everyone done eating?"

Forks and knives went to the left and right of plates to prepare for clean up. The kids all sat obediently in silence.

"Let's go find Artie!" Bart announced.

"But what about clean up?" Allie asked. She was the responsible one.

"Just for fun. Let's do that after we find Artie. Maybe we can have him do clean up just for being so mischievous," Prissie added. Allie smiled.

"The first one to find Artie gets relieved of their chores for today!" said Bart.

Backs went straight. Chairs were pushed slightly away from the table.

"Ready. Set. Go!"

Chairs flew back more. Kids jumped up, ran to the back of their chairs and pushed them back flush against the table. A stampede of eagerness for the front and back doors followed. The hunt for Artie was on.

The little ones paired up with their bigger siblings and away they went.

"I'll take the front of the house. You take the back," Prissie instructed Bart. The woods were in the back. They both knew that Bart was better suited to search the forest.

"I'll take my gun with me just in case."

"Your gun?" Prissie asked alarmingly. "Yeah, maybe. Just in case.?

Let's meet back here at noon if not sooner."

At midday, the whole tribe gathered for dinner. Still, Artie was not there.

Trying to stay upbeat, Prissie announced they would continue to play in the afternoon. "Let's find that pesky Artie."

At times like these we should slow down and pray more earnestly and act more deliberately. Instead, they prayed and ate more quickly than usual and resumed the hunt.

Supper time came and went. Still no Artie. Bedtime came. Still no Artie.

Nobody said out loud what everyone was thinking. It was clear, however, Artie was gone.