Gone !

GOTCHA !

 

Barry and I are sound asleep, spooned and content. Our five year old twins daughter are played out, their little tummies filled with their favorite meal, burgers on buns, with sweet gherkins and potato chips. I stir. Something is pushing me, crying, 'Mommie, Daddy, let me sleep with you.' It's Jane. She doesn't wait for my answer which was going to be, 'No, go back to bed, and climbs in, squeezes between Barry and me. He doesn't hear or feel me move way. I have no time to resent it, just smother Jane in my warm arms. 'What's wrong, Honey. Do you feel sick? Did you eat too many pickles?' She doesn't answer but her forehead is warm and her hands are cold. I'm a bit worried but not enough to wake up Barry or check on Lili. Jane is restless, holds on to me until the sun rises and shines on her face.

 

'Mommie, let's go see if Lili is ok.' ' Of course she's okay, Jane, why shouldn't she be? Let's go get her.' We get out of bed and go to wake Lili but she isn't in her bed. 'Jane, go down to the kitchen, see if she's there.' 'No, you go, Mommie.' We go back and forth 'you go', 'no you go', a few times until I, the mother go. 'Are you two playing a trick on me? If you are, it isn't very funny! Call your sister, call her now.' We both call. There is no answer, not a peep from upstairs, not even from Barry. He can sleep thru just about everything.

 

Barry complains when I open the bathroom door. He yelps that he nicked himself. 'Barry, something is wrong. Jili isn't in the house.    Jane slept with me all night because something frightened her in their room, really scared her. Get dressed. Get dressed NOW! I'm going out to look around, ring some doorbells. Jane, you stay here with Dad.'

 

Nobody has seen our daughter. I dial 911 for the police, frantically explain our Lili is missing. Tears almost choke me.  A police car arrives in what seems forever but is only fifteen minutes. They take all the info I have, which is none, her description and then talk almost baby talk to Jane. 'What frightened you last night, Little Miss Jane?' a tall, skinny officer asked. 'I saw a shadow on the wall and Lili told me it was from the tree outside our window, but we don't have a big tree out there.' Mommie let me stay with her. Are you going to find my sister, Mr. Policeman?' He looks at me, then at Jane and tells her the truth. 'We are sure going to try.'

 

By the end of the week photos of Lili are on every pole, lamp post, on buses, in the paper. Good people send us money in case a ransom message comes in. I thank them all and return what I can. My eyes are dry because I have cried them all out. Jane stays home from school, is almost always in our sight.

 

From nowhere she suddenly remembers something she hadn't told us or the policeman because she wasn't sure, but she thinks she heard a voice the night Lili disappeared. It only said, 'GOTCHA.'

 

Yes, whoever, whatever took our daughter away has changed our lives. We miss her every day, in every way, every time we see another child about Lili's age. Jane remembers her sister but the vision dims as she grows up and we grow older.

 

Our neighbors donated money for a small marble statue of Lili that has been  placed in the Capitol Square. Barry and I visit it every Sunday. Our heavy hearts just never get lighter. The unknown perpetrator of this tragedy also must have been please that his 'Gotcha' also got us.

 

May he burn in hell for all eternity!